Creative Endeavors

                       “When you arise in the morning,

                         think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive–

                                    to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love.”

                                                                 –Marcus Aurelius

I love this quote. It has been sitting on my desk, along with other inspirational sayings, for quite some time. This week I used it for an art project as a part of an on-line workshop called Sketchbook Revival, led by artist Karen Abend.

Her assignment was simple: take a quote that means something to you and see what illustration, collage, painting comes from it. I wasn’t sure what would emerge. But what came up was the image above of Gigetta, the little soul-daughter I have drawn for years. Of late, she hasn’t been appearing; perhaps she was “sheltering in place,” too. But when this quote came to the fore, she did as well. Welcome back, Gigetta! You make me smile with your hopeful stance.

After spending time with her, I remembered other remedies I’ve used during other challenging times. One aid was of my own making– Manual for a Cloudy Day–with simple hints about how to start feeling more “up” when emotional clouds hover. It includes some of the same suggestions many psychologists are offering now to lift our spirits: get out into nature, walk, call a friend or someone who may need extra support, cook comfort food, plant a plant, get good sleep, read uplifting books, and so on. It’s nice to have my own self-help book–as long as I remember to read it!

SO, dear friends, I hope you are finding your own threads of comfort and creative direction through these unchartered times. I wonder where a favorite quote of yours might lead.

Be well.♥️