In a word...

Welcome to the New Year! Two thousand ten has lots of promise for me in the creative arts arena. I've been working to free up my time so that I can work on my illustrations and collage art. And right out of the gate, I've got a fresh start! At the indirect urging of my friend Amy and her past January podcasts, and through the inspiration of Ali Edwards, I've chosen a word to help guide my creative endeavors this year. It's a word that I had chastized myself with last year in the avalanche of projects happening around me. I often felt out of control, and that my creative time was not my own. I have always been (and will likely continue to be) an full spectrum art & crafter. I have tried to do it all: paper, fabric, paint, rubber, wood, metal. And that won't change. What *is* changing is my purposefulness. My intentions. My focus. *Focus* Focus on what compells me, what intrigues me, what challenges me. Focus on the lines and shadows. Focus on the dailyness. Focus on learning. Focus on being present. And not just the art, but on parenting and friends. Focus on being present in conversation, and fully committing to the moment. We'll see how it goes. What might your word be?

{here on earth}

{eek! it's been a whole month since I last posted!}

Here's a full-circle story for you: my friend Monica recommended Earth: the biography which opened the startling realization that I completely missed out on anything space-related during my no-television childhood. So I thought I should re-learn some physics. And maybe some astronomy, and then maybe all this astro-physics stuff wouldn't be so inaccessible. Yeah. So, bottom line: I'm a little more informed, but it should go without saying, I'm light-years away from any kind of true understanding. It's comforting, though, to know that I'm not alone in my on-earth, human ignorance. While I was doing all this up-ward gazing, trying to squint through the light pollution to spy Venus, I also concluded that there is a whole world right here at my feet. Places I really want to see that are accessible; I don't need a rocket booster strapped behind me. Even places in my home city. Part of my house. My brain. Enter Ashley's latest class: {Evidence}. Oh, geez, the relief! It was a put-down-the-crazy-space-text-and-make-something-meaningful refresher. I'm happily cruising thought my 12th entry in this journal, and it's only been a week! Wish this class could continue on, but Ms. Wren supplied us with everlasting prompts for when I need to be grounded. Peace.