blues

blues by ania

can you hear it?

in like a lamb

March is finally here. This year, it felt like it would never arrive. And now it has tiptoed in like a lamb, (at least where I live) when I was hoping to hear the roar of that lion...
Outside my window is a landscape of white on grey, beige on brown, the forest green of a few scattered pines, and the red-twigged dogwood that sticks out like a beautiful winter diva.
There is a line from a Counting Crows song that keeps running through my mind..."She is trapped inside a month of grey." This year, that was February for me. The shortest month of the year always ends up feeling like the longest one.
I am craving color like chocolate, literally, physically craving it. And flowers. I go to the flower section of the grocery store just to admire the blossoms. I stand there and let their color sing me happy.
This past weekend, I spent hours with my bead stash, I can always find color there, inspiration for new pieces. I was drawn again and again to the shades of spring, robin's egg blue, pretty pastel pink and daffodil yellow, and that fresh yellow-green of just-opening leaves.
Before I knew it, hours had passed, and while the landscape outside my window had not changed, the one in my heart felt a little bit brighter.
After that, I decided that March must be named The Month of Color. I am going to seek it out, hunt it down, and then embrace it wherever I find it.
My camera will be my companion.
Care to join me?
:: :: ::
Share your colorful photos with us at the Inspiration Studio Flickr pool here.

white space

Mostly, it's easy to find things that inspire me. Words and images, colors and smiles, beauty and meaning.

These days, it's easier than ever, with the whole world virtually right at my fingertips. But sometimes, it's too much. Sometimes, it all becomes the opposite of inspiration, it becomes overload. Too much information, too much visual stimulation, too much to absorb. It starts to feel like chaos.

There are days when I run around noticing everything, scattering myself here and there and everywhere, trying to take it all in, but in the end, it all becomes a blur. Of course, you cannot create in a vacuum, but neither can you create in turmoil.

One of the first things they teach you in design school is the value of white space. A place to let the eye, and the mind, rest. This emptiness serves to bring attention to what matters most. When you find the perfect balance between the focal point and the white space, that's when your piece is the most successful.

Some days, I feel like I need more white space in my life. And I am slowly learning the value of nothing. Of doing nothing, thinking nothing, creating nothing, even if it's only for short periods of time.

Because if I don't give myself the chance to do nothing, I lose something. If I keep filling up the vase with pretty flowers, eventually, some of the stems will be crushed. Some will break off. Either way, the flowers will wither.

But if I give myself space to breathe and room to grow, I can feel my mind and my heart and my art expand. That white space becomes the best kind of emptiness. The kind that lets me focus on exactly what is most important. This moment, this place, this love, this life.

And then when I draw that first line, or write that first sentence,

it is the echo of what's blossomed in my soul.

still, life

Life gets to be so crazy sometimes.

It can be overwhelming. Sometimes you just have too much on your plate. And we all know how hard it is to keep from eating what is right there in front of you.

I live a deadline-oriented life. There is always something that has to be done by a certain time, that time known as the "drop-dead" deadline in the graphics industry. So aptly named, because it means you have to wear yourself out to get there. And then you will drop from exhaustion.

So I go through these periods of craziness, when I barely have time to sit down or rest or think about anything other than the task at hand. But here's what gets me through: a tiny little place in my heart that I keep still. Steady. Silent. Sane.

That is my place. No one else, nothing else, is allowed in there but me. Some days, I never actually get to visit this oasis, but just knowing that it is there can get me through. Knowing that tomorrow, or the next day, or all the way into next week, it will be there, waiting for me when I am ready.

A place where I can sit, alone with my thoughts and my words and my feelings. A quiet place, quiet even when the world is roaring in my ears. I grow in this place, stretch my roots further down. I ground myself there, in the stillness, hoarding bits of peace.

Then, on the days when just one more crazy gust of the wind that is life threatens to carry me away, I hold onto the knowledge that I am tethered, to this place, this hidden spot.

It gives me something to grasp when it feels like everything is about to get away from me, much like a smooth, worn pebble.

It gives me a place to come home to, always.

In my heart, it is there.

Still.

on letting the cat out of the bag

Inspiration can be a little bit like a cat. Just when you seek it out and want it to pay attention to you, it walks away, turns it back, gives you the cold shoulder. But if you pretend to ignore it, sit down and get to work and let it come to you, suddenly, there it is, rubbing its nose against your hand, asking to be noticed.

Some days no matter what, you just don't feel inspired. Fear gets in the way, life gets in the way, all those things we have to do, chores and work and caretaking and maintaining, and what do you do when you just don't feel it?

Do you walk away in frustration? Give up? Or do you sit down and wait?

I have, at different times, done all three. Sometimes if something isn't working, I let it rest and come back later to find that the solution has come into focus. Sometimes I do something entirely different to distract myself, to give my mind a chance to think about something completely unrelated. Sometimes I sit there and wait, and nothing happens.

And it is those times that make me realize that inspiration isn't outside of me, it is within me. If I begin, if I stop trying to call it into my lap and go about my business, it will suddenly show up, looking for me.

If I can't think of anything to write about, I just sit down and start typing, recording my thoughts and feelings and observations, even if they seem stupid or boring or inconsequential. And sometimes they are. Sometimes it is all just words. But more often than not, something starts to happen as I move through the process. I start to feel the flow of thoughts and the meaning behind the words. I start to feel that I have something to say, even if moments before, I had nothing. I start to feel inspired.

To get better at anything, you have to practice. Over and over and over and over. I think it is the same with inspiration. You have to put yourself in the right place, give yourself the time and the freedom to find it.

So pick up your pencil and start writing. Anything at all: what you did today, what you're thinking about, your frustrations, your joy, what you wish you were doing, what you are grateful for.

Walk around with your camera in hand and start taking pictures. Don't wait for the perfect shot, just start shooting. With a digital camera, there is no reason not to. Get down low or stand on something high to change your perspective.

Pick up a paintbrush and start painting. Or your knitting needles. Or some beautiful paper. Choose a color and begin. Play.

Look so busy that inspiration will wonder what you are up to and come over to investigate.

And the next thing you know, it will be there, on your lap, purring away.

Kelly Letky - The Blue Muse

Beauty ....

"Add a little beauty to your life, everyday."

When I first started my jewelry website, that was my tagline. At the time, I was talking specifically about jewelry, using it as an adornment to life.

Earlier this year, when I started my blog, the blue muse, I adopted the same tagline there as well. And the more I thought about it, the more it became the theme of my blog. And the more I practiced finding that beauty for blog posts, it started to become a theme in my life.

Beauty is everywhere. Sometimes we forget to look for it. Sometimes it is right in front of us and we just don't see it. Sometimes it is hidden. And sometimes it slaps us in the face so hard it makes us cry. But it is there, in every day, somewhere.

It can be as simple as a single flower blossom in a vase, or stopping to notice a leaf as it unfurls. It can be a moment when a child does something precious, or a pause in your day to watch one sleep. It can even be the contentment of clearing away a sink full of dishes, the methodical meditation of washing, rinsing, drying, putting away.

Did I just say washing dishes was beautiful?

It can be, if you let it. If you breathe in the moment and count your blessings and feel grateful for the food that was on those plates a few moments before. Maybe finding beauty in the act of washing dishes is pushing it a little. But my point is this: You have to open yourself to the possibilities. You have to look for the hidden beauty that is there, in the mundane moments of life.

You have to remind yourself to stop and smell the roses...or the dish soap. To listen to your children. To pet that purring kitten, or notice the colors of the sunset. To admire the light pouring through the kitchen window, to savor that first cup of tea.

You can find something beautiful in almost any situation, if you look hard enough. If you believe it is there. If you pause long enough to recognize it.

It isn't always easy. Life gets in the way sometimes. But more and more, I find myself seeking out these tiny bits of beauty. Collecting them like treasures. Enjoying their presence in my life.

So I challenge you, as you go about your week, to find the beauty that surrounds YOU. Right there, wherever you are. Find it, admire it, breathe it in. Take a picture and share it with the world.

Show us what beauty looks like...

through your eyes.

.....

by Kelly Letky ~ The Blues Muse