Holiday Inspiration

This week is going to be filled with traveling back and forth to northern Illinois. I don't mind that because all the trips are visits to family for the holidays. Now that I am officially off on vacation the next week and a half, I am starting to feel more inspired, and it also helped that I got over my fear of using my sewing machine again. I have not used it since about this time last year, but it felt good and very familiar when I got to sewing some gifts for friends. I am also sewing pet pillows and toys this year. I did that last year, and it worked out really good; the cats are still playing with the catnip toys I made them, and this year's batch of cat toys will be more potent because we grew our own catnip this year.

I am so thankful for the time off from my "day job". Although work slowed down, I desperately needed a break. It is good, very good to have this time around the holidays. I am long overdue with seeing my sister and her family and I am excited about seeing Lynn's side of the family also. It is always good to reconnect with those you love.

Too Much in the Details?

Lynn and I were talking tonight about a recent print she picked up to be framed and hung in our dining room. A comment was made that it would be my job to cut the picture down to size and frame it because I am so detailed when I do things. I really never thought of myself as being detail oriented, or at least I have not accepted that in my nature for the most part. I think this stems from the creative drive and thinking that to be creative, I also need to have a free spirit all the time. The more I think about that, the more I realize that being detailed has its place in the artistic world and in my creative world in particular. When I create, I like to be detailed. That may be why I like to do bead work and embellish items.

In the broader scope of the creative world, being detailed really is the nature of a lot of great artists. For instance, Georges Seurat's "A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte". It is one of my favorite impressionist pieces. The whole very large painting is made up of dots of paint. It took him two years to do. It truly is a masterpiece of patience and persistence.

Listening to Your Muse

When I am still or have time to myself to just "think" it always seems to be about art and creating art. I usually think about the process of creating a piece, the concept of something I want to design, and what I want the message to be. I find this to be for the most part a blessing, because it entertains me and inspires me. It is nice to think and daydream about the creative process. Where there may be a problem is if all the daydreaming and thinking about the process does not ever lead to anything.

Life lesson for today:

"Listen to your inner muses. Great thoughts should lead many times to great actions. In-action is your enemy."

In-action is your enemy in the sense that if you have some awesome creative stuff running through your mind, and it never comes to fruition, it is a shame. One's creative voice should not be suppressed. All of us have a right to be creative. Embrace it.

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From the Heart

I have been doing a lot of thinking about the goodness in people lately, and I was talking to one of my friends about one of the most heartfelt gifts I received in my life. It is a simple plaque that was given to me by my godson, Sam, about 8 years ago. It basically states that it does not matter what car you drive, the house you own, or how much money you have, what matters is that you were in the life of a child. He was about 7 or so when he picked that gift out for me for one of my Birthdays. When he gave it to me, I was so taken aback all I could do was hug him tightly and cry.

So my point is, that small gift has meant so much to me over the years, that other more expensive gifts I have received pale in comparison to the how heartfelt that one was. The plaque has a place of honor in my home office where I see it everyday as I leave the room.

This leads to this posting's life lesson:
"Your social status or monetary wealth are not who you are personally. Both status and wealth can go away in the blink of an eye. Our inner strength and character are true measures of what makes us who we are."

No matter how much money you have or don't have does not define you as a person. I have gotten to know many truly amazing people in my life, and I don't look at their social status or wealth, what I look at is how they "are" deep in their hearts. I find that those that come from a genuine place are those people I want and need to be around.

The Holiday Spirit

So this year's holiday season kicked off quite well. Lynn's parents and my brother and his family all came to Thanksgiving. Note to anyone who EVER considers rotisserie-ing a duck on the grill... DON'T DO IT! 700 degrees later we had a very charred bird (that greasy, fatty, little duck...) ! But, we did have a smashing success with the Turkey. I followed the "Good Eats" Recipe, it was great! Everyone was in great spirits and the dinner went quite well. I was so glad we had the time together.

For Christmas this year, Lynn has to work that day. Unfortunately, she works in the telecommunications tech support industry and she is one of the low persons on the totem pole. But, thankfully she gets off work at 3:30 that day, so we will be able to have a nice dinner that evening. Neither of us are too upset about her having to work, other than (hopefully) having to schedule another day to get together with her family. We put it in the perspective that Christmas is more than just ONE day, it really has to do with the whole season. The tree is up, the house is decorated for the most part, and we have been watching a ton of holiday movies. We are in the holiday spirit.

This coming Saturday there will be a lighted parade on the square. We only live about 5 blocks away, so I plan to walk up town and meet Lynn after she gets off work for the parade. We are really looking forward to it, and I hope to get some good pictures.