February 26, 2013
Thankfulness brings you to the place where the Beloved lives. – Rumi
I recently started a habit of posting daily gratitudes no my Facebook wall. Monday through Friday, I make a list full of simple delights, triumphs, happy-makers that I am feeling grateful for. Then, I hold space for the gratitudes of others by inviting folks to add their list to my thread.
This feels awesome to me. It feels like I’m entering a kind of river ~ a serene river that flows from our lips to the ears of the Divine.
“This is what we notice. This is what we love. This is what brings us joy.”
And though we might not intend for this to happen, it naturally follows that the Universe interprets this to mean:
“More of this, please!”
And more flows back.
At least, that’s been my experience.
I love this Rumi quote, and though I am not running The Rumi Project (the delectable Cary took over for me), I can see myself doing a spread that includes it. It touches a place in me that knows the truth about the divine. It reminds me that the divine (in us, out there, however you perceive it) has my best interest at heart. It tunes my frequency to what the divine might want for me (more of this, please!) and helps me to quiet the voices that have nasty things to say about what I might believe about what I deserve.
I want more of this, please. I want to find myself caught up in the current of the river of peace, wisdom, and grace that flows beneath the rushing torrent of ego, anxiety, and omgdoom.
Gratitude takes me there.
***
My Week In Art
This week has been all about colour and doodles and lettering and pure, unadulterated fun.
Saturday
I took a class with Joanne Sharpe and immediately upon returning home from the workshop, I sat down to do some of the prescribed exercises in a fresh composition notebook. Joanne is all about designing your own fonts, which I love. I am always happiest when the majority of the elements in my work are *mine* and mine alone, so designing my own fonts = happy happy joy joy. Here are two that I’m really super happy with:
Joanne’s teaching style is really accessible, so if you want some awesome tutelage in the art of artful lettering, she is definitely your woman!
Monday
On Monday, I recorded a video for all of y’all that plays off the prompt given by Rachel of A Year In The Life Of An Art Journal. The prompt was “Favourite Quote” so I made a messy, doodly background and used a quote from my son. He says, in reference to parenting, that “Love begets love. Struggle begets strength. If you’re trying you’re winning.”
I love that quote because it tells me that this kid knows we’re all human. These are, in my books, words to live by.
Here’s A Photo
I’m really seeing the influence of Flora Bowley and Joanne Sharpe in my art journaling these days and I am LOVING it.
Here’s Then {BONUS} Video!
Wednesday
On Wednesday, I work on a spread that riffed off the quote “If you love what you do, you’ll never work another day in your life.” This is attributed to Confucius (whose name I *always* misspell!). This is why I’m all about gratitude this week because I *LOVE* what I do and most of the time, it doesn’t feel anything like work. It feels like a vocation, like a priesthood, like a pilgrimage.
In this spread, I celebrated my work with an awesomely fun mixed media portrait on a totally raucous background. I chair danced through the whole thing.
Friday
Friday found me succumbing (after fighting it all week) to a bad cold, so I did a quick ‘wrap up’ spread in my Book Of Days. It was just text with a bit of flourish:
Here’s what my ‘full spread’ for week nine in my Book Of Days looks like:
Riotous F.U.N.
This is the point at which I would normally tell you more about what resources are rocking my socks and what books I’m reading, but to be honest, I am feeling pretty gross today so I’m going to skip it. I’m sitting here slathered in Vicks, doped up on Tylenol Cold Daytime, with a raw nose, chapped lips, and what feels like a ten pound brick on my chest.
I’ll see you next week with another post AND opening day for Book Of Days BOOT CAMP LIVE!
xo
Effy
