Goals

I've been thinking a lot about goals, recently. One of the things that has been helping me get focused is a series of expert interviews that Lesley Riley has been conducting. It is called SEEK. You can find out more here: Artist Success. Lesley's questions are designed to help artists get the most information possible, and the experts have been forthcoming with lots of thought-provoking material.

I've realized, again, that all of my experiences and training work together to create the place I am currently at, and that they will all help me to launch myself into the rest of my life. While I am an artist and work in mixed-media with a concentration in fiber, I am also a social scientist, with an MA in Political & Justice Studies. My focus, as mentioned in my profile, is on global equity and sustainability. In addition, I am a gardener and am beginning to realize I am also a photographer. It remains to be seen how I will meld all of this into future creations. That is why I am working on identifying my goals.

During the heat bubble of this last week, my husband suggested I take my camera out to take some pictures of the Tiger Lilies blooming in a side yard. It is fascinating to see how they grow and perpetuate themselves. Of course, they are lovely flowers, too.

I am inspired by things like this to consider how to incorporate the concepts of simplicity, functionality, and beauty into my own work. In a lot of ways, however, it is a return to previous work in other media, since my Master's Thesis was on sustainability with a focus on Voluntary Simplicity. (If you are interested in more information about that, I suggest reading Duane Elgin's book Voluntary Simplicity, What is voluntary simplicity? by Samuel Alexander, and/or checking out  Center for a New American Dream, Financial Integrity, and/or Northwest Earth Institute websites.)

I'm off to think more about my goals, try to get something defined more clearly, and create. Until next time, I wish you peace and all good.