Daily Doodle

I admittedly do more written journaling than I do sketch journaling. I suppose because I have been writing in a journal since the age of 9 (which I still have). It is a comfortable place for me. It is a place where now I talk to GOD mostly about everything from what I did to how I am feeling.

One would think sketching is such an easy and fancy free thing, especially for an artist. However, it sometimes is the contrary for myself for reasons that may seem crazy to some. With my work, at my worst my perfectionist behavior takes over, and at my best I am free to let creativity take it's course without over thinking. On my best days, I don't care if that particular sketch is the cremé de la cremé. I sketch, doodle, scribble anything, and it all doesn't matter.

I took the time to doodle today. I doodled exactly how I have been feeling for the past few days.



The writing says this: "In this tangled mess I sometimes weave my hearts intentions radiate with truth and sincerity, and a path ever so small has been made clear so that amidst chaos my purpose and calling can go forth!"

I am determined to go forth with the tenacity GOD has given me to accomplish the big things that HE has set before me.

Journey, here I come full speed ahead, allowing nothing to stop this caboose!

Pearls of Wisdom:
"The artist must summon all his energy, his sincerity, and the greatest modesty in order to shatter the old cliches that come so easily to hand while working, which can suffocate the little flower that does not come, ever, the way one expects."
~ Henri Matisse

Be blessed!

A Winnie The Pooh Themed Room

I feel so privileged to have the gift of creativity. It is a blessing, and extremely appreciated! Thank you GOD!

Recently some really good friends of mine asked if I would paint a mural in the room of their bundle of joy that is on the way. I was more than happy to oblige, and quite frankly ecstatic that folks are impressed enough with my work to want to commission me.

They are not sure of the sex of the child. Like so many, they have decided to wait until the baby gets here. They are doing a neutral theme, and thus we have, Winnie the Pooh.

I have begun to do my research and start to sketch. This is the first of the preliminary sketches. I decided to do a few simple samples just to try and get a feel for drawing the characters. I
will do other sketches throughout the next upcoming weeks.



There you have it for the day ladies and gentleman!

P.S. - I am starting a new mainstay category in this blog. It may not make every post, but it will be called the Random Pic of The Day. I tend to see recognizable objects in random things. So I thought that it would be nice to share what I see in randomness with you all!

Random Pic of The Day:

As I hydrated my skin the other day, a glob of lotion fell on my foot, and this is what it created. I don't know about you, but it looks like the perfect shape of a leaf to me!

Pearls of Wisdom:
"Welcome every morning with a smile. Look on the new day as another special gift from the CREATOR, another golden opportunity to complete what you were unable to finish yesterday. Be a self-starter. Let your first hour set the theme of success and positive action that is certain to echo through your entire day. Today will never happen again. Don't waste it with a false start or no start at all. You were not born to fail."
~ Og Mandino

Be blessed!

GOD In a Box

Today I came to the tough realization that I have been guilty of putting GOD in the box a time or two...or maybe three, four or five, or a thousand times over.

And as I pondered, I wondered what good it was doing me to put the Creator of the Universe in a box? Do I not trust that HE who created me is good enough to guide me to the place where I am supposed to be? Am I apprehensive in believing that HE too is aware of the mistakes that I have and will make, and uses even those to allow me to blossom into who HE desires for me to be? Is it the fear of the unknown or the fear that HE will not make good on HIS promises? Is it my allowance of others reflections of their relationship with GOD to skew my own?

All these questions and more I mulled over, and here are a few things I was given.

Everything is par for the course:
With GOD, there are no coincidences! In fact, everything that we go through life is able to be used and learned from. Where I am at the present moment was ordained by GOD. Good or bad, beautiful or ugly, productive or non-productive...it (all that comes with life) is par for the course.

It's for someone else:
Although not always fair, the trials that we often go through are not about us. Often the things that we go through (for better or for worse) are about being an example for someone else. I look at it as a "how to" or "how not to" gauge. And speaking for myself, I know I have been used to serve as both to others. The reality is, people are not only looking at my trials, but more importantly how I respond to my trials. Am I going to handle them with poise and grace, with a smile on my face or am I going to buck the process?

The process is just as important as the final product:
As the famous saying goes, "Rome wasn't built in a day." As a matter of fact, in doing a minimal amount of research, it seems that the Roman Empire lasted approximately from 27 BC to 476 AD, depending on the historian. That means that it lasted for 503 years. If it lasted for 503 years, it is very likely that it took over 100 years to reach its peak. So to me that means that the process is almost more important than the final product. If I don't take time to get the process correct, how well is the final product going to be? There is no sense in rejoicing in the product being complete only for the final product to fall apart because the planning stages were poor.

GOD'S timing is superior to my own:
GOD thinks on a totally different wave length as a human being...me! Therefore, things don't happen the way I desire them to all the time, and much for my benefit (whether I recognize it as such or not). I am a simple being, where GOD is complex. I see things on the surface with my natural eyes, where GOD has the ability to see far beyond what's visible. I am only able to be in one place at a time, where GOD is everywhere at once. GOD has insight to my future, where at best I am blessed to be given a glimpse from HIM.

The bottom line...it's time to take GOD out of the box in my mind. It's time to free HIM from the confining four walls that stifle HIM. HE has created me to be exactly who I am, at this moment, for this moment, and I trust that this moment is preparing me for the next!

Ta ta for now!


Prelim sketch for a painting!

Pearls of Wisdom:
"Any existence deprived of freedom is a kind of death."
~ Gen Michel Aoun

Be blessed!

I Won't Say

I won't say, "What I will..." or "What I won't..." do this go round. I will just create and post, create and post, and create and post, and so on and so forth. You get the hint!

I won't make any grandiose promises. I have come to realize (although with the best intentions at heart) that I can't always (nor do I always want to) live up to my promises. Sometimes we make promises that we think we can fulfill when we make them, later to find out that we can't make good on them or don't even want to make good on them. We as humans are super fickle, and for as much as I may hate it, I am no exception to the rule.

What I will say is that for today, I am blogging. For today, I am displaying my work. For today, I am confident that I am on this journey of creative discovery for a grander purpose than myself. For today, I am living life with no hesitation, but choosing to live and love. For today, I am able to express myself through the plethora of mediums that GOD has provided. For today, I intend to use those mediums to express the world of thoughts that swirl in my head that I am not always able to express verbally. For today, I feel free...free to be me, with no restrictions and no restraints!

What's been up in the last few months?

Life and all of its nuances! Ministry has taken precedence over all else in these past months. It should...at its core essence it is living life doing all the things I am purposed to do...even art. I have been painting and sketching (some images in this post), but I haven't been making much jewelry. I have been growing a massage therapy business, and helping to manage a program that serves as a positive outlet for inner city youth. I have been learning the fine art of balance!!!

Why haven't I blogged?

Honestly, I had become a tad discouraged! I know in previous posts I have mentioned that I am blogging to catalog this creative journey, but the reality is, it doesn't hurt to know that somewhere in this space that we call Earth that there are people that are interested in your journey. A "Whoo rah!", "Keep up the good work!", "Excellent job!", serves well as a morale booster. Even a, "I hate this piece!", "This is not my favorite.", or "Maybe try this..." serves as a good critique tool, and is better than nothing.

What's next?

Ha ha ha! Who really knows in this insanely multifaceted world of mine! What I intend to do though is to do a 365 day study of the city of Philadelphia. I am hoping to start the first of July or at the latest the first of August. I will photograph different parts of the city and do the daily drawings, painting or mixed media pieces from those photographs. I don't expect the pieces to be very large as I will be attempting to create one on a daily basis.

There you have it! I pray you all will dive into this sea of wonderful possibilities called "my creative journey" with me. It's much appreciated!

Pearls of Wisdom:

"Obstacles are like wild animals. They are cowards but they will bluff you if they can. If they see you are afraid of them, they are liable to spring upon you; but if you look them squarely in the eye, they will slink out of sight"

~ Orison Swett Marden