You Can't Be Creative If You're Hungry

Today is Chick Fil A Day.  I'm hugely conflicted about this.  The owner of the company has every right to his beliefs.  On the other hand, I don't want to support his agenda.  On the OTHER hand, CFA is the only fast food place I eat, so should I cut off my nose to spite my face (a/k/a cut off my nuggets to spite my beak?)  


Most CFA locations are independently owned & THOSE owner/managers may not agree with Dan Cathey's views....those people should not be punished for the narrow viewpoint of a man much removed from local stores.  


In our case, the CFA we go to most has hired/currently employs gays (& we suspect one transvestite, not being gossipy, just saying there is good reason to believe).  


Mainly, I think  we need to move on from this distraction & concentrate on the really important problems our country & our world are facing.  


Aren't we a LUCKY country that we can debate whether to boycott a restaurant??  There are many countries where children will go to bed hungry tonight, where many children will die from starvation.  And we're worried about whether to eat chicken or beef.........

Yarn A'Plenty

Time passes quickly.  We all know that.  We all are surprised by it's progression though.  Suddenly that cuddly baby is in grade school, reading their own books & refusing to hold  your hand in the parking lot.  We look up again & it's our daughter's first dance, we KNOW she's old enough yet when we're helping fix her hair & straighten the fancy dress we can't help but see her chubby cheeked smile covered in carrots & wonder, "where DID the time go?"  Our sons come home from a summer away at camp, their voices are deeper, their manner more man than boy.  How did that happen so quickly?


I had my own time collision today.  It's nearly August.  August is end of summer, back to school, almost football.  Rosh Hashanah lunches are already being planned, Chanukah vacations booked.  OH MY GAWSH!!  There's a Deluxe Indie Craft Show in December!  That's just around the corner.


And my cupboard is pretty bare.


So it's off to Hobby Lobby I go.  A treasure of bargains awaited.  Fibers on sale, all colors & texture.  Fun & flirty, warm & cozy, something for the man in your life, something for a baby soon to arrive. The creative itch must be scratched.  Watch carefully for THE CAT'S PAJAMAS will soon be stocked.


Patterns & projects & needles, OH MY!

CRICKETS

Work? Play? Craft! Create!

Theoretically writing a blog seems like a great idea.  In actuality, it's a habit I need to cultivate.

It's May.  We have a show in December.  Doing the math makes me panic.  I don't have any new work.  Well, DANG!!!

There is a large barrier I need to overcome.  For some reason it seems indulgent to work on my art/crafts.  I believe that feeling comes from enjoying the work, the process.....so if something is enjoyable it must not be work?  And therefore it MUST be play.  And if it's play.....you shouldn't be doing that till all the work is done.  And all the work is NEVER done.

So how best to turn my mindset around?  What must I do to convince myself that CREATING is my job, it's my work?  Any suggestions from other artists/crafters?

Oh The Irony Of It All

I love where I live.  Oklahoma City is a terrific metro area.  Friendly people, big city with a small town atmosphere, everyone knows everyone--or they know their aunt & Uncle John.  That said OKC lacks the continuing art/craft venues of many other big cities.  I dream of taking seminars & classes, joining crafting circles that provide an educational component.


Recently one of the on-line art sites I belong to began offering 3 weeks of free classes.  WoW!!! I was so excited.  I might not be able to travel to an exciting location or stay in a relaxing hotel, but I COULD learn new techniques & through modern technology, I could share with other artist/crafters.


The title of the series??  CREATING TIME
My problem?  I have no time to participate.


Oh the irony of it all.  The one class I need the most arrives in my life during one of the busiest weeks of the year.


Yet I know I really NEED this so I'm going to do my best to carve out a moment or two -- why, I guess I'm going to CREATE TIME.

Taking a Meandering Path

One of my favorite times to pick up my knitting is during stress.  Nerves & worries focus my mind on the task at hand  (in hand?) and I am able to rest my brain as long as the knit purl cycle continues.


This week our family experienced a couple of days that challenge patience & cause us to wonder "what if?"  I'm happy to say that everything has worked out fine & we're back to our routine.


Today while I was working on my most recent knitting project, begun the morning of our mini-crisis, I noticed that the self-striping yarn was creating a meandering path through the glittery copper & rich purple.  The more rows I finished the more the path became distinct & beautiful.  It wasn't what I planned, yet the more I worked the more comfortable I became with the emerging pattern.


My week has been like that wandering yarn pattern:  begun in straight, planned rows then curving & taking me to the edge of beauty and bringing me back to center again.  All the while remaining ordered & controlled.


Trust in the knitting -- it will guide you in life.

The Only Place to Begin is at the Beginning

Funny how one afternoon visit to Hobby Lobby can land you on a place called "blogspot".


The Hubs & I made a Saturday tour of the local Hobby Lobby.  I was looking for Scherenscnitte books, he was picking up glass for a stained glass project.  I stopped at the craft magazine rack.  That's always an expensive stop for me.  This time it lead to something completely new. . . .
Cloth Paper Scissors most recent issue came home with me, yada yada yada --blogging.


I promised myself to be brave & try new things so here I am at the beginning of something new.  Promise kept.  Well, for today anyway.


I look forward to this journey & I hope you'll come along with me.  We'll talk of art & dogs, cats & this person who loves them, crafts & the frustration that comes with not always fitting in.  I hope we share our work & ideas & fun & interests.


Don't be shy -- jump right in.