retinal perspectives

the walrus said

{an extremely irregular series inspired by kelly, in which atlas dispenses pearls of wisdom}

"sometimes you just have to let your people do what they want to do, in order to get some peace. besides, better a buried paw than a silly outfit."

living in the mystery

"It began in mystery, and it will end in mystery, but what a savage and beautiful country lies in between."

- Diane Ackerman

30 days of (something) - want to join me?

my 30 days of (shiva nata) practice back in june was made even better because of everyone who joined in with their own particular practice. since september has 30 days, i've decided to do another 30 day practice. you are all invited to join me.

this time, i want to do morning pages. if you've read the artist's way, by julia cameron, you're probably familiar with the idea. in case you're not - it's three pages of writing, every morning, anything that comes to your mind. i am forgoing the written word, however, in order to use 750words.com. i am much more likely to type than i am to write. plus, i am a speedy typer.

in june, i also set an intention (or theme) for the month: permission. i think i want to set an intention for september as well, but i just cannot decide on one. the current top contenders are permission (yes, again), pleasure, flow, and joy. good thing i still have some time.

anyway, that's the plan - 30 days of morning pages, starting september 1.

if you want to join me, i would love to have the company. maybe you have something you want to focus on for 30 days and could use the support? maybe it's a practice? maybe it's a theme? maybe it's something you want to eliminate from your life? the options are endless.

i'll plan to check in on mondays again in case you decide to join me and want to share how it's going.

here's to the joy of practice!

p.s. in case you needed a reminder, all of the prints currently in the shop will disappear sometime on tuesday, just in case there is one you were considering. then, it will be ready for me to add the september collection!

a sense of trust, volume 32

{my attempt to capture 52 photos that represent trust - my word for 2011}.

today, in search of a thread to share in my musings on trust, i pull from my journal.

what if i were worthy?

huh. that would be a game-changer. the trouble is that it's hard to just think yourself worthy after years of hearing, learning, thinking, believing that you are not.

if i believed in miracles, i would believe that i could just flip a switch and transform this pattern. except even that is scary because it seems to make all the years of suffering unnecessary.

and yet, maybe everything happens the way it does in order to bring us to this moment.

everything certainly does happen the way it does in order to bring us to this moment. that is the truth of it. (the question is whether there is a plan or a point or a method to the madness. maybe it doesn't really matter - unless it brings me comfort.)

and so, this is where i am - still sitting with the question.

what if i am worthy?

i draw in my breath. the answer, it seems, could change everything.

ice cream for everyone!

my thoughts are somewhat preoccupied with a new and possibly crazy idea so i must present a post of jumbles.

i bought sugar cones today. and an ice cream scoop. do you know how long it's been since i bought ice cream cones?! forever and a day. that seems all wrong somehow. and then of course i had to buy the ice cream scoop because i just couldn't picture an ice cream cone made without one.

the other day, i went to the library to pick up some books that had come in. as is usual, they are both thinking books: the woman who gave birth to her mother and the obsession: reflections on the tyranny of slenderness. how did i balance them out? by checking out two movies: the justin bieber movie and disney's "the sorcerer's apprentice". i crack myself up. apparently i am a creature of all ages.

blueberries and cream. blueberries and cream. blueberries and cream. that is all i will say about that.

and some things i have been enjoying around the interwebs:

i am in love with this artist's jewelry. i suspect that if i am ever lucky enough to purchase a piece, it will never ever come off.

there's still time to help communicatrix in her goal to raise $50000 in 50 days for writegirl. check it out.

i feel relaxed and refreshed just looking at brooke's pictures from her vacation to ontario.

happy thursday to you! i would love to hear what's on your mind or in your world if you feel moved to share.

there is lots of sleeping going on around here

for myself, i cannot wish the rare warm weather days away. but oh, i do feel for my friend that is covered in fur. he spends his days moving from one spot to another, trying to stay cool.

maybe we should migrate to alaska for the month of august.

another photographic ode to mark rothko

{i suspect this may become another extremely irregular series because i do so love mark rothko's paintings.}

"Art is the desire of a man to express himself, to record the reactions of his personality to the world he lives in."

- Amy Lowell

we all need days like this

we all need days where we (plus a good book) move from the beach to a hammock to a comfy chair to the dinner table to a comfy chair to a homemade ice cream stand. summers on cape cod are indeed delightful.

of course, this was not that day. this day was rainy.

minus the hammock, and the beach, this weekend looked rather like my vacation. both saturday and sunday were in the 90s, so atlas and i turned into slugs and ate excessive amounts of watermelon. plus, it was the weekend of the hillsboro airshow and i can see bits of the main acts from the park behind my house. there is nothing quite like the roar and rumble of fighter jets flying overhead.

i hope your weekend was just as good.

a sense of trust, volume 31

{my attempt to capture 52 photos that represent trust - my word for 2011}.

trusting in

the light
and the dark,

the up
and the down,

the hard
and the soft.

the lines,
and all the spaces in between.

a wandering collection of prints

off and on over the past many months, i noticed a huge feeling of resistance to the idea of selling prints. it just didn't feel like me, and i kept wanting to remove prints from my etsy shop altogether.

this seemed rather puzzling. i thought i wanted to offer prints, but clearly something about it felt wrong.

one day, i realized the problem. i'm not offering prints in a way that is fun for me. it feels rather like i have turned my prints into a widget and i am the assembly line. of course that's not exactly what is happening, but somehow it's missing the same light and playful spirit that is present with my cards and postcards.

my resulting epiphany: it's not enough to love the thing i'm offering. i have to love the process of offering it as well.

i want to bring that light and playful spirit back. i want my print offering to be full of surprise and delight and joyful anticipation. for me and for you.

so, here's what's going to happen.

at the end of august, all of the prints currently in the shop will disappear.

at the beginning of each month - starting in september - i'll add a set of prints to the shop. my sense is that it will be between one and five. there may be a theme. (oh, who am i kidding; of course there will be a theme!) the sizes and prices will depend entirely on the prints.

at the beginning of the next month, those prints will disappear, and a new set will take their place. it's entirely possible that a particular image may show up again someday; then again, it may not.

it's a wandering collection of prints!

oh, the fun. i am so excited to play with this, and i hope you enjoy it too.