Week Two: Secrets of Highly Creative Women

First, No, I haven't fallen off the face of the earth. Life just interrupts our plans sometimes. The good news is we have finished the repairs and painting downstairs left from Hurricane Ike. We started on the upstairs this week including getting a new computer - finding a place for it and moving data from the old computer to the new. I've spent the day going through file cabinets and shredding. The shredder and I have developed a relationship! I feed it and, so far, it enjoys it!

Today marked Chapter Two over at The Next Chapter of 12 Secrets of Highly Creative Women by Gail McMeekin. Chapter Two is about honoring your inspirations. There are several keys involved including practicing play, communing with your senses and nature, creating a sanctuary, and inventing rituals.

Sanctuary really hit home for me along with communing with nature. I've posted before about our sanctuary garden (Musashi's Garden). Playing in the dirt has always been important for me. I remember being very young and quite taken with being outside and planting something -- watching it grow. Playing in the dirt is relaxing for me. It lets me escape from the daily *junk* into another reality. Ideas, creativity -- also seeds that are planted and grow.


This is the background for my next journal page. This time I remembered to take a picture of it before I started with the collage elements.


This is the page with the collage elements added. I will journal this weekend. I have to admit that I really like the page the way it is! My added words may be very brief! The Buddha is a garden Buddha. The bird and flower are from a piece of wrapping paper I've been saving for years. It is old and somewhat fragile (one of the reasons I didn't cut too much around the flower and bird). Once again I had the idea for the journal page before I read Chapter Two and I'm delighted that they fit so well together. Sanctuary in the garden and in my home -- with candles burning, ideas flowing, new insights and ideas.

Once again I made note of a couple of my favorite quotes from the chapter: "Imagination is the highest kite we can fly.' (Lauren Bacall) and 'Nobody can be exactly like me. Sometimes I even have trouble doing it." (Tallulah Bankhead).

Jamie suggested we make a list of the things we love. I'm going to start my list this evening. I'm afraid I won't know where to stop!

This evening I'm taking a break from the shredding and back to the crocheting.