five senses

SEE
- a woman who took wearing leopard to new heights! She wore leopard print leggings, a black long sleeve top, a leopard print purse with red trim, and sandals that had chiffon flowers on them in a leopard print. She also wore big leopard print hoop earrings. On her head she wore a straw fedora hat with a red ribbon trim. Her left wrist held five wooden bangles - one was red and one was painted a leopard print. Oh, but that's not all! When I glanced down at her bare feet in those sandals I saw that her toes were painted red- all expect the large toe. It was painted in a leopard print!

HEAR
- three neighborhood kids playing outside running and squealing playing tag
- an old song that reminds me of being in my twenties and living with 4 roommates

TASTE
- guacamole
- breakfast blend coffee

SMELL
- Lysol cleanser as I clean the bathroom
- Gain Laundry detergent as I wash clothes

FEEL
- optimistic as I finish a sculpture that was once nothing more than a daydream
- very domestic as I clean the house

today's activities included...

- eating the best chicken ever
- hanging clothes up to dry because the dryer is broken AGAIN
- reading about Nina Simone - updating my website
- emailing a new friend back and forth
- watching Big Brother
- drinking decaf coffee because the past two days I have had too much caffeine
- hearing helicopters flying above the neighborhood because of yesterday's accident (a big water pipe broke a few blocks away flooding the neighboring streets and causing a big sinkhole)
- trying out a new way of setting my hair (I'll find out tomorrow if it worked)
- working on a new sculpture
- using my very last spool of wire

note to self

Put aside all of your doubts and worry for a minute and celebrate this - You were chosen out of the 800 or more artists who will be a part of SF Open Studios as one of the 10 artists who will be highlighted this fall in the guidebook. You are a "spotlight artist" this year. This does not happen for everyone. This is a big city filled to the brim with artists and they chose you. So what if you were freaked out about running late because you missed a bus? So what if you had to talk to the guard at the gate for ten minutes and then walk two blocks in the blaring sun from the guard gate because the bus left while you were talking to the guard? So what if your hair was frizzy and you were sweating today and had to wipe off most of your makeup as sweat ran down your face while the photographer took your photo for the guide. It still looked pretty good and you still managed to pull it off. Just take a moment to stop striving long enough to take in the fact that here in a major city you are making your work and people are paying attention. Today you sat in your well lit studio, a studio you have been granted until next May because again - you were chosen from a competitive group of artists to be the artist-in-residence. How many people get this kind of opportunity?? And here you are!
So, even though you are broke and you are almost out of wire and you get filled with doubt way too often - you can't brush over the good.
And there is always a silver lining. Always.

*** this was written because I get so caught up rushing and worrying that I don't stop and simply appreciate the good as much as I should. It's not a boastful thing but rather an acknowledgment of how far I've come. I've worked hard and I've been blessed.

five senses

SEE
- the miracle that is developing in my room as I create a new sculpture
- this nail polish I think I want (even though I rarely wear nail polish)

HEAR
- this advice:

- the neighbors talking in their backyard
- our smoke alarm going off even if you so something as insignificant as turn the oven on to 400 degrees

TASTE

- mom's mac and cheese
- granny smith apples with peanut butter

SMELL
- a perfume I haven't worn in a long time
- various soaps as I use up many samples of bath gels throughout the week

FEEL

- a sense of surprise when I get invited to a 5 star restaurant for lunch with a 'fan'
- sleepy after too many long nights

*** images are gathered from my Tumblr. You can find the original sources there.

silence needed

It was a quiet day filled with reading and sculpting, a sliced apple with peanut butter, oatmeal to start the day. I woke up confused about all of the decisions I must make in my personal life - things I don't freely talk about here. I found myself wishing I was one of those people who lived on the surface, who things seemed to come easy to because they did not ponder and consider the impact of their actions, or turn an idea around in their head a million times. Here I am, a girl who ponders the bigger picture yet  also lives on the edge, taking big risks while praying that God shields her and keeps her on His path.

It wasn't a day for discussion but rather silence - and ears to listen, with the hope of hearing the answers revealed. And if the answers did not come, well - I'd wander, and rest, and work in the midst of the questions...

five senses

SEE
- The new hat I just made a few nights ago... It's a soft weird fabric that looks like brushed felt in blue. I have been making little hats to wear on days when I don't like my hair. This keeps me doing something rash - like cutting my hair and at the same time I still look put together when I go out. I like a hat much better than a head scarf.
- My surprise when I opened a 'fan letter' email from someone who saw my work downtown in the window displays and liked it so much they took time to look me up and contact me. Feels good, especially after the hard week I have had.

HEAR
- the garbage truck early in the morning
- the wind blowing through the trees

TASTE
- pancakes
- an egg sandwich on multigrain bread with cheese and turkey sausage
- ginger snaps

SMELL
- fabric softener
- coffee brewing (one of my favorite smells)

FEEL
- good about making a big 'to-do' list and getting most of it done

the art of the handmade gift

My niece turned two recently and since she and her parents were visiting this past weekend, I decided to make her a special gift.  It's funny how certain things remind you of the core of who you are. One thing all of my friends know is that I love making handmade gifts.

inspiration saturday

found via Hopelandic Stories

Early color work:

Edward Steichen: Flatiron Building (1904)

found via Ordinary Finds

found via Flickr

found via Flickr

I must learn to love the fool in me - the one who feels too much, takes too many chances, wins sometimes and loses often, lacks self-control, loves and hates, hurts and gets hurt, promises and breaks promises, laughs and cries. It alone protects me from that utterly self-controlled masterful tyrant, whom I also bore and who would rob me of my human aliveness, humility and dignity, but for my fool.
-  T.I. Rubin

  found via design sponge

five senses

This post involves lots of clicking on links -that is, if you want to experience some of what I have this week...

SEE
- This news broadcast where former Olympic champion Dominique Dawes talks about Gabby Douglas' record breaking Olympic win this year.
- This cool spot where rapper and spoken word artist Yasiin Bey AKA Mos Def pays tribute to Muhammad Ali


HEAR
-Macy Gray singing Radiohead's 'Creep' (She said she decided to record it after singing it over and over again while playing that game Rock Star with her kids.)
- African Music... It's almost an hour of music from different african countries... Strange yet worth listening to.

TASTE
- fresh strawberries
- cold cantaloupe
- pumpkin muffins (yep- I made them myself!)
- a sandwich from a local deli

FEEL
- like sleeping longer than usual now that I have rotated my mattress
- tired because each day around 4pm this week I have gotten a tension headache down the back of my head and neck
- an overall sense of sadness for what's happening in the world - The chick-fil-a cause, the movie theatre shooting, the ongoing drama behind the Trayvon Martin case... For some reason, it all seems too much for me this week. When you find yourself tearing up reading the news - it's too much to bear. I don't want to block it out necessarily as much as be someone who makes a difference in this cruel world.
- totally happy when I get an email from this guy's people, letting me know that he saw my sculptures and loves them!

SMELL
- spaghetti sauce simmering
- the clean scent of GAIN detergent

good day sunshine

There is no medicine like hope, no incentive so great, and no tonic so powerful as expectation of something better tomorrow.

 

I'm having a great hair day.
I decided to create an inspiration board above my bed.
I'm sculpting, drinking coffee and eating popcorn.
I'm wearing a striped shirt.
I am listening to this song (above) on repeat.
Between the song and the photos I've shared here, how can you not lighten up and embrace the day??

I like creative people

 I like how no matter what the medium, creative people have something in common - this way of exploring the world, dealing with being a misfit, simply taking the risk to so what we love.

five senses

SEE
- a woman with a compass tattooed to her back, between her shoulder blades
- a woman wearing a beautiful beaded necklace that looks like a breastplate from a museum
- people sampling fruit at the farmer's market
- a girl in a patterned spring time dress -- it's a white cotton dress covered in a pattern of ladybugs the size of quarters
- a woman who I thought looked perfect! She was just so cute and put together in a fun and casual way that I looked at her and wished I could look that cute and easy-breezy. She wore faded jeans cuffed to mid-calf, a grey shirt dress, pink and white striped tennis shoes, and she wore pink sunglasses on her head. She was seen walking and carrying a dark charcoal grey bike helmet. Her hair was cut in a really cute short pixie cut with little wisps of curls framing her face. Her makeup was minimal but striking as she wore thick eyeliner like a 50's barbie doll, pale pink blush and very natural looking light pink lips. 

HEAR
- crowds of people talking and socializing
- car horns
- the neighbor yelling at another neighbor about her dogs barking every single night for at least 10 minutes straight before the woman quiets them

TASTE
- flank steak sandwich on grilled sourdough with gorgonzola cheese, balsamic vinegar and spring greens with a roasted beet salad that has feta cheese and plums mixed in

 SMELL
- fresh basil
- fresh lavender
- croissants
- coffee roasting

 FEEL
- awake and aware
- close to God
- happy