Maybe because I had so many last week, this week was lower on photos. Here are some snapshots from our week:
We took a little trip to the local playground.
The kids loved this closed, winding slide but I was so scared.
I kept thinking they were going to get stuck.
Nathaniel liked to lift his leg while he was inside.
David just liked going down in different ways. I asked him to sit so I could snap one more.
we also went to another playground near the golf course around here. (I even drove on the freeway to get there!) I snapped a shot of my boys.
For some reason I don’t have many from the playground which is shaped like a pirate ship.
but the kids liked running around.
and laughed together.
and steered the ship some.
I realized a few days later that I hadn’t been taking photos so I asked the kids to let me snap some.
I told Nathaniel to lower his head a bit, and I got this.
David is all used to my antics.
then it was family shot time.
we said each other’s names again.
and laughed and laughed.
nathaniel even tried to tickle david during tickle time.
and here we go. i hope your week was lovely, too.
Weekly Diary is a project for 2012. You can read more about it here.
Next page:
This page so didn’t turn out how I anticipated. I had this cloth of fabric from a while ago and wanted to do something with it. Alas, not all pages turn out the way we hope.
The quote says: Begin living life today.
Here is one more shot of it:
Journey into Collage is a project for 2012. You can read more about it here.
Here are some more pages I did:
The full text reads: sometimes the only way out is through. be brave.
inspired by this photo.
And here’s the next page:
The full text reads: you are the director and star of your life. do not let anyone tell you what you can and cannot do.
Well here we go. More coming next week.
I am creating multiple art journaling pages a week for now. You can read more about this project here. This set uses the Fabriano Roma papers.
This morning, as I ran, I watched this Ted talk by Daniel Kahneman. Well, I’ve watched the first 7 minutes of it so far (I get to watch the rest tomorrow.) but it already gave me some food for thought so I wanted to share with you.
One of the things Daniel shares is that there’s a difference between an experience and the memory of an experience. He talks about a man who watched a symphony for some time (let’s say 40 minutes) that he really enjoyed. Towards the very end, there was some very loud disruption and the man said “it ruined the whole experience!” Daniel talks about how this is clearly not true. For the first 35 minutes, the man was truly enjoying the show, so it wasn’t the experience that was ruined, it was the memory of the experience. How we remember things is not how they actually were. I think even though we know this, it’s significant to think about it.
Especially because Daniel also talks about some specific ways memory can be tricked. According to his studies, endings matter. In the case above, the symphony ended negatively so it left a bad impression on the man’s mind. They also did studies on colonoscopies. They took two individuals: A and B. A had a short but intensely painful exam. And B had an exam that was twice as long and just as intense for the same duration as A but then it got less intense for the second half. One would think B would rate his experience as worse than A since he had at least just as much pain and had to go on for twice as long. But because the ending of his exam was less painful than A’s ending, the memory of B’s test is less painful in his mind than A’s memory was. So endings matter. Apparently more than the overall experience.
These two ideas led me to think about my own life. I am still struggling quite a bit and working actively and regularly on coaching myself and being acutely aware of the good in my life. There are many moments of joy and peace and contentment in my days but the end of my work days are often hectic and frustrating. And by the time work is over, kids are in bed, etc. I am spent and worn out and I often remember that feeling more strongly than the others in my day.
So to rectify this, I thought it might be interesting to start keeping a “spot check of feelings” log during the day. Where each hour I would take a second to see how I feel at that moment. Am I happy? content? peaceful? frustrated? whatever it is, i note it and move on. This way, regardless of how my day ends, I can look back and see all the moments in my day and not let my memory of my day overwrite the actual experience of the day. If the gentleman at the symphony did that every ten minutes, he’d realize he enjoyed 75% of the show and it might change his overall view. So I am going to see if it works for me.
The other idea I had was to end each day with something really good/happy/calming/joyous. Since endings matter and I know this, why not use it to my advantage? Even if I am dead tired and frustrated, I think I can find a 15-30 minute activity that will turn the last moments of my day around. And if those last moments are so crucial to memory maybe I can “trick” mine by ending my days with a happy moment.
So since I like lists, my plan tonight is to make a list of 10 things that are 15-30 minutes each. Things that bring me joy or peace. Things that I can do at night. I will pick one each night and see if I can trick my memory.
I bet I can.
And here’s the spread for week twenty-six:
here’s a closer up of the left side:
The first story here is about how Nathaniel stretches his lips in an effort to make sure he smiles. The second on is about the waterguns and how much fun the kids had with them.
And here’s the right side:
The first one here is about David and Nathaniel playing at Nathaniel’s school and the second one is all of Nathaniel’s teachers at his preschool taken on the last day of school. Next year he goes to a different school so I wanted to make sure we captured them all.
Art along the bottom as usual.
Another great week. Happy Savoring.
The Savor Project was supposed to be a weekly project for 2012. You can read about my setup here.
I was looking for something super-quick to read so I looked at my waiting young adult list and picked up The Adoration of Jenna Fox. Quick, interesting, and fun. Not nearly as violent as the usual.
the good news is that even though this is another “series” book, it does resolve (at least in my opinion) to a good enough place to leave you less up in the air than the others.
Alas, I think I won’t read the next one just yet. I like to take a break between them usually.
One of the things Jake and I did a few years ago was to spend time figuring out what mattered to each of us. We made short lists of things that really, really mattered so that the other person could make a concerted effort to focus on them. For example, an item on my list could be “put the dirty dishes in the sink” (this is not an item on my list by the way, just an example!) and so Jake could know that and make an effort to do that thing because he knows it’s at the top of my short list. This way he won’t put the dishes on the counter and I won’t pick a fight over something that’s not on my list.
The thing is, we won’t ever get it all right. When you live with other people you’re bound to have a million little issues. (And big ones, too, of course, but fewer of those if you’re lucky.) This is inevitable. It’s a part of daily life. And it’s not limited to your partner. You can go to Starbucks to get coffee and someone can cut in line. Someone can get your order wrong. Someone can spill stuff on your shirt. Someone can respond rudely. The list goes on and on. These instances are more often and repetitive with your partner cause you spend more actual time with them.
So having this list really helps me. It reminds me of the few things that truly matter to me. And, more importantly, reminds me that I can let go of all the rest. Sometimes we’re in a bad mood and pick a fight for no reason. Sometimes we just want to be right. Sometimes we make things a matter of pride. The list stops me from doing any of these. Each time an issue comes up, I can take a step back and check if this is on my list (and I try to keep my list small and specific so it’s not open to interpretation and bending of truth to fit my mood.) If it’s not on the list, I take a breath and let it go. If I already started picking a fight over it, I apologize and reset.
I am not saying this always works. But when I remember to step back and adhere to the list, it works like magic. It also helps to have my husband’s list so I know what to focus on most when trying to be the best I can. I can’t fix everything all the time, but I can prioritize based on what matters most to him.
I’ve decided that the same setup would work well for work. I had a situation today and once I was able to step back, I realized it didn’t matter that much after all. I was letting my pride and frustrations get in the way. So I took a moment, apologized and let it go. I decided a few weeks ago that my work list only contains one item for now and it’s an item that’s definitely being met. So I am going to let everything else go as it comes up. I believe that remembering my list and remembering that it’s being met is the most crucial thing for my personal peace.
A lot of life, for me, is learning to deal with these moments. I tend to focus on small things and get overly upset, anxious, worried, etc. I am a worrier so I take a lot of stuff on and let it all get to me. Having my list and using it regularly will allow me to keep things in perspective. It will allow me to regularly practice letting go. And I know that the more I practice, the more it will become second nature.
Here’s to being able to step back naturally and let go.
Here are the sketches from last week:
Sunday:
Monday:
Tuesday:
Wednesday:
Thursday:
Friday:
Saturday:
that’s it for this week.
Daily Sketching is a weekly project for 2012. You can see a detailed post on my sketching journey here.
I’ve had quite a few people ask me about my sketching process so I decided I’ll do one long(ish) post and then can update as more questions come up.
Background:
I’ve wanted to learn how to sketch for quite some time. I had it on my list and took quite a few portrait classes but I just couldn’t really get the hang of it. I wavered back and forth on what I wanted to do and I wasn’t satisfied with my results. On April 11, 2011 I decided to give it a solid try. Since that day, I’ve been sketching every single day (with very few exceptions). I’ve done over 500 sketches. I wanted to put this first because, more than anything, it’s the daily sketching that actually allowed me to improve. So if you want to sketch better, my number one recommendation would be to sit and sketch.
Please note that I am not claiming to be a great sketcher or talented or whatever. I am working on my sketches every single day. Some days are better then others but overall I’ve improved a huge amount. And this is all due to sitting down and sketching daily.
Classes I took:
A lot of people ask me which classes I took. There wasn’t one class that taught me what I know. I have, however, taken a lot of classes and they each helped in their own way. Here are some:
those were the main ones that affected my sketching, but here are a few more that involve drawing that I loved:
What I got most from the classes was ways to integrate them into my art to develop my own style. I got the lettering from Lori (and how I wish I were anything as good as she is.) I found my watercolors in Alisa’s class and I found out about my favorite watercolor pencils from Cathy’s class. Classes are great but won’t really do the trick unless you put in the time and do the work.
There are excellent books, too. Again, if you do the work, it will work. Danny Gregory is a personal favorite of mine.
Materials:
Here’s what I use daily:
My sketches are 4″x4.5″ this is so I can glue them down in my moleskine notebooks. I’ve grown used to the size and like it.
I’ve experimented with a lot of other materials. I’ve also done graphite for a long time. I recommend you play before you buy. Art materials are expensive.
Inspiration:
This, too, went through several iterations. At first, I drew from other people’s sketches. I started with black and white and then did some color. Then, I drew from my photos. Now, I draw from photos I like. I keep all my ideas in a pinterest board. Each morning, I check pinterest and design seeds to see if there’s something new that catches my interest. If not, I draw from what I’ve pinned. This is, by far, the most time consuming part of the process. I limit myself now, so I have to pick something within 15 minutes. Otherwise I can do this for a long time. I keep to simple things and I seem to be drawn to food, jars, tea/coffee etc. I’ve done a few “scenes” but mostly I draw single items.
The words/thoughts on my pages come from the feelings that day’s image evokes. I think about why I chose the image and then write down what comes up.
Process:
I outlined my process here. It hasn’t really changed from there, except now, I do some finer work with the watercolor pencils, I add a word, some thoughts, and draw a border. I will try to take more step by step photos so you can see. I also have a video of me sketching so you can see what I do here. It’s not great but it helps.
Basically, I wake up, exercise, shower, and then go to pinterest, pick a sketch idea and go to town. Every. Single. Day.
Some things I learned:
- Repetition is key. I know I’ve said this already but the best way to get better is to practice. Practice. Practice. And then practice some more.
- Pay attention to lines: there are very few perfectly straight lines in nature. Or even in most man-made things. Look carefully. Making things look more organic is often about keeping your lines flowing and less rigid.
- Look and don’t assume. A lot of drawing is looking and seeing properly. We have a lot of iconic images in our minds and when we look at things we don’t really see what’s there. So a lot of it is learning to use your eyes and not your brain.
- Pay attention to the light. I think shadows and lights make a picture come alive like nothing else. They show you depth which is really important. Things cast shadows and you need to look for them. This is where photos really help me cause it’s easy to see where the light source is in a photo. (Easier than seeing in real life, at least for me.)
- Draw what you like. Not what you think you should. Not what others do. But what you enjoy. It will help with #1.
As I said, I am far far from an expert. Many of my sketches are still laughably bad. But I like doing them and I will continue for as long as it’s fun and I am improving. My goal for 2012 was to find my own unique sketchy voice and I think I have. For now, I like the style but I might explore more and change things around so I am pushing myself and learning more.
If I missed anything you wanted to know, add a comment and I will update.
You can see all my sketch related posts here. It shows my whole journey. And here is a post I wrote specific to 2012 that shows a shorter summary of my 2011 journey.
This is a layout I made for My Mind’s Eye for June.
And the journaling says:
My sweet boy, I noticed lately that you have a tendency to look at your life and notice a lot of what is missing and be sad. I’ve spent many years being sad and negative, but I wish so much better for you. So I suggested this book of collections of happy memories that you can look at when you feel sad. I really hope it will remind you of how much you have to be thankful for, and how very loved you are. I love you so much.
details:
As I mentioned, I plan to keep this project simple and fun for both of us. So, I did the same thing with this letter as I did for letter A and all the others. I cut them all up and then, Nathaniel and I glued them down together to create this simple page:
Like each time, we talked about each of the words and then differentiated between capitals and lowercase. Then we colored all the letters.
Here he is gluing:
and coloring
Yey! Nathaniel is still loving this project!
Letters with Nathaniel is a weekly project for 2012. You can read more about it here.
Since my work was out wednesday through fridays this week, we did a lot of family activities in lieu of going away. Here are some snapshots from our week:
Since I love looking over the water, Jake drove us to Half Moon Bay and we ate at a sweet restaurant overlooking the water.
The next day, I got my hair colored.
Then, we went hiking. It was nearby and wonderful.
The next day, we went to a playground in the area that was supposed to be one of the best. The kids loved it.
they ran around
and so did Jake.
I just snapped and snapped
and mostly watched them be adventurous
and joyful
so very joyful.
when we got home, Jake put together Nathaniel’s new bike (which he loves)
the next day we went to a local zoo-ish science center where they have local rescued animals like coyotes and porcupines and owls. The kids loved them
and I loved the light.
i love Nathaniel’s face here.
my wonderful boys.
on 4th of July, we went to a friend’s house, bbq’ed and chatted while the kids ran around and played with waterguns. then we came home and had fun with sparklers
it was our first time so i wasn’t sure how good the photos would be.
but i like how they turned out
and the kids really enjoyed them so much.
even the little boy.
after that, it was time to go watch the fireworks. we drove to the hills so we could see them all and we got lucky enough to find the perfect spot.
the next day we mostly rested and laughed. (and went to the movies too!)
i am truly grateful for a full week of wonderful family time.
and here we go. i hope your week was lovely, too.
Weekly Diary is a project for 2012. You can read more about it here.
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projects for twenty twenty-six
projects for twenty twenty-five
projects for twenty twenty-four
projects for twenty twenty-three
projects for twenty twenty-two
projects for twenty twenty-one
projects for twenty nineteen
projects for twenty eighteen
projects from twenty seventeen
monthly projects from previous years
some of my previous projects
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