Before I get to Ugly Paintings and other subjects of the day, here is something beautiful:  a Valentine bouquet (and anniversary gift:  21 years!) delivered early just in case we get bad weather for the actual day.  Yes – he’s the best and he’s mine all mine.  I do not take this for granted; however, some days I feel pretty smug.

Several readers have advised going for the "ugly" picture as a good way to get back into work when you’re looking at a canvas and wondering why you just can’t pick up that brush.  It wouldn’t be so bad, since I’m actually a clay artist; but the days I can’t pick up a brush, I usually can’t get into the studio either.  So I finally had at the Ugly Picture, which is actually now title Memory, threw some mixed media at it (as long as I wasn’t caring about the outcome, why not finally try out some of the great supplies Karen sent me?) and wa-la.  Here you have it:  full and in detail.  Do you think the buttons will stay glued on?

And that little foray into unobstructed chaos, led directly to Simplicity which is clearly a total reaction (and see those 3 in a row buttons with red blobs – probably a precursor to the petals in Simplicity, which I just typed as "Serenity" which means the name probably won’t stick since I’d already forgotten it.

Onward.

In today’s email is Tama Kieve’s monthly eletter and I’m copying it here since it’s great and pertinent and it will also serve as the thought for the day.

Diary of a creative mind…

Week One:  Get a creative idea and the slightest bit of encouragement and feel on top of the world, burning, singing, dancing, and feeling as though it all makes sense now and everything will come together.  You are magnificent.  You will be rich.  Life is so beautiful  you will Never be stopped.  how could you have ever doubted?

Week Two:  Get a cancellation from a client or a form letter back from your proposal, query, or inquiry and feel the world is harsh, cruel, sick, and scary.  "Reality" sinks in.  This will be hard.  This is not easy.  This will take a lot of work, time, and adjustments to your personality.  Your therapist might not be that good.  You may just be too old.  you may just be too tired.  you may just be too sensitive, like your family said.

Week Three:  Turn on television and have a love affair with chocolate, Cheetos, cookies and guilt.  Notice how thin the leading women are.  Notice how the celebrities are getting even more famous and fabulous.  They are thin.  Many of them look like they are fourteen.  Many of them are fourteen.  Notice how you haven’t moved from the couch in about six hours.

Week Four:  Begin to be clear that your life will never work, you don’t have what it takes, and you should just give up.  Journal morbid, angry things you hope no one ever finds.  Get paranoid about the possibility of them finding these things.  Write illegibly.

Week Five:  Slip into depression, like slipping into a cozy, unmade bed.

Week Six:  Eventually, pick up a self-help book and read it cynically.  "Yeah right," muttered after every page.  Keep reading anyway with hunger and buried hope.  Have one idea slip in that makes you wonder:  "Maybe."  Attempt to be positive.  Affirm to be positive.  Read more self-help books and buy the tapes and programs.

Week Seven:  Get a creative idea and a flash of excitement and possibility, and begin the process again.

[Tama says:]  By the way, here’s the really amazing thing.  This works.  If you stay with this process long enough, you’ll keep getting ideas.  You’ll keep taking steps forward.  it doesn’t matter if you lose momentum or get distracted or forget the name of the main character of your novel or don’t get around to putting up your website.  The only thing that matters is that you being again.  There’s a great Japanese proverb that defines success:  "Fall down seven times.  Get up eight."  Take another step forward.  That’s all you need to do.  Keep taking steps.  You will succeed this way.  Those who dance, can’t fall.

copyright 2007 Tama J. Kieves.  All rights reserved.  Feel free to forward this copy to anyone you think might enjoy it.  Please keep the entire message intact, including contact, logo and copyright information.  Thank you.

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For those of you in throes, Tama’s book This Time I Dance is one of my all time favorite books to read and reread and reread again and underline.  I’ve also taken her online course and loved it.  Just in case your need a shove.  Or simply subscribe to her monthly eletter to get a good taste of her amazing energy.  As I’ve said before, for her I drove the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, both ways, for the first time in ten years.  Nuff said.

Or, you could join the soon to start working through of Julia Cameron’s latest book, Finding Water by signing up at Leah and Jessie’s Finding Water blog (starts Feb 17)(free).  If nothing else, just read along.  I don’t know Jessie well, but participated in Leah’s "Art Everyday Month" Nov 06 and was welcomed into an amazing bunch of creative women bloggers and artists.  Give yourself a gift.  go ahead – what do you have to lose?