The Present

On my iPhone I have an App from Caroline Myss called Wisdom of Healing. It is a deck of cards that you shuffle with the flick of a finger and tap to pick one. Very cool. I pick a card a day. On one side is beautiful artwork and on the other the lesson for the day. You never know what wisdom you are going to get!

Today I picked "Live in the Moment". A lesson that is always a challenge for me. My mind is always busy, usually thinking ahead. I have learned to let the past go (thank god!) But the future, that is another story. So today, in my waking hours I will practice being present and give my busy mind a rest and experience the wisdom of healing.



Try it! It is an amazing place to be! (really, I have been there a few times!)

In the spirit of healing, Cindy

Creative Beading Transformation

Just a couple of weeks ago this was my jewelry studio . . .

It was dark, disorganized and messy! I knew it had to be cleaned but I just couldn't face it. Then one day I just dived in and went for it. It took hours (days) of cleaning, sorting, moving furniture and then painting (walls and floor)and organizing. Putting it all together was fun! I found a great piece of mid-century modern furniture that turned out to be perfect. Once the paint dried and things were moved in it looks like a different space! It is clean, bright and inviting. I can't wait to get started creating!

The cabinet is the heart of the studio now. I found it on the way home from Hartville Flea Market ( at a garage sale for $10!!) It was amazing when I started putting it together, everything fit perfectly. I bought a variety of storage containers and organized like I was channeling some invisible amazing organizing power - it was surreal. Things just "fit". It was awesome. I covered the sliding glass doors with fabric to hide all the containers. Here are some close-ups of the cabinet.

Now I am ready to start creating! It is going to be a pleasure. You'll be sure to see it here when I start. Meanwhile, I also cleaned the other half of the studio and I will show that in my next post.

In the spirit of creativity, Cindy

Putting my Heads Together

Another day working in my jewelry workshop. Wish I was making jewelry but instead I have been painting. I am officially finished tonight, yippee! Two coats of primer on the old paneling, then two coats of paint. Two coats of cement paint on the floor and two coats of top coat. It is a bit smelly but looks great! The fans are on airing out the place and drying the final coats.

In between coats, I have been going through my "stuff" sorting out what to toss and what to keep, putting like things together, and moving things to other parts of the house. I realized that I had several heads and gathered them together. I heard one time that if you have three of something it can be a collection. So I put all my heads together with a displaced painting, then moved them all into my office on the top of the filing cabinet and now I have a "head collection"! I am sitting here now enjoying the view. Can't wait to see what other collections come together over the next few days of cleaning!

Here is a pic of the workshop in process. It is so bright and cheery - so different than just a few days ago.

In the spirit of creativity, Cindy

Cleaning the Studio - Hidden Treasures Found!

It's been several weeks that we have been working in the basement trying to clean, paint and organize. This past week we moved into my jewelry making area. I have been dreading it! It is over run, messy, disorganized and a daunting task just thinking about clearing it all out. Yikes! But I went for . . . During the process I kept finding things I had made and stashed away or boxed up. I put it all together and found I had lots of cool things - earrings, rings, necklaces, journals, pens, even a knitted purse (?) I realized that I had enough to open my Etsy Shop! How exciting!! It is an eclectic mix - but all lovingly handmade by me! Look for all this on Etsy soon.

Now, back to cleaning, painting and putting it all back in order in a nice organized way! That will be the fun part. In the meantime I thought I would share a few "before" shots of my jewelry workspace (I am embarrassed! But hope to have the "after" shots soon to ease my pain). Looking forward to have a new, clean, bright and organized area to create jewelry.

In the spirit of creativity, Cindy

A Walk to Highland Square

Another art show this weekend! This time it was close to home in a cool old neighborhood called Highland Square. "Art on the Square". My niece lives near by so we walked from her house. Instead of posting pics of art I decided to post pics of our walk. I did include a couple of the show - I just could't resist taking one of a spagetti sandwich- what a great idea!

Another beautiful weekend in Ohio!

































In the spirit of creativity, Cindy

-- Posted on the go from my iPhone.

Bravely Showing My Musings of Permanent Fine Point

A few weeks ago I read an article about sketching with a permanent fine point pen and watercolors. No pencils, no erasers. Just take the pen in hand and sketch. The article suggested taking no more than 5 minutes to sketch, then use the watercolors. I decided to give it a try. Since I have huge tendencies towards perfectionism and a very tough internal critic I thought this practice sounded like a good way to let go and just enjoy drawing. What a great experience it has been.

Humbly I am sharing these sketches with you. It is the process not the product that makes this so much fun. Plus I find that it has become a type of meditation for me, allowing me to suspend the focus on the end result and just enjoy being present with the pen and watercolors. I also enjoy the ritual of the process - I designed a sketch book caddy that has my sketchbook, pens and watercolors (even a water bottle)-I can take it anywhere and pull out all my supplies and create (it is small, I use a 6" x 6" sketchbook). It is satisfying in a way I haven't experienced before. I highly recommend it for anyone! As you can see, you don't have to be a great artist! Just draw!

Treasure Hunting on Labor Day

It took me awhile this week to get to my blog. Lots of computer issues , even the dreaded "blue screen". But everything has been rebooted, upgraded and defragged. Hope this makes my computer happy for a while.

On Monday we went treasure hunting at the Hartville Flea Market. It was the big Labor Day Extravaganza. The place was packed with vendors. We walked for miles. It was a great day. I found several pieces of vintage fabric, two bright vintage paint-by-numbers paintings, aluminum wire for jewelry making and a very cool old metal medical cabinet. We lunched at out favorite Mexican restaurant afterward - it was pretty much a perfect day! Here are a few pics (double-click to see bigger pics.)

In the spirit of creativity,
Cindy

Sketching Change - I am a Delicate Flower

Delicate flower - that is what I am.

It occurred to me over the last few weeks that I play the tough girl too often. I have that "I can do anything, don't ask for help, I am woman" kind of attitude going on. This has served me well in my life, but it has outlived is usefulness. This tough girl has an internal persona - big, tough, competent, and safe that plays out in an external manifestation - one that I am not happy with at all. So I have determined that I must get in touch with my inner girlie girl. The part of me that is feminine, soft, long and lean, and vulnerable (shudder). This is a tall order. It is very uncomfortable and unfamiliar, but I must give it a try. Change doesn't happen by doing the same thing over and over - it is time to let go and try something new. It is time to think of myself as a delicate flower. In her book The Artist's Way, Julia Cameron says, "Treating yourself like a precious object will make you strong!" I have quoted her dozens of times, but now it seems more clear to me. Being the tough girl doesn't necessarily make me strong - it just keeps me safe. Allowing myself to be the delicate flower gives me the opportunity to step into my true nature, without the safety net of being the tough girl. Strength doesn't come from the outside, it comes from within.

This is where art comes into play. This blog is part of my commitment to focus on using my creativity to connect, recovery and heal myself. A chance to stop intellectualizing and instead allow my creativity to flow, without judgement or boundaries. Thanks for letting me share this process with you!

A perfect match - clutter buster!

Before and After Workspace Saver


Art supplies seem to multiply overnight in my studio. When I think about moving I cringe at the thought of cleaning it. So I have decided to organize! I got this great desktop caddy (and a few other cool organizing items) on sale at Archiver's. This caddy has a spinning base, like a lazy Susan. It would work great for all my Prismacolor markers and pencils, brushes, etc. I have 7 different containers full!


In a matter of minutes all this turned into . . . .



A true "clutter buster"! There is so much more space on my work area! Okay, what's next, this is fun.




-- Posted on the go from my iPhone.