When all the hoopla surrounding the release of Sex and the City began, I initially rolled my eyes and thought I'd be putting it on the top of my Summer Films To Avoid list.  I received the entire series on DVD for my birthday and have been watching the series from the start for the past many months.  In the beginning it was a bit of a tortuous experience because I got easily annoyed by the main characters' magnified neuroses.  Too much drama, too much whining, not enough depth.  

I am now into the last part of the final season, and I have to say the show has grown on me.  With each season all the over the top squeals and absurdities seem to be melting away and ironed out, and the characters are actually maturing and becoming more interesting with age (what a concept in mainstream media!)  I have not finished the entire series, so I had a few of these final season surprises spoiled by seeing the movie yesterday, but I am still looking forward to watching how things unfold even more.

Because the movie was great.  As in, I can't say enough good things about it. 

I will refer you to an LA Times review of the film that sums up all of its wonderful qualities much better than I ever could, but I will also add my own personal bit about why this movie touched me:

This film is about girlfriends, and about how we, as women, cannot survive without one another.  I got incredibly weepy during the film Friends With Money and I got even more weepy yesterday during Sex and the City.  This film captured those moments when our girlfriends save our lives, our sanity and our broken hearts, when they are the only human beings on the planet capable of making us laugh and helping us recover from our darkest moments.  I will admit it was all I could to not to completely lose it when the film ended, thinking of all the amazing women in my life who lift me up in so many ways, who inspire me and touch me and make me feel like I can realize my wildest dreams and also make it through the messiest tangles of life.  

I saw this film with three of my best mates, and we got dolled up and had girlie cocktails afterwards.  We did what girlfriends across the country are doing, and I am proud to be part of this celebration.  More than that, I am proud of my friends and the amazing gifts they give to me every single day.

And here I am again, weepy with joy. 

The lovely m-c asked me to contribute to a discussion she opened up on her blog here about balancing multiple creative projects at once.  The question:

"How can you, as a creative person, find the right balance in doing many projects simultaneously? How do you manage to complete many projects while keeping a healthy body and mind?"

This is a great question for me because I tend to juggle many creative projects at once.  Right now I am working on a 48" x 60" painting, an assemblage project that involves a mannequin and wire, a book and now, on top of all this, I am re-designing my website.  I prefer to work on many projects at once because it keeps me energized and also because I am a firm believer in walking away from something when I get stuck and/or frustrated.  I have learned that usually the best thing I can do for a piece is let it sit still when I come against blocks or barriers within that paritcular piece.

When left to my own devices I can get totally consumed in my work, and the main way I create more balance in my life on a day to day basis is through friends.  I plan a lot of lunch dates, have regular phone calls with people and also keep in close contact through emails and blogs.  I am also passionate about travel, and getting completely out of my comfort zone always energizes, inspires and excites me.

Taking one giant step back and focusing on the overall picture of my life, I try to see everything I do as part of my creative journey.  I was frustrating myself for a long time when I put different activities in different boxes.  This was called "creative" but that was not; this contributed to my work as an artist but that was draining my resources.  When I compartmentalized like that I had a lot of frustrating days.  Once I tried a different tactic - one where I opened myself up to the possibility that anything had the potential to contribute to my work as an artist, it all flowed easier.  Sometimes the best change we can make is in how we look at things more than what actions we take.

Thank you m-c! 

P.S.  m-c wanted me to tag five more people to answer this question, but instead I'll just open up the floor to anyone who feels inspired to answer the question - I'd love to hear from you!!

[Another experiment using textures in Photoshop.]

This might have to be a new category...an inspiring question every Friday. This question is inspired by my experience of having just about everyone say the words "I'm not creative at all," when I tell them I am an artist.

When you look in the mirror and say the words, "I am creative," how does that make you feel? What would help you embrace that truth (because it is true) more completely?

Just a quick note to wish everyone a wonderful weekend...what inspired you most this week? 

How do you motivate yourself on days when you'd rather, you know, DO NOTHING?

 The floor is open!

The organizer, list-loving side of me wanted to give a brief overview of what this blog is and isn't.  Now that it is up and running and I've had a little more experience posting entries, finding inspirational goodies and receiving a bit of feedback, I am beginning to get a greater understanding of what this blog is and is not...what I think it will and will not be.  It will be interesting to look at this list in a year to see if what I envisioned in the beginning was the direction it ultimately went.

What This Blog IS (and what I hope it will become)

This blog is actually a bit of a selfish exercise, a place for me to catalog all the things that grab my attention as I read, surf the web, travel and do what I do each day.  I am always writing down the names of books, websites and artists I want to check out on random bits of paper, napkins, etc. and I now have a place where I can put them all.  I see this blog as a resource of all kinds of inspiring things and I am really happy to share my findings.

This blog is a place for me to share the work and stories of other artists I know, admire, love and am inspired by.

This blog is another way for me to stay connected to my creative community, and I hope it becomes a place that connects people who might not have otherwise found each other.

I hope that this blog becomes a pit stop for people in need of a creative, inspiring lift.

What This Blog is NOT (and what I don't plan on it becoming)

This blog is not meant to be an avenue for revenue.  I am not opposed to bloggers who advertise on their sites.  I know many people feel strongly about this issue on both sides, but I have always felt rather ambivalent about it.  This space is for me to share what I want to share, plain and simple, and the idea of having to deal with advetisers feels like a headache that will unnecessarily complicate things.

That is about it on the negative side, but I felt it was important to state that up front.  Many people asked me this question when I talked about the idea before it launched, and I found it interesting that so many people brought that up.

This list will most likely grow and evolve as it continues, and I would love any feedback you have on what else you might like to see here!

One of the greatest blessings of my life is the amount of travel I have been able to do.  The fact that I can take a faraway journey and intertwine that experience into new works of art is my lifelong fantasy come true, for these two passions have always burned brightly ever since I can remember.  As much as I love going somewhere new, exploring a city I've never visited and getting that new stamp in my passport, when I think of that one place on earth where I know I will always feel more deeply connected to myself and the earth and God than anywhere else, I think of Big Sur.  Big Sur is magic turquoise waters, winding footpaths through forests of trees, perfect stillness and delicious silence.  In Big Sur I feel protected from the dangers of the world and my own worst fears; in Big Sur I feel safe, warm and deeply peaceful.

It is important we find those places that feel sacred to us.  For many fortunate souls, that might be in their own backyard, for some it might be a shrine in Kyoto or an ashram in India.  Regardless of where we find our deepest spiritual connections, what is important is that we take the time to visit these places now and then.  Visit as in go there, visit as in look at your photo album from a transformative trip, visit as in meditate about it, visit as in say a prayer of gratitude for having found a place that fills your creative well.

I have not been to Big Sur in quite a while, but I look at my pictures from all my various trips there quite often.  And if anyone I know is contemplating a trip there, I am eager to share advice and tips about places to stay, explore, hike and enjoy.  Big Sur is not the only sacred place I have, but it has special significance to me for a variety of reasons.  When I am feeling overwhelmed, confused, frustrated or creatively blocked, all I have to do is think about Big Sur and my breath immediately begins to settle down and a new calmness begins to seep into my bones.  Big Sur is a special home to me, and I carry it with me wherever I go.

What are some of your sacred places, and how do you bring them to your daily life?   

Welcome to SparkleTopia, your one stop spot for inspiring bits o' honey.