A Few of My Favorite Things

I went shopping Saturday afternoon in Chandler, and ended up spending a lot more money than I expected. So much more that I had to put my purchase on a credit card. It was a business expense and it was a great opportunity, but I usually don't buy things unless I can pay cash. I made an exception, and I drove home with the back of my truck loaded with my goodies.

On the way home, I was in one of those zones where the sky is bluer than normal, and the air smells sweeter, and the light seems brighter. And then I pulled up behind this Mini Cooper on Warner and Dobson, and lightening stuck my heart. Life is good. It was exactly what I was thinking as I pulled up to stop.

That was Saturday.

I've had a really rough day. I feel like my heart has been through the blender along with the spinach, celery and other ingredients in my morning green drink. It aches and I can't seem to stop crying. I'm only telling you this because I want to talk about how I'm dealing with it.

Apparently, I haven't done a great job today in resolving my feelings, because once my heart was broken, everything I have touched, everything I have tried to do, has somehow gone wrong. The worst of these collateral damages came through a project I volunteered to help. I offered to write a press release for an upcoming event and send it out the media in Phoenix. I always have an editor for my things because I'm rather anal about everything being perfect. So my favorite editor volunteered her time today to review the press release. I sent it out to 40 locations, and at the end of the day, I found more than one error in it. I was embarrassed for myself. I felt horrible for the project because I didn't want to do something that reflected poorly on the event. I was just a little angry with my editor. I also felt any sense of control slip like sand through my clenched fists because this happened in spite of my efforts to turn out perfect work.

I've been looking forward to going to sleep all day, knowing it would put an end to my day and give me the hope of a fresh start tomorrow. Only it is tomorrow, and sleep evades me. So I realized I had this opportunity tonight to really dig in, not to my problem, but to work with myself to both acknowledge exactly how I feel and also refocus on what I want in my life (post-broken heart). My life has taught me that the way I react to a challenge doesn't change the present moment reality, but it does change what happens next. This is about changing what happens next for me.

I decided to work with my strengths. I have crow eyes. I don't mean that my eyes have those wonderfully named wrinkles, crows feet. (Not yet, anyway.) I mean that my eyes go to the sparkly and bright colored things in the environment. My home is filled with them. I have lots of pictures of them. So I decided to do a little digital art project to cheer myself up, to indulge my crow eye, and see if I can't turn this heart thing around before morning, even if I don't sleep.

One of the songs that cheers my heart eternally is Diamond Road by Sheryl Crow. The second verse is the one that gets me every time:

Little bird, what's troubling you?
You know what you have to do.
What is yours you'll never lose
And what's ahead may shine.
Underneath the promise of blue skies
With broken wings, you'll learn to fly.
Pull yourself out of the tide
And begin the dream again.

So without further explanation, here's my digital art gallery.


I see this starfish box sitting on the glass mosaic tile box every morning in my bathroom. It reminds me of my drive up the Pacific coast about ten years ago, nearly three glorious weeks of beaches, redwoods, and mountains. I camped every night except for the three I spent in Seattle. I spent one afternoon on a small sliver of beach in northern California flying my kite and finding starfish and anemones along the water's edge. It was a magical afternoon.


The word "dream" captures the essence of what I do to visualize the things I want and focus on the things most wonderful in my reality. It is inspired in part by the emphasis on dreamtime in the shamanic traditions. But it also is inspired by the dream work I did so diligently when I spent my time with Liz in Yellow Springs. It was a time of deep personal growth and understanding about myself and life. I treasure my memories of time spent with her.

I see this little dreams with wings image every day many times. I try to always see it and not look past it because I've grown used to it. It reminds me to give my heart wings.


I found this little embroidered bag in a shop off the plaza in Santa Fe. When I saw it in the store, my heart stopped. It was the most beautiful thing I had seen in a long while. When I bought it, I had no idea how I was going to use it, but I knew I wanted to use it every day.

I returned to the plaza, kicked off my shoes and wiggled my toes in the grass. I pulled out my camera to capture the joy of the hour. I suddenly realized that I had purchased a camera bag. Since then, I carry it everywhere with me.

Planting Seeds and Sprouting Ideas

On Friday, I participated in yet another fabulous Carol Wingert class at Scrapbooks, Etc. We decorated a 16 inch torso, worked with Glimmer Mist, and did some laser copy photo transfer with gel medium. As usual, I didn't finish my project in class and still have some work to do on the skirt.

To add some depth, we sprayed Glimmer Mist on paper and used that as an underskirt. For some reason, mine curled up and never did lay flat. I need to use some glue dots to hold them down. I've also got some ribbons yet to add to give more color and fullness to the skirt, in colors ranging from peacock blue to teal to lime green.

Speaking of peacock, one of the women, Cece, brought in peacock feathers she collected from the peacock that has moved into her yard and is molting. She was very generous with giving away the feathers. In addition to the traditional eye feathers, there were a whole range of different feathers from this bird. I didn't know they had so many different ones. Thanks, Cece, for the feathers. They will go on top of the ribbons.

My torso is actually very boring and ordinary compared to the beautiful creations made by some of the women in the class. It was inspiring to see what percolated in their imaginations given the same instructions and materials. I'm always happy to be in the company of creative women. This monthly class has been so great for me because of Carol's presence and projects and the participation of the other women. I look forward to every class.

I had lunch with a friend this morning at Palatte, an adorable restaurant in downtown Phoenix at Fillmore and 4th Ave. We ate inside where they have a conglomeration of antique and assorted furniture styles. The outside dining area is even more charming, with seating areas in metal lawn furniture with overstuffed cushions. I had my camera with me, but didn't think to get any pictures. I highly recommend this place. The food was very good, the atmosphere was excellent. Great suggestion, Daniel!


After that, I drove around a bit downtown, pining for the days when I lived just north of downtown and could visit the area any time I wanted. I drove up Central Avenue and marveled at the light rail tracks and stations just waiting for trains and passengers later this year. I can't wait to ride the train. The route goes within one mile of where I used to live, and I had made plans to take the train everywhere before I moved to the 'burbs. Now, I'll have to find every excuse to go for a train ride.


A little further up Central, I landed at the downtown branch of Arizona Art Supply, my favorite of their three locations (perhaps because it was my closest location for so many years). My goal: to purchase my first art journal. I must have had "that look" on my face, because every employee in the store asked me if I needed assistance. I was on a voyage of discovery and wanted to explore rather than be lead right to the spot. I settled on a spiral bound book of bristol paper in 11x14 size. I think the paper is heavy enough, I'm just not quite sure about the size. There is a LOT of white space on each page! I went with the larger size because I wanted to give myself enough room to develop ideas. I can always switch to a different size or layout or paper if I'm not happy with this one. But the book is purchased and waits for me on the worktable. I'm excited to get started.

But something else has started. Over the last two weeks, I've had a handful of writing ideas that suddenly sprang to life in my mind. Some are old ideas that are suddenly juicy again, and a few are new ideas. I find myself thinking about them when I'm doing mundane things like brushing my teeth and driving. In fact, at those time, I'm not just thinking about them, I'm actually writing them. When I realized what was going on, I made a commitment to begin the writing process. But things have been hectic, and after typing and writing all day for my clients, I haven't been much in the mood for personal writing projects.

Then, about a week ago, I started dreaming that I was writing these things. I had the same dream over and over, only each time, I picked up writing where I left off in the last dream. I'm a person who takes dreams seriously, so I knew I had to start writing sooner rather than later. I'm happy to say that I started writing two of these ideas this morning, spending the first four hours of my day capturing the thoughts I've had and things I've observed myself writing (in my daydreams and dreams). The words and ideas almost dripped out of my fingertips, and I was typing at breakneck speed to keep up with my ideas.

It seems I'm having a monsoon of creative ideas right now in every area of my life. I love when this happens. I know it is just a season, so I capture as much as I can while things are juicy and return to these detailed notes later, when the inspiration isn't quite so fresh but I have the time to really craft my projects. I make an effort to always plant seeds for creative ideas, and pay attention when those seeds start to sprout into projects. I'm hoping to harness this energy and produce a lot now and have good ideas ready to go when I have more time in my schedule.

Slowing Down Time

I realize that I haven't posted in a while. My day job has kept me plenty busy over the last couple of weeks. But that is only part of the reason why I haven't posted.

I realized this weekend that I'm doing my best to hold a space for painting the images I wrote about last time. It's almost like I'm afraid that if I put any energy into anything else art related, I'll whiz past the painting energy and it will be lost.

I have seen this kind of thing happen with writing projects. There is a point early in the idea phase where the urge to write is strong. I've learned how to sort of dam up that energy and not do things that will dilute it. I've found the energy gets diluted by too much note taking and research, and by talking about the idea. I can't blog about the idea, I have to write it directly.

I realized that not blogging about anything new and not blogging any more about the images were a way to dam up the energy until I have the time to return to the studio. It's my way to hold that idea, that image, and suspend it in time until I'm ready to address it.

My day job has me scheduled very tightly over the next few weeks and months, and then I have a gap where nothing is scheduled (yet). Do I really think it's going to be a long time until I make the space to paint? Part of the challenge is that I don't have the materials I want to make the image I see in my head. I'm concerned about diluting the energy by rendering it in another medium. Perhaps this is exactly where keeping an art journal would serve me well. I could sketch the images in any medium available, and record it for later, when I might return to it. Either way, I would capture what is on my mind while it is fresh. That sounds like a smarter strategy than trying to slow down time and dam up the energy until I gather my resources and take the time to paint.

I'm always surprised by the path of the journey. I suppose I'll read this entry in a few years and smile to myself about how much I have learned since this moment. How great that I'm keeping notes on my inner journey for later review.

Now, about that art journal...

Life Collage in Progress

The last few weeks have been more challenging that I would have guessed. My day job has been quite unpredictable, with a couple of large, rush projects turning off and on like a strobe light. Now, it seems that I have an unplanned vacation between now and the first week of August. What to do with myself?

I've decided to rework my home office. It's time for a thorough cleaning and reorganization of all of my business materials and paperwork. There are more fun things I can think to do with my time, but no project that will provide so much benefit to my life. I work from my home, and have been a self-employed writer for just over 13 years. By reworking my office, I lay a foundation so my working life runs smoothly, and I facilitate my writing muse. Since writing pays the bills, this will make everything in my life easier.

I love my daily life, and I work hard to keep it that way. I'm always trying new things, tools, techniques, strategies, fresh ideas, and anything I can imagine to tweak my life. I've lived with the mantra "How can I improve my quality of life and spend less?" for almost two decades. The latest improvements to my daily life have been: taking at least one art class a month, scheduling time in the studio, Twitter, and spending time with the new people I've encountered. This week, I'm getting ready to interview a housekeeper, someone who can help me keep things running smoother in two visits a month. It's an idea I'm willing to try, and I'm hoping it will accomplish two things: 1. A tidier house will shift the energy of my house which will free my mind up to explore new ideas and projects, and 2. I will spend less time cleaning and more time making art.

Those of you following my blog see me exploring the memory art/mixed media world, but what I've not shared are my short term goals for this exploration. I have a few ideas for items I'd like to make and sell locally. In years past and in another medium, I sold items in a local gallery and that was great fun. It was the first time in my life I felt like an artist (instead of just as a writer). My new project ideas actually combine words and images and memory art and I'm working at building the foundational skills I need to make the prototypes. I'm experimenting with paper strength, adhesives, embellishments, and layouts. But I'm also working to find a balance between me telling a story and providing a platform for someone else to tell their story. I've been looking for companies to make make customized stamps for me, and visualizing production lines for photo images and custom paper for book pages.

It's all been great fun. Now, I'm watching the pieces of the puzzle manifest in my studio (and life) and loving the anticipation of watching them come together. I hope that in 6 months, the projects I'm just making references about now will be full-blown items on my worktable ready to be delivered to the marketplace. One day I will be able to post pictures and announce how my dreams and desire have bloomed into reality around me. Until then, I'm very happy to keep dreaming my dream, trying new ideas, watching my progress, and loving the anticipation of reaching my dream.

A New View

Thursday night, I had an amazing dream. I interpret my dreams based on the work of Carl Jung because I have found his approach to really help me understand my dreams in terms of personal growth. My dream was about a shift in my work life and my perspective on my work life. How appropriate for someone who is working to make art part of her working life (instead of remaining an escape from work)!

I attended a class on Friday taught by Carol Wingert at Scrapbooks, Etc. It was fabulous. We made an easel project that included three different metal techniques using copper. The largest copper piece we dipped in liver of sulfur, stamped with black ink, and then embossed the design. The next piece we also dipped in liver of sulfur after we stamped it (so the image was the only part that wasn't patined by the liver of sulfur. The third piece was copper mesh which we used heat to patina and then stamped. When I get my piece finished, I'll include pictures of it here. The class was so much fun, and Carol is great. She is teaching a series of classes now at Scrapbooks, Etc. for those of you in the Phoenix metro area.

I'm working again through the weekend on my other occupation (I'm a technical writer), working to meet a huge deadline in early June. As I ponder the life/work changes I'm making on the back burner, I'm excited and happy about the changes. And at the same time, there are other feelings and other thoughts that surface and sometimes surprise me. I understand that change is the blood of life, and I'm entering into this change willingly, but I know that every time we gain something, we let something go. I'm willing to embrace the change, accept the new, and release the old.

Here's to happy art for everyone!