Change

It's after one in the morning and it's me and Espe (Esperanza Spalding) rocking out together. I've taken a pretty extensive nap after all of the days festivities and find myself unable to sleep. I am plagued with my own thoughts of change.

I haven't written in a while here. To be exact I haven't written in a while anywhere...my personal journal included. I could make excuses (all that would be true), but none of them really matter in the grand scheme of things since the outcome is the same....very little movement toward what I know I need to do.

I'm knowing that a change is coming and the hardest part is wrestling to flow with that change. Change for me means letting a lot of things go that I so enjoy. It means sitting with myself...still, and confronting things I've masked with being busy. You know...the important things that get looked over because you have tuckered yourself out with non-essential stuff and perhaps even non-essential people.

I know...it sounds so harsh, but so very true! It's a horrible vicious cycle really. Time passes and then passes more and then even more. It passes through a sieve slowly until it's completely gone. It's wasted and before you know, you get to this point where the year is over and you are lamenting precious moments lost.

So changes need to be made! They may seem drastic to some and totally unexpected to others, but I've been thinking about them for months. I'm very unsure what these changes will mean for my future, except I know that I must follow the direction I feel I've been given by the Holy Spirit that lives within me.

These changes are going to require me to dig really deep...deeper than I have ever had to dig before. They are going to require me to trust God and those He has placed in my life on a whole different level. They need me to focus and flow all at the same time, which if you know me...can be somewhat difficult.

So change here I come. I'm hunting you down, albeit with tears in my eyes remembering that change is a good and needed part of the journey. And once I've captured you, I will remain positioned there until my next assignment!

Your Thoughts:
What changes do you need to make? Are you apprehensive about making those changes? If so, why?

Until next time...

A Week's Recap

It's Monday all over again people and I am getting this post in at the last minute. It's for good reason though! Last week was a whirlwind really, and I see it being that way for the next couple of weeks. Nothing I cant handle, just a tad busy!

A few months ago I spoke of things not panning out quite like I thought that they were going to. There were a few things that I had on my agenda that seemed to be guarantees, but ended up falling through for that particular time. Well...the right time has come around and things have really started to take off!

Last Thursday was my first day back in the classroom. It's been about 12 years since I have taught art in the school environment, and I must say this go round was so much more than what I remembered it being in the past.  The kindergarten through 5th grade kids were amazing to say the least! They were engaged, attentive and exploratory with the medium they were given.

Their first weeks project

During the first class they learned about color theory, line, shape, and positive and negative space. The medium they used was paint, and they did a little teamwork at the same time!

I look forward to working with these students for the next few months. I look forward to opening them up to viewing art in a totally different way. I look forward to seeing their eyes light up as they learn new things about art and their creative process. I simply look forward to seeing them develop into all that they were created to be. If I can have a hand in that...I am truly blessed!

All of this goes to show that good things come to those that wait, but not in vain. See I didn't sit by waiting idle. While I was waiting I was continuing to do what I felt led and guided by God to do. Despite what things looked like, I didn't stop creating curriculum's. I didn't stop honing my craft. I didn't stop working on my business.

I kept MOVING...as you should when things seem to not add up as you expected!

The weeks ahead will go by fast, but look out world...you have lots of little gems on the horizon ready to take over!

Your Thoughts:
What have you been waiting patiently to happen? What are you continuing to do while you wait?

Until next time...

A Vow Renewal

Good day folks! I do pray that everyone had an absolutely fabulous Thanksgiving.  We all really have so much to be thankful for!

Black Friday was all but black for me. I know...it's not a dismal term like I previously thought,  but has to do with sales being in the black (a good thing for retailer's). I spent a lot of time in my studio, which (I am embarrassed to say) I haven't done in a long while.

What drove me there was a painting that I was requested to render for a vow renewal on Saturday. I know...it sounds like somebody(me) waited until the last minute to get things accomplished.  And while that is half the truth, the other half of the truth is that I hadn't really gotten a direction in which I needed to go until then. It happens that way often for me. It will be the last minute until the inspiration for a piece comes, although this piece was a bit different.

This go round I was given a vision of what the painting needed to be. You can call it a somewhat commissioned piece. While I had the vision of the person who was asking me to create the painting, I still needed inspiration as to how to execute.

That inspiration came Friday morning, and I was glad to go down into my studio. The execution took longer than I expected. 

I ripped out pieces of bible verses to use as the underlay. I did a thin layer of gesso over top so that the verses could be seen, but in the background. I then created the base of the tree and it's branches. Since folks were  going to be putting their fingerprints on it as the leaves, I decided to blot the branches with fall colors for a foundation for the fingerprints to go over top of. And to add a personal touch, I added a piece of poetry within the roots tailored for the couple speaking of their relationship.

I had a grand time with this piece. I'm blessed to have been asked to create it.  The couple that it was done for is truly spectacular.  They have a marriage that is to modeled by many!

Your Thoughts:

What inspired you today?

Until next time...