Air Light Space Time: Guilty

I saw a comic today that really resonated with what has really been holding me back. Well, really it's the poem, but the comic illustrates it well. I am a visual person, after all.

Air and Light and Space and Time by Charles Bukowski:

“–you know, I’ve either had a family, a job,
something has always been in the
way
but now
I’ve sold my house, I’ve found this
place, a large studio, you should see the space and
the light.
for the first time in my life I’m going to have
a place and the time to
create.”
no baby, if you’re going to create
you’re going to create whether you work
16 hours a day in a coal mine
or
you’re going to create in a small room with 3 children
while you’re on
welfare,
you’re going to create with part of your mind and your body blown
away,
you’re going to create blind
crippled
demented,
you’re going to create with a cat crawling up your
back while
the whole city trembles in earthquake, bombardment,
flood and fire.
baby, air and light and time and space
have nothing to do with it
and don’t create anything
except maybe a longer life to find
new excuses
for.

© Charles Bukowski, Black Sparrow Press

I have a flaw...you ready. I am a procrastinating perfectionist.

If the situation isn't just right...
If I don't have just the right tools...
If I'm not in the right mood...
If I'm not backed up against the wall...
If I am feeling less-than...

I just don't do it! We are talking art, life...anything.

This changes TODAY!

Following my Heart

A few months ago I decided that the best way to help my family was to put my dreams aside and take a position in an area completely new to me. I approached this adventure as I do in most aspects of my life...Head First; All or Nothing!

Soon after starting I had this nagging feeling in my gut that something was "off". I was performing well. I was even promoted to a management position within a few weeks. I still had this uncomfortable feeling in my gut. The long days...I can handle that. The nights away from the family...I delt with that. So what was bugging me.

I had a realization that the job requirements went against my moral code. This may sound bad, but it is so easy to justify little things here and there. What it came down to was that I just couldn't continue with this position because it just didn't feel "right" in my gut.

So here we are again. Here I am again. I'm not saying it was all bad. I'm not saying that I didn't learn anything...actually I grew a lot in areas that I needed help in, through this experience. Specifically, I now have no anxieties driving (opening a world of possibilities for me).

I'm super excited to take the things I learned from that adventure and bring them in to creating a more successful and fulfilling business.

Announcement: Moving On!

LMD Studio is going through some changes. More specifically I am going through some lifestyle and career changes. This week my focus is studying for my licensing exam for this change. I'll have more details as I have more to tell.

The Studio has to take a backseat right now. I do hope to still do some challenges and other personal art, as I will need the cathartic aspect of creating (more than ever). I'm no longer accepting new projects outside of personal work, for the time being.

Free Gift

Every once in awhile I like to thank my fans with a little free gift. So here you go:

Just Right Click on image for full size and "Save As">"Set as desktop background"

{xLarge-1920x1080 Resolution}*

{1280x720 Resolution}

Quotes obtained from Quotegarden.com

*Update: Blogger condensed the xLarge to 1,600px × 900px (if you would like the original, e-mail me and I will send to you :) lmdstudio@live.com

2 Things: Sunday/Pattern

This 2 Things Challenge was perfect for me. One of my favorite things to create is motif's for patterns. This particular one gives me the chance to share my Devotional Journal. I created a few patterns to use on Zentangles, or other uses.

The Patterns: Dogwood {Sketch}

The Journal: Various Patterns {Biblical Based}

*The text:
"It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man."~ Psalms 118:8
                
 "I shall not die but live, and declare the works of the Lord."~Psalms 118:17

Of course the journal is meant to be used daily, but I seem to only be using it on Sunday lately...Need to work on that :)

Angry Birds Chess {I Made it Monday}

This Christmas I made each of my children one handmade gift. My middle son is on an Angry Birds kick right now. So I made him an "Angry Birds Chess Set"

Angry Birds and egg stealing Pigs face off.

Piggy Pawn

Bird Knight

Bird Pawn

Bird King

Bird Bishop

Bird Rook

Bird Queen

Piggy King and Queen

Piggy Knight and Rook (Bishop is larger version of Pawn)

2 Things: Post/Parallel

As soon as I saw this week's challenge, I knew exactly what to post. I always loved how my husband and son's shadow runs parallel with this awesome train.

Shadow Train, a photo by Mommy Bee on Flickr.

Join in the fun at 2 Thing Challenge

Sketch-2-Sketch - The Little Princess

She ignored her father's wishes for her to stay in the waiting area. The precocious one year old strode down the aisle of booths in the restaurant, blue eyes shining from under the pink wool hat with grey leopard print fur brim. Her creamy plump cheeks pulled up as she smiled at everyone. Her pink wool coat matched her hat and her Peter Pan Collar matched her hat's brim. Grey tights covered her legs and purple Mary Janes covered her feet. The little princess held up her right arm and waved with her fingers the way kids do when they first learn to wave. It looked more like a come-here gesture, but to her it was a wave. She kept on walking and waving as if nothing else mattered in the world.