Right now, between keystrokes, I am sipping some perfect coffee and nibbling on a cinnamon roll. Today is Thanksgiving Day here in the U.S.A. It’s a rare day off for me, a perfect day to reflect on all of life’s goodness (and to share a post.)
One of the cool things I have noticed is that the more gratitude you feel, the more life gives you to be grateful about.
Don’t believe me? Try it yourself.
Whenever it occurs to you throughout the day, take a second and silently give thanks for everything: not only the obvious things like food on the table or the good people in your life, but also the often overlooked stuff, like your five senses, or how your body knows how to breathe. You can say thanks to God, or to the universe, or to Mother Nature or to nobody in particular. Just let being grateful wash over you.
You’ll find that when you are in a state of gratitude, your heart softens and you feel more peaceful. Life warms up a little. And over time, you might be surprised how the universe rushes in to give you more of what you are grateful for.
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Speaking of time, it’s been a long time since I checked in, so I’d like to share a few big things I am grateful for in 2019:
• Being Editor-in-Chief of Ann Kullberg’s COLOR Magazine.
• Publication of Find Your Voice, a beautiful with advice and inspiration by and for creative people – August, 2019.
• Earning a CPSA designation with the Colored Pencil Society of America – August 2019
• Winning an Award for Exceptional Merit at the CPSA International Exhibition – August, 2019.
• Taking second place at the Edmonds Arts Festival – June 2019.
• Teaching workshops to some amazing students around the U.S.
• Serving my local CPSA chapter as newsletter editor and board member.
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Do you enjoy creating with colored pencils on drafting film? Me, too. And I recently found a wonderful new eraser that works beautifully on film.
My go-to erasers have been a Tombow Mono Eraser for really precise and small areas, and a Mr. Klean Magic Eraser for larger areas. But now there’s a new eraser in town. It’s the Faber-Castell PVC-Free eraser.
White erasers have generally been bad news when used on film, but this PVC-eraser is a game-changer. When used with a light touch, this eraser can be used at least two or three times in the same area while minimally affecting the delicate tooth of the film. (Meaning that you can erase, reapply colored pencil in the same spot and still get great coverage.)
Thanks for everything you do for art, for making art and/or supporting artists. Creativity is the wings for the soul.
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