Day One: High school reunions, 2011 plans, creme brulee lattes.

I meant to post this yesterday -- [[Dec 30, 2010]]

Yesterday was our five year high school reunion. To sum it up in a few phrases: interesting, obnoxious (only sometimes), new boots (that kind of hurt my feet), broccoli (TGI Fridays has barely any vegetarian options... haha), N Sync (throwback music), rain, running into random people that WEREN'T in our class, iHop. I think I'm glad I went. It was good catching up with some people. Some people seem like they haven't changed, and some people seem to have changed a lot. I know that's vague.

It's hard to catch up on the past five years of your life. Where do you start? I found myself repeating the same things over and over. I teach English and Creative Writing. I want to spend my life traveling and writing. I own a jewelry business. blah. blah. blah. Does anyone REALLY care? Haha.

Now: I'm currently sitting at Bitterend coffee shop drinking a creme brulee latte - even though I ALWAYS get the peppermint latte. I have routines at coffee shops and restaurants that I want to break away from.
For example:
Panera = Mediterranean Veggie sandwich.
Biggby = Teddy Bear.
Applebee's = spinach dip.
Wolfgang's = The Dewey.
Marie Catrib's = Sweet Potato and Quinoa Burger.
Bitterend = Peppermint Latte.
Ugh. TRY NEW THINGS. I need to. I did today.
Anyway, I decided that I need to take more time to sit down and write... so here I am. [[ Currently listening to "Brand New Day" by Joshua Radin. He has a lovely voice.]] And I'm starting that month-long writing challenge today. You should do this with me! It will be good for you (:

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Writing Challenge Day One:
One Word. Encapsulate the year 2010 in one word. Explain why you’re choosing that word. Now, imagine it’s one year from today, what would you like the word to be that captures 2011 for you?

 2010:  Change.
New job.
New hair.
New city.
New house.
New friends.
New roommate.
New co-workers.
New plans and goals.
New backpacking adventures.
This year has been a roller coaster.

2011:  Adventurous. This has been at the forefront of my mind for the past few months. I need a trip to plan, a new hobby, a different coffee shop... I'm so afraid to become stagnant or stuck in a routine. I spend a lot of time lately looking up things to do in Italy, pictures of California, cruise itineraries, and airline prices. My copy of 1000 Places to See Before You Die is getting more and more worn by the week. I have just felt the need for new things. A fresh start. A clean slate. I want to break out of rituals and old habits and routines. Starting with my latte choice today.
(:

a background on my 'creative life' in five minutes or less.

I think my heart was specifically designed to love art. I have mountains of journals and sketch books and poems and stories from when I was growing up. I continued to love writing throughout high school and college. I worked at the Fred Meijer Center for Writing and Michigan Authors for three years. I started a jewelry business. My trunk is full of blank canvases. You can find stray paintbrushes in any purse that I own. Sometimes, our house looks like an art gallery. My college notebooks are filled with abstract drawings and fashion designs. However, art takes time, and my current life conflicts with my desire to create.


For example... this is my life lately:
5:45 am. wake up. get ready. eat breakfast (most of the time). make coffee (sometimes). scrape 10 inches of snow off my car (dumb lake effect).
6:20 am. leave for school. teach. lunch. teach. work English lab/detentions/stay after with students.
5:00 pm. run errands. grocery shop. pay bills.
6:00 pm. grade. lesson plan. do Insanity work out. maybe make dinner and watch Glee with roommate before our TV exploded. until...
10:00 pm. bed.

//and repeat. Obviously, little to no time to just create. The best way I can describe it is that my heart is not fulfilled and my soul is not content without art. It's restless. I know that sounds crazy... but art is my life. I love: painting/writing/drawing/cooking/studying poetry/doing photography/decoupaging/sewing/making jewelry. I think art can be anything that's expressive of who you are. It's kind of how I like wearing really crazy, un-matching, colorful outfits. But that's a whole different blog post. (:

I can't explain the way that art makes me feel, other than it encourages me to express emotions that I could not otherwise put into words. It forces me to come face-to-face with my grief, stress, or anger, and somehow provides healing. It allows me to forget about the world and just invest myself in a world I'm creating. Art fulfills a deep need somewhere in me.

So I'm reading this book, Creative is a Verb by Patti Digh, that I got as a gift. It's a lot of creative exercises and ideas that encourages you to "live your whole life as art, not just the bits you draw on a canvas or embroider or sing." Interesting concept. I'm planning to tackle a section of the book every day until I've finished all the "creative challenges." One of the first challenges (found here) is a 31 day writing challenge designed to help you reflect on the past year and look forward to the year to come. Read it and think about joining me in the challenge.


Here's the point of this blog:

• Participate in 31 day writing challenge 
• Share art/writing projects I'm currently working on
• Give ideas for creative challenges or DIY's for you to try, and hear about YOUR ideas
• Interview/talk to local artists or art lovers
• Suggest local activities or events to promote the spread of love for culture/art
• Photograph new jewelry projects and designs before they hit my website
• Post anything creativity-related, really. Photography, sewing projects, recipes, jewelry...

I really made this for me to have a place to foster my creative instincts and projects... but hopefully to inspire someone to tap into an artistic side that has been hidden, pushed aside, or forgotten about.

Patti says it really well in this book: "If you're alive, you're creative...we 'reduce' and 'deflect' our creative selves in many ways. Life is the creative act, not the canvas or the blank page."

What do you need to do so that your life looks like a creative act? Something to think about...