Project Thoughtful Thursday, Week 6

What do you think???

Busy Hands, Busy Mind, Busy Body

Some days I feel like the proverbial chicken with my head cut off, running and running. It seems to me I have too much going on right now.

I'm keeping up with my practice of doing a collage a day. I believe I'm on day 23 now. I've been participating in a little daily writing practice, doing three lines to a prompt. That group is finished now but I think I may try to continue on with the practice, maybe by writing three lines about my day in third person. I've signed up for another month long activity that I hope I will continue to do, rather than getting upset and just quitting. And it's time for the annual Do You 10Q? that I've done for the last 6 years.

I'm playing tennis three times a week. Once for league play, once for drills, and once with a large group where we divide up and play for 30 minutes, then divide up again with different people and play for 30 minutes again (and once more after that). Plus I'm trying to do yoga twice a week during lunch and then there is the Power Sculpting class that I try to attend on Wednesday nights. And of course, I'm working full time.

I don't usually like my days to be this full! There are still other things I should be doing that I am not getting done. I know, I'm not supposed to should on myself.

Anyway, here are a few more of the collages I've been doing.

A grad student friend of mine loved this one. She said she felt like she needed elephant man hanging on her wall. She's having an extremely busy semester and has been very kind to me. I decided to give it to her. I had a square frame on hand so I framed it and brought it to her.

I've been experimenting with adding paint, ink, and charcoal pencil to the backgrounds. I've also dropped down from doing two a day to only doing one!

I feel like the woman in the picture. I think I need a time out! I've often said I wished I had the power to stop the world so I could get caught up. So far I haven't figured out how to make that happen.

I did these last two Saturday while I was in the country. I didn't have too much material with me. But it worked out well.

And finally, there is this little "thang" I did on my phone. My confederate rose was blooming and the quote showed up on my Facebook news feed, a lovely case of serendipity.

Project Thoughtful Thursday, Week 5

"Let me not pray to be sheltered from dangers but to be fearless in facing them." 

Rabindranath Tagore

Well, maybe totally fearless is not exactly achievable, but neither is being totally sheltered from the dangers. I've often told people "You don't want me praying for you. I mostly ask for strength to make it through." So often, that's exactly what we get. And we make it though.

Tenacity Takes Many Forms

Here are a few more of the collages I've been doing. It's the 15th day in a row. My tenacious nature is wearing thin. On the one hand, I wonder why doing this consistently, daily, even matters. I question the worth of it. The little collages really aren't worth much. It's the daily doing of the thing that is of value. Just like going to the backboard for tennis practice is not worth much in and of itself. But the repetition of hitting the ball again and again, of feeling how it comes off your racket, and learning how to control the power of the ball and the racket--that's what is valuable. Doing the daily collage, hitting the ball, these practices are a part of laying groundwork.

I'll continue on with them. I am determined to make it to 40 days. And then I will evaluate whether or not I want to continue. But man, the critical and judging voices (in my head) are loud this morning. It's a bright and sunny Saturday in my part of the world. I've had to calm the voices. I wish they'd just shut up and go away. But I think they never will. I'm told this is quite common for artists (for "real" artists, one of my voices is saying, "you're just being dramatical" another voice is saying).

Project Thoughtful Thursday, Week 4

Well, dang. Here is this weeks card, "Tenacious (yes, you)." It's certainly a reminder for me. I hope it will at least cause you to think a bit.

I have been tenaciously sticking with my 40 day art journal commitment. It's been a lot of fun. Here are a few of the ones I've done lately...

I got antsy and started adding paint to the background, along with distress ink, and Pan pastels.

I have a bunch of old photographs (and letters). I figure I should go ahead and use them, and stop holding onto to them like they are precious and irreplaceable. They aren't my relatives.

 It doesn't take much time to do these. They've been somewhat therapeutic for me to work on.

Paradoxes

"Sometimes joy is wrapped in other feelings."

All this week I thought about this. Tomorrow would have been my son's 29th birthday. A friend said today that it must be bittersweet. He questioned his own use of the word bittersweet, wondering if there was any sweetness in the coming day. Yes, there is. I have my happy memories. Our family remembers him as we tell our various stories about him. And, of course, we also wonder about what might have been.

His birthday this year will be on the first day of fall. Tonight I read an excerpt of an article about the paradox of fall, where I read "But if we allow the paradox of darkness and light to be, the two will conspire to bring wholeness and health to every living thing."

Darkness and light, bitter and sweet, joy mixed in with sadness, all are necessary parts of life, aren't they?

Happy birthday, my boy. I miss you more than you could imagine. Come see me in my dreams sometime, okay?

 

Project Thoughful Thursday, Week 3

I have to admit, when I first saved this quote, I thought I knew exactly what it meant. I even had examples from my own life. This morning, I am not so sure I understand. Still, this is our card for the third week of Project Thoughtful Thursday.

"Sometimes joy is wrapped

in other feelings."

"Stargardener"

AKA Teresa Robinson, 

Right Brain Planner™