Just Quit Playing It Safe

I get a couple of emails a month mostly from people sharing their story.  Usually it is about being miserable in their job. This week, however, I got an email from a famous photographer (I guess) from somewhere in the world (I think Germany). I had used one of his pictures (which was beautiful) in one of my posts.  He emailed me to let me know and asked me to remove it or pay for it’s use.

What I do is usually type the post and then look for a picture on the internet that depicts whatever I am trying to convey.

So now… I have to question myself…

Why do I feel I need to add a picture to my posts?

One of my favorite blogs has NO pictures, at all, and his posts are rather lengthy little epistles, but I read every word.

So, why do I feel I need a picture in my posts?  I think that it is the instructional designer in me that knows that folks learn in different ways and that pictures speak messages that words can not.

I  also know that everybody will not have the patience to read my long posts, but I do enjoy writing them… and it’s great FREE therapy.

About Playing It Safe

Yesterday after I went to exercise class I was going to jump in the car and head on into my day which includes lists and stuff to do. As I was walking to my car I realized how very STUPID that was.  There was NOTHING on my list that could not wait.

I did not have to catch a plane.  

I did not have to pick up a child.  

I did not have an appointment to be anywhere at any particular time 

…so WHAT was I rushing about for?

 Instead of jumping in the car I sat on the bench  in front of a labyrinth.

It had been a while since I walked a labyrinth and I knew at that moment I was not going to meditatively walk it today either, but I did want to sit on the bench and look at it, so, I just sat there.

I’m at an age now where I do not care what others may think of what I am doing, of what I am wearing or what I am saying.  It is liberating.

This exercise class that I go to is very popular, so much so, that the instructor can increase the price, change the times, change the location and folks will continue to follow him around for the exercise EXPERIENCE. I’ve been going for several years, so, I knew many of these ‘exercise class folks’ would remember me from the exercise class that had finished  just 3 minutes ago, and they would wonder what I was doing just SITTING on a bench staring into nothingness.

Again, I did not care.

As I sat there I thought about the photographer guy and his award winning picture that I had used (and subsequently removed at his request).

I thought why don’t I just use my own pictures on my blog posts?  I came up with lots of reasons, but mostly that:

• I haven’t REALLY figured out how to use the digital camera I purchased to take pictures of my crafts so I could sell them on Etsy (there are NO pictures or products for sale on my Etsy page for this very reason).
• Next question: Why don’t I know how to use the camera?  Because I haven’t read the instruction book.
• Next question: Would I have to carry the camera with me everywhere I go? Probably, but  I can’t put the camera in my purse.  Why? I refused to buy the $15 case which was a SEPARATE purchase.  That was just on sheer “GOOD GRIEF WHY ISN’T THERE A CASE IN THE BOX WITH THE CAMERA?”

But…I digress….

FINALLY…ABOUT PLAYING IT SAFE

While I was sitting on the bench I looked up at the trees ( I love trees).  

There was a squirrel climbing up the tree—WAY up the tree.

He kept stopping for long periods of time.  I was fascinated by this.

What was he doing?

Wasn’t he afraid of falling? Was he?

Would he go back down the tree or keep going up?

Well, finally he went to the tip-top of one tree and THEN onto the tiniest branch so that he could JUMP to the other tree.

He met-up with another squirrel and then went on pass him or her (who knows) to ENJOY the ADVENTURE of climbing up and down the trees and JUMPING from branch to branch and tree to tree.

These were VERY tall trees.  

It was fascinating.

Suppose We Lived Our Lives Like That Little Squirrel…

Maybe you are afraid to go further than you’ve ever gone before.

Maybe you hesitate as you get out of your comfort zone, or the ground for the squirrel, but you venture on.

Once you get your balance in the new place, you then venture on.

You go up to the top (reach your goal)  BUT even then you don’t STOP the adventure you venture OUT on the slimmest of limbs (the unknown – new heights) and you FIND another tree, another adventure, another passion, another friend, another love,  another life – because you AREN’T afraid to leave the familiar ground that you are used to…time and time again…you venture on.

You Let Go of What Is to Let Come What Could Be

I just watched that little squirrel and thought about writing this post.

My Picture of The Trees Near the Labyrinth – The Squirrel is Gone

Then I thought I NEEDED a picture.

I walked to my car, got my phone and used that camera to take a picture of the squirrel.

Of course he/she was long gone (on another adventure — remember) nowhere to be found.

I took the picture of the trees he/she was climbing.

WE CAN BE LIKE THAT LITTLE SQUIRREL

 Sometimes you have to go out on a limb…isn’t that where the fruit is?

(That’s a Will Rogers’ quote by the way).  I wonder if I will be able to quote others on my blog or if that will be off-limits as well???   I’m sure I’ll be thinking about intellectual property matters for a while.  I guess my thought has been that there is really only one “intelligence” from which all things come, so how could someone claim true ownership when it just came through them, but it’s not really theirs, it belongs to the universe.  Well, okay, I guess they did co-create it, so they have some ownership to it.  Certainly from a commercial  and legal standpoint I get it.  Everyone needs to make a living!

Increasing Your Energy - NOT Losing Weight

It’s a New Year…again…a New Year

Most people go into EVERY new year with the same “resolution” – Lose Weight

What happens?  It doesn’t work.  They DON’T lose weight.

Why Not? Because they try stuff other people tell them to try.

So, you shouldn’t really think that anyone can tell YOU what to do to “lose weight”.  I can’t and no one else can either. 

What I can tell you is how to increase the energy flowing into your body.

If you can change the focus from “losing” something to “gaining” something the entire “game” changes.  You know the game that  I’m talking about – it tells you that you have to go on crash diets, join a gym, take a pill, get a shot, etc, etc, etc, and most importantly “how you can lose weight in one month that has taken you YEARS to gain”  This does not work, but we all know this, so … 

Just Focus on Increasing Your Energy  –  

Below are 3 Ways:

1. Breathing

You have to focus on the “health” of your breath.  

You have to breathe. You have to find ways to increase the air coming into your body.  

Ways to do this:

• Just watch your breath, breathe in and breathe out and focus on it.  (Try it now, it’s not easy, so you have to practice it.)  Without breathing you die…so it MUST be important.
• Do Yoga and I am NOT talking about Yoga CLASSES (why would you pay money for something you can do at home???) just get a DVD from the Library and try it. Times are tough, getting stuff from the Library is FREE.  You might have to do some research first because it seems to be a MILLION “types” of Yoga that have sprung up (whew…the commercialization of it all…).  Find the Yoga that makes the most sense to YOU.  My spirit lines up with Kundalini Yoga, but that’s only after trial and error. Yoga will help you focus on your breath and it will help you with flexibility at the same time.
• Walk – Just Walk.  If you CAN still walk, then WALK.  If you can not get up and walk around the block or just around your house or apartment then WHAT makes you think you can get up and go to the gym – for which you have to pay for? Just walk everyday and focus on your breath while you are walking. Again this is FREE. 

2. Sleeping

• Getting restorative sleep should give you the energy for the next day
• Find ways to get enough rest that revitalizes you.

3. Eating

• You are a human being.  You have to eat to live.  You can’t get around this.
• Food gives your body the nourishment and energy that it needs to do whatever your body is meant to do – for the moment – for the day –  for your lifetime.
• You have to find the foods that YOUR body needs.  You have to focus on food that provides the energy that YOU need.  Look at the food you are putting  into your body, BEFORE you eat it.  Will it give you proper energy?  Is it nourishing?  

I would have thought I would have been the LAST person to recommend meal preparation and cooking, but once I started focusing on cooking my own meals things fell into place.  

Forget about the fact that you can’t cook.  Don’t believe that voice in your head that is telling you that.  Just cook what you CAN for now.  Even if all you can do is boil eggs, then boil eggs.  Just start. 

That’s it – BREATH, SLEEP, EAT to increase your energy level  – don’t struggle with it – ENJOY IT!

The Sky, The Birds, and The Trees

Do you want to be happy everyday of your life?

1. Look up at the Sky.

When you are walking outside or even driving your car look up at the sky.  The sky is different EVERYDAY.

It is an amazing sight to see when you study it.

The clouds, the formation of clouds, the different shapes of clouds, the different colors of the clouds.  The blue color that is ALWAYS behind the clouds…no matter the number of clouds…that blue is ALWAYS behind the clouds.

Like your life…no matter the circumstances (good or bad depending on your perspective)…there is ALWAYS stability behind your daily life ups and downs…weather you realize it or not.

2. Watch the Birds.

Watch their behavior.  Listen to their songs. Watch them take flight.  Watch them watching you. And oh my…if you are as blessed as I have felt over the last several months…watch the eagles fly high in the sky. You are in for such a treat it will take your breath away.

Imagine if you lived your life-like an eagle in flight in the sky.

Soaring high, effortlessly, soaring through life not flailing and flapping your wings to fly…just soaring.

3. Notice ALL the Trees.

They are living.  They stand tall.  Their limbs sway in the wind.  Their roots go deep and wide.  They just stand.  They watch.  They know.

And oh, the trees that are “dead” are so fascinating.  They are “dead” but STILL standing.  They are “dead” but STILL have character.  They are “dead” but STILL speak.

Books can not hold the lessons you will learn first-hand by looking at the trees. They change when the season’s change, they stand tall through the storms, and they are steadfast.

Have you ever thought of living your life that way…being okay with change – embracing it, not fighting it…standing tall through the storms of life…and being steadfast in your convictions, values and relationships.

So, today, tomorrow and the next day

Look up at the sky (really look at it),

Watch the birds (listen and look at them), and

Notice the trees (both the ones that are alive and “dead”)

You will discover the in Awe and Wonder of Nature – Life

Monte - Featured for January 2013

“There is only one better thing than music – live music.”

-Jacek Bukowski 

Beginning in 2013 somewhere in the world, people will be able to enjoy Monte performing live music using the Handpan.   Only Monte will be able to play the Handpan the way Monte will play it, no one else will be able to do that in the ENTIRE world.

Monte contacted me by email after finding the post entitled Pots & Pans, Hands & Soul . You can check out his blog and keep up with him at HeHappyThere.com

Dawn of a New Day

Monte is our featured Just Quit = Letting Go Folk for January 2013.

He’s decided to Let Go of “what is” to Let Come “the life that wants to live through him”.

It is not an easy task to be true to yourself.  You have to get past the voices in your head and the voices of others telling you that you’ve lost your mind.  As Monte puts it in his blog  you have to deal with people asking you why you are “throwing it all away”?

The beauty of it all is that folks like Monte are taking the challenge to live life fearlessly.

To go on their adventure, to live life on their own terms and to experience the joy of expressing the creativity that lives within.

It takes courage to live the life that is meant for you to live.

Congratulations Monte and Keep Us Posted at Just Quit = Letting Go!

Please feel free to contact me if you too have figured out that you need to let go of living someone else’s life and have the courage to listen to your heart and do what you need to do…Let Go (of what is) and Let Come (the life that could be)

 

 

 

Just Quit Trying to Fix Someone Else's Life

“Helping, fixing, and serving represent three different ways of seeing life. When you help, you see life as weak. when you fix, you see life as broken. When you serve, you see life as whole. Fixing and helping may be the work of the ego, and service the work of the soul.”  ~ Rachel Naomi Remen

It’s hard not to try to “fix” someone’s life that you love, especially if it’s your child, and it doesn’t matter if they are “grown” to the world or to themselves, you still see them as YOUR child.

Over the holidays I was keenly reminded that you can’t “fix” someone else’s life.  You have to let go of trying to force fit your idea of what they should do, and how they should live.

Now, you can tell them how you feel (because no one can argue with your feelings), but that’s about it.  They have to “fix” it for themselves, because it’s their life to live how they choose, and guess what… they might not think their life  needs fixing.

How this lesson came home to me over the holidays: Trying to Fix my Son’s Toilet.

Let Go of “Fixing” Other Peoples’ Lives

The moment I walked in his house I noticed all the things I needed to do to clean it up/fix.

One of the things on “my”list was the toilet that was continuing to run.

I went to Lowe’s and brought what I need to “fix” the toilet.

Now, mind you I’ve NEVER tried to fix a running toilet before.  I don’t know what made me think I could fix my son’s.  I’ve never even fixed my own, but I was not afraid to try to fix his.

Needless to say it was NOT an easy task.  I fixed one issue and another one sprung up  — with a leak here and there –that wasn’t there before I started.

Over the two weeks I was at his house, it basically boiled down to me praying to a higher power to help me fix the toilet.  I certainly did not want to create another problem for him to deal with.

The morning that I was leaving town, the toilet issue was about the same or WORSE before I’d come to town.

My son came in from work and I showed him the issues with the toilet.

Now, in all of this time – 10 days or so – I’d been worrying about and trying to fix this toilet.

My son calmly walked over to look at the toilet.  He talked it through (maybe this needed to be tighten, or adjusted here or there) and he worked on it for about 15 minutes.

Guess what….for the most part he’d fixed his own toilet.

I realized that I can not “fix” his life how I think it should/could be anymore than I could “fix” his toilet.

Lesson:  Let Go of Trying to “Fix” Other People’s Lives – Maybe To Them It’s Not Broken

 

Live Your Life As If It Were A Work of Art

Below are the pieces that folks purchased during the NoDa All Arts Market this weekend:

BE

This is Your Year

 

Purple Idea Jar

 Purple Idea Jar – 1st Purchase of my new creation!!!

 

Getting Burned

I heard a country song with similar words to the above and just turned the concept into an art piece.  This was purchased by a lady for her step-daughter. I guess who had been hurt by someone.  She was going to give it to her for Christmas.  She said it would be the talk of Christmas Day…imagine that!

Be a Woman

I absolutely love this quote.  It sold quickly and I knew that it would.  I’ll make more of these, because if more women thought like this they would always be happy with themselves – they’d look their best, be their best and not keep looking outside of themselves to be fulfilled.

Golden Day

One day I heard the Jill Scott song…Living My Life Like It’s Golden.  It stuck in my head.  When I sat at the craft table it was still in my head.  I had found a pot of gold  piece at TJ Maxx and just married the two on one sign.

When the lady brought it I told her what had inspired the piece and she said that she was buying it because she loved that Jill Scott song.  Cool!

 

No Matter What

This was purchased by a daughter to give to her mother for Christmas. She told her friend that was with her that she wanted her mom to know that even when she didn’t call her, or was mad at her that she loved her.

That’s priceless to me, because as  a mother I know that this mom will keep this piece on her refrigerator or take it into work and be reminded that her daughter loves her.

Orange Idea Jar

I had forgotten that at one point I took a picture of the Idea Jar with all the component parts.  This picture is a little blurry.  I also added a booklet to go with the whole concept so folks could use it to take notes.  The slips of paper are for the best of the best ideas.

This jar was purchased by this gentleman who came back after looking around the craft show. We had talked about the concept of the jar (don’t keep your ideas bottled up inside of yourself or the jar – pursue them or give them away).  Because I only take cash when he came back for his purchase he told me that he had sacrificed buying a drink to be able to afford to have enough money to buy his Idea Jar.  That was funny to me!

 

Pink Idea Jar

I had touched up some of the white paint around the edges since this picture was taken. It was purchased by a lady for her sister who is in college in Ohio I think she said.

Change and Growth

I love this one  and REALLY did not want to sell it.

It took me awhile to make it.  I kept working on the tree, the flowers and the sky over a period of time. Something about it just made me feel good working on it, looking at it and I love the quote.

A lady picked it up, put it back, then she walked away. I was thinking…thank goodness because I really didn’t want to sell it.  Then she came back and said that it fit with what was happening in her life right now and it would be a good reminder.

When you create art it is like birthing a child, and then having to give it away. It’s great when you know that someone else is appreciating what has come through you and that you are helping someone get through periods of their life.

I guess I can try to duplicate this piece, but like life and this blog you have to learn to let go. Sometimes it is “letting go”, so others can “let come” something to be birthed inside of them and in the universe. Who knows how much this little piece will help that lady who purchased it or where the piece will end up? Who knows?

Even when you really want to hold on and keep something…just be okay with letting it go… and letting things happen that you might never find out about.

 

Sailboat -First Painting…No Wordburning..Just Painting

 

 

Follow Your Bliss

Follow Your Bliss – Joseph Campbell.  This lady walked up to my booth like she was at home.  I sort of recognized her, but I’ve done quite a bit of shows over the year and have met a lot of people.  She read almost every sign.  She then told me that she loved my work and that she already had several of my other pieces from other craft shows all over her house.  She said she thought my booth was the best of them all!   Making people smile, making them happy, encouraging them, how do you beat that?

End Of Your Comfort Zone

Same lady who brought – Follow Your Bliss – brought the above.

 

Red Idea Jar

Purchased by young girl who brought it for her grandmother.  I talked to the young girl and her mom for a while about the concept and the young girl was so excited to be spending her own money for the purchase.

Business Card Holder. This was not for sale.   I had painted this wooden miniature bench and used it for my business cards.  The mother who was with her daughter that brought the above Red Idea Jar asked me for my business card.  I told her where she could find it and she wanted to know if I would sell her the bench so she could use it for her business cards. She was a crafter and made jewelry and she wanted something unique for her cards.

I hesitated a little and thought well I’d originally made it to sell, but had started putting my cards in it because it was a perfect fit…so it was okay…I just snapped a quick picture where I was painting coasters at the show, just in case I want to make another one for me or others.

I want to make more of these. There are just certain pieces that I know I want to make more of with various designs. Just to communicate a message to permeate my little corner of the world.  This is one of those pieces.

Life is Like Art

Half of the fun of setting up a booth at these craft shows are the people you meet.

I just love watching people, their interactions and the moments that are shared.

A lady came up and picked up the above piece.  She told me that she liked it and then she put it back down.

I’ve learned that with art – either people want it or they don’t – it speaks to them or it doesn’t –  so I can’t figure out how or why I would try to “sell it”…just let people “buy it” if they want it.

She then picked it up again, put it back and walked away.

I didn’t know at the time that she didn’t have any cash on her.  About five minutes later her and her sister came back  and her sister brought it for her.  You can’t beat that moment!  It was a joy to see and to experience.  I was almost in tears!

 

Think Big

 

Greatest Achievements

I’ve had both of these pieces for a while.  The same lady brought them.  Again it’s just about what resonates with folks at the time they see the piece.

Creative Center

A lady who ran an after-school program teaching young adults about being creative came up to my booth. Of course I didn’t know about all of that at the time. She only had $4, not the $5 which is the cost of most of my pieces.  She meekly asked if I would take the $4. I knew that was all that she had because I had several folks at my booth and I saw her holding the piece for a while.  I just kindof felt she wanted to speak with me after everyone had gone. When she asked me about the $1 discount I told her there was no cost for the piece. It was now more about supporting a cause and someone else’s dream.

I just hope the piece inspires some kid somewhere.

I know when I made it I kept re-working it and adding more color and wood burned dots.

Maybe some kid will get the point of this piece:

• THEIR Creative Center IS THERE, but they have to look for it.
• THEIR Creative Center  is their very own no one else’s.  Sometimes they will miss the mark, but they have to keep looking for it.
• They will have to go deep and when  they discover it, it will be like all the color red in the piece…a burning point that will be ignited within and they will start to co-create with whoever and whatever the creator means to them…and they will  create something uniquely beautiful to give to the world.

Now…it’s time to find YOUR creative center…do what is inside of you to do…TODAY…and live your life like it is a beautiful piece of art…because …it is!

How Do You Feel Today?

When you learn to let go to let come you won’t “feel good” right way.

In time you will feel good and see things in a new way and be able to sleep in peace.

Your current world, will be the old world. 

There will be a new dawn, a new day and a new life…let it come…

don’t wait for the new year to begin…

start today to learn the benefits of letting go of the old for the new to come into your life.