GETTING KNOWN

PINK PEONY

People often ask me how I got to where I am.... wherever that is... where people perceive me to be and how my art has ended up the venues it has. Really what I think people want to know is a step by step cut in stone type of method or guide. I could jot down a list of companies to contact and say you've got to work hard, but it is more than that... It goes to relevancy in today's art market and world. And relevancy changes so quickly. It is a fine balance of being current, relevant and also uniquely individual in a work of copycat and same old same old. Granted there is only so much uniqueness in the art world... but you can always put your own spin on a concept or idea to make it your own - a different color scheme or a different perspective, etc.

But it goes beyond that to tenacity and resilience and continuing on when you think you can't because your energy or inspiration is gone. And then, even beyond that... it is having faith and believing in yourself and your art and then keeping that faith to get you through discouragement. It is the perspective that with each declined submission comes the opportunity to rework art or to try to find a new audience. It is about never giving up. It is living with a mindset of curiosity rather than focusing on fear or failure. That mindset of curiosity should extend beyond creating, and become a way of living. Embracing curiosity is even more tantamount than the idea of following your bliss. Really, it is following your curiosity and living in possibility. It is letting go of the focus on success or achievement and living quite simply in a place of what could happen or what is next. And I think that is how you arrive at success and at happiness.

Voice journal from July 8, 2016
Columbus, Ohio

***** I'm beginning a mentoring service for creatives to navigate the business side of their art and also provice direction and coaching in art. If you would like more information while my blog is undergoing revisions to accommodate this new service, shoot me an email or give me a call. I'd love to hear from you! Workshops will also be in the works later this year!

SUMMER FLOWERS

These still life floral art prints are available in my Etsy shop.

STEPPING INTO LIFE

SEASON OF CHANGE

Recently I passed a milestone..... 500 days with home being wherever my feet were that day. It has been that long since I sold my condo and life served up a great adventure. Amelia Earhart, explorer extraordinaire, once said "When life offers a great adventure, you don't refuse it." So when life presented an opportunity, I decided instead of doing the safe thing, to embrace the situation and see what might unfold. So far, my feet have been in the Adirondacks and Finger Lakes regions of New York, a monastery in Pennsylvania, the Massachusetts coast, various points in Maine, New Brunswick Canada, Nova Scotia Canada and back to Ohio. Parts of myself have been left scattered along the way, and I've taken and kept little bits of all those places and people with me. I've kept the journey and the growth and changes that have happened pretty close to my heart. But I feel it's now time to begin sharing the writings and voice journals I've been making during this time of journey. I'm not sure where to begin with them all, so I'll just begin with my thoughts at the beginning of this year and go from there.

I walked out of 2017 giving thanks for such a beautiful year so well lived. My heart was brimming and overflowing with happiness, gratitude, and love. All the people & moments from this past year are wonderfully stitched into my heart and soul. I’m bringing that tapestry into 2018 with a hopeful spirit. I won’t have a word of the year which I will have forgotten six months later, or resolutions that really don’t matter. Instead, I’ll do more of what worked and improve upon that… Yoga every morning, meditation every day, keeping kindness in my heart, living simply but richly, living fully in each wild wonderful riotously beautiful moment, loving deeply and nurturing friendships. My mind will stay open to possibilities and I’ll continue to say yes to life. When I’m in new uncharted territory or fearful or uncertain about the situation, instead of running away I’ll turn and take a step toward it to see what might happen.  I’ll create every day and seek inspiration everywhere. Each morning I will greet the day with a thankful heart for this gift and adventure that if life.

ENCOURAGING DREAMS

Knowing that someone believes in you is one of the most wonderful gifts to receive, and one of the most loving gifts to be able to give. In a world full of naysayers and those who discourage, that person who believes in you is like a light shining bright and true. A person who believes in you, who instills confidence and courage and says yes, it can be done... someone who fans the flames of your dreams,  and lights a match to give your dreams light and life, is a rare gift and wonderful mentor. That gift and mentor was my cousin Jack, my Mom's favorite cousin. This morning I learned he had passed away. I was going to do a blog post about my visit to the Annapolis Royal Historic Gardens and their amazing rose garden, but it seems more appropriate to use these photos and talk about Jack, who loved gardens and gardening and roses and being outdoors. He loved working among beautiful things whether they were people or plants. He was one of those rare people in life that your noticed because of his quiet presence that was compelling. He loved life, he loved living, he loved encouraging others, he was the father that my father never was.

While I was going through my divorce, Jack was always checking in on me to make sure I was OK. He would send me articles in the mail he thought would be helpful. One of them was about Flickr. He knew my love of photography and encouraged me to join, telling me it would be a good way to learn and improve my photography in a  community, and was free!  I put that article away for a few months, then found it and opened a Flickr account.  That one little thing Jack did, completely changed my life. We never know when these little things we do for people might be something extraordinary in their life. I told him it was because of him that my life changed - from that one little thing, from joining Flickr and making new friends and learning so many new things, it put me and my art and photography where I am right now. I'm forever grateful to him for caring enough to take the time to do that, and to encourage and to believe. How wonderful are people who care enough to do these little things that are such big things. He was a big believer in paying it forward and helping others. 

These wonderful encouragers of dreams, the mentors who say yes you can, I believe in you... they are such bright lights in this world. And now one of them is gone. RIP Jack Kasper, you were loved. You were one in a million. 

Encourage dreams. Take time to listen. Be a light. Look someone in the eye and tell them you believe in them. Each time I do these things I'll think of Jack.

Don't Think Too Much

I can overthink. Probably most of us have gotten into that pattern or habit where we're thinking and thinking.... trying to decide something & thinking and thinking. Some big life decisions that I made based on thinking/analyzing versus my heart, or intuition (gut), weren't always the best decisions. (My X comes to mind, but that is a whole other blog post!) I think most of us can think ourselves in or out of  any decision, course of action or idea.

This adventure has been a learning experience and lesson on many fronts. I have been focusing on following my heart & following my gut & actually kind of turning my brain off. It's become an exercise in faith many times also. And in making this change, I've had really amazing experiences and met some really incredible people because I just shut the over thinking off and went on faith and intuition. I still sometimes catch myself wanting to make a list of pros & cons, but then I get quiet & listen to what my heart says.

Yoga and mediation have helped me become grounded and present in the moment. Which helps to hear what the heart and intuition are saying. And I've noticed a happy influence on my art in the process! So, don't think too much!

Begin Anywhere. Just Begin.

Seventy three days ago I sat at a table at the title company, across from the people who had just purchased my beloved condo. It was as I had hoped - giving them the key to their new home, I felt I was passing the torch to people who were going to love the wildlife, windows & light as much as I had. My heart was happy as I walked out the door to my car packed with belongings to start an adventure I had planned. Little did I know then, that things don't always go as planned... but often end up as they are supposed to (if we are open& allow it). I set out with an open heart & mind to start my adventure. And now, instead of sitting in a cottage in snowy Michigan, I am sitting next to a wood stove in a cottage in snowy Nova Scotia. And my heart has never been happier or felt more at home. I'm a thinker, so at times I wonder if this feels so good because it's truly to be my new home, or if it's because I'm so content & happy in my heart that anywhere would feel like home..... Then I tell myself - Be still, and know.  So I stay in the moment with a thankful heart to be in such a beautiful place with friendly kind people, & I just feel blessed.

I have been wanting to blog about this adventure many times during these days, but felt overwhelmed. There are so many adventures & stories & places to talk about. Where & how to begin. So I decided to begin anywhere, but just begin. It didn't have to be chronological, the story just needed to start to be told. 

Today I'm in a wee cottage in Mahone Bay, Nova Scotia Canada. It's chilly with a few snowflakes swirling outside in the air. And I'm enjoying the ritual of bringing in wood to light the wood stove to warm the cottage. It is a wonderful way to start the day - making your warmth & appreciating it so much while making fire. After the fire is started, I meditate or do yoga. And then sit by the warm wood stove with hot coffee and oatmeal.  The other day I heard a favorite Rolling Stones song & the words felt so right & true. "You can't always get what you want, but if your try sometimes you just might find you get what you need. "

GRIT

People often ask me how I achieved my successes and how my artwork has become known. I'm sure they think this has happened overnight in a few months or maybe a year. They always lean in, as if they are going to hear some nugget of inspiration that will suddenly catapult them and their work front and center someplace - quickly. They always seem a bit disappointed when I tell them they have to have passion and to never give up and to give a hand to others - that no one can do it alone. Then they walk away (literally or off into cyber land).

STANDING IN URBAN OUTFITTERS IN COLUMBUS OHIO HAPPILY HOLDING SOME OF MY ARTWORK FOR SALE IN THEIR STORES AND ONLINE.

I've always been an artist, although I did not call myself that until recently. It has always been a passion - a light that burned strong and hot inside my soul. It is how I walk through life. My photography is how I experience this thing called life and this planet we walk on. It was in many ways a necessity that I sell my art. But that is a whole other blog post!

Most people believe that things happen instantly. the mindset of magical thinking. But the things that truly matter and are worth having or being take time and and lots of work. This morning while having my coffee, I was listening to a morning news show and my ears perked up when Angela Duckworth began talking about GRIT. She said that talent alone does not guarantee success (as so many hope). She said in the age of talent shows, talent is really not enough to instantly become a success or star. Her research discovered that something she came to call grit was needed to achieve great things. She described grit as a combination of passion and perseverance for a singularly important goal, and that grit was a hallmark of achievers.

I looked up the definition of grit in the dictionary. GRIT: firmness of character; indomitable spirit; plunk. Synonyms: fortitude, courage

It's been a while since I heard the word plunk (or grit), but I'm really liking them. So next time someone asks me for words of wisdom on how to achieve success, I'll tell them when they lean in.... You need to be a gritty person. You need to have a bit of plunk and indomitable spirit.....