Let Yourself Be Inspired.

It's so easy in this day and age to turn off our senses. 

We are all surrounded by so much noise, telephones, talking, traffic. 

We are encompassed in smells, sights, sounds, tastes.

But often we are so overwhelmed by all of this that we shut it out, tune it out, 

and skim along our lives with our bumper bubbles protecting us from the world.

I urge you once a day to practice the art of bringing to LIFE one of your senses.

It's easy to do in spring, there is so much color to witness, blossoms to sniff,

fresh greens to munch, birds calls to listen out for, and gradual warmth to feel.

Some folks find it easier to witness and tune into their senses sitting still,

others find they are more attune during a walk.

Where ever you find your sensory inspiration, take it in!

Let yourself be inspired.

Recently on a spring walk I came across this ravishingly beautiful tulip magnolia tree.

My great grandfather was a painter, and this was one of his constant subjects.

So I took a moment to stand beneath it, to gaze back in time to a man I never knew.

I let myself feel the intrinsic connection. And it inspired me.

So many shades of pink, golden-green tips of branch and leaf.

You never know where a sensation will take you...

then later in the studio this pink pattern wonder burst from my paint brush.

What is inspiring you creative friends?

Never Give Up!

Yippee, the studio is clean! I don't know about you, but this time of year sends me into

a whirlwind of organization. Anyone who knows me, or has taken a class with me, 

 will tell you that I am a pretty organized gal naturally, but there is something about 

the New Year that makes me want to purge, scrub, evaluate, and declutter. 

It might originate from my childhood New Year's tradition with my Auntie, 

who always had me take shower New Years morning, to wash off "last years dirt."

I spent the last week moving, sorting, recycling, donating, and generally sprucing

up the studio. My Mr. will tell you of the horror half way through when I regretted

even beginning the task, and threatened to put everything back exactly where it had been.

But I kept plugging away, not quite seeing the end of the tunnel, but having enough 

light to see my next few steps. And wah-lah, a studio transformation was born!

I think this is a great metaphor for any life change or creative endeavor.

Sometimes you can't see the finish line, but you can see to the next bend,

and you know what, sometimes that's enough to get you all the way home.

Just think of birds in migration, some who have never made the trip before,

they trust in their instincts and their flock give them strength to make the journey.

So dear friends, I wish for you a year of not giving up!

Whether it be a painting that hasn't found it's final composition,

a sketchbook half filled, or a poem half done, keep at it!

This world needs your creative light to help illuminate us all from the darkness.

Be a beacon of creativity! 

Your creative community is here with you, cheering you onward, Tally-Ho!