Instagram inspiration

Kick@**!

   I made it to illustration circle for the second week (in a row!!!) and was planning to sketch, but Mirna kindly offered to share her gouache, brushes, and postcard-sized watercolor paper, so I painted! Today's theme was to create an Olympics poster. And here's the trouble I caused:

   It's not great and it's not even finished but I love it. I plan to keep going... and plan to do what the painting says soon again. Just booked my next snowboarding trip.

Quote: with the heart

   My financial advisor shared this quote in his weekly email: 
“The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched – they must be felt with the heart.” -- Helen Keller, American author and political activist
   Having seen my little nephew miraculously progressing through developmental challenges, and training the last few months with a deaf dive buddy, I'm learned to think differently about how we each perceive and interpret the world. It is amazing to me that Helen Keller, born with seemingly insurmountable challenges, became such an influential symbol of perseverance and taught us that differences are not necessarily disabilities. I thought this quote was wonderful and sweet, and definitely one to remember.

:)

Progress Vs. Perfection

   I'm happy to report that Gypsy made some much-needed progress last night! At the vet, we learned that the fluids we've been giving ARE helping: there was a very modest improvement in her BUN & creatinine levels. And this morning I counted the food pieces remaining on the plates to learn that she had eaten FORTY-SEVEN pieces!!! She left all the k/d (her most recent food), and ate some of the Science Diet Healthy from my vet, and some of the Nutro indoor adult salmon food, which was what I was feeding prior to the switch to k/d.
   Additionally, a couple of friends have already answered my pleas to bring samples of their cats' food. So tonight Gypsy can sample a different Science Diet blend (light) and some t/d (dental care) from Olivia and some Iams tuna flavor from Kelly. Here's hoping she loves it all. THANKS, FRIENDS!!!

   At work we have been using the mantra "progress vs. perfection" to remind ourselves that we need to be pushing forward and making an impact even when the results aren't perfect. I think that works for my Gyp, too. She's fifteen years old, and kidney disease and cancer are terminal, so I can't realistically expect a miraculous cure. But we will focus on making a little progress every day, so that she remains healthy and happy for as long as possible. I'm reminding myself to spend every free moment I have with her and be thankful for whatever time we have left. Life is precious!

Inspiration

"Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs even though checkered by failure, than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat."

  — THEODORE ROOSEVELT

Thought for the day

"If you complain, you remain. If you praise, you are raised... Your life follows your thoughts... Appreciate the simple things that most people take for granted. Thank God that when you looked out the window this morning, you could see the sunrise." -- Joel Osteen


   With it being Thanksgiving season and all, I'm going to do my best to focus on this idea, and also to do a better job of expressing my sincere gratitude to those around me, for things big and small.

(Almost) Unspoiled Beauty

   After a lovely evening hike on Shawnee Mission Park lake's north shores, I returned to my car to see this spectacular view of the sunset. I loaded up the dogs and drove over to the overlook, to catch the last of the sunset from above the trees.

    The "view" at my feet on the overlook was less spectacular. Ah, teenagers. (Actually, this totally cracked me up.)

Love is Like Life...

   I wasn't familiar with the quote above, until I saw this stunning letterpress art by my dear friends, Madeline and Diane. I recently acquired the print and have it framed in my living room. When I walked past it today, it seemed like the perfect tribute to my little buddy, Atom, who passed away tonight after a brief battle with kidney failure.

   When I went to the emergency vet to visit him tonight, he leaned into my hand and purred and purred while I rubbed his head and neck. He was glad to see me, but he hadn't eaten in nearly three days, and he didn't even try to stand up. He still looked like his sweet self, but weary. There is no question in my mind that he was ready to say good-bye. And although I was not, I knew what was best for him.

Atom, 12/31/98 - 10/9/11

I will never forget any of my pets,

nor can they ever be replaced.

Each is unique.

Each is special.

Each is treasured.

There's a huge hole in my heart today.

I love you, lil' buddy.

Tag Team Tompkins

   Diane & Madeline, aka "Tag Team Tompkins", the dynamo mother-and-daughter duo has some fantastic new letterpress prints, hot off the presses of Skylab! They're also featured in the special Halloween issue of Better Homes & Gardens, on newsstands now. Hurry on over to their Etsy shop to get your favorite quotes, immortalized with Diane's cut-paper silhouettes, and Madeline's hand-lettering.
   I just purchased my favorites, the two prints above, and bought frames for them this morning. The printing quality is so high, with a heavy white paper and crisp inks. They look incredible as soon as you pop them in the frame—no mat required! I love how their work is so balanced: lovely, but with teeth—many of the quotes have dark undertones.
   I've been fortunate to know the Tompkins family for many years now; they're my unofficial home-away-from-home here in KC. Great people. So what are you waiting for? Get some prints!

Read about them on Paper Crave

Read their interview on the Neenah Paper Blog

   Madeline graciously surprised me with this print, and although the image features a Scottish Terrier, I'm reasonably sure that she had my Aki in mind when she lettered it. (It's certainly Aki's attitude!)

More Than Mountains

Intersections conduct.

Right angles obstruct.

And we survive by following the lines.

Rulers make lines,

High rise and street signs,

And we survive by maintaining order.

Defined by steel skeletons,

Mirrored windows for skin,

The sky-hiders bear their clenched teeth

With a grin.

Outside the window, traffic beats the drum,

As the gravity of a city presses its thumb.

And we survive by pressing back.

From beneath, a bellowing rage,

From within, I emerge from a cage,

Those right angles. Can. Blur.

These are more than mountains...

Glowing golden horizon escape,

Sunrise and set define the shape,

And we survive by simply being.

Atmosphere delicate; savage,

Hospital to the mentally ravaged,

A bed for bird, bear and brother.

Solitary as synagogue,

Serene as silent sanctuary,

Divinely orchestrated symphony.

More than meditation,

Or medication,

These are more than mountains.

— Jeremy Collins

The Wolf and the Medallion

    The Wolf and the Medallion premiered at the 5-point Film Festival in Colorado back in April, and finally made it to the filmmaker's hometown of Kansas City last night. The festival site described it as "a thrilling experimental art performance by artist and climber, Jeremy Collins, the filmmaker who brought you last year’s beloved Border Country. Scored to live music, this multifaceted piece will take over your senses—most importantly, your sense of wonder. The Wolf and the Medallion is rooted in Collins’ personal climbing adventure to the border of China and Mongolia (Keketuohai, "the Tuluomne of China"), where rumors of a virgin canyon of granite revealed a cultural and vertical experience like no other. From the summit of his first peak, Collins writes a letter to his son back home, a letter that guides the film along its peaks and valleys. An encompassing journey of fatherhood, brotherhood and adventure, The Wolf and the Medallion is a captivating and original tale." And indeed it was. The presentation packed a lot of inspiration into an hour.
    The show melded performance art, video, animation, and music. The score was performed live, led by the piano, cello and viola primarily, with the occasional bass guitar and drums. It was beautiful; rich, bold, even haunting at times.
   The first short film featured an actor interacting with the screen behind him. The theme was the basic human need to get back to nature; cityscapes, traffic and busyness juxtaposed with a man who stops following the lines (streets) and starts pushing back on them. Not wholly original, but powerfully presented.
   The main course began with a John Muir quote, spelled out in stop-motion-animated twigs:
"Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop away from you like the leaves of Autumn."
   Collins narrated the story of his journey from home to China, in part a journey of remembrance of two dear friends who had recently perished on a mountain. He joked about all the permissions he had to gain for the trip: from the Chinese government, customs... and the most difficult to attain: from his wife, who he would be leaving to care for their two young children. He detailed the letter that he wrote to his young son, Zion. He reviewed the ten rules he wished his son to follow, which included:
     - Respect women.
     - If someone feels like an outcast, make them feel welcome.
     - Respect nature; it has seniority.
     - If something terrifies you it's probably best to consider trying it.

     During the show there were two segments in which Collins opened a small cabinet on center stage, and painted first a wolf, then later flipped it and painted a mountain scene. When this was done, he pulled the doors outward to reveal wings, and a bird head on top. Interestingly, this was the second time I've seen live painting on stage this year (Janelle Monae painted during an instrumental part of one of her songs).

    When the film was over, Collins introduced the musicians, who turned out to also be key players in the entire experience: the bass guitar player and the viola player were also the animators, and the pianist was the composer. That's a remarkable amount of talent on one stage!

    At the finale, the filmmaker came out to speak to us. The wolf, for Collins, is complacency. He spoke about what the wolf might be for each of us: lethargy or other things waiting to strike at us and hold us back from what life has to offer us. "And you and me? We are the rabbit." And we must always run from our personal beast.
   Through tears and a shaky voice, Collins implored us to "Take the journey from heart to head; it is between the two that we find our voice." Well said.
   One of my favorite parts was that as we were leaving the auditorium, there was a table set up with a couple of Collins's sketchbooks and the accordion-fold artwork that were featured in the films. I LOVE seeing other artists' sketchbooks, because they are so individual and unique, and give you a window into their mind. It's all about what they see, not what they want you to see—and that's why this was a rare treat. Some artists never show their books to anyone. (I learned this in college when I asked a fellow student if I could see the book that was ever-present in her hand. The answer was NO. A very chilly no, in fact.) They are carefully guarded. His were raw, unpolished, awesome. These books were literal books; he cut out most of the pages, leaving interesting or relevant ones, and pasting in his own pages. They were comprised of collages, drawings and paintings. His work has so much life to it, and it was easy to see why it translated so well into animation.

  If there is an encore performance of this show, I'll be there, and I'll bring more friends. This is a work that deserves to be seen. 

Wolf Trailer

KC trailer

Border Country Trailer
Threehouse Studios 
Jeremy's posts on inspiration

Lincoln Philosophy

Heard a great quote today:

   "And in the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years.”  — Abraham Lincoln

   Although let's be clear, I'd like to live a really really long time. And I need to—there's still tons that I want to see and do!  :)

Inspiration from Yoga

   Today I went back for my second class at New Day yoga, this time the gentle hot yoga class taught by Amanda. I have to say, I really dig this studio! I liked Amanda from the minute I walked in the door: she greeted me at the front desk and I was happy to find out she was the teacher. And not only that, Chandra Blackwell was in the lobby when I walked in, so it was great to see a familiar face in the class. This was her first time at the studio. Groupon brought us together.
   This was only my second attempt at hot yoga. The first was in Albuquerque in July, where it was 110 degrees outside and 100 inside, and it was very, VERY challenging. So hot and humid that it was difficult to maintain an even breath, and the carpeted room was thick with the smell of mildew and sweat, old and new. In contrast, this studio was warm, but probably not much over 90 degrees, and the wood floors meant that it smelled much more pleasant. It was a much easier introduction to hot yoga, and one I'd go back for, to build up my stamina before attempting the hardcore version. 
   Apparently the idea is that the heat increases your flexibility, allowing you to get into the poses more deeply, and at the same time it makes you sweat profusely so that toxins leave your body. In ABQ I was practically afraid of consciousness leaving my body, and interrupting the class with a giant THUD as I hit the deck from downward dog.
   Just as the teacher before, Amanda shared some inspirational thoughts and words of wisdom throughout the class. She kept us focused on breathing in concert with the poses, suggesting that we breathe very deeply in order to, "Breathe in positive energy, and breathe out negative energy." She reminded us to let energy flow freely through ourselves without resistance.
   She ended Savasana with a quote: "The difference between ordinary & extraordinary is that little bit extra. Challenge yourself to be extraordinary." Then she brought us into seated position, and we put our hands in prayer, resting on the third eye, then the mouth, then the heart, as she said, "Reminder to keep your mind open, your words kind, and be true to yourself. The divine spirit within me is connected to the divine spirit within you. Namaste." Like every teacher I've ever had, she had unique things in her practice that I loved.
   I checked into Foursquare after class and found that I had earned this badge, which made me laugh. Guilty pleasure lunch, anyone?

   P.S. Check this out. Weird synchronicity: A couple of hours after I got home, I was working on some plush with the TV on and heard this commercial for the U.S. Virgin Islands, "Let go of ordinary and see what extraordinary feels like. Be who you are, and who you could be." Sound familiar?

Quote

Today I heard this quote, written for a Hallmark card, and I thought I'd post it because I find it inspirational. It's a good reminder that things that seem to be obstacles should always be viewed as opportunities!

"The next rock in your path might be a stepping-stone." —Linda Staten

a favorite quote

"I wanna hang a map of the world in my house. Then I'm gonna put pins into all the locations that I've traveled to. But first, I'm gonna have to travel to the top two corners of the map so it won't fall down."

—Mitch Hedberg

Random Hallmark Moments: overheard in a meeting

"I still owe you the strategy for the lenticular monkey babies." —Derek

And, recently we were embroiled in a week-long debate/discussion about how to enter profanity in our online editorial system, due to our Chris Rock sound cards!

I ♥ my job!

"Two & a Half Men" mention

Just turned the TV on just in time to hear this exchange:

Charlie: A woman's much more relaxed and comfortable in her own surroundings. Plus, the minute she falls asleep, I can hit the bricks.

Alan: That's lovely. It's a shame you don't work for Hallmark.
Charlie: Yeah, I'll bet those guys get laid like crazy.

No comment on that last part. ; )

great quote

Was privileged to hear Bob Berkebile (of BNIM architects, notable for their exceptionally environmentally-conscious projects) speak on Monday at a "green" summit. He quoted one of his college profs:  

"The best way to predict the future is to design it."   —Buckminster Fuller