Bee Happy

Bee being happy....

Yesterday a friend mentioned something she had recently read that had stuck with her....

"You are one thought away from being happy"

 Mmmmm... Does this mean I just haven't come up with my perfect * personal** happiness thought yet or that maybe it's not about the thought but something deeper? 

*Clue 1 

**Clue 2

 

Today I came across this poster in Pinterest and I figured it was a "sign" for me to do a little excavation on the subject.

                                                    

Is there a difference between being happy and being fulfilled and maybe, just maybe happiness is not something that you "work" on and obsess over but you relax and enjoy the bumpy journey because happiness is right in front of you, should you choose to look?

In Susan Krauss Whitbourne's article in Psychology Today she states "The question to ask is not "Am I happy?" but "Am I making a difference in the world?"

Garden Zinnea

A wonderful source of ideas on happiness that I recently stumbled upon is - The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin at www.happiness-project.com  I especially liked the quote by Brene Brown - "For me, working on being happier is all about making sure that I'm heading the right way on that journey. I believe (professionally and personally) that self-worth plays a critical role in happiness. It's hard for me to be happy when I'm perfecting, pretending, pleasing and proving myself. I'm too exhausted."

What makes you happy?

 

A Very Happy Dog Playing in the Surf at Carmel

 And remember -

“Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.”  
- Oscar Wilde

Drawing on a Monday

This weekend I showed my paintings at an Artist Market in front of the Lafayette Gallery.  It was very quiet.  I think people are on vacation in mid-July?  I was able to work on several paintings for upcoming shows and I was also able to spend time with people.  I enjoyed talking to other artists who were showing on Saturday and people just wandering through the show and who expressed an interest in my art.  It is always nice to have someone acknowledge your artwork, ask for a quote or your business card and express interest in where, what, why, how something was painted.  I tend to be a rather low pressure "salesperson" but I do love to talk with people about their interests - where they have lived, what they do, where they have traveled, etc.  Next time you are at an art show, please say "hello" to the artists!

As for my fellow artists, we had an interesting discussion at the end of the day about pricing artwork during this recession.  Some have dropped prices and have a "discount" bin.  Others have raised their prices and insist that art should always be considered an investment as it just isn't fair to other patrons who have purchased your artwork in the past to see it drop in value.  Personally I have kept my pricing fairly consistent but I am painting smaller pieces.  It was a great discussion with a lot to think about! 

"When my daughter was about seven years old, she asked me one day what I did at work. I told her I worked at the college- that my job was to teach people how to draw. She stared back at me, incredulous, and said, "You mean they forget?"  
~ Howard Ikemoto

Wednesday Inspiration

I am so 

inspired 

by the beauty 

in this world 

that some days

it just

bowls me over!

Did you ever realize there was a heart inside each strawberry....some are better than others but what a smile it brought to my face this morning!

Enjoy your Wednesday!

Slipping on my shoes, boiling water, toasting bread,
buttering the sky: that should be enough contact with
god in one day to make anyone crazy. --Hafiz.

Sip, Don't Gulp

While looking at a blog the other morning, I came across this statement - "Sip, Don't Gulp".  I think the woman who wrote this statement was using it in the context of drinking and eating as it was on a long list of things she wanted to accomplish.  Since I have been playing this message in my brain, it has taken on a more personal meaning.

Sip, don't gulp.....life.

 I realize that I tend to "gulp" a lot of things.  When I sip life, it tastes sweeter and I am more present. It can be little things like watering the garden.  I tend to turn the hose on full blast, turn the nozzle onto "Jet-Blast" and blow my little plants away.  It's fast and it gets the job done.  But when I "sip", I turn the nozzle to "sprinkle" and suddenly I feel my body relax.  I enjoy the task at hand.  And I am sure my little green garden is a much happier place.










I turn the heater or air on too high, I want that car in front of me to go a little faster (or a lot faster),  I want the computer to go faster, I rush through dinner, I want the traffic signal to hurry up and turn green,  I want it all and I want it now!  I think part of that is this generation.  No patience.  We are used to fast food, fast service, fast internet, drive thru banking, instant gratification.  Hurry up and move onto the next thing.



But remember what happens when the electricity goes off for a while on a stormy night?  At first you may be indignant and irritated.  As you find the flashlights and light candles and place them around the house, things start to calm down.

The family huddles together in one room, talking and listening to the storm outside.  Maybe playing cards or a board game.  No other noises.  A calmness surrounds.  Suddenly all of the lights come back on, a radio blasts, several TV's fire up and the computer bubbles to life.  Everyone goes back to what they were doing but I know I am not alone in feeling disappointed  that we have lost that "connection".

A gentle reminder...

 

Sip, don't gulp. 

Intention.  My word for the year.

"What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us." ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Summer Is Here

After some of the strange weather we have had, I think summer is finally here!  I couldn't wait to get home from work today and jump (dunk & then float) in the pool....ahhh....summer....

 

Enjoy your weekend...

Happiness is not a station you arrive at, but a manner of traveling. 

~ Margaret Lee Runbeck

Capturing Images

Original photo

Photography and Photoshop have been an incredible creative outlet for me recently.  I had someone ask me if it's the same as a darkroom.  I have to say no....and yes, but different. My older brother had a darkroom for awhile in my father's workshop and I remember how much I loved developing black and white photos. You can do that and so much more in Photoshop.  It is a digital program and you have the ability to manipulate your photos in so many ways. I am still a beginner with it and don't know how to work with all of the features but I'm having fun!

On Monday of this week I had an assignment with my online Big Picture class - Picture Color and it was to "tweak" a photo to look vintage. I have to say that there are so many women in this class that are professional photographers and so many gifted women (hundreds) that take incredible photo's.  I was delighted when my photo of an old Nomad, Bel Air car was chosen by the teacher, Tracey Clark to be posted on Shutter Sisters, an incredible online site that features great photography.  Check it out!

www.bigpictureclasses.com

www.traceyclark.com
http://shuttersisters.com/picturecolor

"There was a time in my life when I thought I had everything - millions of dollars, mansions, cars, nice clothes, beautiful women, and every other materialistic thing you can imagine. Now I struggle for peace." - Richard Pryor

Summer Color - Turquoise

Since joining Pinterest and Picture Color, I have discovered things....yes...things...about me....well at least about my color choices.  I just recently spent the afternoon with Mr. B floating in the pool with Margaritas....what can I say?  It was heavenly.  Well, I had my two doggies afloat on the raft with me.  They were trying to be tough and at times even relaxed (as it was a two man float)! But the joy lay in having the time to relax and finally feel like summer had arrived....Ok...Ok...it's supposed to rain tomorrow but for that instant, it felt like summer was here!   Turquoise blue....one of the colors of summer......

Clockwise from bottom left - Hacienda de las Flores in Moraga CA,  Baldwin Beach, Tahoe CA,  Succulent, Kayak at Baldwin Beach, Tahoe CA, Nomad car at San Luis Obispo CA, shutters in Portifino, Italy.

“More varied than any landscape was the landscape in the sky, with islands of gold and silver, peninsulas of apricot and rose against a background of many shades of turquoise and azure.”  - Cecil Beaton