Creative Every Day

The Slow Re-entry and AEDM

October 6th, 2008, 16 Comments

Well, apparently my re-entry into regular life is going much slower than I thought it would! I just cleared my entry-way table of unopened mail and bills and the feeling of cleaning and clearing is continuing to sweep over me. It's strange, but since coming back from my honeymoon (see pic of rainbow seen from our car in Maui above), I've been at the computer very little. Everything seems to have slowed down and the things I'm most interested in doing are fairly simple...eating, snuggling, reading. It's been lovely. I didn't think to check my email yesterday. Even the hubster thought that was weird.

And I'm also a tad bit overwhelmed by the thought of all your lovely blogs and all I have to catch up on too. But I've continued on my quest for daily creativity. I don't have much to show for it except loads of lovely honeymoon photos and plenty of doodles and sketches. I thought I'd be bursting to paint, but instead I've been sketching and drawing. I suppose I'm in the build-up phase of things which is excellent considering that "Art Every Day Month" (AEDM) which I lead every November is just around the corner. I am quite excited about it actually as I know how the boost of creating something to share with you every day and the energy of the group itself is so fabulous. 

I was pondering the differences between the two groups, CED (Creative Every Day 2008) and AEDM and I think they are very similar. CED developed from the desire to extend and expand on AEDM. Both are low-pressure challenges, challenging you (and myself) to be creative in some way (any way you can come up with) every day. For me, the difference is that for AEDM I like to create something tangible, usually a piece of art or working on a larger piece, and then sharing what I've been up to in photos every day. It's a bit of work to keep up with, which is why I don't do it this way year round. The month-long period works wonderfully for me and it has for others who have joined in the past.

I don't require you to do "Art Every Day Month" the same way I do, however, because my main goal is to encourage you to be more creative than usual in whatever way that means to you. So if you do something once a week for the month of November or even once the whole month, that's great. I also want to make clear that I'm choosing to make art in the form of drawings, collage, and paint, because that's what I love to do. I want you to do whatever it is you're drawn to do whether that be cooking, sewing, painting, sculpting, taking pictures, writing poetry or prose, whatever. I think of Art in the same way I do Creativity, in a broad sense, and I don't want anyone to be scared away by the word "Art."

My standard description of AEDM is in the sidebar to the left and I also have photo albums from what I've done for the challenge in past years that I'll put back into the sidebar shortly (they're also on links page now.) I'll have more to say about all this in the coming weeks, including a page for the challenge similar to the CED page, but in the meantime, if you'd like to sign up for "Art Every Day Month" for this November, comment or send me an email and I'll add your blog (or your name if you don't have a blog, a blog isn't required!) to the list of participants. I'll be back with more regularity this week!

p.s. Have you seen the SNL parody of the vp debates? It was definitely good for a giggle. You can see it here.

Linking You Up

September 29th, 2008, 18 Comments

One thing I learned in Hawaii, I feel oh so much better when I live in the present moment. I'm more carefree, relaxed, and content. Have I carried this lovely way of being back home with me? Um, no. Not at all. I've been a pile of gloominess and exhaustion. No fun to be around. But I'm waking back up. Today, I danced to George Michael's "Freedom! '90" in my office and got some prints shipped off to new homes.

I'll share little bits from my trip to Hawaii in the coming weeks. One of the things that totally and unexpectedly sparked my interest was some prints I saw of the "secret" art of Dr. Seuss (Theodor Seuss Geisel). I felt a little weird about seeing them on display as they were never meant to be public, but I'm very glad to have the chance to see the reproductions, as the art is so fabulous! And of course I can't help but love all the cats in his paintings. I love the wacky, whimsical and weird quality to his work. When I got home I found a book, The Secret Art of Dr. Seuss, about this artwork on Amazon and ordered it straight away. You can purchase limited edition prints, like "Lion Stroll" above at an authorized print dealer through this company.

And how bout some quick links for ya? Why not.

• Mark Bryan, co-author of the Artist's Way has a new blog up called The Artist's Way Daily. I believe it's being moved to a new address shortly, but he's posting there for now.
• Cliodhna is offering a giveaway of one of her gorgeous oil cloth bags (that make me think of Hawaii). Enter by leaving a comment with a business tip or suggestion for her here.
• Cameron sent a link to a story about an artist who lost and then found his inspiration again.
• Carla, of Feathered Fibers posted a link to artist, Joe Pogan who sculpts animals (I love the birds!) out of found scrap metal parts. They're very cool. You can see the pieces he has available here on Flickr.

And that's all I've got in me for now. I'm slooowly, but surely catching up with email.

Creative Every Day: September 29th – October 5th, 2008

September 29th, 2008, 14 Comments

Leaving Hawaii

September 25th, 2008, 12 Comments

When you are in that blessed retreat, you are safe from the turmoil of life; you drowse your days away in a long deep dream of peace; the past is a forgotten thing, the present is heaven, the future you leave to take care of itself. You are in the center of the Pacific Ocean; you are two thousand miles from any continent; you are millions of miles from the world; as far as you can see, on any hand, the crested billows wall the horizon, and beyond this barrier the wide universe is but a foreign land to you, and barren of interest. -Mark Twain, on Hawaii.

This gorgeous flower was in a state park on the road to Hana yesterday. Tonight, I did a little bit of checking up with email (still loads to catch up on, but that will have to wait til I return), did some packing, and I'm getting ready to head home (flying out Thursday, getting home Friday.) I expect I'll be jet-lagged and laying low this weekend, so I plan to be back into the swing of things sometime next week. The hubster and I had an *amazing* time in Hawaii. I'll be sharing some pictures and stories from my travels soon. In the meantime, I'm waving hello from the sunny paradise of Maui. I'm missing my kitties, but otherwise could easily stay longer here. It's so lovely. Something about island life, similar to our time in Greece, has a pace and energy about it that's so hard to maintain back in New England. I'll miss that and the weather, the water, the starry skies, and of course the fun of living in a hotel. Ah, but it's been so good for both of us, so relaxing and inspiring. Hope you are all happy and healthy. Ta ta for now.

Creative Every Day: September 22nd – September 28th, 2008

September 22nd, 2008, 19 Comments

Need I say more?

September 15th, 2008, 20 Comments

Yesterday, we arrived in Oahu. Waiting for our room we went out to the pool bar and I got this.

Best. drink. ever.

Having a blast.

Creative Every Day: September 15th – September 21st, 2008

September 15th, 2008, 13 Comments

The Wandering Path

September 9th, 2008, 17 Comments

I saw this quote today on Pink Sky's blog and it resonated with me so much that I had to share it:

"I am one of the searchers. There are, I believe, millions of us. We are not unhappy, but neither are we really content. We continue to explore life, hoping to uncover its ultimate secret. We continue to explore ourselves, hoping to understand. We like to walk along the beach, we are drawn by the ocean, taken by its power, its unceasing motion, its mystery and unspeakable beauty. We like forests and mountains, deserts and hidden rivers, and the lonely cities as well. Our sadness is as much a part of our lives as is our laughter. To share our sadness with one we love is perhaps as great a joy as we can know - unless it be to share our laughter.

We searchers are ambitious only for life itself, for everything beautiful it can provide. Most of all we love and want to be loved. We want to live in a relationship that will not impede our wandering, nor prevent our search, nor lock us in prison walls; that will take us for what little we have to give. We do not want to prove ourselves to another or compete for love.

For wanderers, dreamers, and lovers, for lonely men and women who dare to ask of life everything good and beautiful. It is for those who are too gentle to live among wolves." ~James Kavanaugh

Oh so lovely.

A Little Travel Shopping

September 9th, 2008, 5 Comments

I don't know about you, but swimsuit shopping is not my most favorite activity. Nothing like a bathing suit to point out all your flaws and make you feel fantastic about your body. I put it off all summer under the guise that I'd get a better deal by waiting til the last minute to shop for them, but unfortunately I waited a tad too late and the department stores have sent their swimsuits away (just this morning in fact.) Poo! Well, I found a couple suits at a store that only sells swim-wear. Definitely more expensive, but also much easier to find a variety of suits in my size in every color of the rainbow. The trying on of suits was not as dreadful as I had feared and I found a couple cute swimming trunks to wear to the beach and pool. I may return one of them as they were pricey. This one on the left was sort of Marilyn Monroe-ish. It has a flattering cut that's sexy without being over the top. I've never really worn a tankini, but this one (on the right) was cute. I love the little art deco details around the edges. I got a colorful bikini too on clearance. Not all suits need to be black. I'm looking forward to being a living mermaid in the ocean and the pool and hopefully on a few waterslides too. Ha, that just reminded me that I dreamed about the most elaborate waterslides last night!

I also picked up a big straw hat (heh...I feel a little silly wearing it, I'm not a big hat wearer, but I like it) and a couple cute dresses for the wedding we'll be attending in San Fran and surrounding events. I saw this dress at Old Navy online and it's wonderfully cute in person. I'm liking the color blocking trend going on right now. It reminds me a bit of the early 90's, which means junior high, but it's not bringing back any horrid memories. I was keeping my eyes open for a pair of color blocked shoes, but couldn't find a pair I liked. This cute little dress is inexpensive, versatile, and it has pockets. Gotta love a dress with pockets I say.

I also found this fabulous dress (at a fabulous price) from Yoana Baraschi at T.J. Maxx. All this shopping came about in a search for swimsuits. I'm really not a big shopper, but what can I say? I found some cute things today and I'm quite pleased about it. You'll just have to trust me when I say this dress is infinitely cuter in person. The grey part is a jersey knit and the shawl and bottom are this silky satin that feels so nice against the skin. Oh, and it has pockets.

Since I'm on this little fashion kick today, I couldn't help but share a link to this post from Bridget in which she uses her masterful sewing skills to recycle a sundress and transform it into a super cute shirt. I'm so impressed! I must learn how to do this sort of thing. 

There are loads of cool fashion finds on etsy to peruse such as:

• beautiful handmade items from Holly Stadler
• organic items from Gaia Conceptions
• cool vintage items from Salvage Life, Santoki Vintage, and Recy
• cute summer wear from Hawaii's the machine stops

Completely unrelated to shopping and fashion, I'm reading a fantastic book by Craig Ferguson right now. Yep, the same Craig Ferguson who hosts a late night talk show. I picked up the book, Between the Bridge and the River, randomly in the library and it's quite good! I really enjoy his sense of humor and the wacky web he's weaving with his story-telling. I also love that Carl Jung is a character in the book. It's in a similar irreverant style of Tom Robbins, one of my favorite authors. I was thinking it would be honeymoon reading, but I think I'll gobble the rest of the book up before we leave. I have a few books in the wings, but may opt for something light and beachy for well...the beach. We shall see. In the meantime, I'm taking my book and heading to bed. Sweet dreams!

Creative Every Day: September 8th – September 14th, 2008

September 8th, 2008, 9 Comments

 

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