a jar of possibilities & chance...

I had an idea.
An idea that is giving me
the butterflies
in my belly.
I have been
thinking about it
all day.
I am excited about it.

This is a good feeling.

3 jars.
1 jar of challenges
(this includes things like
drawing, core exercises, trying new recipes,
capturing sunsets)
1 jar of time frames
(this includes slips of paper
that say 5 days or 7 days or 30 days
or even one that says
ONE YEAR)
(not gonna lie, I kinda hope I
don’t get core exercises for THAT one, heh)
1 jar of REWARDS
(cause you know I love
positive reinforcement)
(this includes stickers, socks, mr freezies, etc).

The game is
I pick one slip from each jar
and DO IT.
and if I do it for the full time frame,
I get the REWARD.
(did I mention positive reinforcement?)

I am super duper excited about this.

Here is my first challenge:

CHALLENGE: PHOTO - PERSPECTIVE
TIMEFRAME: A WEEK (this gives me leeway to choose if I want to do it for 5 days or 7 depending on how much fun I am having)
REWARD: SOCKS (& yes, new socks are soooo fun!)

then I will pick a place
to share the results…
probably Instagram; maybe Facebook;
possibly here sometimes…

and here’s the first one!

for me, perspective as a photo challenge
is all about changing the angle
that I would normally look at something from…
getting a new perspective.

I am super excited about this.
I feel like it is the perfect way
to push me out of my little
creative rut.

Feel free to play along!
or give me suggestions for
challenges….or rewards…
(cause…positive reinforcement….heh)

sponge.

I don’t know if I am going
through a bit of a cycle of some sort
but I feel like a thirsty, dry sponge
who just can’t get enough
of everything…
books
movies
music
real conversations
podcasts
interviews
documentaries
blogs
articles
nature
I just want to
keep absorbing
and connecting
and feeding the sponge monster
who is gobbling it up
and then saying
more…
give me MORE.

things are resonating
and clicking
and whirring like gears
and click-clacky clockwork…

i like this feeling.

the truth is
i am going to try to come
back to the blog more…
for no other reason
other than it is has always proven
to be a source of creativity for me.

i may, however, not always share the
link to new posts on other social media.
i haven’t decided that yet.
when i first started this blog,
it was a bit of a secret club
and mostly, i was the only member. :)
and while i have enjoyed sharing it,
i also catch myself censoring myself on it now…
because…it feels…different
to be so open and
it feels…
scary
sometimes.

though sometimes
i think why do i let it scare me.
why is it hard to be open,
to be vulnerable…
to let go.

but whatever i decide,
you know where to find me
if you are interested in seeing
what muddled thoughts are being shared
over here. :)

happy saturday!!
we are almost all the way
through january….
spring is just a hop-skip-and-a-jump away!
:)

tuesday truths...you know...the posts where i overshare & get too wordy...heh...

The truth is that
after days and days
of not being able to come
to the page,
to any page,
virtual or paper…
I am suddenly
on fire with
wanting to
write and document,
note and number,
doodle and draw,
plan and pretend and
scheme…

I am hyped about
Inktober
and planning a
2nd annual pumpkin carving day…
I am driving dirt roads,
listening to music
I forgot that I loved,
making connections
with friends that I have missed
and redecorating my deck
with pumpkins and
purple flowers.

I feel alive and
almost humming with
excitement
like a power line
on the edge of spontaneous combustion….
and while that sounds
dangerous
it’s also
exhilarating.

I’ll ride it out while it lasts.
Winter hibernation
will set in soon enough….
♥

sometimes you just do what you gotta do....

Something has been a little off
with me lately…
and I kept waiting for it to pass
but it’s not.

I feel
a little
loose around the edges,
lost…frayed…
blurry and out of focus.

I am not making to do lists,
I am not getting anything done….
but I am definitely
watching too much tv…
this does not make me happy.

At the end of the work day,
I seem to be struggling
with what to do next…
decisions are always hard for me.
But lately, I feel like I am just
flittering around
never landing on anything
for any amount of time
until I sit down to watch a show….
and that happens too fast and
too frequently.

So.
I made myself a
Jar of Inspiration.
Now, when the work day ends,
if I don’t have a definite plan,
I will pull something from the jar
and do that…
and see where it goes…

The list includes things like:
draw
read
yoga
meditate
dance party
color
make a card
try origami
watercolors
edit
online course
vacuum
random toy photo session
go for a walk
bubble bath
blog

AND
no turning the TV on before
8 PM…

I’m kinda excited about this.
:)

where have i been when i haven't been here....

honestly….i am not sure.

i guess we had a late spring
and now that it’s warming up out
i
just
want
to
be
outside…
all the damn time.

i have been cutting the grass
(with the new-to-me lawn mower that I bought all by myself)
and picking at yardwork…
taking the dog for long walks on trails
i have never been down before….
eating sundaes, watching sunsets, reading books on the deck.

i have done a little exploring,
taken some photos but didn’t feel like uploading anything until tonight…

i feel like creatively
i have been stalled…i just wasn’t feeling it….
which i don’t really panic about anymore
because i know it will come back,
it always comes back.

and sure enough, tonight
i found myself getting excited about editing the
photos that have been on my camera for too long…
i am thinking about pulling out the watercolors,
about how to build a giant cardboard castle in my backyard,
wondering if i could do a kid’s art class on saturdays,
thinking about how to build mushrooms and
trying to remember where i put the plans for the robot?

i knew it would come back.
it always comes back.
:)