I am a junkie for magazines....

I am a junkie for magazines and for what they cost today I can not bear to throw them out so tonight I have been sorting and dating according to processes and different mediums. I could get lost in the Somerset issues because they are so beautifully published and the artists have become friends over the years with the help of the internet. I am putting more than quilting resources on my book shelves these days with additional mixed media and personal assemblages opening new avenues for my sacred marks. I feel like I am running around in circles chasing my tail with all the family obligations and weddings even though I love them all dearly. School begins in less that six weeks so I am living in the present moment so as I prepare late at night and early in the morning I will be ready to burst in anticipation and hopefully my solitude and quiet here in my cabin studio. "An artist is always alone---if he or she is an artist. No, what an artist needs is loneliness." (Henry Miller) Today's Robert Genn's bi-weekly artist letter shares the pros and cons of how we work and create alone and finding a balance can be as individual as our fingerprints. My blog is a refuge at the end of the day and I feel a connection with those who wish to risk to share. Personal organizations have also been a comfort zone for me and I have discovered it was too comfortable in many ways and change has forced me to risk to reach out once again. A creative person needs to be aware that this is a journey process and yet we need to know when to stand still and listen to our inner thoughts. Living and creating in a balanced environment is quite a goal to shoot for but what else can one do? Everything we put into our experiences touches how our marks will develop and respond to those around us. Making that connection is vital for an authentic dialogue with our viewers and fellow artists. I am realizing that like a garden I should be in a constant state of change and fluidity. This is not always an easy or comfortable state of mind to be in but if the truth is spoken most creative people know this fact already. We create because we have to create to continue breathing in an artist life.

I swam tonight for about 30 minutes and then floated on my back to enjoy the beauty in the clouds above. We have a weather front moving in and we do need the rain.... the sky was a gift to behold as I allowed myself to drift on the quiet and cool caress of the water. I am going to bed and dream another dream...Imagine and Live in Peace, Mary Helen Fernandez Stewart