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Blogging Creativity Dan Antion Podcast TTT Season 3

Season 3 Episode 43: Dan Antion on Random Thoughts, Life Lessons, Hopes and Dreams

Welcome to Tea Toast & Trivia!

Thank you for listening in!

I am your host, Rebecca Budd, and I am looking forward to sharing this moment with you.

I am delighted that Dan Antion, blogger, writer, woodworker, cyclist, photographer, geek, and I are connecting Hartford Connecticut and Vancouver British Columbia.  This promises to be an exciting conversation so put the kettle on and stop on by TTT to join the conversation.

Thank you for joining Dan and me on Tea Toast & Trivia.

And a special thank you, Dan, for sharing your stories and your passions that present opportunities for observation and exploration.

I am also sending my gratitude on the wing to Teagan Ríordáin Geneviene, my writer and blogger friend who introduced me to Dan.

I invite you to meet up with Dan on his blog No Facilities Random thoughts, life lessons, hopes and dreams.

I invite you to meet up with Teagan at Teagan’s Books . Stay tuned for a podcast with Teagan that will be discussing the evolving adventure, “Dead of Winter,” that has come to readers in a series of Journeys

Until next time we meet, dear friends, keep safe and be well.

Dan Antion on Random Thoughts, Life Lessons, Hopes & Dreams – Tea. Toast. & Trivia.

By Rebecca Budd

Blogger, Visual Storyteller, Podcaster, Traveler and Life-long Learner

128 replies on “Season 3 Episode 43: Dan Antion on Random Thoughts, Life Lessons, Hopes and Dreams”

Really great interview. Funny that I see Dan’s photos on Teagan’s blog and we have responded to each other’s comments on Teagan’s blog, but we don’t follow each other. I really appreciated his story about his daughter wanting to pursue art, and I’m so happy he encouraged her to follow her instincts. I have friends who refused to pay for their kids college if they pursued art, music or dance. We have the same perspective on the need to know about art to do well in other disciplines and endeavors. Artists and photographers have a way of seeing the opens up a world from minutia to grandeur that so many people are blind to.

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I am delighted that you listened in, Tim! Teagan has a brilliant space. Her storytelling brings people together. I agree wholeheartedly with Dan and you – that creativity and art are essential for us to fully participate within a diverse and dynamic society. Art, music, dance, photography add to our sense of wonder and wellbeing. I just read this article today about Iain McGilchrist’s book “The Divided Brain.” I have ordered the book and will add it to my ever growing stack of books. But I thought that you would be interested in his theories which has created a great discussion of pros/cons. https://www.cbc.ca/radio/ideas/neuroscientist-argues-the-left-side-of-our-brains-have-taken-over-our-minds-1.6219688

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HI Timothy, I was also appreciative of Dan’s story about Faith and her art. My younger son, Michael, is very creative and artistic and I have tried in vain to encourage him to take art at school for the remainder of his high school career. He is determined to try and emulate his brother and study IT. It seems that the arts are undervalued in society and that is a terrible shame. Where would we be with no books, paintings, photographs, sculptures, and music?

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My best programmers have art, theology and Linguistics backgrounds. They are self-taught programmers. They can conceptualize much better than any of the programmers I’ve had with computer engineering degrees and no art. I’ll take an artist turned programmer any day over an IT specialist who has eskewed the arts.

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The work we do can be very difficult to grasp. I had that realization when one of the programmers with a computer science degree and no art, music or dance whatsoever, had missed some major points and never grasped the concepts.

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What an enjoyable conversation, Rebecca and Dan! I’m glad that I’ve known you briefly from Linda’s blog years ago. Then I noticed you took over the Thursday Door. And I’ve connected with you again through SoCS a couple of months ago.

I can relate to your reflection in this blogging community. When you converse with the bloggers, you feel like you know them. I feel the same. I’ve gotten to know many bloggers. I know the names of their family members, and remember where they’ve traveled, and the incidents they had throughout the years. There are so many of them I want to meet in person eventually.
I read other bloggers’ comments also and carried on the conversation from there.

I don’t have a fixed theme for my blog either. Even though I participate in the photo prompts and resume taking part in SoSC, I like to tell stories. It’s the stories that my bloggers comment about. In my photo challenges, if I post 5 to 10 photos and one or two of them are my grandkids, 80% of the bloggers commented on my grandkid’s photos. I think we like to connect with others on a personal level.

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Thank you so much, Miriam for these kind words. I have only recently begun following your blog, but I enjoy your stories and your photos and especially your poetry. You exhibit all the good qualities of poets that I mentioned. I also feel a bit of a connection as we both spent time living in Seattle, and I think there’s a particular northwest vibe that never completely leaves us.

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I would like to go back to visit Seattle soon. One attraction I’m interested in is Chihuly Garden and Glass, founded in 2012. Hubby and I went to Victoria a couple of times through Seattle taking the ferry, but I would like to stay for a while next time.

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I agree, Dan – Miriam’s poetry resonates with me. This is one of her poems that I read a couple of days ago:

“Where do I seek in times of need?
Not with my head down, looking at my feet,
but gaze up high unto the hills,
where the source of strength I meet.”

Unto the Hills by Miriam Hurdle

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I am delighted that you listened in, Miriam. I follow your Thursday Door and SoCS posts as well. For me, doors are a symbol of possibilities, adventures and risk. Do we have courage to go through doors, to see what is on the other side? Thank you so much for your support of these conversation. Don and I enjoyed meeting up with Dan – we had a lot of fun.

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Rebecca, I have to thank you again for inviting me to join you in this conversation, and I’ll add my thanks to Teagan for introducing us. I had so much fun and it was such an interesting conversation for me. I learned more about the community we are part of, and I appreciate the people in the community even more. For me to have someone want to discuss the story behind No Facilities truly is an honor. Thank you again.

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My heartfelt thanks, Dan, for agreeing to be my guest on TTT. I am truly grateful that we connected (Thank you, Teagan) and am looking forward to our ongoing discussion and your return to TTT! I am organizing my photos so that I can join in on the Doors post. I especially appreciated your insights that encourage us to tell our stories and embrace our creative spirit. P.S. Don enjoyed the post-production of our conversation and is looking forward to next time!

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I thoroughly enjoyed your rich conversation with Dan, Rebecca. So many of his comments resonated with me, particuarly about the blogging community. I am grateful to have been a part of this community for the past several years. I particuarly appreciated Dan’s discussion of his daughter’s desire to pursue an art major in college. I couldn’t agree more.

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I worked in nontraditional higher education for over thirty years, and I can tell you that pushing a young person into a major they don’t want is the WORST thing you can do. I can’t tell you the number of crash-and-burn transcripts I saw from people who flunked out of college and left feeling a failure. Don’t get me started . . .

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The sad thing was the Guidance Counselor didn’t even realize our daughter was going to an accredited institution. Our daughter went on, years later, to add an MBA, but she had already done quite well in her field.

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Liz – I knew that you would appreciate Dan’s advice to his daughter about pursuing an art major in college. I thought of you in particular when Dan mentioned the idea of creativity and transferable skills. Thank you for listening in and for your support and encouragement of our brilliant and compassionate community.

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Rebecca–this was such a great interview. I’m probably biased because I am a Dan-o-phile. His is one of the few blogs where you look forward to reading the comments as well as the blog, itself. And that is no small feat. This was so very enjoyable–thank you!

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I am delighted that you listened in and joined the conversation, Lois! I am with you on being a Dan-o-phile (love that title) and am now thinking about joining the “Doors” posts! Don and I had so much fun meeting up with Dan. Lots of laughter, stories and life-affirming thoughts came through. I am delighted that he promised to come back. And I am glad that we connected, too!

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Just splendid. I loved listening to Dan and hearing him speak for the first time. I love his enthusiasm when he speaks of doors (of course) and his daughter’s talent. To many more years of sharing stories and pictures and friendly support.

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I’m glad you enjoyed this. Manja. I had so much fun talking with Rebecca (and Don). You have posted so many of the doors I was talking about, doors I’m not likely to see in person. That’s what I love about Thursday Doors!

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Yes – many more years of sharing stories and participating in a marvelous virtual community. I am delighted that you listened in and joined this conversation, Manja! Dan has a wonderful voice for podcasts,doesn’t he?!!!

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What a lovely conversation between Rebecca and Dan. I am often the recipient of Dan’s encouraging words. It is such a pleasure to be part of this community. I am also a fan of Teagan’s work. She is such a bright and lovely soul! Thank you, Rebecca. I am now going back to listen to some o your prior podcasts.

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Thank you so much for listening in and for joining this conversation, Maggie. I agree – Dan has a remarkable ability to encourage and support others. I appreciated how he opened brainstorming sessions within his work team that allowed them to explore and discovery new ways of thinking and creating. Teagan is remarkable – her writing has many pathways, from Steampunk to Dead of Winter. I am grateful that we connected, too!

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Teagan and Dan have a remarkable following [of which I am happily a part of for many years] and it is all accredited to their wit, ingenuity and friendliness. I am thrilled to know you feel the same about them!

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I am delighted that you listened and joined the conversation, GP. Teagan has introduced me to the world of Steampunk, Armadillo and Dead of Winter – and to Dan. I appreciated Dan’s thoughts on telling the stories, which is the basis of your blog, which I have followed again. I am not sure how I lost your blog! YIKES! Anyway, I’m back and looking forward to reconnecting.

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Hi Rebecca, what a treat to find Dan Antion here. I do believe I discovered Dan’s blog through Teagan as we are both big supporters of Teagan’s incredible writing talent and I am so glad I did. I initially read his Thursday Doors posts and then I started reading SOCS followed by all his other fascinating posts. I started participating in Thursday Doors by following Dan’s link to Norm and then continued when Dan took the prompt over. They are my favourite posts of the week and when I go anywhere I look for interesting doors for this prompt. I must admit that my Thursday is usually Friday and sometimes even Saturday for me, but better late than never. It is lovely to learn more about Dan and his blogging here.

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Hi Robbie. I’m so glad you stopped by to listen to this. We did meet through Teagan, and I am very happy that we did. I think the best thing Norm Frampton did when setting up Thursday Doors was to allow contributions from Thursday through Saturday. I have always the doors you share with us.

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Robbie – I am thinking of joining the Thursday Doors posts and am going through my photos and thinking of where to find “Vancouver Doors.” I’m excited! Thank you for listening in and for your incredible support of these conversations. Very much appreciated.

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That was great! It was really neat hearing Dan’s voice for the first time. I’ve been following both Dan and Teagan for several years and love their creativity, talent, and wit. I really like SOS meeting at the bar, Thursday Doors, and One Liner Wednesdays.
The comments are as interesting as the post quite often.

Thank you for interviewing Dan, Rebecca I enjoyed it very much. I’m going to poke around and listen to more of your podcasts.

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I am delighted that you listened in and joined the conversation. I agree – Dan and Teagan are remarkable. They build virtual communities that thrive on the exchange of knowledge and experience. Many thanks for connecting.

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Thanks so much for listening, Deborah. I think you will find Rebecca’s interviews interesting and somewhat addictive. I have learned a lot about the bloggers I follow and I have met a few new ones that I’m come to enjoy.

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Applesauce, you two! I’m genuinely humbled by the gigantic shout-outs you’ve both given me here, Rebecca and Dan. Thank you so much. I’ve known many people who didn’t like for their friends to get to know one another. But to me, it’s like having friendship increase exponentially. I’m beyond delighted to have been the means of you two getting acquainted.
Suddenly it seemed strange that after several years of working together this was the first time I had heard Dan’s voice. Props on the polished speaking skills, Dan. I loved hearing his enthusiasm in talking about the craftsmanship in the old doors.
I very much enjoyed this “tea” time (though I had coffee because I was really dragging). You’ve perked me up to finish the day. What a true pleasure. I’ve been sharing this post everywhere. Rebecca, Dan, and Don (behind the editing curtain) — hugs on the wing!

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I agree wholeheartedly, Teagan – friendships do increase exponentially. Thank you so much for your introduction to Dan and for your commitment to creating a virtual space that welcomes authentic discussions! Don says thank you from behind the editing curtain!!! Hugs coming back on the wing!

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Thanks for listening, Teagan and thanks again for introducing me to Rebecca. This was so much fun. Getting to know the people whose writing I enjoy is one of the benefits of being active in this community. I have learned so much, and I have met so many wonderful people.

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Thank you, Dan and Rebecca for this interesting and educational conversation. Perhaps it would be good to mention Teagan and her introduction to this worthwhile blog and author, and say: “Thank you”. The author of this worthwhile conversation has a knowledge of Art, Music, Photography and many other avenues of learning. Such an excellent way for us to broaden our knowledge through his experiences. I appreciate the look into the subject of “doors”, how very interesting and even educational. Probably and most of all, I admire the Author and his sympathy and encouragement for his friends, and especially, his younger viewers and friends! !

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I knew that you would enjoy this conversation, Frances! Dan’s tag line of “Random Thoughts, Life Lessons, Hopes and Dreams” is the perfect way to describe Dan’s blog. It is always a joy to stop by and see what’s happening on Dan’s side of the world. I am looking up photos of Doors to participate in his Thursday Doors posts. And yes, a huge thank you to Teagan!

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Thank you Ms Frances. I do wish I had given a better introduction to Teagan. We have followed each other for so long, and Rebecca and Teagan know each other well, that it all seemed familiar. I do appreciate Teagan introducing me to Rebecca, as well as her ongoing support for my blog and many others. The WordPress community is strong and the members (authors, bloggers, poets, podcasters, etc) are so supportive of each other.

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Hi Dan – Ms Frances (my Mom) has been my strongest supporter over the years. I knew that she would be especially pleased with this podcast because the advice that you gave your daughter, my father gave to me when I in my early 20’s!

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It was so fun to find Dan over here, Rebecca. I grew up near Dan so have always enjoyed his Thursday Doors and photos of the area. They bring up lots of memories. It was fascinating learning about how Dan started blogging and why. I also liked how laid back he is about topics and following his interests, as well as how the name of the blog came to be. I’m so glad that Dan enjoys the conversations that occur in comments. It’s may favorite part as well. Great story about his daughter too. This was a wonderful interview, Dan and Rebecca. I enjoyed it. 🙂

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Hi Diana – I have been thinking about you and looking forward to your return from your adventure. Saw the Halloween post!!! Thank you so much for listening in and for your support and encouragement of TTT. I was thrilled when Dan agreed to be a guest on TTT. Don and I had a great time creating the podcast with Dan – lots of laughter and life-affirming moments that reminded me that friendships give richness and joy to our lives.

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Thanks Diana. I always appreciate your comments when you recognize the doors I share from Connecticut. I’m so glad you liked this interview. I enjoyed this conversation with Rebecca so much. The conversations in the comments are often the best part of a blog post. I really do appreciate them.

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I am delighted that you listened in and joined the conversation, Janis. Voices give understanding and clarity to words, don’t they? They convey feelings and moods, share energy and enthusiasm. Dan’s voice is heartening and gracious, something that I comes through in the encouraging comments that he leaves on posts. As you said so eloquently, “Dan’s kindness, thoughtfulness, and generosity really came through in this podcast. Many thanks for stopping by!

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I loved listening to this interview. Dan and I have been blogging friends for several years so it made me smile to hear his voice as he explained the origin of his blog and his relationship to the blogging community. There was only one thing missing and that would be a good woof from Maddie. 🙂

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Maddie doesn’t like it when I’m on the phone, Judy, so there would have been more than one woof. I’m glad you enjoyed this conversation. Rebecca made this very easy, and fun. You have been a part of this community for years. I always enjoy reading about your latest projects, and I know I can share a D-I-Y post and have at least one person enjoy it.

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I am so glad you listened in, Paul. I knew you would like this conversation. The versatility of creativity to infuse all aspects of human endeavour opens the doors to unbelievable and amazing outcomes. Stay tuned for questions, Paul. Looking forward to our conversation.

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What a fantastic discussion that reaffirms how wonderfully creative bloggers and the blogging community can be. The variety of blogs is astonishing and impressive — whether generalist in nature (such as Dan’s) or more specific. Dan is obviously a multifaceted, open-minded, humane person — as are you, Rebecca.

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I knew that you would like this conversation, Dave. I believe that creativity, reading, reflection and connecting with kindred spirits, foster an environment where our decision-making is nuanced by compassion and empathy. We are more likely to collect experiences rather than things, and our connection to earth and fellow creatures is renewed. Thank you for your wonderful support and encouragement of TTT from the very beginning.

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Yes, Rebecca, “kindred spirits” — a phrase Anne of “Anne of Green Gables” used to great effect. 🙂 Many people in the blogging community are so friendly and engaging as well as (of course) talented and interesting. They are well-represented right here in this comments section. 🙂

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Thanks so much, for the kind words David. I’m glad you enjoyed the conversation, I know I did. Rebecca is so much fun to work with, and her approach to these discussions is amazing. I enjoy listening to her podcasts very much.

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I know I´m a bit late to the party but I enjoyed listening to Dan talk about his blog and how it came to be. I do believe blogs evolve over time. I loved hearing about his daughter. My daughter also showed signs of being an artist at an early age. We encouraged her but others didn´t. Then one open-minded teacher gave a talk on the many things you can do with a Fine Arts Degree. This was all she needed. She is now a potter living on an island off the coast of BC. She sells her pottery all over the world. She also has a good eye for business which helps. I love doors and must join in one day. Thanks, Rebecca and Dan.

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You are NEVER lat to the party, Darlene, but am very late in responding to your comments. I am uncertain how I missed your heartwarming comments. Thank you for the introduction to Marcelle who is now my source of artistic inspiration. I am delighted that you and Marcelle will be joining me on TTT in 2022. What fun that will be!

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Now I’m the one to apologize for being late, Darlene. Thank you so much for listening and for your comment. I’m glad that someone was able to join you in encouraging your daughter to pursue and art-based career. It sounds like she has done quite well.

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That was such a beautiful conversation Rebecca and Dan. Really enjoyed listening in. Dan is the proof of how we evolve as a blogging community and I love how open he is with a ‘clear’ sight. I may be late here but I am definitely looking forward to his posts. Thank you, both!

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I am delighted that you listened in and joined the conversation, Dennyho. Dan is an extraordinary blogger, who creates a space where everyone is welcome. All the very best to you and yours as we head into a new year of possibilities and opportunities.

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