I Love ... Simple Kindnesses

It's often very small things that bring joy to my life.

Valentine by MaryAnne Durr

For instance - the people in my neighborhood wave to each other as they drive by. I haven't seen it out and about in my town and it didn't happen in the neighborhood we lived in before this. But it happens on the streets where I live. It makes me happy.

Postcard by Hannah Koch

On a day when I received two rejection letters from art shows I also received this beautiful piece of art in the mail, a postcard with a little thank you note on the back from the lovely and talented Hannah.

When one of my children says "thank you" for a task that is usually invisible it makes me just go all twittery and happy. Smiles make me happy. Surely I can return the favor and perform some simple kindness for the world. Yesterday I bought a bouquet, took out one flower at a time and handed them to everyone I saw until the ran out. With a smile and a "Happy Valentine's Day". It went well this time.

What SIMPLE KINDNESS will you give to the world today?

Joy in Service: Day 8 Your Time is a Gift

I'm busy. It can be overwhelming. I hear people talk about television shows I've never heard of and wonder what it would be like to have time to sit and do nothing but watch an hour of TV. I'm tired too.

Signature: half time by Lyric Montgomery Kinard

I was at a rehearsal last night and it was getting later and later and they were playing through some numbers that didn't have horn parts but we had to wait around because the very last number had horns. Did I mention that I was tired? I found myself thinking tired and grumpy and irritated thoughts.

Then I thought - my time is my gift.

And I sat and enjoyed the music for a few minutes.

I was grateful for its beauty and so many people who were working so hard to produce it.

It was a shift in attitude that made all the difference.

It takes time to truly listen to a child or a client. It takes time to go out of your way and deliver a package or a meal. It takes time to create something beautiful for someone. The time you are taking to make the world a better place reminds me that my time, the most precious thing I own right now, is a gift.

Please tell me what you did today to make the world a better place.

You inspire me to be a better person.

Finding Purpose: Joy

I'm still taking time, among the busy doing, doing, doing, of my life - to ruminate on the things that are important to me and the reasons behind them. 

I'd like to share with you a few excerpts from a talk that had great impact on me by Dieter F. Uchdtdorf, a man I greatly admire. He was speaking to the women's organization of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in 2008 about finding happiness. His words resonated deeply with my own sense of purpose and I'd like to share some of them with you. Bear with me as this does delve into the religious part of my life - my faith is deeply central to everything I do. I share them because I think these truths are universal.

To All Who Are Weary

"Today I would like to speak to those who have ever felt inadequate, discouraged, or weary—in short, I would like to speak to all of us. We know that sometimes it can be difficult to keep our heads above water. In fact, in our world of change, challenges, and checklists, sometimes it can seem nearly impossible to avoid feeling overwhelmed by emotions of suffering and sorrow.

I am not suggesting that we can simply flip a switch and stop the negative feelings that distress us. I am not suggesting that we can simply flip a switch and stop the negative feelings that distress us. This isn’t a pep talk or an attempt to encourage those sinking in quicksand to imagine instead they are relaxing on a beach. I recognize that in all of our lives there are real concerns. I know there are hearts here today that harbor deep sorrows. Others wrestle with fears that trouble the soul. For some, loneliness is their secret trial. These things are not insignificant.

However, I would like to speak about two principles that may help you find a path to peace, hope, and joy—even during times of trial and distress."

Elder Uchdtdorf then goes on to talk about how the greatest kind of happiness is God's happiness, and that although we cannot fully understand God during this mortal existence, that we do know he is a God of "creation and compassion." I love this next part. 

The Work of Creation

"The desire to create is one of the deepest yearnings of the human soul. No matter our talents, education, backgrounds, or abilities, we each have an inherent wish to create something that did not exist before. Everyone can create. You don’t need money, position, or influence in order to create something of substance or beauty.

Creation brings deep satisfaction and fulfillment. We develop ourselves and others when we take unorganized matter into our hands and mold it into something of beauty—and I am not talking about the process of cleaning the rooms of your teenage children.

You might say, “I’m not the creative type. When I sing, I’m always half a tone above or below the note. I cannot draw a line without a ruler. And the only practical use for my homemade bread is as a paperweight or as a doorstop." If that is how you feel, think again, and remember that you are spirit daughters of the most creative Being in the universe.

But to what end were we created? We were created with the express purpose and potential of experiencing a fulness of joy.  Our birthright—and the purpose of our great voyage on this earth—is to seek and experience eternal happiness. One of the ways we find this is by creating things.

You may think you don’t have talents, but that is a false assumption, for we all have talents and gifts, every one of us. ⁵ The bounds of creativity extend far beyond the limits of a canvas or a sheet of paper and do not require a brush, a pen, or the keys of a piano. Creation means bringing into existence something that did not exist before—colorful gardens, harmonious homes, family memories, flowing laughter.

What you create doesn’t have to be perfect. So what if the eggs are greasy or the toast is burned? Don’t let fear of failure discourage you. Don’t let the voice of critics paralyze you—whether that voice comes from the outside or the inside.

If you still feel incapable of creating, start small. Try to see how many smiles you can create, write a letter of appreciation, learn a new skill, identify a space and beautify it."

He goes on to talk about how compassion can also bring us joy - but I'll stop there. He's voicing what I already deeply believe to be true. Each of us has gifts. It will bring us joy if we find them, develop them and use them well, especially with compassion and in the service of others. We each have the potential and responsibility to make this world a better place in any way we can.

You can listen to or read the full talk here.

Finding Purpose

I've been thinking about the purpose behind both my business and personal goals ...

...trying to distill thoughts and feelings into just a few words.

What is it that I want for myself? What do I wish to give to YOU?

My answer is simply this:

Find Joy

Be Inspired

Create Beauty

I've revamped my Artists Statement to better reflect these ideas.

In a world where too often, the images we feed ourselves are full of violence and fear, my goal as an artist is to create beauty, to uplift, and to remind us of the strength we all possess.  In a many layered process I gather intriguing materials both old and new. I marvel as plain cloth absorbs dye and changes appearance. I cut, piece and stitch, print, paint and embellish. Slowly order emerges from disarray, beauty from chaos.

The tactile nature of cloth, its texture, richness and malleability are what have drawn me to this medium. Fabric has a history almost as old as humankind; we cover ourselves in cloth every morning and wrap ourselves with it at night. Quilts hold a particular fascination for me. During a time when creative women were not allowed to be artists, they were able to stitch together beautiful works of art imbedded in objects of utility. My quilts are freed from utility and allowed full freedom of expression as fine art.

Thanks to Alyson Stanfield's book, I'd Rather Be In The Studio, this was easier than it might have been. She has a great list of questions to ask yourself.

She's coming to Durham on May 20th and 21st for a fantastic No-Excuses Art Marketing workshop. It's part of the Professional Art Quilter's Alliance - South spring conference but is open to the public. I'd love to see you there! You can look here for the workshop description and to sign up.

http://www.artbizcoach.com/durham/index.html

Have you thought about the reasons you do what you do?

What are your gifts? Why do you create? What is your purpose?

If you have any thoughts or critiques on my statement I'd truly appreciate hearing those as well.