Creativity is the act of self discovery.

Over 30 years ago I moved to Miami.
It didn't take but 30 seconds and I was smitten.
I know it's true love because I feel exactly the same now as I did then.
Early morning birds chirping...
Light breeze from the ocean...
Fans whirring...
Long shadows on the wall toward the evening...
The list goes on.
Never gets old.
And
all this loveliness inspires me every day.
Love of beauty is taste
the creation of beauty is art.-Ralph Waldo Emerson
Over the years I've discovered my creativity in different ways.
Mostly through scrapbooking.
Which is why I started this blog.
Now I'm HEAVY into watercolor and markers.
And I'm having a ball.
I wish  y'all would try it.
Believe me when I tell you
There is a little artist in you begging to be released.
Pick up a marker and you'll see what I mean.
This here is a Zentangle/markers collaboration.

First I draw...

 Now the fun part.

And while we're at it...

JOY!

COLORS!
ZENTANGLE!

MARKERS!

It's a great way to challenge yourself.

Joy is what happens to us when we recognize how good things really are.

Pink isn't just a color, it's an attitude!

Your attitude is like a box of crayons.
Constantly color your picture gray,
and your picture will always be bleak.
Try adding some bright colors to the picture
by including humor,
and your picture begins to lighten up.
That's how I see life.
The worse I feel
the more color I wear!
Add brighter lipstick.
Make a pretty fruit salad.
Or just make some art.
Here's one for you.
Doodles and paint.
This is what happy looks like for me.
What does happy look like for you?

I found I could say words
with color and shapes
that I couldn't say any other way
- things I had no words for.  
                    Georgia O'keefe
                       

As long as it makes me happy...

I haven't blogged in over a year.
And then I saw this TED TALK
which motivated me to start again.
It's a way of giving my grandchildren a peek in to who I am.
...and no matter how 'good I look for my age'
all they see is a bubby... 

With that being said...
I love to read.
When I was a little girl I went to the library every Friday to get books for Shabbos.
Not being a safe neighborhood
my heart would pound with fear
until I was safely enclosed and surrounded by my beloved books.
Yet that never stopped me.
Each story carried me off to a new adventure.
I could smell the food that was being described on those pages.
Words like
delectable,
dainty and
succulent,
brought vivid images to my mind.
Opening the first page always brought thrills of anticipation.
Betsy Stacy and Tibs.
Remember them?
All the Nancy Drew books.
The  Hardy boys.
The Secret Garden.
Read that at least 10 times.
Matured to Gone With The Wind.
Read that at least 20 times.
Who didn't?
The power of  words.
They take me prisoner.
Wind themselves around me
like a warm blanket.
Sometimes they keep me so enthralled
I cannot move for hours.
Now that I'm older,
I especially love reading memoirs of strong resilient people.
Their strength inspires me in ways they'll never know.
One of the most powerful reads thus far has been
As Long As I Live .
Beautifully written.
Each page reaching me at  my core.
I mostly read on Shabbos.
If a book really grabs me
I'll read a bit every night.
So please
KINDLE
Don't take books away from me.
I need to feel them.
Turn each page with a dampened index finger.
Fold the corner of the page as I drift off to sleep
Just like when I was little....
Books have always been my obsession
and that's never changed.
HOWEVER,
I now have a new obsession.
WATERCOLOR.
I have no idea how to paint,
but I'm determined to do it anyway.
Don't really care if I follow any particular rules of art.
Just want to do what I know feels good.
So I'll share my stuff with you as I learn.
Maybe I can inspire YOU to try something too.

Painting is easy when you don't know how, but very difficult when you do. ~Edgar Degas
In that case for me it's really easy....

My first 'real' artwork.
First one's a charm I think.
I tried again.
and again.
and again.
I'll show you.

So there you have it.
As I continue it will be interesting for me to see how I learn new things.
I'm gonna try to learn all I can through YOUTUBE and blogs.
Love the challenge...
When you do it for yourself there's no pressure...