Spirit: Proclaim Yourself

Just as with my body, my spirit has been battered, neglected, and abused lately. I feel that some of my life force has been drained. To put it succinctly, I feel lost.

Some how in the rush that has become life, I have lost myself. Life is chaotic and the demands on my time and my energies seem to have become greater with each passing day, and unfortunately so many things are being neglected and forgotten. Much to my chagrin, these are the things that are most essential to me, and I feel that a part of me has slipped away. I am caught up in habits that diminish who I am, and roles and expectations have been placed on me that eat away at my spirit. If I do not proclaim who I am, others will lay claim to identifying and labeling me. They will continue to place the roles and expectations on me. I must shake off these attempts by others to define me. I must find myself.

But how do I find myself? How do I proclaim who I am?

I have to stand up for myself, say no to the things that diminish me, and perhaps step on a few toes. It’s easy to ruffle feathers when you step out of those identities others have placed on you, but I have allowed others to define who I am for too long. I need to shout out, ring out, and sing out so that I can be heard. I must find the courage to reclaim those missing pieces and make the time and the room to cultivate who I am deep down.

I AM AN ARTIST!

There it’s out there. I’ve proclaimed it.

Everyday I need to do this and not forget who I am. I need to proudly say that I am an artist when someone asks me what I do. Too often I go for the easy and comfortable, “I’m a teacher.” I often even leave out the fact that it’s art that I teach like some how art and teaching art aren’t valid. But teaching is only a part of what I do and who I am. Even if I did not teach in a public school, I would still teach. I would still share my art, my thoughts, and my methods. Teaching is just a small part of being an artist.

Being an artist means more than simply making art. Yes, I make art. I draw, I paint, I collage. But these activities do not truly define me. I am an artist deep within. It is my core. I have always been an artist, and I was an artist before I was defined by any roles like teacher, husband, friend. It is the artist that drives me. I am inquisitive. I am curious. I am creative. I experiment. I explore. I think and reflect. I am brimming with ideas and stories that need to be expressed. I see the world as an artist, and everything that I experience goes into my reserves and becomes fodder for making art and expressing myself. And every experience, every relationship, and every moment is experienced as an artist. I can’t go to the theater without marveling at the stage, the scenery, the visual spectacle. I can't go for a walk with out noticing the colors and the shapes and the textures of the world around me.

I make art because I must. When I am not making art, I am sharing my art, teaching about art, and writing about art. But too often when I am not making art, I deny myself, cut a part of myself off, and deny my spirit. Too often I sit in front of the TV or waste time and energy with Facebook, email, and other technological distractions. Art feeds me, and in art I am not LOST. I find myself in every mark, every stroke, every color.

I am an artist, a maker, an expresser of personal things. Now I must carve out that identity. Live it. Breathe it. Stop denying it by distracting myself with so many things that do not matter. It is my core, I must treat it just as vital to my existence as food and shelter.

I AM AN ARTIST!

Body: A Whole-Food, Plant-Based Diet

I don’t know about you, but my body speaks to me. It tells me all sorts of things, especially when I neglect and mistreat it. My sore muscles and joints tell me when I over do the yard work and that I’m not really in the kind of shape for such physical exertion. My upset stomach and aching head tell me when I have enjoyed a night out with friends just a little too much. My aching back tells me when I have spent too long hunched over artwork, and my body tells me when I have been over indulging and eating and drinking a lot of junk because I feel full, heavy, lethargic, and just plain blah.


Food is fuel for the body, and here lately I’ve been fueling up with a lot of junk.


I am vegan, but a vegan diet is not necessarily a healthy diet. (I’ll let my chunkiness speak to that.) There are a lot of heavily refined and processed foods that are made as vegan substitutes for meat like Tofurky and Bocca, and there are a lot of foods, especially junk food, that are vegan by accident - potato chips and Oreos are just a couple. It is very easy to rely on convenience and throw a couple of Bocca burgers in the over, serve them with a side of chips, and finish it up with a dessert of Oreo cookies. And though it's not terribly unhealthy, it's not the healthiest, and I’ve been resorting to too much of this kind of eating lately.

As a first step in what I am dubbing The Change Initiative, I am rededicating myself to a whole-food, plant-based diet. I first got into this type of diet a year ago when I saw the wonderful documentary “Forks Over Knives”. You can visit the website here. I had been vegetarian for nearly 9 years at the time, but had constantly been struggling with my weight. Given these weight issues and the fact that I have a family history of cancer, high blood pressure, and diabetes, the movie spoke to me.

The key point of the film is summed up in its opening quote by Hippocrates, “Let food be thy medicine.” It goes on to cite the careers of Dr. T. Colin Campbell and Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn and their research on the effects of diet and nutrition on cancer, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes. I won’t go into the details, and I strongly encourage everyone to watch the film - it’s even streaming on Netflix. Citing a lot of research, the movie draws the conclusion that a whole-food, plant-based diet is the best treatment for combating these common diseases, and often can completely reverse some of these conditions. It recommends removing animal proteins and the heavily processed foods from one’s diet and switching to a whole-food, plant-based diet.

I left the movie theater, and immediately began eating a primarily whole-food, plant-based diet cutting out all dairy, eggs, refined sugars, oils, and prepackaged or processed foods. For several months, I ate only fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and whole grain breads and pastas. I felt great, and I lost about 15 lbs. I had more energy, felt lighter, and got so much accomplished.

Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to maintain that diet as travel and convenience have interceded. The junk food has regained its hold on me, and I’ve gained some weight back and feel just really blah. I am ready to change back to the whole-food, plant-based diet.

Now eating in this fashion is much more work with the actual preparing and cooking of food, but I have discovered and developed some very quick, easy, and tasty recipes. The best part is eating the leftovers the next day for lunch. Over the coming weeks, I’ll be sharing some of these recipes.

Today, I’ll share one of my favorites, and it is one of the simplest (see the above picture). It takes about 15 minutes. It’s a simple pasta and vegetable dish using whole grain pasta and frozen vegetables.

Boil the pasta according to the package.
Throw a bunch of frozen veggies in a pot. I love corn, peas, carrots, and broccoli. Cover with water and bring to a boil while the pasta boils.
Drain the pasta when it’s done.
Combine the the pasta and veggies in bowl, season to taste. I usually use salt, pepper, and some italian seasoning.
Enjoy.

Notice there’s no oil and no butter or margarine (not even vegan margarine), so the vegetables taste fresh and crisp.


I would love if more people turned to a more whole-food, plant-based diet and embraced a vegan lifestyle. I understand the realities though, and if I can get people to eat more fruits and veggies and limit their intake of meat, eggs, and dairy, I'll consider it a small victory. Also, I'm not a doctor or nutritionist, so please consult your physician before undertaking any radical lifestyle change. But I hope that some of you will consider some small changes in your diet that will lead to better health and well being.

Newton's First Law

A body in motion stays in motion. A body at rest stays at rest.

I have been out of balance lately - wildly swinging from place to place and mood to mood. I am overwhelmed feeling like I am drowning, as if my lack of balance has capsized me into a churning sea. Again and again, I have journaled about this drowning feeling and about the feeling of losing myself.

I have lost myself, and it is imperative that I stop the wildly swinging ride that is life before I swing out of control. I must find myself. I must bring myself back to center. But how do I do that?

I’ve been thinking about a structure that will allow me to focus on one small thing at a time so that I can build the sustainable habits that will transform my life. It’s a way to employ Newton’s first law in small, easily doable ways - ways to begin and sustain the motion. But what is that structure?

My first inclination was to focus on one aspect for about a month breaking down that aspect into smaller ideas, activities, and focused energy. But I don’t live like that, and besides, I'd get pretty bored of that. Life happens all at once, not in easily managed chunks. Any attempt at substantial change needs to address a variety of concerns. So, I want to focus on several important ideas each week, and find subtle ways to incorporate those ideas into my life. This would also give a nice variety to anyone who might want to journey with me.

I don’t mean to be cliche, but I haven’t thought of a better way to organize my thoughts, so I’m thinking about having four main areas for exploration: Mind, Body, Spirit, and Art. I want to try to answer the following questions as a means to find myself:

Mind: How am I pulled out of balance emotionally as I allow my thoughts and mental energies to disturb my peace of mind? How do I reconnect with myself and develop the presence that leads to greater joy?

Body: How am I pulled out of balance physically as I allow myself to be weighed down with unhealthy habits? How do I reconnect with my body and invite in health and lightness?

Spirit: How am I pulled out of balance spiritually as I allow my self-awareness to falter and forget who I am and what brings me most alive? How do I reconnect with my truest essence and share that with others?

Art: How am I pulled out of balance artistically as I allow so many distractions to interfere with the thing that is most fundamental to my core? How do I reconnect with my artmaking and express the important things?


My goal is to focus on these four areas in some manageable way each week and post about it in the hopes to inspire others. I hope that some of the things will be of value and will speak to others as they embark on their own journey. Who couldn’t benefit from more balance and reconnection to self?

Hopefully I can sustain the motion, and with the encouragement and nudging of others, I am optimistic that I can.

I Am An Agent of Change!

My life has been wildly out of balance lately - to the point of frustration and exhaustion.

So, I made a vow today to change my life and to see if I could not only affect change in my life, but also to affect and spread change to all of those willing to go along for the ride. With it being the first of May, I feel that it is a very appropriate moment to begin this initiative. Over the upcoming weeks, I'll be sharing my journey to seek more balance, peace of mind, flexibility of spirit, and overall greater joy.

I'm not certain what form this will all take, but I want to give myself a structure to purposefully bring about positive transformation. I hope that some of you will want to share in my journey.


As always, thank you for visiting my world, and please stay tuned because things are about to CHANGE!

Challenge #40: Meditation

That should be "Meditation"

How are you reconnecting with yourself?

With quiet contemplation and reflection, you put things into perspective and figure out what is important. We get so wrapped up in life that we are pulled from self reflection. Meditation, whether formal or mere quiet time to ourselves, provides us with a way to reconnect with ourselves. Find the time to sit in quiet meditation or reflection. Perhaps set up a time early in the morning or right before bed where you can build a routine for peaceful introspection. Get in touch with yourself and your thoughts.

What elements are most conducive to quiet contemplation for you? Where can you go to get in touch with yourself? How can you find the time, the place, and the environment? How can you commit yourself to this alone time?





Thanks to Gemma for pointing out my glaring spelling mistake. How did I miss that one?

Workshops, Summer Camps and Art Retreats

Spring and summer are shaping up to be rather busy for us with quite a few opportunities popping up. You will find descriptions and links listed below of what's in store as of now.

Saturday, April 28, 2012
This Saturday, Dave and I will be part of the Maryland Art Education Association's Professional Development Workshop at the Howard County Center for the Arts in Ellicott City, MD.



Monday, June 18 - Friday, June 22
I'll be teaching a week-long visual journal class at the Round Hill Arts Center in Round Hill, VA for upper middle and high school students.

The Visual Journal: This mixed-media class will focus on the use and creation of a visual journal. Part sketchbook, doodle pad, notebook, and diary, the visual journal provides students with a place to explore the art making process, to explore their creativity, and to document their lives. Various techniques will be employed to transform the notion of a sketchbook into a mixed-media “catch-all” for thoughts, notes, sketches, and experiments. With “Journal Junkies” Author and artist Eric Scott. Ages 12-18, Maximum Enrollment 12, June 18-22, 1pm – 4pm, $180 plus $10 for materials.

 

 

 

Monday, July 2 - Friday, July 6

Dave and I will be teaching a week-long visual journal class at the Blue Ridge Arts Council in Front Royal, VA. This class is geared toward area high school students, and I'll share more details when they are posted.

Tuesday, July 31 - Sunday, August 5

Dave and I will be heading back to Phoenix for another Art Unraveled where we will be teaching two day-long workshops. We really enjoyed our time last year, and we are looking forward to going back this year.

 

Wednesday, August 1

Personal Histories and Mythologies

We have all have our stories. As we deal with our present, we are consistently rewriting our pasts, whether romanticizing or demonizing ourselves. Like it or not, we are defined by the events that have transpired during our lives. This is a process we all engage in to face our uncertain futures. We continually edit the scripts and dialogues running through our heads to reinforce the myths and the stories we construct to define and articulate our lives.
 
What is your story? What is your history? What are the mysteries of your life? What are the stories that you have told yourself over and over to the point that you believe them and accept them?
This mixed-media workshop focuses on the personal and private use of the visual journal as a powerful tool for self-reflection and self-discovery. Learn to mix a variety of art techniques and media with personal ephemera and reflective writing to explore the stories that you tell about yourself and investigate the mysteries of your life. Bring images, memorabilia, and other ephemera that will help tell the story of YOU. Rose tinted glasses optional.

Thursday, August 2
Transitional Spaces
Are you looking to transform your artwork or your visual journal from a static surface to a dynamic, interactive space? Are you looking for ways to create richly layered spaces within and between your pieces? This mixed-media workshop delves into creating this layered and nuanced interaction within and between works whether they are pages in a journal or stand alone pieces.

Discover ways to give your artistic endeavors an extra kick as you explore how to incorporate transitional spaces that bring surprise, interactivity, connection, and hybridity to your art. Learn about windows, doorways, pockets, secret passages, and more as you consider and reconsider how spaces and pages interact and create a dialogue. Make artwork that opens up, flips out, and unfolds into other realms.

Saturday, August 4
Shopping Extravaganza
We will be participating in the Shopping Extravaganza and will be selling artwork, prints, and copies of our books. We're hopping our new book will be out by that time.
 

 

 

We already have some plans underway for the fall, and I'll share those as they become firmed up. In the meantime, we hope to see you at one of these exciting events. If you don't see something that will work for you, we are always willing to come do a workshop in your area for you or your organization. Please contact us for details.

Challenge #39: Stillness and Motion

What is it like to slow down and embrace stillness?

In our high pace world, we are always in motion with so much to do. Errands pile up and the to-do list just gets longer. It seems that everyone else’s priority have become our own. Emails, text messages, and phone calls come flying fast and furious begging for our immediate attention and our prompt reply. We distract and pull ourselves out of balance. But we need to stop moving and get still. We need to surround ourselves with silence, and listen to the quiet.

What is causing undo motion, effort, and stress in your life?  How can break yourself away from the life that begs for your constant attention and movement? How can you get still?

Challenge #38: Brain Dump

What thoughts, notions, and self-talk block your mind and keep you off balance?

In The Artist’s Way, Julia Cameron writes about morning pages where she encourages the reader to wake early and write three pages longhand every morning. She calls this writing a “brain dump” because it clears the brain of the miscellaneous rabble that prevents productivity. When you feel weighed down with thoughts and there’s a lot on your mind, unblock your creativity energy with a brain dump. Let the thoughts flow from your mind to the page. When your emotions seem to be too much, DUMP it all out. Let the anxieties, fears, misgivings, and worries flood the page. You don’t have to do it every morning, and you don’t have to write three pages, just whenever you need it.

What is worrying you and causing you anxiety? What thoughts are swirling and flying through your mind? How can you purge your mind?

Challenge #37: Breath

How can you come back to center?

Breath holds the essence of life, and without it, there is no life. It also holds the essence of concentration and balance. When focused on our breath, we attune ourselves to a natural rhythm of the body, calming and clearing our minds. Take a moment where you are to place your attention on your breathing. Sit in an upright and comfortable position. Close your eyes and allow your arms to rest at your side or in your lap. Slowly and deeply inhale, and slowly exhale. Continue this deep breathing, and focus your attention only on this rhythm. Allow your mind to clear and your body to relax. If your mind wonders, let go of the thought, and bring yourself back to your breath. Once you can no longer focus, rouse yourself, stretch if needed, and reflect on the experience.

How does your mind and your body feel? How does it feel to be in balance even for a moment? How do you fall out of balance physically, emotionally, and mentally?

NAEA and Some Other News

Dave and Sam waiting for the subway in NYC.

 March was a busy month for the Journal Fodder Junkies. We started off the month in New York City at the National Art Education Association's annual convention. We presented twice the first day of the conference, attended as many presentations as we could throughout the rest of the time, got to visit MoMA briefly, and had a book signing. It was definitely a packed four days.

A view from one of the conference hotels

Our presentations went well, but our first, which was first thing in the morning on the first day, was lightly attended. We figured people were still in line registering. There were over 7000 attendees. Our second presentation which was later in the day was packed with people sitting on the floor and lining the walls. I love when that happens. I just wish we could get booked into a bigger room the next time we present at NAEA, but the presentation went well. Good friend and fellow visual journalist, Brooke commented that we blew people's mind. That's always a good thing.

Our littlest fan.

On the third day of the conference, Chester Book Co. had a book signing for us, and we went pretty nonstop for about 4 hours though we were only scheduled to be there for 2. Fortunately in one respect and unfortunately in another, they ran out of copies of the book within the first 15 minutes. Despite bringing two cases of The Journal Junkies Workshop, they sold all but 6 copies by the time of the book signing, but Alan and Whitney were quite busy taking orders. Dave and I were busy signing slips of paper with idea that folks could glue the slips into the book once they got it. We got amazing feedback from so many different folks.

Book signing with Chester Book Co. Photo by Alan.

The rest of March was almost as crammed as the the beginning. I wrapped up another quarter at school. Dave had two interviews for tenure track positions at a university in Kentucky and one in West Virginia. We worked on the first review of the new book, Journal Fodder 365. I got accepted for the second year to the Western Loudoun Artists Studio Tour (more to come later), and I finished up a year at the Gateway Gallery.

Unfortunately, I decided to leave the gallery. I was selling work and making a little money, but not enough to really justify the 12+ hours I was spending there each month. The gallery is a great place, and I wish it and all of the artists well. I'm hoping to have more time now to pursue my art and a couple of other projects that have been brewing and stewing for a while. And the JFJ Challenge can resume.

I hope the rest of the spring will be a little less hectic, but I know better. With a workshop scheduled for later in the month and the Studio Tour in early June, it's going to be pretty busy.