Catalyst fifty-two is Tell us about something you’ve always wanted to learn. A really exceptionally good week this week with a lot of varied and beautiful art.
My words:
I’ve always been a worrier. All the time and about everything. When I was pregnant with my first baby, I put a sign over my door that said “give up that there’s something wrong.” and I looked at it every day. Over the last four years, I’ve gone up and down on this. And this year, I’ve decided to put extra focus on achieving peace and letting go of worry. Though, I must admit the relatively rough pregnancy hasn’t helped a lot, I really have been working hard at letting it go. If there’s one thing I’d love to learn, it’s letting go of worry.
Technique Highlight:
This piece is inspired by the amazing Kelly Rae Roberts. I used several of the techniques she teaches in her book “Taking Flight.” The wings have glitter glue on them that makes them shine and they are made out of wire and tissue paper.
This week’s catalyst is: What’s something you do every day just for yourself? (If nothing comes to mind, create the art around what the one thing would be and why you’re not doing it.)
Here are my words:
It might seem silly but something I do for myself each day is to spend time with my son. I’ve always dreamt of staying home when I had children but as it works out, I am now working a full-time job so it’s really important to me to make sure I spend quality time with my son every single day. As much as I know my son loves it, too, it’s really something I do for myself.
This is not one of my favorites art-wise but the feelings and thoughts are genuine.
come, play.
Today’s catalyst is: What is something that you turn to, to lift you up out of a bad mood?
here’s my text:
The one thing that never fails to lift me out of a bad mood is music. Even if I’ve had the worst day, I can get in the car, jack up the music all the way and feel better instantly. That’s why I am thankful for my 120gig iPod. This way I never have to worry about not having the kind of music I am craving at that moment. All my music is in one little machine.
Today’s catalyst is: Pick a photo that brings up some emotions and create your art around it.
Here are my words:
I look at this photo of my son and I am filled with emotions. Not just for him, but for all the other people I can see in his face. In his eyes and long eyelashes, I see my wonderful husband whose eyes were one of the first things that made me fall in love with him. On his nose, I see the freckles that my sister and dad have; the little dots we used to hate as kids that I now find adorable in my son. This little boy, in one photo, can bring together everyone I love in the world and make my heart explode.
This week’s catalyst was: Create
art around a secret you’ve been keeping.
Here are my words:
It may not seem so, but this catalyst was incredibly cathartic for me. I
spent my whole life being the girl with the diaries and the girl with
secrets. I would never tell anyone anything about me. Anyone. Ever. Many
good friends complained how it wasn’t fair that I knew everything about
them but they knew nothing about me. I agreed it wasn’t fair but I just
couldn’t get myself to share.
But somewhere along the way, I shared once and then once again and then
I realized the healing power of sharing. The connection it created, the
way it helped me resolve my problems just by talking about them. And
imagine my surprise when I sat down to do this week’s catalyst and
realized I had no secrets. Nothing. I feel so relaxed and peaceful. When
it comes to keeping others’ secrets, I am still a perfect confidant who
never tells a soul but now I don’t have to fill dairies with my own
secrets anymore. I have kind souls to share with and I do so as needed.
I am eternally thankful for that.
This week’s creative therapy catalyst is: When
was the last time you were up all night?
Here’s my text:
The last time I stayed up all night on my own accord was in 1997. I was
living in New York and my husband (then boyfriend) was still at school
in Pittsburgh. We were talking over the phone and computer all night. At
the time, I was taking a class on 3-Dimensional computer graphics and I
was drawing a trumpet for my class. I spent the whole night working on
that instrument and chatting with him. It still is one of my fondest
memories.
And the trumpet
turned out ok, too.
Catalyst
Forty-Six was: What’s your favorite poem? Why?
Here’s my text:
If I had been asked this question years ago, I think I would have ended
up with a Robert Frost poem as for the longest time, he was my favorite
poet. I have always loved “Nothing Gold Can Stay” and used to write it
in my diaries. But that was all before I was introduced to William
Carlos Williams. As soon as I read this poem, I fell completely in love.
I can’t even tell you why. I think it’s because it’s so ordinary, so
simple. Such a beautiful representation of something that’s a part of
regular, married, loving life.
this is just to say
i have eaten
the plums
that were in
the icebox
and which
you were probably
saving
for breakfast.
Forgive me
they were delicious
so sweet
and so cold.
Catalyst forty-five is up at creative therapy: If
you got to write a book/movie/song what would it be about?
Here are my words:
I actually wrote books for a while and this is a poster I made in a
design class I took. This poster is for the first book I wrote. It’s
about a girl who goes back home to take care of her mother with whom she
has some deep issues and reconnects with her highschool love. In the
book, the mom has lupus which is called the butterfly disease, hence the
butterfly on the cover.
I love reading mainstream fiction and about strong characters and their
connections to each other and those are the kind of books I’d like to
write. I don’t dream of many many things in my life but writing a book
and getting published is a lifelong dream. I yearn to write and to write
well. Maybe one day…
Catalyst
Forty-four is up: What’s something about the way you live your life
that doesn’t align with who you are (or wish you were)?
Here are my words:
Ever since I can remember, I’ve made career and life decisions such that
I could stay at home when I had children. Even back when I was 10, I
wanted to study computers because I knew it was a career I could pursue
from home. And yet, here I am, working at a large company, spending a
lot of time in meetings, and not at home with my wonderful boy. With
another little one on the way, this is the largest way that my life is
out of sync with how I wish it were, so I know I need to find some
solutions.
Today’s catalyst is up: Tell
us about a BIG dream you want to achieve (aim high!).
My text is right from the blog entry a few days ago:
Anyone who really really knows me would know that I am not peaceful. I
don’t feel comfortable in my own skin. I’ve always felt different and
not in a good way. Like something’s wrong with me. Like I don’t belong.
Like I am not good enough. And will never be.
This is not tied to any particular achievement. I’ve achieved a lot in
my life. I’ve been really lucky and blessed to have a great education,
fantastic career, amazing and loving husband and truly the best kid in
the world. And that’s just a few of them. But this feeling of not
measuring up (to something undefined) doesn’t go away. I compare to
others constantly but only in ways where I feel like I am not as good.
Not as intelligent. Not as pretty. Not as nice. Not as talented. I can
go on and on.
So this year I decided to work on the most important concept of all (for
me.) Achieving peace and blooming into my own. This is my year to
discover and embrace who I am. Be the best of me and love it. Relax and
not criticize myself. Not compare myself to anyone. Not worry about
being not good enough. Stop and appreciate the truly amazing things in
my life. Be thankful. Shed the past and be open and welcoming to the
great future. But mostly be in the present.
God willing, I will have another baby this year and I want to make sure
my kids have a peaceful mom who is happy with who she is (flaws and
all). I want to make sure my husband has a wife who is happy. If there’s
one thing I’d like to teach my kids, it’s that it’s ok to be whomever
they are. And how better to teach it than by example?
2009 Promises to be a busy year for me. I have long list of important
deliverables at work in the first three months of the year. And then our
little baby is due on the fourth month of the year which, I am sure,
will make the next few months a blur. Not to mention a possible move.
Knowing all this, I don’t want to make too many commitments for myself
for next year because I hate letting myself down and I don’t want to set
myself up to fail. Also because 2009 is the year I am cutting myself
some slack (more on this later).
But, of course, if I didn’t set a few goals, I wouldn’t be me. So over
the next few days I’ll be thinking of and committing to these goals. On
the scrapping side, I am thrilled to have come up with a project that
combines a few of my goals:
1. I loved doing the December Daily
album this year. The restrictions of the precut pages was liberating and
gave me more creativity. But I knew there’s no way I could do it all
year round and I’ve been searching for a way to continue the magic.
2. I wanted to use up some of my paper stash that’s been building. I
have a lot of “old” paper I love and I don’t want to keep buying and
never use these.
3. Like 2008, I wanted to make sure I do each week’s creative therapy prompt.
The other artists do them on a schedule but I’ve done every single one
so far and I really wanted to find a way to continue that in 2009. I
love the therapeutic aspect of CT but the pregnancy took away all my
mojo and between that and the baby, I was worried there was no way I was
going to get to them all. I needed a simpler solution.
So today, I decided to combine all three. I made a 7×8 minibook that is
prefilled with a lot of the “old” papers I love. Cut and placed in
random order. This is my 2009 Creative Therapy book. Each page will be
one catalyst. I’ll do the catalyst on one side and print out the date,
topic, and my thoughts that go on the site to adhere on the other side.
This restricts me to a 7×8 page and pre-chosen paper.
I know it’s working because I’ve already completed four catalysts
today! This might mean my pages aren’t as varied next year but I am ok
with that and I reserve the right to change my mind. So far so good.
Here’s a glimpse at my book:
Catalyst
Sixteen is: What’s your dream home?
I have many things I dream of when I think of my ideal home. I have a
size in mind, a style in mind, and a place in mind. But then I change my
mind. I loved New York. I dreamt of living in Tuscany. Over a lake. With
a big yard. Several stories. Overlooking the ocean. The places, the
sizes, the colors, even the locations change. But the one and only thing
that doesn’t change is who’s there with me. Jake and David are my
family. Anywhere they are is my home. They are my home.
Journaling Reads:
Each time I look at this photo, I smile and feel a strong sense of
peace. It reminds me you two are all I need and want out of life. You
are my why. My home.
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projects for twenty twenty-four
projects for twenty twenty-three
projects for twenty twenty-two
projects for twenty twenty-one
projects for twenty nineteen
projects for twenty eighteen
projects from twenty seventeen
monthly projects from previous years
some of my previous projects
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