The Blahs

Did you ever have one of those days where you just wanted to sit in front of the television and watch old reruns of Law and Order and not do anything? Well, that was me today. Although I did do some stuff. But I wasn't productive or energetic or positive or...

I have always wanted to be an artist. And now that I am I am finding it hard a lot of the time. It's hard work! I realize it's not digging ditches, but it's difficult and there's always a critic looking over your shoulder saying that the work isn't good--it's not appropriate---people will hate it.

I think it's time to find the next level of my work. Either showing it or selling it or both. And no more Law and Order!

A free day!

Today I tried to do a paining in the style of Matisse. But I quickly realized that like a lot of talented people, Matisse made it look easy. For me, the negative space in a Matisse painting is just as important as the positive space. And the heavy fully loaded brush strokes. Does mine have that? Well, no.

I finished an art journal today and so titled it and put it on the shelf. I have another one ready. And I watched Kenneth Branagh's version of "As You Like It." This is by far one of the most beautiful movies I have ever seen. And one of the best. It's on my top eight now. I love Netflix! What a variety of movies they have! I can see all the odd ones and foreign films that never mind it to the local theaters.

What a good day!

My top eight favorite movies:(subject to change without notice)

1. As You Like It

2. Love's Labor's Lost

3. Much Ado About Nothing

4. Grand Canyon

5. A Chef in Love

6. Midnight in Paris

7. All the Godfathers

8. Citizen Kane

Rosebud!

No Jury Duty!

...Well, for this week. I do have to call back on Monday, July 4th to see if I need to report for the next week. Keep fingers, toes and anything else crossed that I am not needed for United States District Court.

Today I got everything ready, anticipating that I would have to serve. I ironed and I planned my wardrobe. I went to fitness and seniorcise thinking I better get a workout in because I would be sitting all day for days on end. So all is prepared. And that means that tomorrow is a whole free day for me. I can work on projects all day long!

I worked in my art journal today for a little while. I am finished with that altered book. So maybe tomorrow I will start another? I don't like to think of the art journal taking away my energy from actual art pieces. But it does help to have a place to construct drafts of thoughts. So I will continue to use an altered book as an art journal, but I want to first and foremost be "doing art." Not journaling about it.

Eight things I am happy about today:

1. No jury duty

2. No jury duty

3. No jury duty

4. No jury duty

5. No jury duty

6. No jury duty

7, No jury duty

And Wait for it----

8. No jury duty!

Different!

For the past several weeks, I have taken the weekend "off" and I have started something fun and weird. I call this Saturday Craft. Last week it was a kit from the thrift store that had Set-A-Color fabric dye. The dye is brushed on cloth and then you put objects on it and set the fabric in the sun. The sun sets the dye and leaves negative space where the objects (in my case, leaves) were. This was fun and could have been messy. But the directions were very good and I followed them (surprise). One week I made bows out of magazine pages. This week was going to be paper making. I got a kit from the thrift store to do that. (I love the thrift store!) But instead I helped my daughter spray and dry her clothes with mosquito repellent. She is going to Uganda next week and will be working with a clinic there for two weeks. I also made her a sort of sheet envelope with a queen sheet. I folded the sheet lengthwise and then sewed the bottom and the side-half way up. This will be like a little sleeping bag. This will prevent bed bugs (we hope). So the Saturday craft was different even for me.

Besides that I am getting ready for jury duty. I mean I am staying busy and not trying to have anxiety about my anxiety over jury duty. I have served jury duty before but this is the federal district court in downtown Los Angeles. A forty mile drive one way! I am trying to be positive and all but mostly I am not happy about this. The court is right downtown and it is very crowded and ugly and there are homeless and crazies. Yuck! I can get that in downtown Pomona and not have to drive so far!

Yuck!

What do you do all day?

Today I went to have a facial and the esthetician was complimenting me on my skin. She said I would never look old. I like her! I have been fortunate to have good skin all my life. I've had very few break outs. I don't know why that is. I am giving credit to my parents and grandparents. So here's 8 things I got from my parents and grandmother:

1. The ability to sew. My grandmother and mother both could sew and taught me on a treadle machine.

2. My art ability. My grandmother had a talent for crafts and art and she inspired me.

3. My resourcefulness. Growing up we were not always flush with money and my mother and grandmother came up with some resourceful ways to stretch our money.

4. My story telling. My father and his twin brother were story tellers and gave me that ability.

5. My honesty. My folks were VERY honest people.

6. My social skills. I was taught how to behave from an early age.

7. My sense of humor.

8. My anxiety. Thank you Grandmother!

Oh and my great skin!

Here's some art I am working on, so you can see where I'm going.

I'm Back!

When I retired I wanted to be an active blogger, but I have been an active retiree since then! My new career as an artist is taking up some of the time and the other "career" of making myself healthy is taking up the rest. Then there's Stanley, the Wonder Dog, who is healing from his abandonment issues and developing more trust.

So I will bring you up to date with my art and the rest of my life.

Rachelle Mee Chapman writes about taming her Monkey Mind by starting out listing 8 things. I have been using the 8 Things approach to organize my thoughts. So let's start with 8 things I did while I wasn't blogging:

1. I had plantation shutters and new carpeting installed in the living room.

2. I had the living room painted.

3. I substituted at an elementary school for a part-time resource teacher.

4. I took a class on parents of estranged children.

5. I have been going to a personal trainer for 11 months.

6. I started going to a senior exercise class.

7. I planted tomatoes, pumpkin (1), cilantro, spearmint, basil, lettuce.

8. I am growing roses.

And that's not all but that's 8! Thanks Magpie Girl for the inspiration. More tomorrow!