Sunday, April 29, 2018

These 3 inspired me

1. I don't remember how I discovered this weekly newsletter/ brain connection extraordinaire offering from the amazing Maria Popova in her labor of love called Brainpickings. But wow I'm glad I did. Last night I went to her Universe in Verse   , a poetry reading but oh so much more then a poetry reading, and left filled with such awe and inspiration how this woman connects poetry and science and philosophy and art and everything.
 I highly recommend signing up for Brainpickings and if you are in Brooklyn next year around earth day,  attend Universe in Verse and or listen to it live streamed.

Love Maria Popova's definition of creativity on her about page.
"The core ethos behind Brain Pickings is that creativity is a combinatorial force: it’s our ability to tap into our mental pool of resources — knowledge, insight, information, inspiration, and all the fragments populating our minds — that we’ve accumulated over the years just by being present and alive and awake to the world, and to combine them in extraordinary new ways. In order for us to truly create and contribute to the world, we have to be able to connect countless dots, to cross-pollinate ideas from a wealth of disciplines, to combine and recombine these pieces and build new ideas."

2. This book, The Art of Asking, by Amanda Palmer I read awhile ago but was reminded of it last night because she read at the Universe in Verse and did this awesome rendition of Joni Mitchell's song Big Yellow Taxi.
https://offthetracks.co.nz/amanda-palmer-the-art-of-asking/


3. Recently gobbled up this book by Daniel Handler also known as Lemony Snicket and illustrated by Maria Kalman. who also read at the Universe in Verse. 








Tuesday, April 24, 2018

Be amazed


Recently I spent a few hours for some reason researching humming birds. I don't know how it started but once I began looking at pictures and then drawing them I became completely amazed. These creatures are truly WOW material. Little facts: like a humming bird flaps its wings 70 times per second, its heart beats OVER 1,200 times per minute and it visits 1000 flowers A DAY. Awesome!!!

When feeling stuck, be amazed by something, it will align you once again with wonder.

Monday, April 2, 2018

from funk town


 soooo, I feel since January I have been in a bit of a funk creatively. And the more I thought about being in a funk the more I felt I'm in a funk and I will never get out. And the more I thought I will never get out the more I felt in a funk. Well, this was not and is not productive. However now that I feel I'm movin on from funk town, I think maybe it was more me thinking I was in a funk then really being in one and that combined with feeling I had to DO more. For all I wanted and seemed to be able to consistlently do the last few months was spend open time in my mornin' messy sketchbook and allow myself to write, scribble, paint, do whatever and then close it and be in a state of oh but I really SHOULD be completing this project and trying to sell this art and market my art and illustration and where do I fit in and .....You get it..
too much thinking which it seems I'm not that great at. 
How to get out of a funk that you may not even really be in.....accept that you are a bit crazy and then get moving again. Shake that winter energy. Move the body. Take a LONG walk and then Move those hands lady, move them, and make whatever, trust the ebb will lead into a flow, and that flow will move you to make what may or not be on your dream list to make, 
trust the order to unfold as it will. 

          enjoy the day you know how in tiny moments
and go MAKE SOMETHING even if it is a piece of toast with pink swirls of jelly!