Another cat doodle, sketched in my tent at Jazz Camp West.
Which kitty is your favorite?
Kitties!
And now for something completely different!
Before heading off into the redwoods for 9 days at Jazz Camp West, I signed up for an online mini-course called Cats!, with Carla Sonheim. The pre-assignment was to pull out a Sharpie marker and doodle a page of (non-realistic) cats.
It was great timing for me, because I wanted to keep doing at least a little art-making while at camp, and doodling cats turned out to be the perfect way to keep me creating, without having to deal with water and paints in the woods.
I did this doodle before I left, and a handful more leaning against my cot in my little tent.
More kitties to come!
Such a Flirt!
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Another Melissa titled this painting, when I shared it over on my Facebook profile.
“I see an entire romance unfolding,” she added.
What do you see?
Hydrangea
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My back yard always had beautiful hydrangeas growing up. It’s one of the few plants I actually know the name of! The colors ranged from pink to purple, and all variations in between.
Then in 1996, in the shuttle from the SEA-TAC airport to my first calligraphy conference outside of Seattle, the bus passed a hydrangea with the most stunning blue petals.
Blue! Deep, vibrant blue!
There was a collective “Ooh!” from everyone looking out the windows, and someone (a gardener, obviously) shared that the colors are totally dependent on the soil, not the plant itself. Something about the acidity, if I remember correctly.
This strikes me as rather metaphoric. Our environments play a large part in shaping us as humans, too.
If you want vibrant petals, then, find the right kind of soil.
Trail of Daydreams
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I’ve been using an app lately that chimes a meditation bell at random intervals throughout the day.
Why? Because studies have shown that people are substantially less happy when their minds are wandering than when they’re not, and being mindfully present is highly correlated with greater happiness.
Knowing this, I want to practice being present in the present moment more often.
The random bell reminds me to get out of my head, out of the future, out of the past, out of worrying and anxiety, and come back to presence.
It’s kind of miraculous what a difference it makes in my life.
That said, just like this little green critter, I still love to daydream!
