By day, I'm a substitute teacher.  By night and weekend, I'm an artist.  But now that I think about it, I'm ALWAYS an artist...I just hang my artist's beret at various places throughout the day!

Today, I was subbing for one of the kindergarten teachers at our school.  During "circle time", we went over the calendar, weather, how many days left in the school year, etc.  Then we got to "what season is it?"  Well, the little guys immediately went right into spring...forget winter, they want SPRING!!!

I'm not sure if we'll get any more snow here in Meridian, Idaho (neighbor to Boise), because we certainly could, but I've gotta tell you - these kinders today are ready for SPRING!  "What do you do in Spring, that you don't do in winter?" I asked them. You should have hear them!  Excitement in their voices, they offered, "plant stuff!", "play basketball with  my dad", "ride my bike", "play in the rain!".  One after the other, they gave me their ideas for fun in the spring.

That got me to thinking...hmm....what am I going to do this spring?

Some creative friends and I just met this past weekend, to discuss the first part of The Artist's Way.  That's one thing I'm doing this spring...meeting with these fine ladies monthly to discuss one of my favorite books. Also, between now and the next snow (or summer, whichever comes first...you never know, here in Idaho!) I can take advantage of the little park down the street, and take some walks.  Also, I have a hankerin' to be making more mixed media pieces, so I'll get out my supplies and see what I can come up with for my Etsy site.  Oh!  And I'll create some more designs for my RedBubble site!  I already have several that I need my photographer (Kathleen Bowman of Shekinah Photography) to photograph for RedBubble.

Wow, looks like I have my own Spring Fun List!  How about you?  What are you going to do this spring?

"Second Chances"

     I read a quote by Scott Adams recently.  It goes like this: Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep.

     I don't know whether he was talking about art, itself, or life, in general.  But as an artist, I'll view it from the art perspective. I asked myself how many pieces of art I've made that I thought were mistakes. There were several!  And, because of the cost of the materials, I've kept those mistakes with the intent of one day reworking them with the hopes of ending up with something I feel good about. I figured, sometimes I need to walk away from a piece I'm creating, so that when I return to it I have a fresh perspective.  This always works, and I'm able to craft something worthy of keeping, something even good enough to sell.

     In fact, I recently took a canvas that was a "mistake", one that had been sitting off to the side for over a year, and told myself I was going to "fix" it.  And I did!  I'd looked up the submission themes for one of my favorite art magazines, Somerset Studio.  One of the choices interested me and I immediately pictured the end result of my submission.  But, what canvas would I use?  Ah-ha!  That "mistake" that was sitting off to the side, just waiting for some attention!

     Long story short, I took that canvas and reworked it to the point that I felt really good about it.  Next day, I was standing in line at the Post Office, waiting to send it off to Somerset Studio!  I have no idea whether they will like it as much as I do, but it felt really good to take a mistake and turn it into a work of art!

    Ah, the empty page.  Pure, white. Yet-to-be discovered words waiting to be stamped in ink upon the pulp which gazes back at me.
    Printed on my journal cover is "Go confidently in the direction of your dreams.  Live the life you've imagined." Thoreau wrote that.
    The world of writing awaits me.  I am eager for the challenge. I am ready for the challenge.

     Ahh, journaling! The blank pages await as I prepare to write.  I put on my fuzzy slippers, fill my tall water bottle with delicious frosty water, grab my favorite snuggly blanket to wrap around me to keep warm, and turn on my adorable "bunny light", (a ceramic bunny with pink floral lamp shade). I sit in my comfy recliner, take up my pen, and greet the page.  Hello, paper!  Hello, nothingness!  Let me fill you up, I say, as I begin to record my ponderings.

     Pnderings need not make sense.  They need not be profound.  They just need to be honest, authentic, and from the heart. Whatever's on my mind at the time. Part of me.  Even if they only say things like "I wish I could crawl back into bed." "I really don't want to go to work today." "I don't think I face traffic today." Or, "my back hurts too much to go to work." "Can you believe it's raining again?" "What was I thinking yesterday, wearing those shoes?  They killed my feet!"

     But other mornings might bring "Would you look at that snow...it makes me smile!" Or, "That little girl made my day yesterday when she gave me her drawing with hearts on it.  I'm going to put it on my fridge." "I think I'll start my new canvas today" Or, "That does it...I am going to submit a piece to Somerset Studio magazine this month! Maybe I'll get published again!"

     So, nothing necessarily profound, just whatever comes to mind.  Putting thoughts onto paper gets them out of my head and onto the page, where I can see them and do something with them. If they're negative or not-too-helpful thoughts, getting them out of my head leaves room for helpful thoughts.  It frees up my mind for possibilities. That's what happened the two times I last submitted canvases to Somerset Studio...I was published...TWICE! That's what happened when I decided to actually WRITE the book that was bumbling around in my head. Now it's ready to submit to an agent, for possible publication!

     Ponderings.  Things that might not be important.  Things that end up being important.  Either way, words from my head that end up on the page.  Words...perhaps not all profound or life shattering, but important, nevertheless.

Hello, fellow Creatives!
!    It's been a while since I've posted here.  Health issues, the busyness of work, excuses, yada-yada.  No real reasons, however.  Just me letting life get in the way.
     Some days I get home from work and tell myself I have nothing left to give my creative business.  I
A natural "morning person", I truly do burn out by about 3:00pm, and find that my creativeness wanes by then.  But something I've been trying lately, is getting up very early (not hard for  me, as I have insomnia).  I turn on all the lights to simulate daylight, which makes me smile, and I get busy.
     I typically have my precious "quiet time", alone w/God.  I read and pray and basically just get my head in the right place to begin my day.  Then I work out, which wakes me up even more, and keeps me full of energy for most of my work day.  Exercise also helps keep my mind alert, which I definitely need as a substitute teacher!
     I find that I then still have plenty of time for my creative art biz.  I might work up some new designs for my Red Bubble site, or prepare for the adult drawing class I teach, or my adult mixed media classes I teach.  I might do some reading that inspires me.  I may treat myself to my "FLYING LESSONS" ebook by Kelly Rae Roberts.  (I highly recommend your getting this!)  I may take some precious time and write my Morning Pages, something I learned to do from the wonderful book The Artist's Way.
     If you've never had the opportunity to read this book, treat yourself to a copy.  Your life will be changed by it;  mine certainly was.  It's all about getting in touch with the inner artist that lives within each of us, even if we don't consider ourselves creative. Barnes and Noble carries it, or I'm sure you could find it on Amazon. In it, author Julia Cameron encourages readers to do something she calls writing Morning Pages - three daily pages of whatever comes to your mind.  Brain drain.  Recording frustrations, inspirations, ideas, goals.  Whatever, just get it on the page...three of them. Do this every  morning.  Every morning.
     I have done this over the years, and have found great benefit.  Somehow, I got out of the habit but am doing it again.  I need to.  I want to.  I sooo benefit from the writing.
     Try it yourself.  It will change your life.  As you write, new inspiration will seep up out of your inner being.  You'll be amazed at the ideas that will pour forth....creative ideas.  A new recipe to try, a new item of clothing to sew.  A new color of paint to try.  That class you've been afraid to take.
     I have an idea: let's do it together!  Wonderful, creativeness awaits!  More on this next time!  I'll share what's happened as a result of my own experience with my Morning Pages.  Until then....

     Hello, friends.  Have you ever journaled?  I have, and really enjoy it.  But lately, I've been busy art-making for my Red Bubble site ( https://www.redbubble.com/people/LauraCLeMaster/portfolio ) and have neglected my journals.  Plus, I've been writing a book, which took much of my time.
     But, as a creative, I get bored easily.  I now find myself ready for a break from writing my book (good timing, as the manuscript is finished!).  I hear my journal calling.  I don't yet art journal, although that method of art making and creative expression is beckoning me, too.  But I have a "regular journal" that says "Go confidently in the direction of your dreams.  Live the life you've imagined" on the cover.  Thoreau wrote that.  It inspires me.  It resonates with me.  I calls me to do exactly that:  believe in my dreams.  Do whatever it takes to make them happen.  And actually live the life I've imagined.
     It's an exciting place to be.  My empty pages await....

     Hello, creative minded friends!
     It's a beautiful, bright morning in Idaho.  Being from Southern California - North San Diego County, to be exact - I am used to palm trees, constant blue sky, and sea breezes - and a LOT of people!  But oh, how I've come to love Idaho's cauliflower clouds that decorate the expansive sky.  Because of the slower pace, job market, job opportunities, and more conservative outlook, my area is rapidly growing.  I'm not too enthused about that, because the amount of traffic has increased quite a bit in the time I've been here, as has the amount of in-a-hurry drivers.  (I figure they're all imports from big cities!  LOL)  Yet, if you happen to be needing to pull out into traffic from a side street or shopping area, for instance, drivers within the flow of traffic will ALWAYS let you in!  What a delicious reality!  You hardly ever hear someone honking at another driver, which was the norm in SoCal.  But Californians, I noticed, were warm and friendly, just as are Idahoans.  In many coastal cities, there was a delightfully slower pace, in spite of the amount of traffic and shortage of parking.  The weather is almost always perfect.
     So, fast pace, or slow pace...clouds or no clouds, traffic or not so much traffic, mild weather or snow storms...if we have an inner attitude of gratitude, if we set our own pace in spite of that around us, if we choose to see the good in where we live, if we choose to notice the warmth of strangers around us...we can find contentment.  We can make a difference in our corner of the world.  If someone honks at me, or hurries past me on the road, perhaps going over the speed limit, I have learned to think, "been there"..".maybe there's an emergency in their life".  "Maybe they're just having a bad day, like I've certainly had on occasion."  My challenge is to not react negatively, because if I do, someone else sees that and may react negatively, creating a chain reaction of not-so-good-ness.  My actions and reactions can affect someone else's day and I want them to do that in a positive way, thus making a positive difference.
     I also strive to make a difference with my artwork.  I aim to put "good stuff", "happy stuff" out there in my world, to encourage you, inspire you, and enable you to, in turn, impact those with whom you rub elbows - in a positive way.
     I hope this little bit of stuff has blessed you.  You certainly do bless me by reading my ponderings.  Have a beautiful day, won't you?  Oh, and go out and look at the sky today....and give it a big smile!