Category: Creativity

I wish I could see myself as others do. We have a warped idea of who we are. I think a video camera following us around for a few days would be highly illuminating. Even when we look in the mirror it is not what everyone else sees. How much more than our actions and words and looks.

Those reality shows are so interesting to me because I wonder how the people must be different after seeing themselves on camera.

Has anyone out there seen something like that or been in a reality show. I think it would be helpful.It would be neat if we could step outside of ourselves whenever we wanted to get a better idea of what to do next. It is so much easier to see what someone else should do.

I would never teach. I know many artists do teach and that is fine for them but not for me. the reason I would never teach is the reason people take a class from you. they want to paint like you. I never want anyone to paint like me or be like me. they should be like them. Them is what the world needs not another me.

That said if I did have a class I would yell and scream for them to find their own voice. I would spend all the time looking for that voice. I am against teaching but for encouraging. If I could encourage a voice to come out that was previously silent I would do it. What people want from artists is to tell them how to be an artist themselves.
Here is how to be an artist.

Go into a room by yourself and ask yourself three questions.

1.  Can I not do this?? If you can say yes to that then you should not be an artist.
2. Do I care what people think about me?? If you say yes then forget it.
3. Am I willing to do what it takes even if I am sacred and tired and cautious. If you answer no even for a second, even for a second then forget it. do something else. there is nothing wrong in doing something else.

Being an artist is not laughing it up in the studio all day. It is grueling sometimes. It is grueling when you are not in the studio and are going to be sick because you are not in the studio facing the day. Being an artist is like being killed over and over again and having your guts laid out on the floor with blood everywhere. till the beautiful thing shows up and then you can go home. But you dont get to rest on your laurels .

NO that thing you did yesterday is over and you  have to do it again. You get that show done and then there is the next one to get out. And it better be better than the last one. You have to keep getting better. So it never gets easier. No only harder.

If all this sounds good to you then run to your nearest art supply store and spend all your money and get a studio and start working your head off. Because you are a real artist.and you can never be anything else. They will not tell you this in art school, it is the secret of life for every every every artist that makes a living at it.

Picking a color for a room will have a huge impact on your life.

My husband would say he does not care what color I paint anything. But he really does. He just can’t get an idea of one till it is all the way painted and then he has a reaction.

There are color trends that change from time to time. I read that the colors for 2011 are yellow and pink. I hate that. I have been painting my house those colors now for a whole year and my paintings have a lot of that in them and well I am mad because I feel like I have been pulled along with the flow.

I read that the reasons for color trends are very subliminal. The truth is we like warm colors when we are sad and everybody is sad now because of the economy.

think about when olive green was the color to paint everything. and that muddy color , that was the nineties and everything was going up up up money wise. Now we are in a recession so we like pink and yellow. We want to feel better.

I am painting everything pink. what a laugh now maybe my pink paintings will sell.

NObody wants to be sophisticated anymore. They want their mommy.

Isn’t that funny. The power of color to make you feel better. My husband loves the pink bathroom and dressing room. He likes to stay there and feel better. So do I .

I am going to be in Portland feeding my brain for a couple of days so I am writing two blogs right now.

Why do we like someone immediately?  Why is it possible to even love someone two minutes after you meet them. This has happened tome quite a few times. In fact unless it happens in two minutes then it never will.

I have a theory about this. People have either open spirits or closed. Everybody has a pretty spirit but they have to show it. If you cant walk around with it exposed all the time you will never find anyone to love you. You cannot love a closed spirit person. There is nothing to see and appreciate and love with the door slammed shut. You can admire that person but you cannot love them. Life it way to short not to love everyone possible. An open spirit person is one you have to vibe out. It is not necessarily a person who talks a lot about themselves. You just just have to have an open spirit. How else can I say this. You can even look in someones eyes and see in two seconds open or closed. If they dont even know you but look interested in you then they are open. If they look like they are bored with you then they are closed. Some people think aloof is great but I think it is death and horrible. Who are they trying to impress???

My philosophy is impress no one and love everyone. Think about how you are in the narthex between services. Open or closed?

Too much of anything is not good. You need contrast to see anything.  I took some photos of my child when he was a little baby laying on the sidewalk outside my house in San Francisco. His little body was so soft and sweet it looked great on the cracked cement.

I entered this photo in a contest and it won first prize.

I am not even a photographer. I had a cheap  camera but I still won.

You can do anything if you want to.

I don’t even have that photograph anymore.

I t doesn’t matter. I remember it.

there is a scene in the movie Harold and Maude where Harold gives Maude a ring and she throws it in the bay, and says “so I always will know where it is.”

Contrast is everything. otherwise everything is a blur.