Isn’t it funny how one thing can lead to another…I’m supposed to be pulling together paperwork related to our flex spending health expenses but I decided to log on to check my email first, and since I was on the computer I checked in on Facebook to see what my friends were up to (I will admit that I’m mostly a lurker). That led me to check out a Vimeo video that was a public service announcement spoof done by a book publisher. So while I was on Vimeo I looked to see if there were any mixed media art videos and found a contributor called “The One Minute Muse”. The name alone would have been enough to interest me but add in the cute logo and I had to check it out. One of the videos was how to make a self-portrait. Since I loved it so much, I just had to share…ENJOY!
A few months ago I had a Border’s coupon burning a hole in my pocket. I know I’ve mentioned in the past that I’m a bit of a book junkie (okay, that is probably an understatement). What I finally decided on was a book of mehndi designs. That was the beginning of my obsession with the designs, particularly those done on the hands. Since then I have been exploring ways to incorporate the design into my artwork. Here is my first interpretation. This hand incorporates needle felting with stitching and beading.
Between the holidays and some recent family circumstances, I haven’t had nearly as much time to get in my studio as I would have liked. This should be able to change starting this week so I will be creating and sharing more of my mehndi interpretions.
What is it about starting a new year, that makes us feel like we need “resolutions”? In Wisconsin, it may be the fact that we will be spending the next few months mired in the cold, snowy, grey days of winter and if we feel we are moving toward a better self we won’t be stricken with seasonal affective disorder. Or maybe it is the esoteric beauty of a fresh calendar, where the only marks have been neatly written (and in my case, color-coded), that imbues the spirit with hope for a better future. Well, whatever the reason, I have been fighting the urge to make resolutions. Instead, I have been looking at the high priority items in my life and identifying how satisfied I am with each of them. I’ve decided that I don’t need to set any specific goals right now but by this time next year, I would like to be more satisfied with some or all of my priorities. Kind of like taking the temperature of my personal atmosphere but, in this case, global warming is a good thing.
Since it is the new year…and a new DECADE, I have made a few tweaks to my sidebar. You will notice that I have added a badge that signifies my intention to follow the “Blogging Without Obligation” philosophy. Therefore, you will never see a mention of procrastination (at least regarding blogging) in my blog again. I have also added a badge to show my participation in the Creative Every Day Challenge for 2010. What I like about it is that it is not about creating something everyday (which would be great) but rather to be in touch with your creative self each day…even if it is being creative with the laundry (hmmm…would it be possible to create a pair of origami folded socks?)
As you may have noticed, I haven’t posted in quite awhile and I never wrote my thoughts about Chapter Twelve from the 12 Secrets of Highly Creative Women. The irony is that the main topic of the chapter, which is entitled “Planning to Achieve Your Goals”, is about PROCRASTINATION! Obviously, I am quite skilled at procrastination considering I couldn’t even make on last post to finish my blogging for The Next Chapter Book Club. It seems that since I became a mother, almost 13 years ago, I have perfected the art of procrastination – sleep always wins out over the non-essentials.
The chapter talked about setting creative goals and this has been one of my problems, actually it’s “THE BIG ONE”. I know that if I don’t have a goal, I can’t accomplish it (which is why it is so easy to procrastinate on housework – even if you do it diligently, you’re just going to have to do it again). Trying to define a creative goal seems to go against my accountant sensibilities, which make me think that I need formal training and some official document (like a diploma or my CPA license) before I can call myself “a creative”. Stupid, I know, but the mind works in mysterious (and sometimes stupid) ways. So I have been struggling for about two years with the idea of calling myself an artist. This has been a struggle much like some of my household procrastinations (some of which have driven my parents crazy).
This was particularly true when it came to painting our kitchen, which had been wallpapered with a fabulously “cute” wallpaper (think white with flowers and butterflies). I started stripping the wallpaper almost eight years ago. From a previous experience I found stripping wallpaper very therapeutic in dealing with death and my sister had died from gastro-esophogeal cancer one month after 9/11. When I started I didn’t expect to drag the project out for 6+ years but maybe I just needed that much time to separate the death from the project.
My most recent procrastination (other than blogging) was to repaint my youngest son’s room. It has been almost 13 years since I turned the room into my version of The Hundred Acre Wood from Winnie the Pooh. I told my son that this summer I would paint his room since he had been asking for over a year and he was going to be starting 3rd grade in the fall (admittedly a little old for Pooh and his friends). It was within 3 weeks of school starting before I could finally bring myself to put primer over the characters – after all, they were “born” before my actual first-born. The sadness that I expected to feel was quickly overshadowed by a feeling of exhilaration that I always get from redecorating part of the house. Now that the room is done, I love its fresh look and I have a feeling that Mickey Mouse and the gang (who reside in my 7th grader’s room) won’t be around much longer, either.
Anyone who knows me, knows I LOVE books. In fact, so does my husband and by default, my two sons (they never stood a chance ). In an effort to become “more green” (and save some green), I have been trying to utilize the library more. I don’t think that it has really curbed our buying of books but we are more selective in which ones we buy. I always have such a long list for myself and the boys that there is never a time where there is nothing. Anyway… I was blog surfing this morning (there was some reasons for my meanderings so it was not just for procrastination purposes) and came across the blogs of Terry L. Tyson. I loved his writing style and found myself checking out his blog Bad Words. That was when I found it…the perfect description of my love affair with books…BOOK LUST! I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. By the way, while you are checking out his blogs, check out his tag line one each one. Gotta love those too!
The sadness that I expected to feel was quickly overshadowed by a feeling of exhilaration that I always get from redecorating part of the house. Now that the room is done, I love its fresh look and I have a feeling that Mickey Mouse and the gang (who reside in my 7th grader’s room) won’t be around much longer, either.
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