why i don't own a smartphone (and probably never will)

Hello, my name is Lisa and I am a Luddite.

I do not own a smartphone.  My cellphone is actually my husband's cast off and I reluctantly took it when my cellphone provider would no longer service my beloved flip phone. (Remember those?  It was like a communicator from Star Trek.) I'm not totally tech-phobic ... I love my laptop (which stays at home) and I made the switch from film camera to digital (but I cherish my Polaroid SX-70).

In all honesty, I don't have a smartphone because I am cheap.  I cannot stomach the notion of the monthly fees.  Even with the best bundled simply-everything-plus-really-complete package plan (did you see that episode of Portlandia?) I cannot justify the expense.  (And by-the-way, I don't pay for texting ... so please don't text me because that costs me.)

Okay, so perhaps I should say "Hello, my name is Lisa and I am a pathological cheap-skate."  

But in fairness, I choose to allocate my resources for things I deem valuable: travel, art supplies, books, film (for Luddite camera), good food, handmade products, online courses.  So we make different choices and that is the beauty of variety and choice. I honor your choice to put your hard earned money towards your smartphone (with that sexy new skin) but the pressure to conform has been intensifying and I feel the need to call out some unsavory developments that are worth considering.

If you dare ... read on ...

When I was traveling abroad I admit I was feeling vulnerable moving outside of the range of my pathetic Fischer-Price phone.  What if I needed to contact someone?  What if I ran into delays - how would I procure information?  Then it struck me that I would do what I did in the paleolithic age before cell-phones and smartphones (and ipads - of course I don't own one of those either!  Kindle - nope. Nook - pas de): I would ask for assistance.  I would approach a stranger and trust in their kindness and willingness to help me out.

One argument for a smartphone is the GPS system.  Well, I like reading maps.  I am excited to know Cowgirl is learning how to read a map in school (it gives me hope that maps may continue into the 21st century).  Yes, I get confused and lost and here again I fall back upon a trusty skill: asking for help.  Or better yet: I turn getting lost into an opportunity to explore, risking discovery of places unexpected, sharpening skills of observation and navigation.  I look around, I pay attention to where I am and where I am going.  

The Husband (who does own a smartphone and a Kindle, although he is considering reverting back to an "old-fashioned" - what Cowgirl calls antique items) tries to press upon me the Suggestion feature on his phone for restaurants and activities for when we are vacationing.  Maybe we are doing something wrong, but honestly - have you ever gotten a decent recommendation from your phone?  Is it too threatening to - gasp! - talk to a local shop keeper or resident and ask for their suggestions?  What has happened to our ability to engage in small talk and niceties?

Because what I see is everyone walking/driving around with phones bonded to the side of their heads.  Or worse - in a tractor-beam lock with head perpetually tilted down towards phone, fingers madly texting (will we eventually shed one vertebra to accommodate this lifestyle habit?) We are not engaging with each other, with our community, the environment or the world around us.  A friend gave a talk to a group of high school students and she asked them "Can you tell me the color of your best friend's eyes?"  She said the teens squirmed uncomfortably in their seats.

Many of my friends - appealing to my love of photography -  talk about the ease and convenience of their phones for capturing the fleeting and golden moments of their day and how wonderful it is for sharing those memories with friends and family.  I agree - I see more of my nieces and nephews lives due to the convenience of Facebook and emails with those instant photos downloaded and available for instant access. I will confess though, given the overwhelming glut of images, I tend to look and see less and less.  In the past, a picture may have been worth a more than a thousand words but in the absence of meaningful discourse, I would rather hear the stories rather than be inundated by the barrage of images. (Oh, I own my contribution to that sea of images!)  

In college we had a visiting artist from China come to speak to our art history class.  He told us how he once rode his bike a hundred miles to visit a friend who had a postcard image of a Monet painting.  One hundred miles to see a postcard!  Is more really better?  I cherish the one album of photos from my mother's childhood, pouring over the sharp black and white images for any clues, any details into her life.  Given all that is available to us, do we invest any quality time looking, talking, thinking?

The other issue I have with all the iphone (and digital in general) images is the false sense of certainty that these images will be seen and cherished by future generations.  Most people I know rarely print any pictures out and have the files stored on CDs or hard drives which may not be accessible in the future without proper archival care.  Can you tell me where your pictures from summer vacation 2009 reside?  (If nothing else ... I hope I convince a few of you to make photo books ... they are true treasures and a way to cull through those thousands of images to find the ones that tell the story you want to remember and share.)

All our modern devices seem to offer this allure of certainty and connectedness.  But what exactly are we connected to?  Whom are we reaching?  What is the depth and value of those connections?  All the options of texting, cellphones, email, facebook, twitter present an illusion of being in touch and plugged in, but my experience is clear communication is utterly absent.  If you doubt me, try organizing a child's birthday party.  Despite giving people multiple options to respond, I still end up - in vain! - trying to contact people for a answer.  Now, it may be a trend of obtuseness (which morphs into "rudeness") but I think the root of the problem lies in the false of sense of instantaneous connection. I know I can reach you in any number of ways in any given time, so I put it off.  And then I forget because I am swimming in an overload of information, messages, images, and stimulation.

It's not that these devices are inherently bad, but the behaviors they encourage are cause for alarm.  The Husband does not remember anything outside of what his Google calendar tells him in a pop-up reminder on his phone and in email; Cowgirl finds it impossibly boring to sit through a restaurant meal without dad's phone for entertainment.  We cave in; but I am remembering the stories I would hear as a child while listening to the adult conversation.  If I had had a smartphone, I would never have known about my demure aunt running around with a wild crowd, stealing a chicken and having her mother fry it up and feeding it to her friends. I would not know my father's stories from the Navy during World War II nor would I have known the fuller picture of life during the era in which I grew up if I hadn't been present for dinner time conversations with other families and friends.  I would have missed the clues to a larger life outside of the one contained in that small rectangular box. 

For all the access to a wider world, it feels like we have become increasingly self-obsessed.  The Husband points out that Facebook feels more like "Look at Me!" and less about dialogue, inquiry and the process of self-identification and understanding.  Remember when we identified our Tribe by the music we listened to? I knew my friends interests and tastes, I knew about their dreams, desires and secrets.  Do I really know much about any of my purported -yikes! -372 Facebook friends?  Honestly, I need to purge so I can focus upon the people that do matter.  I think that may be the deeper and honest truth: that we may have access to more, but it is impossible for our brains to process all that data, never mind engaging with it in any rich and meaningful way. We cannot commit because we are too busy contemplating the vast array of options, life streaming by faster and faster like the chocolates on the conveyor belt in the infamous Chocolate Factory episode from   I Love Lucy.  

I don't want to shove life into my mouth.  I want to be present for it. I want to talk to you about your life, your thoughts.  I want to make the time to hear the stories and to understand the narrative that is playing out in my life.  

And now ... step away from the laptop Lisa ...

Closing the lid and turning my gaze to the very full world waiting for me right here in my kitchen. 

Monday Inspiration: overload!

lemurs on a hot summer's day

This was in my inbox this morning:

Low days exist to remind you that you still have choices.

High days, Lisa, exist to remind you of how fast you rebound...
among other things.

Boing,
The Universe

Oof! Thank you Universe for filling me in on how things work.

I'm not even sure I have much to share today. I am feeling a kind of creative hangover akin to the "all you can eat" buffet binge hangover where even jello with mini marshmallows and mandarin orange slices looks good and ends up on the plate, jiggling next to the heap of mashed potatoes AND tater tots. (yes, I love my potatoes in all forms!)

It's not even all the great projects and technique ideas that leap out at me from my skimming of my favorite blogs - things tempting me when I have more than enough on my plate to explore and play with - although that too can be hazardous to my creative health. It is the periodic rising of the flood of "Live your Dreams" kind of essays, events, and courses that seem to sweep through my orbit of things. Don't get me wrong - these things are fantastic, they are all about helping to empower us to make change, take charge and transform ideas into reality. I've probably participated or followed the bulk of them and they have made a difference in my creating this life I want to live. But there are potholes to be aware of and I think I fell in one this past weekend.

It is the "I could be doing more" and "I need to reach higher" line of thinking that such topics engender. Okay, so I am listening and watching the Right-Brainers in Business Webinar and there is great stuff in it. Inspiring, enthusiastic, empowered creative beings generously sharing their wisdom and encouraging us to get our dreams and ourselves out there. All of which gets my mind reeling - what is it I have to offer that is worthwhile and inspiring? How can I put myself out there? And what exactly is it that I'm supposed to put out? My unique self - myself as a brand? I get that concept, I really do but I keep envisioning myself as a walking trademarked logo ... it just doesn't sit well with me. It is like trademarking of yoga. There is a conflict in there, somewhere.

Or maybe it is just my resistance to believing myself to be worthy enough?

Months ago, I had this little insight that what I really wanted to do with my life was to create a beautiful and love-filled life and world for my family and myself. I come back again and again to this notion of living a good life. Can that be enough? I think these "realize your dreams" programs cause me to question myself and doubt the legitimacy of my dreams. Or rather, they cause me believe I need to Super Size my dreams and creative ambitions.

Okay, so I am in a complete tangle of thoughts and oddly enough, help arrived in the form of a right-brainer's tool: Mind mapping. One of the presenters talked about having a metaphor for the life one wants to inhabit. The image of an English garden popped into my head. That is how I want my life to look and feel! This richly varied, controlled wildness which does exist within a structured layout. There is a sense of easy meandering, discoveries, quiet spaces for contemplation, and an abundance of plants which may seem random, but are carefully laid out and organized for a natural effect. At the heart of my garden are my core values and priorities; surrounding the whole are the practices and relationships that support me and which define or shape my garden, my life.

I see within the space of my garden - my life - many beds of interests, study, projects - my dreams - but existing in relationship to the overall plan. My role is the head gardener who must take time to step out and survey the whole before moving in to attend to an individual bed. Each section has its own cycle of seeding, growth, flowering, and then being fallow. Discovering and understanding the natural cycles and rhythms of each section and how it relates to those around it is key to my finding balance within my life. My goal is creative sustainability and organic growth.

The garden as a symbol represents safety, a reminder of eden and the peace that is to be found within all of us. It is a refuge and a place for reflection, contemplation and enjoyment of the beauty and joy to be found in this life. It is about the present moment - the blooms that exist right now but which soon will fade. It is about savoring and embracing change.

This is my vision for myself. Totally unmarketable, none the less it is a worthy endeavor. Can you imagine a whole world filled with all of our gardens well tended and in bloom?







I don't know why this all comforts me so. I guess the chaos of my creativity needs to be balanced by some sense of control. And this is why my garden map (still to be created) and guide call to me. So excuse me while I go and engage in some therapeutic scissor and colored pen play.

But I ask you: when do we finally rest in the comfort of knowing we are enough? Maybe I need to consult with the lemurs.

Totally Random Thought Monday (weekend recap and some things I love ...)

(edited to verify, i did NOT make these amazing cupcakes or cake! Alas, I can only take credit for the photo. my dear friend Michele is the inspired baker and what is even more impossible to believe is these taste EVEN BETTER than they look! yes, that good!)

Okay, so brevity isn't my strong suit! But with summer in full swing, I am having to prioritize things in order to cram in all the goodness. Cowgirls' social schedule is packed with swimming, birthday parties, catching up with school friends and outings with cousins and grandparents. I have flung myself into the eye of the creative storm and have signed up for the Sketchbook Project which means I now have ah, um, FIVE sketchbooks I can be working in at any given time never mind painting for BIG and one more painting for our Painting with a Purpose Campaign. YIKES!

So today I will try to economize here and share just a taste of our life here amongst all the dandelion seeds ...

(are you getting some fluff in your eyes?)

The lovely Faerwillow has hosted a trinket trade and I was the first recipient of her box of traveling goodies. There are five items inside and I could take up to three but I had to replace them with an equal number of trinkets to pass on. I mailed the box on today to Cottage Garden Studios and cannot wait to see all the changes as the box makes its way around the world!

Amanda over at Kre8ive Life gifted me this lovely award which really does sum up my experience here in bloggyland:




I am perpetually amazed by the circle of inspiration and support that moves through our lovely community and feel blessed and fortunate to be sharing in the magic that everyone is stirring up with their words, images and art. As part of the award I am instructed to write or show five things I love and then pass the award along to five bloggers I love.

So here they are, in no particular order, the things that are giving me great joy at the moment (I am taking creative license with the question):

Toy Story 3 - We went as a family this weekend and we are giving it six enthusiastic thumbs up! I particularly enjoyed the scenes that show the kids engaged in wildly imaginative play with the toys (versus the destructive play seen in the dreaded Caterpillar room.) I laughed and yes, I cried at the end (but I also cried when Tom Hanks lost Wilson in "Castaway" so take that into account) and there are scary scenes in the Daycare which had me and Cowgirl clutching at each other for support. Apparently I had a restless sleep last night and the only thing I remember from my dreams was the bitter Teddy Bear Lots-O' but Cowgirl didn't seem to be bothered at all. I was aware in the movie of Cowgirl taking her cues from us. Even when things got tense, there usually is some kind of comic relief that lightens things up. It seems to me that what we love about scary movies is how they help us experience fear in a controlled way. We experience being both afraid and then amused, learning we can hold more than one emotion at a time and that is a pretty useful thing to know. (And I am aware of my veering off topic here and away from brevity ...)

Painting - I've said it before. I am having a blast painting with Cowgirl, painting on the floor, painting postcards, painting in my journals. It's all about the color.

Ricky Gervais and Elmo - Of course! And the podcasts and animated show with Stephen Merchant and Karl Pilkington are brilliant. Or maybe The Husband and I are the only ones sitting on the couch snorting as we laugh?

Wrap-N-Mats - I got these for Cowgirl's lunch box to cut down on plastic baggies for cookies and crackers. The inside is a heavy low density plastic (LDPE #4) and the outside is fabric with velcro closures. They can be used for sandwiches as well and open up as a mat to place food upon, eliminating the need for a plate. What I am not loving is next year I will have to make five lunches a week versus four, so send me your menu ideas!

Dan Zanes - The first CD I bought for Cowgirl was Dan Zanes' Night Time and it has been in our car player for 4 years now. And I still enjoy listening to it. Maybe I am crazy, or maybe it is just the great message and fun sing a-long quality of the songs but we both love his music.

And here are some blogs that I have been loving a lot lately. Hard to limit myself to five!

Kim Klassen Cafe - http://www.kimklassencafe.com/
(sign up for her gorgeous photo textures)

flowers using Kim Klassen's "Random Inspiration" texture

Kristen - http://www.kristenwalker.com/
(an inspired life in progress!)

Tracie - http://www.mybloominglife.com/
(Fellow BIG Tribe member and Creative goddess)

Amelia/101 Bird Tales - http://101birdtales.blogspot.com/
(check out her fantastic Artist Manifesto on the left hand link)

Nolwenn - http://inner-voices.net/blog/
(Another lovely from my BIG Tribe making amazing videos to excite and inspire us all.)



And since I've failed miserably at brevity here (if you have read this far, then know I truly love you!) I am adding a sixth item to my list of things that give me joy. I am always amazed and forever in love with these faces:

What are you loving today?

Falling Skies and other observations

Stormy weather has my brain operating at half speed. The husband said it best when he moaned "It is hard getting any sleep when the gods are playing bongo drums all night long!" (Of course, he rolled over and went back to sleep while I had to get up and get ready for work.)

Amidst this volatile weather, I am finding it hard to get my bearings. I've seemed to heap my plate too full with deliciously activities and am suffering from overload. With today as the official start of summer I wish to declare my intention to allow spaciousness into my life at this. My intention is to take time to linger, absorb and just BE this summer. I feel like I've been grabbing on to too much and I am needing to practice opening my hands and allowing the gifts of this time to fall into them rather than snatching at everything that comes my way.

Opening to receive rather than filling up, that's my goal. It's a matter of perspective. And a matter of trust, knowing everything will come in its proper time.

Here are a few of my quiet observations from the past few days. My attempt to slow down and look intently at this life I've so carefully crafted and needing to enjoy:

















For a fun summer project, consider joining in on an art postcard swap over on Wishstudio blog. Make 5 original inspiration postcards to send off to others and in turn receive some summer inspiration delivered to you the old fashioned way - through the mail! Details are here ... come on, join me!





What are your summer plans? How do you intend to enjoy yourself?

(Painting with Purpose Update: Cowgirl and I have begun our first 8 by 10 inch painting and already I can tell it will be hard for me to part with it! And if you heard a loud BANG this morning, it was my jaw hitting the desk when I discovered you all have already donated $235 to Half the Sky Foundation! What an amazing feat! We are pumped up and ready to paint our little hearts out! First give away is July 2nd. Keep posted for sneak peeks at our paintings.)

Life IS Good

I was thrilled to receive this award from Faerwillow at Serendipity who has one of the most lovely, poetic blogs I regularly read. And then I was honored by Athena at Experiments in Authenticity with the same award! Athena has inspired me to return to an ayurvedic diet and lifestyle as my energy levels are all over the place these days. Ayurveda is the sister science to yoga and so much of what we do intuitively is outlined in this holistic system to health and well-being. Here is Athena's piece that got me back on the bandwagon!

(For the record: I am not concerned about weight right now, but hey! Sexy in 4 weeks? I'll give it a go! I have had the good fortune to work with an ayurvedic physician who travels here from India twice a year. Yeah, wild. So I have a good idea of what I need to be doing; I just need to do it. I am pretty balanced between Vata and Pitta which makes for an interesting combination. Vatas are all about ideas, wandering around exploring what catches their eye while Pittas are the task masters who focus upon getting the job done yesterday. My routine driven Pitta and my spontaneity loving Vata are often in a deadlock!)

So an interesting side story to this award (there! Can you see my Vata mind at work?!): Friday was an absolutely top ten kind of day. Cowgirl and I spent the day outside planting flowers and her corn, zinnia, and sunflower seedlings into larger terra cotta pots. There was time for art, time for frisbee and then dinner outside on the patio. As I sipped my gin and tonic, I remarked: "it is like the t-shirt says - Life is Good." Sunshine and smiles all around.

photo taken by Cowgirl in the minutes before The Event (I look pretty relaxed considering a 5 1/2 year old is holding $800 worth of camera gear in her sticky hands)

About ten minutes later the husband was rolling in the retractable awning (The Awning that had been repaired the summer before after it shot out from the house like a cannonball) when there was a loud "PING" sound and the awning once again broke loose from it's framework and hurled it self directly at me. I hopped out of the way and thankfully only received a nasty bruise on my upper arm and a bop on the top of my head. But images of the Witched Witch underneath Dorothy's Kansas farmhouse were not far from my mind.

okay, so i am now seeing how this butterfly? moth? landed on the exact spot where the awning hit me. Marked? or Blessed?

Yeah, Life is Good. I guess I am part cat and thus far have used up 3 of my nine lives.

For each award I've been given a list of 10 questions and since I am feeling very Vata, I am picking and choosing 5 from each list. From Athena:

1. What is my favorite book of all time?
Hands down, Charlotte's Web. I remember sitting on the porch of our beach house as a child and devouring it in one long afternoon. And then again lying in my bed. I still cry whenever I read it. (As an adult I regularly re-read Long,Quiet Highway by Natalie Goldberg.)

2. Where in the world do I most want to visit and why.
I have wanted to visit India ever since the 1970s when my cousin made 3 extended trips there, bringing me back some of my favorite pieces of art. As a yogini, I want to see where it all began and visit some of the sacred sites.

7. What job would I love to have for one day?
I would love to be the lady in the zoo nursery who gets to wear a fuzzy sling and care for the baby gorilla or orangutan. (Cowgirl was born in the year of the monkey, so I have some expertise in bottle feeding a simian.)

9. What person, living or dead would I most like to meet?
My answer here changes depending upon my mood. I'd say the Dalai Lama just to hear him laughing in person but honestly, after a long weekend parenting a wild Cowgirl I would do better to sit at the feet of Anne Lamott and listen to her stories about mothering, mishaps, faith and courage.

10. What was one of the best moments in my life?
Lying in my hotel bed in China with Cowgirl on my lap. It was probably day 3 or 4 into our adoption trip and she was gazing at my face with such love and wonderment, and then she reached up and carefully patted my cheek with The Smile to end all smiles. In that moment, I realized we both were falling in love. Just thinking about this moment makes me feel all squishy, warm, and soft inside.

From Faerwillow:

1. If I had one chance ... would I go back in time for the day or into the future?
Well, as a fan of the t.v. show Flash Forward I'm not so sure about seeing my future! Assuming I can go back and time and not effect my future (or is it present?) self I would go back in time. If I could know then what I know now, I would go back to our first day with Cowgirl so I could really savor all the details. It was an exciting but stressful day and I would love to relive it from a more relaxed and aware perspective.

I would also love to go back to a day the husband and I hiked around the Cinque Terre in Italy and this time I would bring a bathing suit!

2. What is a favorite childhood memory?
Traveling with my godmother and her family to their farm in New Brunswick, Canada for our Thanksgiving break. I have one brother so her family of 3 daughters plus 2 collies was a chaotic joyride for me. We went into the woods to cut down a holiday tree, baked pies, performed made up plays and had marathon session card games where the rules were always changing. Boisterous, silly, creative and loving - that was my godmother.

4. What is one of my favorite songs and why? "Here Comes the Sun." I loved the Beatles as a kid and I still do. I saw Yellow Submarine in the movie theater with my baby sitter, Martha Mack and I stole all the early Beatles albums from my older brother. This song always puts me in my happy space.

5. What did I want to be when I grew up and did that dream become my reality?
I wanted to be a veterinarian until I realized I would have a hard time if/when an animal died. Deep down inside, I think I wanted to be an artist, but lacked the confidence to voice that dream. I am now redefining what I believe constitutes an artist and am excited to say "Yes" my reality right now encompasses the seed of that dream.

6. What is the most spontaneous thing I've ever done?
Cut short a trip in Greece with a girl friend to fly over to Italy for a boy (who turned out to be just a friend, but it was a fantastic trip nonetheless.) Flying standby from Athens to Rome was quite an adrenaline rush. (There had been a few bomb threats back then and the little boy on the seat next to me was reciting what must have been a Catholic prayer - he was speaking very rapido Italian and crossing himself through the flight.)

9. Do I miss anyone?
We just finished watching The Pacific on HBO and my father served in the Pacific theater at the end of the war. I wish I could have watched this series with him to hear his stories, his reactions. I wish my father could have seen me as a mother. I wish he could have known Cowgirl.

And now I get to pass this award on to some bloggers I would love to learn more about!

Julie - Julie Unplugged (a childhood friend and amazing poet who I found via blogging!)

Amanda - Persistent Green (one of the creative lovelies in Art Journal Love Letters with me)

Gina - Here and Now (a fellow wishcaster whose creative wings are unfolding before my eyes)

Kate - The Queen of Creativity (another wishcaster and her blog name suits her perfectly!)

Megula - Beyond Vision (wonderful photographs and inspiration!)
Beverley - Bunny's Girl (how many groups are we in together? a fellow Artistic Mother participant, wishcaster and explorer of many media!)

my recipients and their questions:

1. Do you have a special gift and what is it?

2. What would your perfect day consist of?

3. Who do you miss and what do you wish you could say to them?

4. Do you have a recurring dream and what is it about?

5. Who inspired you as a child? Do they inspire you today?

6. How do you hope you will be remembered?

7. Is there a moment or an event you wish you could do over and why?

8. What artwork would you like to own?

9. If you could have any talent, what would it be?

10. Describe the best meal you ever had (or perhaps your dream meal) and who was with you (or would be with you?)

Hodgepodge Monday (My Best Shots)

Mother's day weekend was a whirlwind of activities and lately I am feeling like a short order cook in the kitchen of my life. Flipping, toasting, scrambling, plating it all up. So excuse me if I take a little time to organize my head and while I'm at it, the kitchen and my art table and my pile of papers.

Cowgirl greeted me in my yoga room very early on Mother's day, still sleepy but excited to remind me it was my "special day." She has been telling me for weeks about the special secret she had been working on in school. Not one to keep secrets, she did a good job of letting me know she was keeping this secret.

And here is my Mother's day surprise:




She made me a booklet with each page describing me. For example, for the prompt "My mother likes to" she wrote "make noodles." (Hmmm ... her favorite dish. Glad to know she believes I derive great enjoyment from boiling pasta!) She sweetly wrote "My mother is loving" and my favorite is "I love it when my mother does yoga with me."




It was a special celebration as we have my mother here now and my mother-in-law also joined us for a family dinner.





The Husband spent all weekend smoking a brisket - never mind I am a vegetarian, beef is his way of saying I love you - and a hanging tomato planter is in my future. Sounding like Green Acres over here!

Here's a few more things the weekend served up:









Yes, Moose rested comfortably all weekend, the Potato head family has extended their visit and the robins must be hatching because I saw 3 empty eggs on my morning walk.

That is my hodgepodge of a weekend. Do tell about yours! ❉

New project: the Artistic Mother

(Warning: Long post ahead. Gather necessary provision (coffee, tea, water) and take bathroom break if necessary ...)

Excuse me while I multitask here ...

I had an incredibly revitalizing, fertile, and nurturing day on Sunday. A reminder that rich gifts come in those moments in between the this's and the that's of the day. I had an art journaling workshop to teach Sunday afternoon and for some reason, I scheduled it 2 and a half hours after I finish teaching my regular yoga class. Armed with my Goddess Planner sheets, To Do Notebook and a new treat - a book by Shona Cole called The Artistic Mother - I headed next door to the coffee shop for a little me time.

It was the perfect day for some internal sifting and examining: cold, cloudy and quiet! I finished up the pages to my planner (dreams for my creative life, home life, career and finances and 10 things I want to celebrate about myself in 2010) and then wrote out a list of things to tackle in the coming week. It all seems so commonsensical to take time to verbalize what I want my life to be, but do I do it? Words, dreams spilled onto the pages and I found myself flipping between pages listing new ideas and projects and then adding steps to existing plans and back over to another page for snippets of poetry. Yes my friends, it felt pretty sweet.

And then ... I opened up The Artistic Mother and discovered a dear friend and mentor residing in those pages. The day before I somewhat cavalierly tossed my hat into the ring with a group that is working together through the projects in this book. Check out the button on the right hand side bar - they just got started and the more the merrier! What I am finding in all of my obsessive online challenges is an accountability for my goals and my growth. Left on my own, I know I would not do all of the projects in the book, but knowing I will be supported and inspired by others with practical and creative advice, well I am jumping up and down like a kid with a new pencil case, freshly covered school book and 3 subject binder! I am ready to go!

I have to admit, I had glanced at this book through the preview feature on Amazon and decided it looked a little "basic" for my needs. What I have discovered after devouring the first 4 chapters in one night is how richly packed each sentence and every segment is in this book. The introduction itself is a manifesto for the power and the need to create. Shona Cole writes "Creating art leads to a glorious sense of personal fulfillment. When we have a project germinating in our minds ... we experience a surge of motivation, anticipation and excitement." This is the love affair I experienced in Art Journal Love Letters! And for anyone questioning the time taken out of an already busy schedule for one's art, here is the truth I've incoherently babbled about on this blog and which Shona so succinctly states: "The sense of well-being and fulfillment our creativity generates often spills over into other areas of life, including our mothering."

Yesterday I started in earnest working through the book. I cluttered every available flat surface with painted papers that will be used as background pages for future projects. Amid all the chaos, I created yesterday's "Mistakes" journal spread and decided if the sun was not going to cooperate, well then, we will have our own sunshine!

I also want to introduce the newest members of our household, our Flower Fairies inspired by McCabe's Mermaid Warriors workshop that Cowgirl and I are currently taking. And I am declaring this another one of my 52 Projects as it entailed the purchase of a glue gun and oh, lord-have-mercy am I in need of glue gun mentoring!

Doesn't our Gnome Fred look happy with his new lady friends? (And yes, the husband is nervously looking about as he sees the home swelling with more and more decorations ... they have yet to wage an assault upon his inner sanctum, his office, but they are rallying the troops!)

Did I mention this was a bit of a housecleaning post? Phew!

But wait - there's more!

Reaffirming my commitment to getting my photographs out there, here is my entry for Best Shot Monday which asks for my favorite face. You guessed it:

Cowgirl napped through all of the chaos and awoke in time to check out our sun.

And because I tend to do things in splurges, here is a project I wish to share from The Artistic Mother - my Artistic Vision statement. Even though there is talk of additional snow on the first day of Spring, I am feeling my pulse strengthen, a sense of ripeness in the air and a strong desire to declare my commitment to this path of creativity that has dovetailed beautifully with my spiritual/yoga practice (can you sense another topic in the making?) The task of defining my vision, stating my intentions and aspirations is incredibly empowering and energizing. I would love to see your artistic manifestoes publicly declared for all of our support and inspiration.

My Artistic Vision Statement

I am a creative being who requires a regular outlet for expression. Art is my way of replenishing my energy levels, nurturing my soul and giving voice to the truths of my life.

Art is the means by which I explore and express my love for my life, my world and most of all, for the complex and lovely messiness that is me. Every day I choose to create in some form as my way of showing up for my life.

I am a loving person who chooses to shine love out through artistic expression. Art is my way of expressing my truths and I share my work in the hope that it will encourage others to come to know and embrace their experience and their voice.

Every act of creation - be it writing, painting, photography, cooking or nurturing engagement with my family and friends - is a declaration of who I am and of my right to be.

I use photography, poetry, painting and journaling to celebrate my life and all of the gifts that the Universe so lovingly offers to me in any given moment. My art is a path for self discovery and an expression of celebration for all of the gifts and lessons I have received.

Art is my practice. I commit to showing up every day and accepting the teachings that come my way. Even when I am besieged by doubts, negative comparison, frustration or feelings of lack, I continue on. My practice is to embrace learning and growth. I believe in art's power to heal and to mentor me in the experience of knowing myself as complete and whole.

Do tell: how are you going to make it an art-filled day? ♥