Try it or trash it

Yesterday I read a blogpost by Jen Morris on her website Jen Morris Creative entitled What I'm reading this year: 17 books in 2017.  She realized that she has many inspirational books sitting unread on her shelves and she is aiming to do something about that. It inspired me. Thanks, Jen. 

My bookshelf before the challenge

As a librarian I have always said that books need to earn their places on the shelves. They don't get to be there just because they are paper bound together into book form. They don't get to be there because someone sweat over each word, each illustration and some editor pulled out hair trying to convince that author not to use a semicolon 15 times on one page. They don't get to be there because they were donated by the principal's aunt or a favorite of hers from childhood. Even MY favorite childhood books have not been exempt from my scrutiny. 

No, to earn a place, and keep it, a book must be useful, used and relevant. If not, sayonara. Becoming a librarian made me much less romantic about books. I'll guard them from censorship and use my own money to buy them for kids. But, dare I say it, they are not sacred just because they are books. 

Content, my friends. Content keeps them on the shelves. 

My book shelf after turning the books upside down. I hope to be able to turn them right side up again soon. Don't count on it, but I do hope. 

Never more than in my own home must this be true. I look at my shelves of art techniques and shake my head. So many techniques, all untried. So I have declared, rather hastily I might add, that in 2017 I will conquer this shelf. Each book has been taken off the shelf and turned upside down. Each will only earn it's place back on the shelf if I have read a chapter or tried a technique. Going so far as to say they will be thoroughly explored is going a bit overboard. 

I hope to be able to report positively on my progress through this self imposed challenge. 

Do you have a stack of books you need to get through? What kind of books are in your pile? 

Check out Jen's list of books she is going to read this year. There are some that sound very interesting. Now where is that Barnes & Noble gift card? 

Average No More

Life changing events are not always large. They can be small, seemingly insignificant things that would have no effect on others. They can be something another would forget within the hour. 

In High School I found out that my GPA was in the middle of my class. I don't mean approximately. 

Smack dab in the middle

As in I was the average student. With an odd number of students in my class I could not even cry that it was the other middle who was actually the average one. Add to that blow hearing that the guidance counselors had used my standardized test (was it the Idaho or Iowa back then?) to show all the guidance counselors how to interpret the data. 

The shame. 

I had always been a kid who followed the beat of my own heart. I wasn't following a drummer, after all. A dear friend at the time sighed when she heard this factoid of information. She intimated that my life would be plagued by the need to prove myself NOT AVERAGE. At the time I didn't necessarily agree with her assertion, but reflection does indicate that she was prophetic. 

Haunted by the fear of being average, I have challenged myself, pushed through and done things that looking back, I can't believe were possible for me. Still, the fear remained, always taunting me with the fact that accolades have not been forthcoming and comparing myself to my contemporaries. What in the world do I have to show for myself?

Yesterday in a flash of inspiration I found my answer. I have to change my thinking. No longer will I repeat those words in my head 

"You are average." 

From Yesterday those words have been replace by something so much better. 

"You are archetypal."

"You are the prototype."

"You are universal consciousness."

My daughter's kind voice added:

"You are a classic."

I am not average. Those who know me best would tend to agree, I think. I am wonderfully unique. The word that has plagued me all these years has lost its power. I am archetypal. I will have the last word. 

Bloom Where You Are and Let the Seeds Carry You Far...

My variation on Bloom Where You are Planted. Bloom and then bloom again where the seeds take you. Allow yourself the happy happenstance of enjoying new vistas, new horizons. Bloom where you land and allow yourself to keep on moving and blooming. 

It's been a weird week here. More about that in the next post. Let's just say that things did not go as planned, but there is learning and love everywhere you go. 

I wish you a week full of unexpected blessings and meaningful lessons. I hope it is full of joy.

What do you do when things don't go as planned? Do you roll with it? Do you embrace it? Do you fight it tooth and nail? 

Resting - Self Care Saturday

Today I allowed myself to sleep late, laze about and recharge. Lately I've been driving so much the car feels like an extension of my body. Last Saturday I vowed I would not get in my car and I did not. What a great feeling that was! This week I decided that I would do that again. 

So this Self Care Saturday is all about not pushing, not forcing, not allowing the voices of doubt tell me that I should be doing something when I knew full well that I needed to rest. 

Tomorrow I will drive. I will push. I will rise to the occasion. Today…today is for me. 

Sand instead of Stamping and Printing this Sunday

Sundays is the day I've been posting my stamping and printing lately. Today I threw it all over and went to the beach. I certainly left my mark there, however. 

We made flower and sea drift mandalas on the beach. Inspired by photos I've seen of the mandalas others have made, I decided to give it a go. The process unfolded naturally, the tiny cherry blossoms were laying on the sidewalk just begging to be included. Each layer was lovely to behold, but more items beaconed. The final row of shells seemed just right.

It's funny how the creative process is like a road that leads itself. If only I could step out of my own way more often.

This week my creative focus has been on photography. It's natural to happen while taking a class. I'll leave you with one more double exposure from the beach. 

Yes or No - Your Choice - Self Care Saturday

Sometimes I say "Yes…" when I want to say "NO!" I'm guessing I'm not alone in this. Today my self care included saying no to the alarm, yes to my pillows, no to moving fast and yes to taking things at my own pace. I said no to the car. Yes to the kitchen. Generally I did what felt right. I cleaned because I wanted more order rather than cleaning up because it is messy. 

Attitude is a game changer. 

So I choose to pay more attention to what I really want to say and practice saying it. Kindly. Creatively.  

I also plan to practice being more creative with the way I respond. Friday I told a friend that yes, I had time for lunch if it could be half an hour later. Today I tried something similar. The results so far have been really positive. 

As this art journal page evolved I noticed little buds emerging from the background. They reminded me so much of Tokyo in June. The big patches reminded me of the Ajisai (Hydrangea) that blooms so gorgeously in the rainy season. There was a stretch on the Inokashira line where the sides of the train tracks were bursting with the flowers - blue, purple, pink and white. I used to ride back and forth just to see them. Around the same time the azaleas come forth with such loveliness it takes away your breath. I saw both of these flowers in my background. 

Do you struggle with saying what is in your heart? Do you wish you could say no? Are you true to yourself? How do you balance the greater good with your own good? 

I'd love to hear from you. 

Books, Books, Books - Self Care Saturday

Self Care Saturday is here and I don't have a page spread done to share. 

But hey, Self Care Saturday is about self care and I decided that pushing myself this late in the day to create a spread was going to end in a sad looking spread. 

So what do librarians do for fun? 

Here is a video for National Library Month that sums up why I love my job:

If this doesn't make you smile, I don't know what will.

Would it surprise you that today's self care included going to someone else's library, finding books to read over the vacation and then hitting up a Barnes and Noble? 

(I also slept in, had a great meal and took a nap!)