Recently in Inspiration Category

Time to start what I promised and show off some of the more unique things I find on Etsy.  I think I hit the nail on the head with this one. Literally?

When I saw these earrings I had to take a peek at the rest.  If you've ever liked the look of plugs but can't stand the idea of stretching your lobes or you just need to have really interesting accessories, these are certainly for you. 

All of them are handcarved out of bone, wood or horn. It appears the bone and horn are a little on the heavier side and the wood is the way to go if you're looking for something lighter.  Also, most of them come with pegs made of the same material which is fantastic for anyone who might have metal allergies. 

The Etsy shop is called Eclectic Monkey, "Big Bold Organic Eclectic Accessories for Everyday Life."  Prices range from $10-$20.  Considering the obvious amount of hard work put into these, I'd say that's a steal!

photo property of shop owner carpedraco

Rather than beat myself up for spending all of yesterday reading Blogher updates and being totally unfocused today, I chose to go to the bookstore.  I often peruse the writing section, hoping to find something that isn't completely full of crap.  I picked up Stephen King's On Writing  and read one of the first lines:

"This is a short book because most books about writing are filled with bullshit."

Sold.

I'm halfway through and it's had me laughing out loud and even a little teary eyed.  For those who are weary of Stephen King, it's not what you think. 

What's so different?  It's not only a helpful book about writing, but a look back into where he came from.  The writing is conversational and forward.  It's a peek in to Mr. King's personality which I find surprisingly friendly and relatable.

If you're at all interested in the art of writing, Stephen King or just a good read, you have to get this.  I am an insanely picky reader and don't recommend lightly.  Nothing gets me more excited than a book I enjoy so much that I can read it in one sitting. For my multitasking mind, this is zen.

I also picked up a couple Richard Matheson books. I'm a gigantic fan of his.  If you've only seen the movie I Am Legend and haven't read the book yet, I highly suggest you do so. It's brilliant.  

How about you? Any great recommendations?  I'd love to hear them. Always looking for something new!

I have something to confess. This is what I want to do. 

It's hard to admit that.  Especially in a world where just about anyone can write a blog and be noticed. So what makes me so special?

I'm not a mommy blogger, nor do I ever intend to be. I'm not a total tech geek, though sometimes I wish I was, and I'm not selling anything fancy, not yet at least. 

In fact, this has sort of been my problem all along.  I'm not one of those lucky people who was born with a particular passion in life. I mean sure, I want to write, but what about?  I'm more of a passionate dabbler. I find that I actually learn the most from other people's obsessions.

When I meet someone so into with what they do, I can't help but latch on to the energy.  Their love makes me want to know more.  And it's all about meeting them. I can't just read it in a book, see it online or hanging on a wall.  I need to feel the emotion up close, hear the excitement in their voice.

For example, recently I was invited to an art opening over in the village.  It was a small gallery and as I suspected,  mostly filled with art that made me think "Really?  Can't my cat do that?" In fact, I was with Gypsy at the time and I do believe his direct quote was, "Is that a cat toy?"

So we're joking around under our breath when suddenly we were introduced to one of the artists.  This was his first exhibit in New York and he was so excited.  I mean beaming!  His attitude completely turned me around and on to his work.  I even told him that if I had the (ridiculous) $5,000, I would buy his installment.

You know what? I totally meant it.  I would have bought it not because I thought it was this remarkable piece of work, but because of the impression he left on me.  His attitude stands out in a world where most ooze a sense of entitlement. In my mind, this is the mark of true passion.

So where does this leave me?  Well after some deep thought it has become clear that I am passionate about finding my passion.  I may not know exactly what it is yet but I do know that I want to find it.  So this is my goal.

I guess that's been the idea behind this whole life changing experience in the first place.  It just took me this long to really start piecing it together.

Here's to one more step forward.

So, what's your passion?

I took the photo above at Prospect Park in Brooklyn.  In this post it represents a moment of reflection because I am profound like that.

Originally uploaded by RGP

I am feeling some major Blogher envy tonight as I read all the twits and blogs of the attendees. I hope I can attend next year. For now I'm getting myself ready to watch the podcasts and maybe even take a rare trip into Second Life for some of those events.

My latest in the 365 Daily Doodle Project/100 Things (Silence and Questioning):

Some are old. Some are new. Some are barely touched. Some are full to the last page. Some are missing. Some are gone forever.  All of them are me.

Sometimes I have to look back in order to see what's ahead more clearly.  Today I looked back in the best way I know how. My journals.

I went in with the intention of finding some inspiration today. I guess you could say I got it in spades.  I found my entry for September 10, 2001.  I didn't even know I had written anything that day. 

It's nothing substantial really, except for the date.  I was sitting at an outdoor cafe before work, drinking coffee and watching early morning Manhattan pass me by.   I had just moved there days before and was on my first big NYC theater job.

When I read it, I wanted to reach out and tell that person they'll never be the same.  I wanted to tell her when she gets to work the next day, she'll be growing up fast. She'll gain a new outlook on life.  Everything will seem much shorter and most importantly, completely different.

Then I really start to think about it. Every journal feels like the beginning and end of a different side of me. The only constant is that I still write about it.  I always write about it.  I wouldn't really call it an escape like some do, it's more like a bunch of little 'come to jesus' meetings with my future self.  Reminding me who I was, what I do, who I wanted to be and who I've become. 

Today I am reminded that I am whoever I want to be, so long as I keep learning, keep writing and keep exploring.

"Dream as if you'll live forever, live as if you'll die today." - James Dean

So, how about you? Ever take a look back at yourself and find something surprising?

Originally uploaded by RGP

Inspiration, to me, is motivation.  Some mornings I wake up inspired, ready to take on the day.  However, those days are rare and most of the time I find myself having to seek it out.

Inspiration is my personal fuel.  I grab my creative moments from other people's creative moments.  Its what makes my little world go 'round. So when I find something that works, I take note of it and use it whenever possible.

One of my main sources? Music. I am not a musician myself, though I do dabble in song while cleaning the kitchen or taking a shower (naturally) and all my life I have been surrounded by good music and musicians.  For crying out loud,  I was named after one. 

Words have always been a musical prompt for me.  If I chew on a word long enough (or sometimes instantly) a song I know starts to play in my head. I now consider this to be a technique.  I find said song and play it over and over until whatever it is my brain has planned, comes out.

As I mentioned previously, I was struggling with my drawing project. Inspiration was nowhere to be found and I was drawing the same thing over and over again. Then I found the 100 Things list and thought "Great! Some inspiration!" and for the first few days, that was all I needed.

Then I started to over think it.  It was when I got to "innocence". 

"Innocence? Nothing is innocent!" cried my overactive brain.  I realized I was just searching too hard. Begging my brain for something unique and coming up blank.

Quite literally as I thought at one point I would just scan a blank page.  How profound am I?

So now I really listen to the word.  I guess you could say I wait for it to sing to me.  This has completely changed my way of thinking for this project.  It wasn't until now that I realized all my favorite drawings were completley inspired by whatever I was listening to at the time. Music genuinely effects my every emotion and in turn,  my imagination opens up to a new level.

So how about you?  I would love to hear what really drives you to write that next blog, draw that next piece or even get up and cook dinner.  Anything can be inspired, right down to what you're wearing today.  So what did it for you?  Have you created any inspiring techniques?   I'd love to know!  Maybe your inspiration can become someone else's.

The picture above is #12 of the 100 Things project. The word is "Insanity" and System of a Down was the music that inspired it.  It may seem like I only listen to heavy music but I assure you that is not the case. My taste is extremely eclectic and no genre is missing from my ipod. Seriously, I even have some yodeling.

I didn't want to post any of this until I was good and ready.  I've decided to start another project within my 365 project but I genuinely needed to make sure I could commit to it. Knowing how I am, a double commitment is like a stroll over Mt. Everest.

I've been feeling pretty unmotivated with my drawings for quite some time now and I know I need some kind of push so I did a little googling and found this great 100 Things list.  At first I thought "100 Things? Shit, I'll never finish it." As usual not giving myself enough credit. 

Then it occured to me that I'm going to be drawing something every day anyway, might as well try.

The real struggle? I am the worst decision maker. Sure, the list is right there, all written out for me, but I have to DECIDE what I want to draw in each category.  I have to DEFINE each and every word.  What have I gotten myself into?

So I wrote it all out, as you can see here, because when I write things out by hand, they start to make more sense to me. I can soak it in. Chew on it if you will.  I began to realize that this isn't your typical list of "things". Everything on it has potential to tell a great story. 

I'm excited.

I'm following through.

I have completed 7 days so far.

And yes, the list is my "introduction" because writing it all out was a major feat and creative burst for me. So neener.

You can check out the rest on my 100 Thing flickr set and as usual you can see the entire 365 project as well. .

Since I am such an enormous fan of Flickr, I figured it was high time I jumped on the flickr meme bandwagon I've been seeing around the blogosphere.  The idea is to answer a list of 12 questions in the search field at flickr. Choose a photo in the first group that comes up, and create a mosaic over at BigHugeLabs. The questions are:

1.  What is your first name?
2. What is your favorite food?
3. What high school did you attend?
4. What is your favorite color?
5. Who is your celebrity crush?
6. What is your favorite drink?
7. Where would you go on your dream vacation?
8. What is your favorite dessert?
9. What do you want to be when you grow up?
10. What do you love most in life?
11. Choose one word to describe you?
12. Your Flickr name?

1. Ry, 2. La vegan pizza del diavolo, 3. zach in action 2, 4. black.sky, 5. Bruce Campbell, 6. coffee & the city, 7. A witness of time, 8. Strawberry Shortcake, 9. one would., 10. Quiet, 11. cappuccette rosse, 12. one pissed off pussycat

I had to take the time to give this fantastic blog a shout out. Everybody's talking about it! I just disovered it today through a couple of other bloggers and WOW is it genius! 

I was just thinking yesterday about all my old posts and "Oh, what a waste."  I think most bloggers have this thought.  Maybe when you first started writing, you had some really fantastic posts but of course, no one knew about you yet so they're just sitting in the archives, gathering dust.

Well now this genius group of people got together and gave our archives a reason to continue living!

"Blog Nosh Magazine is an online magazine dedicated to promoting the best archived posts from your own personal blogs."

My favorite thing about them would have to be the plethora of "channels" they offer.  Especially with this blog,  I have a really hard time categorizing it. It's personal, it's about art, it's about entertainment, the list goes on. 

It's also a fantastic way to find blogs you've never heard of before and on topics you're really interested in.

So check it out, blog writer or reader, there's some really super posts in there. Hopefully one of mine will end up in the magazine one day!

Lately I've been a little more Daft and a little less Art.  This is fine but I'd really like to try and even out the roller coaster. 

Part of what I want to do is display more of my 365 project.  That's what really got the whole ball rolling for Arts & Dafts. I used to display every single doodle. I probably won't do that any more but you can still see them in my flickr set.  Instead, I'll be showcasing the drawings I like best.

Another idea I'd like to incorporate is an Etsy day where I highlight a particular Etsy page that caught my eye.

Last, a little more discussion on the growth I'm going through and how this entire project has changed my life and state of mind.

Right now I'm in a writing phase. If you've been reading for a while, you know I go through what I call "creative phases". One week I'm all about drawing, the next it's photographs, then suddenly I get the urge to knit, etc. The difficulty with a writing phase is how high I set the bar. It's unlike any of the others. I feel the overwhelming desire to add wit to every day happenings, to tell the whole story but without overdoing it like I tend to do and most of all, catch the readers attention even when discussing the mundane. 

Writing, to me, has always been at the forefront of everything I do. It's the one and only thing that I can say I've been doing since I was a small child.  I still have a bunch of my old stories and I may share some here sometime.

So in this project of growth over the last 6 months, what have I learned about my writing?  That I am capable.  I can write something people want to read. I can do it without infusing my truckers mouth into every single sentence and by golly, I can be a little funny sometimes.

Confidence has been the number one lesson of this entire process. I have gained it, found new parts about myself that I appreciate and I have learned how very important it is.  It's slowly starting to bleed into how I think about everything from my appearance to how I deal with people who are trying to jerk me around.  Not long ago, I might sit back and say "Yes Sir" while thinking "fuck you sir" . Now, I'm no longer accepting of injustices in my daily life. 

Geez, that sounds so dramatic.

So, here's to yet another phase and hopefully a little more insight into the creative madness called my life.

Now that I'm really committed to this whole blog thing, I realized I need to clean up my about page. I wrote WAY too much in there which is something I tend to do. You see, I'm one of those joke tellers who will explain the punchline...and heck, probably even everything leading up to it, therefore making it completely unfunny.  It's pretty much the same thing here. I just want it to be clear to everyone who reads this blog that yes, I am a scatter brain, I go through creative phases on a week by week basis and now I want to commit to that. Oh hey, that was pretty short, maybe I should use that for the new about?

Anyhow, I can't just delete the old about so I decided to post it here.  Don't worry, there's no punchline...at least not yet.

I've just turned 30 years old and to me (and most who share this fate) this is a major milestone. Yes, it is a big deal! And anyone who tells you otherwise is kidding themselves.  I'm not saying it's a bad big deal, no! It's to be celebrated! It's the first birthday I've ever had where I feel something different. A change in my life.

Ever since I was a kid, Ive been fixing my toys, drawing, learning new crafts and most of all I have had the most overactive imagination I have ever come to know. I remember quite clearly, as if it happened yesterday, getting a barbie at the store one day. Her head fell off when we got home. Instead of pitching a fit (don't think for even a second that I never pitched fits, on the contrary), I put the barbie's decapitated head on the floor and said "I'm swimming! I'm swimming!" You probably had to be there, but I can still hear my mom cracking up.

Through college and now in my later twenties, I seem to have lost touch with my wild imagination. I've still had outlets (although limited) in my career choice of backstage theatre, however, I couldn't help but notice how mundane my every day thoughts were becoming. Stress was taking over and I was turning into one of those obnoxious, complain all the time adults. Eeeeew!

I had an actual epiphany at work one night. A real live one. One where I got caught up in a stare with a blank wall and I realized "Holy crap! I can't live like this anymore!" I don't thrive on stress anymore, I ache from it. I'm tired from it.

Super long story made a little less long, Ive made some big changes in my life. One of my biggest problems is starting a project and finishing it (any true Geminis out there will understand). Therefore, my new year's resolution (which I never make by the way) was to draw a picture, doodle, painting, whatever, every single day for one year. Drawing, to me, is inspirational and get's that imaginative part of my brain back on track. I am no artist in comparison to my mother, but I think I know my way around a piece of paper and a pen. It has truly opened up my mind to view things, regular every day things, in a brand new light. This excites me to no end and I am terrified of losing this feeling.

Here I will display those every day doodles, my photographs, my crafts, other people's crafts, tutorials, my rants and raves and every day weirdness.  Anything that's creative because if you're daft like me, there's no concentrating on a sole medium or craft or thought. There's too much out there to do and see and I want it all.

See? I wasn't kidding! Long 'effing winded! My mom has always said I'm a talker.
 

There's a fantastic new group on flickr that I can't get enough of. It's called Duets and the concept is so wonderful that I'm shocked no one has done it before.

The idea is to collaborate with another flickr member and between you, come up with a theme. Take photos that go along with the theme and then create a diptych! It was obvious to me what my first one needed to be and here it is.

Of course the gal on the left is the beautiful Darla (aka zoo_gal) and the image on the right is my original drawing.

Check out the group if you have a moment. It's really fascinating. I especially enjoy the combos that span the continents.

This video tickles my funny bone like no other. Definitely reminiscent of Tenacious D...but in a world all it's own. I can see it now, a world filled with guitars....filled with milk.

I took this shot in Chinatown, NYC during an amazing performance in front of a fantastic store called Pearl River Mart (Another flickr user referred to it as the "asian kmart". I couldn't agree more). We missed the actual parade but this was well worth the trip!

Click on the photo to see the rest of the set.

tags: chinesenewyear, photograph, inspiration

My mom, ever the supporter of my madness, sent me this link to a fantastic blog entry that really made me feel...not quite so hopeless.

5 - “But wait! I’m not perfect yet!”

The gift of getting over this voice is that you might begin to relish how imperfectly you can do something. Giving yourself permission to do things badly is a great gift. Perfectionism is healed by taking action imperfectly, and surviving.