"Out of Bounds!" "Unconventional!" and "Absurd!"
This probably describes my writing for the most part, both with picture books and music. I have been interested in the arts from day one, at least as far back as I can remember, whether it was reading, drawing, painting, writing or music. Growing up I was immersed in a vast sea of art and culture. My parents being hippies, it might have been the wrong culture to most people, however I commend them for raising me to be creative, questioning and passionate. They started me out very early in the areas of art, music and literature, as well as free thought. I can remember times when a Christmas or birthday present was a single book or pencil and paper. By age 4 I had a guitar.
My fathers album collection lined two walls of our country home and music reigned supreme in the air waves surrounding our house.
The first books I ever read were the early beginners books, a series started by one of my childhood idols, the late, great Theodor Seuss Geisel. In this series I found magic and inspiration, free thought and a desire to create and imagine. I would write my own rhymes and spend hours composing my own creatures and worlds. Those days were truly one of the most magical parts of my life. Shortly after, my reading journey brought me into the wonderful world of Richard Scarry. Scarry's books taught me core values and gave me a desire to illustrate pictures of my own. I was soon filled with the desire to draw worlds such as the ones he had portrayed in his books. Worlds where respect and morals walked hand in hand with silliness and imagination.
Two of the greatest influences of my life were literary in nature. The abstract of Dr. Seuss combined with the simpleness and wholesomeness of Richard Scarry. Being totally supported by my parents in my endeavor to create, that's exactly what I began to do. Drawing, writing, creating music, art and literature. I truly wish I had kept on that path through school but puberty and teen years do funny things to people. Though my love for art and writing never left me, it lessoned drastically. I got into fantasy books around fifth grade and read C.S. Lewis, Robert Jordan, Tolkien and even Isaac Asimov. Eventually an unavoidable event occurred and music took over.
It was high school, really, that turned me in the direction of music full bore. I remember how exhilarating it was when my friends discovered I could play the guitar. "Wow," they would say" that is freakin cool!" As you can imagine, it did not take long for me to fall into that swirling mire of acceptance and possibility. The 80's seemed an endless pool of rock bands and opportunity for an aspiring musician, especially at that age. I read little for quite some time after that, I wrote music, joined the army, got married, got divorced, got married, got divorced... *sigh* A nightmare you could say, and music, being at the center, did little other than give me a means to release my emotional downfalls.
Many years later, (age 42), I still write and compose music in many genre's though I recently began to feel that what has been missing is my love of reading and writing. This last year I began reading and writing again... a lot! I picked up novels started years before and began editing, revising and wondering... what was I trying to do here? I took a composition class at the community college to brush up on my formal writing skills. Can you believe by reading this that I actually passed the class? This fall I hope to enroll in a creative writing class to further the writing process
I have finally realized that I enjoy writing for children and young adults. My two oldest children are almost fully grown while my youngest will soon be heading to jr. high and I miss them, I miss the fun and creativity of my kids. I miss being a part of that magical world where I could explore freely, be silly, outrageous and absurd. Writing for children definitely takes me back to a time that I've almost lost completely. Writing now has become as important to me as anything else I have accomplished. I is time to get back to what was once my passion.
There is no telling what you might find in the pages beyond this not so brief introduction of myself. You might possibly find half written manuscript scenes, perhaps a blog and for sure a whole lot of...???? Hopefully you will read through these pages and blow the dust off my writing skills. Hopefully you will come to understand and enjoy being, "out of bounds", "unconventional", and "absurd", as am I. It is my dream to be able to create and inspire beyond what I have been by the masters of their craft. I hope that all of who read this will strive to do the same.
If your are here now, you have made it through the slushpile of my life and I would personally like to thank you for taking the time to do so.
Gregory P. Andreas
Welcome to my world!
My fathers album collection lined two walls of our country home and music reigned supreme in the air waves surrounding our house.
The first books I ever read were the early beginners books, a series started by one of my childhood idols, the late, great Theodor Seuss Geisel. In this series I found magic and inspiration, free thought and a desire to create and imagine. I would write my own rhymes and spend hours composing my own creatures and worlds. Those days were truly one of the most magical parts of my life. Shortly after, my reading journey brought me into the wonderful world of Richard Scarry. Scarry's books taught me core values and gave me a desire to illustrate pictures of my own. I was soon filled with the desire to draw worlds such as the ones he had portrayed in his books. Worlds where respect and morals walked hand in hand with silliness and imagination.
Two of the greatest influences of my life were literary in nature. The abstract of Dr. Seuss combined with the simpleness and wholesomeness of Richard Scarry. Being totally supported by my parents in my endeavor to create, that's exactly what I began to do. Drawing, writing, creating music, art and literature. I truly wish I had kept on that path through school but puberty and teen years do funny things to people. Though my love for art and writing never left me, it lessoned drastically. I got into fantasy books around fifth grade and read C.S. Lewis, Robert Jordan, Tolkien and even Isaac Asimov. Eventually an unavoidable event occurred and music took over.
It was high school, really, that turned me in the direction of music full bore. I remember how exhilarating it was when my friends discovered I could play the guitar. "Wow," they would say" that is freakin cool!" As you can imagine, it did not take long for me to fall into that swirling mire of acceptance and possibility. The 80's seemed an endless pool of rock bands and opportunity for an aspiring musician, especially at that age. I read little for quite some time after that, I wrote music, joined the army, got married, got divorced, got married, got divorced... *sigh* A nightmare you could say, and music, being at the center, did little other than give me a means to release my emotional downfalls.
Many years later, (age 42), I still write and compose music in many genre's though I recently began to feel that what has been missing is my love of reading and writing. This last year I began reading and writing again... a lot! I picked up novels started years before and began editing, revising and wondering... what was I trying to do here? I took a composition class at the community college to brush up on my formal writing skills. Can you believe by reading this that I actually passed the class? This fall I hope to enroll in a creative writing class to further the writing process
I have finally realized that I enjoy writing for children and young adults. My two oldest children are almost fully grown while my youngest will soon be heading to jr. high and I miss them, I miss the fun and creativity of my kids. I miss being a part of that magical world where I could explore freely, be silly, outrageous and absurd. Writing for children definitely takes me back to a time that I've almost lost completely. Writing now has become as important to me as anything else I have accomplished. I is time to get back to what was once my passion.
There is no telling what you might find in the pages beyond this not so brief introduction of myself. You might possibly find half written manuscript scenes, perhaps a blog and for sure a whole lot of...???? Hopefully you will read through these pages and blow the dust off my writing skills. Hopefully you will come to understand and enjoy being, "out of bounds", "unconventional", and "absurd", as am I. It is my dream to be able to create and inspire beyond what I have been by the masters of their craft. I hope that all of who read this will strive to do the same.
If your are here now, you have made it through the slushpile of my life and I would personally like to thank you for taking the time to do so.
Gregory P. Andreas
Welcome to my world!
