Hello Summer!

Hello again! I had planned to post much sooner, but life has a way of upending even the best laid plans. I caught an awful bug and was in bed for several days feeling absolutely terrible. I am over it now I think and hoping that I can avoid catching anything else through the end of the year. I am so sick and tired of being sick and tired! 

As you can see, I have new glasses. The ones I got a year ago were no longer doing the job since I had optic neuritis, so I had to upgrade. I chose red frames, even though I really wanted purple. The general consensus is that these were a good choice, so that's something.

Here's some of what I've been up to:

Creating

Believe it or not, I've been doing a lot of writing in the last little while. I just completed my artist statement and bio for the Universal Declaration of Human Rights Quilt Project which I wrote about here. Tal will be creating zines for each of the four quilts featuring each artist in the quilt using this information. I am really looking forward to reading the inspiration behind each artists' work. As things get uglier in the world, this project and its message seems more timely than ever and I am proud to be a part of it. 

I have also been working on my second article for the Rick Hansen Foundation blog, which will be posted in mid-August. The first one, if you missed it, is here. I am trying to keep ahead of the game because August is going to be a busy month.

Watching

The 5th season of Alone premiered last Thursday. Previous seasons have been in British Columbia (three seasons) and Patagonia. This season is taking place in Mongolia and it's all participants from previous seasons who tapped out for various reasons. I loved the seasons shot in BC-it was highly amusing to hear people railing about the weather. It somehow came as a surprise to all of them that a temperate rain forest actually gets a lot of rain. I guess none of them did any research on the area they were going to be going to. 

My friend Greta and I are rooting for Nicole who has MS. She is amazingly comfortable in the wilds-in her previous season in BC, she was sharing her beach with huge black bears and seemed entirely unfazed. She was respectful of the bears, but wasn't the least bit afraid of them. She also has an impressive knowledge of plants and was able to source from her environment things to help keep herself healthy. We hope she wins this time!

The 6th season of Wentworth premiered this week. It's an Australian series about a women's prison that is dark and delicious. I love it! Previous seasons are on Netflix.

Reading

The Marrow Thieves by Cherie Demaline who is a Metis author. This was recently loaned to me by my friend Sue's husband. He was telling me about it at Sue's birthday party and when I read the cover, it gave me the shivers, so I knew I had to read it. It's been a bit slow going because I am still having eye issues, but I'm enjoying it. Here's the summary:

"In a futuristic world ravaged by global warming, people have lost the ability to dream, and the dreamlessness has led to widespread madness. The only people still able to dream are North America's Indigenous people, and it is their marrow that holds the cure for the rest of the world. But getting the marrow, and dreams, means death for the unwilling donors. Driven to flight, a fifteen-year-old and his companions struggle for survival, attempt to reunite with loved ones and take refuge from the "recruiters" who seek them out to bring them to the marrow-stealing "factories.""

Anticipating

I have been waiting (im)patiently to hear back from a medical conference I've applied for a scholarship to attend as a patient partner. I should be getting news one way or the other next week. I am pretty sure com-petition is fierce, but if you don't apply, you'll never get a yes. I also applied for a scholarship for another one taking place in October but I won't hear back on that one till mid-August. I am *the worst* at waiting. It drives me batty.

Other than that, we've been enjoying dinners out on the patio almost every night. It's a nice way to reconnect at the end of the day and enjoy the peace and quiet. I've also been taking my laptop out there and writing while enjoying the fresh air. It's nice to finally have the space to be able to do that. Once I get my article completed, I can think about what projects I want to tackle over the summer. I need to make a list!

Long Time, No Post!

It's been ages since I've update and you're probably wondering if I fell off the face of the earth. Almost. I am hanging on by a thread. I became quite ill just over 9 weeks ago and have been either in bed or off having specialist's appointments, MRIs and blood tests ever since. This week alone I had 6 appointments in 3 days. It's still up in the air what exactly is wrong and how it's going to be treated and no one is more anxious to get this figured out than me, so I can recover and get my life back. This is the worst attack I've ever had, whatever it is and it's been brutal.

 As John Lennon said, "Life is what happens when you are busy making other plans."

Let's talk about other things, shall we?

Okay so here are the things that are rocking my world right now:

Listening To:

Spotify! First of all, why didn't anyone tell me about this!?! You guys have been holding out on me! I am late to the party, but I am loving it. It replaces what was Pandora for Canadians. (I had Pandora years ago till some bright light decided to block it in Canada. We still don't have access.)

My go-to play lists include the wonderful Mandolin Orange. Worth checking out if you enjoy mandolins and folk music. (I love both.)

Little Words

 Rounder

Jump Mountain Blues

 Of Which There Is No Like

Wake Me

 Clover Tune

Haste Make

 Bird of a Feather

Daylight

Little Worlds

I will be adding more of their music when I get a spare minute because honestly, it's all wonderful. Great tunes to make art to. I listen on an endless loop and never get tired of it.

I also love acoustic guitar and there just happens to be a play list called "Acoustic Guitar Instrumentals" that I've subscribed to. That one is also really good for getting into my creative groove. When my husband heard one of my other play lists that I compiled myself he said "You were meant to be born in the 60's." I laughed. He's right. 60's & 70's music is what I tend to listen to the most. Probably not too surprising, since I was named for a Donovan song.

Artsy Inspiration:

I've known about Brian Andreas' art for some time now, but lately, I've rediscovered it through Instagram. He's been posting such beautiful, uplifting work in the face of all the ugliness that's we've been bombarded with as the world seemingly goes off the rails. If you need a break from all that, I recommend following his feed.  (@brainandreas) It will make you feel better. We need more people like Brain in the world. Love needs to be louder. Let's get LOUDER people!!

Brian posted about this project he's started where you order a print of Help Wanted and he will also send you small packet of 3x3 mini prints to give away, as a way to put some love and inspiration out into the world. When I saw the print, it spoke to me so strongly. It was the perfect way to commemorate my 40th year of volunteering. I totally understand what this magic is he's talking about-when you open up your heart and say "YES!" to the ways in which you can serve, the universe will keep presenting you with amazing opportunities. It's the law of attraction. I have experienced this over and over throughout my life. Volunteering has both enriched and informed my life in countless ways.

Yesterday, I covertly gifted my first mini print to one of my specialists who has been working really hard to advocate for me. I put it on her desk and then just tucked it under a bit of her paperwork so she wouldn't find it till after I was gone. I want to leave one for her receptionist who has been very kind to me too, but I didn't get the chance to leave it secretly yet. Next time, hopefully!

I need to see if I can get my hands on some of Brian's books. I'll have to see if our library system has any of them.

Dawn DeVries Sokol has a new instructor video out via Creativebug. I watched it the other day and I just loved how she not only talked about, but showed all the colours, shapes and textures she encounters in her every day life that inspires what she creates as an artist. The video is so infused with colour and I thought it was a really smart way to share what she does.

Later that day, I had time between appointments, so I popped into the big book store downtown and came across three of Dawn's books on the shelves. I always like to try and get photos of friend's books in the wild. I know if I had a book out there in the world, (someday!) I'd love to see it on shelves in cities far away. I also "face" the books, if they are spine out on the shelf so others will notice them. (Shh! Don't tell! I volunteered in the library growing up, so old habits die hard.) It was nice seeing they had a copy of Artists' Journal Pages, which I have work published in.

I had a $20 gift card which was was a thank you gift for consulting on a study UBC is doing about patients who have participated in the medical grant review process. I didn't expect a thank you, so it was a very nice surprise. After seeing Dawn's video, I was inspired, I treated myself to Year of the Doodle. It's got a sort of zine-like vibe and I think it would be a good thing to keep in my bag to help pass the time when I am sitting in the waiting room for medical appointments. All I need is a pen of some sort and I'm good to go. I'm just going to jump in at this point in the year and carry on. It cost me a whopping 94c after the gift card. That's a deal any way you slice it!

Watching:

Since I have been stuck in bed for weeks, I've watched a lot of good stuff on my iPad. The list is long...here goes:

Game of Thrones-The last two episodes were jaw dropping. It was more like watching a movie than a tv show and it deserves all kinds of awards. It was absolutely epic. The music, the story lines, the multiple moments of shock. WOW! Tyrion made me cry. He is my absolute favourite because he just tries so hard and there is always that sense of him feeling "less than". The vulnerability of that character played so beautifully by Peter Dinklage tears at my heart. If George R.R. Martin ever kills him off, I'm DONE.

Orange is the New Black-I watched the newest season, but somehow I can't remember parts of the previous season, so I need to go back and review. A few of the story lines had me confused about what came before. The snoring girl cracked me up and all the references to current TV programs were killing me. They made a comment about Monopoly that had me in stitches.

Wentworth-It's like an Aussie version of OITNB, but not funny-it's very dark in the most delicious way. That's all I'm going to say about it. Watch and see.

Wayward Pines-This is a post-apocolyptic series that is filmed right here in Coquitlam and also out in the Fraser Valley. One of the places they film at, Riverview Hospital is a place I drive by regularly. It's a decommissioned mental hospital, which is used in all kinds of TV and movie filming.The driver of the Rick Hansen 25th Anniversary medal bearer van, (whose blog I started following back then and then eventually met) is a driver (teamster) on Wayward Pines. He's been blogging about the series here. (There's a bunch of posts.) The premise of this show is interesting, especially in season one where they have you wondering what's really going on. M. Knight Shyamalan is the producer.

Alone: Seasons 1&2 were filmed on the northwest end of Vancouver Island. The premise is they drop 10 people off, each on an isolated beach with film equipment and they have to survive and film at the same time. There are bears, cougars and wolves. There is also weather. Weather is always a factor in Canadal The last one wins half a million dollars. Season 1 was hilarious-the whole time people are complaining about the rain. People! You are in a temperate rain forest in the late fall. Of course it rains. I guess no one told them. They really should have named it "BC Weather Kicks Butt"! 

The Last Alaskans-This is filmed up in the northeastern corner of Alaska on a wildlife reserve where there are only a handfull of families whose cabins have been grandfathered in until the current owners last child dies. The people are really interesting.

Port Protection-Another Alaska series about a remote port where the community members rely on one another. 

Bering Sea Gold-Mostly guys and one woman prospecting for gold on the sea out of Nome, Alaska. I watch to see how someone is almost going to kill themselves every episode. It's pretty silly.

Life Below Zero-Yet another Alaskan series set in Northern Alaska. (Are you sensing a theme here?) Everyone lives off the grid and subsistence hunts. There is an Inuit family on the show and I enjoy seeing how they are passing down their traditions to their children. The girls are all learning how to hunt and trap. It's really cool that this young girls will have survival skills most of us will never have. 

The Amazing Race Canada-Because I love TAR and the Canadian version is just as good. Plus it's hosted by Jon Montgomery, 2010 Olympic Gold medallist in Skeleton and a fellow Manitoban.

Master Chef (US version)-Because Gordon Ramsey amuses me and I've watched every season since it started. I am glad the grumpy chef isn't on there anymore. 

 I haven't watched too many movies in the last while-I just don't have the energy to stay awake for them at the moment, but I did see Concussion which was unbelievably good. I will never watch football or any contact sport the same way again. It explains a lot about how much brain damage athletes are suffering and many of them don't even know it. It sure opened my eyes. Well worth watching. (I rented it via iTunes.) I have rent The Witch and I need to watch that one in the next couple of days. A couple friends have seen it and enjoyed it. I love creepy movies!

Tomorrow my best friend and I are going to see a new Viggo Mortenson movie, Captain Fantastic. It will be good to get out for a bit for sanity's sake, hang out with my bestie and of course eat popcorn! It looks like a really great movie. 

Reading:

Reading has been tough. I am having both blurry and double vision from side effects of the medications I am on, so most of the time, it's pretty impossible. I have small windows of time where I can manage. Right now in the queue on my bedside table are Robert Dugoni's In the Clearing and Linda Castillio's Among the Wicked. I am hoping to be able to make my way through both of them before they are due back at the library. The last pile I had, I had to return unread. I've put them back on my Goodreads "want to read" list so I don't forget about them. 

A number of people have suggested audio books, which I am authorized for at my local library, but to me, reading is an active, not a passive thing. My brain likes to read, not to be read to. I did try it out the last time this happened and I find sometimes the person narrating can be really annoying, which is distracting. In a perfect world, Harrison Ford, Morgan Freeman, John Corbett, Jeffery Dean Morgan would narrate books for me. (Harrison Ford would always be my first choice!)

Okay, I think that's it for now. I have art to share-yes, I've actually been working on some art when I've felt up to it and doing some photography in my travels.
I'll save that for my next post. 

Things I Am Diggin'

Gratuitous photo of a palm tree from my trip to LA. 

I am kinda diggin' shooting trees on this funky angle.

Other things I am diggin':

-I'm signing up this morning to take Roxanne's class as a birthday gift to me. If you're not familiar with her work, you seriously need to check it out. It reminds me of NYC graffiti, which is probably why I like it so much. I am intrigued by her use of black and I'm looking forward to adding to my mixed media layer-making knowledge. Playing with paint makes me happy. Signup begins at 8 am PST. Can't wait!

-Tim Horton's frozen lemonade. It's the perfect blend of cold and tart.

-Starbuck's almond croissants. YUM! They did away with the almond tart, which was my favourite, so this is the next best thing.

-My new Onyx stainless steel bento box from Delish General Store. The container actually holds (for me) enough food for both a lunch and a snack. I love how compact it is and it's a great way to practise self-care on days when I am having to spend a lot of time at the hospital. It saves me sugar crashing and getting a whopper of a headache.

-The new Atom Egoyan movie, Remember starring the brilliant Christoper Plummer. So, so good. (You can rent it for $5 via iTunes.)

-This song, Say Something by Great Big World & Christina Aguilera.

-Jonathan Kellerman's latest novel, Breakdown, which I just finished. He's far and away my favourite writer. I started reading his Alex Delaware series back in 1997. It's a crime serial and if you've never read any of his books, I recommend starting from the beginning- there are 31 books in the series and they are *so* worth it!

-Star magnolias! They are blooming here in now and they are my favourite thing about spring in western Canada...well that and all the cherry trees that are also blossoming. Vancouver is so pretty in the spring.

Sideways

So...it's been awhile since I posted. It's really a case of "Life is what happens when you're busy making plans." I had a NMO relapse and had to have a round of IV steroids in early June and then two weeks ago today, my husband suffered a major heart attack at work. Our lives have gone sideways, so we are kind of in a state of shock still and trying to recover from the scare. Fortunately he had immediate surgery and is recovering, though his heart rate is still wonky. I am trying to deal with what's immediately in front of me, in an attempt to try and keep my stress manageable.

I had just done this revamp of my blog header and template the day before all hell broke loose and then didn't get a chance to actually post. Since I had a sliver of time today, I thought I would do a quick update. Without further ado...

Teresa posted this really interesting book on her Instagram and I was so intrigued I had to run off to the book store to find it. It's really good and reminds me of a zine in so many ways. Fun stuff! I'd love to see more books done in this style. The aesthetics of it is so appealing and it feels like you are almost peeking into someone's mixed media journal in a way. If I was going to write a book, I'd like to do it this way. Someday...

Speaking of zines, I wrapped up the zine exchange I was hosting. I now have a beautiful box of inspiration. So much good stuff!

This was my contribution, the 4th edition of Manual Dexterity. My plan was to have a few copies available in my Etsy store, but with all the health stuff that came out of nowhere, I just haven't had the time. I will have copies for sale eventually and I'll post here to let anyone who is interested know. I just can't say exactly when that will happen right now.

I've been puttering in my 101 year old journal. Some days it's nice to sit down for half an hour and make something. I have just been flipping to a random page and going for it. Slowly but surely, the pages are filling up. I am so in love with this journal.

I have been enjoying exploring my new neighbourhood with Indy. This is part of the green belt one minute outside my door. I feel so lucky to just be able to pop into the woods any time I feel like it. We live in an area that, according to my best friend has a very high incidence of bear sightings, but so far, no luck. I am not afraid of bears-I took a bear aware course years ago, but I do have respect for them. I am always mindful that our paths could cross any time I am out and about and I will be prepared to act accordingly. I don't want any bears to come to any harm because of me.

On Father's Day, we went up to Whistler for the day because we felt the need to see things like this.

And swim in Lost Lake.

 And eat amazing food like this (The BEST fish taco)

And this from La Cantina, our favourite restaurant in the village. My son had never been before and is a foodie so it was fun watching him taste a bunch of different menu items.

My friend Amy very sweetly sent me this book when I was having trouble sourcing it locally. It just arrived this week, so as soon as the weather cools down a bit, I am going to dive into painting. Can't wait. It's so hot at the moment that I don't think my paints would stay open long enough for me to get them onto the canvas. By the way, the author, Tracy Verdugo is turning 50 and so she's giving away 22 spots in her upcoming online class. The details are here. I've been entering daily because I'd LOVE to have the opportunity to expand my painting knowledge. Paint for me is joy and I'm on a mission to invite more joy into my life. I have my *fingers crossed*!

Maureen made this gorgeous paracord bracelet and sent it to me. That was a good mail day-perfectly timed to lift my spirits. I love how chunky it is and how comfortably it wears. It has a really great magnetic clasp so I can manage to put it on and off myself. (This has become a big issue with my jewelery-with my hands so numb, working closures has become a major problem.) I really love this piece and have been wearing it pretty much non-stop. Maureen is a local BC artist-you should check her out!

I have also been super busy with advocacy work. It seems I just get one project done and another pops up. I have shared a big announcement on NMODiaries this week. I have a guest post up for the MS Society of Canada and I'm working on something else that I can't talk about right now. It's so great to be able to have opportunities to contribute and make a difference. I really do love advocacy work. It's the work of my heart.

So..as you can see, life has been rolling along, despite the major bumps and potholes. We are coping. I am going to try and post more regularly over the summer. 

5X5 Small Works Exhibition

So some time ago, in 2012, I submitted a piece for my friend Seth Apter's 5X5 project, which followed the publication of his first book, The Pulse of Mixed Media. 75 artists contributed work to the project in a variety of mediums.

All of the art for Seth's 5x5 project is currently on exhibit in Putnam, Connecticut at The Empty Spaces Project. Seth has posted about it in more detail here. The Empty Space Project has a blurb about the exhibit on their website, which is here. I also wanted to share that all of the art is available for purchase. To view the pieces and to purchase, click here.

In the late fall of 2012, Seth's 5x5 project was featured in the November/December issue of Somerset Studios.

My piece was part of that feature. 

Here's a closer look at the 5x5 zine I made:

This piece is also available for purchase. If you're looking for it on Seth's post, it's about 3/4 of the way down.

Congratulations Seth on this wonderful exhibit! 

Here's a peek:

(Photo Credit: Seth Apter)

Pretty darn cool!

Catching Up!

Creating: 

I am currently working on my December designs for Paper Artsy. In case you missed the first 9, you can find them here. What am I making? Well you'll just have to wait and see!

Reading: 

I've been on a book-buying binge in the last month.

 Right now I am reading Make it Mighty Ugly by Kim Werker. 

In the queue are: 

The Unlikely Pilgramage of Harold Fry by Rachael Joyce

I wanted to read this one because it's about a man who goes out to mail a letter to a dying friend but then decides to deliver the message in person. He begins walking 600 miles. 

Inferno by Dan Brown

I love Dan Brown! I own everything he's written and this is the next instalment of his Robert Langdon series. Can't wait to dive in!

Granny Chic by Rachell Blondel & Tif Fussell 

The Granny Chic book was bought solely as eyecandy. I couldn't resist when I saw it was only $12.95. I love it because it's sort of zine-like. 

Syllabus: Notes from an Accidental Professor by Lynda Barry

The Lynda Barry book is just *SO* delicious and I spent 3 weeks rabidly trying to track down a copy. (My friend Penn actually helped me find one in the end-all hail the mighty Pulp Fiction! Gotta love independent book stores for their fantastic customer service!) If you want to know why I wanted this book so badly, this blog has a good peek inside. Am I right or am I right? I love her books! I also own What It Is and Picture This: Nearsighted Monkey .

Watching:

So I am late to the party, but I am currently binge watching 8 seasons worth of Big Bang Theory. I'm almost through season 5. It's hilarious! I noticed that a piece of of Anahata Katkin's work hangs in one of the apartments!

I have also been watching season 5 of Downton Abbey. The writing, acting and costuming of this series is impeccable. 

Then there are my usual shows-Ice Pilots NWT (Which sadly is in its last season! *weeps*), Alaska the Last Frontier, Mountain Men, Life Below Zero, Ice Road Truckers, (Are you sensing a theme here?) The Amazing Race, Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown, Grey's Anatomy and a new show called Stalker.

Geez, when I list them out like that, it looks like alot, but I really spend very little time watching TV. I read more than I watch.

Listening:
Heart's on Fire ~Passenger
Broken Arrow ~Robbie Robertson
'Till the World Ends ~Andy Brown
The Scientist ~Willie Nelson

The Scientist was the final song from the movie The Judge with Robert Duvall and Robert Downey Junior. It was THE best movie I've seen in a long, long time. If you haven't seen it, GO! When it comes out on DVD, I am going to buy it. It was that good. I will be surprised if it doesn't win some awards. It was a beautiful piece of work.

Anticipating:
I received an email yesterday afternoon saying that a new book that my art will appear in is going to be released in short order! Yay! Two of my friends, Seth Apter and Penelope Harris are also being published in this book, but other than that, all the other artists are new to me. I can't wait to flip through it!

Here's a sneak peek of the cover:

If you're interested in adding this to your collection, you can pre-order here.

I am also looking forward to going to the Little River Band concert this weekend. My husband bought tickets for our 24th Anniversary which was just last week. It's his favourite band and has been the soundtrack of many a road trip together.

Dreaming:

I have some other exciting news, but I am just waiting for the okay to share it. It's pretty cool!!

Coming Soon To A Shelf Near You!

I am really excited to share with you that Dawn DeVries Sokol's new book A World of Artist Journal Pages is now available for pre-order on Amazon! The release date is April 7th, 2015. I am very humbled to have work appearing in this book which is filled with delicious eye candy from over 1000 artists from 30 countries. If you're into art journalling, then this book is going to be a must have!

Congratulations Dawn on all your hard work!

10 Years Come & Gone!

Creating:

Right now I am working on a top secret project, which I will be able to share with you come the fall. It's a good one!

I whipped up some more envies over the long weekend using pages from old Stampington publications and I posted them to Instagram. Stampington saw them and invited me to submit them for publication. I'd better get on that! It's been awhile since I've written an article for them or submitted art. No time like the present!

Speaking of publishing, Vancouverite author, artist & instructor Leanne Praine's new book Strange Material: Storytelling Through Textiles is due out in October. I just saw the cover and I'm excited to get my hands on a copy-it looks yummy! I am so pleased to have a small written piece included in this book.

Watching:

My friend Deb and I were chatting last week and she asked me to check out this new HBO show called The Leftovers. It's a really odd show, edgy as most HBO shows tend to be, but strangely compelling. It's hard to describe-it takes place after a post apocalyptic type event happens and the people left behind (the leftovers-hence the name) struggle to make sense of it. I would recommend checking out the official website and watching the trailer first because I don't think it's for everybody. It's pretty hardcore and graphic in places. (Typical of HBO series.) That said, I am enjoying it because you really don't know where it's going and I love all the twists and turns.

Oh and here are a couple screen captures from the show I was in. One from my one-on-one interview clip. (I am speaking so that's why my mouth looks funny.) 

The other is a shot with me with the cast in Ft. Langley. We did a ton of location shoots over 5 days.

I am also pleased to share that I will be doing some more filming for the UBC Faculty of Medicine's new program, which I have been consulting on. It's for medical professionals already in practice to learn about patient-centred and collaborative care. I did some filming for these courses back in January and I'll be filming as a presenter for the module they are working on now. 

It's really rewarding to know that this will have a direct impact on the future of health care in our province. I love advocacy work-it feels good to be making a difference and I learn so much about myself and from others in doing it. I'm also going to be doing some interviews for the Health Mentors Program over the next couple of weeks.

Listening:

I recently downloaded James Taylor's version of The Water is Wide. It's a favourite of mine for sentimental reasons and his cover is beautiful.  I love James Taylor.

I also saw the movie Begin Again with Keira Knightly. If you saw Once, you will enjoy this one. I downloaded A Step You Can't Take Back from the Soundtrack. It's my favourite track from the movie.

And lastly, before I sign off for now, it seems only fitting to note that as of August 1st, this humble blog turned

10 Years Old!

Hard to believe it's been that long or that when I began, most artists didn't even have a blog. So for those of you who've been along for the ride, whether in part or for the whole 10 years, thank you for your company, your comments and your friendship! Here's to keeping the home fires burning for another 10!

Perspective on Publishing

So I wanted to share with you something that happened today.

This morning, I woke up to an email saying that a piece of my art that I'd submitted for publication in a book had been accepted. The funny thing was that initially, it wasn't. When the announcement was made awhile back, my name was not on the list. 

Was I disappointed? Not really. I figured that there was a reason, even if I didn't know what it was and I was okay with that. It just wasn't my turn. At the time, I just shrugged my shoulders, was happy for friends whose work was chosen and then forgot about it.

This morning, two months later, the publisher sent me an emailing explaining that they had decided to expand the book to include more artists and they very much wanted to include my work. Sweet! 

So why I wanted to share this with you is that I am sure there are those of you out there who might have submitted work to a book, magazine or project and were not chosen. I want to tell you don't give up. It doesn't mean your work isn't good enough or that you're not an artist or any of the million other (negative) things you might be thinking about why it didn't work out.

Sometimes, there are just so many submissions, it's hard to include them all. Sometimes, it's because the art wasn't the right fit for a particular project.

Sometimes, it's someone else's turn.

I'm not saying it's not challenging putting yourself and your work out there-everyone struggles with that because it's a big deal to make yourself vulnerable. But here the thing: if you believe in the art you are making and if it feeds your soul, keep making it and keep submitting it. The art that was just accepted for this book was not chosen for another book. The author of that book chose two other pieces I submitted instead. No big deal! It didn't change how I felt about this piece and it's now found its way into a different book. One door closes and another door opens! 

My intention is always tempered with the though of "this or something better" when I send pieces of myself out into the world. I've learned to trust that things will unfold in exactly the way they are meant to. So far, so good. 

My wish is that with lots of hard work and a little luck, it will be your turn soon- I'm counting on it! 

Currently

Creating: 

My creative time is taken up with designing workshops right now. Yes, you read correctly-after a long hiatus, I am excited to announce that I'm about to return to teaching mixed media workshops! An opportunity came along that works perfectly for me, so I decided to go for it. I've missed teaching-I really love seeing the joy my students experience when they embrace their own creativity. I'll be sharing more about where and when I'll be teaching once I have all the details ironed out. Stay tuned!

Reading: 

Right now I am working my way through James Patterson's Murder Club Series. I caught up on his Alex Cross series over the winter and this one is equally as good. I've been reading it as e-books, which I love because it means less running back and forth to the library.

Watching: 

In between books, I am watching Game of Thrones, (which is deliciously good!) Nurse Jackie, Deadliest Catch and I just started watching Orphan Black. I tend to do more reading than TV watching in the summer-I find the summer is a TV wasteland. 

I have also been watching lots of documentaries. The best one I've seen lately is called Mile...Mile & a Half. It's about hiking the John Muir Trail and the scenery is spectacular. If you are an artist, a journaler, a photographer, a hiker, a musician or an adventurer, this documentary is for you. You can find it on Netflix.
Here's a peek at the trailer:

Listening: 

New on my iTunes play list rotation:

A House is a Home-Ben Harper & Ellen Harper

Details in the Fabric-Jason Mraz

Hearts on Fire-Passenger

Maybe-Ingrid Michaelson

Dreaming:

We're planning a trip to Whistler in the fall. A few months ago, I won a weekend stay at our favourite hotel, Summit Lodge & Spa. We're celebrating our 24th wedding anniversary at the end of October, so this is going to be an early anniversary trip. We're going in the early fall because we're working around weather-we want to be there while it's still warm enough to sit out on restaurant patios to eat and to have good hiking weather, since we're taking Indy with us. I am going to look into what adventures we might do while we're up there. We've already ruled out zipline and Peak to Peak, since my husband is not a fan of heights. I am sure we'll be able to agree on something exciting to do. I adore Whistler-I love being right in the heart of the mountains. It feeds my soul.

Good Things!

I have been invited to speak to the BC Chapter of the Canadian Association of Neuroscience Nurses (CANN) at the end of April about my experience with Neuromyelitis Optica (NMO). I am really excited to have the opportunity to share my story with health care provides who are working in the neurosciences field and help raise awareness. I will be speaking for about half an hour and then there will be a Q&A afterwards. I look forward to the conversations that will happen there.

In other news, I also got word that a small piece I wrote about a piece of clothing that has deep sentimental value to me is going to be included in Vancouver Artist & writer, Leanne Prain's new book, Strange Material: Storytelling Through Textiles will be released this autumn by Arsenal Pulp Press.

What's it about? Here's the scoop:

"Strange Material: Storytelling Through Textiles will explore the relationships between handmade textiles and stories. Through the text, the act of weaving a tale or dropping a thread will take on new meaning for those who may have previously only seen textiles as functional objects. The book will encourage storytelling to leap off the page and into the mediums of batik, stitching, dyeing, fabric painting, knitting, crochet or weaving. The artists that will be featured in the book create narratives with a needle, instead of a pen, dye rather than ink, weave i place of paper. Themed chapters will include fiction, poetry, wearable stories, manifestos, memoir, pictorial stories and humour."

I wrote the small piece in response to Leanne's call back in the summer and then promptly forgot all about it! That's the fun of long lead times with books-you submit work months, if not years in advance and by the time you get the news that your work has made the cut, it feels like a surprise out of the blue. I love those kinds of surprises! Leanne said there will be a book launch party in the fall and to expect an invitation. I'm in-it should be lots of fun!

Speaking of surprises out of the blue, I also received a "you're invited" email from the local curling club that I volunteered with for the 2014 BC Wheelchair Curling Championships last month. They are hosting a thank you dinner this Friday for those of us who volunteered to help host the event. It's super nice of them and it will be fun to talk about the incredible Olympic curling that team Canada played!

Good Things!

I thought I would do a quick catch up before the holidays. I've been scarce around here, not because things aren't happening (they are!) but because typing is quite uncomfortable right now. The incision in the heel of my hand hurts, alot. I am taking some special neuropathic pain medication to try and calm the nerves so my hand doesn't feel like raw meat all the time. (I know that's a rather ugly description, but try living with it-it's the kind of pain that forces you to think about it every second of the day. Not fun.)

Anyway, in the good news department, I have the following to report:

My husband and I attended his company Xmas party. Prior to the party, the boss sent a note home asking that the men submit their wives' wish lists and maybe they would receive something from it. Less than half the guys read the note and did this. When the boss called those that had to come get the gifts for their wives, my husband came back with two boxes for me. As I started ripping the paper off the first one, I realized that it contained an iPad mini. The second box held a wireless keyboard for it. This was the only thing on my list and I had hesitated to let them know-it seemed like just too big an ask. We both got teary over their amazing kindness and generousity. This gift makes a huge difference in my life in terms of accessibility. I can now take notes at meetings-something that was impossible for me to do before. It will make the work I do much, much easier. I am so very grateful.

This week I won a box of turona chocolates from Purdy's, a BC chocolate company. When I was 16 and lived in Barcelona, I tasted turona for the first time and instantly loved it. It's a special chocolate that is sold during the holiday season in Spain. They are shipping it to me, so I am looking forward to a good mail day soon!

I also got an email about the work I submitted for a book, which was accepted a couple months ago. The author told me which pieces are going to be included in the book and I am really pleased with what she chose. The pieces were made using antique photos of my extended family. Yay! The book will be on shelves in the spring of 2015.

In January, I'm going to be doing some filming. I am going to be part of an educational video for a new medical program at UBC. I've been serving on a Health Mentors' advisory committee since September. The program is to help established health care professionals develop and strengthen their skills around patient-centered and collaborative care. I'll be filming my thoughts and experiences on this subject. For the first time I'll be using a teleprompter-I wrote the "script" (my answers to three questions on the subject) and it will be run to remind me what I want to say. This should be interesting, since I usually just speak without a speech or notes when I am presenting. Hopefully everything will go smoothly!

Before I sign off for now, I wanted to share with you a song I downloaded from the Indigo Girl's new Xmas album, called There's Still My Joy. I'd never heard this song before. It's wistful, sad and hopeful all at once. 

Here are the lyrics to give you an idea of what I mean:

I brought my tree down to the shore

The garland and the silver star,

To find my peace and grieve no more

To heal this place inside my heart.

On every branch I laid some bread

And hungry birds filled up the sky.

They rang like bells around my head

They sang my spirit back to life.

One tiny child can change the world.

One shining light can show the way.

Through all my tears, for what I've lost

There's still my joy,

There's still my joy for Christmas day.

The snow comes down on empty sand,

There's tinsel moonlight on the waves.

My soul was lost but here I am

So this must be amazing grace.

One tiny child can change the world.

One shining light can show the way.

Beyond these tears for what I've lost

There's still my joy,

There's still my joy for Christmas day.

There's still my joy for Christmas day.

Go download it from iTunes. I promise you it's beautiful.

I wish each of you a beautiful holiday season, however you choose to celebrate. 

Card Carrying Member

About a month ago, I finally got around to joining the Letter Writers Alliance. I'd been meaning to do it for ages. I like getting something other than bills in the mail. (Don't we all?) I paid my membership dues (a whopping $5 US) and waited patiently for my goodies to arrive in the mail. It didn't take very long! I got a welcome letter, membership card, postcard and a button. 

Not long after I became a card-carrying member, they updated the membership package with a really cool little triangle patch instead of the button, so I ordered one for myself. It came today and I love it. Now I just have to decide what I want to sew it onto.

I took a couple photos of the envelope Donovan sent my order in. She sends THE BEST envelopes! I am carefully saving them to add into my Remains of the Day journals. 

If you're into mail art, you'll want to check out Good Mail Day. It's a fantastic book. I bought it quite some time ago and I like to page it from time to time just to feast on the eyecandy inside. It even has a page with postal themed stickers in the back.

Now I'll have to get busy making some mail art to send so Donovan can match me with a pen pal. You have to send mail to get mail after all! We've got a newly minted long weekend here in BC-Monday is a new stat called "Family Day" so there will be plenty of time for mail art!

Lately

Creating:

Sadly, I haven't been terribly creative the last few weeks. We've been so busy dealing with his and hers medical stuff that I haven't really had time. I am slooooowly working on some more houses like these in collaboration with my friend Lisa in New Zealand. They are coming along.

Reading:

I've been eating books for breakfast again. After suffering through four optic neuritis attacks since February, reading is a luxury I won't ever take for granted again. 

The best book I've read recently is It's Not About the Medal by three time Canadian Olympian, Leah Pells. Her story is a beautiful testament to the resiliency of the human spirit. It's heartbreaking in so many ways, but also ever hopeful and definitely inspirational.

I'm diving into The Devil's Elixir by Raymond Khoury now. If you like Dan Brown, (The DaVinci Code) you'd like Khoury's novels. I've read everything both men have written.

Watching:

Bearing Sea: Under the Ice, which is a crazy show. Essentially it's about a bunch of miners in Nome, Alaska who are dredging the Bearing Sea in winter. Every episode is a Russian Roulette game of "who's going to have a brush with death in this week?". On a recent episode, one of the divers was on the bottom of the ocean and suddenly he was asking himself "Why am I smelling smoke?!?" Next thing you know, he's panicking and coughing like crazy because he's having trouble breathing. There was a fire on the surface in his operations tent and the smoke was being sucked down his oxygen line. Nothing like nearly dying of smoke inhalation on the bottom of the ocean! Every week it's something crazy like that. I can't stop watching!

Ice Pilots NWT, which is a favourite. It's one of the best Canadian shows on television. It's about an airline in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories that flies WWII-era planes. The planes are gorgeous and there's always some crazy adventure happening to the crew. The holiday cliff hanger was fantastic!

Listening:

Let Her Go by Passenger. There's something I really love about this song. I think it's the wistfulness of it. 

Anticipating:

New projects, new opportunities in the new year. No idea what's around the bend, but I'm ready for it! Bring it on!

Dreaming:

Oddly enough, I am dreaming about spending a day at the movie theatre. I want to see the new Anthony Hopkins film, Hitchcock. I was so amazed when I saw the trailer that I didn't recognize him at all, other than his voice. Whomever did his makeup was brilliant!