Input vs. Output (Revisited)

input.  output.  balance….. back in October of 2010,  i wrote a post about creative input and output and the delicate line of balance between the two.  at the time i was feeling the need to nudge myself beyond all the fabulous input and start generating some output.

 well, as happens in the ebb and flow of the creative life, things have shifted and lately i have been living pretty much strictly in output mode.  ever since i found a way to start “marrying” my digitally textured photos with my mixed media backgrounds, it has been full steam ahead.  after 3 years of fiddling around in mixed media and art journaling, and trying about a gazillion ways to alter and use photos in unusual ways, it’s sooo satisfying to finally have a way to start producing some actual pieces of art that are uniquely mine!

so i haven’t felt the need for input.  in fact i haven’t done justice at all to the beyond layers class.  it’s not that it’s not a fabulous class with an amazing instructor…. i do get that.  it’s just that with all that i’m doing, i don’t feel the need for it right now.  strange.  fortunately it runs for the whole year so i will be able to dip in later as things evolve.

i've been busy as you can see it’s been a really fun roll…. with my time divided between the computer and the studio – perfect!  and i’m sure that soon the tides will start shifting again and i will be ready to handle some new input.  there sure is a wealth of it out there!

 

(all of these are small - 6" x 6"- pieces except the first 2) 

Elephant Love

ok, it's another post that doesn't require a lot of words.....
just so happens that the same day i saw the butterflies, i happened to witness this lovely duo.  mamma love at its finest!

from the tiny to the humongous..... isn't life diverse and wonderful!!

oh - and some amazing plant life too (love safari park!)

enjoy - some things are brewin' that may require just a few more words next time....

see you then and thanks for stopping!!!!

Butterfly Love

i was going to write something...

 but i think these little creatures

 can speak for themselves

in a language

 universally understood

and much more powerful

than words

ENJOY!!

Jane-Art

i’ve been threatening to write a post about my friend jane and i think the time has come!  it will give me an excuse to show off her beautiful style of art.  jane is pretty amazing.  not only does she work 2 jobs, but she somehow manages to find the time to create a wellspring of unique and beautiful collages.  

they are small pieces, composed of papers, paint, words, wisdom and often her beautiful and very distinctive lettering.  she loves poetry and usually finds a way to include just the perfect line or two.

she also makes prayer flags and altered books.  each one different, each one lovely.

you may be thinking – wow, her work is so unusual and interesting -where does she sell it?  does she have an etsy shop?  and the answer would be no.  she does not sell her work – in fact, she gives it away!!  if jane is your friend, you are a lucky person….. because she is really into mail art and every time she sends you something in the mail, it is a personal piece of art! 

 jane is a school librarian (we met working at the same school) and every year she hosts her own little poetry café.  it’s such a fabulous event for all involved.  last year i wrote a post about it here.  i think every school should get on board and have one too!

well, i so wanted to share this with all of you and put this beautiful work out into the world where it belongs!!  i have really seen jane’s art evolve in the last few years.  i’m guessing maybe it won’t be free forever.....

 

 Jane at a Space Between retreat

Experiment

after years of hearing about how changing your thoughts can change your life, your thoughts become your life, your thoughts are powerful, etc. etc. something hit me out of the blue yesterday.  early in the day i found my own thoughts spiraling in a not-so-positive direction…..

suddenly some seemingly random impulse catapulted into my brain, ordering me to STOP.  just stop.  the thought morphed into an idea.  what if, for just one day, i resolved to keep my thoughts on the positive, telling myself only stories that had wonderful, happy, successful outcomes, full of possibility?  what if??

i have had some practice with affirmations.  (yes, i even have a notebook!)  often, when i sit down to meditate, i first pick up my little notebook…. whatever i am feeling shaky about, i write the exact opposite as an affirmation.  like:

“i am confident”

“i am strong”

“i can inspire”

“i can create amazing art”

you get the idea…. i do think this is a helpful practice, but i wouldn’t say it has radically altered my life.  anyway, i was totally amazed that i actually remembered, during most of the day yesterday, to keep my thoughts in this vein. (maybe my practice is more powerful than i thought!)

 could be that it’s a total coincidence,  but i had an amazing day.  i felt for the first time in a long time that the scattered and far-flung pieces of my creative life might actually coalesce into something workable.  that all the hours of “random play” in my studio might actually be the basis for some “real art”. 

i’m feeling a somewhat strange sense of confidence.  a tiny shift may be turning into something bigger.  more than just the one-day experiment that i started with.  time will tell - for now, i'm goin with it!!

"i hold my thoughts steadfastly on the good"   universal mind meditation

oh, yea - it's raining

Mediocrity

today i release mediocrity

send it on its way

from the palm of my hand

with a poof of breath

and off it goes

hurdling through the yawn of space

like an untethered planet

 off to land on the head

of some poor unsuspecting soul

ready to burrow in

and set up camp

tampering with hopes and dreams

and the best-laid plans

squishing them down

and crushing them flat

like ants

under a well-placed heel

its echo remains

now a forlorn whisper

etched upon my veins

and lurking

in the rusted shadows

beware….

stay awake!!

(life was not meant to be a mediocre experience....)