The Artist I Am
Gardening of Your Soul
Kneeling on a chair cushion yesterday jamming dirt under my nails as I pulled weeds from my brick walkway, I had one of those garden/life analogies. While the grass clumps came out rather easily sometimes leaving a worm suddenly homeless, the dandelions dared me to yank them. Their tap roots going deeply down between those bricks threatening to leave some of themselves behind. I have worked hard to recover myself and unwind my inner bits from my childhood traumas. I’ve been in counseling a good portion of my life and credit that for the...
read more100 Day of Shalagh : Days 41 through 60
I’ve passed the halfway mark for my 100 Day Project aka 100 Days of Shalagh 2021! Hooray. This project seems something that would be daunting. Except the further along I get, the more I look forward to the daily creations and the easier it becomes. I’ve also noticed that my skill with this medium is increasing. How could it not? Day 60 Day 59 Day 58 Day 57 Day 56 Day 55 Day 54 Day 53 Day 52 Day 51 Day 50 Day 49 Day 48 Day 47 Day 46 Day 45 Day 44 Day 43 Day 42 Day 41 Practice is the key to getting better at anything. So now...
read moreI Have a Hard Time Believing
I have a hard time believing. Raised by anxious agnostics with low self-esteem and a Depression mindset of scarcity who betrayed me, I have a hard time believing. In January, I started a dietary and awareness adjustment program called Noom. It’s a great program because it comes from a psychological perspective, which I love. The first question they ask and want you to answer “yes” to is, “Do you believe you can lose this weight?”. When I read that question last November, I knew I would change nothing during the holidays. But in January,...
read moreFighting the Scheduling
I have been having an ongoing conversation with my almost 16 year old about creating a relationship with his future. He cringes because he is very happy with living in his now, thank you very much. Why would I want to take him away from all the fun he’s having now by scheduling all the boring things he’ll be made to do in the future. And then I realized, I am doing the exact same thing. I’ve been resisting scheduling stuff in my calendar. Stuff that seems to be adult stuff. I don’t want to act like a business...
read more100 Days of Shalagh : Days 21 through 40
The 100 Day Project for 2021 is rolling right along. This is the second fifth of the project or the next 20%. Almost halfway done. And much like the others I have done, I enjoy the excuse to stop and art. I even did it during my daughter’s birthday party last weekend. As I’ve said, this is not a medium I have ever used before. Watercolor pencils are completely new territory for me. But I love watching as I get bolder and I find techniques that work for me. I read the packaging and it said I shouldn’t dip the pencils into the...
read moreChange Nothing and Nothing Changes
What did you choose to do this morning. Your morning routing, is it set as something you just do without thinking? Do you like it or do you sometimes wish there was change. What about your evenings? Are you a person who stays up or sleeps? Do you eat crap at nighttime and wish you didn’t? Do you intentionally talk to loved ones, exercise, drink water, or read daily? How much of what each of us does is rote habit? Wasn’t a habit once a choice that you repeated? And if this is true, what could you change in your life that would make...
read moreThe Start of the 100 Day Project 2021 : Days 1 through 20
I started 2021’s 100 Day Project on January 31st. I assume they moved it up from its usual April starting date because, well, there’s nothing better to do this second year of pandemic plague lockdown. And most of us truly need to have a reason to create every day to offer us some relief from our anxieties. This is my 4th 100 Day Project. Two years ago, I found the magic of this challenge when I recreated objects in my house using pencil and pastels. This year I am recreating views from with my house using watercolor pencils. I...
read moreWhat Personal Sustainability Looks Like
When we talk about environmental consciousness, “Sustainability” has become our buzzword referring to “meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs”. Born in response to perceived public discontent over the long-term damage caused by a company’s focus on short-term profits, it has now entered my life’s vocabulary. Personally, sustainability is how I make choices to live and not exhaust myself before I reach my goals. No goals? I think you just call that surviving. Or...
read moreGrow Where You Are Planted
After nearly a year of feeling the pinch of our collective sequestering, l’ve come to understand my ultimate importance. I maintain my family and I care for myself. The normalcy and the creativity are my realms. We all need both of these to keep our sanity. To feel that everything’s Okay in our tiny world but to also express our uniqueness. To hear and feel ourselves getting in touch with our own inner voices. That is what grounds me. Keeps me. Spurns me onward. Because this isn’t about product. This beautiful life we have a...
read moreRegular Creativity Can Bring You the Joy Akin to Christmas
My daughter Fiona is about to turn 8 years-old. She has already written and posted a birthday wish list on the refrigerator. It includes items like a trampoline, a banana seat and basket for her bicycle, and a goldfish. Her birthday isn’t even 3 moths after Christmas so I’m thinking how do we so easily forget what we have and want more so quickly? But the bigger question I realized is how do we keep the creative and abundant spirit of Christmas going throughout the year? Perpetual Creative practice. When I make something, I am...
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