Hang In There

For those who are going through tough times....

xox

It's Already Friday!

The week has flown by.  I can't believe it's Friday already and I've only one post out!  I have tons of ideas and thoughts and things to share in the new year but this week was one of those weeks...well...let's just say sometimes you have to let life roll over you and go with the flow.  In this case my day job is taking priority.

No, I am not putting in extra hours there, but I am working super hard these days because it is year-end.  January is a crazy month for people in accounting departments as we tabulate and total the whole year, make all kinds of reports, and switch from one year to the next.  This is the time of year when I discover all kinds of mistakes I have made in the past twelve months.  *sigh* Sometimes that is hard on the psychy.  It's always a good lesson for someone like me who tends to lean very, very far towards the perfectionist side!  The mantra here should be "fix it and just let it go."

All that being said, I am finding my evenings this week totally unproductive.  All I crave is my couch, a good book and/or my television.   My eyelids droop before 8:00 and I'm ready for bed by 9:00. I've picked up my sketchbook a few times for some random doodling and I've cleaned off my art table, but other than that creativity is not a happening thing.

Really though, this is not necessarily something to view as bad or wrong.  Just because I want to make art a part of my daily life does not mean it will always be daily.  Life happens, and this week, because I want to do a good job for my employer, I need to take the down time in the evenings.  I can chose to shift my perspective - I am not failing to be creative every day; I am creating space for myself to do good work which, I think, will help do good art down the road.  I will be more rested as I won't be stressed out trying to do more than I can handle, and my brain will have had down time to chew over ideas in the background, like a field that is left to fallow for a season, except mine fallow time should be only a few weeks (I hope!).

So here is to going with the flow,  a changing perspective and creating!

xox

Word for 2015

Here's a peek at my little corner art studio these days!  I love spending time here drawing, painting and creating.  Either I listen to my iPod or pull up podcasts or Ted talks on my iPad.  Yes, it is usually messy like this.  It's the only place in the house that I don't pick up on a regular basis!  

Some day I hope to have a larger space where I can spread out and get messy.  No carpet to worry about beneath my feet.  In the meantime, I'm enjoying my space and I'm looking forward to creating lots in 2015.
This is my word for 2015 - CREATE.  I know it's very cliché but as I mulled over different words during the last few weeks of 2014, this is the only one that felt right.  Last year my word was "Cleanse".  It was a good word and worked fairly well for me though I was easily distracted by my new iPad and high speed internet.  Not all areas were cleansed last year as much as I hoped!  I have a feeling this word may come back into my life in the future.

I don't know how you are, but my mind is always overflowing with ideas, way more than I have time for.  I write them down in journals, on stickee notes, and paper scraps.  They are all over the place. The challenge for me is picking and chosing what to do.  Since I work a day job I only have so much time to spend creating.  I thought for awhile my word for the year should be "balance" but that one feels constricting right now.  My heart leaps at the idea of focusing on sketching, drawing, experimenting, painting, glueing, getting messy, sewing, taking pictures, making mistakes, and lots and lots of creating.  So I am going with my heart!

I hope to create lots this year and I will share it with you.  My creativity will have to include, I think, finding ways to make space of time for creating.  If you have any suggestions, feel free to let me know.  I have some years yet of working so I can use a few tricks.  Bear with me though, as I am certain I will be going in many directions as I sojourn down different creative paths and discover all sorts of art things!

Cheers to you all!

Happy 2015

Wishing you a 2015 filled with 

miraculous  

 joyness

awesome 

beauty 

love

and

peace

Enjoy the amazing in your corner of the world this year!

xox 

Leah