Art

There is a 2 day "Art in the Park" event that started today. So much to look at and take in. Lance bought a pot, I bought a yunomi, and we bought a pastel print of a quail.

I've seen thousand dollar art in the past, but I've never seriously considered purchasing any... until today.

An Oregon artist, Tom Walsh, was there today. He's a sculptor that works primarily in bronze. He had his booth set up like a mini gallery, which was cool. Anyways, one of his pieces struck me so intensely that I seriously gazed at it and walked around it for a good 5 minutes. It was one of those pieces that you just have to experience. Tom watched me, and then made the observation that I "got it." He said that most people don't get it. They don't understand how to look at his pieces- how to experience them, but he could tell that I understood his piece. I really have no words. It was amazing. To a normal person it probably just looked like an abstract thing made of metal and was green. But, oh man. The craftsmanship and the way he was able to manipulate the bronze... Seriously amazing. I wish we had the $1100 to spend on it. I can't stop thinking about it and I will probably go "visit" it tomorrow.

It was really fun being able to share the experience with Lance. He's soooo left-brained, but I'm able to convey things to him about art that he otherwise would not realize or overlook. I was able to sit with him and help him identify just WHY he decided to purchase that specific pot. We saw hundreds today, but that was the only one he liked enough to buy.

I love art that makes you experience it. You have no choice but see and feel things and it moves you. There are subtle, and not so subtle, ways that artists are able to make the viewer react. They can make you pick up and experience a cup or pot, or they can stop you dead in your tracks, like today. You may not even know why. I love how art speaks to your subconscious and you have an actual experience. You share a connection with a piece. It is more than just an object, it imparts a thought, connotation, emotion, feeling, sensation, etc. Sure there's art that's just "pretty," but it's empty; hollow. Real art makes you experience it, feel it, and share it.

Art I want right now

All from etsy.com.

Life

I have an interview tomorrow at Macy's. I really hope it goes well. I think I could really improve some of the store layout and marketing-related stuff. As you can see, some of the succulents from my bridal bouquet are blooming! They are still sitting in a wet paper towel growing roots.

And our bedroom finally looks nice! We got rid of the box and got an actual night stand! I also found perfectly matching pillows, lamp, and jewelry box at TJ Maxx! The mirrors also came from there. Yes, I'm addicted. It's nice to finally have a nice room to relax in. I'm very happy with it. Now we just have to get the living room figured out! The bathroom is almost there..

Rite Aid had $2.50 potted herbs. I snapped up a Tuscan Rosemary and French Lavender plants. Excited. I think my nail polish is dry, so I should probably shower and set out my interview outfit. Keep your fingers crossed!

Best advice

 Over the years I've been through a lot of things that had led to me needing to see a counselor to talk things over. This was in part due to being in school and still being sick and being affected by an old relationship that ended very badly. The last semester in college was the worst. I was in a car accident early on, and it affected my health so much I failed an elective, and lost graduating with honors. I had held my 3.00 through 6 years of college, one of which including rehabbing a shoulder replacement and going through said break-up.

Back to the last semester. I hit a really bad patch of depression and major anxiety (who can blame me, right?) Because to me, if I didn't graduate in December, I was not finishing my degree. I was beyond exhausted on all fronts, and my body was on strike. I began seeing a counselor, and the best advice she gave me was: be kind to yourself.

I honestly believe this is the best advice anyone can give or be given. How often is our stress and suffering due to ourselves? We are our own worst critic, and her gentle reminder told me we have full control on how we treat ourselves. No one is making us feel guilty or terrible about ourselves. It's not a mindset imposed on us by anyone. We do it to ourselves, and I fully feel that we are too mean to ourselves. This really helped me move forward and realize that the past is the past, and I don't have to be affected by it anymore. It's over. I have my whole life in front of me, and if I just remember to be kind to myself, the outlook is much clearer.

I notice frequently through social media that people often really dwell on things because they feel they don't have control over their emotions or thoughts, and they think that this means there is something wrong with them. People dwell because they feel they should. Such as "I can't believe that I'm not more affected by [insert tragedy here], I must be a terrible person!" I think that we all need to remind ourselves that our subconscious is NOT who we are. It is a system of brainwaves that make associations and thoughts that we should NOT consider "who we are." We actively decide who we are. So, just because I didn't cry at that one war movie does not mean that I wasn't heartbroken by it, it just means that our brains are very well able at coping with things to keep us alive. If we broke down at every thing, in the wild we would be dead. We forget that we are technically instinctual animals, and our brains' first job is to keep us alive.

So please, if you are reading this and feel guilty over something that happened in your past, be kind to yourself and move forward. You decide who you are, racing thoughts are not you. Look at them objectively and understand that our bodies do make observations on their own, and it is not us.

Be kind to yourself.

My love and hate of art history

I was a Fine Arts major for 2 years of college before I changed to Graphic Communications. So that was 4 semesters of art history. I hate history. And art history is like twice as bad. Cuz you not only have to know the who what and when, you have to know why where and what it looks like. ARGH! Well, I have found that the most useful thing I learned in school was, in fact, art history. We're currently trying to furnish our teeny apartment on a teenier budget. We started with a futon, a tv and banker boxes. Nothing else. No plates, pots, pans, bed, tables, chairs, etc. The futon was our bed and couch. We have since used my savings to buy a bed, and accumulated a cheap tv stand. In shopping for furniture Lance often would ask me to translate the rambling. I then realized I was using terms like "art deco," "mid century modern," "contemporary," "mission style," etc. And I realized he had no idea what the heck I was talking about when I would point to a chair and say "that is a mid century modern chair." So I have actually had to use the art history education in shopping for furniture and identifying our preferences for styles and shapes. DARN YOU ART HISTORY!!!!! It is cool that I'm using something from school, but it annoys me that I still remember! My art history professors were interesting, and art students use interesting terms and ways to describe something as simple as a cube. While I think it's wicked awesome I can talk about tangible items and know specifically what I like and don't like, I still hated art history.

So yes. We now are the proud owners of 2 mid century modern chairs. And our cat, Abby, approves.

Spring Inspiration

I close my eyes and I am there. I can feel the warm breeze, smell the lavender warmed by the sun, and can feel the sunshine. I can hear the birds singing and hear their wings flit through the air, and I can hear the hum of the bees gathering nectar. I hear the creak of the chair as I shift my weight, and then smell the wood, warm in the sun. Oh how I long for this place. The peace, the tranquility, the sweet smelling air, and the pure joy.

Things that inspire me

Photo by Ralph Crane

You know when you're in the turn only lane really far back? And all the cars have their signals on? I love it. Especially in the quiet. Just a moment in time of different heart beats waiting for the same thing. It's a moment of connection. The wait is universal among the human experience. And I love to just experience it and observe. As 2 lights go out 4 go on then 1, then 3, then 2, then 5. It's a silent melody in which we must feel to experience. And then it ends and the journey starts again.