A Lonely Business, This

The life of a poet depends on solitude. It is necessary to be alone and to work with a blank page. Most of the time this is fine. Most of the time it is a joy, even.

I like getting into the creative meditative state, where I'm able to tap the deepest feelings, and with luck, bring them to the surface for reflection. When I've done it right, I feel as though I've been transparent.

The goal is not pretty words, it is connection. It is awe (ain't life grand?) and honesty (do we really have to die? how bad will it hurt?).

But sometimes it gets lonely.

The poet, the fiction writer, the artist, the musician—all of us hunger for our other half. We need the reader, the viewer, the audience. Reaching you is the only way to tell if we've actually done what we've set out to do.

Sometimes it feels like I am writing into a vacuum, putting my thoughts down for nobody. It is like the philosophical conundrum, if a tree falls in the forest and no one is there to hear it, does it make a sound?

Meanwhile, back to business:

My name is Rae Hallstrom, and Ameriku is my art and my business and my brand.

Ameriku Ltd produces nature-oriented art prints, posters, greeting cards and other items, based on my original haiku and photography.

Ameriku® is the registered trademark of Ameriku Ltd. When you see the Ameriku trademark, you can be sure the work meets my high standards of quality.