A gathering and rolling of thoughts...

Had a wonderful breakfast with my dad and stepmom, our oldest daughter was able to come along. She was off of work so it was a nice treat.  And then were able to visit with her too. My Dad had a bit of scare a few months of go and well had to be on oxygen all the time..but now he's just having to use it at night time.  Progress, though he says it's not all about the smoking, that he's lived a life of Car Mechanics and brake dust and all the other things that he's inhaled over the years. I just hope he stays away from the smoking...hard though cause my step mom still smokes.  One of the things that I wish the best for them but they will do what they are going to do...

After we visited I went to the art supply store...dangerous...Blick Art Materials and picked up a few things that got me motivated to make the hand stitched Art Journal...or is it called a long stitch...anyways now that I made a demo or mock up one I will and hopefully soon make another one or two...so I really understand the process to share for a class or something like that.

There's such a combat of letting go in art these days...You have your masters that are spot on with the realistic abilities and then there are those that want to try to create but are afraid to create because their not spot on with what they envision.  So then there are those that want to get past the spot-perfect way of creating and just want to get back to a purer intuitive way.  Which if one sticks to it long enough they seem to settle into their own style...Kind of like water it always finds it's level spot in where every it is.  The thing is showing up and like journaling daily you need to be commitment the process and letting go of the end result.  I know I've been really enjoying this process myself. There are some collages that I am feeling I need to be spot on with then others exploring the medium is really inviting.  The art of using the tools in our hand and exploring it sideways, improper and then what feels natural to you is really fun.  Very much like how a child explores...but as adults we forget that and hold something in our hand and are stuck or blinded by the way it should be-perfect...

So time to get going on something today...plan out the week a bit.  I have a workshop with Little Company of Mary which I'm so looking forward to.  I'll be working with Women that have been working with Carole Wilson there Art therapy Director their at the hospital for some time...she said 15 years for some of them...the support and creative process to get through some of the most challenging years of these women's lives as they deal with Cancer.  Remarkable is all I say and in awe of them...