Busy, busy, busy.....

   As some of you already know, I work in a retail store.  I haven't been in this line of work in a long time and you know when you are out of the fast lane, things stand out to you that you didn't realize before.  
   Is it me or is everyone running at high speed, on a caffine high and no one has patience for each other anymore?  What happened to people being nice to each other...people (adults) actually "push" each other in line and butte in front of seniors, who don't move very fast.  We are only in our 2nd week of November and people are .... I have to say it....NUTS!  This is a wake up call to everyone....BE NICE!!  If you have a shopping bin full of stuff and you notice someone behind you has like 2 things...let them go ahead.  Pushing people around doesn't get you there any faster....and if it does...something else will slow you down....like "the punishment lights" you know the ones, you sit there for at least 10 minutes waiting at a red light for no one in particular.  Karma.  If we don't slow down and be more "present" in our surroundings and in our life, life will make us.  

   Here are some de-stressers that work well for me at this time of year, you can do these anywhere;

1. Accept the fact that you will be late...look around at the scenery.  Art is all around you to enjoy no matter where you are.  I wait for trains alot and the graffiti on them is truly remarkable.
2. Sing or hum.  To yourself or out loud whichever way makes you feel better.  Music is very calming and meditative.
3. Smile.  No matter how mad or tense you are, when you are smiling it is hard to stay stressed.
4. Deep belly breaths.  At least three deep breaths.  When we are tense we clench and take shallow breaths.  Deep breaths gives your brain the needed oxygen and makes you feel calmer.
5. Change your thoughts.  It can be done.  Its hard but very possible.  Not everyone is out to get us and doing horrible things to us.  It may seem that way but its not always the way we think it is.
6. I have 2 teen girls...and I'll tell you...if I didn't do art everyday, I would not be a very sane person.  Doing something, anything creative grounds you.  I don't just mean "art" but writing, acting, singing, reading, dancing...creativity of any kind is a natural de-stresser.

     It was my best friends birthday on the 8th.  Happy Birthday Bestie!  I decorated her envelope with stamps and watercolors.  It took all of 10 minutes...very calming and I must say....fun.  When was the last time that you colored or doodled.  Try it for 10 minutes.  Don't think just doodle. 

"If you do what you've always done, you'll get what you've always got."                                                  Anonymous

Halloween can still be fun....

   I do miss the days of making outfits and doing faces and the sheer excitement of "Trick or Treating" with my littles.  But those days are gone...my youngest wanted to squeeze in one last year of possibly getting some free treats.  (She is 15)  But she didn't need me to decorate her face or make her a costume and didn't pull on my hand...saying "can we pleeeeeez go now??!!"  Nope.  She got ready on her own and met up with a group of girls and went out on the town. Soooo....my bestie and I took an alternative route.....

   Don't feel bad for her....after about half an hour....she really became at one with her "Bee" self.  We walked around for about 2 hours and watched all the kids run around.  Our weather was +5...it was a perfect Halloween evening.   I guess if you are stricken with a poodle and your kids are grown and there are so many cute outfits...you might as well make the best of it. 

   Here is my finished page for week 1 of Willowings; Art, Heart and Healing class...

 I did this first class with Tam's colors and Tam's style of drawing.  And now that I learned her techniques I will draw a more true but stylized self-portrait using my own colors...so we will see how this one turns out.  Here is the drawing so far....

 And now with the evil voice in my head.  My lovely inner critic who is always supportive and kind...ummm....not!

And now covering over all the words with gesso and meditating, turning the negative comments around and trying to understand what my inner critic is trying to protect me from.

    Hopefully I will be near done this page and I will post it next week along with a progress report of my poor studio.

   Amazon came through and I received my books this week.  A belated birthday present from my bestie...thanx Jackie :)  I got this one...

                                                      and this one....

    I am expecting one more book to come.  "Creative is a Verb" by Patti Digh.  One of the best books I ever read was her first book, "Life is a Verb" so I can't wait for the second one to come.  
   
   
 Art Heart and Healing Week 2
   I am looking forward to doing Willowing's-2nd week.  I enlarged the only picture I have of myself as a 3 year old and played a bit in photo shop and printed it on acetate paper so that I can do a transfer into a board book.  I haven't done image transfers before so wish me luck :)  Jackie is going to do this healing exercise with me it will be so fun.  Doing art with artsy friends is awesome isn't it??  And we had to write what we wish for our 3 year old selves, very healing and emotional I might add.

  

"To create something like the Mona Lisa from little blobs of colored oil...now that is real power"

I Am Consumed.....

   Hi Everyone....this week flew...and I really mean it.  Wow!  I have been so busy working on Willowing's course, I almost forgot that I was a mother. Wow.  
   Art, Heart and Healing has been-just that....healing.  We started out writing all our negative feelings and thoughts that our inner critic says about us (I had a whole page...and I could have kept going. Sad!) and gessoed over them and then we made our page "beautiful".  Tam is a miracle worker, I must say.  It felt good going over all of my crap with gesso...and then thinking about it and trying to turn around my negative statements into something positive.  I find that I think badly about myself unconsciously...but now that I am aware of it I am going to try and turn it around before I let it in.  
   How do you handle the mean voices in your head?  We all have them you know....

And I will add these words to the picture...

 This is my positive statement to myself.  What is your affirming statement for "yourself"?

   I am totally looking forward to week 2...we will be painting a board book.  How exciting!!! I can't wait  :) 

"If only we'd stop trying to be happy...we'd have a pretty good time."  Edith Wharton

Inspiring Walk...

Have you ever taken your "camera" for a walk?  

   On Sunday, that's exactly what we did.  I was extremely inspired by; http://www.createsticksandstones.com/ and we decided ("we"- as in my best friend, the poodle and I)  to go on our own nature hunt for very cool letters around our town and on our bike trails. Here are a few that we found...

So what do you think?  We realized that there are a whole lot of "O's" and "L's" and "I's" and finding "g's, q's, b's and w's" are going to be a challenge.  We got so carried away that we spent 4 hours doing this and poor Muffin (who usually enjoys her walks) was lagging behind us instead of pulling me around...we actually wore her out the poor thing.

   When we got home I made a journal page...using basic supplies... like; gesso, neocolors II, collage, stamps, bubble wrap, white gel pen and of course my trusty copic multiliner.

Sunday Night Journal Page

   Yesterday was Willowing's Week 1- Free Online course.  Check out the button on the side bar of this blog.  I have just downloaded the first two videos...but I am sooooo excited that I can hardly contain myself, her art work is amazing...she is so amazing, and to offer this for "free" is so incredibly kind and giving of her.  Check out her site...it's not too late to join.

   

Something to ponder...

"Change doesn't just happen.  What you do now affects what becomes of you in the future.  Make sure you always look after your future self."

Very first blog post...finally...

   After much procrastination ( I mean months)....here I am...actually "blogging".  I must say...this frightens me, I am learning that I must be insecure if I am this nervous...right?           
   What do I expect...that someone will actually read this?  Or that my words will reach the masses? Ya...sure.  That's probably what is stopping me dead in my tracks.  I will pretend that I am just talking to myself (which isn't too far off anyways) and then maybe I will be able to do this.
   I have to hand it to all of you "experienced bloggers" ...I tip my hat to you.  There is alot of work to this..I mean...just learning how to work "blogger" is a challenge, ha ha.  But I figure if I am nice and supportive to myself, it will all work out.  


   Not to have a pity party or anything but since last summer;

1. My oldest daughter graduated high school.
2. My Mother-In-Law passed away.
3. We inherited a toy poodle, named "Muffin" (that is pretty much self explanatory).
4. We left our home of 10 years and moved across town in less than a month.
5. My oldest moved out...(I am still in shock).
6. I started a new job.
7. My youngest turned 15...need I say more.

So I am adjusting or maybe still running in "survival mode" who knows.  But I have let my art dwindle and my studio is in shambles, I will show you and maybe the pure embarrassment will prompt me to not get overwhelmed and actually start unpacking and organizing.

 

   EeeK!  Isn't it awful?  It has been two months since we moved in.  I packed a "survival art kit" because I knew I wouldn't be able to find my stuff for a long time...and now I am missing my stuff so much.  I am tired of the basic art supplies in my kit.  But...I have learned to use basics for art which, for me is a good thing.  A person can get overwhelmed with "too" much, you know.  So I have learned alot from all my supplies being packed.  I haven't bought anything...which is good because I am a recovering art-supply junkie...ha ha.   
   So I will post my progress as I tackle this room.  This should get me moving lol.

   Next post I will put up some pictures of some of my art using my basic art kit.  Have a great day folks.

Successful people replace the words "wish", "should" and "try" with...."I Will."