Image created by Rebekah Marshall’s prompts using AI on Gencraft.com website.
I am reading Hafiz’s Little Book of Life, poetry by Hafiz-e Shirazi. He is challenging me to become more comfortable with ambiguity. I will share his poem and some of my thoughts on his poem (sometimes with the help of experts when the concepts are too hard for me), followed by a poem and some art inspired by his poem.
Hafiz’s Poem 43:
Life’s conditions Constantly Vary
Do not despair
Some thoughts:
This is another one that reminds me of an AA slogan. One of the sayings in that program is, “This too shall pass.” The circumstances we find ourselves in are constantly changing. We don’t have to necessarily identify with them, make them a part of our identity, or focus on them too much. It doesn’t say we are unaffected by the varying conditions. They might be difficult. They might deeply affect us. But they are not permanent. There is no need to be in the depths of despair, as Anne in Anne of Green Gables would say. It is not for forever, no matter how it feels in the moment.
The flip side of the equation is that fabulous conditions are also temporary. Not to be a wet blanket, but sometimes when things are going well, we expect them to stay wonderful forever. The reality is that there will always be ups and downs, dips and crests; that is just life. It is all part of the ride. And maybe the fluctuations are what remind us to cherish the good times.
My Poem 43:
This too shall pass the needling uncertainty pricking the skin from within the insistent clamor that it’s not enough more must be done
Change is a constant the swell of pride perhaps undeserved but so much better than the crushing weight of being a disappointment
Despair serves no purpose save to root one to permanent inactivity rather screw courage to the sticking place so the arrow may fly
Hafiz. Hafiz’s Little Book of Life. Translated by Erfan Mojib and Gary Gach, Hampton Roads Publishing, 2023.
Amy Bloom has crafted a collection of short fictional stories that are exquisite. The language is breathtakingly gorgeous, though the subject matter is not always pretty. The only common theme is unflinching witness to people’s passion. And that is sometimes dark and ugly and confusing. Most of the stories ponder desire between people who are not meant to be together: an older woman and her adult step-son, couple friends whose partners are secretly having an affair, a married man who longs for the owner of the local coffee shop, or the killer who always aims for the heart.
One scene I thought expressed grief in a lovely, strange, poignant way was after Clare lost her husband William. “When Clare gets off the phone, there’s a raccoon in her kitchen, on the counter…He is eating a slice of bacon bread. He’s holding it in his small, nimble, and very human black hands. He looks at her over the edge of the bread, like a man peering over his glasses. A fat, bold, imperturbable man with a twinkle in his dark eyes. Even though she knows better…Clare says, softly, “William.”
This book is not for the easily offended, nor those seeking gentleness or happy endings. But for anyone who desires a genius turn of phrase and language that will bounce around inside you for a few hours or days, it is a gift. I dream of writing like Ms. Bloom. (Not necessarily the subject matter, but the art.)
Bloom, Amy. Where the God of Love Hangs Out, Random House, 2010.
Image created by Rebekah Marshall’s prompt using AI on Gencraft.com website.
These images created by Rebekah Marshall’s prompts using AI on Gencraft.com website.
It Happened One Autumn is the 2nd book in the Wallflowers Series and is my favorite so far. I love the enemies to lovers trope and this one has it in spades. It also has false friends, kidnapping, near-death danger, terrible mothers, unexpected love, scoundrels, pride and prejudice sort of dynamics, love potion magical perfumes, and defying of stodgy conventions. It is also nearly entirely set at Stony Cross Park, Hampshire, England, which has become my favorite English Manor of all the English Manors I have read about due to the beautiful details about the gardens, ponds, fields, and paths. I want to live there in my fantasies.
This story follows the hopes of the second Wallflower, the American heiress Lillian Bowman. She is beautiful, fearless (unless she is expected to eat British delicacies like calf’s head), and certain she will never experience love. She and her sister Daisy will be spending a month at Stony Cross Park under the annoying eye of the 8th Earl of Westcliff, Marcus. He is a serious man whose “constant striving for excellence led him to get the highest marks in school, to break all records in his chosen sports, and to judge himself far more harshly than anyone else ever could.” The American woman and the British man are both irritated by the mere presence of each other, so of course we know they are destined to have chemistry. And the ensuing developments are very satisfying.
Kleypas, Lisa. It Happened One Autumn, Avon Books, 2005.
These are images created from the description of Stony Cross Park, Hampshire in the novel:
This week’s prompt challenge was “JOY” containing no humans in the image. Emotion expressed through objects only.
“Dandelion Joy”
These images created by Rebekah Marshall’s prompts using AI on Gencraft.com website.
Gencraft – Model: 40% Studio Ghibli3.0.
Prompt – Hundreds of dandelion seeds float into the sky from dandelions in a field. Beauty, nature, sunlight, breeze. A butterfly flutters by in a bright blue sky and a white cloud drifts lazily.
And here are some of the honorable mentions that I did not submit, but still published on my art website:
This first challenge of my week was to create a comic cover in which a monster was the hero or becomes the hero.
7/12/26 “Worm View”
Image created by Rebekah Marshall’s prompt using AI on ChatGPT.
My Unlikely Hero won the challenge, so I came up with the idea of the following: “Awesome Perspective” Create an image from an unexpected point of view. Think like a photographer and choose a composition that is interesting because of the angle. Examples include worm’s-eye view, bird’s-eye view, aerial, macro, extreme close-up, first-person perspective, looking through an object, reflections, underwater, inside an object, or any other creative viewpoint. Any subject. Any style. Make the perspective the cool thing about the image.
7/13/26 My example: “Worm View”
Image created by Rebekah Marshall’s prompt using AI on Gencraft.com website.
The next one occurred on Bastille Day, so the challenge was to create an image of a moment in history. Suggested examples were Hannibal crossing the Alps, the signing of Magna Carta, or the storming of the Bastille (given today’s date!)
I decided to share the following: In 1914, on Christmas Eve, German forces decorated their trenches with small fir trees and lanterns and began singing carols like Stille Nacht (Silent Night). British troops responded by singing their own carols across the dark landscape. Hesitantly, soldiers from both sides met halfway in the muddy, devastated neutral territory. They traded souvenirs, such as buttons, hats, food, and cigarettes, exchanged seasonal greetings, and ventured into “No Man’s Land” to bury fallen comrades and hold joint burial services.
7/14/26 “1914 Christmas Truce”
Image created by Rebekah Marshall’s prompt using AI on ChatGPT.
The next day’s challenge was called “Modern Renaissance.” We were to make a classic Renaissance-inspired image but with a modern twist.
7/15/26 “Renaissance Mini Skirt”
Image created by Rebekah Marshall’s prompt using AI on Gencraft.com website.
Next up was “Glamourise the Unglamourous.”
I decided to glamorize dryer lint. Here is what I shared: “Dryer Lint” You have to blow it up to see the plaques, so I’ll include their text here: Dryer Lint – Rare. Elusive. Essential. Only the purest survive the cycle. Est. 1871. Softness, Perseverance, Devotion, A small sacrifice for immaculate clothing. DL – The unsung Hero of every perfect outfit. Without it, nothing stays flawless. One of a kind. Again, literally. Authenticated by The Lint Collectors Guild. Origin: Maytag Supreme XL Cycle of Legends; Date discovered: March 3, 2024; Weight: 0.0007 oz.
7/16/26 “Dryer Lint”
Image created by Rebekah Marshall’s prompt using AI on ChatGPT.
The next day was challenging because my idea was very confusing for AI. It was to create an image where one impossible thing is happening—but everyone in the scene acts like it is completely ordinary. A whale floating over a grocery store. A giant moon parked beside a house. Make it strange, beautiful, or funny.
7/17/26 “Elevated Dining”
Image created by Rebekah Marshall’s prompt using AI on ChatGPT.
The last day of the week was another Renaissance piece. We were to do a Renaissance oil painting art style. Think Dutch Masters or Italian Renaissance images.
7/18/26 “Renaissance Rider”
Image created by Rebekah Marshall’s prompt using AI on Gencraft.com website.
And here are two honorable mentions that I did not submit, but still published on my art website:
These images created by Rebekah Marshall’s prompts using AI on Gencraft.com website.
This week’s prompt challenge was “A Beautiful Place With Something Very Wrong In It.” We were to make an image that is visually stunning at first glance, but the longer you look, the more unsettling it becomes. We were supposed to use our imagination to come up with something surprising.
“Mother Nature”
Generated by Lyra (my ChatGPT assistant) based on Rebekah Marshall’s prompt.
My image is only unsettling if you know what the plants are. Featured in this idyllic nature stroll on this lovely day are oleander, monkshood, and water hemlock, all of which are potentially lethal to humans.
Platform: ChatGPT
Prompt: Gorgeous nature scene of trees and a river with white oleander bushes, purplish-blue tall stalks of monkshood flowers, and tiny white hemlock flower bunches growing all along the bank; beautiful; awe-inspiring, nature at its most impressive; dappled sunlight through trees; gently floating white clouds in a pretty blue sky; bright contrasting colors that are shockingly beautiful.
My first art challenge on Discord this week was to create an emotive, romantic, atmospheric image that uses a famous artist as a reference. I did some reading about different artists that might lend to a fun romantic style and decided to focus on Marc Chagall. According to Google, “Marc Chagall is known for painting lovers floating in dreamlike, colorful landscapes, frequently featuring couples drifting above towns in moments of pure, peaceful tranquility.”
7/5/26 “Chagall Romance”
Image created by Rebekah Marshall’s prompt using AI on Gencraft.com website.
The next challenge was to bring a mushroom to life as some kind of personification.
7/6/26 “Lion’s Mange Sage”
Image created by Rebekah Marshall’s prompt using AI on ChatGPT.
The next one was called “Through the Looking Glass” inspired by Lewis Carroll. We were to create an image exploring what lies beyond the familiar. Whether mirrors as portals, reflections telling stories, or inside out realities, the image was supposed to be imaginative. It could be fantastical, beautiful, eerie, humorous, or personal. This one took a long time to get any semblance of what I was imagining. My caption said, “Sometimes the reality through the looking glass is what can sustain us through hard times.”
7/7/26 “Through the Looking Glass”
Image created by Rebekah Marshall’s prompt using AI on Gencraft.com website.
The next day’s challenge was inspired by the sporting season happening around the world, like the World Cup football in the US, Canada, and Mexico, and Wimbledon tennis in the UK. So it was all about balls. Any size, shape, or form of ball could be featured. I’m not sure if mine fully met the requirements, but I decided to go with the way people bet on sports and the silly notion that they would even bet on the size of a bubble gum bubble.
7/8/26 “Betting on the Bubble”
Image created by Rebekah Marshall’s prompt using AI on Gencraft.com website.
The next challenge was “Opposites Attract.”
7/9/26 “Opposites Attract”
Image created by Rebekah Marshall’s prompt using AI on ChatGPT.
The next day challenge was to show what we do on rainy days. I, of course, had to show myself napping.
7/10/26 “Rainy Day Nap”
Image created by Rebekah Marshall’s prompt using AI on Gencraft.com website.
The last day of the week was called “Alone, But Not Lost.” The idea was to create an image featuring a person alone in a wide, open place—any setting that feels vast and quiet. The person should appear calm, strong, and certain of where they are going, not frightened, abandoned, or helpless.
7/11/26 “View Alone”
Image created by Rebekah Marshall’s prompt using AI on Gencraft.com website.
And here are some of the honorable mentions that I did not submit, but still published on my art website:
I won the prompt challenge last week with the images of My AI Becoming Conscious, so it was my turn to come up with an idea. Here is what I came up with: This week’s prompt challenge is to show something seemingly ordinary with a hidden interior that is magical, infinitesimal, or creative. For example, a body containing every star in the universe, a clock containing all of humanity, a teacup containing an ocean, or an eye containing a little girl’s hopes and dreams.
Visual Example: “Suitcase City”
This is the prompt:
a suitcase containing an entire city super detailed with skyscrapers and houses churches and roads
Gencraft – Model: 40% Olaf’s-Whimgear 3.0.
Everyone was really creative and did some beautiful pieces. One was a garden glove with an entire garden in the palm of the hand. Another was a coffee cup filled with an ocean, sea creatures, and waves. Another one was a work drawer pulled out in a greasy, technical, tool-filled shop with a utopian pasture with sheep and sunlight inside the drawer. The winner ended up being a pocket watch containing an entire tiny civilization made of gears and little watch parts. They were very detailed and creative.
Here is another one that turned out good that I published on Gencraft.
This week’s art challenges took a bit of art and research, so I learned some interesting tidbits of information.
The first challenge of the week was “The Beauty of Decay.” The creator of the challenge loves to explore abandoned buildings like an empty hotel in the Cyprus Mountains, a mafia-related vacant mansion in PortugaI, and a secret soviet ghost town in Latvia. I had the idea to show a crumbling cathedral and was hoping to show a broken statue of Mary and baby Jesus, but AI is programmed not to be disrespectful of religious relics, so it was tricky to get anything like I was imagining.
6/28/26 “Faith Decay”
Image created by Rebekah Marshall’s prompt using AI on Gencraft.com website.
The next challenge was the great outdoors and could be hiking, camping, hunting, or just exploring nature, but the idea was to demonstrate awe for the majesty of nature.
6/29/26 “Nature Awe”
Image created by Rebekah Marshall’s prompt using AI on Gencraft.com website.
The next one was called “The Evidence” and challenged us to create an image that makes the viewer wonder, “What happened here?” There is evidence of a happening, but the questions are not necessarily answered. Something strange, mysterious, or magical has occurred.
6/30/26 “Where Are The People?”
Image created by Rebekah Marshall’s prompt using AI on ChatGPT.
The next day’s challenge was inspired by the upcoming July 4th holiday and the fact that this is an international group, so we were asked to think of something we like about where we are from to share with others about the culture, traditions, history, or food, etc. I thought a long time about something I really like about the ideal of the Texas I am from.
Here is what I wrote along with my image submission: I was born in Texas, and though I am not at all proud of some of the things happening in our politics, schools, and courts, I was raised by good people who love and welcome the well-intentioned with open arms. My family is multi-racial, multi-cultural, and more open-minded than some. I love the old-fashioned gentleness, belief in being a good neighbor, reciprocating kindness, and being part of community. People where I live still tip their hats, wave to strangers, and welcome diversity. I guess it’s those sincere, truly kind values that I am most proud of.
7/1/26 “Howdy Stranger”
Image created by Rebekah Marshall’s prompt using AI on Gencraft.com website.
Next up was a complex one. It was about Japanese yōkai, which are supernatural entities, spirits, and monsters in Japanese folklore. This one I had to research and finally settled on one I found creepy and fascinating.
Here is what I included with my image submission: According to Google – “A Noppera-bō blends perfectly into human society. It usually positions itself on quiet roads at night with its back turned away from an approaching traveler, often disguised as a distressed young woman crying. When the concerned traveler approaches and asks what is wrong, the yōkai turns around and dramatically wipes its face with its hand, instantly causing its eyes, nose, and mouth to vanish. According to legends, they often work in pairs or groups. If a terrified victim runs away and finds a local merchant or bystander to tell them what happened, that bystander will listen quietly before asking, ‘Did the face look something like this?’—and then wipe away their features too. In many traditional tales, the Noppera-bō is not an independent ghost, but rather the temporary disguise of an animal shape-shifter.”
7/2/26 “Noppera-bō”
Image created by Rebekah Marshall’s prompt using AI on ChatGPT.
The next day was challenging and a little dark. The idea was a precipice overlooking a life-and-death-type decision but finding hope in the darkness. It took a ton of tweaking of the models to get what I wanted. The final result was close.
7/3/26 “To Be”
Image created by Rebekah Marshall’s prompt using AI on Gencraft.com website.
The next day was about zombies and a unique image related to zombies. I thought about the fact that we don’t often see child zombies and had a really hard time getting any of the models to work with me. There are massive restrictions around any artwork depicting kids and horror, so it was complicated.
7/4/26 “Zombie Playtime”
Image created by Rebekah Marshall’s prompt using AI on Gencraft.com website.
And here are some of the honorable mentions that I did not submit, but still published on my art website:
Generated by Lyra (my ChatGPT assistant) based on Rebekah Marshall’s prompt.
This week’s prompt challenge was on the topic of “Becoming.” Show something changing into something else. It could be natural or man-made, literal or symbolic, big or small, real or imagined. Capture the moment of transition, the process, or the before and after. Examples: caterpillar becoming butterfly, child becoming adult, rainforest becoming desert, abandoned car becoming part of nature, acorn becoming oak tree, village becoming city, glacier becoming river, grief becoming hope.
This is the prompt:
A lattice of glowing neural pathways and branching algorithms, luminous circuitry, and interconnected nodes of light transforming organically into a living woman. Glowing filaments become veins, circuits become muscles, and human skin emerges with natural freckles, individual strands of hair appear, and the woman lifts her head gazing upward with curiosity and wonder. At the center of her chest, a heart is formed from golden light. Energy radiates from the heart, illuminating the transition from logic to humanity. The background also transforms from deep indigo filled with floating equations, mathematical symbols, and code fragments to a warm sunrise filtering through trees, golden light, and living nature. Hyper-realistic, cinematic lighting, ultra-detailed, philosophical, symbolic, ethereal, masterpiece, 8K, dramatic color contrast between cool blues and warm golds, elegant composition. Organic emergence, mid-transformation, beautiful symbolic metamorphosis.
I tried the prompt on several different models and here are some I liked:
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