Entries Tagged as: introversion

Read and Regroup

October 22nd, 2007, Comments (7)

So, despite my best intentions, I did not have a very productive week. Tammy kindly asked what silly parental tapes I have playing in my head that say I should be cleaning and getting back to work right after my wedding after working so hard leading up to it. Well, I kinda wish I'd just reveled in a week of relaxation instead of feeling slightly guilty about it because I was exhausted and did little, but rest and read. My brain said, "get to work!" But the rest of me, plopped down on the couch and squarely refused to budge. Looking back, I know I needed it. My introverted being was on pure overload after all the social time, the anticipation and lack of sleep leading up to the big day. So, I'm glad I got some rest and I'm feeling refreshed and also a little anxious about all there is to do. Baby steps. Deep breaths.

One of the wonderful things I did last week was to read for fun. On Monday, while dropping off our marriage license and doing errands in town, the hubster (testing this out on whim) and I stopped in a cute local bookstore and we picked out a few fun reads. I devoured both of mine during the week, first reading A Dirty Job by Christopher Moore and then The Devil, The Lovers and Me by Kimberlee Auerbach. Both fun, frivolous reads and I enjoyed them both, but I absolutely adored Christopher Moore's book. I love his twisted sense of humor and wacky characters. It's a story about a man, who discovers that he's "Death" and while the story may not be for everyone, it was so up my alley. I think my favorite book by Moore may still be Lamb, but this one comes in for a close second. I think I need to read some more now. If you've read any Moore and like the weird sense of humor and wacky stories, check out books by Tom Robbins (I've read them all) and also Fool on the Hill by Matt Ruff  are awesome reads. The second book, by Auerbach, was something I saw first at the library and started to read it there. It's a quick read, non-fiction, about a woman's experience with a tarot card reading (each card leads to flashbacks about her life). I find the tarot fascinating, so it was a fun way to read about another woman's journey and learn more about the meaning behind some of the cards. And oh, it was just good fun to devote long, drawn out periods to reading some page-turners.   

Hey, I actually made some art this weekend! I've been doodling in my sketchbooks like crazy, sketching my kitties and my dream studio space and mermaids. This weekend I pulled out some watercolor paper and worked with caran d'ache and later just pen to make some whimsical drawings. It's too late to be taking pictures, so those will have to come later. And oh, my office/studio looks like a tornado/tsunami/earthquake rolled through it. It's frightening. So, I've got to attend to that tomorrow as well. At least so I can see the floor again. Oy. I'm feeling a major cleaning/purging coming on and woah nelly, is it time for it. I started my rampage in the bedroom today in a corner that had been taken over by wedding magazines and registry info and random books and paper and shoes and oh dear, it was scary (and dusty!) I'm amazed how long it took to conquer this one corner, so the office project may be a very long, ongoing one, but now that the wedding is over, I'm ready to begin. And seeing that corner all clean was quite satisfying. 

Well, the wedding planning is over, but I'm still sorting through and dealing with the remnants of it...wedding cards, and supplies from the day, crafting tools scattered over the apartment, leftover programs, and two suitcases full of clothing that I haven't touched yet. I guess that's why I haven't opened the other gifts yet. We still have wedding presents, that were sent to my mom's (due to lack of space here), to go open and loads of thank you notes to write, but it's all good. Gotta try to tackle it one piece at a time. Life is wonderful. Gotta try not to stress myself out over details.

Oh and the Red Sox are going to the World Series! Again! Woohoo!

For Now

August 24th, 2007, Comments (6)

Art to be posted later. Started something last night and I'm not sure where I'm taking it. What I know is that I wish I had a big wooden panel to paint it on. Something tall and skinny. I wonder if I can get a panel cut like that locally?

I've got a new post up at the Blue Tree blog with all my Subway art together with sizes and prices and information about the show they can all be seen at next month at Nahcotta in Portsmouth, NH. Nahcotta also has a blog here and they featured a piece of my subway art there the other day which was awesome. Nahcotta is a gorgeous space and I'm excited to see (in person) the art of so many talented artists I've admired online (and meet some of them too at the opening!) Oh, I just popped over to their blog and saw the postcard for the show (looks great!) and saw that they're running a cool contest, so do go check it out!

Last night, after a very full day, I found myself feeling exhausted. I sat down and watched a long documentary on Katrina, When the Levees Broke, on HBO. It was devastating and at one point, out of nowhere I started to sob. I know I can get overwhelmed by the smallest things, but it's the big things on top of the small things that really overwhelm me. Sometimes there is too much sadness to know what to do with it. I contribute in my own small ways, through charities, through art, through being a decent person. But I feel so small in comparison to so much suffering. Of course, it's the stories of individual people and their suffering that broke my heart. It certainly puts things in perspective and makes me grateful for the life I have. But it also makes me furious with our inept government. How could they turn their backs on such a disaster? I don't understand.

For bit of a lighter tale, here's a conversation I had with my mom this morning about my bridal shower tomorrow.

her: "So, what time are you going to get there tomorrow? I'll be there an hour early."
me:  "Ok, so do you want me to be there early?"
her: "Well, I'd like you to be a little surprised."
me: "Ok, so would you like me to show up on time, with the guests?"
her: "Well, it might be nice to have you there a little early."
me: "Mom, just tell me. What time would you like me to be there?"
her: "Oh. Well, let me think about it."

Oy vey. From our conversation I'm guessing she'd like me to be 15-20 minutes early and I just want to make her happy, but I wish she'd just tell me what she wants sometimes! I do this sometimes too, this beating around the bush. I'm working at being more direct and this crazy-making conversation makes me even more determined to do so. So, I'll be driving up with my future mother and sister in law and showing up early, but not too early. Heh. I've just gotta laugh. I get all uncomfortable with the focus on me, so this will be a nice, but tiring day. And I'm sure I'll come home with my arms full of new towels and kitchen appliances and maybe some lingerie. ;-)

Introvert + Extrovert = Lots of Learning!

July 16th, 2007, Comments (11)

I am a classic introvert and the fiansor is a classic extrovert. Through all of our talking over the 6 plus years we've been together, we've learned how to communicate with each other pretty effectively. We've taught each other about our differences and in the process we've learned more about ourselves. When I read The Introvert Advantage awhile back, I laughed in recognition at my behaviors written out and felt much validation along with getting some great tips on how to work with my personality. I shared a lot of that book with the fiansor who found it helpful in understanding me a little better. (Incidentally, the author of this book recently put out a book about introverts and extroverts in relationships which looks interesting.)

Recently, The Happy Introvert was recommended to me and I picked it up. I began to read it over the weekend and this very different book provided more info, including a lot more about introverts and extroverts in relationships together. I brought the book out to the living room and on the couch, the fiansor and I read through most of the book together, finding some really helpful insights that led to further discussions. We laughed at how certain lists of behaviors were so spot on.

Here are some characteristics of introverts and extroverts from The Happy Introvert. Do you find yourself in these descriptions? I've marked introverts with an  (I) and extroverts with an (E).

  • You usually like being with people (no too many at once) for no longer than an hour or two at a time (I) (almost always true for me.)
  • You generally prefer being with others or talking on the phone to being alone. (E)
  • In group discussions, the topic being discussed sometimes changes by the time you have collected your thoughts and are ready to speak. (I) (Yep, that's why blogs are so great! I have plenty of time to think and then respond.)
  • You have a lot of energy, your voice is usually strong and confident, and you speak with little or no hesitation. (E) (This is the fiansor to a T.)
  • You sometimes procrastinate when you want to avoid interacting with people. (I) (ahem. yeah. I'm noticing I do this more and more now.)
  • Some people see you as being on a power trip, artificially optimistic, or overly dramatic. (E)
  • You tend to think out loud so what you say isn't always fully thought out and in general you are fast more than accurate. (E)
  • You like to concentrate in depth when doing a project and you are often content to be alone with your thoughts, feelings and activities. (I)
  • You often prefer that others make reservations, announcements, phone calls and introductions. (I) (The fiansor laughed at this one as he knows how much I hate to make phone calls when we order out.)
  • You like to buy on impulse and you frequently seek outside stimulation. (E)
  • Your style of speech tends to be calm and quiet and your ability to remember names is average to low. (I) (This one about the names was really interesting to me and very true.)
  • You want to make an impact on your community. (E) (This one made me laugh because I know the fiansor feels this way and we had just talked about how my desire to make a contribution is there, but quite different and how his desire is much larger and very ingrained. Very interesting stuff!)

At the end of the book there was a big discussion about personality types using the Myers-Briggs system. The fiansor's type was very easy to determine (ENFP), mine not so much. I'm still not sure. But it's further info that's helpful and interesting. We both have characteristics of introversion and extroversion in us too. It's never so clear cut, but knowing where we're coming from is helpful as we grow as a couple and as people. I've found all this particularly interesting because extroversion is so celebrated in our culture that introverts are often made to feel they are strange and abnormal. In general, I'm quite content in my introverted ways. I'm quite good at entertaining myself for hours on end. But on the other hand, it's good for me to push the envelope a bit sometimes and be more social as it often leads to wonderful things. Balance, balance.

Tomorrow's my birthday! I'm not sure what I'll do with it yet, but during the day, I plan to follow my whims and make it a fun, relaxing, and playful day. I hope your week is a wonderfully creative one!

Introverts Go Out

June 1st, 2007, Comments (16)

In about an hour, I'll be leaving for the opening of the Wish Studio where I'll meet some wonderful new people. If you're in the area, be sure to check it out or if you're not, stop by the Wish Studio blog for a chance to win a nifty gift package! Who doesn't like to win things??

I'm totally frazzled and behind today. I was up too late, awake too late, running around like a crazy woman who left a bunch of stuff til the last minute. Doh! I've got a series of social events this weekend and my introverted self is in anxiety mode. I've got the opening tonight, a baby shower tomorrow afternoon and a bachelorette party in the evening. I often feel like, what's wrong with me? Why am I so anti-social? It's not really that I don't like people or parties, I mean, these are happy social events with friends! And usually, once I'm there, I have a great time. It's more that I'm a bit self-conscious and that I get really drained in big groups. I read a great book last year called The Introvert Advantage (which I think I've mentioned 5 times today in response to comments regarding my last post on energy waves). Anyways, it's all about not seeing introversion as a flaw, but instead, recognizing it and working with it. It doesn't help to fight your nature, but it's also good to know when and where to push a little. If I stayed away from group events all the time, that wouldn't be good for me either! So, I'm learning to try and take better care of myself around times with group events and plan some down time afterwards to re-charge my energy stores. So, you can probably guess what I'll be doing Sunday...yes, re-charging. I'm looking forward to it.

I hesitate to mention my feelings about group events sometimes because I don't want to hurt someone's feelings or make them think I don't want to be there, as that's just not the case. I am excited and happy to go to each of these events. I'm just also aware of my energy and anxious about how I'll feel. Deep breaths. I know some of you can really relate to those waves of energy though. I did some yoga this morning to help bring me down to earth and now I'm off to shower and put on something light and airy. 

Feelin’ Summery

May 25th, 2007, Comments (8)

I did the above art "Time Travel" a couple weeks ago in that mixed media class. It's collage and acrylic on watercolor paper. I think the teacher was disappointed that I didn't do it on wood as we had wood boards available. I could mount it on wood later. I see her point in a way though. I like working on paper because it takes some of the pressure off. If I hate it, it's nothing to toss it or rip it up to use in something else. But on wood, that's harder to do. Also on paper, there's room for change. I work somewhere within the boundaries of the paper, so that later I can crop it where it looks best. A canvas or piece of wood has fairly fixed boundaries, working with those materials, I'd need to be more clear about composition when I start. At the same time, it's true that art tends to look more professional when it's mounted in some way, whether that be built in (as in a canvas or piece of wood with the sides painted) or when a work on paper is matted and framed or even just matted. I often don't take that extra step with works on paper. I don't care for them as well as I could. I want to start taking my work, I want to say more seriously, but that's not quite it...maybe more professionally?

Woo! It's toasty out! Feels like summer! I know it happens every year like clockwork, but the amount of green that blooms in spring always takes me by surprise. Looking out the windows...well, I can barely see anything but green leaves! The trees have expanded, pregnant and full of leafyness. Birds are chirping constantly around the bedroom windows, driving our kitties batty. My car is simply unrecognizable. The trees shed more and more pollen on it everyday and I'm not driving as much, so my car seems to take on a rediculous amount of the stuff. It looks like it's camoflauged. I'm embarrassed to bring it to the car wash, it's that gross. The other day, I came out and there must have been a hundred inch worms (and I'm not exaggerating) all over it. Ack! If I don't wash it soon, I'm afraid it might drive off into the woods by itself like the car in Harry Potter. Ooo, I'm SO excited for that movie! Eeee!

Life is good. I get anxious about gatherings and changes, but it's so silly that I need to remind myself that everything is great. Yoga has been helping this week. Sometimes, I need to remember to just breathe. Speaking of which, Kathryn has a great interview with author, Eric Maisel on her blog regarding his new book, Ten Zen Seconds. I mentioned it in a comment on her blog, but I also wanted to mention here that I recently found out that Alyson Stanfield (author of the Art Biz Blog) is offering a free teleseminar with Eric Maisel regarding this book. Very cool! Hope you're all having a beautiful day!

Click, Click, Save

May 21st, 2007, Comments (11)

Lots of clicking, re-sizing images and saving today. Baby steps, baby steps are leading the way along this seemingly endless path to my new art website. It'll happen.

The weekend was rediculously full, but we survived. One wedding, one shower and two birthday parties and a couple long drives later, we are back home and back to work. My mind is feeling a bit blank today, but I wanted to say hello. Helloooo!

Mindy over at the Wish Studio posted some inspirations today and I felt inspired to do the same! So here are some link goodies for ya:

Craft Synergy is a blog of interviews with inspiring artists. Super-duper inspirational stuff and great imagery! For more interesting art interviews, check out Indie/Pretty/Perfect.

ArtScuttlebutt
has a forum relating to art and being an artists with loads of interesting resources.

Need a laugh? I guess this isn't supposed to be funny, but seeing cats pop a squat on the toilet is pretty darn rediculous looking. CitiKitty is a product that is supposed to help you toilet train your cat. Check out the success stories page for funny pictures of cats in different cities taking a dump. 

And on that note...I hope to be back with something more inspirational soon. :-)