What Artist's Way?

Crikey! Work has been sooooo busy I have barely had time to think of myself let alone my creative self. So far this week apart from doing my boss's job (he's on leave) and my job, I ;

1. wrote & taught my weekly yoga class (complex - with a pregnant student)
2. composed a daily yoga practice for one of my students (a new experience)
3. did an early morning talk for a local Rotary Club on banding ospreys (bird of prey) in our area
4. championed the cause of female firefighters by sticking my neck out to the BigWigs in my organisation
5. hosted an impromptu BBQ for my dear neighbour who ran out of gas for his BBQ
6. started eating differently (to gain self esteem)
7. learned all about oyster leases to deal with an issue in one of my parks at work
8. enjoyed hearing Micheal Leunig's poems on Radio National!!!!

Modern Stupid by Michael Leunig
It's much easier to be stupid these days than in previous times.
Back in the old days they had to do it all by hand. It was sheer drudgery.
Now we can do it faster and with more comfort, thanks to modern methods.
You can fit it into a busy life, it's available to everyone. It's right there at your fingertips.
Available Now From Dymocks Online

and all the normal stuff...washing, cleaning, cooking, weeding, cleaning, buoying family egos, cleaning, washing, buoying work colleagues egos, cleaning at work (probably coping strategy). Consequently the Artist's Way is relegated to the bottom of the list. Not forgotten though.

This week I saw art in:

1. an empty box of serviettes (napkins) - with a bit of work now an attractive computer CD holder...
2. the sound & sight of a Koel baby parisitising the Little Wattle bird parents...
3. the symetry of the back of my neighbour's dog Rosie (refer BBQ above)

so I am progressing along my own Artist's Way...

oh by the way... the Artist's date last week yielded jam for Ric, a hybiscus for me and an unwanted heat rash. It's all good!

Artists Way Check In

Artists Date
It was a disaster - I'm trying again today.
I was hungry and couldn't find anything decent to eat so just went home. At least I learned a couple of things...
Lesson 1. Eat first
Lesson 2. Have a plan - I just thought I'd let my Artist's Date happen but I found myself wandering along the same track I take when I head to the shops - got to turn off that auto pilot.

Oh well, I'm off to the local markets this morning so if that works out it will be my artist's date.

Morning Pages
I've missed a few days and the days I did write I found myself writing about all the things I have to do...weird. I guess I'm used to writing lists for myself. Although they weren't exactly lists - there was more explanation as to why I had to do those things, sprinkled here and there with the misdemeanours of others - and occasionally my own. I guess writing the pages is somewhat cathartic but I'd really prefer to write using the computer - not sure if that's allowed? Ow, my hand hurts doing 3 pages longhand.

Tasks
The only enemies of my creative self worth I could come up with was me.
Artists walks were good - but I didn't take my camera on one and I missed a great shot of a yellow-tailed black cockatoo in a tree that was really close. Bugger!
Easy to find champions of my creative self worth. I live with one of the best ones!

All in all I thought this week was not a bad start to my creative reinvigoration!




Me with my sister's latest work of creativity!

Diamond Python/Carpet Python Hybrid

Here's a pretty snake that spent a little time in the office at work the other day. Another ranger brought it in to show everyone since it is hybrid snake - two subspecies (Diamond Python & Carpet Python) whose distribution overlaps roughly in our area. It was very docile for a wild snake and we had fun letting it check out life out of the wild!

A close up of the scales... imagine knitting a jumper with this pattern...

I'm headed off for my Artist's Date today!

Inspiration

Lyrebird Musings

Here's a Lyrebird feather I found at work the other day. It's very precious to me... absolutely magnificent - not functional (in a flying sense) but spectacularly beautiful. A gift from the Gods perhaps ? - to help me on my creative exploration.

There's an artist in me ...somewhere...

Well I've decided to find the artist within. I've joined a web based group undertaking "The Artist's Way" together.

Just what I need to jump start this new year!