Balance - Family, Church & Community Focused

I haven't been posting because I tend to like blog posts with pictures. I don't have a decent camera so I quit posting. But then I was inspired/motivated by Chel at GingerBlue to post anyway. I realized that I do actually read blogs and since this is my blog, I can just write without posting photos. I can ramble too, obviously.

I realize lately that I'm too busy because I'm craving some art time. I've sketched and/or doodled in my moleskine that I keep in my purse or my art journal while waiting at my kids' lessons, but I haven't been in my art space in months. I need to do something with paint and color and maybe some collage, glue, and clay. I haven't knitted in months either. I'm in an artistic dessert. This weekend isn't looking much better for art projects either. However, it's not all bad. While in this artistic dessert, I'm filling my soul with some other important ingredients.

I've been working several hours a week volunteering for the Fenton Community Orchestra. Things are going well and I wrote a successful grant proposal that will help us through this year while becoming well established for the next couple of years. My focus now is to find some additional board members and some others willing to take on some of the administrative burden, and hopefully replace myself in the next couple of years before I'm burned out. I would hate for the orchestra to die after only a few years. This is work that excites me and I feel gives back to the community in which I live.

This week I attended a new class at our church. It was much different than I expected. I think I was expecting to go in, sit in a class room with a few people and read a book. Instead, I showed up early to take my kids to youth group and participated in a group sing which was lead by the youth band (in which my son plays guitar). There were several classes starting around the same time so adults and kids all participated. It was a very fun experience. The class turned out to be a huge class with more than a handful of people and I'm really looking forward to it. We will read the book outside of class and discuss in class. The class was full of great energy and I think I will learn a lot.

As for feeding my soul, in addition to the class at church, my family will participate in a community work day this Sunday. The day is to help people and organizations that need help with yard work or projects. It will be a great time working to give back to my community alongside my family and church family. Last weekend we all participated in the CROP walk through church. I'm feeling good about these accomplishments and relishing the wonderful sense of community. I just need to find a little more balance between all the important aspects of my life. I love that I've been spending valuable time with family, church and community and plenty of time at work but need to fit in a bit more creative play time.

Taking a Break - Obviously

I've been making an effort to spend less time on the computer and more time making art and on all my other projects that need my time and attention. I'm not sure if I will seriously start blogging again or not. I never could find the time to truly keep up my blog anyway.

2nd Week: 21 Secrets

Another fun week. I spent a lot of time this last weekend in my art studio. It was fabulous. I also bought more art supplies, which is always fun. I went to Michael's with my 50% of one item coupon and picked up more gel medium. Then I went back later because my daughter wanted to buy something and I found a set of liquid inks on clearance for $4.99. I can't wait to play with them.

I've continued to play in the four groups I started with last week and have at least watched all the videos plus added another class too - Tam Laporte's. I'm having so much fun! I have a few finished or almost finished projects. I've been really surprised to find how much I enjoyed one class that just didn't seem to be "my thing". I'm making myself branch out and try new things and I'm finding new things I like. Gotta love that!

21 SECRETS-My first Week

Wow! What an awesome, creative, FUN, art-filled week I've had. I'm taking Connie's (from dirtyfootprints studio) 21 Secrets class. It started April 1st but will go until August so plenty of time to get in to all the different teacher's classes. There are 21 different teachers sharing fun techniques. So far I've worked in four groups - Aimee's from Artsyville, Tammy's from Daisyyellow, Alma Stoller's class and Connie's from dirtyfootprints studio.

My daughter has joined me for some of Connie's painting and she even convinced her father to come and paint with her today.

Erin's painting:

Mike's painting

I am having so much fun! Did I mention that already?

"Picture This"

I loved the interview she did about this book. I can't wait to get the book.

"Q: What would you say to someone who asks about the functionality of your books, their purpose?

A: My goal is to make a book for someone who is sitting in the waiting room at the Jiffy Lube while they were getting their oil changed. I want to make books that are picked up by a bored or waiting person who starts to thumb through them and gets drawn in enough so that they stop noticing they are waiting at the Jiffy Lube and instead start to itch to make something with their hands. A picture, or a comic or anything at all. I'm devoted to the idea that the use of images can not only transform our experience of time and space, but also has an absolute biological function that is directly tied to an essential state of being which is this: the feeling that life is something worth living."

Lynda Barry - About her book - "Picture This".

This thought has been in my mind the last few days as I've read several posts on what being an artist is. I loved the post Connie wrote on her blog Dirty Footprints today. My thoughts lean towards the "everyone is an artist" side of the arguement. We all drew pictures as kids and most of us still doodle while waiting on the telephone so I don't feel the need to categorize artists as only people who make a living doing art or spend all their time doing art. If my daughter asks me if she's an artist, the answer is YES! If someone asks me if I'm an artist, I always hesitate, but really, I think the answer should be YES!