Monday, March 10, 2014

A change of self

My art direction---for a moment I just replied, Just pretty--an expression of pretty.  Then I thought abut how tattoo artists do it.  They ask the person what they want and draw the inspiration from that...the skill/talent is a tool for others' self-expression.

So art--I just released "a change of self"--a definition of where my art is...where I am...



pursuit of increased self-awareness.  

One of the things I love about nursing school is the constant self-analysis and analysis of other people and their feelings.  For self analysis, we look into how we handled the situation--was it centered, best-action, and therapeutic? how was our tone of voice, what we said.  Did what we did, match up with what we desired to do?  

So, I'm applying the process to myself regarding my art.  I'm examining my purpose--

Sometimes, there's a part of me where I feel that if my art is ignored, I am ignored.  But then I remember that I'm making art for me....it's my cathartic motion.  

....And oftentimes a change of self is more needed than a change of scene....

Wednesday, March 5, 2014

Creating a Comfy Cottage--Part 2

Creating Comfy is a process. Unstructured mess has no place in comfy, at least in my opinion. Too much structure, OCD--isn't comfy. So I create little partitions in my head--this desk is the messy desk, for a period of time. This period of time when I have a lot of work to do, is a messy time.  And yes, I find it's more convenient to be organized when I have a lot of time. Oh, and organizing time is another story. Bottom line is, sometimes structured times and structured spaces are not possible when one has a little fellow. So a cottage w/ toys everywhere happens. (I have strategic toy bins where everything is thrown in for a quick organizing spree). But because of the number of toys, we had to build in a little sunroom/play room. Here's our result.


Also, if you want to talk about true comfy, you have to go with a wood stove. There's nothing like real, live fire warming your bones in the dead of winter. We found this wooden stove on Craigslist for a steal. Even with the unavoidable work that comes with a wooden stove like cleaning the hearth, and getting the wood, ---building and watching the fire, is deliciously primordial.
 

This is my son's little wagon which serves to deliver wood to our cottage when it's not be used as his "vroom, vroom"



 Some new additions--I love this rug! It adds a feminine touch to our unfinished kitchen.



Finally, don't forget, you can't have comfy without a garden. It's almost spring and it's time to plan a garden!  This is what is in our garden forecast.  I've got some okra, cucumber, squash, Brussels sprouts, red peppers, and mint for the summer mojitos....

Let me know how you create your comfy home. :)