Self-generated Joy

When I was in my angsty teenage years I thought moods ruled the day. I thought they were something like the weather, all-powerful and unpredictable. In my 20's I met people who showed me ways of directing my thinking better...to own my reactions to things, etc. That was all a great start, BUT then I started to also notice what kinds of things interested me. You know, for everyone it's different. Someone could like roller coasters and I might rather be in a coffee shop reading poetry-ha! (I feel lucky to enjoy a lot of kind of things that are usually free).

These days I can usually pull up a few ideas that peak my curiosity and explore them. It doesn't mean every idea will lead a to full on project, but if it puts a pep in my step for the day, and  that's a good thing.  

Sometimes it's even a new word that captures my interest. I collect all of that as kind of source material and see what part of it I'll use later. I love hearing how other creative people I know do the same. One artist friend of mine stops on the side of the road if she sees an object she wants to collect. One of those objects was a piece of the road's surface! Another friend of mine has collected bones in the desert. It all has a childlike wonder to it that really fascinates when adults can keep that alive.

The energy I generate from these explorations can be expressed in my drawings or paintings in various ways. I don't make art in a vacuum. 

I will use this blog to share some of these explorations. I've kept journals for 30 years, but never apublic kind of sharing. I will write "like no one's reading" just so I start! I'll be as honest as I can and trust the people who may connect with some of these entries will find their way here. There are so many writers who have written lines that have become a part of my "go to" in navigating through my life. Perhaps I can pay forward some of those lines or a few of my own!