by Shona Cole. Nope, not on sale. And the price tag of $24.99 for a softcover book almost stopped me. Then I looked inside. It is filled with reasons why, as moms and creative people, art is so essential. And why it's so hard to find the time and the energy to do it. It has sections on creating space, on creating time, on allowing ourselves to put our art as a priority, even if the laundry isn't all done, or the carpets need to be vacuumed.
And it has 12 weekly assignments. And projects. And I knew I had to have the book! Because I have been neglecting my art.
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| My keys on the table |
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| My perfectly toasted Jalapeño bagel |
I looked at the light and the shadows, and the way they played off the leaves and illuminated the sidewalk...And I paid attention to the curve of the bench, and the writing on it I had never noticed before. And the way the water danced in the fountain, and the proud way the palm trees stood against the blue September sky. I even looked again at the Alfred Angelo bridal store that just a few short months ago was so important to me as I prepared for my wedding....
...and I knew that the placement of that book, on that shelf, at that moment, was not a mistake or random event. It's time to make art again.
4 comments:
Wonderful! I am inspired by your inspiration. Thank you for taking us with you.
Wow! Lovely pics. Yeah, creativity!
Wonderful photographs!
And thank you for visiting That Old House -- you intrigued me so I of course had to come and visit YOU.
I think we'd have a LOT to talk and laugh about if we sat down over tea, in a beautiful garden.
I completely agree with the premise of the book you describe in this post; if you are a creative soul, you need to make room for expression -- even when kids are underfoot.
My mother tossed my sister and me into one bedroom, and commandeered the leftover room for her own -- sewing machine, storage, yarn, comfortable sofa, radio, big mirrors, dress form, rows of books, paper, crafting supplies -- with 4 children to raise, I think that room saved her sanity.
I didn't have the luxury of extra bedrooms when I was raising my kids, but I carved out a corner of the family room and made time -- even if it was after midnight -- to do what made me happy, to challenge myself to try something new -- I did more "creating" when my children were home than I do now.
A good friend of mine told me that it is vital for women to have creative outlets. "It's something we can do and it gets FINISHED. Taking care of the kids, of the house, of cooking -- never ends. You can never step back and say: That was fun, don't have to do that again!"
Your blog is lovely, your writing is excellent. I will be back!
A belated Happy New Year to you and yours -- Cass
That looks like a brilliant book. I'll look it up on Amazon. I feel as though I could do with a mandatory project some weeks!
Thanks for you instructions to find your Follow gadget. Did you know that you have to scroll a long way down before you can see what's on your side bar? It could just be my computer playing up, I guess, but thought you'd like to know anyway!
Anyway, just wanted to let you know I am your new Follower and I LOVE your lovely writing.
Sarax
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