set yourself free

"Free your mind and the rest will follow." That's the name of the game....
Set yourself free.

It's almost fire season.

Throwback Thursday - this is from the winter solstice last year. Still remembering this every day. Preparing for the coming hibernation & renewal time. I love feeling fall in the air.

unschooly art lab

Spring session - week 1, getting warmed up.

The idea behind this class is that I provide an opportunity for the kids to explore a variety of materials - drawing, water-based paint, sculptural, found images, & objects, but it is really up to them what they wish to create.  I am providing a studio environment for an hour and a half each Friday (this particular session is 8 weeks) for the kids to ponder, explore, and chit-chat while they make art together in a fun, low-pressure environment.  This is about process and discovery.  When you are an artist, sometimes that even means sitting and staring off into space for awhile - imagine that!  I bring in examples of my own work, I show them a variety of famous artists' work, and when I see someone doing something that reminds me of a particular artist, I bring it up on the internet and show them their kindred spirit.  The kids are invited to push the boundaries and definitions of art, and learn new skills in an environment of self-discovery and inspiration.  They are invited to come with questions if you are interested in learning specific skills.  I expose them to various movements in modern art and techniques of different artists to be inspired by as they develop their work.

coming out of rest & renewal

gettin’ my yoga and meditation on never felt so good
in front of a morning fire
burning off all the detritus of all the yesterdays
centering within myself
here, now, me, myself, and I
with all my imperfections and worries and fears,
all my insecurities
all my hopes and dreams
floating around together
settling down
releasing into the ground

arriving at stillness and silence
moving through stillness and birdsong and crackle of fire
feeling like I just crawled out of the cave
after a long winter’s sleep


we need this time
to ease into the day
this is how artists live, in flow
- not as servants to the clock

we need the time to be, to do nothing (seemingly),
to ponder, to daydream, to plan, to reflect
sometimes we build the whole empire in our mind
before one pen is laid to paper, or one brick is laid
sometimes we work for days with a furvor
barely eating, barely sleeping, fueled only by inspiration
we are creators
that is our natural impulse, our need, our drive, our catharsis, our necessity
when we are able to live in harmony with this compulsion
we are happy, we are healthy, we are free


FREE YOUR MIND AND THE REST WILL FOLLOW