Creative Magic

In her book Big Magic, Elizabeth Gilbert (who is best known as the author of Eat, Pray, Love) writes "I believe the creative process is both magical and magic."

I agree. Ideas or inspiration come to me only if I am open to receiving them. Gilbert suggests that ideas have a consciousness of sorts, and are out there in the world, just swirling around waiting to become manifest. 

She suggests that if we are too consumed with our daily dramas, anxieties and duties we will miss the signal. And although the idea may stick around for minutes, or months, trying to get our attention, if one remains oblivious, the idea will leave, off to find someone who will to connect with it.

Perhaps this is true.

But sometimes, if you are lucky and open enough that idea will stay with you. At first it may just be a little spark, something you'd like to play around with, or learn more about. You have to be willing to give it some room to grow. You have to believe that you are worthy to do it.

My goal is to encourage you to explore. Test the waters. Try something new. Write that poem, or if not a whole poem, write down the lines that come to you, before it floats away. Give it a go. Start knitting that wool hat. Don't know how to knit you say? Well then, find a friend to teach you, take a book out of the library, or go to YouTube and watch a video.

Just start. Play. Remember that the fun is in playing. 

Thank you for reading.

~Mary

"Don't wait for inspiration. It comes while working." ~Henri Mattise

Passion and Creativity

"The things you are passionate about are not random, they are your calling." ~Fabienne Fredrickson

I am taking two online classes this year. One is a watercolor class, the other a rug hooking course.  Every now and then I like to try something new not knowing where it will take me. It is also a lesson in humility because I am a beginner in these art forms and the teachers are experts.  Still I think it is fun.  

I did purchase a small set of watercolors that was recommended (a reminder that I am trying to break the habit of always 'making do'). And I have a friend who handed me all the basic supplies for hooking when she heard I had signed up for that class. I will post a few images as the classes get underway. 

January also seems like a good time to think about what inspires you. What are you passionate about? What things do you like to do? Are there things you loved as a child that you no longer do?  Spending a bit of this pandemic time, contemplating these questions may help us all feel better.

This is a turtle I just finished (my design hooked using traditional techniques on burlap). It is destined to be a footstool cover. 

Thank you for reading. 

~Mary

It's a New Day: Why Not Make Something?

I love the color of the sky just before sunrise. Today at the horizon there is a pale pink infiltrating the gray clouds above. The day is beginning--- and who knows what's ahead?

What I do know is I am thankful to be warm and safe. I am grateful for my life and family. And I know that my dear husband and I will be quarantining until our (hopefully negative) COVID test results appear online.

I also know that I will make something today. I am not sure what it will be. I might write a poem, or bake cookies, or put the binding on a quilted table runner. I might knit or try to learn more about rug hooking.

You might ask, why do I make things?  Well, I make because something calls to me from deep within. Perhaps it is my soul, or God, or the Universe. Who the caller is I am not sure. I only know that I am called. I also understand that when I remember times in my life where I was unable to create I was frustrated and angry.  So as a matter of self-care I create.

I always have a project going. You could call it my therapy, and maybe it is.  I know that making helps me stay on the happy side of the street. 

Don't get me wrong, I still have challenges. We all carry a bag of rocks. It is the stuff that doesn't show up on Instagram or Facebook posts. It's the real stuff that we all contend with. It is the dent in the car fender. It's the morning with messy hair, no makeup, and a hole in the sock. It is the day you start chemotherapy.

So this morning I am going finish my coffee, pet the cat, and then do a little knitting. I have some yarn leftover from a child's sweater that I completed last week and I think there is enough for a little matching hat. I will find out. There is so much to learn and some things are experiments because you can learn from any experiment.

Enjoy your day and your life because only you can make it sweet.

Thank you for reading,

Mary

This is my variation on the 'Rosemary's Little Sweater' pattern from The Green Mountain Spinnery Knitting Book by Margaret Klein Wilson and the Green Mountain Spinnery,
The Countryman Press, Woodstock,VT, 2003

"Don't wait for inspiration. It comes while working." ~Henri Mattise

A New Year - Week One

Happy New Year.  Who knows what is ahead in 2021?  I hope it is a joyful year for all of us.

I have decided to retire from my day job this year. The decision is partially based on the pandemic, but also on the clear realization that I have one short beautiful life to live, and I have many things that I wish to do that are impossible to do working Monday through Friday. 

This year I intend to share my creative adventures with you more regularly with photos, text and hopefully some videos.

I want to indulge myself with good books and art this year.  

I want to support and encourage you on your creative adventure.

And I want to share with you each week. 

I am reading The Louvre by James Gardner. It was a present and I was a bit intimidated by the thick volume, but I am enjoying it immensely.  The author takes the reader on a grand adventure from its earliest days as a fortress until current time. If you have been to Paris (or want to go) I think it is must read. 

I am also becoming a hooker. This may come as no surprise to some of you.  This is an image of my first attempt. I used Monk's cloth as a base, a punch needle hook (more on that later) and wool yarn that was leftover from other projects. 

I also want to pass along a Call For Art for ARTRAGEROUS!35 June 18, 2021 - the Montserrat College for Art Annual Art Auction - here is the link:https://www.montserrat.edu/auction/call-for-art35/

I submitted two artworks for consideration with sale proceeds to be donated to Montserrat. There is also a 50:50 option (donation:artist).

The deadline is January 31, 2021.

Stay Sane - Make Art

Most of us have been self-isolating for weeks. My office reduced hours and furloughed personnel back in March, so it has been more than 8 weeks of this new reality.  I am working every third week. It is strange.

Last month Bustle published this article: Making art helps your mental health 

Are you working from home?  Have you been furloughed?  How do you stay focused and productive?  Please share your strategies.

Even Mona Wears a Mask - Image from Pexels.com

May Day

Today, my dear friend, Steve, a francophile of the first order, shared that in France on May 1st, the Lily-of-the-Valley is shared between friends as a token a good luck for the year.  I will celebrate with you by sharing this image because it is still too cold here for my Lily-of-the-Valley to be blooming.

Lily-of-the-Valley (Convallaria majalis) is a woodland flowering plant also known as the May lily. In addition to luck, it often symbolizes purity and happiness.  As beautiful as it is, please do not eat it. It is highly poisonous!

Isolation Days

Each morning as I awake I give thanks for the day.

I drink a glass of water and get out of bed.   Matilda, the cat, is always ready for her breakfast, so I feed her, then check for any overnight text messages on the phone and have my coffee.

I have a day job, but I am on a reduced schedule for a bit. It is on odd time. I feel that a regular routine helps me stay focused.

Most days I eat a granola-type cereal or nuts, dates and berry combination that I assemble myself.

I limit the amount of news I listen to. More than once a day can cause me to have anxiety.

I try to get regular exercise each day, by walking or doing yoga.

Matilda thinks she might also keep a journal one day.

I keep a written journal and I make art each day.

The largest project I am tackling this month is sorting my mother's personal papers and photos.  In the 1940's she taught physical education at the University of Akron. She saved everything from the list of academic course offerings to Goodyear Rubber Company memorabilia.

Last week I contacted the archives department at UAkron to ask if they were interested in a donation, and to my delight they said yes!  I am thrilled because these items need a new home.