Beautiful Bahamas

I leave for the Bahamas the day after tomorrow. And, as if to fully realize the contrast I'll be experiencing, it snowed all day today.

I have to say, deep down inside I don't hate winter as much as I always say I do. No, I don't like to be cold. No, I don't want to shovel. No, this bad driver has no business driving on icy roads. And, yes, too many grey days in a row can send me spiralling into a deep depression.

But.....

Is there anything more exquisitely beautiful than a crisp winter morning following an ice storm or a misty night? To see all the details of foliage encased in crystal and glittering under the sun is to see the hand of God. Or, to walk through a park during a snow fall, listening to the soft hush that only the buffer of flakes can bring. Nothing can transfer a tired, dirty city into a magnificent masterpiece of loveliness faster than a fresh, unbroken blanket of snow.

That said, none of those things can be enjoyed without the other parts....the shoveling, the shivering, the grey. So, it will be with the greatest pleasure that my sister and I embark on our Bahamas Cruise Sunday morning. My Christmas gift from my husband.....how many other chaps out there are cool enough to buy a cruise for his wife and his sister-in-law? None too many, would be my guess.

The clothes are packed in the suitcase. The suntan lotion, the Aloe gel (I ALWAYS sunburn, regardless of the suntan lotion), the shorts and sandals. My camera batteries are charged, the tripod packed, and my circular polarizing filter should arrive at Photo Junction tomorrow. Hallelujah! Blue waters and warm breezes, here we come!

I am committing to myself that I will keep my camera on manual throught the trip, and I will experiment with exposure the whole time. Shrug aside my daily worries (where the heck is that job? what the heck are my referrals actually saying about me?), and focus on refueling my creative bank.

Artist in Training

I am an artist. But I'm not yet the artist I would like to be. Who is?

I lack direction. I often lack the time or funds. But, mostly, I lack discipline.

This blog is an effort to set myself on the right track by monitoring my progress...or lack of it.

Frankly, the thing that most often derails my progress is myself. Whether it's from laziness or fear of failure, I seem to actively undermine my progress and build barriers for myself. I also have a really aggressive tendency to blame my failure on other things, the most common of which are:

• Money (or lack, thereof)
• Time (likewise, the lack of)
• Family (the demands of which consume my time and money)
• Job (which also consumes my time without producing enough money)
• Bad Luck
• Bad Timing
• Bad Attitude
• {Fill in the Blank}
  

I am my own worst enemy.

I don't expect this blog to suddenly change everything. I have forty years of behavior to moderate, after all. But, I hope that by the simple process of writing my goals, celebrating my successes, and documenting my processes, I can get a better grasp of what I am doing right and what I am not. Of celebrating my strengths and identifying my weaknesses.

The creative areas I would like to nurture are:

• Photography
• Writing (both Fiction and Journaling)
• Scrapbooking
• Music

So, in the days to come, I intend to address these areas more directly. I will talk about what I am doing, both directly and indirectly, to reach personal fulfillment and growth with my art. It will also be interesting to see how improvement and/or change in these areas impacts the other areas of my life.