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He who came in a red frock in years past,
He came this year in a brown garb.
The Turk about whom you heard that time,
Appeared as Arab this year.
The friend is one, only the dress changes.
He exchanged the garb and returned to me again!
The wine is one, only the bottles are different.
How beautifully does this wine intoxicate us!
~ Rumi
Rumi’s writings are beautiful. They are deep and resonant… they speak to my soul. I thought I’d share this one with you, as it (abstractly) fits with my rust/metallics postcard piece.
My creative process has slowed immeasurably… call it a lack in artistic stamina. I have materials for postcard production set out and ready to go, but after making less than a handful, I tire of the task and need to do something else. I’ve been feeding my mind and soul… reading… articles online and in magazines and books… fiction and non. It calms the churning going on in my mind… feeding it new material silences the chatter.
A little upheaval going on here these last few months… major changes (I changed workplaces and am still adjusting)… successive visitors from Canada, which was a real treat, because I got to hang with my buds and took some time off from work during the second visit, which was of a little longer duration than the first one (I’ll post some photos from each in a little while).
All this to say that my art “stuffs” have been suffering somewhat… little time and energy (and hence not much motivation) to sit down and play. Frankly, I’ve been in this strange nesting mode (and it’s not because I’m pregnant, so scratch that thought), straightening up and clearing out, and organizing, and cleaning… up to the point, of course, when the energy gives out. I feel like I’m anemic again (chewing on the ice cubes is a good indication of such) and so I’ve begun popping slow release iron again, which I invariably forget to take or tire of taking (I worry about taking too much of it, over time… it IS a heavy metal).
In any case, I started playing with this month’s postcards, whose color theme is “salmon and turquoise.” As you can see, I’ve not got very far with the experimenting, but I’m a bit slow on production these days. My workbench has been piled so high with “stuff” that there wasn’t any room to work on it, so I’ve had to extend my work space with another little table. Wish I had a studio space to work in, but alas, it’s not going to happen in our little two-bedroom apartment.
I finally sat down and created something today. I’ve been busy with avoidance tactics, like laundry or watching The Matrix Trilogy for the umpteenth time (with my son, who gladly watches it over-and-over-and-over with me) or surrepititiously checking email and what not, and consuming large amounts of organic chocolate bars. So I feel rather triumphant today to have gotten a couple of (albeit small) pieces done. I had to create a postcard of the month (for February) – the color theme was white. I collaged some papers and other whitish things onto one of those watercolor illustration boards. Then I decided to do a second one, but this one ended up in the not-so-white category… but I like it a lot. It’s not quite done yet, but almost.
***update: I’ve uploaded the finished not-so-white piece-done!***
My pink and black postcard is ready to go out. I started out with a sketch of a Venetian Carnivale masquerader and worked a pink background on watercolor board with US ArtQuest’s watercolor palettes. They’re glittery and fun and when I need to take myself a bit more lightly, I pull them out.
I layered on several coats of the stuff through a paper doily. I love the resulting texture. Then I transferred my sketch onto the board with graphite paper and added dark paint and texture on my masked man as well. I’m grateful that I only have one (as opposed to nine) to do.
I’ve been thinking on a lot of things lately. I picked up Doreen Virtue’s Divine Magic (Hay House Classics) last week, and have been reading it since mid-week. Interesting stuff, this… not new, per se, but neatly, concisely packaged, along with a “meditation” CD. It’s inspiring, in the least… whatever it takes these days.
Everything about my professional life, lately, seems to be ill-fitting, except perhaps the regular paycheck. I’ve spent most of my adult life in the corporate world, working as what can be equated to a servant position… that of secretary, though nowadays the term administrative assistant is by far a more politically correct designation. And as with all positions of servitude, the degree of palatability is entirely dependent upon the person you serve, and to a lesser extent the nastiness of the other wenches in your household, so to speak. Some days they behave, other days not so much.During a rather philosophical discussion with one of my co-workers, I was advised to “rise above it” (as opposed to wallowing in the slop of the pig sty). Some days this is easier to accomplish than others. I truly feel that my calling is not amongst these ranks, though it does provide a steady and dependable flow of income. I’ve most always picked the easier route in my life, choosing not to rock the boat even though every ounce of me was screaming that I should tip it over. Other times, when I’ve done just that, after the dust settled and the other passengers in the boat smoothed out their disheveled hair, I always found that I was in a better place (at least on a soul level).
But it’s always good to have a plan…I’ve almost completed my Kaizen-Muse coaching program and can now officially be called a “Kaizen-Muse Creativity Coach.” As with any new clothes… shoes… titles… this one will take a while to feel comfortable in, but I’m sure I’ll adapt. That… and I’m just about convinced that I’ll be winning not one, but TWO very big lottery draws… I’ll keep you posted… maybe even throw a party.
