The Treadmill Desk

For my birthday last year, Honey gave me the practical gift that I wanted: a treadmill.  We had one years ago and it broke, and I've missed it ever since (although Honey did turn it into a wonderful addition to the homemade crusher/destemmer for the wine process, so it wasn't a total loss -- you can catch a glimpse of the cannibalized pieces in a video at the end of this post).  We live in the Pacific Northwest, so it's not always possible to go for long walks outside.  I love the treadmill and have used it nearly every day since it arrived.

Honey loves the treadmill, too, but was frustrated over the amount of time "wasted" by speed walking when there was real, computer-based work to do. And while I enjoy using my treadmill time as the part of the day when I get to watch tv or movies that may only appeal to one person in this household, the plain fact of the matter is that I, too, would love to multi-task.

The first time I heard about treadmill desks was several years ago on some NPR program.  I heard about them again in the past year, some workplace that provided desks so that their employees could stand and work while walking about 1mph.  Those of you who walk know that this is very slow.  Almost painfully slow, in my opinion, but I often hear complaints that I walk too quickly. Nevertheless, the idea, although not the picture (hazards of getting news from the radio) was implanted in my brain.  Honey liked the idea.  And Honey is a genius who can figure out how to build anything.  Seriously.

I give you: The Treadmill Desk!

It may look rough, but it's oh-so-useful!  And simple -- anyone with some wood scraps, ties (we used small bungees), a saw and a few screws can make this desk.  It's easily removable for the times that you want to just run and not work.

Materials:
1x3 (or 1x4) -- about 4' cut into four, 1' pieces (these were scraps we had from one of many projects)
1x12 -- about 2' long (this was left over from a bookshelf project)
2 ties (we used bungees)
8 wood screws
drill
saw

Measure your treadmill handrails, cut a half-circle into the 1x3 pieces, then attach to the 1x12 (two screws per desk "leg").

Drill two holes into the top of the desk and weave the ties through, attaching to the front rail (keeps things steady).

See it in action!

Honey discovered -- and I confirmed -- that it's possible to go up to 3mph with an incline of 6 and still work at a decent pace.  Got an hour's worth of e-mails to return? No problem -- that's three miles of exercise right there!  It may not be cardio, but the movement is a vast improvement over sitting, right?

I'm using this right now as I write this blog post!  My Honey has convinced me yet again that he can build anything.  Thanks, Honey!

Video: Crushing & Destemming Grapes, 2011 (warning, this is loud!)

Detoxing (in a way)

A few weeks ago I saw a very inspiring idea on Pinterest. (Okay, you got me -- every day I see inspiring ideas on Pinterest. It's just that this time I actually did something about it.)  DIY Wallflowers -- you know Wallflowers, the scented plug-ins you buy, they last a few weeks and your home smells incredible and then you have to plunk down another giant wad of cash to buy refills.  Living in an old home filled with old home smells encouraged me to buy a lot of Wallflowers -- one for just about every room of the house.  The house smelled great, but that was an expensive fix!  Then when I lost my job that was one of the expenses that we cut.  I used up the remainder of my house-smell-good stash and then carefully packed the warmer units away, knowing that eventually I would find a use for them.

The DIY Wallflowers idea beats buying refill plugs!  The problem with all of the good smells around the house was that I knew I was actually breathing in chemicals, which is not good for me or for the rest of the family.  Do I want to breathe in chemicals?  No, thank you!  So the idea of refilling the plug-ins with a mixture of water and essential oils was quite appealing.  But where to get essential oils for a reasonable price?

Enter Vitacost -- a website that has low prices on many healthcare and homecare products.  They carry Aura Cacia essential oils for a lower price than I've seen them elsewhere.  The nice thing about Vitacost is that if you get a referral from a friend, you get a $10 credit -- since I went this route I ended up with four bottles of essential oils for about $8 total (and that included shipping).  Not bad, eh?

So if you're interested in a referral, just let me know -- leave your e-mail in the comments section or send me an e-mail and I'll send you a referral.

Right now I have four plug-ins working in my house.  Lavender in the bathrooms and a mixture of mint, eucalyptus, and orange in the living room and kitchen.  I breathe in deeply and enjoy the scent knowing that I am no longer filling my nose with toxic chemicals.

(Oh yeah, and as you probably know, essential oils can be used in many ways. One of my future projects: homemade soap.)

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery

Ever since I was a little kid, I have dreamed of bring an artist.  The idea that I could have a vision of something beautiful in my mind's eye and be able to transfer that vision to paper or canvas was enthralling.  The only problem is that I can't seem to make my hands do what my eyes and mind see.

We have a wall paper mural in our living room.  It's 40 years old and I love it.

Yes, I love the 70s chandelier, too.

I think that one of the reasons why I love it is because we had a wallpaper mural in the house in which I grew up.  That wallpaper, too, was over 40 years old by the time we moved into the house in the 80s. It was a cherry tree and the branches stretched out over our couch and created a lovely scene.  We didn't quite realize how old the wallpaper was until we were watching an episode of I Love Lucy and noticed that Lucy & Desi had the same, exact wallpaper! (I couldn't find a picture, but an artist watched the same episode and painted a similar mural in her daughter's room.)  The wallpaper was filthy and old and my mother eventually removed it, but I truly did love it and was sad to see it go.

Fast forward to the present and my current situation, which is so reminiscent of the past.  I love this mural (although I thought it a bit odd when we moved in), but the problem is that the wallpaper is filthy.  That's what happens when kids grow up in a house, when wallpaper absorbs oils, when there's no real way to clean it.  When we moved in (nearly five years ago now), Honey remarked that it was filthy.  It would need to go.  But I begged and pleaded until we agreed that it could stay until I found a replacement.

I have not yet found a replacement.  There were large canvas paintings of flowers that I loved...but not $1500 of love.  There was a metal abstract art sculpture Honey loved...but the $800 price tag was daunting.  We've contemplated hiring a friend to paint a mural on the wall once we remove the wallpaper and replace it with proper wallboard, but then that brings up the question of what to paint as the mural.

I haven't found a solution yet.  But I discovered that even though I thought it would be easy to paint a version of this scene, it turns out I was mistaken.

Not quite...

Obviously, my painting skills needed work.  So I tried a tree.

Honey arrived home and found me frustrated.

"What's wrong?"

"I can't paint anything!"

I'm not sure why I'm surprised.  I've never had an art class (okay, I had Art for Teachers, but that doesn't really count because we never learned techniques).  Most people have to practice to become skilled, so why did I assume that I could just pick up a brush and have it work miracles?  Honey asked an important question: "What did you learn?"

I learned that I like little circle brushes.  I learned that I like painting foam board (instead of the paper I was using for these paintings) because it seems to dry quickly.  I learned that I need to be more patient with myself.

So instead of trying to paint the mural again, I decided to go for a tree in the four seasons, a concept that I love.  I found a beautiful work of art here, but again I don't have $365 to spend (although I'm sure it's worth it for something this pretty!), so I decided to try for something on my own.

I had a 20"x30" foam board (purchased at Michael's for $1) that I cut into four pieces.  I painted the background different shades for each season.

Using a pencil I then sketched a tree so that I would know where to paint a trunk and branches.

My new favorite type of brush -- a circle brush (I don't know if that's the proper term) -- came in useful after the tree and branches were created.  I used the circle brush to tap leaves into place on three of the four boards and then used it to put snowflakes on the winter board.

I don't know what to do with it, but I'm fairly pleased with how it turned out.  Now I have to find a way to make it more display-able -- maybe paint something like this on canvas so it's easier to hang?  I'm not sure if I trust myself painting on canvas, so last night I tried a tiny painting on a little 5"x7" canvas.

Honey asked, "What are you painting?"

"A tree...it's all I know how to paint...for now."

Day 18: If at first you don't succeed [scream, shout, pout, and then], try, try again

Day 18 of the Thirty Day Challenge is supposed to be all about one's biggest insecurity.  How is a person just supposed to pick one?  My dirty little secret is that I have many.  Ask my Honey, who knows and still puts up with me.  Of course I have the "normal" insecurities about weight, hair, shoe size.  Then I have a few more courtesy of all the years that I was the weirdo girl that few people liked -- usually these revolve around the fear of offending people, fear of awkward silences, fear of interaction, fear of rejection, fear of still being the weird girl few people like.  Still more insecurities are courtesy of Crazymaker: when anything is out of place in my house, it causes heartburn.  There is a reason why the house is vacuumed at least once a day (and no, it's not just because we have five furry babies).  So what am I supposed to choose?

The answer came today as I was trying to do a few art projects.  It's been a while, and so even though I have plenty of other things I should be doing, I decided to take some time for art.  This was an appropriate choice for the day because it showed to me that I still have a long way to go on my journey to creative recovery.

My first project for the day was to take these two cupboard doors that I bought at the Habitat store for $1 each and turn them into art.

The wonderful blogger at I'm a Mom, Not A Professional posted a great how-to on making silhouette art with contact paper for those of us who covet a Silhouette Machine and can't afford it.  Genius!  And I love cherry blossoms.  I took this idea and the dark cabinet and ran with it.

First of all, I must say it probably would've turned out better if my contact paper wasn't old and wrinkled.  Lesson #1 of the day.  Then I realized that this would still take plenty of time and patience because I needed to use an x-acto knife to cut this detailed picture.  Yikes!

I pressed the contact paper on, sprayed the door, used some sandpaper to distress the edges, and then pulled up the contact paper...only to find out that it wasn't laying completely flat (see Lesson #1 for the day) and so there are smudgy/blurry parts.  I was upset.

Confession: I love doing art projects, but I like feeling like there's a point/purpose/usefulness to the project.  That is part of the reason why I get so disappointed when things don't turn out.

I turned my sights to other art.  I found a pretty tree silhouette and a pretty picture of a girl sitting down and thought "I wonder if I could paint something like that with both images."  And so I tried:

The first time I tried, I didn't even make it to the image of the girl because I messed up on the tree trunk.

So I tried again.

While putting on the "finishing touches" I accidentally smudged it, tried to cover the smudge with a branch extension, and ended up being displeased with the whole result.

By this time, I was getting frustrated.  Honey at first didn't even want to talk with me because of my mood, but then I calmed down enough to hear reason.  Honey pointed out that art is supposed to be fun and relaxing, so if it's turning into a stress machine then I should leave it.  I've never taken art classes and have no idea how things are supposed to work, so I should chill.  Why do I need constant validation?  And it's okay to have things not turn out the way I want them to the first time ("Not so!" says my Guilt Monster, who likes to remind me that everything should have a purpose.  Go away, Guilt Monster!)  Most importantly, I should be doing projects because I like them, not because of what other people think.

That is when it hit me: I'm still stuck in my desperate and ridiculous need for approval.  My biggest insecurity: not being good enough.  And that is what drives me to do a bazillion things, work 20 hour days, forget how to say no and put up boundaries, and do all the other crazy things that I do.  It's in an effort to say "I'm valuable! What I do has worth! I'm good enough!" even when I don't feel that way.  Sad, I know, but true.  And something I'll try to fix because it's not a good way to live.

In the meantime, I tried the painting again.  A third time.  And while I am not entirely satisfied with it, I did discover that foam board makes a good and cheap "canvas" (Lesson #2) and that I need to stop trying to overdo it with trees (Lesson #3) and it's okay to not have everything be perfect (Lesson #4).

That's a lot of lessons!  I think it's time for a nap.

Colorful creativity

There are many things that I love in life. At the top of the list, or at least somewhere near the top, are bright colors, art, crafts, and things that are free. When I can combine all four of those things it is a very good day. Today was one of those days.

A few weeks ago, I worked on painting a piece of easy geometric art.  As I was painting, I thought "Surely there must be an easier way to get the same effect. I wonder what would happen if I used a bunch of paint swatches?" Unbeknownst to me at the time, that was the very same weekend that Jen at Life, Crafts, and Whatever had the exact same idea. And we weren't the only ones with this idea!  That weekend, Ellen at Creative Passage also decided to create paint chip wall art!  (Like I said earlier this year, life is full of synchronicity -- it never ceases to amaze me.)

I did not end up working on a paint chip wall art project that week because I needed supplies.  I went to Lowe's and picked out a bunch of paint chips in every color that interested me (and while my Guilt Monster tried to make me feel bad about this, I pointed out that the paint chips are being put to good use AND I need to be thinking about a new color for my bathroom, so this is acceptable -- right? So there, Guilt Monster!)

I've had the frame for a long time, a purchase I bought one day on clearance thinking that the poster I wanted to frame was 11"x17" (turns out it was 12"x18" -- whoops).  I also grabbed the ever-ready double-sided tape (my dear friend).

I used the paper in the frame as the mat on which to stick the paint chips:

Once I had a few started, I began staggering the chips, making sure to always cover the writing on the chips so it wouldn't distract from the colors.

Obviously Nora thought she could help. She chose colors by sitting on them.

It took me fewer than 20 minutes from start to finish.

The best part?  It didn't cost a thing!!

I am sharing this here:
The "newbie linky" party at Debbiedoos!

And...





A Little Lovely

If I had all the time in the world...

...I would learn to sew.  Properly.  I think.

For years, I refused to have anything to do with sewing or anything that could be evenly slightly, remotely related to something a seamstress might do.  Part of the reason for that was because when I was young, I was forced to take several years of sewing lessons.  These lessons included tips on how to make your own pastel-colored, gigantic-floral-patterned jumper, complete with matching 2" buttons running the length of said jumper.  The outfit looked something like this:

Imagine bigger.  More floral. With buttons. On someone well over three years of age.  Then try to imagine being told to be excited because -- guess what! -- that was your one new outfit a year. And you got to make it yourself!

There was a reason that I ran fast and far whenever someone started talking about sewing their own clothes.  For years, the hideous mental image that was permanently scarred onto my brain (when all other memories of life before age 19 or 20 were blocked) was all that I could see when I heard the words sew and clothes in the same sentence.

In my early adult years, things slowly started to change.  I bought a sewing machine, even though for ten years (or was it closer to 15?) I swore I'd never touch one again.  I started sewing quilts, quillows, and working on little projects that struck my interest.  Then honey asked me to hem a pair of pants, fix a sweater, and I realized that I would have to use the words sew and clothes in a sentence. 

Several years later, my best friend's mother started sewing clothes.  At first, I was afraid to look at those clothes.  But -- wonder of wonders! -- I found that instead of looking like a hideous pair of pastel overalls on a giant toddler, the clothes that this woman made were beautiful. She stuck to sheath dresses in pretty prints and everything looked like it could've walked out of The Loft or some other fashionable retailer.

Now I've decided that I am okay with home-sewn clothes as long as they look handmade NOT homemade.  My skills are non-existent, but I am open to the skills of others.  And now I enjoy collecting fabrics and supplies for sewing -- I just happen to stick to creating things like quilts and aprons instead of clothes.

All of that to say that I entered a giveaway on a blog that I follow, and I won two adorable pin cushions!!  I am so excited about this!!  And the fact that I can be so happy that I am dancing in my seat thinking about sewing supplies...that is the true miracle.

Thank you, Ellen, of Creative Passage, for this amazing giveaway!  Keep crafting! :-) (And for those of you who want to see what Ellen does, please visit her blog using the link in this post or the button to the side of my posting page.)

Week Four: Tasks

I like the tasks for this week.  One very beneficial aspect of going through The Artist's Way is that it provides more opportunity for reflection.

As part of my job, I help arrange "webinars" for teachers on particular topics that might be interesting or useful for professional development.  This week, we had a lovely speaker, Jan Black, who shared her business, which is helping people find their "core brilliance" and, in the case of teachers, develop their "brand of teaching."  The whole idea is that when people understand what truly motivates them, the thing that they are passionate about, and they work from that thing, they will feel more satisfied, suffer less burnout, be more fulfilled.  I do believe it's true!  And while yesterday was my third time listening to how the process of discovering one's core brilliance works, it was the first time that I felt struck by lightening: I think I've discovered, at least in part, my core brilliance: creating.  I kept thinking about all the things that I like to do and wondering what they could possibly have in common, but I think now I know. Everything I enjoy is about creating something, whether it's creating critical thinkers and good citizens, creating meals, creating quilts or art projects or organized space, it all has the same underlying theme.

The tasks for this week will, I believe, help me delve into deeper reflection regarding this core identity. Again, like last week I am not going to do absolutely all of the tasks, but I'll pick a few, list them here, and then we'll see what happens.

1. Describe your ideal environment (urban, rural, swanky, cozy).  I think that I already started to do that in a blog post earlier this week.  To that post I would add that I enjoy being in rural places as long as I can get to "civilization" (i.e., Target, World Market, Barnes & Noble) in a short drive.  I'd much rather live on acres in the countryside, able to walk into a quiet and cozy little town and find a cute little coffee shop on the weekend, than be trapped in suburbia or an urban highrise.  I hate living in neighborhoods.  Just the idea -- even if each house is on a half-acre lot -- makes my skin crawl.  That is, perhaps, one of the reasons why I love our current house so much: I can walk Lotus through quiet neighborhoods but we always return to our home that sits by itself and looks out over the foothills.   There have been times that I've thought it would be nice to live in a city just because everything is so close, but that's really not me...maybe it's the Fake Me who has tons of money and owns a vacation loft.
2. Create a "private space" in the house, an area to sit and dream and reflect...and write morning pages. Perhaps this is a project for my Saturday?
3. Plan an Extended Artist's Date (one that would take a whole weekend day).  I know that Artist's Dates are supposed to be solo, but I would love for this extended date to involve Honey and Lotus.  Maybe we could get out, go for a drive, hike a bit, take pictures of nature, stop and eat at a cute little cafe.  That's what I want to do.
4. Get rid of a "low esteem" outfit from the closet. (Good Will, you're welcome.)
5. Describe yourself at 80. [This corresponds with another task that I am choosing not to do this week: describe myself at 8. I don't remember much of life before I turned 19 or 20 unless someone reminds me of something specific. I think it's best that way, because when I start to remember I think Oh, this is why I wanted to forget. So eight year-old me is just going to have to stay hidden.]  I think that I will have to take Lotus for a walk and think about my 80-year-old self.

See?  All good tasks -- and a bit fun, too. 

The reason I love spray paint

I love spray paint. My first attempts at art in painted form involved spray paint because it was cheap, easy, fun.  Honey says that I would love probably love screen printing since I love this form of spray painting so much.

I love leaf art prints, but who wants to pay that price?

Trust me: it's cheap, it looks good, and it's done in a short amount of time so it's very satisfactory.

Steps to create art (sorry about the photos --next time I do this I'll take better pictures):

1. Take canvas (save a Michael's or Joann's 40% or 50% off coupon and it's a good price) and choose leaves to use on the art.
2. Pick a few extra leaves and test on newspaper. Spray paint the back on the leaf (with the most ridges) and press it on the newspaper. This will give you an idea of what it will look like on canvas. Once you have chosen leaves that you like - I recommend fern, palm, bleeding heart, or something else that has a lot of definition -- make sure you have clean leaves for the canvas.
3. Spray paint the canvas. Sometimes a mottled paint, like this, is a nice idea: 

1. Once the base coat on the canvas has dried, spray paint the back of the leaf and carefully press onto the canvas.
2. Wait until it dries and hang up -- it looks great in-person, trust me! :-)

 Have fun painting!

A "linky party."

This was a cool idea and I thought I would share. One of the blogs I follow, Not Just a Housewife, apparently has hosted several "linky parties." The idea is that followers of the blog share some of their current artsy projects so that the creativity is spread around a bit. Isn't that a great idea? The current "linky party" can be found here:

http://happyhappyhousewife.blogspot.com/2011/01/show-me-what-ya-got-7.html

I personally love the skirts/sewing ideas. While I have a sewing machine and have been known to use it, my skill level is almost nill.  Yet these skirt ideas look simple enough that I may, in fact, attempt them!  The only problem? Now I have so many ideas for Artist's Dates that I am running out of actual days on which to do these projects!

Do I see a contender for Artist's Date #4?

It is quite possible that The Artist's Way is a disease.  I feel creativity spreading throughout my days and weeks. Today I stopped by the dollar store to get some batteries for Honey's BBQ lamp. While there I saw a hideous frame:

It cried out: "Please, rescue me!" But what could I do with a hideous gold frame? That's when inspiration struck. I have spray paint (always a favorite). I have fun scrapbook paper (on clearance at Michael's!). I have Mod Podge.  It was time for a mini project. Not something big enough to be considered an artist's date, but something fun.

I removed the glass and the matte from the frame. I spray painted the frame black to match the paper I chose. I then took the matte and cut strips of paper to Mod Podge along the inside:

Once I let it dry, all I had left to do was reassemble everything and choose a photo! This was my first attempt, so it wasn't as perfect as I would like, but it works and I am excited to try it again. Poor, forlorn frames, fear no longer -- I will rescue you from a life of misery!

Today's artistic endeavor inspired me to look around for other projects.  I've been looking for lamps for the family room, wanting something unique, in my price range, and "nowtro" (kind of like the 70s, but updated -- like our house). Tonight I found a tutorial for a wonderful lamp idea and I am so excited to try it!  It seems the ideas just keep coming. Yay!

UPDATE (1/28/11):
I realized that I should start offering links on my posts back to different crafty blogs where I've shared my ideas and found great new inspiration.  I've posted some "buttons" to various blogs that I love and have linked, but this is probably a better, more deliberate way of keeping track of things.  So here it goes....

You can find this project on The Shabby Nest's Frugal Friday.

A few more blogs that I like

This weekend I added a few more blogs to my list of "places I will check out on a regular basis." Some are family and friend blogs, filled with stories and pictures of people I hold near and dear to my heart. While they make me happy, the blogs may not be those that one shares with strangers. Instead, I finally rediscovered a few of my "crafty" and comedy blogs and thought that I would share.

http://craftily-ever-after.blogspot.com/ -- This adorable young woman always has such cute ideas. She is, in fact, the one that inspired me to try to Mod Podge something last week.  Her current post is about an idea for Valentine's Day.  I don't believe in Valentine's Day, I don't use red and white color combinations, I try to avoid useless decor and knicknacks, and this project would not match any place in my house but it is so cute that it makes me want to try. Now I'll have to think about what I can do to modify this and make it work for my life.


http://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com/ -- I believe that the author of this blog may in fact be a long-lost sibling. Not only does she create drawings and tell stories like my brother Tin Man, her experiences must be similar because all my siblings end up laughing so hard that we forget to breathe. My brothers believe that they invented "Seven Games to Play with a Brick" and that the author was just spying on them during their childhood.


http://alittlelovelyblog.blogspot.com/ -- I'm really into crafting, as you might be able to guess from the blogs that I follow. This does not mean that I am a crafty person by any stretch of the imagination, but I have a few places I turn to for inspiration. This is one of those places.

Another crafty blog can be found here: http://thoughtfuldesigns.blogspot.com/ or here: http://hisugarplum.blogspot.com/ or here: http://happyhappyhousewife.blogspot.com/

One thing that I noticed about most of these blogs: they are written by stay-at-home moms. I am impressed by their craftiness.  So if you are bored or if you want to try a craft project or maybe you just want to give your brain a rest and look at pretty pictures online for a few minutes, check them out. I'm sure that you, like me, will find inspiration for a future project among the many ideas from the minds of these clever authors.

Artist's Date, Week Two: A Geometric Painting

A picture Matthew took of a piece of art he liked inspired this week's "Artist's Date."

The piece was made out of metal, which is far beyond my skill level or current desire to master, but I liked the concept.  I thought about painting a canvas, but the size I wanted was a bit too expensive for my comfort level (at least when something's an experiment), so I bought thick posterboard designed for acrylic paints, purchased the main colors that I wanted (knowing I had a few more colors at home and could probably fill in gaps that way), and started on the project.

Whenever I decide to start on an art project -- and it doesn't matter whether it's quilting, painting, writing, photography, or anything else -- the furry babies decide that they must help. "Oh look," Bunny says to Nora, "Mom has a lot of supplies! I bet she needs our help!"  Nora of course responds by saying, "She's such a good mom, we wouldn't want her to do all this work by herself! Let's help!"  This is what happens:

After I spend a good 15 minutes moving one cat after another and trying to convince Lotus not to walk underneath me as I am moving cats, I start working on the project. I used painter's tape to create the patterns on the board. The 4' square, although cumbersome, helped me create squares and rectangles that had actual straight sides.

By this time in the process the cats were tired. They had worked hard trying to help Mommy.

I used a metallic bronze for the borders between the shapes, so it took three coats (instead of the two coats of paint for each shape), but it's done.

It's not perfect, but it's a first attempt and so that's okay. I think that in the future I'll try this type of thing on canvas with smaller borders.  I also thought of a way that I can do geometric designs on the cheap, but that, I think, will be for next week's Artist's Date.

If you show a woman a work of geometric art...

...she may begin to think that she can do that. She will ask for $5 and tell you that she has a wonderful idea. You may want to know about her idea, and so she says that she will tell you but she has to go to the craft store and if you will drive her there she will tell you her idea. Once you get the craft store, she remembers that there is yarn on sale and she simply must look at it. A "quick look" turns into 35 minutes shuffling through all the yarn until she finds the perfect color to knit a blanket for a birthday coming up (in three months). Birthdays remind her of photographs, which reminds her that she needs a frame. She looks and looks through the frames in clearance until she finds one that is nearly perfect except for a minor scratch on the paint. The scratch on the paint tells her she should go to the art supplies section of the store, and when she gets there she remembers what she wanted in the first place: paper and paint to recreate the geometric art. Supplies in tow, you head home so that she can begin her project. When you get home, she remembers that she has other paint already. The paint has not been used in a while and is in the closet underneath a year's worth of other supplies. You help her carefully unload everything in the closet until you find, at the very bottom of a box on the floor, her few paint supplies. The woman is ecstatic: she can paint! She rushes to the kitchen table, spreads out her supplies, and begins work. You wait and you wait. She works and works and works. Finally, hours later, it is done. Wonderful! Time to put everything away. You help wash the paint brushes. You put the paint away and replace all the boxes in the closet. You are just about to sit down and relax when *ding* you get an e-mail from a buddy showing you a beautiful piece of geometric art. Of course you have to share, forgetting that if you show a woman a work of geometric art...

Setting Intentions for 2011

It is the first day of 2011. I have never been one for resolutions because I feel they are usually just another way to feel guilt or shame and they are so rarely successful. Instead, I decided this year to set intentions for 2011.  The previous year seemed to be very difficult for most people I know and so part of me thinks that 2011 must be an improvement. Today is the day to start down that path of improvement.

I spent a few days thinking about what I wanted to do this year. My intentions for the year seemed to revolve around finishing a dissertation, writing more in my novel, discovering more ways to be artistic, improving my mental outlook, ensuring I have a job after June 1, and learning to be true to myself. This sounds like a broad scattering of things I would like to do, but I think that all can be classified under one heading: learning to be an artist.

When I was growing up, I thought that artists were people who painted or put together dynamic collages or sewed beautiful quilts or made every meal a beautiful feast fit for a five-star restaurant. None of those descriptions applied to me. I would look at those around me and think "I wish I could be more artistic," but nothing ever happened; I did not even try some things because I thought "I'm not the artistic type." As a teenager, I scoffed at those with artistic temperaments and thought that since that personality did not apply to me I could certainly never be artistic. I wanted stability, I had responsibilities, I could never just float through life on a wing and a paintbrush and expect it all to turn out well.

Instead, I would express my colorful nature through clothes, loud jewelry, bright colors on the living room walls.  This was not artistic, I thought, because it was something anyone could do. I would stay up late at night and write little stories about family trips and just share them with family on e-mail. This was not artistic, I thought, because it was something anyone could do. I would try new recipes and feed the masses of family and friends with the new loaves I kneaded and baked with love. This was not artistic, I thought, because it was something anyone could do.

It was not until 2008 that I started thinking, "Wait a minute. Maybe all of this is art, just not art like I'm used to." And maybe I could be artistic without having an artist's personality. I did not have to be the next Monet or the next Thomas Mann or even the next P.D.Q. Bach: I could be myself. And my self loved (loves) bright colors, good food, craft projects and photographs, writing and reading and gardening and life.

Julia Cameron's book The Artist's Way helped me come to this realization about art.  As I wrote morning pages every day, as I walked the dog and absorbed the fresh air and beautiful scenery, I slowly started accepting myself as an artist, as someone who can be creative. And it really doesn't matter if I'm the next Monet or Mann or Mozart because I am not being creative for anyone else: I am being creative for me.

This brings me back to my intentions for 2011.  I have The Complete Artist's Way -- all three books in the series -- and I have been meaning to work through this in its entirety but I have not started. Or rather I start and then stop and then don't push myself to get back on the Horse of Another Color and keep going.  That is going to change this year.  There are 36 chapters total in this collection of three books.  I have 52 weeks in the year. And so I am going to start my artistic journey and see where I end up in 2011. According to Julia Cameron, I need a Creativity Contract, so here it goes:

I, MCB, understand that I am undertaking an intensive, guided encounter with my own creativity. I commit myself to the 36-week duration of the course. I, MCB, commit to weekly reading, daily morning pages, a weekly artist date, and the fulfillment of each week's tasks. I, MCB, further understand that this course will raise issues and emotions with which I will have to deal. I, MCB, commit myself to excellent self-care -- adequate sleep, diet, exercise, and pampering -- for the duration of the course.

There. It's done. Let week one begin.