Madrone Trees

Growing up in the Pacific Northwest probably started my love of madrone trees, but I have a feeling I would have succumbed to their charm even so. Perhaps it is their magic that lends a special air to my new baskets?

The Madrone Tree

One of the World's Most Exquisite and a Favorite Tree

Magnificent, dramatic, exciting, mystical, inspiring, magical, sensual ... these are some of the words people use to describe the Madrone Tree, a favorite of the hardwood trees of the Pacific Northwest.

Few trees excite the viewer as much as these do. When visitors come from around the world and discover them in their wild habitat, the reaction is instant: they fall in love with them!

The Madrone Tree or Madrona Tree gets its name from the Spanish word madroño (which means strawberry tree...the early Spanish explorers named it after the similarities to a Mediterranean variety).

In Canada, it is known as the Arbutus Tree. The European species, while quite different, is also called a Strawberry Tree.

Why?

Because of the plentiful berries formed in the fall. While bright orange red, the Madrone tree berries are about the size of a small wild strawberry. The color stuck and Madrone or Arbutus Strawberry Tree it is.

It grows from northern California north to southern British Columbia and is found mostly there on the BC Gulf Islands, ending at the Northern Gulf Islands. Found on Cortes Island, BC, they do diminish on the north part of the island and are rare north from there as you get into a much rainier climate.

Madrone trees like sun, really like it! They will twist and turn to find it if a competing fir tree tries to outgrow it. I guess this feature of its incredible shapes is part of what makes it on the list of favorite trees!

Not only is the twisting and bending a big part of its charm, but its bark gives the tree its amazing bite!

The bark sheds in the summer revealing a silky smooth glistening pale green yellow bark underneath. As the new bark ages during the year, it turns red and then dark red.

By then it starts to peel in big shreds adding an amazing feature to the tree.

Older trees do not peel all the way down to the ground. The bark stays but has a shredded look about it often with moss growing up a bit of the tree trunk for effect!

You will also find it called Pacific Madrone or Pacific Madrona for the fact that it loves growing close to the ocean and we mean the Pacific Ocean in this case!

The Madrone tree is a Native American sacred tree. Thus the wood was never used for fire even though it burns long and hot. Sacred trees like the Arbutus tree hence make an incredible sacred pendant or sacred necklace.

Books

I stumbled upon this on Stumbleupon:

 http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/8ggUCv/1NLK@Kbpe:Y.@mPyAO/features.cgsociety.org/stories/2009_05/2009_05_stockholmlibrary/15-render-FG.jpg

and have no idea where it is from.  Actually, I'm not even sure why it so attracts me!  So I'll just enjoy it and pass it on.

Madrone Swirl

Just finished my first piece using a madrone slice for the base.  My learning curve on how to finish the wood was pretty steep, and definitely still has a way to go, as well as learning to groove the wood instead of drilling holes.  Combining some bound weave techniques that I've developed on previous wall pieces with the madrone resulted in a pleasing first attempt.

Oh yes, I do foresee many more of these in my future as I learn to work with the wood.

Bucks Not Does

When I went outside this morning, bright and early to fill the bird feeders, there were 5 white-tailed bucks just outside my door.  I froze, and they calmly continued munching for 10 minutes or so before they calmly meandered off into my side woods.

Observing does or does with fawns is commonplace, but sighting the bucks brings another level to it all.  They are so majestic - and somewhat elusive.  Three were two-point and two of them were spikes.

Ah, perhaps some clarification is in order.  Out here we use the "Western count", by only counting the number of points on one side of the rack.  (So in this morning's case, two-point means two points on each side of the rack.)  Growing up here, I had never realized that other places counted them differently, as in counting all the points, until I was traveling for basket teaching and the topic came up.  At first I thought they just had much older deer with huge racks, until I sorted out that an 8-point, in their terminology, was really just a 4-point in ours.

Evidently there is also a third way to count them: " to state the number of points on each side, and state them as X by Y, such as 4 by 4 for an eight pointer".  https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20060920194138AAI0HDl

Who knew?  All I know is that I had a very, very special treat this morning.  And even after I came back into the house, I apparently had not startled them because they hung around right at the edge of the woods (20 feet from the house) for quite some time more.

Slower & Simpler - Redefine Your Relationship With Stuff

The realization just hit me this last week, as I'm living on the island full-time in my small little studio, that I don't miss my full household of material goods on the mainland.  Oh, there are still some work related tools and materials that I'll need to bring over, but most of it, I simply don't need.

So naturally, I found the following article about redefining your relationship with stuff - short of moving, as in my case, and not realistic for most people, I do realize.  One of my favorite phrases in this article that made me really think?  "There were so many other things in my home and life that were telling a story, but it stopped being my story. I knew that I was more than the stuff I owned, but all of that clutter became so noisy that I wasn’t really sure what the story was anymore."

That's it in a nutshell, for me.  I want to live my own story, not the one told by my belongings and clutter.

The 3 Step Process to Redefine Your Relationship with Stuff (and how it will change your life)

Written by Courtney Carver
http://bemorewithless.com/stuff/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+BeMoreWithLess+%28Be+More+with+Less%29

I’ve been thinking about what has changed since I starting living with less. There are the obvious changes like:

• living in a smaller space
• leaving the corporate work world
• having time to do things I care about

And then there are the not so obvious invisible changes and benefits. I am more comfortable being quiet. I don’t think I’m wasting time when I am dreaming about things that sound crazy. I’ve stopped trying to prove myself and one of the biggest changes that happened quietly in the background is that I redefined my relationship with stuff.
I used to depend on stuff to tell my story. The books I owned showed that I was smart and had many interests. My cosmetics collection told the story of how put together I  was and how I deserved expensive things for working so hard. A closet full of brand name clothes proved that I was successful and had good taste. The sentimental items from my past painted a picture of a happy childhood.
There were so many other things in my home and life that were telling a story, but it stopped being my story. I knew that I was more than the stuff I owned, but all of that clutter became so noisy that I wasn’t really sure what the story was anymore.
All of that changed when I redefined my relationship with stuff. It didn’t take hours of therapy or much thought at all. The mental, inward shift came from consistent outward action.

3 step process to redefine your relationship with stuff

1. Live without it.
You don’t have to get rid of it all to understand what it would be like to live without your stuff. Instead, experiment by trying a packing party or minimalist fashion challenge Project 333. Getting a little space between you and your stuff adds so much perspective to what’s really adding value to your life, and what stuff is just a distraction or a security blanket. Enjoy the space you create and use it to determine what comes back in. After your experiment, let go of everything you didn’t miss, need or want.

2. Let it flow.
Think about the volume of stuff that has come and gone throughout your life. The other day I was walking in the city and passed a vintage thrift store. Out on display  was my very first telephone. It was a Snoopy phone that my parents gave me for my 10th birthday. I remember thinking how cool it was because it had push buttons instead of a dial. Seeing it decades later made me smile, but it never crossed my mind to bring it home.
I used to lend books with my name written on the inside front cover for a better chance at having them returned. Today, I pass books and other things on and give freely. When you have a looser grip on your stuff, you can let go more easily when it doesn’t serve you, or if someone needs it more.

3. Recognize that the best things aren’t things.
Make a list of the 10 best things that happened in your life this year. How many of those things can you buy at the mall or shove in a drawer? The things that are shaping our lives, lifting us up, and connecting us to what matters most aren’t things.
These three steps will help you redefine your relationship with stuff. As you declutter and live with less, you’ll want and need less. Clutter attracts clutter, space attracts space and calm attracts calm. Create what you want by including more of it in your life.

Why redefining your relationship with stuff will change your life

You will compare less.
The best thing about my relationship with stuff is that it is not defined by what other people think, or what other people own. I don’t feel compelled to keep up with the Joneses or anyone else.
I could compare and say that …

• I probably own more kitchen appliances and utensils than Joshua.
• My small apartment is almost 6 times larger than Tammy’s tiny house.

Comparison is how I used to measure, but redefining my relationship with stuff gave me freedom from comparison. Knowing that I own more or less than someone else doesn’t define what’s right for me. Comparison is not part of the equation in the changes I am making in my life, because I’ve determined what’s enough for me and my family. I can be inspired by my friends Joshua and Tammy without having to replicate their journey. When you can you eliminate comparison, you find happiness in doing what you know is right for you.

You will have fewer attachments.
As I continue to declutter and downsize and determine what enough really means, I become less and less attached to stuff. And since I’ve become less attached to stuff, I’ve become less attached to expectations and outcomes and more comfortable with uncertainty. When you become less attached, it’s easier to let go of anything that holds you back.

You can make decisions without factoring in your stuff.
When you redefine your relationship with stuff, you won’t feel compelled to take it with you. If you move across the country, you don’t have to pay thousands of dollars for moving vans or storage facilitates. You can choose where you want to live without closet space and the number of cabinets in the kitchen being the deciding factor. When you can make decisions without factoring in your stuff, you are free.

Your stuff stops owning you.
When you redefine your relationship with stuff, you can sell or give away almost everything you own without the mental or emotional anguish that comes when your stuff owns you. Look around. What owns you?

• If you keep dusting and moving around a single vase and never put flowers in it, it owns you.
• If you are paying hundreds of dollars a month for a car because it has heated seats and satellite radio, it owns you.
• If there is art shoved in your closet instead of hanging on your wall, it owns you.
• That pile of paper on your desk that you keep organizing owns you too.

Those are just examples, but if you really notice your stuff, you can easily determine what you own because it makes your life better and you will just as easily recognize the things that own you. Replace that stuff with freedom and joy

You can be happy anytime.
When you redefine your relationship with stuff, you learn that happiness is a choice, and that it doesn’t come from the mall. When your happiness and other emotions aren’t tied to the stuff you own and the stuff you wished you owned, you can be happy anytime.

My New Shed

Oh the delights of finally having a storage/work shed!  It's not fancy by any means.  But there is now room to store items that clearly were out of place in my miniscule laundry room, as well as shelves for drying driftwood.

One of the highlights is a workbench, especially useful for practicing my newly found craft of working with wood. The mess associated with cutting, drilling, and sanding now has an appropriate area instead of the picnic table on the front deck. Electricity is supplied, at the moment, with an extension cord, but as the shed has both a skylight and a window (with a view of the bay, I might add) there is sufficient light during the day for working in there. I only have hand tools, none of the fancy, power woodworking tools.  But I'm happy. Ah, but now just think of all the organizing and storage that will entertain me for hours.

It is definitely one of the simple pleasures in life.  My, how my life, my needs and wants have changed since coming to the island!

Windchimes

Washing the windows a few weekends ago definitely needed to be done, but now several birds have flown into them (thankfully not too hard - yet).  Most of the solutions I've read about (http://lifehacker.com/5911467/how-to-stop-birds-from-flying-into-your-windows), from using tape to decals, won't make my own view more attractive.  However, hanging wind chimes just might be the answer.

Unbelievably, I don't have any wind chimes. So that will be rectified today.  My desire for clean windows needn't be the cause of harm to the avian population.  And of course, there are many inspirations on how to make them to be found on the internet.

Wabi-Sabi

The next group show at Chimera Gallery, one in which I will be participating, starts on August 9th and is entitled "Wabi-Sabi".

Characteristics of the wabi-sabi aesthetic include asymmetry, asperity (roughness or irregularity), simplicity, economy, austerity, modesty, intimacy and appreciation of the ingenuous integrity of natural objects and processes.

Sometimes it is extremely difficult to assimilate the theme of a show into your work, or even envision how it might be expressed in your particular medium.

However, in this case, I'm totally inspired!  And I just might borrow the title as my muse for this next phase of my work.

Tympany of Raindrops

Woke up to a very pleasant surprise this morning - it's raining!  Yes, of course, it probably wouldn't have been such a wonder if in fact I read the weather forecast.  But as I usually take each day as it comes, and am not planning any great adventures this week, I'm enjoying the surprise.

I was simply going to weave today anyway.  Now it will be weaving accompanied by the soft, ambient tympany of raindrops.  My sympathies to those whose vacation plans on the island may be altered. Hopefully they will be able to embrace this gift for the treasure it is.

Goldfinches

While the hummingbird population has settled down to locals only (the rest have traveled to their more northern migrations), the goldfinches have claimed the bird feeder.  I have several pair for sure as regular visitors, but there may be even more.  Sophie and I are totally entertained with both their vibrant colors and acrobatics.  Evidently Washington State is not the only state to claim them as their state bird, however:

Washington designated the willow goldfinch (Carduelis tristis) as the official state bird in 1951. Also called American goldfinch or wild canary, the male goldfinch has a bright yellow body with black wings and tail, and black on top of his head. The female's plumage is more muted with an olive-yellow body and dark brown tail and wings (the male goldfinch also displays this same dull plumage in the winter months).

Active and acrobatic little birds, goldfinches fly with a bouncy, undulating pattern The diet of the goldfinch consists mainly of seeds. The American goldfinch is also the state bird of Iowa and New Jersey.

http://www.statesymbolsusa.org/Washington/state_bird_WA.html

Perception of Time

To counteract my guilt for sleeping in again this morning, I reread an article I found awhile ago regarding the perception of time: http://www.scribd.com/doc/24699041/Perception-of-Time-in-Different-Cultures.

Americans live by the clock and calendar because they choose to do so, not because it is dictated by nature.  Punctuality is not questioned, it is almost worshipped.  In Japan, workaholism is common.  In Mexico they believe time is there to enjoy life, and in Burundi (Central Africa) they live by natural cycles, not mechanical clocks.

Most interesting is the Piraha Tribe of the Amazon rainforest.  They have no words for the past tense.  Everything exists in the present.  If it is not here right here and right now, it does not exist.  Everything is anchored in the present, and they do not try to control nature or time.  They are content with today's day.

Ever since mankind invented clocks, we've tried to control time, as if that were in any way possible!  Granted, living with no past or future tenses doesn't seem very comfortable.  But just possibly we've missed the boat (ah, pun intended) by not living more fully in the present.

Just thoughts...and obviously my attempts to excuse some much needed sleep.  I need to keep reminding myself that there is no one keeping track of when I get up in the morning.

Slower & Simpler - Listening to My Body

Working on one, simple truth today:  I'm trying to listen to my body.  I know it holds a wisdom that I often ignore.  But for today, I'm going to try to follow where it leads.  Yes, it is slow, and it is simple, but it certainly isn't easy!  Please read on:  (from http://www.oprah.com/spirit/Learn-to-Listen-to-Your-Bodys-Signals)

Just Listen! Your Body Is Speaking to You

The key to happiness starts with your body's signals. Simply ask yourself right now, "How do you feel?" What you do with the answers you receive may make all the difference when it comes to living a balanced and joy-filled life.

By Deepak Chopra

If I could pick one ally in the pursuit of happiness, I would pick the body, and that means everyone's body, not just the beautiful, young, fit ones. I know how millions of people feel about their bodies. America is getting to be an obese nation, reaching down into childhood. A bad body image is the chief source of shame and disappointment for many women in particular.

Yet at this moment your first and most reliable guide to happiness is your body. The body is designed to support the mind, and this mutual support creates the state known as happiness. When choosing a certain behavior, ask your body, "How do you feel about this?" If your body sends a signal of physical or emotional distress, watch out. If your body sends a signal of comfort and eagerness, proceed.

Together, mind and body form a whole. It is artificial to separate the two. You cannot have a single thought, sensation or feeling without the body. This includes the most inspired spiritual thoughts, feelings and sensations. All experience has a physical component.

Let's say that your body doesn't feel like your guide and friend. Why not? It's not because you have gained weight, fallen out of shape or grow older every day. It's lack of awareness. Awareness has tremendous power. It tunes into every cell. Awareness is the invisible, silent agent that lets your body know what your mind is thinking, and at the same time it sends feedback from the body so that the mind feels supported and understood.

Here are the signals, both yes and no, that your body is sending to you:

Yes to balance, no to imbalance.
Yes to moderation, no to excess.
Yes to regular rhythms in activity, no to erratic schedules.
Yes to deep rest at regular intervals, no to lack of sleep.
Yes to being in your comfort zone, no to constant stress.
These aren't esoteric messages. Every cell follows each signal perfectly; it has to in order to survive. So when you stop paying attention to these signals, you are working against the flow of nature, which is the flow of life.

When mind, body and spirit are in harmony, happiness is a natural state. The signs of disharmony, on the other hand, are not esoteric either: discomfort, pain, depression, anxiety and illness in general. Unhappiness is a form of feedback. It signals that disharmony has entered somewhere—either in mind, body or spirit. Awareness has become disconnected. Only when we look at the situation in this holistic way can we link health, wholeness and holiness, for all three share the same root word and all three share the same state of harmony or disharmony.

Forming a New Habit > 21 Days

In trying to form a couple of new habits regarding my writing and weaving, I was still under the impression that it took 21 days to form a new habit.  I easily disproved that myth.  So how long does it really take?  The article below indicates up to 66 days, or longer.  Unfortunately, that makes a lot of sense - darn it anyway!

How Long Does it Actually Take to Form a New Habit?

--by James Clear, syndicated from jamesclear.com, Jul 16, 2014

Maxwell Maltz was a plastic surgeon in the 1950s when he began noticing a strange pattern among his patients.
When Dr. Maltz would perform an operation — like a nose job, for example — he found that it would take the patient about 21 days to get used to seeing their new face. Similarly, when a patient had an arm or a leg amputated, Maltz noticed that the patient would sense a phantom limb for about 21 days before adjusting to the new situation.
These experiences prompted Maltz to think about his own adjustment period to changes and new behaviors, and he noticed that it also took himself about 21 days to form a new habit. Maltz wrote about these experiences and said, “These, and many other commonly observed phenomena tend to show that it requires a minimum of about 21 days for an old mental image to dissolve and a new one to jell.”
In 1960, Maltz published that quote and his other thoughts on behavior change in a book called Psycho-Cybernetics. The book went on to become an blockbuster hit, selling more than 30 million copies.
And that’s when the problem started.
You see, in the decades that followed, Maltz’s work influenced nearly every major “self-help” professional from Zig Ziglar to Brian Tracy to Tony Robbins. And as more people recited Maltz’s story — like a very long game of “Telephone” — people began to forget that he said “a minimum of about 21 days” and shortened it to, “It takes 21 days to form a new habit.”
And that’s how society started spreading the common myth that it takes 21 days to form a new habit (or 30 days or some other magic number). It’s remarkable how often these timelines are quoted as statistical facts. Dangerous lesson: If enough people say something enough times, then everyone else starts to believe it.
It makes sense why the “21 Days” Myth would spread. It’s easy to understand. The time frame is short enough to be inspiring, but long enough to be believable. And who wouldn’t like the idea of changing your life in just three weeks?
But the problem is that Maltz was simply observing what was going on around him and wasn’t making a statement of fact. Furthermore, he made sure to say that this was the minimum amount of time needed to adapt to a new change.
So what’s the real answer? How long does it actually take to form a new habit? Is there any science to back this up? And what does all of this mean for you and me?

How Long it Really Takes to Build a New Habit

Phillippa Lally is a health psychology researcher at University College London. In a study published in the European Journal of Social Psychology, Lally and her research team decided to figure out just how long it actually takes to form a habit.
The study examined the habits of 96 people over a 12-week period. Each person chose one new habit for the 12 weeks and reported each day on whether or not they did the behavior and how automatic the behavior felt.
Some people chose simple habits like “drinking a bottle of water with lunch.” Others chose more difficult tasks like “running for 15 minutes before dinner.” At the end of the 12 weeks, the researchers analyzed the data to determine how long it took each person to go from starting a new behavior to automatically doing it.
The answer?
On average, it takes more than 2 months before a new behavior becomes automatic — 66 days to be exact. And how long it takes a new habit to form can vary widely depending on the behavior, the person, and the circumstances. In Lally’s study, it took anywhere from 18 days to 254 days for people to form a new habit. [1]
In other words, if you want to set your expectations appropriately, the truth is that it will probably take you anywhere from two months to eight months to build a new behavior into your life — not 21 days.
Interestingly, the researchers also found that “missing one opportunity to perform the behavior did not materially affect the habit formation process.” In other words, it doesn’t matter if you mess up every now and then. Building better habits is not an all-or-nothing process.

Finding Inspiration in the Long Road

Before you let this dishearten you, let’s talk about three reasons why this research is actually inspiring.
First, there is no reason to get down on yourself if you try something for a few weeks and it doesn’t become a habit. It’s supposed to take longer than that! There is no need to judge yourself if you can’t master a behavior in 21 short days. Learn to love your 10 Years of Silence. Embrace the long, slow walk to greatness and focus on putting in your reps.
Second, you don’t have to be perfect. Making a mistake once or twice has no measurable impact on your long-term habits. This is why you should treat failure like a scientist, give yourself permission to make mistakes, and develop strategies for getting back on track quickly.
And third, embracing longer timelines can help us realize that habits are a process and not an event. All of the “21 Days” hype can make it really easy to think, “Oh, I’ll just do this and it’ll be done.” But habits never work that way. You have to embrace the process. You have to commit to the system.
Understanding this from the beginning makes it easier to manage your expectations and commit to making small, incremental improvements — rather than pressuring yourself into thinking that you have to do it all at once.

Where to Go From Here

At the end of the day, how long it takes to form a particular habit doesn’t really matter that much. Whether it takes 50 days or 500 days, you have to put in the work either way.
The only way to get to Day 500 is to start with Day 1. So forget about the number and focus on doing the work.

http://www.dailygood.org/story/715/how-long-does-it-actually-take-to-form-a-new-habit-james-clear/

Crisp, crumble, slump, cobbler or Betty

Do you know the differences between a crisp, crumble slump (or grunt), buckle, cobbler or Brown Betty?  And why even care?  We went out to dinner on the mainland, and ordered a crisp but were served a crumble.  Which led, of course, to my usual research (and how some of them were named)

Please read to the end for my own favorite.. .

A crumble is probably what you think of when you hear any of the names of the other desserts in this list. A crumble is a baked dish of fresh fruit (apples, berries, plums, etc.) that is topped with an oat-based streusel. Add ice cream and transport to summer heaven.



A crisp is exactly like a crumble, except there are no oats in the streusel. That makes the crisp topping more like sweet, buttery, crumbled pie crust.


         If anyone ever serves you a "cobbler" that is topped with pie crust, they are pulling your leg. Or... trying to get you to eat pie. A true cobbler is topped with individually-dropped biscuits. When the dish bakes and the biscuits puff up, they look like a cobblestone street, hence the name cobbler. (We had a major lightbulb moment when we figured this out -- how did we never know that before?)







A buckle layers a more traditional, cakey batter underneath the fruit. As the dessert cooks, the cake rises around the fruit, which tries its best to sink to the bottom, making the whole thing buckle inwards.


 
Great news! A grunt and a slump are exactly the same thing. Grunts and slumps are just like cobblers, only instead of being baked in the oven, they are cooked covered, entirely on the stove-top (or camping fire, or whatever). This steams the biscuits on top of the fruit, rather than bakes them. This dish earned the name "grunt" because that's the noise that the hot, bubbly fruit makes as it "grunts" up around the biscuit dough. This dished earned its other name, "slump," because that is what it does when you try to put it on a plate.


A brown Betty uses the same kinds of crumbs as a crisp (sweet, buttery, no oats), but there is a layer under the fruit as well as on top of the fruit. Buttery crumb lovers, the brown Betty is your dessert.








So my personal creation is with the oat crust both on top and on the bottom.  I did find that in some places it may be called a double crumble, but I prefer to call it a Golden Sally.

So my dear readers, please let know what you call it in your country?

Creativity is a Muscle

I've been a bit remiss in using my studio log.  Simply posting the time I'm spending on my next large piece isn't all that should be going in there.  The  following article has helped me to reset my artistic viewpoint.

Create Every Day – A Guest Post from Aileen Holmes

This is a guest post written by artist Aileen Holmes.  Artwork to the left is one of Aileen’s creations.

As artists, many of us dream of creating large masterpieces and gloriously large scale works.

This is a beautiful and wonderful goal to have, but large dreams can also be a burden.

We question ourselves… “Why haven’t I done this already?”   Or we procrastinate and the empty canvas haunts our days.

Try looking at creativity as a practice and infuse creativity into everyday life.

Creativity is a muscle that needs to be worked out.

Masterpieces don’t spring out of nowhere (well, sometimes but not often!).  Creativity is a lifestyle – It needs to exist in every day life to grow and thrive.

There are simple ways you can exercise your creative muscles:

1.  Carry a small sketchbook and a camera: Capture what catches your eye.  The more you train your eye to look for creative inspiration, the more you will find.

2.   Catalog your inspiration: Whenever I get a new magazine, I go through it and tear out whatever is intriguing.  I tear out poses that I’d like to draw or paint later.   A reservoir of inspiration becomes a resource to turn to over and over again.

3.  Challenge how you approach every day activities: One exercise I like to do is choose a random article of clothing and try to build an all new outfit around it.  Pick a neglected sweater or funky scarf and coordinate a fun look!  When you force yourself to break out of dressing automatically, you learn to look at color and shapes a new way.

4.  Experiment with a new ingredient: Adding spice to your life, whether it’s a new cuisine or learning salsa dancing will open up new avenues of expression.  I like to dig in the back of my spice cabinet and invent a new recipe.  By adding Kahlua to my horchata and adding a pinch of cinnamon, I invented a drink I like to call a “Mexican Russian!”

Opening your eyes to possibilities, collecting inspiration, challenging your viewpoint and experimenting are all ways to work your creative muscles.

When you approach all aspects of life creatively, you Create Every Day.  The more you infuse creativity into every day life, the easier it will be to create your great masterpiece!

Aileen Holmes

- See more at: http://mariabrophy.com/creativity/create-every-day-a-guest-post-from-aileen-holmes.html#sthash.WkAANH4z.dpuf

Do What Makes You Come Alive

This inspiring video is about 11 minutes long, but oh so well worth watching

SLOMO

Dr. John Kitchin was a successful neurologist. However, he felt as if his life was a rat race – trapped in a routine that didn’t make him happy. There was emptiness inside. Dr. Kitchin abandoned his career and all of his trappings of material success, including a Ferrari, an exotic animal farm and a huge mansion high in the hills. Now, he skates all day, every day, in slow motion, at Pacific Beach. People know him as SLOMO. The child inside him is very happy: “The people that love SLOMO are cheering for one person that got away, that escaped, and got to real freedom where he skates all day, doesn’t apologize – he’s simply doing what he wants to…”

http://www.karmatube.org/videos.php?id=5067

Don't ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.

- Howard Thurman -

Butterfly Effect

Having just had a discussion relating the effect artists have on the world with the butterfly principle, naturally I had to do some sleuthing.

In chaos theory, the butterfly effect is the sensitive dependency on initial conditions in which a small change at one place in a deterministic nonlinear system can result in large differences in a later state. The name of the effect, coined by Edward Lorenz, is derived from the theoretical example of the details of a hurricane (exact time of formation, exact path taken) being influenced by minor perturbations equating to the flapping of the wings of a distant butterfly several weeks earlier.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butterfly_effect

And yes, of course, there is a blog devoted to the butterfly effect or principle:
http://thebutterflyprinciple.blogspot.com/

An article explaining why it is part of chaos theory:
http://fractalfoundation.org/resources/what-is-chaos-theory/

Here is an artists' exhibition on it:
http://www.galerierudolfinum.cz/en/exhibition/butterfly-effect#.U8FCnJRdV8E

Simply put, one small action on the part of any of us, artist or not, may have far-reaching and unanticipated effects.  Sobering thought.