Thankful Thursday - Creative Connections OR: The Wonders of Facebook

Yes, I do mean the wonders of Facebook.  I don't argue with those who say it's a time waster, one big commercial, a danger, or a place for unbridled negativity.  It hasn't been that for me (well, maybe a time waster occasionally, I'll grant you that!)  In my Facebook experience, I've made many positive connections, both professional and personal.  I've sold my work through connections made on a group I formed with alumnae from my college; received recommendations for great art festivals; virtually met talented artists (and later in real life); rediscovered people with whom I'd lost touch; laughed with friends old and new about life's absurdities; commiserated about current events; been inspired by the courage of others; provided physical and virtual support to women in need; shared opinions about things serious and silly; and I've even taken the occasional 'what's your true calling' quiz (Teacher--imagine that?!).  Through it all, I've marveled at the virtual communities formed, empathy offered, friendships made and strengthened, crises handled, and support shown.  When the events of the day threaten to overwhelm, I can always look to my newsfeed for something to lift my spirits, restore my faith in humanity, or make me smile.  

This week's "Wordless Wednesday" post, the Marble Caves in Patagonia, Chile.  

The Your Creative Connections Facebook page is filled with content including our "Artful Monday Musings," "Wordless Wednesdays," and this blog's "Thankful Thursday" posts each week.  As we approach our October event, we'll use our Facebook page to share some of our behind-the-scenes planning, special surprise teases, and other exciting events in the lead up to October 11th.  We've been thrilled to see our page followers increase, and look forward reaching even more people who are interested in our message of creativity, connection, inspiration and fun.  If you're reading this, and know people who'd enjoy what we have to offer, please share our page with them.  Thank you!

Until we meet again, in the virtual world or IRL,

~MDP

Thankful Thursday - Creative Connections OR: The Joys of Showing Up

This week I had occasion to discover once again how connected we all are, and how powerful it can be to have a moment of "full immersion" in community with others.  It started with an “if-you-are-interested” email last week from a long-time art buddy, regarding the SMASH 2018 event presented by Triangle ArtWorks.  That email prompted another, which resulted in my registration for said event.  …then it was Monday evening, and I had one of those “do-I-really-want-and/or-need-to-go-do-this-thing?” conversations with myself – you know:  those monologues in which you question your own motives/suitability/value in any given situation wherein there is the actual (or even possible) likelihood of awkwardness/discomfort…

Second guessing aside, I approached my Tuesday with optimism and excitement, *it really, usually is simply a matter of choice/perspective (!)* and am so very glad of it!  I enjoyed a quick visit with a couple o’ art pals in the afternoon to see the space and discuss the set-up for my first Private Event of the year.  I also had time to enjoy a quick jaunt to The Scrap Exchange (all the more fortuitous as they had some FABULOUS paper that I can immediately put to use). 

Then, it was time to go and do the thing!  In addition to attending with 2 long-time friends, I encountered a handful of folks I already knew and don’t see nearly often enough.  Funny, isn’t it, how a few moments with the familiar can put one so much more at ease in a crowd of strangers?  As an added bonus (and, pretty much the stated purpose of the event) I met a few more folks that it will be quite lovely to get to know better.  In the intervening two days, I have reached out to ensure that that will happen; happily, there has been a near immediate exchange of information to the betterment of us all.  Plus:  I had an incredible Strawberry Crepe and saw a section of the Berlin Wall (!) 

As I headed home, I had to wonder where the resistance that I had experienced the night before came from?  If I have learned anything in the past 10 years, it is that there exists a certain ‘constancy’ in coming together with like-minded folks.  My evening at SMASH proved no exception to that rule (!)  I had a lovely time, met some interesting (and interested) individuals, had the opportunity to talk about art (my own and that of others), and added a brand-new experience to my history.  What’s NOT to love?

Artifacts of an evening well-spent...

What will you do today/tomorrow/next week/this year to expand your own creative connections?  How will you show up to further the advancement of your dreams/goals/desires?  Join in the conversation by leaving us a comment!  Keep up with all the latest news and developments in the land of Your Creative Connection by subscribing to our Newsletter -- we have BIG news coming, very soon! 

Until we meet again,
 - PLA

Thankful Thursday - Pinterest Profusion

Taking a cue from Penny's Thankful Thursday post from last week, Wonderful, Wacky, World Wide Web, I bring you my own experience with the wonderment that is Pinterest.  Back in the day (my son always says that day was a Wednesday) before Pinterest existed, we had to make our own, tangible design/idea/color swatch boards (while talking on our corded landline phones, and getting up to change the channel on the TV).  It was fun, but time-consuming, and unless you were okay with cutting up precious design magazines, or spending vast sums of money on printer ink, there was a limit to how many gorgeous, color images you would include for a given idea.  Here's a board I did with colors, products, and ideas we had when we first purchased our home 11 years ago:  

Yes, we did end up using some of these paint colors, and I STILL love that black vessel sink.  Of course, it turned out to be WAY more than we wanted to spend on a powder room fixture, so we decided upon the much more reasonably priced one in the upper right photo.  And no, we did NOT choose that purple sofa or red chair!  

But now, all of that has changed with the advent of Pinterest, which allows you to virtually "pin" anything to an unlimited number of "boards".  It has been an invaluable creative resource for me as I plan my kids' art classes, design my mixed media work, research African textiles, figure out what to plant in our first garden, do some daydreaming about travel to faraway locales, and many, many other endeavors, some of which I didn't even know I had until I started pinning.  Here's just a sampling of some of my personal profusion of Pinterest boards:  

Can you see I've pinned a whopping 1,402 items to my "Art Class Project Ideas" board?!  That's a whole lot of paper plate and recycled products projects, but in my defense, I've been teaching for 7 years, and have had over 200 students come through my classes.  

Did you know that Your Creative Connection also has Pinterest boards?  Penny and I have been pinning some of our favorite "Visual Merriments," "Mixed Media Art Must Haves," and "Wise Words Written," among other things.  As we find images we love, we pin them, in hopes you will take a moment or two, or thirty(!) to visit, leave a comment, or just meander through and find something you love, too.  Start your journey with us, here.   

Until next time, 

~MDP

Thankful Thursday - Wonderful, Wacky World Wide Web

In spite of the fact that there is plenty about it that I do not like, more often than not, I find that I am immensely thankful for the wonders of the world wide web.  Just this week, for example, I received an e-mail from the fine folks at Pinterest informing me that I had a “Pin Twin” *seriously!? – who even knew this was a thing?*.  Apparently, when one likes/saves/pins many things, in common with another user, one is *albeit unwittingly!* bestowed with this moniker… 

Although, distracted as I was by the visual merriments that I had in common with this particular user, I can not even recall who they were (?)  Nonetheless, I happily tumbled down the rabbit hole of our shared interests, and subsequently discovered a new *to me* artist whose work consistently BLEW MY MIND!

I give you:  Andie Mayr (a.k.a. regnitzflimmern) – you too can be amazed by  the intricacy of her stamp carving mastery by visiting her on Instagram at:  https://www.instagram.com/regnitzflimmern/ and on Pinterest at:  https://www.pinterest.com/regnitzflimmern/ . 

How has the Internet made your world a happier place?  Let us know and/or share any cool discoveries in the comments section! 

Until next time,
 - PLA

Thankful Thursday - The Ever Changing View

"My life has been a tapestry of rich and royal hue, an everlasting vision of the ever changing view."  ~Carole King

Remember these?  

I am thankful daily for the view outside my studio windows which is indeed ever changing.  My husband built our side-by-side studios in our walkout basement which looks out on our backyard and the natural creek area below.  This month's dusting of snow reminds me of these iced oatmeal cookies from back in the day...less than an inch of snow on the browned grass of winter always brings this image to my mind.  The play of light upon the delicate web of bare branches reveals treasures unseen in the leaf and blossom-filled seasons of spring and summer.  And the limited color palette this January Thursday is in stark contrast with the blazing colors of warmer days.

Then there are the animals.  The creek runs through our neighborhood behind and below the street level and attracts deer, foxes, squirrels, raccoons, groundhogs, moles, rabbits, opossums, and the occasional snake, all of which I've seen at some point while gazing outward.  We also have a mother cat and at least one kitten who visit (and yes, I'm a softy and I feed them).  We fill our bird feeder year round with black sunflower seeds, and the list of frequent diners includes:  finches, wrens, juncos, sparrows, woodpeckers, flickers, mourning doves, cardinals, titmice, mockingbirds, robins, nuthatches, thrashers, towhees, blue jays, starlings, grackles, bluebirds, and chickadees.  Other visitors to the creek area, heard but rarely seen are owls, hawks, and in one amazing event, 11 white cranes!  Beginning in late Spring and throughout the Summer, there are at least two hummingbirds which call my nectar feeder their private territory (much to the peril of any others who try to horn in!), and I love watching their antics right at my center window.  

So here, for your viewing pleasure (as it certainly is mine) is a collection of the wild and not-so-wild life I've observed over the years.    

Fox, not ready for her close-up, apparently.

A young raccoon, contemplating his next move to capture a bird.  He didn't succeed.

"Socks" (not our cat) peeking in to see if I'm coming out to feed her. 

Fox siblings near the plum tree, about to go under the fence to the creek area below.

Baby groundhog in a tomato planter. Did you know that groundhogs, or woodchucks are called 'whistle pigs' in the UK?  It's because of the sound the mother makes to call the young ones.  

"Midnight" (also not our cat) making himself quite comfortable in a pot under the bird feeder. 

And yes, that's a very long (54" by our estimate), allegedly harmless (I didn't stay around to find out) black snake moving along the fence.  It was fascinating to watch (from a safe distance) it go from the grass up to and across the fence.  

So until next time, enjoy your own version of the "ever changing view." 

~MDP

Thankful Thursday - The Road Ahead

     I am highly grateful for the sense of a "new journey" provided by the beginning of a New Year.  In spite of having given up Resolutions many years ago, I do like to take the first couple of weeks in the New Year to 'set the tone' for the year ahead.  Whether that means establishing new habits or clearing away the dregs of the year just passed, it seems planning ahead is an ideal activity for the longer, colder nights of winter.
     Like a yard covered in a fresh coat of snow, a new Calendar is a book of promise – full of open boxes with which we fill the year ahead of us.  I have become much more particular about what I fill those boxes with in recent years – whether as an act of self-care or self-preservation. 
     The road is long, and we may not know what awaits us – but we plan as best we can, and hope that we are ready for whatever lurks around the next bend.  On this, the 4th day of 2018, I already have much to look forward to in the coming year – not the least of which is the very event that provides the impetus for this series.  Even when we are not bending your ear here on the blog, or on Facebook, or on Pinterest, or Instagram:  things are going on!  We have much to share with you, and even more in the works – all the better for you to make plans to join us in October!
     How do you embrace the New Year?  What rituals outline your journey for the coming year?  We’d love to hear from you!

     …and now, back to work!
      - PLA

Thankful Thursday/Thursday Thirteen Mashup

Back in my early days of blogging (2007-8), I participated in a meme called Thursday Thirteen.  The idea behind it was to write a post each week, on Thursday, listing 13 things about a subject of your choice.  Followers of 'Thirteeners' blogs would comment upon the lists, and share links.  It was a fun way to get to know other bloggers, and a weekly challenge to come up with 13 things to write about (the link above takes you to my very first post).  I was reminded of this today as I thought about what to post for Thankful Thursday, so I decided to do a mashup of both ideas, and since I am a lover and almost constant player of online word games, I present to you:

Thankful Thursday Thirteen:  13 Words Which Can Be Made
From the Word Thankful 

(I know there are more, but I confined myself to words containing 4 or more letters)

1. Lank
2. Hank
3. Tank
4. Hunk
5. Flunk
6. Flat
7. Ankh 
8. Than
9. Flan
10. Flank
11. Half
12. Haft
13. Thunk (for this, I received the dreaded spell check wavy red line, but Merriam-Webster disagrees, offering these definitions:  1. dialectal past tense and past participle of think, or 2. a flat hollow sound.  How else to describe the sound of a big book hitting the floor?!)

So where else does the thankful come in?  I am immensely thankful for word games, which keep my mind sharp (although unfortunately they don't really help much with the 'why did I enter this room,' or 'what was I about to tell you' questions).  Here are the games I play online or on my phone daily, in case you're inquisitively (cool 13-letter word!) wondering:  

On Facebook:  Puzzly Words (multi-player, timed, each player receives the same 16 letters and must make the best words from them)
Word Champs (multi-player, timed, players see the same 16 letters, and must make the best up to 10-letter word from them, with options for unveiling hidden bonus letters)
and occasionally, Scrabble.

On the phone:  Words by Post (2-player, Scrabble-like board and play)
Lexulous (2- or 3-player, Scrabble-like board, can play US or UK rules), and
UpWords (2-player version of the board game:  each player gets her own rack of 7 letters, and makes words by placing tiles on top of existing letters to create new words)

If you too enjoy word games, perhaps I'll see you across the virtual table.  If so, good luck and great letters to us both! 

~MDP
 

Thankful Thursday - In Praise of Poetry

       I am, quite regularly, grateful for the poets and their many gifts.  In much the same way I can see a beautiful scene and envision it as a painting, I often read or hear a poem and can instantly conjure the images in my mind.  Similarly, I have often thought of music (and my love of it) as having provided a virtual soundtrack to my life – hearing a certain song can instantly take me back to a specific time or experience.  And I suppose that poems are merely songs without music – so, I guess it all makes an odd sort of sense…
       My first exposure to poetry, like most of us ‘of a certain age,’ was Mother Goose Nursery Rhymes.  These short, quirky, (sometimes disturbing) nibbles of poetry were veritable 'ear worms' -- easily remembered and recited, due to their simple structure and vivid imagery -- I am surprised at how often a snippet of one will run through my head, brought to mind by a turn in conversation or learning an interesting fact.  Once in school, poetry was a regular section in English class each year and I always discovered someone or something new to carry along with me.  I think what really cemented my love of poetry, though, was hearing a record *oh, no – that won’t date me at all – ha!* of Robert Frost reading a copy of ‘Birches” in the 5th grade – MAGIC, I tell you!  To this day, I do not see a birch tree without thinking:  “One could do worse than be a swinger of birches.”  On through high school (falling in love with Gibran), and college (too many to list!) my list of poems and poets continued to grow…  Today, I am no less enamored of this incredible art form, and continue to amass favorites.
       Since my painting skills do not measure up to the vision that their words often inspire, I have developed the habit of finding poems to match my photos.  It’s loads of fun, and much like the audible clue of a favorite song, the discovery of a new poet provides the echo of their words when the photos are seen, shared, or taken anew.  For the story behind the photos featured here today (and the poems that go with them), visit me over on my blog, tomorrow (12/22/17).
       In the event that you are not a lover of the library, I have composed a list of handy web sites to add a little poetry to your days:
-  The Poetry Foundation features a Poem of the Day, Seasonal Collections of poetry, biographical information on poets, and vast collection of poems.  You can also peruse the pages of current and past issues of Poetry Magazine
-  Academy of American Poets allows you to subscribe to their “poem a day” service, as well as showcasing great poets, poems, and articles.  They also highlight section of materials for teachers.  Another neat thing here is a series of video clips of poets reading/reciting their work.
-  Poetry.com is a community for amateur poets.  Readers can enjoy by visiting the site.  After registration, members can post their own as well as review other poems.
-  Poetry 180 was the vision of US Poet Laureate (2001-2003) Billy Collins.  Hosted on the internet by the Library of Congress, the program was designed to make it easy for students to hear or read a poem on each of the 180 days of the school year.

Until next time,
-  PLA

Thankful Thursday: The Wonder of Pop-Up Books

Yes, I will freely admit it:  I love a good pop-up book.  This love affair began with my sister's copy of the Hallmark book "The Adventures of Doctor Doolittle", and continues to this day.  Whether this book was my first pop-up is not known or important; it is the one which made an indelible impression.  I can still remember how the neck of the pushmipullyu (the white, two-headed figure on the left) moved back and forth, and the double page whale pop-up was amazing to my 8-year old eyes. Fast forward many decades later, and pop-up books are among my most cherished volumes in my studio’s art book collection.  I am thankful to have been given amazing pop-up books as gifts.  Most notable and spectacular is the one from the Carolina Mixed Media Art Guild:  “America’s National Parks”.  It is filled with astonishing paper sculptures, because that’s what they really are, or as pop-up designer and author David Pelham calls them:  paper poetry (don't you love that?!).  Here are two of my favorite spreads, the Grand Canyon and Glacier National Parks, which surely ascend to the level of sculpture or poetry.

 
And since words aren't as descriptive as images, I will simply share some of my favorite pages from my collection...I'm truly thankful I can be amazed, amused, and delighted whenever I open one!

In case you're curious, here's the list of books included in the slide show above:
 1. Dimensional Mazes, An Entirely New Way of Losing Yourself in a Book (love that title!),       by David Pelham
 2.  Funny Birds, by Philippe Ug
 3.  ABC3D, by Marion Bataille
 4.  600 Black Spots, A Pop-Up Book for Children of All Ages, by David A. Carter
 5.  Trail, Paper Poetry by David Pelham
 6.  The Ultimate 3-D Pop-Up Art Book (you know I had to have this one!) by Ron Van Der        Meer and Frank Whitford
 7. and 9.:  Botticelli's Bed & Breakfast, by Jan Pienkowski (this one has 56 art masterpieces     contained within its 10-room house, and has a guidebook listing them all!)
 8.  The Christmas Alphabet, by Robert Sabuda
10.  Pop Gami, Where Pop-Up Meets Origami, paper engineered by James Diaz, illustrated         by Francesca Diaz

~MDP

Thankful Thursday - Library Love

      For as long as I can remember, the library has been a magical and amazing place to me.  In spite of the fact that I now live in the era of Google, it still is!  Be it a physical book, an audiobook download, the loan of a cinematic classic or a modern blockbuster, or an obscure reference source:  the library has it all.

This beautifully lettered quotation by Risa Rodil perfectly echos my thoughts
...with a nod to the Harry Potter series *I love that!*

     From my early school days, when I could hardly wait to exchange one weeks book for the next new adventure; to the college years, wherein I was a virtual resident of “the stacks” at NCSU – I have been a lover of books.  I cut my research teeth on the card catalogue, and fondly remember tracking down magazine articles with the aid of a Periodic Index.  It may well be quicker to use the electronic alternative these days, but it never results in the same sense of “Gotcha!” provided by the search methods of yesteryear…
     Then there is the plain and simple fact that one can only house so many books at home…  I have read several entire series, of which I have never owned a single volume – I discovered them, and devoured them, (and often bemoaned the wait for the next installment) *shameless plug for the amazing Laurie R. King, here* as a result of a trip to the library.   
     There is something ‘church-like’ about time spent in a library, too.  How can one help but be humbled in the presence of such a massive collection of knowledge?  Further, I never cease to be amazed at the level of service to the community at large presented by the library (workshops, activities for children, teens, and adults, employment assistance, author readings, etc.)  I am additionally jazzed by the fact that whatever “it” is doesn’t even have to be available at my branch for me to get it (!)  Thanks to the NC Cardinal system, the shelves of my local branch extend to every border of the state – in the time it would take to receive an order made online, the information I seek can be summoned to my local library with the push of a button.
     Finally, as an artist, I find that book sales at ANY library are grand adventures of discovery!  Collage fodder abounds among piles and piles of obscure reference books, foreign texts (if you’re lucky), and a smattering of wildly disparate interests.  Often, the covers themselves best the contents for beauty and uniqueness.  You never know when you will fall in love with a new (to you) author.  It was at a library book sale, years ago, that I first encountered the poetry of Billy Collins *swoon!* -- still a huge fan.
     So, with my rhapsodic waxing complete, I hope that you are taking advantage of the incredible resource that is your local library.  If it's been awhile since you visited, check it out *har, har, har!* -- the quicker the better -- wonders await you there.
     See you here again, soon!
      - PLA