A Whimsical Bohemian

"Who in the world am I? Ah, that's the great puzzle." - Lewis Carroll

"...Drop the idea of becoming someone, because you are already a masterpiece. You cannot be improved. You have only to come to it, to know it, to realize it.

-Osho

 

 

I am working on the realization of the quote above.

 

 
I've had a cluttered mind lately, an impatient soul and a sagging spirit. I wish I could say it's all because of the long drawn out 'project' but frankly it's not. We are stalled a bit right now but that's not it .I am finding I lost my zest somewhere along the way for everything else. Where is my concentration?? Where is the artist in me? Where is the enthusiasm for everything else? The answers are all within me I know.....they just seem to be rather elusive right now.

 I am not feeling sorry for myself, truly I'm not. What's to feel sorry for.... Life is not bad AT ALL I am loved.. I am not sad. I just seem to have lost my inner spark somewhere and while I've been searching for the answers on how to get it back I've neglected people and connections and my blog and my very being....ART.. That's not like me.. I walk in my tidy studio and walk out again after I have circled the room a few times.That's not like me. I pick up the phone to call a friend and hang it up again before I even dial. That's not like me. Strangely it's this time of year and in Spring when I normally thrive.....the weather is cooler, there's a breeze....blue skies...I love that. But where am I? Curled up inside my head searching the 'the lost and found' department. Maybe it's just a phase - maybe more people than I realize go through this (whatever this is)from time to time. Maybe some just don't talk about it. I don't know. It's a sense of blahness,  I am NOT, however, depressed. I'm not. I just need to ride this wave with my eyes on the shore.

I don't like posting this because my posts are so infrequent as it is and then to post some gobbilty goop that sounds like I'm whining makes my skin crawl.  So many others are dealing with REAL issues and I'm going on about a funk - it's hideous when you think about it. But the truth is I am nothing if I'm not honest .

funny...... in searching for answers I realized something  ........ummm.... "WHAT is the question exactly?"

 
  I may be out of focus right now but I AM working on getting back to a much clearer picture! You can't take a good photograph if all your equipment isn't working right...and right now my inner photos are all a bit blurry.

"Never fear the shadows. They simply mean that there's a light somewhere near by".- Ruth Renkai

So there you go, hopefully I'll be back soon with a bright flash and a clear picture.....and with it will come visits to your blogs and art to show and art to sell and stories to tell and phone calls made and just that general feeling of being connected to myself (and you) again!! And laughing, lots of laughing!

In the meantime I wish you all a tremendous week filled with sparkles and effervescence!

Love,

Lisa

XOXO

(both images are from my home -  the bust and the cameras and binoculars were my parents)

A pinch, a pull, a sneak peek, 2 films and a few thoughts....

I absolutely cannot believe it's June already!!!

 I pinched a nerve or pulled a muscle right behind my left shoulder Friday. You know the kind where you move like a robot and to turn your head you have to turn your whole body? It's been hard to find a comfortable position to sleep and then to add insult to injury I pulled a muscle in the right side of my back twisting to bend underneath to paint something. That's the thing about these things you can be reaching for something and tweak a muscle or pull something. And it sucks! I think I need to do some serious stretching exercises! But it will be fine!

Anyway it made weekend movements slow BUT I didn't let it stop me from working with BohoMan on our project (remember the bits of old wood pieces we bought at the salvage yard?). I got a little crabby at times because frankly I think sometimes he has selective hearing. This project is something I dreamt up and he is the builder so I know how I want things to be. I know that sounds a bit snooty patootie but you know how it is when you have a vision.  So there was a lot of huffing and puffing coming from both of us as something had to be changed or resized or reworked a zillion times (sometimes needlessly). Luckily we can laugh it all off but we both acknowledged we were driving each other crazy!  It's definitely not done yet so I am only showing you strange snippets but not telling you what it is. Perhaps you'll guess but I won't be confirming anything until the entire thing is done, ready and looks like my vision. I've already started my part and there's more to go. Regardless of the bickering I think it's going to be something we'll both be proud we did together.

All photos are intended to be a obscure

Snippet #1 - hmmm what is that?


Snippet #2 - hmmm, is that hyroglyphics?


Snippet #3 - hmmm, is that a table?


Snippet #4 - hmmm, what could this be?


Snippet #5 - hmmm, is that a barber pole?

Ok, that's it. Any ideas what it could be? Like I said I won't confirm or deny......you'll see the entire thing later this week and know if you're right or wrong.


I've also been working on a painting for days. Here's a snippet of THAT project as well.........still not finished due to that shoulder thing.

 I also watched a couple of movies you may like........the first one is called "How About You" and it's an absolute spirit lifter. Click the link for info and watch the trailer (I got it on Netflix).  The second film was on HBO (I think) and was intended for kids BUT I can tell you this "kid" thoroughly enjoyed  it........Kit Kittredge:An American Girl. (Kit Kittredge comes from a doll that iis part of the American Girl line of dolls and I am so pleased children who love these dolls learn from them as well) The story is set during the Great Depression as seen from a 10 year old girls eyes and how it's affecting her friends and then their own lives. It's utterly beguiling and charming and funny and sometimes sad. After the movie they showed a little "special" where young children aged around 6-10 talked about what they know of the Great Depression, it was fascinating to say the least. Then some children were paired with some senior citizens who had lived through that time to interview them.  One wee girl was 6 and she interviewed a 102 year old man, the exchange was beautiful.  All I kept thinking was that this is what schools should do. Allow children to gleen knowledge from those who lived some of the history they are learning about.    Don't think you're ever too old to watch this film.......

It got me to wondering in this day and age of portable devices/electronics/TV what some kids would do if they only had their imaginations to create their fun?

(image from net)

 I know that makes me sound like an fuddy duddy but you know it's true. Kids now don't HAVE to think for themselves to be entertained anymore.  I remember my Mom telling me she had one doll, nothing moved on it. She didn't have toys or bikes but she made her own fun with what they had. She was the youngest of 10 and with the use of bits and bobs they could make and pretend all sorts of things.

Heck even when I was a kid I had toys but I didn't have a room full of all the latest and greatest things. I made entire Barbie apartments from everything I could get my hands on.... and it was great!  Remember making forts from card tables and blankets? Playing school in the backyard and getting to be the teacher? Forming secret clubs? Climbing trees? 

image from Apple Day Camp in NY

I wonder how many kids still go to summer camp or  day camp anymore? I don't really know as I've had no reason to research them.  We had one here called Adventure Day Camp when I was a kid.....you met each morning at the local elementary school to be taken to camp. We dyed scarves for our group color, we wove things called "sit upons" to sit on by the campfire. We learned to make crafts, hike, sang songs and did skits, looked for frogs in the creek. At the end of the camps run the parents came for a huge campfire dinner and we'd perform our skits and show off our crafts for them. I LOVED it!!!! We were taught useful things and fun things and made friends. I also went to a day camp where for one or two summers my Mom was a group leader....she was called Mama Thumper.  (each leader had a name like that). My Mom loved it too and she was good at it and she encouraged imagination! And one camp I went to was for 10 days and you slept in cabins. Wonderful memories!

Remember the songs like...........

John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt,
His name is my name too.

Whenever we go out,
The people always shout,
There goes John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt.

Dah dah dah dah, dah dah dah

Or how about: "Bill Grogan's Goat"......"Oh I Wish I Was a Little Bar of Soap"....."Do Your Ears Hang Low?"

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

No, I'm not 105 years old..............I am merely remembering what it was like to be a child who could easily count on her imagatination creating things, singing silly songs, twirling until she fell down, making wishes on dandelion "wish flowers", climbing trees, turning big cardboard boxes into a castle, having tea parties with her dolls, putting playing cards in the bike wheel so it flapped, flapped, flapped.

lot of fun  It's just that I fear children are losing their true imaginations.......I worry they're losing that inate ability to pretend and find fun from within. Not plugged in.

OK, after all this typing my shoulder is stiffening and it's taking forever......Boy I got off on a Free Thinking tangent here didn't I?

I WANTED TO ADD: my writings (free thinking) are not meant to be a generalized statement about anything I talk about.......it's just some thoughts that crop up during certain situations, observations, things I've read etc. I am not an authority nor is it based on any in-depth research and I am not saying what I say is indisputable. I welcome comments that agree OR disagree because we as humans are all entitled to our opinions! I love that about us, don't you? :)

I hope you're having a wonderful start to your week!
Love,
Lisa
XOXOXO

Free Thinking Friday...... Opening up your ART

Last week I posted about not letting blogging comments define your self worth. I am not done with blogging subject …..in a manner of speaking. I’ve thought about this for awhile now…… being an artist blogger.  By simple definition an artist is a person who creates art but certainly there are various more complicated or at least more meanings than that depending on the dictionary or person who is defining it. 

Some may argue that unless you are a painter and paint like the masters you aren’t really an artist. Some may argue that any creative endeavor, regardless of medium, makes a person an artist. Some may argue unless you’re “exposure is vast” you can’t call yourself an artist.

 Have you ever met someone and they ask that inevitable question? (You know, the one ALL Americans feel necessary to ask) “So, what do you do?” Hmm. What do I do? For me it took a really long time to answer with conviction, “I am an artist”. This is usually followed by a barrage of questions “So what kind of art do you do? Are you in any galleries? Do you sell your work? Do you have a website? And so on. 

I would admittedly stand stupefied for a moment………in my head I’m thinking I don’t have any work in a gallery…….at that time I didn’t have an online shop and early on no blog, thus no website of any kind. It would give me pause and a bit of trepidation to continue the conversation because clearly WHY was I saying I was an artist?

WHY was I allowing this stranger to give me a nanosecond pause? I truly don’t care because my lot in life is not to convince other people what my passion is. I KNOW what my hearts delight is and so should you!

 

The thing is we(humans) tend to get our self esteem through the mirror of another persons eyes.  We sometimes wait for a certain reaction that will either put a bounce in our step or cause us to recoil in defeat.   And that brings me to blogging………. we blog hop now…….we see another blogger mentioned on a site, we click………we look…….we compare.  We look at artists people list on their blog rolls as artists…..we click, we look, we compare.  Now admit it………you’ve done this haven’t you?  Maybe not all the time but you find yourself thinking “dang, that person is amazing” and you go back to something you were working on and wonder “eeww, this doesn’t come close to what that person did”.    AND oftentimes the comparison is made more acute because that person has been in magazines and/or wrote a book and/or taught a workshop or class.   So of course since you haven’t done any of those things you make yourself feel inferior.  Why?   

Do you know how many undiscovered artists are out there? Some who could easily knock the socks off anyone who sees their work……yet they are obscure, hidden almost and no one sees their beauty. THIS can come from someone comparing their work to others and immediately feeling ye old inferiority show its ugly head so they stay in the shadows. Not all of course, but you get what I’m saying.

 This contrast and compare thing is not healthy in any aspect of our lives.  There are times it may make a person work harder, it may spur them on to achieve more and get out there…..but that is actually what we all should be doing.   Don’t let yourself look at another’s work and STOP what you’re doing because YOU don’t think you will ever be good enough to achieve something. Again, WHO SAYS?  Ok, maybe it doesn’t happen for everyone. Not everyone gets notoriety and exposure….not everyone’s work will be that of awe and wonder. But to let it stop you from doing something you TRULY love is a crime. Art has so many forms….and MANY people are out there doing it and further they are doing it because oh how they love it.  The bonus comes in the form of someone actually wanting to buy that work or showcase that work.

When you are working in your art space….be it an entire studio or a corner of the kitchen and you are in bliss as your hands create whatever your medium is…….do you sit and think to yourself “I am so loving this” or “I am so proud of this”? OR do you wonder “will this sell?”   You know history is littered with great artists who never sold a thing until either much later in their lives or after they left this earth.  Of course I am not advocating that what you do won’t have worth until you’re gone……certainly not. What I am saying here is DO IT BECAUSE YOU LOVE IT first and foremost. Don’t let yourself create to the masses….don’t do what you think others may want….it’s imperative your voice is loud and clear in whatever it is you’re doing. Work with and through your authentic artistic voice and vision.

It’s sad to think how many truly talented people there are in the blog world who don’t even realize it.  And they don’t because they are too busy looking over the shoulders of other bloggers thinking “I’ll never be that good”.

WHO SAYS?

Don’t worry what the other person is doing……keep your eyes on your own paper if it's going to make you feel anything but inspired!  Inspiration is a good thing.........envy, the green eyed monster, self doubt is not.

 

The basis for this discourse today is again, all about self worth and self esteem as an artist blogger. I know there are plenty of self help books out there where people have written about this I’m sure. It’s not a new subject. BUT again, with the advent of blogging……….more prolific art publications…….more and more workshop venues…………and other means of exposure…. it’s hard not to know what others are doing and accomplishing and not want it for yourself. Want it but don't base your entire artistic life on it either. Don't sabotage yourself my wonderful, artistic, talented and beloved friends....let your creative light shine....bright!

 

There is one more thing…..I know this is long and if you’re hanging in there with me I am so grateful.  OFTEN times you may be in your work space with ideas swirling in your head…….you may make prelim sketches and work out the details. Perhaps the subject is a circus act you’re either going to paint or maybe do an art doll.  

THEN you see it…..on another’s blog someone is showing a circus act! You think to yourself “well there goes that, they already did it?” and you scrap what you felt was going to be fantastic. WHY????????  Do you know how many subject matters there are in this world of imagination? And further do you know how many people may be interested or fascinated by the same subject?  That person doesn’t OWN the circus act theme, right?  YOU can put your own spin, your own vision, your own style on it and at the end of the day you both may have used the subject but the outcomes are entirely different. (think birds, nests, crowns, pointed hats, vintage photos, castles, gypsies) I hear about this all the time. The list is endless of how many people gravitate to the same theme. So what?

Subject matter is one thing.........trying to recreate another's vision is something else.  Go for whatever you want my friends..........just be YOU at the end of the day!

 

In conclusion my message is to let you know not to talk down your own visions...... create from the heart, the passion of it and do not compare yourself or your work to anyone!!!  Make your artistic statements genuine to YOU.  Don’t take a class off line or on line and think you have to produce the exact same thing. Actually it’s better that you don’t. Learn new technique, learn working with other mediums but in the end make it YOU!  Don’t fear that your subject matter has been done before…….it hasn’t been done by YOU before so it’s different right there.  And ABOVE ALL ELSE…….don’t let what others do or show on their blogs inhibit your creative expression……please, please, please.  Individual creative expression is essential to being an artist………who wants to be a clone?. Nurture yourself, let yourself grow as you let the seeds in your artistic heart flourish in to something fantastic!

I am no philosopher, psychologist or know-it-all.......I merely am thinking out loud here and hopefully in doing so maybe one person will feel better or different.

 

Now go out and create something supercalifragilisticexpialidocious – something that is uniquely…..YOU!

Much Love,

Lisa

XOXOXOXO

Have a spectacular weekend!!!

P.S. If YOU have something on your mind....if you agree or disagree....I'd love to hear it! We all have the right to free thinking!

Today, I choose me!

Wake up
Stand up
Take a deep breath
Look around
Twirl with arms outstretched
Eat to nourish
Hydrate the soul
Take on the day
What will you do?

I choose to go out
I choose to listen
I choose to observe
I choose to move at my own pace
I choose colors in fuchsia, lime and turquoise
I choose to see what comes next
as the clock ticks, the birds sing, the breeze moves
Today, I choose me.

Tomorrow, I may choose YOU!

Have a spectacular day!

Thank you to ALL who commented or emailed on my previous post. It was eye opening to find that the subject  touched a chord in so many.  I really believe it's important to have an open dialog because we truly discover how kindred we all truly are.
I have decided Friday's will be my day to talk about various things I've been thinking about....
Free Thinking Friday. 


Love,
Lisa
XOXOXO

We're just trying to help our Mommy............

Hi, I'm Lucy. I'm here to tell you about my Mommy Lisa. She's really busy. I heard her tell Daddy that people in Blogland probably think she's the worst blogger ever. It makes her feel bad.

I had to ask my Daddy to tell me what blogging was before I knew what she even meant. Now I know it's what she's doing when she sits in front of that square thing with all the numbers and letters on it. My Daddy said it's called a computer. I just know if I jump up there I get yelled at. But we haven't seen Mommy doing that much at all lately.

My Daddy said she's really busy doing art and in between doing stuff like laundry and other things. Daddy helps her. I just know after the human clothes come out of the basket I like to play in it. It's fun to get inside and swipe at Daisy through the holes.  Speaking of Daisy, look at her being all dramatic and stuff. She thinks she's the Queen around here because she was here first AND she thinks she knows more about everything. I just let her think that then I tackle her.

"Hey Daisy, get up, I'm talking about Mommy here!!!"
"Leave me alone, I'm napping Lucy!
"Ok, I guess I'm the only one that cares about Mommy then"
 
Ok, ok.  Here's the thing. My Mommy is in her studio all the time right now. I heard her tell Daddy about something called etsy but I don't know what that means. I just know most days she has paint on her hands and gets mad at me when I jump on her table in the middle of all her stuff.
She gets all worried that since she's not blogging much people are going to write her off and never come back............so we snuck her camera this morning and took some pictures as a peek in to what she's been working on. She is going to KILL us for sure when she finds out!!
Lucy took a picture of Mommy's big mess too so Lucy is going to be in double trouble.

You can't believe how hard it is for cats to take pictures and resize them and even use this computer thingy but I've watched Mommy a LOT in my life so I sort of knew what to do. I think. Mommy has more to do and is waiting on a canvas order, I think that's why she's always looking in the mail box.
We do know Mommy is very happy when she's working on stuff and she plays music and sometimes stops to pick us up to dance and to kiss us. We hate that part. I mean we love our Mommy but we only like it when WE decide. Lucy is a Daddy's girl though so she can't leave him alone. I am more a Mommy's girl but still, unless she's rubbing my tummy I'd rather be licking my bum or sleeping where I shouldn't be.
Anyway, here is some of what our Mommy has been doing......we are really nervous because we heard her tell Daddy she wouldn't show anything until the time got closer. Well we don't know what that means so it's not our fault. Right?










OH NO, we hear Mommy getting out of the shower, if we don't put things back the way they were she's going to know something is up.

"Lucy, hurry, help me figure out how to put this cap back on the camera!!!"


"NOPE, I'm trying to look natural reading one of Mommy's books and besides I thought you knew it all"


I have to do EVERYTHING around here!!! You can be sure if Mommy and Daddy find out about all this I am pointing the PAW at Lucy! I'm going to sing like a canary! I am going to send her up the river! I am going to squeal!! I am going to write a memoir about how I watched her mastermind the whole thing.  I am going to convince our parents to get a puppy that only likes ME!


Geez, can she be any more dramatic? Give me that thing, I'll figure it out. I just heard Mommy's blow dryer stop so I have to work fast!!!
So here's the thing..........
Mommy's been really working hard and she's really proud of what she's doing and we just wanted to make sure you knew that and that she misses you all a LOT!
 PLEASE DON'T TELL HER WE DID THIS!!!

Love,
Daisy and Lucy
XOXO

"Hey why is your name first?"

GEEEEZ

Love,
Lucy and Daisy
XOXO

"there are you happy now?"

heehee.......

Let your eyes focus on what you SEE...not what you're looking for

We look with our eyes but sometimes we don't really see

We gaze around us but if our minds are full it clouds our vision

Our attention can be muddled and our eyes not in focus if all the internal "stuff" is roiling around inside and we give THAT attention instead of what is right in front of us.

Try looking at color...........a glass object where light coming through it can be mesmerizing as it sits there illuminated and colors dance.

Look with new eyes. Don't judge. Although a dandelion isn't a preferred item in a well appointed garden it still has value.  It has color and it grows toward the sun and in its other form grants wishes. Not many other flowers grant wishes, right?

We look at weathered and peeling and patina and we think "vintage, character, age.....art". But do we give the same courtesy to people who are aging? Or may have a disability? Or may not look like your idea of beauty? They are often seen as old and useless and yes, even a burden and we pass them by because our eyes aren't seeing with our hearts. Yet they are seasoned with a huge amount of character and have seen it all and have wisdom if you only look at them with new eyes.  Some take disability and turn it inside out and accomplish things we can only dream about. Some that don't fit the medias idea of beauty on the outside have souls and love that is blindingly beautiful on the inside.  That is art. Look for it, it's not hard to find because you can see it in their EYES!



When you look around you do you see objects/faces in other things? Do you allow your imagination to take leave from all those internal "to do's" and see with new eyes?
What do you see in that cloud above?
What do you see in the table top below (which is actually my friend C's table)



Last month I was getting in my car at the Post Office and realized I had parked near these trees. Did I notice them  BEFORE going in? Actually in my haste I had not. BUT when I came back to my car I stood looking up for the longest time. I could see the blossoms and feel this insane sense of calm just wash over me............I could have been anywhere at that moment.  I reached in my bag for the camera to capture it and to remind myself to STOP  the *monkey brain and look around, look up, look and REALLY see. It makes a huge difference.....it can be felt.


So the next time your mind is full of "I have to do this and I have to do that" and all you can think about are things that NEED to be done or you WANT to get done and you can't form a simple sentence because you're too muddled with it all............STOP....look up....go out and look around.....look at simple pleasures - find that moment of clarity. Take a child with you and look through THEIR eyes because THEY SEE what we don't as fast moving adults.

It's all a matter of refocusing our "lenses" and then suddenly the whole world is a kaleidoscope of richness.

Love,
Lisa
XOXOXO

*monkey brain - meaning thoughts and schedules and to-dos and time and hurry and worry are all swinging  from one thing to the next like a monkey swings from tree to tree. It can make a person nuts if you can't stop the swinging long enough to just BE in the moment.

P.S. I've been doing a bit of revamping on my blog(as you can see) - many of my sidebar items are now links across the top under the banner.....this includes my blogroll. I like the tidiness of it.