My Happy Place

Happy Place: a location, real or fictional, where worries, problems, and anxiety melts away and alms you...makes you happy.  I like creating "happy places" in various locations.  At work, I have a real tree standing behind my desk, along with reproductions of Claude Monet's waterlilies, and a poster of Fraggle Rock. At home, I have photos, drawings, or paintings of trees and my Mizzles. I think for many people Facebook has become their happy place. Facebook has become a bit boring to me.  People post the same stuff and most of the time it isn't very interesting.  I keep going back to the website because every once in a while an illustrator or writer friend will post something FANTASTIC!  It was last month artist, George Littlechild posted this photo:

The vibrance of the magenta is so amazing!  I just cannot stop staring at this photo and find myself smiling or daydreaming. Now if I can only recreate this in my livingroom!  Wouldn't that be awesome? This photo was so magical that it sent me on a wild Google search for magenta cherry blossom trees... And I found these beauties!

I might have to create some drawings or paintings of the Mizzles exploring these trees!  I'm definitely going to be adding some of these photos to my current "happy places." Here is my daily drawing of Fawn enjoying the cherry blossoms.

Where is your happy place?

Be Stronger

I have been meaning to update this blog on a more regular basis.  I have been considering returning to my daily posts and daily drawings and see how long I can keep it going this year. But it has been very difficult to find things to be positive about right now.  I know life could always be worse and that our nature is to view the grass is greener on the other side. I find this scenario strange.  I've never had difficulty seeing others in difficult heartbreaking situations. I feel for them and can maintain an objective point of view where their hardships never took a toll on my own emotions. But to see my parents so vulnerable has taken such a toll on me.  I experienced this a little 2-3 years ago, when both parents lost their moms. I saw them in a completely different way.  I have always known my parents to be strong and unbreakable.  Losing their parents revealed the cracks.  Right now, those cracks are huge holes. They are both unbelievably strong, but now I see the fear in their eyes and hear the sad tone in their voices.  It is hard to see and hear the truth they worked so hard to keep from us.  I think I'm doing as well as I can be in this exhausting situation, but I'm tired of people's words of comfort "stay strong," or "be the strong Nadia I've always known you to be." What they don't understand is that I'm always the strong one.  I'm always the one people rely on.  I'm tired of "being strong."  For once, I would love for it to be okay for me to be fragile. This is where my art comes in.  My art, along with my cats, seem to understand my need for vulnerability. It is in my art I'm allowed to be whoever and however I want to be.  Art does not have an opinion.  It listens and it heals.
 
I began by creating a new drawing for my dad. For the past year, I have been creating charcoal drawings of old Native American photos. This is the 3rd of an on-going series.

I also made a painting for my best friend.  I wasn't sure what to create for her, so I just let the painting take control.  It turned out well and she loved it!  I found it interesting the words she used to describe it.  She said it made her feel hopeful, calm, and uplifted.  I also found it interesting her view of the fairy v. an angel.  She said an angel made her think of death, but a fairy made her feel hopeful. I kind of agree because fairies hold a child-like innocence.  I can't think of an instance where fairies are feared.  Angels on the other hand can be thought of as miracles, but can also be associated with death. 

I enjoyed the freedom I felt in creating the painting for my best friend that I decided to start another one.  Here is another, but it is still in progress.

I have this desire to work on specific projects, but I just can't seem to get myself to work on them.  I find myself looking for distractions or other projects to fulfill my need to create, but not the ones I should be working on.  I have just finished creating 3 new Mizzles and have a few more in progress.

Sunday Agglomeration- Getting back into the groove

As we get closer to the end of the school year, I have been feeling very scattered.  But I have managed to find time to get back into my creative groove.  This past week I had to substitute during my prep period, which normally bothers me because subbing can be such a nuisance.  Students often feel that a substitute means they don't have to do any work.  But this time was not too bad because the students did their work and I was had time to do some drawing.  I'm continuing with the yoga theme.  It seems to be working for me.

This week I also began the Hero's Art Journey course.  Our first assignment was a self portrait.  I thought it would be easy, but it was a challenge.  I couldn't figure out how I wanted to portray myself.  I decided to play with melting crayons on a canvas.  As I was doing this, I thought it would make a great background for my portrait.  I took it with me to my illustrator's play date and worked on it.  Within a few hours I was pretty pleased with what I had.  There is still more that I want to add to it, but I like it so far.  As an option to our self portrait, we were told we could do a children's book illustration of a child version of ourselves.  I figured I should play with this as well.  Since I love trees, I drew a little girl reclining in a tree drawing on a clipboard.  I didn't have large trees around when I was a kid, but I always loved movies where kids would climb trees, or hang out in tree houses. It is definitely incomplete, but I feel like I've made great progress this week.  I'm not feeling as stuck or overwhelmed.

Tree

Feeling centered and strong.  I began practicing yoga 6 months ago and it has been the best thing that has entered in my life.  I have participated in many exercise regimes from running, to walking, to fitness kickboxing, back to running, and then finding yoga.  I had no idea how it would affect me.  It has made me physically and emotionally stronger. I enjoy the challenge of the poses, finding balance, and the support and encouragement from the community of people in the class.  As I continue with my practice, I am reminded that with continued work everything becomes increasingly better.  The same is true with my art.  Today's drawing is inspired by yoga.  Here Stargazer is in my favorite pose "tree." I'm a bit jealous she can hold the pose with her eyes closed.