Deadlines and Roses

Deadlines and roses. My creative life is like planting a dozen rose bushes. I set deadlines or thorns for myself and sometimes the growing pains of getting there hurts. My gray matter is squeezed like a sponge over the dry ground around me. I soak up some more ideas and actions feel slow, they barelyContinue reading “Deadlines and Roses”

Changing Your Scenery

This week the weather in Minnesota could fry an egg on our cars but there are cooler spots under trees, or places to dip our toes into cool water.  The highways are lined with campers and boats in toe on Friday and those at the offices are leaving earlier.  The thought of laying back onContinue reading “Changing Your Scenery”

Featured Artist of the Month!

Hold on everybody, another plate is going onto a spinner. I’m going to be a featured artist at The Art Shoppe in Minneapolis! I’m two weeks away from showing my artwork and having wall space in July and August. What’s one more deadline added into my schedule? Good thing I stayed up late last weekContinue reading “Featured Artist of the Month!”

Action In Motion

Friday is here and I’m one day away from my meeting with the committee members who will decide what’s going onto their wall space in during the month of July and August.  My paint brush is recovering from a quick frenzy of first layers for my new scheme of pastels. Swishes and strokes of pinksContinue reading “Action In Motion”

What’s On Your Billboard?

I’m an avid YouTube follower of Creators who create content of writing, art, and food. Last night I dozed off in the air conditioning after a long day and I woke up to #7Figuresquad in my suggested videos. Curiosity got the best of me and I’m always looking to brush up my skills. Running myContinue reading “What’s On Your Billboard?”

It’s a Circus Again!

To all my readers out there, I have come to the conclusion that I’m crazy. I put myself into another juggling act in the circus because I can’t shut off the creative side of my brain. I just signed myself up for creating new art pieces for July or August. The Art Shoppe in MidwestContinue reading “It’s a Circus Again!”

Memorial Day Memories

This weekend the Minnesota crockpot came out in the middle of a cold, drizzly Saturday to slow-cook a roast. Long weekends means added never ending soups and slow cookers in my family. I remember weekends on the lake and letting one large pot of soup boil every day. Every day we added to the flavorContinue reading “Memorial Day Memories”

Dreams and Death

Friday is here and the Holiday weekend is filled with busy travelers trying to escape the city for a weekend at the lake in Minnesota. We are the land of 10,000 lakes and boats are in tow early as people take off early from the workweek. There may be fireworks, celebrations, and long lines atContinue reading “Dreams and Death”

Up At Midnight

Ever since I was little, I wondered if I belonged to a life in a bigger city – like New York because it’s the city that never sleeps. Or, I just read and watched too many vampire themed stories. I imagine waking up in the middle of the night, throwing on a jacket or sweaterContinue reading “Up At Midnight”

Words for Pictures

We still have a few more days of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, and I’m sharing a few of the reasons I started to publish. One of my dreams when I started writing and illustrating children’s books was to expand the local bookshelves because I never saw the faces of children like myself in magazinesContinue reading “Words for Pictures”

Walk in the Rain

This week Minneapolis turned into a little Seattle with drizzling, wet, rainy days. Something in the air changed as the hot air was pushed down into the wet earth, and it was as if my body sensed this subtle shift. My eyes closed as I walked down the street in my orange umbrella and IContinue reading “Walk in the Rain”

Brain Power

I was working on my next journal which will include ways to improve creativity and feel inspired when I realized something. There are times we do go blank, and it’s not out of lack of discipline. Maybe we just have too much going on. Instead of getting frustrated (my past self), stop and listen toContinue reading “Brain Power”