little post-it notes for the soul
Just watched shame researcher, Brené Brown, PhD, speaking at the Omega Institute in New York via live feed. Pretty cool. She spoke about similar things from her TED talk here. In today’s talk she shared some thoughts on our culture of “scarcity”, in which we wake up saying, “we didn’t get enough sleep,” and we go to bed saying “we didn’t get enough done.” Basically, telling ourselves that we aren’t enough all day long. She also spoke about letting go of exhaustion as a status symbol. I find her genuineness and warmth to be rather comforting and her research on vulnerability to be uber-inspiring.
Brené Brown, PhD
| Photo credit: tracyclark.com/blog |
I remember years ago in my therapist’s office when my therapist mentioned shame to me. I looked at her completely blankly—my eyes glazed over. Of course I had heard that word many times, but didn’t really understand it. I had no idea what shame was but I knew good and well that it wasn’t my issue. (Ha!) How could it be when I had so many other issues to work on!?! Even after years of work, I still didn’t get it. But life eventually intervened and I finally got to explore my shame, thankfully.
put a bird on it
It seems that I can’t stop putting a bird on things (watch hilarious video here). I was asked to create some auctionable artwork with my daughter’s class for a school fundraiser. I made a diptych of painted and collaged birds and flowers. The two-year olds helped me place and glue all the little fabric flowers onto the stems I had already painted. This exercise was certainly like herding cats. Two-year olds have an amazing lack of understanding about what is up or down or here or there which made the finished pieces so much better. Adult minds are so limited by comparison. I made sure not to edit or correct their choices—they all put the hearts sideways and the flowers not on stems. It was awesome. I must try harder to let go of my understanding of pictorial space in my normal adult life! 🙂
we’re in a little museum show
- Art,
- Book,
- Creativity,
- Design,
- Family
So, I was asked about six months ago if my husband and I would like to be included in a show at the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art called Artists and Their Children. I thought it was nice that they included us. My husband is an artist too. We didn’t come up with a plan and just figured it would evolve. Which it has. And because this is a fun opportunity to showcase the beautiful mess that is our family’s creative life, I wanted it to just be playful. So for six months I silently curated the flotsam and jetsam of creative offerings that churn out of the day-to-day. Most things are not actual art objects but instead are creative solutions to homemade toys, which is to say—weapons. I think necessity is the mother of invention and if you don’t give your five year old a light saber he’s gonna make one himself.
Ode to the Apron
I am and always have been a huge fan of the apron. An apron says, “I am a maker of things.” An apron says, “I am working.” Put on an apron and you are automatically up to something good: welding, baking, pottery, painting, cooking, cobbling, carving, caning, canning, you name it. An apron speaks of industry and creativity…it says, “I am going to make a mess because I am creative, and yet I am thinking ahead and trying not to get this mess on my clothes.” I have always liked the idea of the person who walks around carrying an umbrella on the if-come of rain. I am not that person. I schlep usually under-dressed children around with me in the rain…not if-come umbrellas. But I like the idea that in wearing my apron I consummate that umbrella idea…because I have planned ahead. My clothes would-have been ruined…would-have been splattered…but they are not.