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the errant house |
As an artist, commissioned work has served as both a learning opportunity and a proving ground. In my business, where I offer both original creations envisioned by me and custom commissioned pieces, I sometimes provide "off the menu" options.
Spring arrives this week in our hemisphere, and I've been busily preparing. In stolen moments between my creative tasks in my studio, I've been doing garden tasks, including clearing out, organizing seeds, repotting existing plants, and sowing.
My name is Renée, and I'm blessed to be an aunt to a number of young people. Three of which I have within my immediate grasp and influence.
I sometimes like to think of myself as a junior or "bonus" mom. And I do my best to show and teach my nieces and nephew (5, 14, and 15) things I think could be useful and pertinent for them in life. That includes how to have fun.
I'm taking a moment to reflect today. It is now late July and therefore more than halfway through the year. We have yet to reach the dog days of summer, but I'm looking out on a muggy, cloudy afternoon, watching for the latest round of storms to hit and thinking about how quickly fall will descend on us.
After years of [somewhat] adequate service, I recently bid farewell to a key member of my team here in this studio. I was not prepared to part ways. I spent several months and dollars seeking a resolution. But the matter simply could not be resolved favorably.
This one is a little different. Because this TIMFM post is about something different I make for me: space.
It happened. I'm surprised that I evaded it this long. Time and time again, I have been regaled with others' horror stories. And my own experience lived up to the grave descriptions.
The days of sameness are passé. We are human beings. Individuals. And what makes us interesting are our differences.
I recently read a book that discussed evolutionary psychology. It talked about modern man's reasons for certain behaviors and choices and how they are linked to survival instincts we've had hardwired into us for millennia. It also touched on the possibility that some of those behaviors may no longer serve us.