Ready, set, GO!

Laundry finished and folded so that the family can find clothes when I'm gone? Check.
Groceries bought so that the family can eat while I'm gone? Check.
Christmas tree up and decorated? Check.
Pants hemmed for Marcel & me? Check.
Rental car booked? Check.
Winter parka purchased for oldest daughter so that she doesn't freeze when the weather starts to drop? Check.
Funky bag picked up from Joyce and packed full of travel goodies? Check.
Underwear packed? Check.
All other necessary clothing items packed? Check.
Hostess gifts and orientation material for new volunteer packed? Check.
Passport picked up from the post office? Check.
Haircut? Check.
Book to read on the plane? Check.
Flat Madeline safely tucked in my carry-on luggage? Check. (By the way, if you're one of the gracious people who offered to host her, I'll be lining up some visits when I'm back from my wandering.)
Camera, cell phone, laptop, mp3 player, and all the necessary chargers, download cords, etc. packed? Check. (Well almost - I have to put the laptop in the bag when I'm finished typing this.)
Taxi booked for the morning? Check.
Guest bloggers and interview responses lined up and ready to post when I'm gone? Check.
Powerpoint presentations prepared for trip? Uhhhh... nope. Guess that one will have to happen on the plane.

Guess I'm ready to go. All that finished, and it's only 10:15! (No, I'm NOT staying up to midnight to work on the presentations that didn't get finished.)

Madeline takes the spotlight

When I threw out an invitation for interview questions, Connie, the delightful artist behind Dirty Footprints Studio, decided it would be fun to interview Maddie, the budding artist in our home.

Hi Maddie!! My name is Connie Hozvicka and I am an Art teacher, and the artist over at the blog  Dirty Footprints Studio.  Getting to know you and your art work is one of my favorite parts of your Mom's blog.  Thanks for taking the time to do this interview with me!

I call my studio Dirty Footprints Studio--that's where I do all my artwork.  Do you have a name for your studio as well?

I call it "I like Art Studio". It's kind of small. It's under a table.
 
What are your favorite materials to use in making art?

Crayons, paint brushes, paint, and paper. And scissors. Recently I made a flat person - I flattened myself to look like a pancake. I call it Flat Madeline. We were doing an activity at school where we were making flat people and I decided to make one at home. These are the materials I used for my flat person.

Who is your favorite artist and why?

Leonardo DaVinci. Because I like the Mona Lisa.

What is your favorite color?

Pink. And purple. And blue. And bright green.

What advice do you have for people just starting out making art?

Start by doing something easy and then work your way up to harder stuff. Start by going to the store to get some art supplies and then test them out.

What other fun things do you like to do when you are not making art?

Soccer and swimming. I like to play with my stuffed monkey, Joe Banana.

What piece of art work are you most proud of and why?

My painting that I made for my sister called "The Purse". I'm proud of it because it's good.

Thank you Maddie!!! I hope one day we can paint and make Creative Juicy ART together.  Big hugs!!
Connie

For more on the adventures Madeline the artist, check out her NEW BLOG! Yup, that's right, since she likes to steal the spotlight around here, we thought it was time she set up her own space. Go on over and visit! www.madelinemakesart.blogspot.com 

What a week!

Sometimes, it seems, everything shows up in the same week. Like this week. Board meetings, concerts, school events, church events, board dinner, new staff starting - and that's just the big stuff. In between there are kids to feed and deliver to soccer practices, flyers to help deliver, groceries to buy, etc., etc.

I survived. That's about all I have to say.

And somewhere in there I managed to squeeze in a very worthwhile visit to the Karsh exhibit at the Winnipeg Art Gallery. It's worth the price of admission.

Plus I managed to finish reading "The School of Essential Ingredients" - a delightful read!

Oh... and the Jann Arden concert? Fabulous. I've seen her five or six times and she just keeps getting better and better.

One other thing... I may be one of the only women on the planet, but I did NOT sleep with Tiger Woods. My husband almost wishes I had so we'd be "in the money". But buddy, you're the only one who shares MY bed!

Just one more thing... my friend M is one of the least racist people I know, no matter who says otherwise. (You know I love you, M!)

Embracing my inner art-lovin' peace-lovin' hippie

It's been a full and exhausting week, but oh the good things that have come in the midst of all this craziness!  To cap off the goodness, I won the bid on this AMAZING bag from Joyce, and now I can truly embrace the peace-lovin' hippie in me!

How perfect is it that I'm buying a peace-sign bag from re-purposed fabric in support of justice and food for the people of Darfur!?! Everything about it just screams "this is meant to be Heather's bag!" I hope to have it in time for my east coast tour next week (Joyce lives a half hour from me), 'cause I'll be able to tell myself I'm just a free-spirited hippie out to convene with mother nature and a community of other hippies on the coast. Smile.

If you haven't checked out Joyce's Darfur Project yet, then WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?! Go there NOW. Bid on a bag. (It's okay - go -  I'll still be here when you get back.) Bookmark it for future reference, and keep going back.  I kept forgetting to visit until it was too late to bid on the bags I wanted, but it turned out to be serendipitous, because I showed up at just the right time to buy the bag that is my favourite of the bags I've seen so far (and she makes lots of cool bags).

While I'm wandering the East Coast with my hippie bag, one of the coolest things I'll be doing is visiting the artist Dale Cook in New Brunswick. Dale is putting on an art show in support of the organization I work for (Canadian Foodgrains Bank), and some of her paintings are based on my photos from India and Bangladesh.  Here's one of my favourites from a photo I took in India. Isn't it beautiful?

I SO wish I could afford to buy it, but with kids who've suddenly outgrown winter coats and boots at the same time AND have this ridiculous expectation that they'll get Christmas presents (sheesh), that would prove to be a little difficult. Hopefully it will go to a good home. :-)  Check out Dale's blog here.

I've got lots of other fun things lined up for my trip, including lunch and a studio visit with another artist/writer in Nova Scotia (whom I've admired from afar since I learned about her a few years ago and I'm in awe that I get to meet her face to face), and a meal in a restaurant/bakery that's developed a special bread recipe that they're dedicating to the Foodgrains Bank (every loaf they sell will support the work of ending hunger overseas).  Plus I get to stay with my friend Randy (who gave me my triple spiral necklace on my last visit), and some other people that I really like (and expect to like once I meet the ones I've only spoken to on the phone so far) in three of the Atlantic Provinces.

It's a good life for a peace-lovin', art-lovin', bread-lovin', people-lovin', justice-lovin' hippie!

I hardly know what to say (but that never stopped me before)

I am just bursting with good energy today. BURSTING! I want to write a post and tell you all about it, but I’m having a hard time putting into words what has happened this week. I keep starting and stopping, typing and then deleting.

I think I need to stew over this one a bit – let it mellow - before I try to explain what good things have happened, and how some really challenging things have shifted into amazing possibilities.

For now, let me tell you a few things that have become more clear to me this week:

• When I am authentic and vulnerable with people, more often than not, I will be supported in ways I couldn’t have imagined.
• When I really trust my leadership gifts, I am capable of more than I could have dreamed.
• When I recognize that I don’t have to do this alone, I am caught off guard by how powerful teamwork can be.
• When I acknowledge the fear, but then go forward anyway, I surprise myself with my capacity for boldness.
• When I slow down, value the time for contemplation and reflection, and ignore the people who would like to rush me, I am way better off in the long run.
• When I trust my own vision and wisdom in an area I am immersed in, I am much further ahead than when I assume others have more expertise than I do.
• When I get my ego out of the way, and let God guide me through rough waters, I don’t have to paddle so hard.

I feel a little like crying right now, but the tears would be good tears. They would be tears of relief, healing, and happiness.

A (virtual) party and a request...

December 15th will mark a big day around here for the Fumbling for Words blog. It will this blog's 5th anniversary AND if all goes as planned, it will also be my 1000th post! That’s a lot of reasons to celebrate, so I’m cooking up some goodies to share (yes, there WILL be prizes) and a few things to inspire your creative juices.

In the meantime, though, I have to cram in a few posts between now and then to get to 1000. And next week I’ll be on the road, so posting opportunities will be slim. Soooo… I need your help with a couple of things…

1. Interview me! As I was looking over my blog archives, I came across a few posts where I’d answered people’s random interview questions and they were really fun to re-read. So here’s your chance – leave a comment on this post asking a question about whatever you’d like to know about me. I’m an open book, so go ahead and ask… My shoe size? My bra size? (Yes, I already posted about that, so if you dig hard enough, you’ll find it.) What’s my favourite childhood memory? What’s the hardest thing I’ve ever lived through? Just ask! (But don’t ask my kids’ favourite question – who’s my favourite daughter? If it’s Monday, it will be Nikki, if it’s Tuesday, it will be Julie, if it’s Wednesday, it will be Maddie – the rest of the days are free-for-all.)

2. I’m looking for some guest bloggers! With my busy travel schedule next week (New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, PEI – here I come!), I won’t get to blog much, so this is your chance to speak your mind at Fumbling for Words. The topic can be your choice, but I’d like it to be something fairly uplifting/celebratory/inspiring/creative in honour of my blog-iversary. Maybe you’d even like to write something about what has inspired you most at FFW? If you’re up for the challenge, send me an email at heatherpl at mts dot net. I’ll need all submissions by Friday, December 4th so that I can set them up to post while I’m away.

Thanks for being part of the lovely little community hear at Fumbling for Words!

Art (almost) every day

Well, Art Every Day Month is over in just a few hours.  I wasn't fully successful at creating art every day - life got in the way a few too many times - but I made an effort, and that's good enough for me.

This afternoon, I showed a friend the "Strength of her hands" painting, and he marveled at how I find the time - with a demanding career (that involves travel), three active children (who like it when I show up for volleyball games, soccer games, and band concerts as often as possible), and all the other things that need to be done like housework, laundry, grocery shopping, etc. - to paint and write.

There are a few answers to that question. For one thing, I do as little housework as possible, and (sadly) it shows. Marcel does a fair bit (because he's home more than I am), and the girls are old enough to contribute, but we've grown used to living with "good enough" when it comes to housework.

For another thing, I find snippets of time when I can - while I'm doing laundry (it helps that my studio is right next to the laundry room, so I can sneak in there), when the youngest (and most demanding of my energy) member of the household is asleep, etc. - and I make do with that. Since I travel, I bank time now and then, and occasionally take a day all to myself when I can get longer periods for more concentrated work. The TV holds very little temptation for me, so most of my leisure time is spent with a book, a computer, or a paint brush.

This month, one of the things that worked for me was that I included Maddie in the fun.  She loves nothing more than to "do art with Mom", so she and I often disappear into the studio for some art fun after supper. She's getting old enough now that she can get absorbed in a project and not need constant care and attention from me, so it's working fairly well to do parallel projects with her (or sometimes we do joint projects).

The truth is, I know myself well enough to know that if I don't find at least a little time for creative activity, I'll go stir crazy. The longer I've been away from a creative project, the more I start getting agitated and grumpy and the people around me suffer. So it's best to find the time (even just 15 minutes here and there make a difference) and everyone in the household ends up happier.

I'm grateful to people like Leah who inspire us to try to be creative every day. Thanks Leah!

******
A few other art-related tidbits...

• Bailey, you can scratch "The War of Art" off your wish list, because your prize copy will be in your mailbox soon (along with the piece of art I promised you in return for your contribution to my studio)!
• I've been looking for an opportunity for Nikki to get a little more exposure to the world of fashion design (since she's not able to play sports until at least March), and today I got an email back from a local designer who's willing to have Nikki come into her studio to help out now and then.  Both Nikki and I are kind of excited about this!
• Next week I'm flying to New Brunswick and one of the things I'll be doing is going to an art show and hanging out with the artist.  What fun! I'll post more about that soon.
  

This is the beginning

Today marks another beginning. I have a new employee starting today. It's the first of the three we hired recently - the other two will start in the new year.

It's a new beginning because it marks a new chapter in my journey as an evolving leader. I've been a positional leader for a dozen years or so, but each role I take on pushes me to a new level. (I purposefully say "positional leader" because I believe there are all kinds of ways of being a leader without every having the position.)

Expanding my team this year and adding a big new strategic plan is going to stretch me (and my team) in ways I haven't been stretched before. In this year of trying to be more fearless, this may very well be the biggest step I'll take.

Today I am being called to:

• trust my instinct more.
• be bold and push forward into spaces I've never been before.
• thicken my skin and brave the resistance that always comes when we push into something new.
• challenge those people who don't want to give their energy to the team's direction and purpose
• be authentic, vulnerable, and humble, even at the risk of embarrassing myself
• trust my own wisdom and my ability to be the "voice of authority"
• be true to myself and what I believe I am being called to do
• be brave enough to admit failure and strong enough to pick myself up and try again

Six months ago, I put a big proposal forward to the board. It was approved, though not without some resistance on the part of both board and staff. Six months ago, I started slipping into a deep pit of restlessness, fear, frustration, and yes... I believe depression. I wrestled with demons that said I wasn't good enough, smart enough, or capable enough. I battled obstacles I wasn't prepared for, with two staff resigning, challenges with a consulting company, conflict on my team, and all measure of personal angst and unease.

This week, the board meets again (for semi-annual meetings). I'm still a little fearful and still not sure I can do what I know I need to do, but something in me has shifted. I'm ready to move into this new challenge. I'm ready to trust that I am not doing this alone - that God has equipped me with the skills I need to succeed, or the courage I need to fail.

Let it begin.

Some things that make me smile

Watching my youngest daughter fall in love with reading...

Baking mountains of Christmas goodies with my mom, sister, daughters, and niece...

 

Meeting my friend Eveline's first granddaughter...

Shaped by the Shadows

I’ve been thinking a lot about shadows lately. Last weekend when I was painting hands and faces, it occurred to me that most of my energy was spent trying to get the shadows right. Without the shadows on a painting or photograph, the hands and face have no shape.

It struck me that that’s a powerful metaphor for life. Sometimes we get lost in the shadows. It feels like the light has passed us by and may never shine on us again. Eventually, though, (and sometimes very slowly) we emerge from the shadows into the light, and the warmth and brightness is so much richer because of the time spent in the shade.

If there were only light in our lives, it would seem flat and uninteresting. But throw in some shadows and various intensities and shades of light, and suddenly you have shape and beauty.  Though it was hard to believe at the time, I am a richer person for having been through the shadows of death, rape, more death, the near loss of my beloved, and many lesser shadows.

Making Art

Dipping my brush into the paint

I wrestle with the shadows

The face emerges

Only because light balances with dark

Dipping my memories into the past

I wrestle with the shadows

The beauty emerges

Only because hope balances with fear