washi washi washi

a very good friend is in japan right now and she sent me some washi tape. i love the stuff but never know what to do with it. i also love twine by the way :) i found this project at mamamiss.com. kudos to all those who are crafty. i am not the perfectionist i used to be but whoa, this kind of work brought back memories of the old me. (tee hee) but i really need to work on my photography skills. (my inner critic still works full time!)

thank you sweet jadea for the surprise packages and letters. i am happy i spent time in my studio tonight. now i need to research some more washi ideas :)

"inspiration exists...

but it has to find us working."
--- pablo picasso

this i know to be true. i signed up for a figure drawing course at the museum. i thought it would help bring back some skills i hadn't used in years & help find some of that inspiration. i think i mentioned it before. i have a problem. i tend to procrastinate & tell myself, i don't want to start because i know i will have to stop, and i don't want to stop, but i have to blah, blah blah. i need therapy, right? :)

well, drawing the figure is a lot of fun. i struggled a little in the first class. in the second class i guess with more practice, things were coming back to me. it's one of those "a ha" moments that i love so much! i was actually able to correct my vision, my "art vision" i guess i should call it, something i seem to have lost over the years. once i got going, i could see parts of the body & break it down into simple shapes & pay attention to the relationship in its surroundings. i went into that zone, that happy zone of right brain activity and i loved it!

i plan to take other workshops & classes, hoping to meet more creative type people & explore other mediums and techniques. i have plenty of art supplies, it's about time i use it all up!

don't believe everything you think

i came across this note today and it made me think :) things we forget posts simple, meaningful messages on post it notes in random places. i try hard not to over think things. my brain likes to analyze too much. i also get too involved in the task at hand then i forget to notice life around me. like when i am walking to the store, i forget to look at the colors and patterns along the way. i forget to actually look at the people who pass me by. i forget to savor the wonderful smells from someone's grill or nearby restaurant. but when i do notice something awesome, i get so happy and then my analytical brain takes over and wonders why i can't do that all the time. i think up so many excuses not to do the things that make me happy, like drawing or painting. i get lazy when i really want to participate in something like riding my bike. it's getting old now. i recently moved from a very comfortable life to add some discomfort and get myself stirred up. maybe some therapy would have been a better option but oh well, too late now. tee hee so, i have photographed in my brain that post it note "don't believe everything you think" and i will refer to it every time i come up with one of my excuses or whenever i get discouraged about anything!

he sits up there often like a little boy with a lot on his mind