WELCOME

This week Linda and I went in search of Autumn. New to the convenience of reaching North Carolina’s High Country, and elevations higher than the Old Dominion, we headed to the Blue Ridge Parkway to lap up the sights between mile-post 335 and 382, at the Folk Art Center on the outskirts of Asheville.

In Chapter 8 “Overcoming Obstacles” from my book Live An Artful Life, I say, Children are carefree. If you look at the basic definition of the word carefree, it pretty much says it all; free from anxiety and responsibility. I then go on to say that I like to think of being carefree as not being controlled by anxiety and responsibility.

I go on to say, And being creative will never let you see four blank walls for long. This is straight from my book, Live An Artful Life, Chapter 14 - Ageless Artistry. It is estimated that 10,000 people per day retire.

You deserve the life,
An artful life can bring.
Filled to the brim with gratitude,
And surrounded by creative things!
         This poem is an excerpt from the book
       "Live An Artful Life - The Art of Living Artfully"

Linda and I recently met with a plant nursery owner about purchasing and further landscaping our property. I consider landscaping and levels of gardening or garden design, as a form of artistry, because it does take a developed skill, originality, use of color, texture, placement, and light. But there’s a spin to this story I’ll share in a moment.

I was sitting at our kitchen island finishing dinner and found myself gazing at two tomatoes sitting on the black granite kitchen counter. Their mirror-like reflection was offering up two pairs! Not pears! Pairs! With every Live An Artful Life principle, it’s not just seeing, but the depth of seeing that really counts.

As some of you know, Linda and I have purchased a home in North Carolina. It’s just trying something different that was the root cause of it all. In doing so, this home, with its large bonus room over the garage, offered a new studio space that is quite different from our home in Virginia.

Writing a book is one of the hardest and easiest things I’ve ever done. Easy only because of my love of writing and no shortage of experiences to share. But hardest because it’s no sprint, it’s a marathon.