Hi! Thanks for
visiting with me as The Great ReMe Blog Hop continues. If you missed last weeks posts, do take time
to read Jean’s approach to the first prong of The ReMe Way *Rest-Relax-Renew,* Rest. This week, I’ll share with you what it means
for me to Relax.
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All Aboard!
What does it mean to you to Relax? |
I have to open by saying that, as a quasi-typical Type A, this whole
“relax” thing is not my natural state! *a running joke around here is that I have
two speeds: Stop and GO!* Rather, it has been a learned trait for me;
one that I appreciate having learned, and continue to fine-tune. As an artist with full time dreams on a part
time reality, I often find relaxation in ways that may look a whole lot like ‘work’
to other people.
Day to day, for me, involves working alongside my husband
and our business partner as we run a small company dedicated to providing
affordable technological solutions for county agencies throughout NC. Kevin (aka Resident Genius) designs access
control and video monitoring systems that are used by County Jails, Courthouses,
and Sheriff’s Offices. He and Bob are
the hands-on, front line fellas – performing installations and service calls
hither and yon. I am the ‘behind the
scenes’/Girl Friday of this outfit, manning the office, ordering equipment,
billing and paying bills, and assorted and sundry other tasks that keep the
wheels of commerce turning smoothly.
In my off hours, I enjoy the company of fellow creatives in
both a regional mixed media art guild (of which it is my privilege to serve as
a member of the Board), and a local art marketing discussion group. When not learning/growing/socializing with these
dynamic crowds, there are family and friends near and far with which to
correspond and connect.
Add to all of that my own artistic business venture (Arrowood
Paper Arts), and the newly established joint endeavor with fellow artists JeanSkipper and Jodi Ohl (ReMe Retreats); it becomes easier to see where the notion
of only having two speeds comes from, eh?
Fortunately, being actively involved in creative pursuits is its own
form of Zen for me! Quite often, the easiest
way to settle my rather active mind is to immerse myself in some sort of
creative activity: sketching out one of
the myriad ideas from the mind-tumbler, designing a new class/project, puzzling
out a new way to use an old thing, or romping around in colorful a painting/printing
session. Allowing myself to step away
from my various To-Dos and indulge in serious play is a fabulous way to
recharge my batteries!
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Print, Cut & Fold, Print, Print
Serious Play begets Beautiful Work |
Another, and perhaps the most long-held, means of relaxation
is to find a comfy spot and dive into a good book. For as long as I can remember, I have been an
avid reader. I thought the notion of a ‘limit’
on how many books one was allowed to check out of the library in school was
preposterous (!) From my teen years all
the way up to the present moment, the most totally indulgent thing I can think
of is to curl up with a book and read until falling asleep, only to rise in the
morning and return to reading, while still nestled snugly among the covers *preferably with grand mug of good coffee.*
This scenario can only be improved upon
if the weather is either (a) wickedly, frosty cold, or (b) dreary grey and
rainy – making such slothful behavior fully justifiable *unless the laundry is calling too loudly (?)* In the spirit of Full Disclosure, I will
confess that the former happens with a great deal more regularity than the
latter!
Before you head over to “the rest of the story” on the ReMeBlog, take a moment to tell me what ways are your favorite to embody “Relax” in
your day-to-day existence. Leave a
comment here, and you will be entered to win one of my handmade
FolioBooks. They make handy little project
workbooks, allowing you to keep track of all the details with pockets on the
front and back covers for
notes/receipts/ideas-scribbled-on-cocktail-napkins/etc. Winner to be chosen *in the tried and true
manner* by Wito the Wonderdog on Monday, February 17th (with video verification provided). Good luck!
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FolioBook by PLA
Enter a comment, here on the blog, for your chance to win! |
Continue to ReMe, for some of my favorite ways to Relax in
Ocracoke…
Onward & Upward,
- p
Words of wisdom for today:
"It is nice finding that place
where you can just go and relax."
- Moises Arias
Photo Notes:
Destination taken with Samsung Galaxy S4 - edited in Pic Monkey
Print, Cut... Samsung Galaxy S4 - collage created in Pic Monkey
FolioBook taken with Panasonic LUMIX DMC-ZS1 - collage created in Pic Monkey
ReMe Banner - created by yours truly
*All photos can be seen in a larger size by clicking on them*
It's "official" and I am delighted to share with y'all: I am now an Artist Educator for Marabu. This means various and sundry things, not the least of which that I get to be an ambassador for a line of products that I genuinely enjoy working with. While at present I seem to be consumed with ways to use their Easy Marble, I am actually getting my hands dirty with other items (!) I look forward to sharing some of my experiments with you, here. I also look forward to incorporating these new goodies in my workshops. 
