So far, So good

Not bad for the first part of a new week. 1091 words for Map Hunter II rough draft, been doing some reading, got bloomers on kids, and now, I've done a new painting. I'm with an online art group and they have creative prompts and challenges. I'd been telling myself to do them but... well... you know, life happens.
http://communitythrive.com/

This pic is on a canvas panel in acrylic paint with gloss medium. That's why is so shiny. The challenge was to use your non-dominant hand to do your piece. I used a brand new palette knife, which was fun to do. And it was a challenge. I felt like I had a monsters hand sewn onto my body. Trying to get my right hand to work like my left was crazy. So many jerky movements. The right hand was truly possessed but I made myself slow down and think about what I wanted to do. I had an idea in mind and I worked towards that. I would like to do it again.

Also On My Table

I've been writing up a storm since July 5th.  A total of 3892 words.  Mostly on  Map Hunter II but finished up the rough draft of a short story.  One of my goals for the month is to finish MH II rough draft.  I'm liking the way the story is coming along and my main character is finding more trouble while making new friends who help her out.  My characters have queued up again and they are quite happy I'm back to putting words to paper.

It has been a crazy past two weeks and I really can't tell you what happened except that I had some kind of epiphany and will now conduct my creativity in a different way.  I had been putting things I was supposed to be doing on hold, waiting for other things to happen.  Well, I will no longer be waiting for things to happen, I will be making them happen for me.  Time waits for no one.  So it's time to make a move.  A positive one.  Another goal is to finish one doll a week.  I had started these two gals a few weeks ago. Now they have undies.

I plan on their dress to be very colorful and have lots of braids and ribbons in their hair.  Their shoes are painted on.

I don't know why I get to 80 or 90% of a project done and not finish it.  Maybe it's a creative thing, I don't know.  I will work on that.  I will also give myself permission to do one doll at a time and not get hung up on a series of dolls.  Now I've got to tackle that Halloween list.

My First Plein Air

When I was at the botanical garden on my birthday I did my first plein air sketch. I would have done more but the mosquitoes decided they wanted to carry me away. I would like to try it again once we dry out here. This took 10 minutes and I didn't know what I was going after. It's okay, because I tried.

I used pastel pencils, which I'd never tried before. Interesting.

My table is set up and ready to do a painting with my non-dominant hand. It's a prompt from an art group online I'm in.

The Day After and a New Year

Okay then. I hope everyone had a wonderful 4th of July, whether you had to work or not, I hope you had a chance to spend time with friends and loved ones.  I did absolutely nothing except cook for the rest of the week.  My schedule is getting full and I've decided to make some changes.  I'm still working on being nicer to me and have decided that my time will be directed more to all that I want to do.  I'm stepping my game up several notches and moving full steam ahead on all things creative.  I don't know if I had an epiphany or what but my eyes have been open to the way I've done business.  No more.

What I am also doing is giving up one thing each month for the rest of the year.  It's a personal challenge I got from Zen Habits by Leo Babauta and I thought I'd give it a try.  It's A Year of Living Without, going a whole month giving up one thing I do regularly.  At the end of the month I will evaluate whether I enjoyed giving the thing up, whether it was worth leaving it out of my life, or do I need to put it back in.  The next month I'll give up something else.  It's an experiment to simplify one's life, finding out what's necessary and possibly making room for other cool things in my life. It's really nice because I can change my list as the year progresses if I find other things I want to give up.  At the end of the month, I will post what I've learned.  Leo is also doing the challenge which is cool.  I was debating on showing my whole list but I guess I'll do it in case you want to try to give up something in your world.  I'll start off with the first three months.

1. July - Give up TV.  Since I only have local channels that shouldn't be that difficult  But it also includes Netflix, You Tube and other video entertainment.  I've cut myself a little slack by being able to watch DVDs that I like because I work better with background noise.  I'll also be listening to a lot more music.  That's just how I roll.  I will replace it with reading more books.  We'll see how many I can finish by the end of the month.

2. August - No longer sitting longer than 30 minutes at a time.  Get up for 15 minutes and do something else. Replacement habit is to stretch more.

3. September - No dairy, that includes eggs, cheese, cottage cheese, yogurt.  Replace with more fruits and veggies.

Other things I will be doing as I move forward on this journey will be:

• Again, be nicer to me.
• Get Map Hunter II rough draft done
• Re-do my wardrobe (which is in seriously bad shape after losing lots of weight)
• Take more pictures of me
• Get going on my new Halloween pieces.
• Finish my second pair of socks
• Get that quilt top done 

That's it for right now.  Always a gazillion things to do and so little time.  Maybe I can change that around this month. Stay tuned.

Some Good News!

Remember that jar I'd decorated to put in 'good news', well, it's still being added to.  Two days before my birthday, I got some more good news.  The Children's Museum of Winston-Salem wants to purchase a piece of my artwork to go into the museum's collection and be put on display in their art studio.  How awesome is that?  It was a great birthday gift.  I go to discuss that particulars today.  It's just the beginning.

http://childrensmuseumofws.org/visit-us/general-information/

Swap Dolls

ADA (Art Doll Artists) recently had a doll swap.  A swap is when artists sign up for whatever the theme of the swap is, and they are paired with another artist to swap the piece they've made.  It's a great way of acquiring work by doll artists you really like.  This is my third time participating and I'm starting to get the hang of it.  First thing, start early.  It's good working with a deadline and I'm looking forward to the next one for the group, which is in October for a Halloween ornament swap.

This is the doll I finished for my partner.  She is a Moli Doll ready to celebrate for the Day of the Dead.  I love her stripe legs and I knitted her vest.

This is the doll I received from Mary Sanders Lazenby of Blue Goose Studios.  Her name is Maria Tasseltop and she is wonderful.  She's a big doll (almost 23") and I'm still looking for a great spot for her.

Hello July

A new day, a new month, and a new year for me.  I had fun celebrating my birthday this past weekend.  I was kidnapped again by two friends and a baby.  We went to botanical gardens in Greensboro, and did wine tasting at three vineyards.  The baby got a taste through mom's milk.  We had a small lunch, the weather held out and it was great.  That was Friday.  On Saturday, Maya took me to some towns south of where I live.  Lots of history; saw where Cornwallis' men were buried, part of Daniel Boone's trail, saw the beautiful cemetery where his parents are buried, saw a cemetery for war dead with dates going back to the Revolutionary War.  And the architecture, so wonderful.  Many Victorian homes.  Will have to go back and get some serious photos.  Also learned that President Andrew Jackson got his law degree and passed the Bar Exam here in this state before he went off to do other things and became president.  On Sunday, I recovered by watching Captain America (which I hadn't seen) and The Avengers (which I had seen).  I liked both.

I am going to take a different approach to my life this new year.  I will make a separate post for that.  The past year has been okay.  Not great, not horrid... okay.  I want more than okay.  It's time to ramp things up again and make this continuing journey a bit more interesting.