Invigorating

I am spending the weekend visiting one of my favorite places to call home and am just feeling truly full of love.  I have been here about 25 hours and every minute has been filled with sharing stories of the last year with people I really care about and who care about me.

I am staying with four of the greatest women I have ever met.  I learned what living really means with these girls.  It doesn't matter when or where I see them they never fail to invigorate and inspire me with their faith, passion, interests, commitments.  this is them:

(sorry, I found this picture somewhere i don't remember and I like to picture myself in pink seat!) photo cred: B.Mollenkof

Coming back makes me realize how much I took for granted in my former higher elevation habitat.  Conversations that shape your life happen every few hours.  A person who you will know forever is around each corner.  Music that thrills your soul is played in live, impromptu mini concerts on a nice afternoon. The colors here are more vibrant, even the gray fog. Plus... you are blessed with a generous helping of homemade pancakes on Saturday morning. Why did I ever leave?

Dream a Little Dream of Me

Oh, yay!!! Zooey Deschanel has made an album with no less that the AMAZING M.Ward.  My heart overflows with joy when I listen to this album. It is perfect for driving the thousands of miles I am putting on my little car this spring.  It goes well with fresh air, new friends, and the daffodils on the mountain that I am going to see on Friday! more zooey here at the erin featherston fashion show with a classic:

But this upbeat soundtrack really suits life right now.  I am uber joyous.  I got into grad school! finally, a little direction.  I will be getting my masters in arts administration, concentrating on the non profit sector.  I will learn how to raise funds to make other artists' dreams come true and create programs to make communities and arts intertwine! I am so excited, I just need to find a way to pay for it.

I am just so happy that I am one step closer to the goal that will be the pinnacle of my career: having an article published in ArtForum.  One day ...

read this book...

... and don't ever complain again. now get off your ass and go do what you want to do. you don't need resources or connections, but if you have 'em it makes things a heck of a lot easier. The American Dream still exists. This guy did it!

And by the way, Adam is incredible. I had the opportunity to meet him last week and have to say that he is one of the smartest, most interesting people I have ever met. I cannot wait to see where his life goes next.
 

read the intro and more here

artistic nutrition

tonight i spent the evening in the presence of artists fulfilling each other's desires to create and learn from other's creations. I modeled for a class at ric standridge's studio and the energy stimulated was incredible (even with only 3 students) i have been a part of this little community since february and am embraced as both artist and model simply because we all revel in the act of "markmaking" (ric's fabulous term). but tonight was different because I got to witness him painting, and with one ten minute pose, he created a work similar to this. and with four 5 minute poses he created another work that was breathtaking as well.

His advice that continues to ring in my head is "fearless, be fearless" and "keep it simple"

you can check out more of ric's work here

Falling Slowly - from the movie 'Once'

I love men with beards. and accents. Oh and INSANE musical talent. You can't help but love this song (and movie.)

Moral Dilemmas in a fallen world

I just watched an incredible film that was like watching the layers of tissue peeled back to reveal the internal organs of society only they have been all misplaced and reattached in improper ways. It was called Gone Baby Gone, Directed by Ben Affleck and based on a novel by Dennis Lehane, and it received great reviews and critical acclaim.



It was expertly acted which was central being that each layer of plot was revealed through the introduction (or the exit) of a character. Another vital part was the attention given to the rough and tumble south boston neighborhood where the story takes place. Affleck makes you sympathetic to the main character who expresses with his opening soliloquy that one's identity is tied up in where they come from even if they don't choose it. And the grimy scenes and harsh language make you pity the people who live there and rejoice with those who have come out of it. These things only build up the moral conflict that you are left with once the credits begin to roll: Whose right is it to take responsibility for children? Is defending the truth always the right answer? How much trust is too much when it comes to our legislative and judicial system?
Great movie, watch it and think about what you would do.

sorry to be so dark and gloomy and thought provoking, time to pick up some Jane Austin...

new colors and look for spring

winter sucked, so i disappeared for a while but...

I am back, please excuse the prolonged absence, i was trying to create a life for myself, i have resigned to letting God do that for me. So, we wait for his move. I applied to graduate school. waiting for a decision. I am thinking about LA as an option, or charleston, or charlotte. maybe china or india. I really can't make any moves yet until i hear from school. so we check the mail everyday and harass the department with phone calls. In the meantime I spend awkward holidays with my family, dress snazzy for parties, and throw my heart out to whoever will take care of it for a while (usually quite detrimental to my emotional state, but hey it fills the time).
Another great way to fill the time: chick lit. I am currently reading quite a few (I needed a break from my typical literary diet of mid twentieth century southern writers)



The Other Boleyn Girl
by Philippa Gregory
I haven't seen the film yet but the book gives me the chance to use the word scintillating a lot!



Skinny Bitch
Seriously the authors come off as bitches but the no nonsense vegan lifestyle book kinda makes sense. I mean how many other animals drink the lactation from another species? NONE. its actually a very practical lifestyle. I am not fully converted yet (growing up in a household where every weekend in the winter worked around when daddy came back from his hunting land and summers were spent shooting skeet and learning about why hunters are essential to conservation makes me a little hesitant to go totally veg) But it is interesting and has some good points.



Emma
Of course the quintessential chick lit author herself couldn't be left out. Jane really makes fighting the last bit of winter bearable. I have actually started a little book club with the girls at work. we are going to discuss one Jane novel a month. This month is Emma. If you want in, let me know!

But of course as every ADD reader knows, I have already started to get antsy and look for the next addition to my list "to read" and it is polar opposite!