Listen

Hello out there! I had big plans today for a post about living creatively, but my boyfriend ran off into the mountains with our shared digital camera, so it will have to wait until later (maybe tonight if he gets back early enough). But I did want to share a new drawing with you. This one is called “Listen,” and it’s another one from my How to Save the World series. I just put the print version up for sale in my Etsy Shop. [So far, I am only selling prints there as I figure out how I want to handle my shop, but please let me know if you are ever interested in buying an original or even a print of something you see here, but is not yet available in my shop.]

I think listening is so important. It’s so hard to listen sometimes, but I think listening (as opposed to talking) is the foundation of good communication. I struggle with this, especially with my closest relationships because sometimes I get so excited to tell people something, that I forget to listen to what they have to say.

I recently heard or read somewhere (wish I could remember where) that really listening to someone is about just listening, not trying to give your input. This advice was given in the context of how when we are “listening” to someone, we often feel the need to volunteer a story about a time we experienced something similar, instead of taking the time to really understand what someone is saying. This really hit me hard because I do this constantly. I’ve been trying to pay attention to this habit and realize there is a time and a place for everything.

On that note, I will stop talking and start listening to what you all have to say, with my pen and ink ears below and my open comment box on this blog! Let me know what you’re thinking out there!

“Listen” 8×10 inches

Wednesday

I recently finagled my way out of working Wednesdays. Mainly, I saw a wavering in my boss’ demeanor. I started working at my current part time office job about two months ago. At the time, I had classes on Wednesdays, but the agreement was that I would move to working 5 days whenever possible. Upon telling my boss that I could move to 5 days because classes were over, he said, “We would prefer that you work five days.”

I thought about this for a couple days, and decided, I would prefer to continue working 4 days. I told him so, and he was not able to say no, although I will work occasional Wednesdays as needed. So here I am, not working on Wednesdays. Woohoo! When opportunity knocks, open the door! I thought I would show you a little bit of what my Wednesday looks like– because, in all reality, it’s not that I’m not working, but that I am taking the day to do the work that I love.

Me working on a new word painting called, “Jane’s Mane” in my “studio” (garage).

A trip to the art store, my favorite kind of store. Unfortunately, I forgot my wallet, so all I could do was browse.

Another “Save the World” sketch in the little sketchbook The Art House provided.

Spending quality time with Lance, my big, silly pup.

Making Your Dreams Come True

As you may know if you read my blog, I am working on a project under the theme “30 Ways to Save the World”. I started thinking about how to represent two new “ways” about dreaming. When I started working on the drawing, I decided it needed some color, so here it goes:

“Dream,” 5×7 inches, pen and ink and watercolor

“Make Your Dreams Happen,” 5×7 inches, pen and ink and watercolor

Saving the World

I feel lucky to have found out about Arthouse Coop, an alternative gallery in Atlanta, GA. I am participating in a very cool project/show called The Sketchbook Project where they have sent 500 mini sketchbooks to artists all over to be illustrated on the theme “How to Save the World.” The gallery will be showing all 500 in an exhibit at the end of the summer.

My slant on this theme is “30 Ways to Save the World,” with an emphasis on small things we can do in our own lives to become a better person and therefore save the world one person, maybe even one thought, at a time.

My sketching has been a lot of fun, and I find that the sketchbook project is giving me lots of great ideas for larger pieces. Here are two 8×10 drawings that came out of those small sketches/drawings.

I haven’t mentioned it officially in any posts yet, but I am working on setting up an Etsy shop, and I am planning to make prints of these two drawings as part of my first shop listings . . . so stay tuned . . . my shop will hopefully be up in the next week.