Random Acts of Art

I'm still creating little random acts of art to leave around my workplace. I don't always remember to document or photograph them since I'm usually too excited about "planting" them where they can be happened upon. On this particular day I did remember to snap a quick pic before setting out on my mission. My favorite part of the endeavor is retracing my steps the following day and knowing that they have been found by someone. I just love it when they are no longer where I left them!

I realize why leaving random acts of art makes me so happy. It's because I love synchronicity and this is my way of contributing to that. I like to think of it as me and the universe working together to deliver the right message to the right person at exactly the time they need it the most.

It's also a fun way to spread the love and that's why we're here, right?

xoxo

The Secret to Success in all Things

The secret to success in all things. That's a lot to deliver, right?

This little altered board book is going to do just that.

Are you ready?

There you have it. Work diligently, patiently, and persistently and you're bound to be successful. Easy peasy, right? It's pretty simple when you think about it.

The trouble is that working diligently, patiently, and persistently is pretty tough in a world where faster is usually better and so much is measured in terms of speed and ease. Modern living has made the click of a button or mouse the standard by which we expect all things can and should be accomplished.

Diligently, patiently, and persistently takes time. Lots of time. Painting this little book took a lot of time. There were moments when I felt like it was taking more time than it could possibly be worth.

For me, the process of making art is incredibly slow. I wonder how so many artists can be so prolific. So successful. Now I think I know. They work diligently, patiently and persistently. We don't necessarily see that. We only see the result of that.

Work diligently.

Diligently.

Work patiently and persistently.

 Patiently and persistently.

And you're bound to be successful.

Bound to be successful.

Keep it moving!

The Secret to Getting Things Done

Here's some advice we can all use in our lives, right?

Are you ready to know what it is?

Cliche? Yes!

Effective? Try it and find out for yourself.

You may have noticed that the advice starts and ends with "keep it moving." That's a favorite mantra of mine that I picked up from a former co-worker. You can apply those three little words to every aspect of your life--physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually. It doesn't matter where you are as long as you keep moving forward. I think that just might boil down to be the simple purpose of life besides the most effective way to get things done.

This altered board book probably could have just contained that one phrase. But hey! I had a bunch of pages to fill to I paraphrased in as many ways as I could to really make the point.

Keep it moving! That's all you really need to remember.

Don't look back...just keep it moving.

xoxo

Think Good Thoughts

Think. Good. Thoughts.

This, my friends, is the secret to...well, everything.

Simple, right? You bet! Easy to do? Not so much.

That's why I put these words in a frame right on my desk. To remind myself to keep an eye on my thoughts. Good thoughts are good. Negative thoughts are not good.

Think good thoughts.

What do you do to remember this simple, but important, concept?

Happy Valentine's Day

Our Purpose

Illustrating quotes is one of my favorite things to do. So when Lesley Riley put out a call for submissions for a book called Quotes Illustrated: 100 Works of Art Inspired by Words, I answered the call. And guess what? The quote above will be published in the book!

I can hardly wait to check out all the quotes and artwork in the book.

If you want to check it out too, Quotes Illustrated can be purchased from Amazon or directly from CreateSpace.

Give Thanks

Good advice any day--but especially today. Wishing all my friends in the US a very Happy Thanksgiving!

An Adventure So Big It Needed Its Own Journal

Last month I went on a grand adventure to visit my daughter in Bangkok, Thailand. Even though she’s been living in Thailand for over a year, it was my first trip there. (or anywhere, for that matter.) 
 

 

Before I left, I made a journal and filled it with a variety of papers and bound it with a long stitch binding.

The image on the cover came from an old book I rescued from the landfill.

I packed a small bag of art supplies that included markers, glue sticks, a travel watercolor set, a burnisher, washi tape, a ruler, and a tiny pair of kid’s scissors which was confiscated by security on the way home. 

I journaled every single day and included whatever ephemera I accumulated or found while I was there. 

 

The more I wrote, the easier it became and the more I wanted to write. 

 

I did a good job of estimating and rationing the pages because I ended up filling the book without running out or having too many empty pages.

It truly was a grand adventure, and one that I can relive over and over whenever I page through my journal.

A Peek Inside My Journal

At the beginning of the year, I wrote about the journal I made from painted paper. I use this journal as a place to record my art-related activities and have been slowly filling it up with a lot of writing and bits of this and that. I love the look and feel of the painted paper, but sometimes writing on it can be a little tricky. I've had to experiment with a variety of pens and have to give the ink time to dry to avoid smears and blurs. Although I think most of it looks OK, it doesn't allow me to be as spontaneous and write as often as I'd like. Maybe I'll use a combination of painted and plain paper when I make the next one.