Tuesday, November 13, 2007

I looked up


from beneath the tree in my yard, through to the blue sky above, on another beautiful autumn day.

This tree (which came with my house, and therefore I do not know its species)is a visual delight in every season. When it loses it's leaves in the fall, these wonderful yellow berries appear. In winter, they turn red, then brown, and even when it is bare, it's a perfect silhouette of snow and ice. In spring, it flowers in white, but if you look closely at the petals, they are rose-colored in the center. In summer, the white petals blanket the ground and green leaves greet me again.

In spite of the fact that I am essentially allergic to the fall (mold, leaves, hives, itch, horrendous, two weeks, end of story!), this has been one of the most beautiful seasons I can remember. We've had perfectly mild weather in the day, chilly and crisp for sleeping at night.

Art stuff...

I organized one of my many journals last night =-- my IDEA journal -- and it was a good exercise to remind me of all the sketches I made and ideas I have for holiday projects and also for techniques I want to try. As this year rapidly comes to a close, I am looking back at the year to see what I've accomplished, and making my list of intentions for 2008. Those who know me or have followed my blog for awhile know that I used to dread (and avoid) making resolutions or intentions, because my logic was that if I didn't do them I would feel badly, whereas, if I never admitted to having them, I could not fail...

Of course, this was very skewed logic. I certainly wasn't fooling myself. I still felt awful when a year would go by with nothing to show for it. With the help of a wonderful creative coach, I was able to see this flaw in my logic. So now I declare my plans and intentions -- often quite publicly in this forum -- and just such a simple declaration makes them real, and is the first step to realizing them.

4 comments:

Debbie said...

You certainly don't have a market on "skewed logic". We all indulge in it. Remember - the human mind has an inifinity capacity to rationalize. And we do it. Often! I remember someone telling me something about horses and find it applies so to many things in life. He told me "horses will live up to your expectations, and if you have none, that is what you will get." It is so true about many things, horses, dogs, children, spouses, ourselves, our jobs, our art, our lives. So yes, you need those expectations first. And you know what? So what if you fail. You pick yourself and start again, perhaps from a different angle. Take it from someone who is an expert at picking herself up. Often I don't do it as gracefully as I like. Sometimes accompanied by much bitching. But there you have it! Thank you for sharing your list of intentions with all of us so we can cheer you on! You go girl! XOX

Patti G. said...

Kerri, you are not alone in your feelings.......making a resolution gives that dread of failing or not accomplishing it as one would want.......but, you are making friends and creating beautiful art, even if it is not exactly what you plan or expect to accomplish .......sometimes the accidents in life are what we learn the most from and gain posiitive light from! <3 Be easy on yourself in this respect! Ok?

AND I love your picture of the tree! Despite your allegies, you find a way to enjoy the beauty God provides for us! That is neat! Thanks for sharing it!
Hugs,Patti

Anonymous said...

Beautiful photo...and against a clear blue sky (we haven't had too many of those lately around here). Also, I love your approach to stating your intentions. I need to be a little more intentioned, in general, I think. Maybe I'll follow your lead and actually form a plan! Thanks for the inspiration and beauty!

Nancy Bea Miller said...

Hi Kerri, love this photo but I must admit I wish you would post something new already yet! I miss your cheery web presence. xoxNB