You Are Worth the Time
Posted on | June 16, 2010 | 5 Comments
I’ve been having computer problems since Monday and instead of getting frustrated about it, I’ve taken it as a cue to spend more time with my projects and recently-purchased books. In the meanwhile that Troy is making sure that my computer doesn’t mess with me anymore anytime soon, I’d like to share this very inspirational video about ‘creating’ which is also transcribed below. Enjoy!
“It’s not easy these days making time for our creative work. Voices call us from everywhere demanding our attention, our energy, our time. And many of us, somewhere along the path, got the message that making art was self-indulgent so we relegate it to the bottom of our list. It becomes the thing we get to when the laundry is done, the kids asleep, the groceries bought and put away. We get so caught up in the flurry of our lives that we forget the essential thing about art – that the act of creating is a healing gesture, as sacred as prayer, as essential to our spirit as food to our body. It is our creative work that reveals us to ourselves, allows us to transform our experience and imagination into new forms – forms that sing back to us in a language of symbol – who we are, what we are becoming, what it is we have loved and feared. This is the alchemy of creation that as my energy fuses with the source of energy, a newness rises up in the shape of who I am and I myself am altered in the course of its release. I am never the same in the wake of this work. As I create, I come into my power and wisdom, into my deeper knowing, into that newness which becomes the gift which I share with the world. As a result of the time I spend at my work, there is more of me to give, more awareness, more joy, more depth. I become centered in the process, focused on the interior, attuned to the inner voice. Life is no longer about time, and demands, and errands. It is about the extraordinary metamorphosis of one thing into another. What begins as cocoon emerges a butterfly. What once was sorrow may now be a song.
As I am changed by the art that passes through me in the process of becoming, so am I changed by the creations of others. Having felt the truth of your cobalt blue, my red will remember and its voice will be clearer. In the turn of your phrase, the tenor of your voice, the pulse of your poem, I find fragments of myself I have long forgotten. It is to you I look to find myself. In your words I find the courage to write my own.
Making time for creative work is like making time for prayer. It is a healing act, a leave-taking from the chaos as we move from the choppy surface towards the stillness of the center. To be an artist it is not necessary to make a living from our creations, nor is it necessary to have work hanging in fine museums, or the praise of critics. It is not necessary that we are published or that famous people own our work. To be an artist, it is necessary to live with our eyes wide open, to breathe in colors of mountain and sky, to know the sound of leaves rustling, the smell of snow, the texture of bark. It is necessary to rub our hands all over life, to sing when and where we want, to take in every detail, and to jump when we get to the edge of a cliff. To be an artist is to notice every beautiful and tragic thing, to cry freely, to collect experience, and shape it into forms that others can use. It is not to whine about not having time but to be creative with every moment. To be an artist is not to wait for others to define us but to define ourselves, to claim our lives. Our cities and towns are full of poets, playwrights, composers, and painters who drive buses, work in offices, wait on tables to pay the rent. Few of us are paid much for our creative work so we squeeze it into the hours we have left after working other jobs. We write our novels in the wee hours of the morning, work in our darkrooms through the night, write poetry on subway cars, finish essays in waiting rooms and parking lots. We rarely think of ourselves as artists, though it is our creative work that brings us to life, feeds our spirits, and sees us through the dark. We may feel alone but we are not alone. There are hundreds, thousands in the night doing as we do, trading this sacred time for the bliss of creating. There are a lot of things we don’t have in life but time is not one of them. Time is all we have, one lifetime under this name to produce a body of work that says, “This is how I saw the world.” Your work is worthy of whatever time it takes.”
- Jan Phillips
What You’re Doing Matters
Posted on | June 9, 2010 | No Comments
Powerful words from a brilliant author …
“What I would tell her if I knew what to say …
You are a miracle and I have to love you this fiercely. So that you can feel it even after you leave for school. Or even while you’re asleep. Or even after your childhood becomes a memory. You’ll forget all these when you grow up. But it’s ok. Being a mother means having your heart broken. And it means loving and losing and falling apart and coming back together. And it’s the best there is. And also sometimes the worst. Sometimes you won’t have anyone to talk to. Sometimes you’ll wonder if you’ve forgotten who you are. But you must always remember this:
| What you’re doing matters and you have to be brave with your life so that others can be brave with theirs. |
The truth is being a woman is a gift. Tenderness is a gift. Intimacy is a gift. And nurturing the good in this world is nothing short of a privilege. That’s why I have to love you this way. So I can give what I have to you. So that you can carry it in your body and pass it on. I’ve watched you sleep. I’ve kissed you a million times. And I know something that you don’t yet. You are writing the story of your only life every single minute of every day. And my greatest hope for you, sweet child, is that I can teach you how to write a good one.”
| - Katherine Center |
| {To my two lovely girls who changed my life forever.} |
Friday Art: Teesha Moore Inspired
Posted on | June 1, 2010 | 8 Comments
Artist Teesha Moore generously shared through YouTube her thought and work process in creating her distinctive art journals. After watching the videos (which are presented in order at the bottom of this post), I thought it would be a great Friday Art project for Mica and Rinoa to make their own ‘Teesha Moore Inspired’ art. Boy did they have fun – they definitely released their wacky sides!
 |
| “The Octopus-Racer Lady” by Mica Redington (13 years old) |
 |
| “Lady Dog” by Rinoa Redington (5 years old) |
Troy came home early from work, got envious, and decided to join us and make one for himself. He’s not done with his yet (just needs some journaling) but here’s what his work looks like:
 |
| “What Are You Looking At?” by Troy Redington |
 |
Here are Teesha Moore’s video tutorials, in chronological order from creating a 16-page journal to filling the journal with collage and journaling. Enjoy!
| Teesha Moore’s Amazing 16-page Journal (Part 1 of 2) |
| Teesha Moore’s Amazing 16-page Journal (Part 2 of 2) |
| Teesha Moore Journaling: Paint |
| Teesha Moore Journaling: Collage (Part 1 of 4) |
| Teesha Moore Journaling: Collage (Part 2 of 4) |
| Teesha Moore Journaling: Collage (Part 3 of 4) |
| Teesha Moore Journaling: Collage (Part 4 of 4) |
| Teesha Moore Journaling: Pen Work (Part 1 of 4) |
| Teesha Moore Journaling: Pen Work (Part 2 of 4) |
| Teesha Moore Journaling: Pen Work (Part 3 of 4) |
| Teesha Moore Journaling: Pen Work (Part 4 of 4) |
| Teesha Moore Journaling: Lettering (Part 1 of 2) |
| Teesha Moore Journaling: Lettering (Part 2 of 2) |
Tags: art journal > art project for kids > Mica > mixed media collage > Rinoa > Troy > videos
Food for the Creative Soul
Posted on | March 3, 2009 | No Comments
A few things:
1. Got my NAPP packet today. So excited! Can’t wait to network with and be inspired by the NAPP community. Already learning a lot from the Kelby Training videos.
2. Wanna share this very inspiring video by Zack Arias. I promise it’s worth the ten minutes. Really.
 |
3. Thanks to American Idol, I discovered Corinne Bailey Rae’s song, “Put Your Records On”. Now it’s stuck in my head but I don’t mind because it’s one of those songs that just makes you feel good. Go ahead, enjoy the video!
 |
About Me
Categories
Archives
© 2006-2010 Johwey Redington.
Please don't steal my text or images, it's disrespectful and you'll be subjet to karma! If you want to use any of the images, please email me for a written permission. Thank you.
 |