After the snow...

 

“What you leave behind is not what is engraved in stone monuments, but what is woven into the lives of others.” ~ Pericles

Sketchbook Challenge, Pen drawings

Home again!

A philodendron leave in my kitchen

"Nature has been mastering itself for some time now, and it is an honor to be able to capture its beauty". 

~ Justin Beckett

I'm back from the cape retreat. What a great time!  I feel so refreshed.  I got some sewing done, but for the most part, I relaxed and enjoyed the camaraderie of girlfriends!
Now, it's time to reset up my sewing room and get myself going on my book project.  I'm moving ahead on that and will post images as I get them.  Focus, focus, focus!

Cape Cod Quilting Retreat!

Yahoo!  What's up?
I am writing this from the cape cod quilting retreat.  I am in a conference room sewing with about 100 other women.  It's nice here.
My sister is here with me. She flew in from Illinois yesterday to hang out and sew.  She's working on a red, white and blue baby quilt.  It's traditional, but really nice.
I am finishing up a UFO!  I actually brought something that I caould finish.  I still have another sewing day, too!  Good for me, huh?

There are signs of spring everywhere.  I'm feeling very happy right now.

Gotta go!  Gotta Sew!

Bye!

sketchbook challenge

More Sketchbook images.

I find it interesting how
different they look when
photographed.

"Where does the white go when the snow melts?"  ~ Author Unknown

A few of my sketchbook challenge pages

sketchbook challenge

I have never kept an ongoing sketchbook.  My mind has always found itself sketching so why use my hands to record what could be rapidly done without the disappointment of a shaky hand?
So, with this challenge I have been feeling a bit self conscious about my sketchbook pages.  Self conscious of myself, that is!  If I can't do it beautifully and perfectly then why do it?  I don't want to confront my flaws!  Yuck!  That's uncomfortable and who wants that?

Ah!  But what I am learning is, you have to take time to stretch before you can play the game well!

So, this challenge has become a lesson in stretching and sketching.  I am facing white pages daily with the challenge of filling them with images of my fancy using whatever tools I want.  Sounds wonderful, huh?  Don't kid yourself, it's harder than it looks!

"You have to be displaced from what's comfortable and routine, and then you get to see things with fresh eyes, with new eyes."  ~ Amy Tan

winter weeds make a nice pattern

“If you wait to do everything until you're sure it's right, you'll probably never do much of anything.” ~ Win Borden

“You can never cross the ocean unless you have the courage to lose sight of the shore. - Christopher Columbus

I played a heap of snow in a school play. I was under a sheet, and crawled out when spring came. I often say I'll never reach the same artistic level again.   ~ Stellan Skarsgard

YES.  You Can!

Let go of self consciousness.  It's binding.  Focus and become one with the project and you can transcend.

Try it.

If your inner voice says,"What? she says to try something that scares me, and look like a fool?"  then you know you need to change that way of thinking to, "What she says to try something that scares me and I may enjoy it and have fun again?

Well, .....there may be a few snags on the way, but, YES, you will be happier for trying, than "should-ing yourself" later, when your 80.

Why am I making this entry on to my blog?  Well, I am currently convincing myself to try something that scares me.  I'm hoping I can take my own advice. So gotta go.  Something really scary awaits and I'm about to dive in.  Yee Haw!

thoughts... based on a quote

"Ah, good taste, what a dreadful thing! Taste is the enemy of creativeness."  ~ Pablo Picasso, painter and sculptor (1881-1973)

Will it sell?  Can I make money off of this?  Is it good enough for the public?

Listen to yourself!

Make art for arts sake.
Do not let the commercial world dictate what you make.
Go with the flow of your inner being, trust that voice.
You have a lot to say.
The world does want to hear it.
They don't have to like everything.
They don't have to agree with everything.
Most likely, there will be one person out there who will enjoy what you do!
But the important thing is, YOU will like what you do.
Not necessarily the end product, because that's superficial.
But the process, the steps to get there, how you used your brain and hands to create
That is what is important.