Creativity Calls

What is it about being human that makes us want to create beautiful things?
Is it something to do with being human? Does the birds nest, beautiful in construction and lined with soft things to protect, count as a work of art even though it is a necessary part of the bird’s life? Is the bird also an artist?

Do we create just to express ourselves? Do we create to please our own eyes? Or is creation more of an expression of something larger? Is the creation of art an attempt by humans to mimic the gods, who created that amazing work of art known as humans?

I’m meandering on about all this because I was just wondering…why do we create?

You see, my sister spends a good part of her weekend in the garage studio where she makes stained glass. She has yet to find a market for her beautiful art (Don’t give up! Keep looking! You are a great artist!), but she creates anyway. Another friend spends hours beading jewelry that never has sold. She gives her art away as gifts. I know another person, a very talented musician who creates beautiful music, just for fun. I know people who paint landscapes, knit, sew quilts, build birdhouses, draw animals, sing in choir, make clothes, turn wood into bowls and on and on. I know lots of people who can’t help creating!

I’m spending a lot of time working on illustrations for a kids book I wrote that will probably never see the light of day. That just got me wondering- Why do we do it?

I met an artist recently who has spent 30something years creating a collection of photographs depicting life in the ever changing city he resides in. On a TV interview he gave for a local program he said he” had never sold a piece of his art”. I almost thought he was bragging, then I thought- it’s just to darn bad.

I mean, with all this creation flowing out of us, shouldn’t we be able to make a living with art?

If there is anyone reading this that thinks making money for art is demeaning or somehow corrupts the art, well we just have to agree to disagree. I can’t think of anything that makes more sense than for people to be able to make a living doing the thing that just naturally flows from them. What could be better than to make your living making beautiful things that enhance the beauty and energy of the world? Humanity has created a world where we must strive to make money so that we can purchase the things we need, no changing that I guess. So why don’t we create a world were the things we need are the things of beauty that, as humans, we can’t seem to stop creating?

I don’t know, I’m just meandering. Hey, I have an idea, why don’t you post a comment telling everyone what you love to create and why you think you are compelled to do it?
If you make money with your art, tell us that too. Maybe together we can figure this out!

Challenged to Do Nothing

Ok, it's the end of the weekend and I have to share with you what I spent the weekend doing. Nothing. Well, not exactly nothing, but no work. Now, If you have been reading like a regular you know I spent July 4th weekend sitting and trying to reclaiming my own rhythm. This weekend I tried another experiment. What if I did just nothing all weekend? How would it feel? Could I do it? Would the world end if I didn't get anything done? Would my job suffer if I didn't do any work?

This experiment turned out to be much more difficult than I thought it would be. For those of you who know me, you know I have been self employed for what, almost 20 years? Yes, just about that and during that time I have spent at least a few hours almost every weekend doing something work related. I know, it's really sick, but I'm just trying to get over this illness now. It's hard for me not to think about the files that should be notated, the deposits to make out, the advertising to renew, the up coming challenges of business in today's economy. It's difficult for me to set it all aside and just have a weekend. But hey, I'm determined and you know, when I get something in my head I'm going for it.

Any-hoo, I didn't do diddley squat this weekend. I "frittered" away my time, but I had to really concentrate to accomplish that. I had to be ever vigilant because my natural instinct is to do. I'm just learning to be.

I sat in the sun and listened to Eric Clapton, increasing my tan lines. I went to a classic boat show with a friend and her two adorable boys. I sat reading a novel. I played with the computer, searching things like crop circles and stone rings in Miami and ancient maps that show the new world, made before the new world was discovered. I got on youtube and watched Chris Griscom and Marianne Williamson.

I played with the cats. I experimented with some line drawings for a kids book I'm working on. I rode my bike, a new distance record for me, really it's not that far, just a few miles but farther than I had been riding! I polished my toe nails and went to margaritaville. I sat and watched the cats sleep. I sat and watched the clouds roll by. I sat and watched the breeze flutter the leaves of my grape vines. I sat.

I didn't do a darn thing that was work related all weekend. Hurray! I did it! It was a challenge, my mind kept going to what "needed to be done" and I kept saying "not right now, I'm doing nothing". I had to keep reminding myself that I was suppose to be a slacker all weekend. That it was OK to be lazy, after all, it was the weekend. In our culture, the weekend is time off, right?

I hope you had a weekend full of a whole lotta nothing. The world will not stop spinning if I take time to just relax and make some time for me. Thank Heavens! Same for you.

Just Say No to Prescription Drugs

Last night I spent some time looking at a popular women's magazine. I like to take a look through one now and then, examining the ads to see what people are falling for, um, I mean consuming. It keeps me up to date on what my clients may be eating, drinking, buying and following as part of current popular culture.I also peruse a few other magazines on a regular basis, for the same reason. I want to know what my clients are thinking about.

This magazine had a full page ad on the dangers of teen agers taking prescription drugs for the purpose of getting high. The ad states that 19% of teens have abused prescription drugs to get high. Under the statistic screaming headline it says: Talk to your kids about how dangerous it can be.

The magazine is full of colorful two page layout highly attractive ads for prescription drugs. It has ads for all kinds of ailments and the drugs that are going to save you from these ailments. It has all kinds of photos of people looking all happy because their doctor prescribed some pills for them. This magazine touts the advantages of popping pills. Many of the ads use scare tactics. If you don't take this, you might die from this! In fact, you might be dieing right now! Go ask you doctor for this drug!

33% of those ads are for prescription drugs specifically for kids.

How crazy is that? Am I the only one confused by this? Does this magazine have a split personality? Is the average consumer that stupid? How do we expect kids to stay off drugs if we start giving them daily medications when they are just little kids?

Why are drug companies allowed to advertise like that? How much would consumers save on prescription drugs if the drug companies did not spend billions on advertising and you heard about drugs that you really did need only by speaking with your doctor?

Crispy, Golden, Waffle, Waffle.

I picked up this magazine called Tricycle. It bills itself as an independent voice of Buddhism, and contains articles from many different Buddhist views. Yes, they got all kinda’ different Buddhists out there, Japanese, Indian, Tibetan, Chinese, Korean, and western, and a few more I’m sure I’ve forgotten to mention or am unaware of, they all got a similar but different take on Buddhism. Then, within each of these different cultural ideas of Buddhism, there are different lineages and teachers and sects and whatnot. It’s a mess really, but what philosophy isn’t?

Yes, I did say philosophy. Buddhism, I’m told, is not a religion, it’s a philosophy. Interesting, I think, considering the expert I heard saying that was the Dalai Lama who is the spiritual leader of one lineage of Tibetan Buddhism, and in his linage there are many, many gods and goddesses and all kinda’ religious looking ceremonies and rituals.

I think the philosophy is interesting and in a nut shell I think it says this- slow down and pay attention to what the heck you are doing. Don’t hurt others. Respect all life, even a lowly bug. If you have an opportunity to be of service to others, do so. Don’t spend too much time wallowing in past memories or creating future fantasies because when you do, you are missing what is happening right now, and now is really all there is.

I can appreciate all that, so I occasionally pick up some Buddhist philosophy to read.

All that fine bit of meandering takes us right back to Tricycle, the magazine. Which illustrates that life is a circle. Which brings to mind Rob Schneider’s performance as the Asian Minister in the movie “I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry” Did you see it? He was too funny! Everything is a circle you know…

In Tricycle I was reading this guys account of meal time at the monastery he stays at for retreats. They don’t talk during meals. They are supposed to be contemplating the food. They are supposed to become aware of eating. They are to notice the taste and texture of the food, and to appreciate where it comes from. I guess the idea is if you are talking or reading or watching TV while you eat, you are not going to be as aware of what you are doing. Ultimately, they meditate on where the food comes from and give thanks to the whole process.

I thought that sounded pretty righteous so I tried it. I had a nice big waffle on a plate and it was covered with butter and real maple syrup and as I dug in I started thinking about the origin of this waffle.

I pictured the ground and the seed, the sun and the rain, the clouds and the wind. I pictured the nutrients in the soil and the growth of the plant which became the grain that was harvested. I pictured the harvest, the people working in the field and the people driving the trucks, the people milling the grain and bagging the flour, the people working at the plant where the flour was packaged with other ingredients to be organic waffle mix.

I pictured the people loading the packages onto trucks and shipping it to another place where it was repackaged and shipped again and the people who received it in the warehouse and moved it to pallets to be loaded onto trucks to go to stores. I pictured the people who drove the trucks and the people who unloaded the trucks and the receiving clerk in the store warehouse and the people in the store who placed the bag on the shelf.

Then I saw myself picking up the bag and going through check out and loading the car and unloading the car and mixing up the waffle mix with an egg and oil and oh yes, the egg and the oil came from someplace as well and I had to go back and imagine all that too.

By the time I was done with breakfast I was exhausted! I felt like I had traveled a million miles! How do these people in retreat do this visualization at every meal? Isn’t it kind of like watching a TV program while you eat? You are the director and the star and you give out the Oscar to the food for nourishing your body and give thanks to everyone in the cast and crew and all your family and support systems and all that. It’s like one long Academy Awards thank you speech!

I thought the idea here was to still our minds and be totally aware of where we really are right now, and what we are doing right now. Instead, my mind was off gallivanting across time and space tracking the waffle’s epic journey from grain seed to my mouth!

I decided in the future to just pay attention to the yummy waffle on my plate, and how it tastes. My mantra will be something like this: waffle, waffle I love waffles, crispy, golden, waffle, waffle.

I Have a Confession to Make...

I always thought Jimmie was a better guitar player than Stevie.

Stevie had something special though, that really attracted people to him, maybe it was that hang dog look he had, or his crinkled nose, maybe it was his showmanship. And yes, of course it was his playing, and yes he was fantastic. I adored him. From the first time I saw him play at 25 cent tequila night at that place out near the lake, (what the heck was the name of that place?) to his regular Tuesday night at Steamboat on 6th street, I was in the crowd almost every week. I met him a few times and he was a little shy I thought, but always nice.

Honestly though,I always thought Jimmie was a better player, and I still do.

Here's a photo of Jimmie and Lou Ann Barton from 1984- All photos, by the way are from the book "Picture The Blues", a collection of photographs taken at Antone's, in Austin Texas. This one, it seems was taken by Susan Antone.



I saw Jimmie and Lou Ann Sunday night and I have to tell you, they looked great and sounded even better. Some things just age well, and they have.

And honestly, I think Jimmie is still the best guitar player on the planet.

Now here is a photo I've always thought was one of the best I've ever seen of those Vaughan brothers


Now in Texas they say Bob Wills is still the king, but I bet these boys would be known as the princes.

Go Green Fashionably

OK, I've got the answer girls, to how you can "go green" and still look good. I mean, have you gotten on the bring-your-own-bag band wagon yet? I'm just laughing because I think I was bringing my own bag back in what- the 1970's? Remember when you bought health food in a church basement from a born again co-op because that is the only place you could get it? Remember when you had to make your own yogurt because stores didn't sell it? Remember when you had to grow your own sprouts because stores didn't sell them?

Way back then folks, you didn't just bring the bag to carry your purchases out of the store, no, you had to bring bags to put you bulk items in, because nothing was packaged! Now days we have packaged, pressed, remilled, frozen microwaveable health food! Isn't it amazing! Remember when- oh, never mind, you get my drift.

Any hoo- now days it's become fashionable to be green and of course corporations immediately thought of a way to make money off the whole trend. Why not sell re-usable grocery bags with our nifty logo on them? Yes, let's make people pay to advertise for us. Let's make people pay so that we can save money on the cost of bags. Let's make people pay to be green! So every store you can imagine, from Walgreen Drugs to Pier One Imports- one of the least green stores on the planet and one that nobody buys groceries in- has a re-usable grocery bag with their logo on it.

Now I don't know about you, but I'm not walking around with a bag that advertises for a drug store. A health food store, yes, if the bag is nice looking but a drug store? Wal-mart? Pier One Imports? NO. Definitely not. Am I going to carry a bag from a big grocery chain that does not have a good selection of organic and whole foods? NO. Am I going to carry a bag from a health food store that is a supplement pill pusher and way over charges for the food they do carry? NO.

And, last but not least, am I going to carry a re-usable shopping bag that clashes with my outfit? NO.

So, what's a girl to do? Well girls, let me tell you, you all know I'm a purse hound. Well, if you didn't know before, you do now. I can do without the 300 pairs of shoes, but I have shelf after shelf of vintage purses. I am constantly scanning the thrift and consignment stores for nice vintage purses. Recently I came upon a winning idea- a really large beach bag style purse from the mid-eighties. It's black leather with a nice dark brown linen lining and has bronze metallic tassels. It's as large as a big shopping bag!

So you see where I'm going with this right? That bag takes the place of two of those unsightly Wal-mart bags and looks great with any outfit. So next chance you get, hop on down to the thrift store and I'm wishing you lots of luck finding a perfect humongous vintage purse so you can grocery shop, be green, and look great at the same time!

Kathi sent me this a while back, isn't it great?

If you don't know, it's Stevie Ray Vaughan, circa 1985 and is that Albert Collins? yes, I think it is.
I happened to have this photo out because I was at a blues festival last night and met a Stevie Ray fan. Any Fan of Stevie's is a friend of mine and I thought I would scan this photo in and send it to my new friend. Then I thought, why not share it with everyone?

Last night I saw the Fabulous Thunderbirds, who, I hate to say, are just not fabulous anymore. They were good, but not Fabulous. Sorry Kim. I'm still Fabulous and danced all night, just like I did when I used to go see the really Fab T-birds way back when in Austin. Tonight Jimmie Vaughan and Lou Ann Barton are headlining, I'll let ya know how it goes. Party On.

Prolific Writer Stalls

You may have noticed that in the past month I have posted less than usual. You may be thinking I'm running out of fresh ideas. My bubble of creativity has burst. I'm a 7 month old washed up has-been.

You would be absolutely wrong!

The fact is, I now have a part-time job writing. Yes, I'm getting paid to write, and the time I spend on that job is taking away some of the time I had previously spent writing for this blog. I am what you would call a free lance writer, ghost writing for other people's blogs and web sites. Now, the pay isn't much but the job certainly is giving me some practice in writing about subjects that I know nothing about. Just like a real writer! It's also challenging me to write faster, and stay with in the guidelines for the articles I'm submitting.

So, let this be a warning to you all-so called "expert advice" on the net is not necessarily written by experts- it could be written by someone like me! Testimonials could be faked, written by people who never in their life went to that school, but happen to have extraordinary imaginations. Reviews of products and services could be written by someone who never has taken a salsa lesson but can pick up a phone and ask how much it would cost to do so, all the while sitting in front of a computer in jammies and slippers.

Exactly what I'm talkin' 'bout

I found this little nugget in the Time magazine, the article was about positive changes we make while trying to conserve fuel.

Four day work weeks- apparently Brevard community college in Florida went to a 4 day week last summer session and saved $268,000 in energy costs. The unexpected benefits were the ones I'm interested in- sick leave fell 50% and turnover among the 1,500 staff members dropped 44%.

The conclusion: People are happier and healthier when they have more time off. Didn't I just say that in my last post?

Since we shun vacation time in this country, maybe we should all get on a plan to save energy by making 4 day work weeks mandatory. Make a 4 day school week mandatory as well. Give everyone a 3 day weekend every week. I bet we would see a lot more far reaching positive changes if we did that.

How could it possibly hurt? I mean, we are all working our butts off now and look at the state of the economy. I don't think we could do much damage by working smarter rather than harder and saving a whole lotta energy while we did. Imagine the savings of every company in the US saving $268,000 in energy every quarter!

By the way, the article says some of the other benefits are: bike sales are up and that is good news for our fat butts, and some manufacturing that was over seas is shifting home and that's good for our skinny wallets. Less driving means less wear and tear on the roads, fewer traffic deaths and less pollution. More cop shops are putting officers on the feet beat rather than letting them cruise around from donut shop to donut shop in big old hopped up cop cars, that's good for neighborhoods.

Being vs. Doing

Hope ya'll had a nice long weekend, July 4th and all. Isn't it nice that we get a few of those long weekends during the year? I mean, nice of the government to give us an OK to take a day off, since we, as a country work longer hours and take less time of than almost any one else. Did you know that some countries actually require employers to give five weeks of vacation time a year? Makes the long weekend seem a little puny doesn't it? Then of course there is the thing about us being lucky to get a week or two off and the fact that many of us have jobs that do not provide any time off for vacations.

But hey, I was glad for a few days off, I've been way to rushed lately and I decided to slow things down a bit. I don't know if it's because I'm getting older, or if it's because we are quickly approaching 2012, the year the Mayan calendar says the big bang is going to happen again, and we will be right in the middle of it. They described a period of time leading up to 2012 as a time of great activity, a quickening of time. Hum, I do think quantum physics describes a phenomenon where time is indeed speeding up. What ever the cause, I just think I'm moving to fast. Trying to get to much done in too little time. So I took a breather.

For the entire weekend I held a moratorium on multi-tasking. I did just one thing at a time. That right there will slow you down. I did not write, work or watch Movies. I did read, but I had to, I'm addicted to books. I tried to focus on what I was doing, and just what I was doing, thinking of nothing else as I did some yard work and rode my bike. I was really getting mellow, that slow going one-thing-at-a-time pace. I took it a step farther and laid in the sun for a hour. Yes. Just laid there. I did not do anything but lay there listening to a CD. OK, I admit, I did roll over now and then and I did go get a glass of ice tea, but otherwise. Nada. Nothing.

I just wanted to spend some time being, rather than doing. I sat on the porch and watched the cats watch the birds. I made some meals and actually sat down to eat. I wandered up the river to the boat docks and watched the boats go by. I went to bed late and slept late. I was asking my self, if I lived by my own internal rhythm, what would it be?

We start off as babies, in that rhythm. Then someone decides we should be on a schedule and before you know it there is bottle time and nap time and we graduate to play date time and t-ball time and then it's time to get up and get on the bus for 13 years and don't forget time to do homework and time to go to ball practice and time for band. Then it's time to graduate and time to go to work and you are on your bosses time schedule for the next 30 years, or time to go to college for another 4,6 or 8 years of it's time to get up and go to class and time to take a test and time to study.

When the heck are we supposed to have time just to be us? When do we get to just be, rather than do, do, do? I think it's getting worse, because I talk with a lot of people in a lot of different jobs and life situations and none of them seem to have time to do anything. They are just to busy to squeeze in a sneeze. They are so busy rushing from one task to the next, they can't turn around. I have to ask myself, is some of this busy-ness manufactured just to keep them from slowing down enough to realize they never really get a vacation?

So I challenged myself to spend the long weekend being rather than doing. I just be-d.
I took my time and tried to be mindful of each thing that I did, paying attention to what I was (not what I was doing, but what I was) at that moment. I got relaxed. I slowed down. I saw the breeze rustling the tree leaves about and noticed the sunlight glinting off the rocks in the driveway. I watched the butterfly bouncing from flower to flower. I was finding my rhythm. My rhythm was a lot slower than the rate I normally travel. My rhythm is more like coconut fronds blowing in a slow south pacific breeze, more like the rate of erosion of the Grand Canyon. I really could be happy living life at a much slower pace. Maybe we all could.

I decided that I would benefit from a few changes in my busy life. I decided to continue with a partial moratorium on multi-tasking. I will only multi-task when it's necessary for work, rather than doing it all the time. I have the time to do most tasks individually, independently and with my full attention. I decided I will schedule some time each day just to sit for 30 minutes, being, not doing, because it really is OK to spend a few minutes a day just being. Just being and being aware that you are just being. I do have the time for this. I decided I will reserve my weekends as often as possible, just to be. I do not have to schedule things when I'm not involved with work tasks. I do not have to fill my free time with things to do. I can leave it empty and just see what my being becomes.

My challenge for you, if you wish to accept, is to spend just two days being and find your own rhythm. Just sit and watch your mind run in circles until it's exhausted and sits down. Sleep as long as you like and lay in bed stretching before you get up. Linger over your breakfast, with a nothing-to-do attitude. Just take your own sweet time about everything you do all weekend. Then ask yourself, what is my rhythm? What is my own time?