Life is a Bowl of Cherries Second Version

https://www.etsy.com/listing/103204888/life-is-a-bowl-of-cherries-5x7-print

This is the second version of "life is a bowl of cherries" in the new print line in my Etsy shop.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/103204888/life-is-a-bowl-of-cherries-5x7-print

https://www.etsy.com/listing/103204888/life-is-a-bowl-of-cherries-5x7-print

https://www.etsy.com/listing/103204888/life-is-a-bowl-of-cherries-5x7-print

https://www.etsy.com/listing/103204888/life-is-a-bowl-of-cherries-5x7-print

Creative Momentum = On a Roll

So in the last week or so, I have felt some creative momentum...and I was trying to figure out why?

What is the difference?

My life is the same.

I have the same time restraints

I have the same obligations and interruptions...

the things that is different is the type of work i have been focusing on...

Prints...more specifically...Block prints...

Another thing that is different, is the ideas behind them....

I have been focusing on the simple things that give me and my family joy...that's it...

As a result... i have made three prints in the last week...which, for me, is HUGE...

I have always loved this type of printmaking since I was in middle school and my teacher introduced it to our class.(I dare to say, over 30+ years ago, gasp!)

And later in college I took a workshop on collagraphy printmaking and then went on to take a few actual printmaking courses that i adored.

A few times in the last few years of teaching i was fortunate enough to get to attend other printmaking workshops, but never seemed to be able to get to do it for myself...

Now, I can...

I have 2 small printing presses... and by small...I mean...TINY...in terms of printmaking...

One can handle 5x7 prints... and the other can handle 8x10's.... the larger one I haven't ever really used...ever..but i will be dusting it off and giving it it's shot soon i feel...

(note to self: explore the idea of unused art supplies)

life is a bowl of....

It is cherry season...do yourself a favor...go get some NOW!...well, after you read my post...
( seriously..dude)

The kidlets and I stocked up on the cherry sale going on at our favorite grocer. The youngest has developed a taste for "beh-wees" and so when she saw these, naturally they fell into the same grouping...and as a result, Ii have grown quite fond of the cherry pitter device my husband purchased years ago that i rarely used UNTIL THIS WEEK...

This morning, our family is chilling out...spending time together, simply "being"....a little cartoons, some books being read while lounging on the couch,  the dog snoozing, me enjoying a cup of tea with honey and cream, the dog snoozing...and a bowl of cherries for all to enjoy...


i realized...ya know?... life really is a bowl of cherries, isn't it?...




i know, cliche'....but i don't care... in choosing to see the joy in every moment we have together, the cherries are the most beautiful i have ever seen...

i love everything about them...

I love how my lil' one giggles when she eats them.
I love how the boy  laughs when we are pitting them and the seed shoots across the room sometimes.
I love how cherries are naturally heart-shaped and red..like valentines..and obvious signs of love.
I love how my family is content to simply "be" in the same room and not have to be in a nervous state of constant need for entertainment...

As i finish typing this,( it takes me a bit sometimes) we have all scattered about the house...taking naps has begun...

I have carved up a new block print inspired by the cherries...

And i hope it inspires you, to remember...to CHOOSE to remember, that Life really IS a bowl of cherries...

Do you follow your gut?

Recently, in a discussion group i follow, the question was posed
 "do you feel like a prisoner of your own intuition?"

I didn't leap into this conversation because it was something i wanted to mull over a bit more...

" a prisoner of my intuition?".....

and, i realized..." no, no i don't...in fact, i should follow my intuition much more than i do....i feel like a prisoner of following everyone else's expectations of me...of meeting other people's requirements....of trying to not ruffle feathers..(.despite what some of those 'others' might think)... i feel like a prisoner of other people's wishes and ideals....i do not feel like a prisoner of my intuition...i feel like i push my intuition down and as far back in the closet as possible to appease everyone around me...and any mistakes i have made have been the results  of me pushing my intuition as far away as possible..."


I should change this....

I am changing this...

It is changed...


As an artist, following your gut is imperative to the creative process....and the creative process is a direct link to life...

when intuition isn't being acknowledge...creativity doesn't flow...

 let the creativity flow..follow your intuition...

Namaste Yoga Lotus print line

available in my etsy shop!

how creativity touches everyday life

Back in the day, when I taught art in public school, I would often get students who did not see the purpose of taking art. They were there for various reasons, some actually wanted to be there, most had to be there to get their fine art to graduate (and thought it would be a blow off class.) I often had to start the year by establishing the purpose of art in public school and the importance of creativity.  The thing that seemed to make the biggest impression was to ask them to go home that day, look around their house, and tell me one thing that creativity did not affect, touch, or come from.

The next day, when I asked someone to tell me if they had anything that creativity did not touch, I never got a volunteer. (and NOT because they didn't want to participate) It was ALWAYS because they had an epiphany. Their eyes were re-opened to the fact that one did not have to be talented in fine arts to be CREATIVE...Creativity is the willingness to try to think of new ideas, concepts, designs, ways of doing things...and EVERYONE is capable of this if they choose to be...and usually without even realizing it....

(i say "re-opened" because i have noticed that kids lose their joy and creative spirit somewhere between 3rd and 6th grade. and that is a story for another day)

The thing about creativity, is that it is about taking risks, trying new ways of doing things. And sometimes, you get an amazing product from all of the experimenting. Most of the time, you get a bunch of experimentation...but, with perseverance, eventually...that one amazing moment of pure joy happens...and THAT is how creativity touches our everyday lives...

how do you feel when you don't make your art?

this is a question that was posed in an online art group i frequently read....

sometimes i answer the questions there...but most of the time...like now...i need some time to process my thoughts...because...there are so many on the subject for me...

I am nearly 40....(not the least bit afraid to admit that)

and it has been, let's see...how many years since i finally completed my BFA?...(counting in my head...)  well, crap....13 years....

THIRTEEN YEARS!...(deep breathe)

and in that time, i have done and been through...a lot...of stuff...and in that doing and being...there have been numerous times when i can remember exactly how i felt about NOT being able to make my art...

and the word/emotion that comes up consistently...

FRUSTRATED

And, i can tell you EXACTLY why....

I DON'T LIKE TO BE INTERRUPTED!....not in a conversation, or in my movement, my train of thought, my goals, my processes...and when i cannot make my artwork...that is EXACTLY what is happening on EVERY LEVEL...my artwork is part of my being, my ability to communicate, my ability to think, to be, to breathe...and when that isn't allowed to flow..i do not feel alive...at all...in fact i feel quite grumpy, angry, suffocated, and drained.

i have spent a GREAT deal of time feeling this way...which is an "ah-ha! moment"....

because, if this is the case, and it often is...and if i find myself just wanting to create more often than not...then it is up to me to do what it takes to be able to do that...right?

and what are the things that stop me?
 more often than not, it is my perception of what i think other's expect of me....
and that is the thing isn't it?

my PERCEPTION....which is JUST a THOUGHT....and easily changed...which i CHOOSE...


i have made a personal commitment to be willing to make the hard decisions that allow me to make room for more peace in my life...and part of that..is making more artwork...
This should be interesting...


Sooooo? how about you? 


How do you feel when you aren't making your art?( I would love to hear your response)


but better yet.....


What are you going to do about it?

finding "it"

https://www.etsy.com/listing/101666338/finding-enlightenment

Last week, i participated in an all women's art show in a small venue in Dallas called The Pearl. This is the first time i have shown my work in almost a year. I wasn't sure what i  was going to show...and so after working up some backgrounds with colors that give me joy, i went through some old pieces that i loved as well but just weren't "working" and decided to  try and work them all together... 

i received a lot of positive feedback about these pieces...i am always surprised when i get positive feedback...maybe, it's a confidence thing? maybe it's ...oh let's just face it...it is definitely a confidence issue...in that...i don't have any...but that is another story for another time...and probably a shrink or two...either way...when i do get positive feedback, it really is a boost to the 'ol heart...ya know? It got me to thinking about my work and how i want to make work that insights joy or makes people smile, or think in a positive way...i think it is easy as an artist to make work that comes from a dark place. Making work that comes from Light that isn't just plain goofy, is much harder...i think...

One friend told me that my work is finally showing how i feel inside....i was thinking about that...i think as artists our work always betrays how we feel inside...and i say "betray" because even when we don't want to show the world how we feel..it just shows up in our artwork..i think that, in order for our artwork to show joy  and bring joy, sometimes we have to fight to find "it"...in life and in art, finding joy is a choice...and yes, it is something i pursue daily...it is easy to let the negative bring you down...choose to find the positive...