the practice of openness...

as the sun set on 2010 i thought of how grateful i was for the opportunities and balance it brought... it was as difficult as it was wonderful... it was beautiful... 


i am not a resolution maker... but a friend made the fine distinction of being resolute (which i very much appreciated)... while reading new year's posts last year i noticed that some people were choosing words - i rather liked that... and so mine was 'nascent' - coming into existence; emerging... it felt right all year and still does - emerging doesn't stop - but i do feel like i got a real toe hold on who i am and what i am doing... 


so many posts were meaningful to me last year - but i have to admit that one was unforgettable... by beth hemmila  & called 'open or closed heart?' , it stuck with me all year... and it is something that i must be mindful of each and every day... 

by nan emmett of spirited earth

so my focus is upon being open... keeping an open heart... being open to opportunity... we look to a new year for a new start... but really, each day, each moment, presents this... 

'follow your bliss and the universe will open doors 

where there were only walls.'

~ joseph campbell

'only through the heart 

can you touch the sky.'

~ rumi

bittersweet

a week filled with everything... none of them feeling small... 


a dear aunt diagnosed with a grave illness debilitated to the point of no normal daily activity seemingly overnight... it is there i have been - with her at appts and at home... remembering my grandmother today - for it is her birthday, the first one we have had without her... 


trying ever so hard to balance it with the kids, getting them ready for the first day of school on friday... and for the first time in over a decade, missing them at the afterschool pick up... 

learning about aging rats - and what they go through (yes, the universe loves to show you just how many balls you can keep up in the air)... and so we are making adjustments to his living arrangements... 

i have barely been on the internet, or doing anything besides being in my car going from one place to the next... 


but i had started these pieces for cycle art - a show that will be at a local used bike shop... 

my chest feeling like it is being crushed, touching this for even the moments it took to wrap a wire was a nice connection - i love nan's open hand, and it fit right into this chunky repurposed focal... 

a rusty piece which i felt was perfect for the message 'present moment'... i have plans to use old cassette ribbon and fibers... 


hope you are enjoying your labor day weekend... 

food for thought

as of late, my meandering time on blogger has been limited... but i was so happy to have come upon a post by nan of spirit rattles and nan emmett studio... her ceramic work is beautiful and i feel lucky that she is now sharing beads with us! and by the way, nan - you are killing me with those hands!

open hand talisman pendant

ok, back to topic - 

she shared a journal by david byrne - the talking heads - that i am so appreciative of... 

a teen when 'stop making sense' was released, i admired him... a modern day renaissance man, he explores the schism/chasm between art and craft... the ideology, the cultural influence... highly intelligent, incredibly well versed - he also discusses the education of those desiring to pursue their interest in the arts... there are questions that at times haunt me... 'what am i considered to be?'  'who decides?'  'does it matter?'  should a label matter? of course not... as an avid student of art history, i find the term 'artist' and even 'fine artist' to be defined by those items found in  museums... but is that accurate? all i can do is work from what i feel... anymore, anything else seems superficial to me... which can present its challenges under different circumstances... for to attempt to make some kind of living at this, one has to be able to produce things that will also sell and at different price ranges... it's like you have to separate yourself at times to achieve the two goals... or maybe realize that it is the two parts that make the whole... for to be a starving 'artist' as a mom of three seems rather unfair to the three who didn't choose that path... 

the libra in me is babbling - trying to find balance & harmony... sorry!