When the right side of the brain takes over.....

My flight to San Diego was perfect. And it's one of those faux perfect days out here....the kind that make you say, "Oh! I could so move back!"...but I'm smart! I know that smog and "june gloom" are just lurking around the corner and will be here before I leave!

I stopped by Liz's store (Scrapbook Your Life!) and went "shopping". I'm going to be designing and creating all kinds of fun projects for us to do in the next few days! Oh my....if you live in southern California...just drop whatever you are doing and come play!

Tomorrow...I'll be at the Scottish Rite center at the After Midnight Stamps booth. Come play! I can hardly wait!!!

But I wanted to back up to yesterday. I've got about 50 photos and can't begin to put them all in a single blog....but really thought this scenario of photos interjected with my comments to the group....show quite well what happens to us when the right side of the brain takes over our lives. Now, you have to understand that we were all deep into our play time and then all of a sudden...it's time to break for lunch. We had reservations at a local bistro and needed to be there at noon. So at 10 til, I said,

"OK, time for lunch" And of course...I was totally and completely ignored!



"really girls, we have to leave to make it over there in time" And as you can see, heads did not move, but I got a few smiles...so I KNOW they heard me!



"Isn't anyone the least bit hungry?" Well, of course...that got a little eye contact and a few more giggles! But note...their hands are still working!!!!



"Kathleen! Really....you have to stop!" And as you can see....she's laughing, telling me "no" and just keeps right on playing!



And in a split second, I've lost Aubrey who is back to serious work....not even a smile!



(Heavy sigh on my part....we are going to be seriously late now!!!)

And of course, Susan is just cracking up because I'm like, "you guys....we gotta go!!!" But again...note, her hands are still playing!!!



I'm starting to think that maybe they are having just a little too much fun when they come over to play! LOLOL! And then there's Kelly, tilting her head to take years off the photo...and totally forgets to keep her eyes open...but how can I resist snapping the shot. On second thought...perhaps she has her eyes closed on purpose? Trying to ignore me?



Well, finally, I got them to put down their paper and their ink, glitter, misters.....and we did make it...only a few minutes late!



Hopefully tomorrow I can blog what we were actually doing that they just couldn't walk away from! I have to admit...it was a totally fun day. But man! When the right side of the brain takes over...you just can't get any part of the brain to listen to anything!

So I think for the next 3 1/2 weeks...I may have a problem blogging. Because I'm in a right brained world out here...and all I want to do is play....and go sit by the ocean....and walk on the beach.....and...and...and....

Shake it off

Let go and let loose. It's something I have been talking about to my art pals. When you "have" to do something a certain way, when you have to use a specific product, when you have to arrange flowers in a vase....life can get to be just plain stressful. And for me, the entire concept of being an artist is to have fun, to play, to let go of the stress in your life.

I'm in Kingman AZ this week and visited the little mountain town of Jerome today. Went into a bead and yarn shop and the owner asked me if I was a knitter. I said no, I'm an altered artist, but I pretty much just play! She got so excited. She said that people do not know how to play any more. They need their classes to be so structured and detailed. I invited her to come take one of my classes!! Very little structure....we just focus on playing!

When I teach a class and I notice that students are getting tense because they are trying too hard, I will take a time out. Everyone has to stand up and then just stand there and shake their bodies. Shake from your head down to your toes and back up. Yell. OK....I mean really yell. Scream from the top of your lungs. It is a total stress reliever. Of course, everyone around you thinks you have lost your last marble, but trust me it helps!

Of course, when I do this with an entire class filled with women, there is a whole lot of laughter going on. People don't believe that I will ask them to scream in a room filled with other artists! But I do!

I'm not sure what the psychological impact of this is...I just know that it works. We get ourselves so tense, so worked up, so stressed out trying to make the perfect layout, the perfect card, the perfect piece of art. We get so close to the project that we can't step back and look at it like someone else might. We are too involved with what we are doing.

So scream, shake out your body, and then allow yourself to release a huge sigh.

It truly amazes me each time I do this either alone in my studio, or in a class, how much better the ideas flow, how much easier my task becomes, and how satisfied I am with what I'm doing.

Shake it off....give it a try! My remedy to turning stress into play!!!

And I wonder why I hurt!!!

You know, there are days when I just wonder what goes on in my head! I had a perfectly lovely studio. But it was set up in pods. I had tables for metal clay, tables for scrapbooking, and tables for classes. Whenever I had a large group over, we would be split up among the 3 groups of tables and someone asked if I could rearrange my studio so we could all sit in one large group!

Sure! Not problem! Piece of Cake!

And I should have had myself committed to the local looney bin about that time! LOLOL!!!

My studio is in our unfinished basement. You will see...it's great! When you first enter, our "old" mac desktop with the 22" monitor is set up for everyone to use. And in the event you don't like an apple....there's a pc laptop right beside it! You can print your 12x12 layouts, too!



And this is what I wanted....12 students/friends/family can sit around the huge square. There's space in the center for all to walk around and see what everyone else is working on. And look at those chairs...all padded...all on wheels. Over 800 square feet of play space here!



So, taking a tour, behind the computers, I tucked one kiln under the stairs. Note the huge fire extinguisher! No plans to use it, but we also have a first aid kit hanging on the wall which is fully stocked...just in case I try to burn myself or the house down!



The second kiln is next to that. I only run one kiln at a time for safety reasons, but I can run them back to back.



My bookcase wall separates my studio from the other half of the basement where Kerry has all of his N-Scale trains set up. He said he wanted a playhouse...I think we are well on our way!



This is my sewing nook, doll repair center, and vintage clothing restoration workstation. Loads of unfinished projects piling up over here!



My diecut/punch/cutting table. 2 Wizards, a Bind-it-All, Big Shot, Cuttlebug, Purple Cows cutters, heavy duty ancient government cutter which I love, and tons of paper punches.



Next to that is my sidekick, and bins filled with cutting mats, embossing pads, dies....just more fun stuff to play with!



I've completely redone the wall behind me. Unmounted all of my rubber stamps....over 2000 of them and put them on EZMount (love that stuff) and into CD cases that are labeled by type.



Here's another angle looking at the play place where I can host classes, workshops, playdates and more! Even have a huge space heater in the center for when it gets too cold down here. Trust me....that thing puts out so much heat we have to turn it off after 30 minutes!



I love having all the drawers behind me. I can spin around, pull out what I need...it's all at my fingertips! Great workstation!



You can see the big TV on the right that Kerry gifted to the studio (yeah!) My sis is here this week. Together, we moved those paper racks without taking the paper off! We took everything off the pegboard wall and repositioned it. We moved a very heavy 5 drawer steel flat file (those things have to weigh a ton!) and we wonder why we hurt! I sure couldn't have done all this without her! But I have to admit...we are way too old to do this much work! LOL!



This is my new metal clay/polymer clay/jewelry making workstation. And my photo center.



And I have room across from me for Colleen to play when she comes down...or if I only have a couple of students....that's going to be their workstation.



Next to that is my glass cutting workstation. Glass saw, grinder and drill...I think we pretty much have all the toys down here!



And now that you've made the circle around my studio...here's my "wall of cards"....some of the wonderful cards that my creative pals send me.



Now that I'm done with my studio, I'm off to finish the guest bedroom....painting Lucy McGoo on the wall. I'm hoping to have a fun place for my out-of-town friends to stay when they come to play! When are you going to come play???

I have no idea where this burst of energy is coming from, but I'm loving it! Yet I keep wondering....why do I hurt?

LOL!

Playing with Chicken Soup!

OK, you've read them all: Chicken Soup for the Soul, Chicken Soup for the Desparate Housewife's Soul, Chicken Soup for the Harried Scrapbooker's Soul.....I mean the list is just endless! And of course, every person's Grandmother always did say that "You just need some chicken soup!!"

Now, I've not read all of the books, but I've read enough to know that most of what is written is heartbreak stories. Some of it makes you feel good, some of it warms our heart, and some of it is funny. But some of it is just a tad too sad for me. I don't get "well" by reading heartbreak stuff.

So I have to disagree with the chicken soup books! (GASP!!!)

I believe this:

PLAYING with chicken soup is what's good for you.




Think about it.

1. If you can actually, literally "play" with chicken soup...you can probably play with anything!



2. As a child, each of us "learned" by "playing" with something. We played in the band. We had a part in a class play. We played at recess. We played on the swingset, with our dolls and firetrucks. We learned how to share, how to get along, how to put things away....just think of what you learned when you played!



3. We actually learned how to collaborate by just playing, building forts, having wars, and playing red rover, red rover, send my friend over.



What does the word "play" mean? I liked this definition: A physical or mental leisure activity that is undertaken purely for enjoyment or amusement and has no other objective.

You define it....but it is something that is fun, that makes you happy, that you like to do. The Old Testament says "A merry heart doeth good like a medicine." That's Proverbs 17:22. Or try Proverbs 15:13.



Reading funny stories from someone else's life is just not going to help. You need to get up, put the book down, set the computer aside, turn off the TV.....and actually, literally, physically.....go play!!!



I have a new keyboard (musical) and I LOVE playing it! And I go play in my studio just about every single day. My sister and I play together when we go out riding on the ATV with out husbands, and try to see just how narrow and steep a trail we can ride. I love to sit at 14,000 feet high on a rock-covered mountain side looking through piles of stones in search of a tiny amethyst crystal. Now that's definitely a game, to see if I can find one! Sort of like looking for a needle in a haystack.

Mom plays by painting and watching her new cat. Kerry plays with model trains. So does my sis, Elaine. I'm sure you have a hobby of some kind, but the big question is....do you take time to play every single day? Do you force yourself to play when you are sad or depressed? Do you even consider it when you are sick or not feeling well?

Playing with chicken soup. Give it a try! You might find it's just what you need!!!