A Show of Hands: Write

I’m a big fan of the saying “Say it, forget it.  Write it, regret it.”  In today’s electronic age, words typed in anger or haste can be instantly immortalized by others.  Words are powerful.  When I write, I try to choose words of kindness, encouragement, and empowerment. Those are much more pleasant to read, and they’ll never come back to haunt me.

 

“Write”–Graphite

A Show of Hands: Call Me

It was wonderful to be disconnected from all of my electronic devices while I sailed the Caribbean for a week, but it was just as nice to get home and reconnect.

“Call Me”–Graphite, Watercolor, and Ink Pen

Out of the Box

I am a master planner.  I plan out my days, my chores, my vacations, and almost every aspect of my life.  Not only do I always have a plan, I also have a back-up plan, and another plan to back up my back-up plan.  Planning allows my inner control- freak to feel at peace.

I plan in my art, too.  I sketch everything in pencil first so that I can erase.  When I finally ink in a design, I photocopy it so I can try out different color schemes.  I like to be sure, rehearsed, certain.

Sometimes, however, life throws a curve ball and the best laid plans go off the rails.  When it’s something unexpected, I might not have a plan, let alone a back-up plan.

I am currently laid up with a swollen, injured knee.  This caught me by surprise.  I’ve been to three doctors, gone through two different prescriptions, x-rays, and an MRI.  I’m still facing six weeks of physical therapy.  It’s hard to plan when I don’t know what’s coming next.  Normally, I would be compensating for this lack of control by micro-managing other aspects of my life, but since I’m on this runaway train, I decided to go with it and create a piece with no planning.  I simply pulled colors out of the box and started creating.  When I was finished, I could see areas I would have handled differently.  In my regular planning phase, I would have corrected these mistakes.  I have to admit, for once, it was nice to just create—to let go—to not follow a plan.  As much as I wish I could control everything in my life, I know I can’t.  I’ll just have to learn to relax a little and every once in a while, paint right out of the box.

“Out of the Box”–Ink Pen and Colored Pencil