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

.

I’m reading Creating A Life Worth Living by Carol Lloyd. I picked this book because I’m trying to figure out the place I want painting to play in my life.

This week…Chapter 7, “The Long and Winding Roads,” addresses the problem of indecision and competing interests.

This chapter was very interesting to me and I hope, ultimately, very helpful because it made me reflect on inclinations I’ve had all my life…(1) I’m interested in almost everything, (2) I’m easily distracted, and (3) I get bored if I have to do that same thing for too long. When I initially typed the preceding sentence, I typed “problems” instead of “inclinations.” Although these tendencies can be a problem in one sense, that is who I am, and I’m not dissatisfied…BUT, in trying to put some form to my creative life, being willy-nilly-all-over-the-place isn’t serving me well.

The main exercise in this chapter, what the author considers “the most essential exercise in the entire book,” is to think through three possible futures for yourself. She gives you a variety of questions to help you live out the three paths in your imagination.

For my three paths, I chose painter, teacher and writer.

When I wrote out my life based on these three different paths, the following became much clearer…

1. Imagining my life as a painter had the most joy and passion. I could imagine that life well into the future and could come up with all sorts of interesting things I’d like to do in that life.

2. Imagining my life as a teacher and writer didn’t hold the same excitement. The only way I could get excited about either of these paths was to imagine them in connection with painting or with being an artist and creative person.

3. Although these things quickly became clear when I did the exercise, I realized how having these different “paths” living in my head has kept me from focusing on the path I truly want to pursue.

.

Every Saturday, I share my weekly Artist Date. I think over the course of 2013, I’ll find myself taking many Artist Dates in antique stores.

This is one of my favorite antique stores, Mishawaka Antiques.

I love antiques, and I imagine my Aunt Alma is responsible for a lot of that love.

 

Why do I find antiques so fascinating? I imagine it’s because…

…antiques are special to their era and capture a unique moment in time and history.

Their uniqueness makes them an art form…

…and often help us demonstrate our style and perspective in how we use them and incorporate them in our lives.

Antiques speak simultaneously of permanence and change.

They hold a sense of mystery.

Each one holds stories and journeys untold, and when we bring them into our story…magic.

.

Every Friday, I share a poem. Friday is also the day I post a prompt of something you can do to make the world a kinder place. I call this the Kind is Kool challenge.

I offer both the poem and the kindness challenge without any obligation, so “Comments” are turned off every Friday. Enjoy.

Willow

And I grew up in patterned tranquility,
In the cool nursery of the young century.
And the voice of man was not dear to me,
But the voice of the wind I could understand.
But best of all the silver willow.
And obligingly, it lived
With me all my life; it’s weeping branches
Fanned my insomnia with dreams.
And strange!–I outlived it.
There the stump stands; with strange voices
Other willows are conversing
Under our, under those skies.
And I am silent…As if a brother had died.

Anna Akhmatova

Kind is Kool Challenge

Week 7 Challenge – Find a funny joke and tell it to as many people as you can this week.

.

Every Monday, I’m posting a painting “inspiration.” Every Thursday, I’m posting how I interpreted the inspiration. I decided to do this to keep myself painting, to strengthen how I go from an idea to a painting, and to give myself permission to play and try new things.

This week’s inspiration was ICE. Here is the girl that came out of this inspiration…

My original idea was to paint a wispy girl against a blue and white background, but as I’m learning, once I get painting, one thing leads to another and pretty soon I have something completely different than what I intended.

How to be HAPPY!

Every Thursday, I’m also participating in How to be HAPPY! a challenge hosted by Jay of The Depp Effect.

This is a great challenge because it really makes you consider the things that make life good, and often those things are small but powerful. So easy to participate…Take a picture and write about one thing that makes you happy in some small way. Then, head on over to The Depp Effect and link your post.

Here’s something that makes me happy…FINGERNAIL POLISH.

I’ve loved fingernail polish for a long, long time. Until recently, I stuck with red, pink and neutral colors. Last year, I started to pick up a bottle or two of some of the new colors that have been popular the last several years. I am really starting to enjoy it. My new favorite polish is Julep. I’m wearing Daphne in the picture. Wearing fingernail polish just makes you feel…polished.

.

Healthy foodies, look away. People who hate to cook, read on.

I am a horrible cook, and I hate to cook (probably why I’m a horrible cook). So, I’m always looking for super simple recipes. My sister gave me this recipe years ago and it remains one of my favorites.

Faux Shepherd’s Pie

1 lb. ground beef

1/2 jar spaghetti sauce

1 can green beans (cut or french)

Mashed potatoes

Cheese (your favorite)

1. Brown ground beef and drain fat.

2. Mix ground beef with 1/2 jar spaghetti sauce. Spoon into a 2-quart casserole dish.

3. Drain can of green beans. Layer on top of ground beef.

4. Top with mashed potatoes. Sprinkle with cheese.

5. Place in 350° oven and bake until warm through and cheese is melted…usually 20-30 minutes.

Here’s where I get clever…I brown 2 lbs. of ground beef, drain and mix in the whole jar of spaghetti sauce. I divide the ground beef between two casserole dishes and now I have the hard part done for TWO suppers…one for tonight and one for the freezer. You can fully assemble the freezer dish with green beans, mashed potatoes and cheese or wait and add those layers later.

Shepherd’s Pie Trivia (I learned this from Deccy of Declan’s Dog Blog)…Shepherd’s Pie is originally an English dish, traditionally made with lamb or mutton. The English call the beef dish a Cottage Pie.

.

I got an email asking if we’d like to receive a complimentary PetFlow Spoiled Rotten Box and do a review. The answer from Freedom, Casper and Nikki was a very loud, “YES!” The name certainly sounds like it was made for us.

PetFlow not only offers the Spoiled Rotten Box, they carry almost 150 brands of pet food, treats and supplies including some of the highest quality brands that may not be available where you live. Plus, shipping is free if your order is more than $49.

The Spoiled Rotten Box is a monthly gift club where every month you receive a box in the mail filled with hand-picked treats, toys and accessories for your pup. A super cool thing about the Spoiled Rotten Box…there’s one for kitties too!

Every edible product is Made in the USA. All products are made by premium companies and each box is stuffed with almost $40 worth of products for $24.99 a month. The Spoiled Rotten Box comes in one size only.

Each box comes with a card describing all the products. If you love a particular product, you can order more from PetFlow. Here’s what was in January’s Spoiled Rotten Box:

Pet Naturals Breath Bites.

Old Mother Hubbard P-Nuttier Mini Dog Biscuits.

Luther’s Treats BODY.

Natural Balance Limited Ingredient Duck & Potato Rolls.

John Paul Pet Full Body and Paw Dog Wipes.

Frill the Triceratops with Chew Guard by goDog.

Nikki, Official Toy Tester

I was impressed with the Spoiled Rotten Box. All monthly subscription programs talk about the “value” you receive, but I enjoy getting a box for the pups because of the “surprise” factor. It’s fun to see what’s in the box and try products that I might not try otherwise.

Ann of Zoolatry made this Happy Birthday Badge

Last week, we were honored to be part of Pip & Puddle’s Bucket World Tour. Today, is Pip’s human sissy’s 7th birthday. Hopefully, it won’t be true, but this may be the last birthday they spend together. They are very close. She calls all of us “Pip’s friends,” so her mom is trying to make this an extra special birthday. If you would, please stop by Pip’s blog and wish his human sissy a very Happy Birthday!

.

Here’s what I’ve been doing in my studio…

Hmmm…Nothing I can take a picture of, but I haven’t been idle.

Last week, I received an email about Artful Gathering 2013. I took three classes last summer and enjoyed them tremendously. I would love to teach at a wonderful online retreat like this, so I put together a proposal to teach a fabric flower class. It was a lot of fun to put together the proposal, and we’ll see what happens.

This Week’s Inspiration

In 2013, I’m doing Inspiration Mondays and Results Thursdays. Every Monday, I’ll post a painting “inspiration” and then on Thursdays, I’ll post how I’m interpreting that inspiration.

Last week’s inspiration was a BOOK COVER. Here is the book cover I used for my inspiration:

…and this is the little girl that came out of it.

This week’s inspiration is inspired by my Artist Date…ICE.

.

I’m reading Creating A Life Worth Living by Carol Lloyd. I picked this book because I’m trying to figure out the place I want painting to play in my life.

This week…Chapter 6, “The Drudge We Do for Dollars,” explores the paradigm of the day job. It describes the various kinds of jobs and how they can support or undermine your long-term creative goals.

As I’ve mentioned before, I don’t feel a horrible tension in my life with regards to my creative work and the work I do that pays a wage. If you do, this chapter has a lot of good information with questions and suggestions to help you align your life and work to better support your future goals.

This is interesting…The four basic types of day jobs most artists must consider when planning their lives.

In the Big Tent – These jobs may not require the actual skills of your art, but they do put you in contact with the people, organizations, and publications that produce your art.

No Contest – When it comes to decisions between No Contest day jobs and your art, there’s no hesitation, you know where your priorities lie. No Contest jobs never tempt you away from your dreams; you never worry about them when you are not punched in. Often they require little formal education and no long-term commitment.

Counter Balance – The Counter Balance job demands that the artist do something very different from his or her art form.

Wellspring – The Wellspring job directly feeds the source of your craft or art.

If you feel dissatisfied with the work you are doing on your way to the work you want to be doing, this chapter is very helpful.

This book is divided into four parts.

Part 1: The Dive (Chapters 1 & 2) – Engages you in the process of strengthening your relationship to your dreams with rigorous daily habits.

Part 2: The Dig (Chapters 3, 4, 5 & 6) – Engages you in a process of search and research–churning up all your ancient desires, present needs, and timeless inclinations.

So, this week I finished up Parts 1 & 2. Now on to Parts 3 & 4.

Part 3: The Design (Chapters 7, 8 & 9) – Guides you through an in-depth planning process, thereby developing your “eagle vision.” These chapters will lead you deep into your own ideas and dreams, compelling you to give them life through concrete detail.

Part 4: The Doing (Chapters 10, 11 & 12) – Lunges you back into the power of “squirrel work.” Through specific exercise and techniques, you will work toward making today a vehicle that can transport you into your chosen future.

I’m ready to go!

.

Every week, I’m going to take you on an Artist Date with me. The Artist Date comes from the book The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron. Generally, Artist Dates are time alone, but last week I went to the Magical Ice Fest in St. Joseph, Michigan, with my friend Amy. It was a great time full of interesting images and inspirations, so I’m claiming it as an Artist Date.

It was a great day. The sun was shining and the day was cold, but not unbearably so.

We started out with lunch at Tosi’s, a cute little coffee shop.

I’m including a photo of my lunch, a trend that I find kind of funny. It was a great lunch. I had the chicken salad.

We walked around and admired the ice sculptures.

I found ice very difficult to photograph.

One of my favorite things was stopping by G & M Variety Store.

What a blast from the past! Does anyone remember Sandy? You can ride her for a dime.

How about oil cloth by the yard?

Back outside, there was plenty to look at.

You definitely got the idea that ice carving isn’t for sissies. Amazing.

.

Every Friday, I share a poem. Friday is also the day I post a prompt of something you can do to make the world a kinder place. I call this the Kind is Kool challenge.

I offer both the poem and the kindness challenge without any obligation, so “Comments” are turned off every Friday. Enjoy.

.

How Do I Love Thee?

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
For the ends of being and ideal grace.
I love thee to the level of every day’s
Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light.
I love thee freely, as men strive for right;
I love thee purely, as they turn from praise.
I love thee with the passion put to use
In my old griefs, and with my childhood’s faith.
I love thee with a love I seemed to lose
With my lost saints. I love thee with the breath,
Smiles, tears, of all my life; and, if God choose,
I shall but love thee better after death.

Elizabeth Barrett Browning

Kind is Kool Challenge

Week 6 Challenge – Buy someone a surprise lunch, coffee, drink or snack.