Small Things

      I am a morning person. I love to get up early before the rest of my family wakes up to get some things done that will put me in the frame of mind I need to have to be a good mom, or at least the best that I can be that day :) By 'things' I mean creative things, like painting, drawing or writing.

       A lot of people ask me how I find time to paint, I think they see it as a luxury I afford myself. But that's not how I see it. My life is busy, really busy, just like yours. I don't have a lot of time to paint, but I still do. Because I have to, for my soul. And so I make the time.

      There is something about creating as the sun rises that quiets me and sweeps away a lot of my stress. It's good for me, it's become something that I have to do. Thinking about finding inspiration this week has been kind of tricky, I'm still not feeling that spark that propels me to paint. But I'm painting and drawing anyway, trying to convince it to come back :)

      Last night as I went to sleep I was thinking about things that had happened in my life that day. I felt regret for losing my temper, I felt sad that I hadn't fully enjoyed the fleeting moments I have with my rapidly growing children, and mostly I felt discouraged that I haven't been living up to the expectations I have for myself. Whenever I let those negative thoughts creep in I can't ever paint like I want to.

      So this morning I woke up determined to do better, to try and find little beautiful things in my very ordinary life. Here are some small things that I've felt inspiring me over the last few days:

• my colored pencils, I love opening my big box of 132 colored pencils and picking whatever color 'calls' to me. Colored pencil is a very slow medium (and I think I make it even more slow just because I am sloooow by nature) and it's kind of comforting to work on a piece and see it evolve layer by layer. It's actually a lot like my watercolor process that way.
• I'm working on a more finished drawing, and I haven't done that in a long time. It's taking me forever, but I'm trying to look at that in a positive way, it's building my patience right? Right. And so far I really love how it's turning out.
•  I was looking through some photos this morning and I found this one:

     We were at a nature preserve a few weeks ago and my two boys had the BEST time. Not because they were looking at all the nature, but because they were making up their own little game (I think they were being Jedi knights actually). They had so much fun and they didn't even have any toys, just a couple of sticks they picked up off the ground (ahem. . . I mean swords, er lightsabers). And remember when you were little and you would always try to not walk on the cracks of boards or sidewalks? That's what they're doing here :):):)

     Why does this photo inspire me? Because it reminds me to stop thinking and just play. Sometimes we work too hard and we just need to let go and go with whatever we create. Don't you think?

     So, what's inspiring you this week?