some updates

i was gonna write this last night but i got a virus or worm or something on my computer... it was awful! i couldn't do anything. it's all better now but it took a lot of work and a lot of time to figure out how to get rid of it. so far, so good today and i haven't found anything missing. it was very powerful and i'm still worried some of its files are still lurking and that it could reinstall. but i'm a worrier.

anyway (i say anyway a LOT and i can't seem to kick the habit), i don't have anything finished but have some things i wanted to show. first up, i did take a couple of "process" pics when i did the love art journal page. they are pics from my iphone, not scans so the lighting is bad. this first one i took after i was done inking the page. i used 4 colors- a fading red, pink, light purple, and silver.



the lighting is worse in this one but you can see the purple a lot better here before i wrote all over it. obviously i took it after adding the title.



in my last post i said i was sure i had tons of unfinished knitting projects so i went looking for them. here's a few scarves and dishrags i was able to find. there's only 5 here but i know there's more somewhere! a lot of my crafting supplies are still boxed up in the basement so they're hiding. there's a couple things i can see in my head- one is even a blanket i started quite a while ago.



this last picture is a scan of a doodle i'm working on. i've mentioned it before- it's my hands.



remember i said my hands were small? i wasn't joking! i'm also noticing my knuckles are kinda big- must be from cracking them. i'm getting off track! basically, i don't know where to go from here and there's a TON of white space. i'm getting that white space anxiety syndrome. the fingers were easier because they were contained but now i need to figure out what to do with the palms and with the background. i've considered writing something in the palms- a poem, a couple quotes... not really sure. any ideas are welcomed!! (also, once again, the colors are nowhere near true to life. ugh!)

so, no achievements to post but i'm well on my way. not only am i pushing myself to finish the hands, but i'm also knitting while in front of the tv (if i don't have laundry to fold). plus i've got ideas for at least 2 more pictures (? drawings? doodles? don't know what to call them). what else am i working on?

well, the room that started out as the playroom which is now going to be my craft/art/writing/music (heehee) room is currently what i'm calling the junk room. see, i was going to use a room in the basement but i don't like it down there. most of my stuff is still all packed up and in the basement because i never felt good about working down there. but up in this room, there are boxes and bins and drawer towers and the old dressers from our master bedroom before we got the new bedroom set, etc. you can't really even walk in there. so i'm cleaning it out. i'm really not good at cleaning or organizing so it's really hard. plus, what's in there needs to go downstairs but what's down needs to come up. so the rest of my house will have clutter as things switch places. i have to go through everything, though, and throw out what's no longer useful. old magazines, old mail, things i won't use... it's a process. hmm, i think i'll count one achievement when it's cleaned out, and another for getting my stuff in it so i can work!

i'm still singing! and recording. haha, when my room gets cleaned out i'll be able to get to my guitar and keyboard! ;) oh, we are going to re-do the upstairs bathroom in a month or two so i'm designing that. i started taking measurements and researching flooring options and considering color pallets. also, i've been reading a book. i believe if you want to write, you must read and this writer really is a very good writer. i've never been interested in non-fiction and honestly didn't think i'd like the book but it's grown on me- because of the excellent writing! i'm learning from it and from the author. :)

i know my count is low- nowhere where i should be for being a week into march, BUT, not only do i have so many things almost done, i know when my room is done, i'll be so ready to work!! it's not easy being creative with a tray table in the living room, markers all over the couch, netbook on the floor, in a dining room chair. motivation to get my room cleaned out for sure! i just wish was better and faster at it...

8, 9, & 10

wow, it's been a crazy couple of weeks. i know it's been a while since i posted. i have been working on things, just haven't had a chance to get on here and write about it.

one thing i did was this.


i learned a lot about color from this. the scanner, of course, didn't do it justice. the colors are much more vibrant and DIFFERENT from each other in person. this scan makes a few of the colors look very similar but they're not. i would feel much better if the light green on the outer edge was in the middle more with one of the blue greens on the outside. oh, well. that's why i'm doing this, to learn. i also don't like the dark spots from the layering of the marker color. i'm just using my cheap crayola super-tips on these coloring books so i should expect as much.

i also took some pictures after the ice storm. a few of them turned out nice but not a whole lot that i would consider "creative." here are a couple i think are.


i like the sun in this shot and how the ice on all the little branches sparkle! i'm not sure how i feel about how dark it is at the top.


this one... i like it, especially how the branches in the bakground are slightly blurry. i was cropping it to see what it would look like and accidentally saved it this way. it's just as well; the rest of the rest of the photo is just wooden fence. remember that you can click on any image and then click it again when it re-opens to zoom in!

that's it for today. i'm working on another doodle (my hands) and will post as soon as it's done. i'm in the midst of writing a poem which i'm not sure i'll want to post. some things aren't meant to be shared with everyone. maybe someday. i'll count it, though, when it's finished. i'm also trying to get up the nerve to post the songs i've recorded myself singing. we'll see... my other creative plan is to pull out my knitting while i'm watching tv. i've got several unfinished scarves and washcloths! maybe i'll take a picture to show just how many! ;)

and here's #7

this is another recipe! didn't really think this was the direction my creativity was headed but i'll take it. i don't have time this weekend to write or work on an "art" piece with so much going on and i was feeling kind of bummed about that. so, i decided to get creative in the kitchen again since i could. i'd been thinking about it all day and it ended up being pretty late before i got started cooking.

so, i call this burrito quesadillas. naming recipes is not easy but since is seemed like a burrito type filling, i named it accordingly. this is what you'll need (and please bear with me):

butter
8 whole wheat soft taco or medium sized tortillas
1 lb. ground beef
1 can bush's chili beans, undrained
1/2 8oz container garden vegetable cream cheese
12 oz pkg. shredded cheese (i used mexican 4 cheese)
salt, pepper, garlic powder, cumin, chili powder

in a skillet, brown beef- season liberally with spices. drain the fat and add more of the spices. stir in the beans with the sauce and the cream cheese. the cream cheese does so many things! of course, it makes the filling creamy, it's another layer of cheese flavor, and even though it's not much, hey- it's adding in some veggies that won't be seen. :)

push the skillet to the back burner and heat another skillet or grill pan. use the grill pan if you have it- the grill marks on the quesadilla are so appealing! run a stick of butter over the surface of the pan or skillet and lay a tortilla on top. sprinkle with just enough cheese to cover the bottom. spoon 1/4 of the meat/bean mixture on top of the cheese. then, add another layer of cheese just like the one on the bottom. finally, run your stick of butter all over another tortilla and place it butter side up on top.

as soon as the top tortilla is sticking to the cheese, use a wide spatula and flip it! be careful, you don't want the filling to come flying out! let it cook for another couple minutes to get crispy and golden on the bottom and then transfer to a cutting board. let it set a minute while you prepare the next quesadilla. then, use a knife or pizza cutter to cut into 6 wedges. repeat 3 times- makes 4 total.

you can serve with salsa or sour cream but honestly they are so flavorful, you don't really need it. if you have them, try it, but don't make an extra trip to the store.

i wanted to mention also, that i found software to make mp3s out of my videos. see, when i sing, i play the track on my laptop hooked up to the surround sound and i sing. i record it on my iphone. none of this is any type of quality equipment but it's all i have and i don't need anything else at this point. so, the songs are in video form- and not of my face, but of the carpet since i face it away and down to get the most from the microphone (if you can even all it that). anyway, they are too large to email and who wants to watch my shaky video of carpet?? so i found free software that extracts the sound and converts it to an mp3- or something like that. whatever, it makes me happy.

#6- art journal love

to celebrate the anniversary of launching her first online workshop, connie hozvicka at dirty footprints studio created

her challenge was to create an art journal page about love. there are prizes and you have until tomorrow night to submit your page if you want to join the love! connie is inspirational to me. her attitude about art is one i admire- be fearless. so, today i was.

i've never really done any art journaling but it's something i've always wanted to try... i've been thinking about it since her post on monday and today was the day. i did things i've never done and am happy i did it! here is my love page.

i know it looks a bit messy but it's the first time i have really embraced my handwriting and drawing on something permanent. it's mine so i will love it. all i used was a bic mark-it ultra fine point marker and a few sharpies for the little bit of color. the background was really fun to do. i took a fading red, a light purple, and a silver ink pad for stamping and inked the heck out of the paper. i like how the red turned out pink since it was running out of ink. if you want a closer look, click on the picture and when it opens, click on it again to zoom in. anyway, my very first art journal page is complete and that's that.

#5

so, i hadn't considered counting this, but my mom said, "why not? creating is creating!" ok, maybe not those exact words... anyway, here is a new recipe i came up with. and hey- this time it will be written down so i can make it again! i made a quiche once (the only time i've ever made one) and i have no idea now how i even made it. sucks, cuz i'd really like to have it again sometime.

here's the deal with me and cooking. i don't really like following recipes. here's what i usually do when i think of something i want to make. first, i look up recipes so i get the basic idea of what i need. for example, with the quiche, i had no idea how many eggs i needed or how much other stuff, how long to bake it, or at what temp. i THINK i did sausage, mushroom and asparagus... that combo sounds yummy to me. i don't even know what cheese i used. anyway, after i get the basic idea, i get to work and i do what looks, smells, and tastes right to me. i add or subtract or substitute and eventually, i have a delicious meal but the "recipe" is often lost forever in the cobwebby part of my crazy brain.

anyway, a few nights ago i decided i wanted white chicken chili. but again, i had no idea how to make it. my aunt had written a recipe for it in our family cookbook, but when i read it (and i read it over and over), i just couldn't get my head around it. so i got online and looked it up and most of the recipes i found were pretty much the same. apparently, there's a few basic ingredients in chicken chili and that's really all anyone puts in it- chicken, white beans, green chilis, and chicken broth. some people start with onion and garlic and some add some spices. that's it. it didn't seem like what i wanted but i started with the 4 basic things. i knew i wanted it spicy so i added chili powder. then i thought it needed "brightening" so i added lime juice and cilantro. then i added corn cuz i add corn to everything- i love the slight crunch it gives. that all helped but it still wasn't right... then it hit me! i wanted it creamier! i only had 1/2% milk so i thought for a minute and then proceeded to dig out a can of cream of chicken soup from the pantry. ahhh! perfect! the only thing i would have done differently is, for the amount of soup i made, i'd have added another can of green chilis. here is the recipe:

3 cans (undrained!) of white beans
1 1/2 cans chicken broth
1/2 (or so) rotisserie chicken- already cooked
2 tiny cans chopped green chilis
juice from 1/2 lime
handful minced cilantro
1/2 bag of frozen corn
1 can cream of chicken soup
as much chili powder as you want

just get it all in a big pot on the stove and let it cook for a little while. it doesn't need to be on the heat too long. that's it! so yummy. i melted some cheese on top in the bowls and dropped a dollop of sour cream on top. i like both those things on regular chili. what do you think? did i create a recipe??

achievement #4

i have these coloring books. some of the pictures are kind of difficult to color and some not so much. i chose this one the other day in order to practice coloring inside the lines. yes, i'm 30 years old and i have a hard time coloring in the lines. i'm not really sure why. i go slow. i outline. i do everything i can think of but i still color outside of the lines. if you look at the picture, you can see i did an ok job but not great. especially if you click on it and zoom in... and i really tried hard because i knew i'd be posting this.


i'm a little disappointed in my scanner because the dark blue and purple look almost the same. i assure you this is not the case. and i'm not sure why i colored the messy yellow background. i was freaked out by all the white space and then i got worried that there wasn't enough brightness. and by that time i'd worked so hard trying to stay in the lines that i just scribbled it. i can always crop it out. as far as the design goes, i tried to use some colors that i'm not totally comfortable with. my kids were proud of themselves for recognizing the pattern fairly quickly. not too long ago they were talking about patterns in school.

back to where i started... the more i think about it, i wonder if i'm really supposed to be right handed. my handwriting is messy, i can't color in the lines, and i CAN write legibly with my left hand. i'd thought before that maybe i was ambidextrous, but maybe i'm supposed to be a "lefty."


ok, obviously the name on top was written with my right hand and the one on the bottom was written with my left hand. and yes, the one using my right hand is better, but i've been writing with my right hand for what, 26 years now. it seems to me that my left handed writing (that i've only done a very few times) is almost as good, and with 26 years of practice could end up being better. is it worth it to try to change now? i don't know. holding things (pencil, fork, etc.) in my left hand does not feel weird or awkward. but, putting my arm on the paper to write does. i don't know how to place myself to write the best that i can with my left hand. i guess it's something for me to ponder. i could even keep my right hand as my dominant but still work at my left hand and be truly ambidextrous. or, maybe this is all just crazy and maybe just being creative and artsy gives me the ability to use both hands in case of an emergency. i don't know. my toes can easily pick up anything and i've used it to my advantage my whole life. i've found (through pinching with them, heehee) that they are rather strong. so maybe it's just a similar thing with my left hand. uh, i think i'm thinking on this way too much and need to stop. :)

a little honesty

i was searching through "artsy" blogs today and came across a phrase... "turn off the computer. make art." over at http://www.DirtyFootprints-Studio.com kinda took me by surprise. i spend hours a week surfing through creative blogs and websites searching for inspiration and ideas. why? as far as i see it, creative types of people blog for two reasons- to inspire others and to show their work. of course it can be a good thing to spend time admiring the art of others- for them and you. but am i using it as an excuse?

i think that maybe i don't trust my creative intuition. i'm sure this lack of trust in myself is not limited to my creativity. it follows me around in my daily life. i've always struggled with being who i want to be or who i think i'm meant to be vs. who i should be or who i'm expected to be. i want to be loved for who i am. i do. so, if i'm not allowing myself to be me, what am i asking of people?

i honestly don't know how to let go. i have a strong desire to do things right the first time, for things to be perfect every time. maybe perfection is relative. i've been told i'm my worst critic and i think this is true for most people. i KNOW i'm a creative person. i KNOW there are ideas in my head. what i don't know is how to access those ideas and then how to trust them. every once in a while i get really attached to a creative idea or a line for a poem and i allow myself to follow through. most of the time, though, i blow it off. when i sit down to do a project, i don't think i'm really letting go. no, i know i'm not. anyone have advice for trusting and believing?

hopefully this will help. i commit to spending some time every day working on a project or poem or song. even if i'm not in the mood, even if i feel like i have no good ideas or thoughts, i will work on something.

one more thing. while i am a little bit afraid of failure (it's hurtful to be told something you made is not good enough), i think i'm more afraid of success. what if i write a couple of really good poems and then there's no more good ones in me? what if i write the book that's been floating in my head and i can't write another? what if i only get 2 good art pieces out of 100? what if i can't match up to myself?? people who make it in this world aren't afraid of no. when they have a dream or passion, they push themselves. they get better and someone eventually notices. why can't i be one of them?

achievements 2 & 3

i took a photo the other day. it's not just an everyday photo. i also did not plan it out. it was not designed or placed or anything else. what makes it a creative achievement, though, is the fact that i noticed it. i was walking back up the sidewalk in front of my house after taking the kids to school and i saw this. all i could see was a photograph and there was enough untouched snow around it to make it perfect.


the footprint on the left is mine and the one on the right belongs to my 6 year old son, although i'm not sure which one (i have twins). i think what really caught my attention was the fact that my foot doesn't seem that much bigger than theirs. i do have small feet and i don't think they have big feet. i have a theory that my hands and feet stopped growing when i was around 10 so i look forward to comparing with them when they are 10. based on this photo, though, i think it'll be pretty close.

my other achievement is... i finished my doodled stars! i got really into it when i started and did 4. then, in corinne fashion, i lost interest. it was really hard to finish. i used all the creativity i could muster on one of the last two stars, and honestly, the very last star i did looks awful. i just didn't have anything left in me. doing 6 at a time was ambitious and i'll probably not do that again. here they are:


i do have a few favorites. the one is just ugly, and two others i feel are just okay... but, here are my top 3:




so, basically, these are just done with sharpie and bic markers. basic coloring and doodling. it's something new for me and i'm still learning but it's calming and helps me relax. i love it! it may not look amazing and it may not make me any money, but it sure helps me work out my creative muscles in short spurts. no long commitment. isn't that what we all want from any work out- a short time commitment but to still feel good after?

more is on the way! i can't wait until i have something else to post. i know people are viewing my blog (i can see page views) but no one has started following me... should i follow myself so no one has to be the first? heehee. also, for those who know blogger well, i don't know any other way to move around my images other than to go to the "edit html" tab and move them there. when i add them, they automatically add to the top of my post without the option of adding text above it. am i missing something or is this the only way??

achievement #1

I haven't written since my original post. I have many things in the works but nothing is done. Here's the list:
1. practicing two songs I hope to record
2. finishing up a knitted scarf
3. working on a poem
4. finishing up a set of doodled stars

I do have my first creative achievement, though! I count this because it fueled my creative soul and I believe that feeding yourself creativity is as important as using your creativity. I was surprised (by my husband) with tickets to see Cirque du Soleil- Dralion this past Friday! We had floor seats, 3 rows back, just to the left of the stage and were far enough back to be able to see everything clearly. It was amazing! I loved it! It had everything I would expect- juggling (7 balls), walking on huge balls, jumping through small hoops, hanging from the ceiling from ribbons and rings, lots of acrobatics and dancing and spinning... It also had a few things I wasn't expecting. There was some audience interaction, lots of comedy, and the music was live! I didn't realize it at first until I saw the singer out on the stage. Only one voice for the whole show. Once I realized it wasn't recorded music, I noticed the band. The music was just as good as everything else. I was also mesmerized by the costumes. Beautiful colors, beautiful fabrics, beautiful fibers. Yes, seeing this show, taking in all the creativity it had to offer, and letting it fuel my creative brain was a creative achievement. I am so thankful!

Well, I'm hoping I finish up some things on the list above this week. I've got lots of ideas and thoughts but I want to finish up some things before I move on. I have a problem with not finishing things. I tend to get bored and want to start something new. This especially makes knitting difficult. Once I have enough done to know it will (or won't) turn out the way I envisioned, I tend to quit. Actually, if I went through my stuff, I probably have 10-15 things partially done that I could finish up and put towards my 100 achievements. But what if I forget some of my new ideas while spending my time on stuff that's already started? I suppose the idea of a creative journal to house my ideas could be a good thing. Hmmm. Something for me to think about.

introduction

so, i vowed to myself that i would do 100 creative things in 2011. not really a resolution, i just want to do what makes me happy. creating makes me happy, alive, and real. i thought i'd start a blog a long time ago and created this account but never did anything with it. now, i'm here making my first post on the 10th day of the new year, deeming this a place to document my creative achievements and hold myself accountable. (i don't know much about blogger yet but i'm sure i'll figure it out.)

i'm not limiting myself so my creative achievements can be in any category. i have a list of categories i think i'll most likely stay within but one never knows what will happen. writing, music, design, photography, art, knitting, sewing, crafting... that's a lot in itself but i definitely wouldn't mind finding or learning about something else. if i thought i was really great at something in particular, i'd stick to that. but my problem is that i'm a little bit good at a lot of things and not really good at any of them.

i don't doubt that i will end up writing about other areas of my life here but if it ends up blurring out the creativity posts then i will most likely start a different blog for that stuff. if i write about it that much, it will deserve its own place. perhaps, if i need inspiration, i will occasionally post the work of other people or some things i've done in the past.

so, 10 days into the year and i have yet to do anything creative. well, i did take a photo in low light last night but i haven't looked at it on a big screen yet so i'm not sure if it turned out good enough to count yet. i took it on my iphone so chances are, it's not. i recorded myself singing a song i'd not recorded before but i am off key during part of it so i'm not counting that either. maybe when i can do better, i will. i guess that's what this blog is for, too. to remind myself that i can't perfect everything i do. that sometimes, if doing it made me happy, my best was good enough.