Contests

People enter contests to measure how they stack up against other people in their field.

I have entered a lot of contests in the past and I have judged a lot of contests. Since there are no absolutes in art now days the the reality is down to two things.

Either you have a taste for a certain kind of work or you know for a fact that a lot of people have a taste for a certain kind of work. ?Then it is good work.

Work that is called EDGY is just work that is neither well known or liked.

They call it important new work so that it will sound like you should like it because you should be smart enough to get it. If you don't get it you are basically a backwards idiot and should not even be playing this game.

To illustrate this fact another story from San Francisco,

There was a well known gallery there called the Grapestake Gallery.

All the hip people went there and shows sold out.

They had a show consisting of cardboard boxes torn apart and hanging on the wall. Yup they weren't even painted on.

When I saw that, even at the tender age of 21 I knew the art world was all about and I knew I could get away with anything.

Doll house

I got my granddaughter this dollhouse. She tried to get in the dollhouse. She backed up and tried to sit in the tiny chairs and eat the tiny ice cream cone.

I think we are attracted to small spaces because they are comforting.

I spend time looking at tiny house blogs. I am reevaluating space.

I think about how a hundred years ago, probably 6 people lived in the house I am in now. The closets are so small yet I am sure they were full of just enough clothes to live.

Now we have huge walk in closets and dressing rooms.

My hundred year old house was probably a pretty elegant house for its time. I can imagine very nice people lived here. With a big family.

I hope someday another good sized family lives here and fills up all the rooms with joy and laughter. This house wants 4 kids to live here. It wants a Mommy and a Daddy and a couple of dogs. This house wants to have lots of people over too to share life with.

What color is your parachute

One of the questions asked in "What color is your parachute?" is do you like to work alone or with other people.

the book asks a million questions to figure out what job is best for you.

I like to work alone but I like a lot of people around me all the time.

This is hard to do.

I think that is why I like tiny spaces,

A big empty house is awful.

to me

I hate the silence. To stop the silence I have to make something. I have to write and read or talk to someone.

The silence makes me creative out of necessity.

But when I paint I have to concentrate on the work and the painting is my person. I was thinking maybe I am painting a friend over and over and over.

the paintings take on a life of their own.

This is a true thing. My husband and I hang the whole show in our house for a while then I take it all to the gallery. WE actually experience a kind of mourning. It is not just me. He feels lonely too.

This tells me everyone is absolutely relational. Everyone wants somebody to be around. We were made for relating.

Harry Truman

I just saw a documentary on Harry Truman. He was the epitome of tenacity. Every second in his life was overcoming some kind of obstacle.

84 days after being in office as Vice President, Roosevelt died, making him president. A job he felt he was not remotely qualified for. Yet he said "I have to do it anyway. " the decisions he made were overwhelmingly horrible to make. He made them , and let it go.

It really made me think about my own life.

What does backbone look like. Harry Truman. Courage under constant fire.

He was willing to be unpopular no matter what it cost him.

And it cost him plenty.

I was thinking about that too, How often do I made decisions to be liked.

That is such a cowardly way to live.

Way better to let the chips fall and then die having really lived with integrity than to appease others and not be honest.

I was glad to have seen this documentary, Having courage fleshed out is always a good thing to have in your brain.

Doing what you don't want to do

Nobody likes to get up early and work out. Nobody likes to watch their weight and work on getting it down. Nobody likes discipline.

I met Jack LaLaine once. I worked in a health food store in San Francisco and he came in. He ordered carrot juice and greens.

He was really old when he came in. He told me there was nothing he hated more than getting up and working out.

You would think he would be so used to it that it would be easy to get up at 5 am and work out for an hour.

But sadly he said it killed him every morning to make himself get out of bed.

His Television show made it look like he was enjoying himself.

Why did he tell me this when I was just getting him some juice??

Why not tell someone else.

Why even tell anyone.

I thought he must have sensed that I needed to hear that.

We always think it is easier for other people to do this or that.

Maybe it is public speaking. Or selling or being out going.

Did you know Steve Martin was shy and hated to go to parties. He had to make himself do all he did too.

People think I am outgoing. Well I am but at first I am uncomfortable like everyone else. I question whether anyone will think I am crazy or boring or worse invisible.

I have to make myself talk to people. I really do. If you knew me you would never guess that. But it is true. I hate parties because I don't know what to say to strangers.

but I have devised a trick that makes it a little easier. I have learned to listen very hard and when people see that I am totally listening to them they open up and then I get engrossed and they are not strangers anymore. That is my plan for over coming shyness.

People

Each person has a unique gift to give to the world.

Some people influence thousands and some influence millions.

The difference between influencing thousands and millions is one thing.

communication.

The more ways you can communicate what your gift is the more impact you will have on society.

People are always in the being influenced mood. Always.

Everything we read, see, hear, etc is influencing how we perceive the universe.

Seems like a simple thought , an obvious thought but I am willing to bet that you have not thought of it.

Influencing is not a passive thing. It is proactive. And being influenced is a totally passive thing. You just stand there and you get influenced whether you want to or not.

It really helps to be aware of this fact and make sure you are influenced by good and encouraging things so that you will not have the life drained from you.

YOU SHOULD BE A GOOD INFLUENCE TO EVERYBODY ELSE OR YOU WILL AUTOMATICALLY BE A BAD ONE. Nothing is not changing. Everything is always going either one way or another. Every second of the day is either going one way or the other.

And you are giving or you are taking. Give everything you have every day and make sure it is good you are giving.

Think this " What can I do to help?" If you are thinking that you will be fine. I hope you don't think I have this down at all , I do not . But I know it is true and I know that it makes life beautiful and meaningful and wonderful .

Selfish people are never never never happy, which is pretty funny as that is their main goal. They will never attain what they seek. In fact Selfish stands for So Entirely Lifeless Floundering in Shallow Hole.

when you are sad

sometimes we are sad and that is ok. Everybody does not need to be happy all the time. If you know someone is going through a hard thing or you are then be sad. Being sad is the only way to ever be glad again. You need something to compare glad to so you have to be sad sometimes.

most people try and fight it and put on a good front.

I think you should wallow and be as sad as you can for as long as you need and then you will get it all out.

Sad is part of life and we should embrace it.

I find that if I concentrate on being as sad as can be it lasts a shorter time and it sort of cleans you out of tears.

All that salt leaving you is good for you.

you dont want to be a dead sea and just keep all that salt water in one place.

The sun

The rain is raining all around it falls on fields and trees. It rains on umbrellas here and on the ships at sea RLS

When it is raining and everyone is bummed out. There are always three things to do.

splash in the puddles that are only there when it rains.

don't water your lawn

cry and nobody knows you are crying.

Rain is like a crisis. You dont want it but it can make everything better when it is over.

It waters your soul even though you dont want it

and it cleans out your life and you can focus on what is important.

We forget what is important about every two seconds. and a nice crisis is a good way to remember.