Finally... Desire to create!

Wow, after a very traumatic 2 1/2 years, I feel like I'm ready to rock and roll!! I feel like my life is getting back on track, and so is my artwork. I actually have that little buzz inside. The one that almost makes you jittery with desire to create. You know the one: it's the one that makes your eyes bright and keeps you awake at night, thinking of all the things you want to make. Lately, I've done a few things that I don't normally do, and that's what has lit the fire in me again. First, I bought a book, by Kelly Rae Roberts, Taking Flight, and the words and techniques in there have excited me. Second, I bought some art supplies! That always gets me jumping! And third, hubby and I went to 3 different galleries today and I completely enjoyed myself, which is something I haven't done in a long time. But I'm gonna keep it short, I'm posting from the phone. Here is a pic of a piece I just finished. And I'm so jacked up that I just want to keep working! - Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

You know you have a toddler when...

Well, Marley is now movin' on towards the Terrible Two's. She'll be two on June 25, so we aren't quite there yet, but I know we are starting to get close. Get this - the other day, she wanted some water and was pointing at the fridge, saying her word for water: "wa-coo". Great! So I grab a cup and start putting water in it, but wait! I've done something to make Marley mad. She starts whining and fussing, but silly me, I keep adding water to the cup. At this point, I'm not really sure what I'm doing wrong - maybe the wrong cup or maybe she wanted to do it herself, who knows - but I fill the cup and squat down to give it to her. She takes one more look at the evil cup, and just loses it! She starts flapping her arms and really crying, then she turns away from me and starts running - right into the kitchen cabinet door! BAM! She hits the cabinet door, full on face first with her arms open wide (because remember, they were flapping with anger) and totally gives herself a bloody lip. I think she smashed it between her teeth and the cabinet door. Ouch! I felt bad for her, but I also wonder if that maybe she clued in a little?!? I doubt it... But so this little incident gave me some insight as to what the future holds, and it sure is scary... I am not sure how to handle those public incidents that are bound to happen with an angry toddler! It looks like she may have gotten her mother's temper... Uh oh! Any advice??

Hooded Mergansers!

How cool is this guy?? The other day in the studio, I looked out of the window as I was forming a ball of clay in my hands, and saw this guy and his friends in the tidal creek that runs to the side of my house. I tried to get some photos of it, but my little point and shoot doesn't have the zoom to make it a worthy picture. I love being so close to nature. My studio is elevated, because all new construction on Folly Beach has to be due to flooding, and so that puts me right in the trees. And there are quite a few trees outside my window, so I can watch the cute little birdies doing their thing. Anyway, back to the duck. I always thought this guy had a strangely shaped head, but it is actually just a crest. They can lower it or raise it depending on what they are trying to say to the other ducks. I watched these guys for a few minutes, and they were just having the best time, diving for fish. It looked like they were playing. But BRRRRR! That water has to be cold, but it sure didn't bother them! Birds and ducks are amazing that way. They have all these built in mechanisms to keep them warm in the cold. I'm sure some of you in the north with all this snow are wishing for the same mechanisms! I was actually making a small clay bird as I stood there, watching the ducks. Studio time has been going pretty well lately, and that is a fine thing as I have the ACC show coming up. I'll post some pictures of some finished pieces in the near future. There are still a few finishing touches I have to do to some of them. That's all for now!

Am I the only one awake?

I woke up early because I heard the baby cry out over the monitor. She is cutting some serious teeth right now, complete with a 101 degree fever and everything. So I thought I'd get up and give her some medicine to make her more comfortable, and maybe she'd go back to sleep. And guess what? It snowed a little here! I've been here for 11 years, and I think I've seen snow twice in 11 years, here at the beach. I only wish it was during the day, so we can really see it. I don't even think the dogs know what snow is, and I would love to see our big dog, Kendo, playing in the snow. He'd totally dig it. Here he is I snapped that funny photo with my old phone and I just love the ears on him. That blur at the top of the photo is his tail wagging. So anyway, here I am, at 4:30, feeling wide awake, there is snow and crazy cold wind outside, and I can hear the baby's nose whistling as she breathes on the monitor. Such is life!

An Ah-Ha Moment!

I realized something today. Charlie and I were discussing triathletes and their rigorous training schedules. Just last year, he did his first triathlon and has been reading magazines and articles on training in one of his magazines. These guys are totally committed to their training. To the point of getting up at 3:30 am to get in a workout before a busy day begins. What?!? These people are crazy, in my mind. They all think that the body doesn't need anymore than say...6 hours of sleep. I say, that they are all Type A personalities, and that a body needs 7 or 8 hours of sleep. Whatever the case, I know that I am not a Type A person. I am not sure what kind of personality type I am, but it definitely isn't a Type A. But what I realized is that, if you want something, really want something, you make it happen. No matter what. It means giving up those other 2 hours of sleep, giving up quiet evenings with the family, giving up those gourmet dinners that take more than 30 minutes to cook. It means leaving dirty dishes in the sink sometimes, or laundry that goes another day unwashed in the laundry bin. What I finally understood, is that IT IS A CHOICE. I, too, could have 25 hours a week in the studio, sure, I just have to make it happen. I would have to choose to give up certain things to make another thing happen. There are only so many hours in the day (as any new parent surely understands), and you have to use those hours for the things you feel are important. Those dedicated triathletes are choosing to do the crazy 3:30 am workouts, because getting it in is more important than sleep. By doing it super early (middle of the night, if you ask me), they don't miss out on any of the family events, but yet they still get in their workouts. I admire that. So, I ask myself - What is it that I find important? First and foremost - family. I choose to put family first. I am a mother and a wife and I love cultivating that. Then, after that, comes in no real order: fitness, cooking healthy and delicious meals, clay, house maintenance, sleep. As you may or may not know, I've been dealing with some real insomnia problems lately. It's stress, I know, but it is a real issue in my day-to-day life. I like sleep. It makes me feel good and keeps me happy. Therefore, sleep = important. Cooking = important. One must eat and life is too short to eat crappy food all the time. And I like the idea of teaching the kiddo how to cook and eat properly. It's a good lifetime skill that most people don't learn these days. Clay = important. Keeps Mom sane. I can't articulate all the emotions that have built over 2 1/2 years and clay is the only way to get it out. House maintenance = not fun, but pretty important. It must be done or else chaos ensues. Fitness = important. Good stress reliever, keeps Mom sane, but takes up valuable time when Mom could be doing other things. (See previous sentences.) So, what I learned today is that I could be more dedicated in the studio, I could get 25 hours of time in the studio, but it means giving up some things that I feel are important. Call me dense, I know, I have to learn these things the hard way. For now, I think I will stick with things the way they are, and then when maybe the kid is in school, I will get more clay time. Well, we will see!!

The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill

Last night we watched the film "The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill" that we had netflixed. It was awesome. It was about this guy who lived in a little cottage, free of charge, and took care of these birds. He had all the time in the world, because he didn't really work, and he developed the most amazing relationship with these beautiful birds. He had names for them and studied each one, until he knew its story. Some of these parrots he had know since they were babies, and he knew their entire life story! It was totally amazing. If you like San Francisco, birds, or just cool stories, get this movie and you won't be sorry. Aren't these guys beautiful???

Useless Studio Assistants

This afternoon I'm in my studio working- thank god- and I have the two most useless assistants. They are sweet, but with all the heavy breathing, they're making me sleepy!


I love it- one starts to dream, with whining and kicking, which bothers the other dog. Then, a few minutes later, the situation is reversed. Give me a break, here! I'm trying to work, and these guys are spreading sleepy vibes all throughout the studio. It's more contagious than the stomach bug I had last week! Ugh! - Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Save the Light 5K

Yesterday morning, we had our first family 5K run. It was my first 5K ever, and I had not run in a couple of weeks, thanks to the mega stomach bug I had last week. So I was a bit nervous on how I would do. It didn't help matters that I found myself lying awake in bed at 3:00 am the night before, thinking about a zillion different things. I never really fell back asleep, so when the alarm went off at 6:00 am, I thought, "Oh boy. Today is gonna be a long day". And it was. But the 5K went well, we had a little rain that had everybody worried, but it wasn't too bad. We took Marley in the stroller, and she was just fine in there Here's a pic of us at the meeting point: Marley looks none too happy, and I understand why - we had to wake her up early. She likes to sleep in a little later some days. So today, I feel pretty good! I took some melatonin last night to make sure I got some sleep, and boy, did it work! I slept 8 hours - hard. And my legs feel a little tired today, calves a little tight, but overall, I feel pretty good. I'm excited - I thought I was going to be in a bit of pain today! In the studio yesterday, while the kiddo slept, I was putting a coat of underglaze on a couple of sculptures. Poppped one in the kiln and it should be ready for it's next coat this afternoon. I need to get these finished so that I can photograph them. I want to make new postcards for the ACC show. Last time I did the show, I passed out unbelievable amounts of postcards, so this time I want to do that again. You never know what may come out of that! Sometimes I think people like to collect them for the pretty pictures of cool artwork, but other people will sometimes call you for an order later on. A postcard helps them to remember your work.