Creativity, Crafts, Books, Movies, Greyhounds & Favorite Things

I have been following The Artist’s Way for six weeks.  Before I go through the final six weeks, I would like to take a break and talk about some of the things that I feel I don’t convey in my short week-by-week summaries.

1.  The Artist’s Way is a deeply spiritual journey.  Much of our recovery deals with how we see God and how we “think” God see us.

2.  If you do nothing more than the morning pages and the artist’s dates, your creativity will expand.

3.  The readings are deep and thoughtful and make you reconsider so much more than my simple one or two line summary can hope to convey.

4.  Every week there are 10 or more exercises for you to choose from.  I only mention one or two exercises that I find helpful to my personal creative recovery.

Since starting The Artist’s Way, I have felt excited about what I have ahead of me.  I feel relaxed and peaceful about what I have ahead of me because I’m not going to try to control it.  I am open to whatever lies ahead.  I feel gratitude for a loving God and a blessed life.  I believe I have something unique and special to offer.  I believe I am an artist and God is thrilled!

As I’ve been blogging and going through The Artist’s Way, I found myself imagining and seeing all sorts of possibilities.  What “all sorts of possibilities” looks like in my head is a swarming beehive…ideas, dreams, fears, art, crafts, time, space, people, housework, skill, excitement, possibilities and on and on and on.  I realized that I needed some guidance and a starting point…enter, Indie Business 3.0.

I started on March 1st and the teachers, course material, students and support is INCREDIBLE.  When I first logged on, I was overwhelmed; but after reading and working through the assignments and quietly (because I didn’t want anyone to notice me) visiting the Student Lounge, I’ve started to feel quite at home.

Online courses are a wonderful way to learn and are often very reasonably priced.  I would love to hear about any online course you have taken or would like to take.  Let me know by commenting on this post or become a fan of What Remains Now on Facebook.

As I neared the end of this epic novel (both in scope and size), I found myself wishing that it would just go on and on.  I was truly sad to finish it.  Margaret Mitchell draws you into the story and myth of a unique era in American history and populates it with characters you’ll never forget.  Even if you’re familiar with the movie, reading the book will not disappoint.

The movie is beautiful and legendary.  Gone With the Wind won 8 competitive Academy Awards in 1939 for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Color Cinematography, Best Film Editing and Best Art Direction.

Unforgiven is the story of a “retired” outlaw and the entire cast of characters that typically populate the Western genre.  It examines all these “romantic” characters and situations in their harsh and “unromantic” reality.  Even though it deals with the consequences of a life and culture of violence, the characters are drawn in such a way that you don’t lose sight of their humanity and frailty.  Unforgiven will have you reconsidering the Old West myth.  Unforgiven won the 1992 Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Editing and Best Supporting Actor.

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Inspiration:

A Diamond in the Stuff – DIY Dollar Store Decorative Balls

Supplies:

Balls (I used Styrofoam balls)

Tissue Paper

Scissors

Decoupage

Brush

1.  Cut background tissue paper into small enough shapes to lay somewhat smoothly on the surface.

2.  Paint decoupage onto a small area and apply your base color tissue paper to the ball.  Continue applying additional pieces, overlapping slightly, until the ball is covered.

3.  Cut design tissue paper into desired shapes.

4.  Paint decoupage onto areas of the background layer where you want to place your design colors and shapes.

5.  Give the balls a final coat of decoupage and let dry completely.  Now you have the perfect little (or medium or big) decor balls.

1.  Greyhounds are the second fastest land animal.  They can reach speeds of up to 45 mph.  Only the cheetah is faster.  Cheetahs can reach speeds of up to 75 mph.

2.  Greyhounds are sight hounds which means they hunt primarily by sight & speed instead of  scent & endurance as scent hounds do.  Greyhounds  can see clearly for a distance of half a mile.  Their field of vision is 270°.  A human’s field of vision is 180°.

3.  During a 30 second race, a greyhound’s heart circulates its entire blood volume five times.  In comparison, during intense exercise your blood may complete a circuit in 20 seconds.

4.  Each racing greyhound is tattooed.  The right ear has their birth month and year; their left ear has their litter number.

5.  Greyhounds appear on the Bayeux Tapestry which is over 200 feet long and tells the story of the Norman Conquest.  You see panel 1 above.

Each breed has their own set of fun facts.  Google your dog’s breed and see what you find out.  You can be sure, it will be fascinating.

Cute Contact Lens Case

This just makes me smile in the morning.

Coffee-mate

At one time, I drank my coffee with a little cream and honey.  Now, only Belgian Chocolate Toffee will do.

OPI Nail Lacquer

Great wear, beautiful coverage and a glossy finish.  Extra wonderful…it is available in every color you could hope for, and a new collection comes out each season so you always have the most up-to-date fashion colors.

Greenies

These are a favorite with Freedom & Casper.  They are approved by the Veterinary Oral Health Council (VOHC) to be good for your canine’s dental health.

Note…From February 17-March 14, Greenies will donate $1 for every new “like” of the Greenies Facebook fan page to the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) Helping Pets Fund.  The Helping Pets Fund aids needy pets with dental care and other services.  Here’s the link to the Greenies fan page.

This week deals with recovering a sense of abundance.

The reading “The Great Creator” asks us to examine our ideas about God and how we often see money as the source of our security instead of God.  This is about opening our minds to a different idea about our dependence and the generosity of our Creator.  “Luxury” was a wonderful section because it talks about what luxury truly is and how we, as artists, have to have it in our lives.  Luxury doesn’t have to cost money.  What gives us true joy…that is luxury!  Have you ever considered the “luxury” of time, space and those special things that are yours alone.

My favorite exercise was “Money Madness,” a quick writing exercise that allowed me to examine some of my attitudes about money.  A few surprises about my answers…many were childish, stereotypical and victim-oriented.  Looks like an area in my life that needs some thought and change.

This is not related to The Artist’s Way…The best information I have ever received regarding money is Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University.  If you’re struggling or if you’re not, I believe you would find it extremely valuable to take this 13-week course.

Tonight is the 83rd Academy Awards.  Here are some fun facts about  movies’ highest honor.

1.  The Academy Award came to be known as the Oscar when the Academy’s Executive Secretary, Margaret Herrick, remarked that the statuettes looked like her Uncle Oscar.

2.  The Oscar statuette is 13 inches high and weighs 8.5 pounds.

3.  The Oscar statuette is made from an alloy called Britannium which is 93% tin, 5% antimony and 2% copper.  It is plated with gold.

4.  During World War II, the Oscar statuettes were made of plaster to conserve metal for the war effort.  The winners could exchange them for metal statuettes after the war was over.

5.  The first Oscars were awarded in 1929 for the 1927/1928 film seasons.

6.  Only 3 people have refused the Oscar.  Writer Dudley Nichols refused the Oscar in 1935 for The Informer because at the time, the Writers Guild was on strike against the movie studios.  George C. Scott refused his Oscar in 1971 for his portrayal of General Patton because he said that the politics surrounding the award was demeaning and that the Oscar ceremony was “a two-hour meat parade.”  In 1972, Marlon Brando refused the Oscar for his role in The Godfather because of the poor depiction of Native Americans by Hollywood.

7.  The Academy forbids winners or their heirs from selling their Oscar statuettes.  The legal document is known as “The Winner’s Agreement,” and it has been in place since 1950.

8.  The youngest actor to win a competitive Oscar was Tatum O’Neal for Best Supporting Actress in Paper Moon (1973).  She was 10 years old.

9.  The oldest actor to win a competitive Oscar was Jessica Tandy who won the Best Actress Award for Driving Miss Daisy (1989).  She was 80 years old.

10.  Three films have received the Big Five Academy Awards (best picture, director, actor, actress and writing):  It Happened One Night (1934), One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975) and The Silence of the Lambs (1991).

In honor of the Oscars, all my movie and book picks for March will be Academy Award winners or nominees.

Enjoy the evening!  And the Oscar goes to…

Haven Kimmel’s memoir is about her small-town childhood in Mooreland, Indiana (population 300).  It’s witty, humorous and poignant.  It may be because we’re close in age, or maybe because we’re both Hoosiers, but I laughed out loud time and time again at her fearless honesty.  This is a pleasure to read, filled with great stories that remind us that our ordinary lives are extraordinary.