http://www.karenika.com/ breaking the skin...daily photos and intermittent thoughts en-us karen Copyright 2007 http://www.karenika.com/individual/photo_of_the_day_day_201.html
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]]> http://www.karenika.com/individual/stop_and_start.html Stop and Start
And finally the prompt from today: The things that inspire us are often linked to what we label as quirks in our personalities: things we like that others seem to dismiss. What quirk could you share with your blog readers to see if they really dismiss this or if it’s something you have in common?

Well I don't know if it's a quirk but I can never leave an art piece unfinished. Not a layout. Not a journal page. Nothing. I can't leave it there and come back to it later. I have to do it all the way. Now or never. I used to think that this was a bad thing. That it was a sign that I could never be an artist. Artists can walk away from their art and come back to it but since I can't, it's another sign that I'm not really an artist and won't be one.

Then, yesterday, an artist that I admire greatly made a post that talks about some of her life and art. She said this:

DO YOU EVER STOP AND START A PIECE OVER BECAUSE OF HOW IT'S EVOLVING OR NOT EVOLVING? No. I push through it. Art is about what is happening right now. IT IS WHAT IT IS IN THE MOMENT I WAS CREATING IT. And that could be crap. But, if I stop a piece I will likely never go back.

And it immediately made me feel better. Maybe there was a chance for me afterall.

]]> http://www.karenika.com/individual/the_past_and_the_future.html The Past and the Future
The prompt for yesterday was: Choose one point on each line to share with your blog readers - one thing you have accomplished and one thing you hope to accomplish. Bonus points if you have a photo from the event on the first line.

I thought about this a while ago and I've decided that my biggest accomplishment was getting into Carnegie Mellon and getting to come to the United States. That's where all the rest of my accomplishments started. My citizenship. Teach for America. Jake. David. Goldman. Google. None of it would have happened without moving to the United States for college.

As for the second line, I guess one of my current aspirations is to complete a full painting. I'm working on it and taking a class but it's not something I'm inherently talented at so it requires a lot of effort.

]]> http://www.karenika.com/individual/current_inspiration.html Current Inspiration
Here's the prompt from Tuesday's Freedom class: Share a list of links with your blog readers, leading them to the websites that inspire you most.
Let's see: chromasia, Paulette, BPS , Becky and Shimelle and on my list this week.

]]> http://www.karenika.com/individual/that_was_then_this_is_now.html That Was Then, This is Now
I am catching up to all the "Freedom" prompts so you will see three in a row. Here's the one from Monday: Share an old photo of yourself and a current photo of yourself with your blog readers. Tell them a little something that has changed and a little that has stayed the same.

Here's the first photo that came to my mind. One from a long time ago:



And One from May of this year:



Let's talk about what's changed:
Hair Color. Hair Length. Weight (Free food is great but not for your weight.) New York vs Palo Alto. Goldman vs Google. Coding vs Not So Much. Single vs Married. Not a Mom vs a Mom. Back then I didn't have a fancy camera and wasn't nearly as into photography as an art. I hadn't begun scrapping. I was writing novels. I had never gone camping. I didn't really know how to drive. Creative Therapy.

Let's talk about what hasn't changed:
Working. Trying to balance it all out. Trying to figure things out. Taking photos. Reading. Blogging. Jake. Many of my friends. Pursuit of Happiness and Peace.

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Photo of the Day - Day 198
I just wanted to remember this plant. It's become my "layout plant" since I take photos of all my layouts while they lean on the plant.

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Daily David - Day 198
David's been going to school all day every day for the summer and during the designated nap time, he just plays. So today when we came home, as he was eating a snack on his chair, he started snoring. I didn't have the heart to wake him up. When he woke up 40 minutes later, he started wailing. I am guessing it's a headache. Poor boy.

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Daily David - Day 197
Playing in the backyard together.

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