Right--falling behind with Reverb10 and realizing that as with other things, I am making my own barriers and standing in my own way. Thinking about and addressing these issues doesn't have to take a couple of hours and at least 3 revisions before publishing. Granted, that might produce a better entry for my readers! But I can't use that as an excuse not to step up & speak to the prompt in whatever way I am able to manage.
4 Dec prompt: So, how did I cultivate a sense of wonder in my life this year? Quite frankly, I didn't. My focus was more on just getting by. But if I am honest with myself, I could elevate that view a bit for next year.
I will say that I did learn as the year went on to appreciate things that I didn't before, and I learned from reading all the wonderful blogs out there that my creativity can express itself in many ways--in the food I prepare for my family and the appreciation I take in the physical effort of it as well as just taking notice of the smells and colors of the ingredients, in the things I share with my children and the laughter we create with each other, in anything and everything, really.
Also, in Susan Tuttle's book Digital Expressions, I learned that taking beautiful pictures of everyday things is within my reach--it's all in learning to really look at things, to see what I am looking at. Same thing with making an attempt at sketching something. The curve of a handle on a coffee mug is a lovely thing and full of beauty. As the boy said in August Rush, beauty is all around us [he may have said music, but it's one and the same].
All right, how can I cultivate a sense of wonder in my life next year? I don't think I want to place the pressure on myself to blog every day about something, or write in my journal every day. Perhaps the thing to do is simply to make myself the promise to look for the wonder, to appreciate it in the smiles of my beautiful children, the pleasure when I play something well on my harp, the smile I get when the little wren hops into the middle of the wreath on my front door and checks it out. I am surrounded by wonder. But it is up to me to acknowledge it.
5 Dec prompt: What or whom did I let go of this year? A few things--some friendships that had run their course, the feeling that my goal is to get back to a physical body I had before I had two children and two miscarriages, and spending my free mental time replaying scenes from my marriage that I wish had gone differently. I choose to think about other things now, because that wasn't accomplishing anything. And I finally am aware that rather than going back to something that is gone, my job is to go forwards and find out what is here now.
6 Dec prompt: What was the last thing I made? The last thing I finished were some holiday cards. Materials used included vintage postcard stickers from Hobby Lobby, papers I painted myself on acrylic paper, grungeboard, Distress Inks, Stickles, metal embellishments, Dresden scrap blue snowflakes, etc. I am halfway through a journal from Julie Prichard's Art Journaling course on the Land of Lost Luggage network (Ning); I used folded notecards from Michael's for the pages, waxed linen thread for sewing the signatures, and for the spine I've used pleather that I've had around for some time, and the cover papers are Oriental-themed ones I got on my last trip to the in-laws in England.
7 Dec prompt: Where did I discover community in 2010, and what community would I like to join in 2011? I found community online, and the comments that have come in on my blog and what I read from others has touched my heart deeply. I love sharing what I'm doing and hearing other's comments and critiques--sometimes the littlest word can send me off in a completely new direction. And of course, to receive approbation from others is balm for my wounded, fragile creative female ego that is always seeking the approval of others (I am trying to not do that so much and learn to listen to myself and trust myself, at least creatively). In terms of how to extend this into next year, I'd like to get organized enough to start submitting entries to magazine challenges and participate in a regular online challenge.
Thanks for reading this much. All comments welcome!
