Greetings! I’ve wandered away from the blog a bit, but now I’ve come back. Blogging is one of those items on my “all the things” list from #4 below that I am prioritizing. It’s something I want to do consistently, reliably and meaningfully.

Why? Well, because writing helps me think clearly and I like to read blogs. But I think what keeps the flame burning is that it simply feels important to share what moves through me. There’s something to share.

Yep, that is why. So this blog continues and I hope you will find it interesting and useful and that you will subscribe. It’s free and you can get new posts by Email or RSS Reader.

So - to bring you up to date, here’s a list of 10 things I’m doing lately:

1.  Cards—lots of Cards.

I’m loving my 52 Cards Project, happily creating one card a week all year—and that’s the only thing I’ve really blogged about consistently, card by card, so I won’t say more (but you can read about each card to date on the project page).

I’m also creating a boat load of index cards—one a day for 61 days for the Index Card A Day Challenge (ICAD) hosted for the 12th year by Tammy Garcia at Daisy Yellow. I decided to join ICAD at the last minute this year and I’m so glad I did. It’s an opportunity to create something small and free of expectations—it’s only a lowly index card—with optimum levels of experimentation and participation with others doing the challenge on Instagram.

Instagram, BTW, is the only other place I share my work besides this blog—Instagram despite all of its other toxicity problems is actually a lovely tool for artists to share their work and connect with and see other’s work on a daily basis—while a blog is a great place to dive deeper.

Anyway, I haven’t yet blogged about ICAD, but can see them all on Instagram—and I’ll be writing about ICAD here soon, too.

2. Sketchbook Practice

I’ve been experimenting like crazy in my sketchbook over the last several months, but I haven’t shared much of my sketchbook lately on any platform, maybe mostly due to a lot of self doubt. I know better. I know you would benefit as much or more from learning about my challenges as from what I’m proud of making…but somehow I couldn’t write about the struggle here. I was too much in the weeds.

Finally, though, I think something clicked and lately I’ve been really learning how to abstractify—which I see now is where I’ve always been headed, creatively.

Lately I’ve been filling pages with abstractified drawings. I’m drawing from life and I’m closely studying several other artist’s work with the intention to learn (NOT copy) how others do it and build my own visual language. This is a relatively new direction, but I feel some traction and I’ll be be sharing more about the process.

3. Creating systems in my work

Any adult who successfully gets through a day knows the value of systems. Designating one place in the house to keep your car keys. Adding to a rolling grocery list. Instituting a laundry day. Systems ward off chaos.

The creative process is just as easily overcome by chaos. We are constantly challenged by piles of art supplies, mounds of ideas, waves of feelings…and then there’s the chaos of simply keeping track of projects and processes AND progress.

Over time, I’ve tried a lot of systems to create order in my practice. From bullet journals to baskets and bins to filing systems and more, much more, I keep turning over and refining systems…but lately? I think I’ve nailed it.

My art supplies are just where I can easily use them.

Ideas are at my fingertips.

I know where to put what—and where to find what I made—thought or felt—in the past.

This will take a whole blog post to describe—and I will soon—but creating systems that work for me is definitely one thing I’ve been doing lately.

4. Choosing what to do among “all the things”

Now that order is restored (for now at least), I’m tracking all the things I want to do—and it turns out there is MORE than I can do at once. I have so many projects and several kinds of mediums I want to work on and with. I am in need of so much practice for practice sake. I came to art late in the game and there’s much skill to develop and learn. And there’s all the other things—like reading and this blog and classes I want to take, and ways I would like to show up in the world creatively…not to mention life things.

So. Like all of us with the same 24 hours in a day, I must choose. And I don’t know, mostly I’m overwhelmed with too many choices but lately…I think I’m making good choices—and yes, I have more choices to make. But at least for now, overwhelm is at bay.

5. Reading

I love to read. I’m a life long inhabitant of libraries and fictional worlds. With that said, the proverbial stack of books on my nightstand (now residing in digital lists and in my e-reader) grows ever larger and I’m just not reading enough books.

However, at least my Reading Project has kept me reading one book each month (and sometimes I get in another). The first six months are about behind us and the project has now become an online-no-obligations book club of two members (who both hope more people will join us!)

Currently, I am finishing the last book on the list—the wonderful Utopia Avenue by David Mitchell—and next week I’ll announce our next list of six books for the rest of the year. If I’m good, I’ll share more about the experience and try to persuade others—you?—to join us.

6. Exercising

One day in my late forties I woke up, got up out of be bed and my body was so stiff and achy I could hardly make it down the stairs. That very morning I started looking for an exercise program I could stick with—and soon after I found the most wonderful Oliveyah Fisch who in those days trained individuals in small groups in both a gym and outdoors. Most trainers either train individually or run classes, but the magic for me—and all Oliveyah’s clients—is that she did exactly what I said: trained individuals, but in small groups of an average of 6 people. Very few people train this way.

Anyway, that was the beginning of my fitness journey. I was very out of shape but over time—a lot of time—I built up endurance and strength, confidence and commitment. Now, I exercise 4-5 mornings per week in outdoor classes and hiking with friends. I feel much better in my body—which is my number one goal, especially as I age.

7. Spiritual connection

I am not a believer in Religion, but I am spiritual. I know that we are spiritual beings and lately I’ve been on a path of slow awakening to the Mystery inside and all around. In the last few years, I’ve engaged pretty deeply with spiritual teachers and therapists to help me understand, heal and honor the many parts so that I can fully engage with body, mind, heart and spirit. This is what I am doing always and lately.

8. Enjoying my cats and these early days of summer

We lost our dog Rufus almost one year ago and I still miss him as we enter another summer without him. But life with cats, though different than dogs, continues. And our cats Oliver, Leo and yes, even 19 year old Tiger Lily give me the gift of love and laughs and just pure presence I need these days under bright blue skies.

9. Attending a graduation and preparing for a wedding

Our youngest daughter Valerie joyfully graduated from Western Washington University this month—and the whole family can’t wait for the wedding of our oldest daughter, Abby, in September. I very much believe in finding joy in every opportunity for celebration—and wow, do we have a lot of opportunity this year!

10. Movie Nights

Meanwhile, husband Dennis and I instituted Friday night movie nights during the Pandemic and we continue. Every other week one of us chooses the movie and arranges for takeout dinner—and the rule is the other person has to watch that movie for a minimum of the first 30 minutes. So far, no one has walked away AND we no longer argue over what to watch. Win!

Okay, so that’s 10 things I’ve been up to lately. I hope you enjoyed this summary and I’ll be sharing more about my art practice soon so—one last gentle reminder—I hope you’ll subscribe.