Trying

Mixed media journal page with bird silhouette and “try”

Easy day, hard day, either way, to try is the constant. One step at a time, one foot in front of the other, one breath in and then out. It is all part of the process of making it through the day. Even the easiest ones, that flow like cool water over you on a hot summer day, require that you try. To remember, to enjoy, to sink into days like that so you can savor them later on. And on the hard days, when each thing takes monumental effort, when pain or sorrow seem to stretch unbroken into the future, trying seems especially hard. Those days, progress is made in small increments that are measured in minutes and inches, and worth cheering about.

The cost

Mixed media close up with torn piece of $20 bill

Now that the calendar has turned to April there should be a bounce in everyone’s moods. Instead there is a weirdness, an uneven tempo that persists in our days. Let’s be honest, the last 6 years have been filled with enough strangeness to last a lifetime. The current state of affairs in Ukraine have just upped the ante. Today on NPR they had a great interview about a topic I had come across not to long ago about the oddness we seem mired in, the vibe shift that has impacted all of us. https://www.npr.org/2022/03/31/1089922663/the-vibe-has-shifted-plus-conversations-with-people-who-hate-me

The vibe shift might sound like psychobabble to many, yet another way for slackers to justify their lack of energy. To others it makes perfect sense, explaining the daily disorientation they see and feel. But the very same people who roll their eyes are exhibiting the same vibe shift in their own aggressive, blame laying behavior. Every regular person is experiencing seismic shifts in their lives, losses they didn’t see coming, and anxiety about what the next thing will be that upsets everything. Some respond by behaving immaturely and blaming anyone who doesn’t share their views, others pull back to protect themselves and loved ones, and others try to fight back with kindness and good deeds. it continues to be a tenuous time with no way around it, we have to get through it and hope that better days lie ahead, and that the cost isn’t too great.

Blue Mood

Artist trading card blue with cardboard scrap and circle detail.

It seems too many people I know have had sad news come their way recently. Generally the health diagnosis news that drops them to their knees and delivers an additional kick for good measure. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if it all suddenly went right? Or if the statement “”It could’ve been worse” was actually replaces with “It went perfect!”. Alas that seems rarely to be the case. Life can be hard to figure out sometimes.

4/100

Artist trading card using photo, text and music scrap

Having started #the100dayproject I mean to keep my momentum up. I certainly should be able to find 5-10 a day to create an artist trading card. Time can be slippery though as unexpected demands arise or lethargy gets a foothold. To try and prevent the upset of either I am prepping papers so I can get right to the creating. Being on top of that will be key to creating anything made on work days.

The cool thing about the 100 day project is that it can be painting, drawing, quilting, writing, pretty much any creative endeavor. 100 days will end right around the end of May, nearly the doorway of summer. Hard to believe on this 11degree morning. How quickly the seasons actually pass in our human lives while we are busy with the minutiae of daily life.

What is revealed

Bold mixed media with scratched in plant stem details

I have just wrapped up the Creative Jumpstart 2022, a full month of art lessons focusing mainly on mixed media. I wasn’t able to get every lesson completed, but hit about 75% and learned so much. It was a great way to start off the year as it pushed me to try new techniques. I feel as if I am on the cusp of a change, there is something in the air that I can just catch the first scent of. Perhaps in February it will be revealed.

The Dreaming Child

Boldly colored mixed media with text, photo and George Eliot quote

“Keep learning” is advice mentioned regularly, and good advice it is. From simple things like taking a new route on the way to or from work, cook a new dish, or listen to different music. To more involved ones like learn a new language, take a course, or tackle a new skill. Any one of them can shakes up the cemented pathways in your brain and open up all sorts of new and potentially amazing possibilities. Which then lead to more! The best part is that it is all up to you to take that first step and try something new. It doesn’t have to be grand and expensive, it can be as simple as a daily walk through a different neighborhood and grow from there. Start today, engage a friend or two, write it down and tape that first intention to your mirror. Just give it a go!