Following the Birds

Those of you that have been reading my blog for awhile will know that it started out as a writing blog. A place I could share my experiences as a writer and any tips and tricks I came across along the way.

However, in the last little while, it's slowly become a creative blog. A place where I can share my experiences as a creative person.

I'm hoping since no one has abandoned ship, that it means you're all enjoying the transition. I know I am! It's fun being able to combine my love of writing, reading, music and art all in one space.

So in the spirit of creative transition, I wanted to tell you a little bit about how I started to follow the birds.

A year ago I began reading Julia Cameron's novel, The Artist's Way. I was immediately drawn in to her words. Often I found myself wondering if she had secretly crept into my mind, stole my thoughts and wrote a book just for me. I sometimes feel this way when I find something I truly love. Like it's all for ME! It's a fabulous feeling.

If you haven't read her book, well you must! It's life changing, and I don't say that lightly. Whether you're a writer, artist, doctor or office clerk - this book is guaranteed to lure your creative side out into the open.

Anyhow, like any good creative trying to find their way, I began my morning pages. I normally journal fairly often anyway, so three daily pages wasn't such a daunting task. The challenge resided in the morning part. I am not what you'd call, a morning person. In theory I like the idea of getting up early, but in practice, I often fail. I have this strict belief that one should not rise before the sun. Period. Without exception.

Alas, in winter (when I began this journey) the sun does not make an appearance until well after I'm at work, therefore leaving me to get up in the 'middle' of the night. At least it feels that way. So when I embarked on this morning pages task, I needed to get up 30 minutes earlier than usual. The annoying buzz of my alarm going off at 5:00 AM did nothing but set me in a foul mood, and often my pages started off in much the same way...

It's so dark. I'm so tired. I HATE mornings!

And so on and so forth. But slowly I would shift from complaining (maybe after a page) and begin noticing other things. The glowing moon, the silence and then the birds.

Their chirping began in spring and I found it hard not to write about them. Their constant chatter kept me company and often changed the tone in my pages. I found myself zoning out and just listening to them instead of writing.

Around this time I began noticing that my thoughts kept going back to art - painting, sketching etc. The first rule in The Artist's Way is never go back and read your pages until closer to the end of the twelve week program. Even still, I noticed that it kept coming up.

I took a chance and began buying art supplies to indulge my new found desires. I even signed up for an art class, but was thoroughly disappointed when I received news it had been cancelled. I let my art supplies deplete and focused on my writing. End of.

Flash forward to this year. February 18. I receive an early morning call bringing me terrible news that my step-brother had been in head-on collision and did not survive. Grief gripped me and I felt lost. I wanted to write, but I just couldn't. The pain was much too fresh. It was in this sorrow that something inside whispered...

CREATE

I grabbed what was left of my abandoned art supplies and followed the whispers. At first it felt strange. I didn't know what to do, then, I drew a bird. The rest is history.

Looking back I see that the answers were there all along. Birds. Art. Create. It just took a year for me to connect the dots.

Now my art focuses on the birds that once changed my early morning bitterness, into moments of quiet reflection. Each bird I create helps heal my battle wounds. Helps realign my Self.

I am forever indebted to those early morning birds.

Forever, following the birds.

Creative Every Day - Language

This month's theme for Creative Every Day is Language; fitting since I tend to use a lot of words in my art. I suppose it's the writer in me!

This piece is yet to be named, though I've thought of calling it 'All Heart'. This photo was taken using my brand new iPhone and Instagram so the colour is a bit off, but I still love it!

And now - because I am a writer - an untitled piece of flash fiction. Enjoy!

There were few things in life she cherished more than her memories. Few things that brought her as much joy as closing her eyes and recalling images of her past. Some said she spent too much time wallowing in days long gone, but to her there was no sweeter thing. 

It's where he lived. In her memories. 

How could she not long to be there, in his arms, smelling the musky scent of his unwashed clothes and stale cigarettes. The very things that used to drive her crazy, were the things she missed most. Unwashed plates and inside-out socks, carelessly tossed near, but not quite in the laundry bin. Sinks covered in shaving cream, toothpaste and bits of his beard. His bear hugs and smoky kisses. His louder than life laugh. 

Those were the images she recalled when she missed him. She feared moving on meant leaving him, and that was something she just couldn't do.

Creative Every Day - Follow the Birds

As part of the mixed media theme for Creative Every Day, I've continued to explore working with acrylic paint, ink and paper on canvas.

Follow the Birds.....

Creative Every Day - Mixed Media

When Leah announced March's theme was mixed media, I swear I did a happy dance! Mixed media is my most favourite art form. It's so liberating. There are no rules and anything goes. LOVE!


Art is Capable. I used paint, ink, charcoal and paper on canvas.

 Make the Most of Our Time. Here I used paint, ink and paper on canvas.

Creative Every Day - Drawing

Week two of the Creative Every Day Challenge, and I've found my long lost passion for drawing. Below are two pieces I drew. It's inspired me to keep working at it. I even bought some new art supplies!

Farm house inspired from a how-to draw book.

Kind of faint. I'm thinking of adding colour.

Art Created for Healing

This past weekend I lost a family member unexpectedly. His death was not only unexpected, it was tragic. He was not only my step-brother, he was my friend.

In sadness, I found myself turning to art to express my feelings of loss. This piece was created in his memory. The meaning is incredibly personal, and so I will not explain it, but I wanted to share. I used paper, oil pastels and charcoal to create this. 

Creative Every Day - Tea Party

As part of my pledge to be Creative Every Day, my first post is about a party I hosted. Not just any party, a Jane Austen Tea Party!

This wasn't the first tea party I've had. Two years ago I invited my closest girlfriends over and we sat around drinking tea, eating yummy treats while having a good chinwag. This year I decided to try something a bit different.

There was still tea and yummy treats, but I also decided to set the dining room table, play classical music and put together a little goody bag for each friend. The gifts were tea cups, a notepad and a gemstone. While the gifts were the same in essence, they were also different. Each gift was chosen specifically for their personalities and their interests. This tea cup and notepad was for my friend Becky. She loves music and the colour pink.

Once I selected the gifts I wanted to wrap them up all pretty. I found some tissue paper and ribbon in my scrapbooking supplies. I keep every spare piece of ribbon I find, sometimes they pay off! For name tags, I used light purple card stock and stamped their names in black. It was a personal touch and fun to do!

To decorate the table, I printed out various quotes from Jane Austen's books and placed them in a photo stand, in front of the gift. It was fun searching through quotes and using funky scissors to cut them out.

Picture by Rebecca Waczko

What about the yummy food? Well, I splurged and custom ordered cookies to match my china set. I also served petit fours, fruit and scones.

Okay so that's gifts, table settings, music and food, but what about the tea?
Instead of selecting one tea for all of us to drink, I gave the girls their choice. I set up my kitchen table with multiple teapots and 8 varieties of loose leaf tea, even some hot chocolate for a friend who doesn't drink tea. The flowers on the table helped us forget that outside it was blustery and cold.

All in all the party was a success! We had some great laughs and even better conversations. I think it helped bring out all of our creative sides!