WELCOME

As the holidays sneak up on us, thoughts of family come to mind. As we first celebrate Thanksgiving, I am thankful for so very much, but particularly having a sibling, my brother Dave. There’s virtually no one who has known me longer or better than my brother.

Stop and smell the roses or even a flower from a weed. The beauty that surrounds you, offers the vitality that you need. Chapter 4 from my book - Live An Artful Life, is titled, The Beauty Creativity Brings. We are surrounded by all sorts of things. There’s just no shortage of visual stimulation, but all of it is certainly not healthy for us, or a positive influence.

The creation of art is often a very solitary endeavor. As artists we find ourselves making all of the decisions from conception through to completion. Sometimes this singlehanded-ness approach continues right on through with the promotion of yourself, the marketing of the art you’ve just created and even with its hopeful sale. Sure, collaboration is possible, but many go it completely alone.

I’ve been an artist “painter” for 31 years now. Frankly, it’s a long time to do anything, but year by year, decade by decade, time chipped away a lengthy career. On and off, really all my life, I’ve also been a writer.

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"