looking for a sign, & (later) How was Your Day?

One of my dear Tinas had this amazing thing happen in the midst of her artmaking recently - click to see her post here.

It put me to thinking, "I want to see a sign, too." But haven't I been seeing the signs all around me lately? All those bumper stickers telling me to not defer my dream, to not postpone joy. A piece of advice in a quote: "Don't become good at something you don't want to do." Friends at work telling me to hurry up and open a boutique already. Invitations to participate in projects, to send my work to a magazine. Is it all right there in front of me? Do I only need to open the door and let it in?

What holds me back?

It's interesting because our theme for the summer program this year is Taking Flight, which the elementary level has interpreted as: figure out what your dreams are, and take the steps to achieve them. One of the activities we've planned is to identify the obstacles and how to overcome them. Methinks teacher needs to practice this before she teaches it! So, off to the studio I go.

Adding on, 11:06 p.m.

And what did you do today after you went to the studio? It was a perfect introverted day at home, all to myself. I never brushed my hair or put on make-up all day. I also didn't go right to the studio - I took a scalding hot bath with jasmine-scented bubble because I was so c-c-cold. Then, I worked a bit on the new journal I finished last week:

I spritzed a page with dyes over home-made stencils. I have no idea how I will blend this with images and journaling. Sometimes I think it's hard to work with pre-painted pages.

While I waited for the dyes to dry out on the porch, I cleaned up the computer, so over-loaded with images and stuff that it was about to crash. Every now and then, I also stopped to smell this heavenly rose from my sweet student Abi. Ahhh...

This, in turn, inspired me to take a few shots of my own garden roses, tropical punch,

and buttercream. (The Rose Society will frown on me for inventing my own names. But don't they fit?)

Lately I have been working through this book (click on photo to learn more about the book), so later in the day this is where I focused myself.

Here are some snippets from my encouragement page:

and a couple of details from my left-brain/right-brain page spread.

I value the author's vision and the process she leads her readers through. [Insight into lulu's head: she scores highest in the mathematics realm on iq tests, but she lives like a total right brainer - completely! Weird, huh? (Maybe it's because we didn't wear seatbelts as kids, and I did smack my head pretty hard in the back of the old station wagon...)] Anyhoo, good book! I recommend it!

BIIIIIIG yaWN! Now it is 11:46 p.m., time for beddie-bye so that I can wake up early tomorrow to pack up my classroom... :-(

But wasn't today a GREAT DAY!!!?!?!