Walking In This World

Rob Roy, Perfect; Birds, not birds.

2011-05-27T18:39:00.011-05:00

One Father's Story: The mind of a child

2010-10-26T11:28:00.000-05:00

One Father's Story: The mind of a child

My moleskine is finally back! - THE MOVIE

2009-08-19T06:25:00.001-05:00

CLICK ME TO WATCH THE MOVIE!

Kerrville Folk Festival

2009-06-10T21:54:00.002-05:00

The most peaceful place on earth - check out some photos.

2009-06-07T17:18:00.001-05:00

Grand Canyon/ the kiss

I uploaded these because I couldn't stand to see that cat puke again when I logged in. ha,ha,ha,ha...

hairball

2009-05-29T08:19:00.000-05:00

Is this art?

test

2009-05-05T18:35:00.000-05:00

ing.
having trouble with my other blogger accounts so i wanted to check here..

2009-05-01T14:14:00.001-05:00

A Dream of Trees by Mary Oliver

There is a thing in me that dreamed of trees,
A quiet house, some green and modest acres
A little way from every troubling town,
A little way from factories, schools, laments.
I would have time, I thought, and time to spare,
With only streams and birds for company.
To build out of my life a few wild stanzas.
And then it came to me, that so was death,

A little way away from everywhere.
There is a thing in me still dreams of trees,
But let it go. Homesick for moderation,
Half the world’s artists shrink or fall away.
If any find solution, let him tell it.

Meanwhile I bend my heart toward lamentation
Where, as the times implore our true involvement,
The blades of every crisis point the way.
I would it were not so, but so it is.
Who ever made music of a mild day?

TED: Elizabeth Gilbert: A different way to think about creative genius

2009-04-10T17:01:00.000-05:00

I think you'll all enjoy this

Per Ken's request

2009-04-09T06:21:00.001-05:00

Pics from Oak Cliff

2009-03-24T06:31:00.002-05:00

You can see more here. Enjoy! :-)

2009-03-05T11:10:00.000-06:00

A 'shantytown' southeast San Antonio.

Dolores

2009-03-05T10:57:00.001-06:00

downtown San Antonio at night. It is very pretty and I love the old and new buildings side by side, such as an old cathedral from the 1780's and a newer hotel from this century. Actually I believe this is the courthouse.

2009-03-05T10:55:00.000-06:00

In San Antonio, kids tag the cactus.

2009-03-05T10:53:00.001-06:00

This means SUCKER'S CREEK! ha,ha,ha

It applies because it is so dry there.

Pointed Pen work and Mixed media Old and New

2009-03-03T21:38:00.011-06:00

This is the poster I made for the Dallas Postcard club for the March show and sell.

Title : Stellawolf

Inkblot art finished off with brush and pointed pen. Idea for art was influenced by Hermann Hesse's novel Steppenwolf.

This is a mixed media collage . It has jewelry, and even a bit of my grandmother's apron on it. Theme is superficial excessive materialism.

Ink blot art. finished off with my brush and pointed pen. Title is the ancient motif "Green Man".

There are four statues ( in Turkey I think)that have the words Wisdom, Knowledge, friendship,and Understanding engraved on them. These would be my ideals for any group of people. I made it for the Creative Circle.

New Painting

2009-02-26T11:45:00.003-06:00

Ok, this is my newest painting, hope you like it. Titled "Liberation" 30 x 40 Acrylic

I made these beads

2009-02-24T20:20:00.001-06:00

Naked by Kerri Arista

2009-02-24T12:28:00.001-06:00

Naked from Willie Baronet on Vimeo.

This was a homework assignment for my video production class, and Kerri was kind enough to be the subject. Hope you enjoy. And her song is great!

2009-02-23T11:27:00.002-06:00

Dear Creative Circle,

I am still in San Antonio. My niece, a senior in high school, was notified this weekend that one of her artpieces will be exhibited at the State Visual Artist's Scholastic Exhibit (V.A.S.E. - if you google it, you will see some cool high school art pieces).

We are very proud of her. She is excited. Last year, her art project, which I have uploaded for you, was also chosen. She uses the technique of pointillism - like Seurat. I wish you could see the pieces up close because the detail is something else. In all her focus on finishing and getting her newest project finished, she forgot to take a pic. So now she won't see if again until it is in the actual exhibit in Houston - in April.

Hope all are well and expressing their passions.

Dolores

2009-02-13T20:41:00.003-06:00

The San Antonio sky and a rusty fence
by my niece, Elena.
Dolores

2009-02-12T08:14:00.003-06:00

Hey Creative Types! I am in San Antonio now. My wonderful niece who is about to graduate from high school this Spring takes great pics. The carnation is one taken at the Botanical Gardens in SA. And the second pic is my niece with her dog Hercules- capturing the same expression! She is an accomplished artist. I will send you another pic of her drawings soon. I am very proud of her. Love Dolores

Bare tree on a cool, sunny winter day at the lake

2009-02-11T16:58:00.005-06:00

Hi friends. I took this picture at White Rock last weekend. I like the starkness of the bare tree, the hardscrabble earth in the foreground, the brooding, dark clouds overhead, and the steely light reflecting on the water. It all made for a simple composition that seemed to work.

2009-02-11T02:32:00.005-06:00

Kids performing and being safe. The black and white shot was taken in another city, but I have seen something similar before and I NEVER WANT to see it again. The arts can do a lot.

Dolores

2009-02-11T02:14:00.003-06:00

Working with summer camps at an inner city rec. center. I love teaching these. It is one of the few places in Dallas where kids of all colors work together and have fun.

I'm really enjoying making beads!

2009-01-31T21:00:00.002-06:00

This is what I made the first week. You work with file and beautiful colors of glass - it's so much fun!

dali

2009-01-19T17:24:00.004-06:00

Here's the photo of my 3D Dali collage that sold. It has a quote by Carl Jung on Creativity and the title Become Who You Are is from a book by Alan Watts.

Circle 12.10

2008-12-24T09:33:00.003-06:00

This evening we checked-in as usual, and then discussed the insidiousness of resistance, how it creeps into our lives, and also some brought up portions of the book that particularly struck them as useful for them at the time: for instance, some feel the tug of the call of love and duty to family, others mentioned the trouble of having so many ideas, and I particularly loved the sections discussing heirarchies vs. territories, how the artist need not compete so much as contribute to his or her "artistic bank account" from which no one can initiate withdrawals.

Pressfield thinks the professional artist rightly sees his art as a "territory" that he/she visits and in which he operates alone and exerts full control over his growth and progress and in which there is no possibility of sabotage, if the artist just does the work--the question of recognition being a separate issue and not one that deserves concern, since it is usually not something one has any control over and has little to do with the art itself.

In the exercise portion we worked in pairs, one member adopting the voice of Resistance specific to the individual in the pair, and the other talking back from the perspective of the creative soul on its path. Each person had his or her own experience of what that conversation signified, and overall there appeared to be a common theme that we tend to deprioritize our art at times.

Circle 11.25

2008-12-06T18:19:00.004-06:00

During this evening we checked-in and covered lots of issues related to resistance and things that get in the way of doing our creative "stuff," ranging from thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, including issues of self-sabotage. We talked about creative expressions that aren't necessarily fine art, but other things we do or have done that express our creativity, like cooking or home renovation.

In the discussion of the book topic, we shared a variety of thoughts on the ideas presented, some not liking the idea of an "impersonal outside" force that works against you, but most agreeing that we ourselves sometimes aren't on our own pages about our creative endeavors and get distracted. Plainly stated--some people like the book and some don't.

For the art activity, we created collages for the most part, some with charcoal, that express our ideas on Resistance and what it means to overcome it.

Some of the Art on Resistance 11.25

2008-12-06T18:16:00.007-06:00

Men/Women at ... Play 11.25

2008-12-06T18:12:00.009-06:00

Road Trip Anyone?

2008-11-25T17:32:00.001-06:00

From Ode Magazine - Artists Sleep Free at the Creators Inn

Circle 11.18

2008-11-19T09:26:00.010-06:00

After check-ins this week, we talked about the first few pages in The War of Art by Steven Pressfield (those aren't numbered since they function as a preface to the next part of the book which covers the topic of Resistance). The topics were What I Do, What I Know, and The Unlived Life.

The art portion began with the intention of painting in an abstract way the Inner Being or that energy that inspires us as artists (but rules are meant be broken, etc.). The prompt for the activity came from a line in the book (on one of those not numbered pages), "A writer writes with his genius; an artist paints with hers; everyone who creates operates from this sacramental center. It is our soul's seat, the vessel that holds our being-in-potential, our star's beacon and Polaris."

On Tuesday, the 2nd, we'll cover pages 5-30 of Book One, RESISTANCE: Defining the Enemy.

The opening quotation for this first section is by the Dalai Lama:

"The enemy is a very good teacher."

Just a few notes about the schedule. We won't meet Nov. 25th on account of Thanksgiving unless some of you want to alter that (we can discuss via email) and then we are scheduled for the evening of Tuesday, Dec. 2, and then Wednesday evenings, 6:30-8:00, beginning Dec. 10.
Finally, welcome to Brynne and Dot--we are happy to meet you! Some of us are planning to meet at the DMA this Friday evening for Late Night at the DMA (around 7:30 at the front desk). So join us if you are so inclined.

Circle Gathering 11.18

2008-11-19T09:21:00.007-06:00

Paintings from 11.18

2008-11-19T09:17:00.009-06:00

The painter of the first image wants it noted that the painting is not finished.

Carol's poster

2008-11-17T08:24:00.000-06:00

Serendipity

2008-11-14T23:52:00.008-06:00

Last week, I was hanging this painting done about twenty-five years ago by a painter who lives in San Gimignano, Italy, a small town in the Tuscan hills. He is named Massimo Pantani. He had a shop and painted in the back. My momma gave me one of his original works as a birthday gift that summer while we were on vacation, and he framed it for me. I was utterly delighted by the whole experience. For years it hung on a wall in a wood frame, and then last week the frame sort of hopped off the wall. Well, maybe not hopped but definitely fell off seemingly of its own initiative, while the painting and its matting remained on the wall. I looked at the painting and thought, "With that thick wood frame it looked really woodsy and natural, and in the matting by itself the country road looks just magical. I am loving the scenic road sans the wood frame and with just that silvery matte for a trim.

Massimo's current work can be viewed at http://www.pantanipaola.com/

Sarah

Inner Being (Abstract)

2008-11-14T21:19:00.002-06:00

I played around a bit with paints yesterday and today and this is what I came up with as far as doing an abstraction of the energy I would interpret as my Inner Being. I am kind of thinking I will use a silver, bronzy, or gold matte to go with it and it will hang on my orange wall.

2008-11-08T13:21:00.002-06:00

Jack bemused by notes.

2008-11-08T13:20:00.001-06:00

Andy with his Euro-cut.

2008-11-08T13:19:00.001-06:00

The lovely Kim Schlossberg.

Parking Lot Autumn

2008-11-08T11:36:00.002-06:00

I was really interested in this leaf in the parking lot just in front of the house where we meet.

Guess Whose Happy Birthday?

2008-11-08T11:28:00.002-06:00

Birthday moment!

Can You Find Two Kayaks?

2008-11-08T11:26:00.003-06:00

These guys are hard to find but they are there! (You have to double-click on the image to see them.)

Sunset at White Rock Lake

2008-11-08T11:20:00.002-06:00

This sunset was lovely and I happened to have my camera!

Morning Pages (August 30)

2008-10-21T02:29:00.003-05:00

...I walk first through the ordinary world, the world of my neighborhood, past sprinklers and mailmen and neighbors in conversation on their lawns, towards the lake, where the world turns at first sporty and energetic, but sometimes frenetic, and hear snippets of conversation...He's black so he must be a Democrat...words that make me laugh or feel depressed...towards the water, where people are speaking less. I walk along the water's edge, breathing ions and peacefulness. I notice the color of the water, it's shape, the wind, how the light affects it. I notice the birds near or far, and a dog, sniffing, happy, and unfenced.

My Nasher assignment :-)

2008-10-17T07:13:00.000-05:00

My maiden voyage into the uncharted seas of this blog

2008-10-04T10:14:00.003-05:00

From the endless, impromptu auto show at Keller's Hamburgers on NW Hwy

A gorgeously decaying structure on Main St in Ft Worth.

Last week I needed to get on some train tracks, so I hit the road with my camera. As the evening progressed I became more and more bold, pulling the car over, or stopping in the middle of the road (no cars were coming) for any shot that looked interesting. This was on the side of a paint shop. It was a huge mural that continued to the right, but with this amazing excerpt of a Ralph Waldo Emerson poem, all going unnoticed on the side of this wall, off the main road. Read it if you can.

Texas Cowboys came from Bavaria???

2008-09-27T04:13:00.003-05:00

This week I took another step toward becoming Bavarian - purchasing Lederhosen and attending Oktoberfest! As I was strapping on my "leather-pants" and strapping is really the right word, and tieing my "scarf" around my neck, I realized this outfit was not so far from our texas cowboys...leather pants (chaps), and the bandana. Perhaps not such an American novelty after all.

Although I do think we might be abit smarter, certainly strapped on leather trousers are much better for riding horses than drinking lots of beer...especially as it took me an extra five minutes to "break loose" of my trousers when heading to the 'lou' and this is not a time when you wish to be having to wait!

As we say in Oktoberfest....PROST!!!

TA DA

2008-09-26T14:43:00.002-05:00

I just wrote song number 50- The challenge ends Oct. 1st, which means I finished a little before the deadline. Big for me.
Yay for me!!!

Kerri

Dinner after circle can be very interesting...

2008-09-26T09:44:00.001-05:00

Sarah wants to honk less at others and Michael is quitting smoking and Kerri's lesbian dog eats her panties.

Walking in this whirl

2008-09-26T09:41:00.000-05:00

One of our meetings a long time ago. :-)

Single Gun Theory and Sam

2008-09-25T20:39:00.009-05:00

Today I was thinking about Sam. In 1994, R.R. Donnelley contracted with Ernst & Young to produce print material. I was hired on the night shift, initially to type financial statements, with the promise of the proofreading gig after a few months. It seemed like three or four months of typing. I typed in a room with people who had been typing, some for decades, eight hours a day. Three out of four typed over a 100 words a minute, and Sam, a new-hire like me, typed over 110 words a minute. (I figured out that part of the key to it was 'spaghetti' fingers, not tense fingers. Anyway. I think I went from 60 to 70 words a minute.)

Sam was not only an excellent typist, but generally brilliant. I thought he could probably run Ernst & Young with his hands tied behind his back. I found out what he really wanted to do was to perform in drag and he did that part-time.

Sam listened to Single Gun Theory when he worked. I bought the CD, "Flow, River of My Soul." Now I know there was not just one album. The lyrics and sound were so unforgettable and hauntingly beautiful; the following link will play "Fall," a song from that album, but you have to wait a moment for it to start http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-AuKsiGbQ4.

The night shift is such an unexpected alternate reality. Everyone sleeps when you work and vice-versa. If you aren't big on noise or having to talk to anyone much, it's great. It was actually just what I needed in 1994.

We ordinarily worked from about 8 at night to about 4 in the morning. It was a strange life. On breaks, I would look out on the silent city from 12 stories high on the corner of Ross and San Jacinto, feeling like an astronaut. Always dark, twinkling lights, nothing doing. Me in a capsule. Sometimes my friend, who booked hotel conference rooms at another skyscraper downtown during the day, would drop by at midnight for a chat in the capsule.

Driving home around 4:15 a.m., you see the raccoons crossing the streets. That was cool. I would pop in Single Gun Theory on the drive home--down the tollway all by myself to Carrollton (except for the night that guy in the red Maserati ran into the car in front of me at the Mockingbird exit.)

Sam was great company, and some nights it was just us two--him typing and me proofing, eventually. I don't know where he is today, but I hope he is somewhere on the stage in high heels or running things at some big company.

Stefan Bucher's Daily Monster, as promised

2008-09-24T22:59:00.002-05:00

I shared tonight about Stefan Bucher's fabulous Daily Monster blog. Carol's inkblot drawings reminded me of these a little bit.

I'm glad I checked back in on this blog because a lot has changed. Stefan did 200 short videos of his wonderful, creative inkblot drawings (the series has closed out, but they are still up there for your enjoyment), published a book of them, and now has made inkblots available for us to try our own! See the little monsters here.

"Almost Good" and "The Green Door"

2008-09-24T14:11:00.002-05:00

I was thinking of this 45 I had when I was about six. It came from a garage sale, and on one side was "Almost Good" and on the other was "The Green Door." I love both of those songs. "Almost Good" was jazzy and mainly instrumental but at the end of a measure a guy who sounded like Ray Charles (to me) would say, in a speaking voice, "Hey, that's almost good!" and he would say it a different way each time he came to the end of a measure (or whatever that musical unit is called). Sometimes it would seem like encouragement, sometimes like a Beat Poet line, and sometimes like an exclamation. I enjoyed the fun the singer was having with the concept of 'the critic,' even though I couldn't think conceptually at that point. It might have been almost good but it was definitely enjoyable.

And "The Green Door" was such a mystery. "Who's that knockin' on the green door? Sure a lot of fun goin' on behind the Green Door! etc." I imagined the "green door" and knew that whatever it was, it was kind of a secret and a lot of fun. What a great question for a kid. Who is knocking on the green door?

So today I tried to trace these tunes because I don't have the 45 anymore and I came up with this! There WAS a real green door! Who knew?

http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2006/sep/08/popandrock1

#38

2008-09-09T15:30:00.005-05:00

I just posted the title of my 38th song for the "50 songs in 90 days" online challenge. When I look at the list of all my titles, I can't even remember writing at least 1/2 of them, or what they sound like...Fortunately, I've recorded them all and I plan on going back and editing thru the best ones. Hopefully, this will be the next content for my NEXT cd, which I want to call "90 days". It sounds like I've been off to a 3 month rehab center or something. And in a way, maybe I HAVE!!!

Here's a link to check my progress.
The "contest" ends on Oct. 1st. 38 down, 12 to go!

Well, it doesn't seem to be hyperlinking. In case you can't see the link, it is:
5090.fawn.org/writers.php?id=1773

Kerri

First Post

2008-09-05T13:26:00.002-05:00

Well, this is an AMAZING blog, and the only one I have ever felt the need to be part of (I know, I need to get out more. Or should I say, less?)

Lots of good words and images, which I've just started to delve into.

So I will post a short poem of mine, the one whose 1st few lines came to me in that special hypnopompic stupor we call "waking up" :

Remembering to Sing.
- By Jack C. Ritter.

If every deaf mute fell at once
into the singing seas,

what rhyming tremolos they'd plumb
from whales and anemones!

We'd fetch their choral catch with nets
of woven unforgetfulness.

And to this deaf and dreamless Earth,
restore Her songs and memories.

Where's Waldo?

2008-08-26T12:19:00.003-05:00

I thought I would post this entry because I was touched by my experience earlier today. I will call the person who lived in my house before me "Waldo." Since I moved I seem to run across his name all the time.

Today I went to Half Price to get a new Julia book. She appeals to me for so many reasons. I was directed to the Creativity section and was staring at The Sound of Paper and The Vein of Gold, unsure which one to add to my collection (which includes The Artist's Way, Walking in This World, and Floor Sample). I was about to pick The Sound of Paper but then I opened The Vein of Gold. There was a beautiful note inside to Waldo. It made me laugh to see Waldo emerging again. I get his mail every now and then almost 10 years later.

It read:

September 1999

For Waldo,

An invitation to remove the obstacles of the indifferent ordinary to uncover the exhiliration of miracles emerging from your creative heart!

Best Wishes,

"Dad"

Sketchtravel!

2008-08-06T22:23:00.002-05:00

I enjoyed getting caught up with everyone tonight! Here's the link to the sketchtravel website I mentioned. Great idea, and I really enjoy the new drawings. You can follow the blog, too.

Enjoy!

It gets messy in the ICU waiting room

2008-07-13T07:50:00.000-05:00

"Believe"

2008-07-12T23:17:00.004-05:00

(This assemblage piece includes a doll by Serena Mann, whose works are available at The Ole Moon on Greenville Avenue in Dallas.)

Play

2008-06-12T09:13:00.003-05:00

I was sitting at my computer feeling so "in touch" because I have visited web sites this morning and communicated, instead of just holing up at the house...and I was thinking about how my kitten, Lyle, had been sitting on the monitor grabbing at letters and how cute it was. Then it occurred to me that he was doing that because he wants attention and to play.

So it was fun to realize I could do something to summon him from another room without even actually moving very much...I wadded it up a piece of paper, threw it on the floor, knowing he would hear the "shhh" sound of it hitting the tile, and that he would find that sound provocative and come running...which he did...and then he grabbed the paper triumphantly and scampered off and has been shredding it...and then with extra energy came spizzing around in the room for a minute. He has since decided that jumping up on the wall to grab at a broom I have nailed up next to a painting would also be fun.

The Intifada Begins

2008-06-06T19:28:00.006-05:00

I was riding in the back of the truck
we were just five minutes from Gibor
David and I
we had made love in an orchard of lemon trees
and I was thinking just how lovely life could be in spite of everything
and I was looking at the hair on the back of David’s neck
how it curls upward like a stream running backward
in One Hundred Years of Solitude

we are like salmon too I guess
everyone of us
things like that were coming to mind and I was feeling safe
forgetting about the fighting
for a second
maybe that is why it happened
I forgot
to be watchful
that I carried
who “sitteth on the right hand of God the father almighty”*
the pistol

and I breathed in and noticed the sun in my eyes
and across the windshield
and then blood
on both of us
and the windshield too**

*from the The Apostle’s Creed
**This is an entirely fictional account of one of the events of the “Night of the Gliders” attack on an Israeli army camp two miles east of Kiryat Shmona, in November of 1987. After writing the poem, I found an article that mentioned that the driver was the woman soldier’s boyfriend, and she is referred to as Corporal Tami in the news article, although when I wrote the poem I just imagined such a relationship. A Syrian-based guerrilla group took responsibility for the attack.

Missing Michael

2008-06-03T20:41:00.001-05:00

A tribute to our friend in Germany. :-)

More on Locks and Keys

2008-05-26T12:08:00.002-05:00

I was at a thrift store yesterday and decided on a visit to the Ladies Room and when I opened the door, discovered a rather lengthy hall, much to my surprise, and a nice lock on the door I had just opened. I assumed the stall was around the corner and locked the door. When I turned the corner I saw three stalls, and realized I had locked the door unnecessarily, but went about my business anyway. Soon someone began pounding on the outer door and I felt frightened . The person kept pounding, which sent me into a realization that the person meant to control and intimidate me into opening the door. I decided to take my time and just wash my hands at the normal rate since this person meant to intimidate me. When I opened the door, a large woman who seemed to be in withdrawl from some drug looked at me menacingly and asked, "Why did you lock the door?" It was more of an outburst. I replied to her face, though it wasn't the exact truth, "Because I could," which really jerked the already jerked chain, to which she replied, "*ITCH!"

So my friend and I ended all our comments to one anther yesterday with "*ITCH!" and that was fun. I am not sure why I wasn't going to let that woman control my behavior just because she was scary; I guess I figured she had probably gotten away with a lot of that already that day. And maybe I should have let her.

Kerri!

2008-05-23T02:07:00.001-05:00

Goodbye Elemore

2008-05-23T02:05:00.001-05:00

One of my all time favorite teachers just passed away. You can read my goodbye letter to him here.

Wicked Invader 1102

2008-05-10T21:29:00.003-05:00

I know a woman with a set of keys
but I have mostly locks
there are keys tucked away
that don’t fit anything
a little Alice in the palace
remember that insomniac Goldilocks
I guess the other question is
where are the other locks

In the Christmas tin full of nails
its a combination lock
with a happy solution
visible as a fortune cookie riddle

Q: Why does a woman lose track of locks and keys

A: Because she knows intruders

wicked intruders wicked invaders wicked invader

*Not to be confused with the Harlequin romance Wicked Invader by the author Sara Wood who bears no relation to the poet.

"It Flings"

2008-05-10T00:20:00.004-05:00

I thought I would share my painting from the church auction. I really enjoyed the process of painting and using other media, as well. You can see the square corner in one of the polka dots that I left as a form of practice in accepting imperfection. Right now "It Flings" is hanging over my computer.

On fighting the inner critic

2008-05-03T18:31:00.002-05:00

and winning. From one of my heroes - Danny Gregory

The Ineffability of Blackness

2008-04-19T13:00:00.004-05:00

“I only wish I had any colour to make them blacker,”* he says
to critics citing his sails for overblackness
sometimes there is something
that feels blacker than black
a further plummeting
greater mystery
sometimes the range feels further
than black to white
and we go quiet
without a referent

*William Turner’s response when criticized for the blackness of the the sails in “Peace—Burial at Sea”

new product idea?

2008-04-15T11:20:00.002-05:00

Tiny delicate tulips

2008-04-02T21:44:00.005-05:00

Look what's popping up in our flower garden! If I knew they'd be so little and delicate I would have grouped them together. Maybe 1.5" tall - come by and see them, if you'd like! Not at all like Willie's big bold bright red tulips! No flower in the garden takes away the need for another - or something like that, Julia said.

And nibble on some parsley, while you're here.

Chinese Tea Eggs

2008-03-21T17:13:00.003-05:00

I made Chinese Tea Eggs in honor of the season. Celebrating chickens!

Remember the other day when it was so foggy?

2008-03-20T07:02:00.002-05:00

I went for a walk with my camera. :-)

Flowery goodness

2008-03-20T06:59:00.002-05:00

Moderator Guide

2008-03-20T06:38:00.001-05:00

Guide for the WITW Moderator

Each week the Moderator will help facilitate the meeting with:

• Unlocking the door before 6:30
• Getting the group started at or close to 6:30
• Keeping us aware of the time
• Help keep the discussion flowing
• Helping us close the meeting at 8:00
• Passing the key to next weeks Moderator
• Making sure that we leave the facility clean
• Making sure the lights are out and the door is locked

Please sign up to Moderate! It is part of how we give back to the group.

Here is the suggested format for the meeting. This is a creative group and we are always open to new approaches!

1) Start the meeting with creative check-ins taking about half an hour total. It helps asking the group to keep it simple or brief (we have fun talking!) Ask each person to focus on creative activities, blocks, accomplishments, joys & sorrows etc. “Creative” is in the very broadest sense of the word!

2) Bring the group back around to the book and the chapter for the week. It helps to provide a starting place for discussion. Perhaps something that really caught your attention and why. You may need to gently help those of us who like to ramble finalize our thoughts so others may join in the conversation.

3) Close the meeting. Remind people to check in over email sometime during the week with:
Journaling
Walks
Artist’s dates
Doing nothing
Anything of importance or not.

Finally here are some entirely optional things that have been done in the past that you may or may not choose to do:

• Bring coffee and/or tea to make.
• Bring snacks
• Say a meditation, of your choosing, at the beginning to bring us into the group, or the end to send us out into the world.
• Have a short group activity to share.

Finally here is a favorite meditation, originally given by Michael Bailey who started our walking in this world, together.

The Sacred Circle:
Art is an act of the soul, not the intellect. When we are dealing with people’s dreams – their visions, really – we are in the realm of the sacred. We are involved with forces and energies larger than our own. We are engaged in a sacred transaction for which we know only a little, the shadow, not the shape.
For this reason, it is mandatory that any gathering of artists be in the spirit of a sacred trust. We invoke the Great Creator when we invoke our own creativity, and that creative force has the power to alter lives, fulfill destinies, answer our dreams.
As artists we belong to an ancient and holy tribe. We are the carriers of the truth that spirit moves through us all.
We are meant to midwife dreams for one another. We cannot labor in place of one another, but we can support the labor that each must undertake to birth his or her art and foster it to maturity.
It is for all these reasons that the Sacred Circle must exist in any place of creation. It is this protective ring, this soul boundary that enlivens us at our highest level.
Success occurs in clusters. Drawing a sacred circle creates a sphere of safety and a center of attraction for our good. By filling this form faithfully, we draw to us the best. We draw the people we need. We attract the gifts we could best employ.
The Sacred Circle is built on respect and trust. The image is of the garden. Each plant has its name and its place. There is no one flower that cancels the need for another. Each bloom has its unique and irreplaceable beauty.
Art is an act of the soul; ours is a spiritual community.

Julia Cameron in “The Artist Way”

Sacred Circle Meditation

2008-03-20T06:26:00.000-05:00

The Sacred Circle:

Art is an act of the soul, not the intellect. When we are dealing with people’s dreams – their visions, really – we are in the realm of the sacred. We are involved with forces and energies larger than our own. We are engaged in a sacred transaction for which we know only a little, the shadow, not the shape.

For this reason, it is mandatory that any gathering of artists be in the spirit of a sacred trust. We invoke the Great Creator when we invoke our own creativity, and that creative force has the power to alter lives, fulfill destinies, answer our dreams.

As artists we belong to an ancient and holy tribe. We are the carriers of the truth that spirit moves through us all.

We are meant to midwife dreams for one another. We cannot labor in place of one another, but we can support the labor that each must undertake to birth his or her art and foster it to maturity.

It is for all these reasons that the Sacred Circle must exist in any place of creation. It is this protective ring, this soul boundary that enlivens us at our highest level.

Success occurs in clusters. Drawing a sacred circle creates a sphere of safety and a center of attraction for our good. By filling this form faithfully, we draw to us the best. We draw the people we need. We attract the gifts we could best employ.

The Sacred Circle is built on respect and trust. The image is of the garden. Each plant has its name and its place. There is no one flower that cancels the need for another. Each bloom has its unique and irreplaceable beauty.

Art is an act of the soul; ours is a spiritual community.

Julia Cameron in “The Artist Way”

The Creative Habit

2008-03-12T10:16:00.015-05:00

Do you want to pay more respect to your creative abilities? Join us on Wednesdays from 6:30 - 8:00 p.m. in the Parish House at the First Unitarian Church of Dallas for discussion on fostering self-expression. Receive support on your creative journey!

We are currently reading The Creative Habit by Twyla Tharp.

Previous books include The Artist's Way, Walking in this World, How to Think like Leonardo Da Vinci, The War of Art, and Living the Creative Life, by Rice Freeman-Zachery.

Surprises

2008-03-05T15:00:00.006-06:00

In the last few days, since my novel class has ended, I have allowed myself to play with painting. I bought some wood at Home Depot and began one of two paintings that I intended to be Valentines--even though Valentine's Day is over. I got the basic Valentine in place but when I painted in the arrow, it looked wrong. So to correct, I decided to cut out two more hearts out of the silk shirt I wore to a party Friday night (which I discovered had a hole in the sleeve ). So I added the two additional hearts and placed them over the arrow that looked wrong somehow. Then I needed to fix the arrangement of silk hearts because it wasn't so good, visually. And in the fixing I began adding things that looked a little narrative when I was done. One heart is dripping blue electric blood, one heart is aggressively crashing into another, and the third heart has absorbed the injuries of the second heart, and sustained its own, and is a complete chameleon, taking on the attributes of its surroundings instead of having a boundary around it. I totally enjoyed the process and I guess the piece is effective. It certainly communicates the reality of love gone awry. The three hearts could be various versions of 'love.' The next Valentine will be different, but the thing I took away from the process was how much I enjoyed it, even though the result was a depiction of negativity--I liked the flipping of the traditional image of a Valentine. Emotionally, my world has felt strangely disturbing, like the Valentine. Just things not being what they seem all the way around and feeling like I am in a funhouse perceptually. When I feel like this the best I can do is take a walk, or realize that what will really help is to get a handle on my diet. Something sort of zen and simple, like doing dishes.

Six Word Memoirs

2008-02-14T08:18:00.003-06:00

A new book available at Amazon, or subscribe to the RSS feed here

Not Quite What I Was Planning: Six-Word Memoirs by Writers Famous and Obscure

Look what art can build

2008-02-13T16:17:00.003-06:00

Bill Strickland: Rebuilding America, one slide show at a time

The Woman's Comfort Journal (Revised and Updated)

2008-02-10T21:41:00.000-06:00

This book by Jennifer Louden offers a wonderful panoply of comforting things to do for yourself in the name of self-care. Here is the link to some used editions:

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw/104-4436107-8022330?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=The+Woman%27s+Comfort+Book&x=9&y=13

It could read The Person's Comfort Book, just as easily. It is filled with ideas for creating comfort in your life. Here are some chapter titles: About Relaxing, Checking Your Basic Needs, Comfort Journal, A Self-Care Schedule, Ease into Comforting Yourself, Your Nurturing Voice, Creative Selfishness, Comfort Rituals, A Personal Sanctuary, Creating a Comfort Network, etc.

Here is a paragraph heading in the chapter on the Comfort Journal (which might be an activity we could do: create one). Sarah

Investigate What Being Good to Yourself Means

Place your comfort journal and a pen nearby. Close your eyes and concentrate on your breathing for a moment. Reflect on the phrase "being good to myself." When you are ready, take up your pen and list everything that comes to mind. Don't worry if it doesn't make sense or if it's just a fragment of a thought. Pour your impressions of what being good to yourself means into your journal.

Put this list away for a few days to allow yourself time to gain some objectivity. When you are ready, read over your list. What insights can you glean?

Take ten minutes to write about what you discover. Try to avoid being judgmental. Now, based on your observations, devise five new comfort activities, and do them in the next week.

Another suggestion - from choreographer Twyla Tharp

2008-02-07T13:48:00.000-06:00

This looks really good, too - you can "search inside" to see the contents.

Other suggestions

2008-02-05T11:02:00.000-06:00

Kim's suggestion looks great. Here are a couple more that I like a lot. Another Maisel book, which I know will excite some of you. :-) And the War of Art is an easy read with provocative short chapters. If you click on the images, it will take you to them on Amazon.

suggestion for next book - Living the Creative Life

2008-02-04T14:14:00.000-06:00

What do you think about this one? I haven't seen it in person, just on Amazon, but it might be a good option to consider.

Any thoughts?

Night

2008-01-28T08:02:00.001-06:00

Darkness falls
So do my spirits
I look for distractions from old fears
Imprinted on me as a child
Living still
In the dark corners of my psyche
Waiting
For night
To wake up
And keep me up
And tear me down
From the inside
I fight back
But I’m tired
Of resisting for so long
I’m no match
For this period of time
When the Earth faces the wrong way
I wait I hope I pray I hope

And the sun is my savior

London & Madrid!

2008-01-26T17:33:00.001-06:00

We had a great time in London and Madrid! Would you like to see some photos ?

The Ambition of Dogs

2008-01-22T22:27:00.000-06:00

You know how people sometimes say "dumb animals." But animals aren't dumb. They have drives like people. Today I was noticing the ambitiousness of my dogs. First Dobie was in the car with me, and when I came out of the grocery store he was calmly seated in the driver's seat, behind the wheel, as if he intended to drive home if I happened to be waylaid. Then, later, I was seated on the bed preparing for class, went to the loo (do they spell it that way?), and upon return, found Blackie seated in my spot next to the bedside table, instead of in his former spot on the side of the bed. Seeing that I actually was returning, instead of remaining in the other room, he reluctantly gave me back my spot. Then, tonight, as I am getting ready to put the dogs in their kennels and let the cats out of the cat room, I notice Aubrey (the female and littlest dog) has gone into the bigger kennel, for the bigger Alpha dog, as she does every night, until it becomes clear that he will take that spot, and she must return to her own kennel, only slightly smaller, but smaller, nevertheless. So they are always ready to move into the bigger shoes. And it is a slight reminder of that aspect of myself, which sometimes I am glad of, and sometimes grieve over, desiring to seek only to be present in my world and Be, and then finding myself striving for something.

"Every Picture Tells a Story Don't It" (Rod Stewart)

2008-01-22T17:32:00.000-06:00

A pic from a play date in a London Fish and Chips shop

2008-01-19T16:21:00.000-06:00

Part 7: CONNECT

2008-01-16T14:52:00.000-06:00

GO OUT:
The first reading is on connecting with the world and "going out" to be in the world as you create. It speaks to engaging the world as part of the creative process and Maisel charges us to go out and create as we sit in a coffee shop, on a park bench or bus, etc.

VISIT WITH CHILDREN:
Maisel instructs us that being with children is a revitalizer for our own creative spirit, that the naturally creative and curious and playful energies of children can infect us with this creative spark of energy.

BUDDY UP:
Maisel discusses the value of creative collaboration - having an artist buddy to engage, connect, encourage and critique.

SING TOGETHER:
Maisel discusses the disconnects in the creative community. He indicates that most "meetings of creatives" are full of ego and jealousy, etc. such that the creatives never get to fully engage at a spiritual level each other - the way that they do in their work. It seems a commercial for a circle like ours.

EXTEND A TRADITION:
The discussion centers around finding your medium role models - who are the artists/ creatives that you admire in your respective medium. What is it about their work that touches you? Maisel believes this is another creative rejuvenizer - a method to get your juices flowing again.

GET LOST IN THE LANDSCAPE:
This discussion seems two-fold a focus on nature and a focus on sketching/ drawing, each drawing similar conclusions - that there is a key role for awareness and observation in creating. He uses these two areas as practice for this observation and awareness and infers that this practice grows these strengths.

PICTURE YOUR AUDIENCE:
Maisel's discussion here focuses on knowing who your audience is and what they "want." He does not go so far as to say this is the end all/ be all, but he does suggest that paying attention to who we ultimately create for may provide some insights and structure in our creative work.

CONNECT WITH PEOPLE:
The discussion here is about building your community of art supporters - not necessairly financial patrons, but your friends and family that might be as engaged in your work as you are, who might be excited to walk along this part of your life. And that in sharing this deeply passionate and creative side, you will build greater, more intimate connections.

THE END!

ASSIGNMENT FOR THE WEEK:
1. Check in using Email (Walks, Morning Pages, Do Nothing, Play Dates & Creative update)
2. "GO OUT" - Have a creative play date outside your home/studio (Ex. 49a, page 161)

Part 6: Use YourSELF

2008-01-06T22:13:00.000-06:00

Welcome back to our creative journey, and here are my notes on the lessons for Part 6...

HIRE YOURSELF AS A CONSULTANT:
A discussion about the belief that we are each our own best resource when it comes to creating and the psychological barriers we have to believing this and acting on it: not smart enough, not experienced enough, not worthy, etc. "A moment arrives...when they surrender to the idea that is appropriate to use themselves as their primary resource. From then on they become creative."

OPEN A VEIN:
A discussion of the importance of including our emotional life in our creative work, and in all areas of our life. NPR had an interesting piece on this today about Albert Einstein believing he needed to bring all of himself to his work to be successful - feelings, spirit and intellect.

GET RAVENOUS:
A comparative discussion about the excuses we make for not creating using Kafka's story, "The Hunger Artist." I really liked this analogy and reading - what are all the ways we distract ourselves - which do not stop the boredom, they merely anesthetize us.. "...aren't millions of us 'not eating' in our own ways, not creating, not living with gusto...[we] are deeply bored and apathetic; [our] instinct to enjoy life is not powerful enough to overcome the feelings of meaninglessness." Turn off the TV, stop surfing the web, stop shopping or eating and create!

UNDEPRESS:
Bravo, a new discussion. Maisel takes straight aim at the need for creative types to be neurotic or depressed in order to create and that our best creations come from this. I agree. Yes our best creations come from being fully connected emotionally and intellectually, but this does NOT mean we must be depressed individuals. "Our inner pain does not benefit us...psychological problems like severe depression, ...addictions are curses not blessings."

KILL MAYBE:
A discussion on our use of 'maybe' which keeps us in the staus quo. Moving forward comes with its own risks of failure and non-prefection, but hell we knew this already. One thing he says which I agree, "The maybes are the equivalent of lies." That is to say we say maybe, when we are really just procrastinating or afraid.

LOOK WHERE YOU SLIPPED:
Examine areas of struggle and failure for life lessons and use your creative medium to explore and/ or purge. Enough said.

BE YOURSELF ENTIRELY:
Jung had the idea that we are born whole and then lose pieces of ourselves in the cruicable of childhood...the main task of midlif is to weather the crisis that arises from the loss and become integrated and whole again...there is no better place to do this integrative work than where you create.

Please check in VIA EMAIL:

Morning Pages
Walks
Nothing
Creative Success & Challenges
Play Dates

Is it?

2008-01-04T10:45:00.001-06:00

Meeting on January 2nd

2007-12-31T21:36:00.000-06:00

I understand we are not meeting on January 2nd (Wed. of this week) and will be resuming on January 9th. I just wanted to put the word out since I think possible new members will be joining us at that time. I hope to see everybody or whoever can make it on the 9th.

Sarah

First Sky

2007-12-31T21:30:00.001-06:00

This painting is the first I have done involving any kind of sunset. I wanted to capture the grayness of the sky and the mauveness of the clouds at sundown on White Rock Lake. (And I felt pretty good about it in terms of what I was trying to achieve. )

Winter Trees

2007-12-28T14:08:00.001-06:00

This is a painting I recently completed for my mom. It's of trees at the Arboretum in the Winter. Although different than in the Spring, I think they are just as beautiful. Happy New Year!

My very busy brain

2007-12-21T08:23:00.000-06:00

Little Dudes On Willie's Broken Ladder

2007-12-20T19:08:00.001-06:00

Speaking of bewilderment...

2007-12-18T10:28:00.001-06:00

I don't advocate taking pictures while you're driving, but on the way to Louisiana last week I couldn't help myself. How crazy is this? ;-)