How Great The Art

October has only a few days left, so I can safely say in my most irish way. "It's been the best ever!" Woah! That totally goes against my belief system. I am a big believer in Murphy's Law and you never say anything like that, before something is over or something will go wrong. As I am getting older, I am making a conscience effort of not having that way of thinking. It sucks the joy out of the everyday. I also am proud of myself for creating a goal for myself and finishing a few days early. It gives me time to get a head start in getting ready for November. Really looking forward to my children's favorite holiday: Thanksgiving! I was a born procrastinator and am relishing not putting as much off and getting things done. But, not only getting done, having fun while I am at it. No dreading, no guilt, no regrets, no distractions, just focusing and finishing. Letting go and downsizing can be daunting. But, having the idea of making th...

If my morning glories could sing this morning they would be singing "Let's Hear It For The Girls"! I started watching some motivational videos sparked from Brene Brown's latest interview with Abby Wombach from the US Soccer team. We are in the midst of pandemic of covid. But, also a pandemic of NEWS full of negativity, fear and downright meaness. We are forgetting how far we have come as a people. We are NOT celebrating the goodness in American people. We are assuming from what we are told. Assuming is NOT truth. Hear say is not truth. NO ONE knows what the future will bring. We need to have faith over fear. We need to celebrate the NOW and not assume what ONE person is good for the future. I am trying to summarize in my head to write a post about achieving goals and ended up realizing Nike has it right. JUST DO IT! Stop all the talking, overthinking, wondering the outcome, doubting yourself, wasting time and JUST DO IT! One of my favorite quo...

Celebrating keeping a goal for 21 days. This means I decorated 21 cigar boxes. Photographed each one. Took a video of each one. Most posts include quotes. Shared on instagram by a video with music, which shared each day on facebook . I am learning a lot about creativity and what sparks it. And, each box I am sharing what I love. So, the next part of this will be filling each box with items I want to sell. It started as gift box for the the little mini paintings I have been making. Last night I actually created 6 boxes. This morning I photograped each one and made the video tape. This will allow me to focus on November. In November I will be posting a box each day on ebay. As I am creating. I am also observing, reading and wondering how to get more seen on ebay. That is my main goal! And, if you are a friend on facebook, I don't want you to be annoyed by my daily posts. So, each day I will be posting on my blog each box with a link. I will share my listing on eba...

Watching my heavenly blue morning glories this summer has been like reading a really good mystery novel. Each day, like turning a page, wondering if they will ever bloom. And, then the day came, the word I would use to describe staring at the first bloom would be triumphant! Oh what a feeling! For me, it shows the importance of planting seeds. Literally, planting a seed, and then mentally, carrying out an idea or a goal. Then having the patience and faith that eventually it will flower. But, really, there was a good chance if it was cold earlier it may have never bloomed. So, out of something you can't control, there may be a good ending to your story. Then being totally grateful for all this warm sunny weather in October! So, this one bloom has a gigantic story! I would like to compare it to creativity. Sometimes you get an idea, let's compare that to the seed. Then you may think about it or actually act upon it, like planting the seed. Then you may just watch it g...

We have had some spectacular weather lately. It has been nice spending my days off out and about. I have found so much inspiration in the changing seasons, nature, little shops owned by artists and the sea. I feel more relaxed. I am proud of myself for keeping up with the challenge of making a box each day. It has taught me so much of how I need to be creative during this time. And, looking at all that inspires me. By putting it out on social media has helped me feel I inspire others, too. Right now, that means a lot to me. I can't imagine keeping up this pace, though. I'll run out of ideas eventually. The pictures above were taken at New Egypt Flea Market, which I can't wait to get back to. My favorite artist who had a building was Rustic Relics . I really enjoy when someone takes something old and makes something new. Yesterday I went to Barnegat Light in Long Beach Island to visit a little shop called W ildflowers by the Lighthouse. I really enjoyed t...

Happy Birthday to the best sunflower soul sister ever! Fun Facts: We met painting together at Georgian Court. We were in a lot of classes together, but she graduated a year ahead of me. We went to Washington DC together for my graduation from college. For many years after, we went to major exhibitions together. Van Gogh, Degas, Gaugain and O'Keefe to name a few. She loves Van Gogh more then I do! She and her husband went to Amsterdam to vist Van Gogh Museums. She is a very talented painter. She painted Murals for twenty years. We both have a son and daughter. We both have lost our parents. And, she shares a birthday with my mother. We have started to paint together. She has been painting every night. Right now, on instagram you can follow her newest challenge. She is painting 30 self portraits. An incredibly difficult challenge. But, she is doing it and they are amazing! @liz_beres_scwartz Looking forward to what 2021 will bring in her creative life! Hap...

If you follow me on instagram or facebook , you may have noticed I am up to something. Most of all I am thinking and creating outside the box. It all started when I was making a gift for my friend's birthday in October. I follow Graphic's Fairy , a website that uses graphics and makes them available to print in digital designs or to print for crafting. So, while I made it, I was having so much fun, I thought I should make more. When I gave the gift to my friend, she told me she started painting a self portrait every day. She saw there were thirty day challenges, so she plans on painting thirty self portraits. I get a lot of emails of sites I follow and one of them is called Creative Sprint. It is run by Noah Scalin (who I met at a Etsy Symposium) and his sister. It is a thirty day challenge and October prompts started arriving in my email. I started making another box, and I thought I should make this a thirty day challenge, too. Within minutes, I had thirty themes...

I just heard a really good podcast from Brene Brown today and it rang true for me. I actually feel lucky the whole world is struggling right, now. Because, it helps to know the person who studies and has the answers for vunerability is struggling, too. So my revalation is the same one I had in high school. "It Ain't no sin to be glad you are alive" sung to me in the song Badlands by Bruce Springsteen. The same song in my head when Glen and I sat on the rocks of the real Badlands in the middle of the United States. I remember, vividly, how I never in my wildest dreams thought I would be with someone and travel cross country with them. I couldn't wait to just get to a rock and look for miles and see absolutely NOTHING but hard rock (no growth or sign of life) and sky. It was like every worry and thought of concern was washed off of me. I kept saying to myself: "It ain't no sin to be glad you are alive". And, grateful is a small word for the o...