Lisa Creates

Dating sites are the Devil

Okay so it's been about three months that I've been "single" but I really have spent most of those three months feeling very disconnected, strangly not like a single girl but really sometimes very much alone.  Odd.  I can't even describe it.  I think this is what happens when you think you are spending the rest of your life with someone and it abruptly becomes clear that perhaps you are not going to after all. 

So I figured onward and upward I should meet some people.  I keep threatening to write about the experience of "on line dating sites" because some of it is so ridiculous that I can barely stop laughing long enough to write some of the chaos that it brings. 

So I joined POF otherwise known as Plenty of Fish.  Clever name I might add.  Intrigued I made a profile and joined.  What harm could it do?  I mean after all you can set your profile so that you only see certain people and you can get rid of the ones you don't like.  In actuality it's like being thrown up on a stage naked.  Or scantily clad.  Who knew?

I first got a message from a gentlman...well....er...man.  Okay dude.  Our first exchange went like this.

Dude:  Hey good lookin'

Me:  Hello

Dude:  Whatcha got cookin?

Me:  Nothing

That was the end of that one.  No no not so much.  I hid him right away.  I needed something a bit more "original" than that.  The next one was 28 years old.  Geez thought I....28....really?  I have kids that age.....WTH? 

Dude:  Sup

Me:  Hello

Dude:  Do you have big nipples?

Me:  Goodbye

End of that one.  But I do think my face got hot and red after only two exchanges with him.  Seriously?  That's how you intend to score with an older woman?  Oh come now Jr.  You can do better than that...LOL.

Needless to say after about seven more exchanges from that site I deleted my profile and dumped off of POF.  Those fish were far too "long in the tooth" and needed to be thrown out.  Then carried to the dumpster to be taken to a landfill far far away. 

I don't even have the strength or energy to write about the next few people I met on another site.  But believe me I'm working up to a really good few stories.  Trust me on this. 

So as I enter the holiday season still single and still licking my wounds I am at least grateful that I am not spending time with any bad fish. 

 

I'm Baaaackkkkkk

Thought I forgot about my little old blog didn't ya?  Not so fast.  I just needed to get some things in place.....

The details of getting every last thing in your life on track after a major move like I made is staggering.  From bank cards to car details to dr's appointments to jobs to temp jobs to interviews to artwork....oh my.

I've been "okay" as life goes I suppose.  I have my good days and my bad days. 

I have days when I am on top of the world and have everything to look forward to and then I have my days where I want to sleep the entire day under my covers huddled in a warm little nest where I'm safe and sound. 

I keep telling myself I need to build my life around what I love.  I started with a library card!  I actually did this as well when I moved to Pennsylvania and I loved it.  I inquired about a reading group or club here in KC but that particular library doesn't have one.  I suppose I could start one but I don't know where to begin.  I would be better at just joining one.  I know this about myself.

Okay so to update about the art stuff.  I had my art shown at the November First Friday event at the Crossroads!  Big thanks to the Honeytree Gallery for allowing me to set up there and begin the process of selling my artwork in Kansas City, MO.  It was a great experience with tons of exposure to other artists and people who want to buy original artwork to put in their homes. 

After that event I began to prepare a few more things to send up to my sister's arts and crafts fair held at her work in the Quad Cities. She set up everything and sold her items and mine.  Her work got a cut because it was a fundraiser.  I did end up making some money which is GOOD.  I made money at both events which is good after I paid for all the expenses involved.  So two events in November for me. 

I feel like I am kind of in a lull right now with Christmas approaching.  I worked from August till November on all sorts of things from watercolor to mixed media to cards to my art journal and right now I feel a littl e bit artistically "tired".  I think December is a good time to take a break.  Next year I will be more prepared for the holiday months a bit earlier and will actually sell some Christmas items.  I may still have a bit of time to get some things on Etsy for sale before the year is up.  It depends on my energy level, creativity and of course the almighty dollar.  It does cost to do the art so there's that.

Still temping at a local company and still interviewing for a permanant solution to that little thing known as a "day job" (with benefits). 

I'l leave you with some photos!

Almost turkey day peeps!

art show at the Honeytree Gallery!

Art Journal work

October already?

I have to say the trees here in the midwest are stunning.  Today I plan to take my camera out and about with me as I do my Saturday things and hopefully shoot a little bit of color. 

I have some exciting news!  I inquired about putting my art in a gallery next month and I got a very positive response!  I am so excited I can barely stand it.   I will post more information about this soon and a link to the gallery etc.  Needless to say I feel like things are coming together more and more for me. 

Monday I start a temp job for a week but HEY it's a start. It's something I used to do in a previous job so I think I will be able to successfully do the job with ease.  It's not full time for a week either, it's part time so I am blessed with the "easing into  working " thing which is nice.  Not so nice for my pocketbook but I'll get there.  

So now I have to focus on a couple things coming up in the near future.  Two things in November in fact.  What I don't sell at the gallery on the first Friday of next month I will be sending up to my sisters for her to put in her work's arts and crafts show a week or so later. 

Good things people....good things.  :)  I have been waiting for this.  And now here it is.  Let me see if I can find a good photo to post....

 

Oh and P.S. Psychobelle I haven't forgotten your photos!  I am working on locating the originals again to get the pixels right and get them reprinted.  Soon love.  I'll drop you a note in the next day or so about details.  :)

Bloom

 
If you are placed in fertile soil so shall ye bloom. 

For sale on etsy.com

 

Play Time

 
Hello Boys and Girls...it's PLAYTIME!

This is one of my recent Etsy items.  It is an 8x8 mixed media piece that I completed over the weekend.  I used the cute little vintage reader that I picked up in a flea market near Anderson Indiana on my way to my "new life". 

 

xo peeps.

How do you spell success?

Well today for me success has been being ABLE to find my way from North KC into downtown KC....to a parking garage...into a building and interviewing for a temp agency that arranges jobs for you.  Lucky me...I found my way back home too even though I made a couple of wrong turns.  I am "mostly fortunate" that I have fairly decent directional skills.  Not perfect by any means but I'm not afraid to backtrack and can eventually find my way.  Still wanting a GPS!  It's on my very long list of things to "get" at some point.  I will actually be relieved when I get that gadget and have it in my possesion especially moving to a new city.

So after lots of paperwork and red tape type "Stuff" I was told that I have exceptionally strong typing skills.  I hope I don't end up in a room with a computer and they have me speed type for 8 hours a day.  That would royally suck.  Hah.

The rest of my day is going to consist of doing around the house type things and creating.  Some photos will follow. 

 

To my Amazement!

My friend Psychobelle pointed out to me how creativity can come out when a person is under an extreme amount of stress....and I'd heard this before but never really "lived" it.  My work over the last couple months is proof of this very theory. 

(by the way read her blog you will love it!) 

So my quest to get my life back together is going really well.  Disregard the fact that I am not gainfully employed YET....but have applied for over 20 positions.  I didn't realize that serious job hunting actually IS a full tim job.  I do realize it now.  For one thing here in the midwest there are about 100 times MORE good jobs posted than there was on the East Coast.  It's like night and day.  There seems to be a lot of opportunity here.

AS WELL AS.....yes I know you are holding your breath waiting....a craft type event in December where I can get a table and booth and peddle my wares!  How exciting is that?  T has all the information on the local haps around here and where and who and what to do.  She's like the BEST person for logical things.  How to sign up, finding resources, dates, times, costs, details.  She doesn't know it but she's a tad more like her darling mother than she would like to admit. 

So today after I spent my morning on the "real job" hunt and spent a long time on the computer I was ready for some artwork play.  I created all afternoon and brainstormed about what I want to sell and how I will do it, package it, etc.  In the meantime I will still sell on Etsy.

Incidentally this blog and my Etsy shop need something but I am afraid I may not be the creative talent to figure out how to lay it out..make it look inviting and all that.  I can create stuff with my hands and brain but the whole computer end of it.  I may have to enlist the help of T and her computer wizardry. 

I am happy to report that my sister (who got into watercolors less than a week ago) who is also a very talented photographer is going to sell her own items in a craft show in October.  It's unfortunate that we live 5.3 hours apart and don't have the capitol to open a cool shop.  We are unstoppable together!  Ahhh a girl can dream.  Maybe just MAYBE one day we could do something on line together but that would require me to learn a whole lot more about computers, websites, and all of that.  We have wanted to collaborate for a long time, years ago she and I talked about writing a book together and that's still not totally out of the question.  It's just on the back burner of our over active creative brains right now.

So wish me luck on the job hunt.  I want a good job that isn't too torturous and where I don't want to run screaming into the night.  Oh money would be a good thing and benefits.  I want it to be friendly, easy and enough to support me myself and I in a manner that is suitable.    Oh yeah I also don't want to expend too much brain power so that I have brain power left to create when I come home at night and on the weekends.   Yes, pray for that or offer that up to the God or Goddess of your choice.  Thank you very much.  :)

 

 

Catching up

At the risk of seeming like I might be "over-sharing" I am going to come right out and say that I have moved back to the midwest rather suddenly.   No gory details.  It is what it is...a change in the landscape of my reality and an effort to create my own story the way I want it to read.  It wasn't enough to wish my story was a certain way.  It wasn't enough for me to create lovely prints that said "Live your dreams" or "Fly away" or even "Believe in yourself". 

Each time I wrote words such as that... I felt a gut knotting tug inside me to do just that.  Was I actually living what I believed?  The fact was, no I was not. It was not for lack of trying. 

I shared with only a few and the people that love me encouraged me to not only follow my heart but use my HEAD.  As a creative type sometimes it is harder for me to follow my HEAD than anything else in the world.  I'm a feeler.  I rather like it.  Except when it's so excruciating that I can barely breathe.  Then there is a problem.

I remember weeks ago looking in the mirror and saying "oh no...how long have I looked like this?" and I wasn't saying that in a good way.  Granted I had been getting my days and nights mixed up as I sat up working on my artwork till the wee hours but this was epic depression.  Written all over me like each dark shadow and crease on my face. 

So now it's onward and upward as I ease myself into my life with the help of my friend and confidante  who will otherwise be known as T.  T has known me for years.  Over 10 years not quite 15.  She has seen me through the worst of times and the best of times.  We are the type of friends that can be apart for long periods of time and then when we see each other again...yep...no time has passed really.  We still laugh at the same jokes, we still give each other a hard time but the bottom line is when friends say they will do anything for you...sometimes they ACTUALLY MEAN IT!

I have had my fair share of friends in life that have said those words but they didn't mean it and I didn't believe them anyway OR take them up on that kind of offer.  The amazing thing is to actually see someone do this in an extraordinary way. 

I thank her for her unconditional love and open heart. 

xo

L

 

My Art Journal

Here is a look at my Art Journal from a couple of views. It is def. a work in progress.  I want to get a "moleskin" art journal at some point but I haven't found the perfect one nor do I have the money to get a new one at this point.  It's on my list.  (with about a million other things)!  This one is just a plain notebook paper journal and with the use of Gesso I have been able to do quite a bit to it without the pages turning to mush.  It may, however, end up more drawing and writing than actual mixed media layers.  I like that I can do something to it and then throw it aside and then pick it back up at any given moment to "exercise" my creativity without worrying about being perfect. 

The true beauty of an art journal is that you can do whatever you want.  Believe me many pages of mine have been ripped out and crumpled in a pile and thrown away.  I have done some uh...for lack of a better way to put it....godforsaken awful things that were just ridiculous to consider saving.  

I have acutally been journaling for many years.  I found some old journals that I had back in in the early 90's and even though I was not actually using mixed media products in it (like paint, gesso, glitter, acrylics, watercolor)  I was cutting things from magazines and taping it into my journal.  It was sort of therapy for me at the time.  I was going through some rather proufoundly dramatic things at the time.  I also used to take this journal with me to therapy and talk to my counselor about it.  It's a form of what I'm doing now without the therapy.  It has BECOME my therapy to do the artwork.  It has become my solace.

 

angelic being