Creative Every Day and other new starts for the new year.

CED is off and running, the theme for January is NEW.

In an effort not to bounce around like a ping pong ball with enthusiasm to do lots of NEW things I am concentrating on simplifying my life. Making time for the important things and working on avoiding the emotional storms of 'what ifs' that threaten happiness and achievement everyday.

My inspiration is the 2009 video of Susan Boyle rocking the world at her 'Britains Got Talent' audition. Even knowing that her singing was going to shock people, it took incredible courage to stand up there knowing that the audience was snickering at her.

A couple of things struck me about this video, one of course, is her talent, the pleasure of hearing her sing and the reaction of the audience. The other is that the audience was GLAD to give up their cynical eye-rolling reaction to her appearance and demeanor and WANTED to celebrate her success.

I think we all get caught up the the negative too easily and it is nice every once in a while to be shocked out of it - in a nice way.

If you haven't watched in a while, sit back and enjoy.

Creative Every Day

I started the Creative Every Day challenge I think the first year that Leah offered this online creative workshop.  It was fabulous and while I didn't blog about it, I enjoyed it a lot.
The next year I started it and didn't finish, life got in the way.
Then in 2010 I started it over halfway through the year.  My OCD self just knew that I should start at the beginning and somehow 'catch up.'  Yeah.  My more rational self said to just jump right in and participate.  My creative self said - you two go fight about it, I'm going on vacation.  And I could not finish, or even start a single project.
Just a little blocked.
So this year I actually signed up on time and I can't wait to get started working on the projects and looking at what everyone else is doing.  There are some fabulous artists that take part in this and just watching their work is inspirational. 
You might want to join in yourself.  Just click on the link in the right hand column and sign up.

Winter Solstice

poor little blog...

sitting here all abandoned, the few readers slowly disappearing, if they remember to visit to officially disappear. 
This blog started, if I remember right, as a venting place for my political leanings.  I really don't want to do that again.  It's not that I don't have political leanings, but it is such a dark place. 
I also don't want to whine about things going wrong in my life, there is such a thing as too much sharing, especially on the internet, and I am sure that I could step WAY over the line easily just ranting away.
Then there was the art and photography that I never got around to posting much of. 

I picked up my well hidden copy of The Artist's Way a few days ago and realized that I had started it about a year and a half ago and abandoned it almost immediately.  I read through some of my Morning Pages and realized that I was really down and depressed and the little I wrote just reinforced that.
I didn't work through it enough to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

So I decided to do The Artist's Way again.  Actually, it will be for the first time since I quit so early on last time.   Last year I was at a low point financially but a really really low point emotionally.
This year the finances make last year look successful, but I have a much more optimistic outlook on creating the life I want.  I think maybe last year I didn't really know what I wanted and that has clarified for me in the last year or so. 
The Artist's Way will start getting me writing here again.  No, I am not going to inflict my Morning Pages on the world.  That sort of babbling is suppose to be private and besides, I agree with Ms. Cameron that it should be hand written if possible. 
But I may blog about how this project is affecting my life.  Hopefully in mostly good ways.
With a more optimistic outlook I may feel free for an occasional political rant, but it will be short.

sorting thru photos and art....

Looking for stuff to put up on Red Bubble.

Gold and Blue

One of the last days of gold leaves and bright blue skies. 
Our first winter storm arrives tomorrow.

Miso, from NPR

Mastering Miso's Mysteries

Fall Equinox

Boulder County, Colorado

New from NPR....

A new food blog from NPR - looks like a good one.  Some of their best blogs have turned into really good shows.  This one will be fun to follow.

The Salt

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2011/09/21/140472231/so-what-is-the-salt

What do you think?

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