Productive and creative mode..

Lately I have noticed how drawn I have been to the colors of turquoise and teals. It shows up in my work, my pick of clothes, my accessories, and things I am drawn to pick up or look at. Is it due to the lack of color this winter? Or the longing to be back on a sandy beach watching the greenish blue waters wash up on the shore? Whatever underlying reason, I gravitate to it, and it gives me a calming effect for it to be in my vision.

So today when I walked outside to take the boys to practice I noticed something that caught my eye. My teal colored bird bath had melting ice in it, in a perfect circle. I knew I had to catch that image. When will that ever happen again, to have not only my favorite color but my favorite geometric shape in one glance? I know the simplest things make my day. :)





There are times in life when you just have to slow down and take in what is around you. My last months have been busy on top busy and I know why I am piling it on myself. It is because I want the time to pass quickly and I think that putting so much on my plate is the answer to that. But its not and we learn the hard way when our body finally tells us we have to slow down when you get sick. I am getting better from the flu but the residing headaches still get to me. I keep telling myself my "to do" list is not a life or death situation that I can put it to the side but the A-type personality I have makes me feel so unaccomplished when I do. Yet, I put things to the side that could make my mood better and be a happy type of busy. So I thought long and hard and I will take a plunge on a couple things I have been waiting to do. I learned that doing little things for myself doesn't impede on being a Mom or a Wife and I need those moments to re-energize or relax me.

With that said I am so excited to say I will be taking two classes one starting tomorrow night in the arts.
I will be dropping into a belly dance class that is being offered twice a week at a fitness center near me. The instructor teaches the Pure American Tribal Style that I have been wanting to learn. I took classes in Alaska in the Egyptian and Oriental style and looked forward to every class with the amazing women that taught and danced with me and gave me something to look forward to for myself during our hectic weeks. I am so happy to have found an instructor here that I don't need to drive 50 plus miles just to take a class. Although despite being excited I am also nervous of going back out there and meeting new people. I know I have to take that plunge or else I will regret not even trying.

I dragged my coin skirts out tonight and my lyric sandals and set it up in a bag for the class. Its nice to hear the jingling coins again and to see the beautiful colors of the scarves.


My other venture is an Ecourse in painting! :) I found this awesome class that will encompass 5 weeks of a painting course all online. For me that is great considering my time restraints. So I am looking forward to focus on a class that will be filled with not only skills but inspirations from other artists that make a living off their art. Besides that it will be so much fun! It is called Get Your Paint On and is open to beginners and experienced painters.

Now that January is almost over, I am starting to realize that I have to stick to my goals that I had put for myself. The main one was to stay creative in every way I can. I have works and pieces that are half done because of one reason or another, main reasoning to be due to no motivation or a creative block. Instead of hiding them in closets I have put them out in plain view so I can remind myself that it is either a continuing piece or its done.

Here are a couple of those pieces that will hopefully be finished soon.


And this means my table leg dolls will actually start having a little more personality to them. :)



My art room will eventually get messier than this..but I can at least shut the door and not have my clean freak critic come out when I am in the middle of finishing up projects.

In a nutshell I will in productive creative mode. And looking forward to it. :)

I will then leave you with this saying:

(Excuse the crookedness of the picture I tried to take it the best way I can)

I love this saying and picked this up from a street artist in Louisville. It hangs above my art room door and it so cheerful to look at and a reminder that you have to see life in color even when it seems to lack it.

I hope you all have a great midweek.