Nov20
Posted on Nov 20 by Ruth Davis
We are deep into Autumn, the season of letting go. Trees are losing their last leaves, the fruits have fallen from the branches and we can see through the bareness of the limbs. We can mirror this season in our own lives by clearing the clutter – letting go of old, dead, useless things and thoughts, to make room for new growth and blooming. Clutter isn’t just piles of papers and stacks of unsorted bills. Clutter can be anything you no longer use: trinkets you used to collect, clothes you no longer wear, wedding gifts from a previous marriage. Not only do these things take up space in our homes, they keep us attached to a version of ourselves that we no longer are. And until we let them go, we cannot move into the authentic person we truly are. For several years I created artworks from found and recycled materials. I had full drawers and boxes, neatly organized and arranged with all kinds of objects and doodads for my creations. Sometimes a friend would call, asking for...
Nov13
Posted on Nov 13 by Ruth Davis
As you know, I’m spending the month of November getting reacquainted with my creative heart. It is great fun to hang out in the studio, tearing images from magazines and calendars, playing with patterns and colors and composition. I’ve also been shaping flying birds out of newspaper and sketching sculptures that I imagine building with found pieces of metal. And I’ve been pretty easily able to stay focused on the play and process and not worry about producing product for the upcoming Arts Festival. But what I didn’t expect was how emotional I’ve been, especially about missing Laddy. Being a Mac workaholic seems to have kept a lot of this tender grief at bay since Laddy died in September. Now, with more time and attention spotlighting my heart, of course I’m going to FEEL other things more. Good stuff, fun stuff AND sad stuff. Because the creative heart is not a separate place. The whole of the heart feels everything. In fact, it’s probably BECAUSE of this deep grief that my heart begs to be more creative, more expressive....
Oct30
Posted on Oct 30 by Ruth Davis
We all have something we love to do. But for whatever reason, we aren’t making the time. Other things seem more important. We neglect to schedule it in. We put it off until someday. But if we want to do this thing that fills our heart, we have to make the time. It has to be a habit, a routine, a regular part of our daily life. Routines become mundane. Often, the word habit has a negative connotation. We tend to break habits, think of bad habits. So why not, instead, create an habitual ritual. A ritual is sacred. Important. Meaningful. Like walking the dogs. Feeding the birds. Drinking your morning cup of coffee. An habitual ritual happens at a set time every day. Not every other day. Or once a week. But every day. Even if something else seems more important. Nothing is more important. You’ve learned this by NOT showing up. By talking yourself into other things, out of THIS thing. But then, you feel a hole in your heart, and food can’t fill it. Sleep...
Oct30
Posted on Oct 30 by Ruth Davis
“Let yourself be silently drawn by the stronger pull of what you really love.” ~ Rumi My biggest take away from Patti Digh’s camp last month was the deep connection to creativity, both in others and in myself. Being around people who make art and music and love to write is rich fuel for my own creative soul. I was deeply inspired by the poets who stood up and spoke strong words, by the songwriters who sang their own lyrics, by the painters and jewelers and art makers who displayed their works on simple black tablecloths, all claiming, “Yes, this is my voice, this is my work.” I have been dreaming of getting back into a studio, to make things out of recycled materials, to focus on more creative writing, to follow the surges of great ideas and see what happens. But studio space is expensive and hard to find in Morro Bay and I had no vision of what I’d do with the stuff I made. Years ago, when I lived with Marika, I spent hours out...
Oct15
Posted on Oct 15 by Ruth Davis
Marika and I had a great vacation exploring Georgia and South Carolina. The pace is slow, the trees are tall and the people really are friendly, y’all. Here is my travel journal from our trip: Sunday: A dear friend gave me a ride from camp to our rental condo in downtown Atlanta, where I dropped off my luggage, then took the MARTA train to the airport to surprise Marika. What a delight to see her smiling face when I met her at the baggage claim so that she wouldn’t have to pick up the rental car alone. The condo was on the third floor of a twenty four story building, just a few short blocks to the aquarium. It started to drizzle as we made our way to the closest restaurant for dinner. We walked home in a downpour of warm, wet rain. Monday: We spent the entire day at the Georgia Aquarium. We got there just as they opened on a relatively un-busy day so it was easy to see everything. Our favorites were the Beluga Whales, the...
Oct09
Posted on Oct 9 by Ruth Davis
It happens to all of us. We get a great idea. We’re motivated. We take the first step toward what we want and we’re cruising. We feel excited. Rejuvenated. Like this thing could really happen! And then something doesn’t turn out the way we had hoped or expected. And we land in a pile of doubt. Sound familiar? Did you start the year thinking this would be the year of the Big Change? Maybe you’re ready to find a new career or to pursue that dream you’ve always said “someday” about. You made your list of everything you wanted, opened your heart to the universe and said, “Bring it on!” Maybe you even found a great job to apply for. You revamped your resumé and aced the interview. But you didn’t get the job. You feel defeated and so full of doubt that you wonder if you are ever going to live the life of your dreams. If you are standing in that space of ready, and unknown, it can be very uncomfortable. What do you do now? What...
