the answer my friend, is blowing in the wind...

I consider myself a poet first and a musician second.

I live like a poet and i'll die like a poet.

- Bob Dylan

You either hate Bob Dylan,

or you love him.

There is no in between. 

i love him.

love his music,

love his poetry,

love his ability to reach so many hearts

with a song.

I don't really think much about the colors i choose.

Whatever feels right at the time.

In this case, 4 crayola crayons - plus black at the end.

For the dark shadows and thinner lines around the eyes,
I use wooden colored pencils.

you can see the difference in the eyes especially...

Maybe i made him look a little younger...

or more angry. :-)

The most important thing when doing something like this,

is to keep the hand loose,

to try to have fun,

to not be afraid to have extra lines,

and extra squiggles.

You can always apply color over them later.

Plus, the squiggles makes it more interesting, 

don't you think?

If i'm gonna do a bob dylan portrait 

that looks EXACTLY like the photo,

i may as well just have the photo.

It's not important to be precise and exact.

It's important to feel good when you're drawing.

It's important to trust yourself.

It's important to let your hand dance across the page

and color lightly in some places and darker in others

and feel the freedom of just scribbling colors

one over the other.

And if portraits aren't your thing, that's ok!

You can scribble an abstract, or a still life,

or a landscape...

it's all still beautiful,

and there's just such freedom in scribbling.

(and in music)

xox

if we have a choice, we are already the lucky ones

hello my lovely followers!

(yes, if you're following me - you are lovely!) 

Last night, i watched the PBS documentary called HALF THE SKY.

(you can watch a trailer here).

This morning, i woke up and felt like this.

Some days, I walk on air

and other days

i carry the weight of the world on my shoulders.

Today is one of those days.

The PBS documentary.

Lack of sleep.

Overdue and unexpected bills to pay.

A sick mother.

Tight deadlines.

Lack of energy and focus.

A broken heart.

A fork in the road.

Unanswered questions.

So before i spiralled into denial, 

and a frustrating, unproductive morning -

i made the choice to shut down the computer,

get my flip flops

and walk to the beach near my home.

And there, i sat quietly with my hands and feet in the sand,

and listened to the wisdom of the ocean.

I contemplated how lucky i was to have choices.

I listened to the crashing waves

I heard the wind in my ears

and the air in my lungs.

I watched the birds as they flew

only inches from the water

and wondered how they knew this would ease their flight.

I heard my heartbeat.

I thought of those little girls

somewhere on the other side of the globe

and the misery they bear

and I could hardly make sense

of how different two realities can be

on this one same planet.

Beliefs can make us or break us.

Some of these girls are taught that they have no choice.
Some of these girls have a choice, but don't yet know it.
We take choice for granted.

Some of these girls believe they deserve no more
than a miserable existence,
because it is god's will...

Regardless of whether or not we are here

in this moment

life is.

Watch a sunset or a sunrise.

Notice the moon and the stars.

Hug someone you love.

Take a walk in the woods.

Go to the ocean.

Take it all in, while you can

and if you can,

be a beacon for those who are in the dark.

xox

jam packed with goodness and awesomeness

hello people!

A bit of an unplanned mess in my little CREATE every day journal.

I was actually working on something else (illustrations for my book!)
and all of a sudden, i just got the urge to scribble.

Scribbling is fun! 
If you haven't done so in a while, give it a try!

It's quick, it's liberating, it's fun, it releases energy...

it's basically sex on paper. ;-)

I'm struggling a bit with the illustrations for the book.

I can't seem to get on paper

what i see in my head.

For now, i'm writing my stories...

and trusting that eventually, it'll all come together.

I tend to be more comfortable with acrylics,

so i think i may end up doing a few more sketches with acrylics.

i really don't like the look of this watercolor,

but i thought i'd post anyway.

Yes, sadly, the teeter totter story is true.
(giggle)...

And on another note...
here's a book i love, by an artist/writer that i love - Maira Kalman.

her stories are always so poignant
and often have me laughing out loud.

Who can't relate to having irritating relatives? ;-)

I love how she writes everything free hand too...
Makes it that much more personal, i think.

From this book, THE PRINCIPLES OF UNCERTAINTY.
( i even love the title)...

And who doesn't love a good deal on such a beautiful hardcover book?

The inside flap on the book...

And here's a little gem from someone else i love.

Andy Miller.

You can find his blog here.

He is an illustrator/artist/designer/writer

and he often reminds me of WHY i still love design

after almost 25 years...

Yes, sometimes, i need a reminder.

I want to share something interesting with all of you

about yesterday's post.

I sometimes check my stats, to see how many people have visited.

I love the idea that i can post something

and it can reach someone from across the world in seconds,

and I am always touched that so many of you take the time to comment.

Especially those of you who speak a different language than english.

(yes, you Roberto - big hugs...)

Yesterday's post got more visitors than any post i've ever written.

More visitors, but less comments. (interesting, isn't it?)

It totally surprised me

that almost 200 people read this post.

I'm not sure how it happened,

and it may be a fluke, but i was shocked.

There are bloggers out there who get a thousand visitors a day,

and i'm giddy because i got 200...

Go figure.

See how easy I am to please?!

Thank you all for allowing me some space

in your generous hearts.

xox