Handbag

This sturdy handbag I found at the thrift store holds my sketchbook, my pens in a pen case, my water colors, and my colored pencils as well as my wallet and other things.   It's short so everything inside stands up and I can easily find things. 

Beaded Alabama Chanin style short coat in progress

I've almost used all of a package of 5,175 glass chop beads on the back and one sleeve of this Alabama Chanin style short coat/cardigan I'm making.  The beading goes faster than you would think.

Canned air

Corset tank, Alabama Chanin style

Finished sewing an Alabama Chanin style corset tank this morning.  I used up some leftover t-shirts.

Trophy

Last night I went to a Birmingham Design Week event at Good People brewery: a drawing workshop led by Spencer Nugent.  He reminded us of some of the basics which I had forgotten: like to hold your pen further away from the nib than you do when you write.  This was super helpful- I tried this technique out on this trophy drawing.  

I wonder what this trophy is for at Good People.   It was silver and looked really nice. Good People overall looked pretty nice - apparently it was recently redone. I'll have to ask them about the trophy next time I go, which could be awhile since I don't normally go to bars.  But I'm guessing it's for having good beer. 

Julia Cameron

 

Years ago, I worked through all the exercises of The Artist's Way.   I'd recommend it to anyone who wants to become more creative. 

Tiki torch

On the porch at the sandbar, a marina bar in selma, al. Left after drinking from a rusty bottletop and before a high school homecoming party.  It was still nice to sit by the water and watch the snow white cowbirds flap by.  I still don't have lockjaw so I'll probably survive. 

Samuel Delany

 

I've read a ton of books on how to write and without a doubt, Samuel Delany's About Writing is my favorite.  Here's an article on him from the New Yorker.  He has so many sanguine things to say. 

Natalie Chanin

 

I really like the apron Natalie Chanin of Alabama Chanin is wearing in this photo I drew. 

From problem to No Problem.

I didn't know I had anything to say to my written journal this morning but picked it up just to be on good working terms with it.  Because of my process of using my journal to work out my quandaries, (I've been journaling almost daily for 25 years), I worked through a problem that was in the back of my mind.  Here's the dynamics of what happened:

When I began to write I defined the problem.  To solve a problem you have to know what issue you are operating in the midst of, so bringing it from the back of your mind to your awareness is the first step.  Then you can set it on paper, "sit" with it (or walk with it) and "weigh" it and see if the fear of it can be sort of shaken out of it. 

If you are new to journaling or just not too clear about your problem, it might take you awhile of writing before you define the issue -- that's ok, just write whatever comes to your mind until you come to a problem you want to solve.

You then pin it like an insect on your notebook and the fear-inducing vexingness stops for a minute and your common sense comes back, which arises from your body and clear mind.  

Then you can begin to examine the issue, run it through the filter of your common sense, and see whether the problem even makes sense. 

Once you get in this habit, journaling pulls things out of you like you are a dentist doing self-surgery-- were you really so irritated and annoyed, or was it just this thing you extracted which had been stuck in your teeth that had been bothering you, this insect that had been jumping around in your nose. 

Once you separate the problem from yourself and take a breath and evaluate, was it just a fear you had?

Then you can clearly see and choose how to proceed and be glad you didn't bother anyone with your little quandary.

This is one of the most effective ways I use my written journal, to do my best to handle my own problems before bothering anybody else by asking for advice.

Noam chomsky

 

I drew Noam Chomsky's portrait here from the cover of his book, Understanding Power. 

Pretty lamp base

Landline

Alvarez guitar

Anthurium plant