Art Journaling

So, I've started Art Journaling.  Something that I've been wanting to do for forever, yet never knew where or how to even start.  The other day, I cam across a blog that I have fallen in love with.

Art Journaling II

A wonderful blog that is a workshop to teach with a pay-as-you-can attitude.  The money was actually one of the things holding me back from art journaling sooner.  I've seen other workshops, but they all want a ton of money in order to take online classes.  Well, honestly, in this economy, that's just out of my league, especially with a teenage stepson, a two year old, and a baby on the way... all of whom are eating us out of house and home... not to mention my own prego appetite!

But now, with a workshop that I can take and then hopefully save up a few bucks to pass along to the blog owner later down the line, I can finally get started and enjoy myself without stressing out and being depressed (more than I already am) about money.

I've found a new passion and have been enjoying myself soooo much!  After not even being able to start, I'm now finding it hard to stop!  I carry my journal around like I do my cell phone, so that I can doodle away at a moment's notice when inspirations strikes.

If you're at all interested in art, drawing, painting, journaling, sketching, or even just plain doodling, I encourage you to check out her blog/workshop.  I am not being paid by her, nor even being asked to endorse her in anyway.  I'm just trying to pass along some love since she is the reason I have found my artistic passion, my muse, that had been hidden away from me for too long.

My sneaky little Muse, hiding away, but I finally found her.
Now, time to get back to work!

Now I just need to see about getting some color on some of my pages and maybe getting a few of them up here on my blog.   But I'm using my journal as an Art Journal as well as an actual diary/journal, with my daily dose of prego-hormonal-depression, antics of my toddler, frustration with my family, etc.  So, much of what I put in there will not be posted here on my blog, much of it is a little too personal to share with the world.  (not that I have a ton of readers, but still... the potential is out there.)  But there will be some, I'm sure, that will be less on a personal note and more on the artistic side of things that I'll be able to share on here.  I also need to get quite a few things scanned, printed, downloaded, etc.  But it'll all come in time.

Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time.~~Thomas Merton

No great artist ever sees things as they really are. If he did, he would cease to be an artist.~~Oscar Wilde

I did it!

Well, I did it!  I posted something to this blog every single day this month!  I've tried to accomplish this goal many times before, but have fallen miserably short every time.  But I finally did it!  Yayyy Me!

I've had a lot of fun this month and have found out some interesting things.  I've also found out some of what people like to read about.  I've also enjoyed the writing prompts.  I hope you've enjoyed this past month of blog posts from my little corner of the globe as well.

Here's to June 2012 and a great learning experience... And here's to hopefully another month in July full of fun and interesting posts again.

If at first you don't succeed...

So, I'm going to try again (if at first you don't succeed...) with a daily blog posting, inspired by BlogHer

and hopefully, this time, I'll be able to keep up with it.  I've tried in the past with dismal results, but I figure it's about time that I try again.  I've been such a slacker on my blog lately, due to life getting in the way.  But now I'm ready to take on the challenge once again, starting in June.  Wish me luck and check back often to see what I've come up with.

Challenge Shmallenge

From Mama Kat's Workshop, I chose #3 of this week's prompts...


3.) What do you find most challenging about blogging?

Well, lots of things, really.  What to write about,  How to find time to write,  How to get people to my blog,  Figuring out what I want my blog to become, etc. 

Finding time to write in my blog is a big challenge with a 10 month old running about.  Every other minute, I’m running after him for something!  He’s walking now and is quite mobile.  And he’s attracted to all the dirty/dangerous areas.  He has toys and a toy box, but does he go there?  Noooooo, he doesn’t… that’s apparently passé.  He goes straight for the dirty mop and broom that I just used, or he finds a big ol’ fur ball from the dog that was hiding in some forgotten corner. 

Figuring out what I want the blog to become is another challenge.  I have too many interests and I think that shows in my blog.  I’m currently working on that, so we’ll see how that turns out. 

Getting people to come to the blog is a challenge too.  I have people who stop by, my stats show that, but to get them to actually comment is another story.  I’ll share my blog posts on Facebook and Twitter now and then too, to try to get people to come, and I’ll get a comment here and there and a few “Likes” but I want the comments on the blog… and I’m just not sure how to get that. 

Hmmmm….

I suppose that first, I need to figure out what I want it to become, then find the time to write, then I can worry about getting people to stop by and comment.  If I don’t get the first two things figured out, there won’t be anything for anyone to come see and comment on!  Well, except for this post, of course!  LOL

Too Much & Not Enough!

I think I've mentioned this before, but I get totally distracted each and every moment of the day!  I start out with good intentions, but I have so much that I want to do... so much that I need to do... and as I try to work on any of it, I find myself distracted to the point of getting overwhelmed and lost in a sea of "To Do's" with no time left to do them in. 

I've come to the conclusion that you can have too many good ideas.  You can have a few, but there's a thin line that I must have crossed years ago because it's not even within eye-sight or ear-shot anymore.

You see, I surf the web... not on purpose (not usually, anyway) but I start out checking emails and wanting to work on my blog.  The emails get me distracted with all the links that I'm interested in and want, so badly, to check out.  Then, once I've pried myself off the email (and all the new tabs that I opened to visit - usually around a dozen or so at this point and it just grows from there) I then go to my blogging side of life.  I use two different web browsers too (just thout I'd mention that part)  in order to keep things "organized" (pffttt, yeah riiiight!)

Once on my blog, I surf around other blogs in order to Spread the Love of Comments to my fellow bloggers.  This usually takes me to many many many more websites and adds many many many tabs to my browser window.  This tends to slow down my system and sometimes my browsers end up crapping out on me.  This holds up the works.

All of this, is of course, in between a crying 7 month old who is in the clingy stage; feeding, changing diapers, playing, reading to, etc.  I love being a mom, but it's another item (or many items) on my list of things that keep me from other tasks.  And of course, there's the whole "sleep while he sleeps" idea that I need to adhere to, but don't usually do.  But lately he hasn't been taking his regular naps, or at least, not for as long, as he had been.  So, he gets top priority, of course!  I just can't believe how fast he's growing and I certainly don't want to miss any of it if I can help it. 

Then there's laundry, dishes, cleaning, sweeping, vacuuming, etc...... I try to squeeze some of these in during the morning hours as well. 

*Sigh*

Well, that's my story for today of Too Much & Not Enough!  As you can see, my main issues are time management and organization.  It's a Work in Progress, with a very dim light at the end of a very long tunnel.  But then again:

Life is a journey, not a destination.


My little Bugaboo sporting his first two teeth!

Now, who could resist this face?