Kel's Space

Just after dusk

I saw him this evening, and he looked somehow familiar. And yet something was strangely different.

Reading deprivation? Are you mad?

Too too funny. I am currently doing The Artist's Way as you may know. I quite like the morning pages, although I do miss them out occasionally and moan a LOT about doing them sometimes. Also I find that they are getting slower to do and I expected them to get faster! I miss them when I don't do them and I am prepared to get up earlier to do them, and if you know me in person, I don't get up earlier for ANYTHING.

I just finished week 3, so apparently I have recovered a sense of safety, a sense of identity and a sense of integrity. Nope, make that a sense of power. You would think that I would remember something like a sense of power, wouldn't you? It's this week that I am supposed to recover a sense of integrity. But. But. BUT! As part of that, we are supposed to experience reading deprivation for a week. I read that last night, all set to start this morning, "yeah I thought, no problem" there might be one or two little unavoidable things for work, but nothing over 5 minutes. I am such a liar! I didn't realise how much I read during the day, and I don't mean steadily working through an amazing book (I do that too of course) but randomly picking up bits of the Sunday paper, compulsively checking email, and I couldn't stay away from my blog reader, I had to catch up after being away all last week. And the postman brought an Amazon order. So. Well. Can I start tomorrow?

I do think following the Artist's Way is already having a benefit though. I am making more art this month then I usually would in a month, excluding obvious things like books in my artist book class.  I finally opened my Etsy store, which I have been whinging about doing for about 6 months! There may only be 3 things in it, but it's a start! So we shall see. I'd love to hear from anyone following The Artist's Way at the moment, or veterans. I had a look at their community, but I don't really have the mental energy for another community, ya know?

Iran Peace Train

Please take a moment to watch this. It was forwarded to me by my lovely cousin in Vancouver and she does not do forwards, neither do I. But things are snowballing and war looks inevitable.  Please take a moment to watch this little video at http://www.lucasgray.com/video/peacetrain.html. It's an antidote to the propaganda we are all fed every day, a little reminder of what we sacrifice for war, a new face for the new enemy.

(it's not gross or scary, and features music, so switch your speakers on. I didn't need to download anything, it just started when I clicked on the link.)

Look at me selling on Etsy!

I have been wanting to open an Etsy store for awhile and when it kept turning up in my morning pages I knew I had to take the plunge. I will write more about this tomorrow, but it is very late and my poor husband has stayed up to hold my hand while I set everything up.
Go see the pretty at my shop.

My artist books

I have been meaning to share some of my artist books with you. My interest in bookmaking has been creeping up on me for awhile and I didn't really spot the pattern. It was only when I joined an artist book class this fall that I started to realise how much I am drawn to making books of my own. It was helped along recently by a wine-fuelled friendly argument with a friend, involving her shouting at me "you have made SO many books" followed quickly by a list of them - it is so wonderful to have friends who see what you cannot and are honest enough to guide you (and loud enough, and tipsy enough!). So, to start off, one from the archives. It is from a class called Done and Dusted taught by Shimelle and you will find it in the photo album to the left, titled Artist Books: Innocents Abroad.

Away in the north

I am in Shetland at the moment. It is my in-laws golden anniversary, so we have come up to be with them. I am very happy that we did, because as their other children can't be here. I am scanning in their old slides and restoring them for an anniversary present. It is lovely work as I get to see old family memories and hear the stories. Slow work too though. I am looking forward to relaxing, feeling brisk air on my face, smelling the sea, shopping the picturesque high street in town. I am planning to buy nice hand-dyed Shetland wool for making crocheted flowers.

I am starting week 3 of the Artist's Way and am still enjoying it. I spent two weeks on week 2 which was all about identity; that is a big issue for me so well worth taking the extra time on. Reading the chapter for week 3 surprisingly brought tears to my eyes at one point. She was discussing how people develop detachment as a defence mechanism and it just struck a deep chord with me. I got a flash of me in hurt defensive mode and flashbacks to a younger me and it was all a bit of a revelation.

Learning to be...

I love the web. It took a long time for me to get this blog thing, but, turns out, I was just reading the wrong blogs. I love the web because it connects me to my people, to people like me, to people I can learn from. A few reminders of this happened today.

Reading Zen habits. I found this listed on Ali Edwards' blog on Monday, which was Blog Action Day - I basically missed it this year. So many good ideas her for living the kind of life I want to lead. A few of my favourites: simple living; zen productivity; and today's post about consumerism.

I am so grateful to have discovered Liz Elayne's blog. Her title says it all, be present, be here. I am reading through her past posts, and I am finding beautiful photography, poetry, art, wisdom (and I am stalking her etsy shop too!).

Don't forget to check out the people in my blogroll. I am keeping it small and real, the people I check in with every day or two, the people who influence my world in many little ways.

I know it's been awhile

It feels like I haven't been writing much. I normally follow a pretty strict but simple rule that each post will contain an image and a chunk of text. Not too much to ask, surely? Leaving my job was a huge life choice and the right one, but I have had an emotional and vulnerable couple of months.

An update for new readers:
Having taught nursery and kindergarten all my adult life and completed three stages of qualifications along the way, last year I was promoted to director of studies at the private school in London where I teach. I love teaching, so never wanted an admin role, but this allowed me to keep teaching and have a voice in curriculum and policy decisions. However, a handful of things happened in our community and our families that reminded us emphatically that life is short and precious.

K and I share many of the same values, centred around home, family and the environment, and these had become ever more neglected over the years in the rat race. We opted to live a simpler, more authentic life. So I resigned from both roles. As it turned out, I was offered a few flexible hours a week on curriculum, and some supply teaching work - the perfect balance, especially for the transition year.

Everyday I am grateful that we made this choice, and that we share the values and strengths that make it possible. Any transition is difficult though, and there have been some surprises. It has been hard to let go of measurable success. I keep catching my inner critic at work, expecting myself to be instantly on top of budgeting, household routine, cooking wholesome food, living an artful life. It has taken me by surprise too that people have responded with such jealousy, immediately backed up with reasons why they couldn't do this.

As promised, an image. I think I have shared this page before, but it seemed fitting, and I love the photo that my dear friend Z took for me.

Introducing Cat Boy

Look who appeared out of my subconscious.

Illustration Friday: Open

This is my first submission to Illustration Friday. The theme set was "open". Please go to the IF site (use the link in the column at the right) and check out the other submissions, there is some amazing work out there. Mine is 9"x12" on rough 140lb watercolour paper, with a vintage dictionary page, found papers,  ink, gel pen, Neocolor IIs, stamps and fluid acrylic.

This is a very personal piece because my theme for life at the moment is all about being open to the universe.