July 1st

I notice on my computer screen that it's July already.  We're now almost four months in to wearing masks when we go out.

I slept from about midnight to 2 a.m. and was awakened by a yucky dream.  Instead of going back to sleep, I watched Lyn Belisle's class again, Postcards to Myself.  It was the best online class I've taken, even more so after  making eight postcards. In it,  Lyn gives so many lessons that are applicable to larger and different projects.

The idea is to make a large intuitive collage on an 11 x 14 mat board, then place 5 x 7 mat openings over sections of the large one to choose the portion you want to cut to size.   For a novice like me, this is such a good way to go.  For $18, this course covers composition, encaustics, and so much more I needed to know.

By the time I'd watched it all, I decided to go ahead and go get my morning coke and then go back to bed.  On the car news, I heard someone say, "Everybody is miserable right now...."

I'd agree that all of us are miserable sometimes, but on the whole, as long as I'm learning and working on new projects, I'm rarely miserable.  In fact, I can get so absorbed in a collage or watercolor that the day flies by.

Creativity, in all its myriad forms, is the way, I think, to enjoy solitude--whether it's enjoying other people's books and music and paintings, or making a stab at doing your own.

We are limited in going out--which can be hard. (I really would love to take a road trip or have a delicious meal in a restaurant or invite some friends over for a game of cards.)  But as I've learned from some of my teachers and my own experience, sometimes limitations open up interesting possibilities.  I hope you're all having a creative day!