Simple and Basic, 5.28.21

As I begin this post, the day marks two full months of no social media. During this time I have been thinking long and hard about the role of social media in my life. It seems silly to even admit that I had to think "long and hard" about it. But, over the last eleven years, it has certainly caused many misunderstandings, fed into spreading gossip, taken way too much of my time and generally annoyed me a lot of the time, so it deserves reflection. But, as a result of this reflection, I have to admit that it has also helped me in many ways. Through social media, I feel a sense of  connection to my community, my family, my friends and my co-workers. I am inspired by the beautiful words and images of so many people. And I am informed and enlightened- about yoga, about cooking, about art- and so many other things.

The last thing I left on social media was a manifesto, written a couple of years ago. For the past couple of weeks, I've been reflecting on that manifesto as I peeked in on a few accounts that I follow on Instagram. What inspires me? What annoys me? What makes me smile? What makes me anxious? So, what did I come up with? The decision to return to social media, albeit in a much more limited way. Stepping away for a while has given me a clear vision of how I want to show up on social media and how I will definitely not show up.  Stepping away has helped me realize that I can use it for the good things I have in mind for my business and use it in a more disciplined way. So, I won't be scrolling mindlessly for hours. My posts will be pretty basic (keeping up with all of the new features and formats is very overwhelming to me) and I won't be posting anything that doesn't fall into the GOOD THINGS category- connection, inspiration, knowledge and beauty.  I will definitely not return to Facebook and will continue to keep my focus on this space- sharing links to my blog posts, announcing classes and events and posting the occasional inspirational quote, thought or photo, via Instagram and Pinterest. 

This space, which seems pretty "back to basics", (you know, kind of like a handwritten letter compared to a typed one) is still the best place to tell my story. In my 55 years, I've had a few challenges thrown my way (and a few that I’ve thrown in my own way!). As the years progress, I learn even more lessons and feel better about where I am, how I got here and where I am headed. I also consider myself a lifelong student and, as I've stated here before, I truly believe that my purpose, for the rest of my time here on this earth, is sharing what I know (and admitting things that I don't know!), sharing lessons I've learned, and sharing what works for me and my life. My goal here is also pretty basic. If I can do it, I want to help you do it. If it works for me, I want it to work for you. If it is something that has helped me, I want it to help you.  If it makes me happy, I want it to make you happy, too. You get the idea, right?! And, what's even better- I'm not fancy. Things that work for me and make me happy are, you guessed it, pretty simple and basic.  I'm pretty sure simple and basic might work for you, too. 😊 

I'll leave you with a few photos of simple, basic moments of gratitude, noticed only in moments of stillness and mindfulness, in our humble little home, on an ordinary Wednesday afternoon. 

Gratitude for the texture and tiny bit of curl my hair has now that most of it (under the color) is gray/white.

Gratitude for deciding to go ahead and use the fancy plates (brought back from Viet Nam by my Uncle Ted) for everyday meals, rather than store them in the basement. Do the fancy plates match anything else in my home? No. Do I love that? Yes. 

Gratitude for Carly, my son's girlfriend, who brought me a wine glass from their recent trip to Epcot, reminding me that I will, eventually, make it to France, even though my school trip to Europe was postponed, AGAIN. 

Gratitude for the way the afternoon sun lights up this room.

And gratitude for finding so much pleasure in small things- like the way this candle (from introvert.home) makes the house smell SO good, but at the same time, you barely notice that it's there. 

So, I'm back, social media. We will see how this love/hate relationship goes this time around.😊

Until next time, 

Be Still. Be Strong. Be Happy. And have a great, long weekend! ~ Juli

Lately, At Home (and in the studio!), 5.13.21

 Lately, at home: 

*I've finished moving my art studio out of the RV (change of plans with that, see this post for the scoop) and into one side of the yoga studio. This is now the exact arrangement for the art and yoga studio that I envisioned the first time we saw this house, with it's completely open, unfinished basement. The only additions now will be a permanent wall in place of the curtains, a bathroom, and a walkout entrance between the two windows. It feels good to have a more permanent solution , albeit still kind of temporary, to use as a studio where people can actually gather together for class. I even have a few regulars, already, which I am so happy about!

Set up and ready for yoga class. 

Open the curtain and we are ready for art class.

 

Really happy with the vibe of this space. I can't wait to teach and make some art here.

 

Books, supplies and projects, organized in wooden crates.

*Fasting is still happening. What I have found that works best for me is fasting during the week, starting at 5:00am and ending between 5:00pm and 7:00pm. I have much more energy during the day at work and use my fruit infused water to stave off any hunger pangs (and it is much easier to get enough water in every day, which is a bonus).  I allow one day of the weekend for eating normally and the other day, I try to eat only fruit for breakfast and lunch. My advice is not trying to stick to a rigid schedule, but trying different things and going with what works for your body and your lifestyle. As far as what I eat, I have to cook and/or prepare most of my own food anyway, due to my sensitivity to MSG (which is hidden in a LOT of packaged or pre-prepared foods) so what I eat is usually pretty much healthy, whole foods (except for the occasional bread pudding or pie for breakfast :0). 

The fruit I use to infuse my water every day. I fill ice cube trays with a few pieces in each section, then fill with water and freeze. Perfect. 

It has taken almost this entire month to get into a routine with what works for me. At this point- digestion is a LOT better. Giving my body and digestive system time to rest and taking in more water every day has been so good for me. The pain in my hands is still there. It may be a little better, but I'm not sure. I think cutting out more sugar (hello, bread pudding and pie!) will help with that, so as I move forward, that will be a goal. Hot flashes have been a little better -still happening but a little less frequently and less intense. Mental clarity is definitely better, but I really think that is from my social media hiatus. Energy level is always up when I'm fasting, which is probably the thing I love most about it, but also, it's the most surprising. Weight is exactly the same-138- which is fine for me. 

*Holidays- Holidays took a big turn for our family a few years ago, but are just recently, slowly getting back to what they used to be- minus quite a few people. I'm hoping that it continues in a positive direction and that, eventually, everyone can be together again. Healing takes time, right? It has definitely taught me a lot about being patient, which has always been one of my deepest weaknesses. 

On that note, I will leave you with this:

Be Still. Be Strong. Be Happy. ~ Juli

Lately, In the Art Room, 5.3.21

 Lately, in the art room, we've been busy and we are about to get busier, as all of my students have just begun their final projects for the school year. 

 My Introduction to Visual Design students spent a few days journaling about what and who is important to them and using their answers to create a vision board. Their journal prompts: 1) Spend five minutes free-writing about someone you admire. 2) Spend five minutes free-writing about a perfect day from your past. 3) Spend five minutes free-writing about what you would consider a perfect day in the future. They chose common words or thoughts from all three prompts and had to use those three words as inspiration for their vision boards. 

Drawing students have been studying the proportion of the human figure and face. In this photo, they are in the middle of a series of two minute gesture drawings. They always love this activity! 

Introduction to Visual Design students also learned about proportion, but with a different medium- wire!

This year, I have extra space, so I created a permanent still life on one of my counters. Statues, vases, bottles, fruit, etc. are always ready and waiting to become a masterpiece 😉

Art Fundamental students work with mentors to create some amazing art. This project was creating abstract flowers on fabric, using batik wax and thinned, acrylic paint. 

Our latest Introduction to Visual Design lesson was one considering variety, emphasis and unity in a work of art. We then studied works of Louise Nevelson and then students created their own relief sculptures using a re-claimed colored pencil tin, their own scavenged finds from home and black spray paint.

Hopefully this will be the first of many "Lately, In the Art Room" posts! 

Have a great week! 

Be Still. Be Strong. Be Happy. ~ Juli