on roller skates and feeling forever young

TITLE: Forever Young. Prints available in my etsy shop

There's a HUGE part of me that just wants to curl up and hide whenever I face left-brained activities like time management, planning and organization. I've been calling all of that stuff work, so of course it becomes work, even though the task-master side of me thrives on it all and feels like such an achiever each time something gets crossed off the to-do list.

I'm finding I have to make this "work" fun or I get burned out. So, I decided to make some change and now write my to-do list beside my kiddie pool, or trade working on researching licensing for writing positive notes on paper and sticking them in spots along the bike path for people to find. I'm much more excited by the second task, and if I have something like that to look forward to, I don't mind making time for the other stuff.

A few years ago, I went out roller skating and had a ton of  fun! Afterward I told myself I would go skating more often because it made me so happy! Of course I haven't gone again, and now I'm realizing those are the moments I want more of in my life. Those are the things that make me really feel happy and free. I literally pencil yoga, journaling and hikes into my schedule. Now, I'm going to start doing that for other fun things too, like my remembered love for roller skating and dancing!

This book, CREATIVE TIME and SPACE, has been helping me along too. It's really been inspiring to read about the lives of other artists and learn how they manage the creative with the business and still find time to be doing what they love in the studio. I definitely recommend it, especially if you're seeking life balance. And the artwork inside is just brilliant!

TITLE: Forever Young. The Original Mixed Media Painting is available in my etsy shop.

I was inspired to create this painting FOREVER YOUNG to express the happiness I feel when I let go of all of the expectations I've set for myself and make time for the things I LOVE, knowing the joy and freedom they bring. In the background, I pasted clippings from stories and poems I'd written on graph paper, copies of my favorite paintings, and cards I'd received from best friends. Anything that really makes me smile and feel FOREVER YOUNG. 

I layered on my polka dot stencil that I'd made using a hole-punch and spray painted the patterned background. Then, I added vintage wallpaper, featuring a strong and courageous lion, for the girl's dress. I added all sorts of other things from my studio-ink, acrylics, watercolor, origami paper, pastel, spray paint, and pencil. Once I glued on her belt, I knew the flower at the center was a theme and since flowers bring me so much joy, I thought she would of course be tracking down that same thing. So I added the second flower in the sky. Like a firefly, it represents to me the happiness and joy I seek out and find in the universe.