365 Creativity Project–Day Thirteen

My journal entry and a poem:

Journal 1-22-20120001

Journal 1-22-20120002

Today was a rainy day, so Hope and I did not go outside to walk. My pictures for the day come from inside the house. The dogs are going to be groomed on Wednesday so I took some pictures of them with their long hair.

DSC_0570

My sweet Hope…

DSC_0569

Ko-Ko…

DSC_0573

Penny…

DSC_0572

Mom with Penny…

DSC_0571

Some few of my books in teetering stacks.

You can see I have plenty of material to read and that is only a small number of all my books.

I hope you enjoyed your time spent here. May your day be full of creative energy.

Smiles,
Jo Ann

365 Creativity Project–Day Eleven

My journal entry with a poem:

Journal 1-20-20120001

A few pictures:

DSC_0556

A gargoyle…

DSC_0558

A pair of gargoyles…

DSC_0560

An elephant I painted some time ago.

I have no plans to go to town tomorrow. I should have more time to dedicate to doing something creative than I have had the last two days.

I hope you have a wonderful night and a weekend full of inspiration.

Always,
Jo Ann

 

365 Creativity Project–Day Ten

Mom had an appointment with her neurologist today and we were gone for hours. I did not have as much time as usual to work on creating something. However, Hope and I did walk our mile this morning. I took the following photograph:

DSC_0554

I wrote some haiku this evening:

Journal 1-19-20120001

I am tired tonight so I am not going to write much more.

I hope you find joy in the moment and imagination enough to make something lasting.

Always,
Jo Ann

365 Creativity Project–Day Nine

Today’s entry is a poem on a subject very dear to me:

Journal 1-18-20120001

A few pictures from my mile walk with Hope:

DSC_0550

 A plant green despite Winter.

DSC_0551

DSC_0552

DSC_0553

These were experimental shots of our shadows.

Mom and I are doing Read The Bible For Life every day, and we are working our way through Genesis. Mom commented today that she did not realize how much violence and immorality went on in biblical times. She has read the Bible through before, but she read the King James Version and the stories did not communicate to her as clearly. We discussed how everything we experience in our society today was present in olden times. Technology has changed, but people are much the same as ever. The same challenges to faith and belief we face today were there for people of the past. We can learn from their examples.

Today, many sites on the internet went black to protest SOPA and PIPA, which are bills under consideration by government here in the United States. These two pieces of legislation have the potential to bring widespread censorship to the internet. I encourage you to let your representatives know that you want the internet to remain a free place for the exchange of information. Tell them you do not agree with SOPA and PIPA.

I talked to Alex, my son, for almost an hour this morning. It was wonderful hearing his voice. He is currently training in Hawaii and will be going to California before returning to his station in Okinawa, Japan. He seemed very upbeat and our conversation was enjoyable.

I hope there is peace and love wherever you are. May you be inspired to create some beauty in the world today.

Always,
Jo Ann

365 Creativity Project–Day Eight

The topic of my journal entry today is not pleasant, but it provides insight.

Journal 1-17-20120001

Hope and I walked a mile, and I took these pictures:

DSC_0546DSC_0547DSC_0548DSC_0549

The resilience of plants to survive the elements of the outside world is amazing. They also make great subjects for our photographs and art. We are fortunate to be surrounded by such varied beauty.

I hope you enjoy your day and are able to find some wonder in it. May you be inspired to create something of lasting significance.

Always,
Jo Ann

365 Creativity Project–Day Seven

I have decided to go back to my regular font. I think it more fits my personality. If any of you has a preference for the other font, let me know.

My handwritten journal entry:

Journal 1-16-20120001 

Some pictures from the mile Hope and I walked today:

DSC_0534DSC_0535DSC_0536DSC_0537DSC_0538DSC_0539DSC_0540DSC_0541DSC_0542DSC_0543DSC_0544DSC_0545

We had Papa John’s pizza for supper, which was a pleasant treat. I did not do a drawing today because I did not use my limited time very efficiently. I should have gotten up before 1:00 in the afternoon, but the sleep was quite refreshing.

I hope all of you are having an excellent week so far.

Always,
Jo Ann

365 Creativity Project–Day Six

This has been a productive day. I have drawn and painted a picture, created a song, taken some photographs, and written a journal entry. I have also finished up the week’s Bible study with my Mom.

First, the picture I finished early this morning before going to bed:

Flowers and Butterfly

The song I created while walking with Hope and my handwritten journal entry for today:

Journal 1-15-20120001

The photographs I took today:

DSC_0528

A different angle on the Radio Flyer. This image haunts me.

DSC_0529

Hope sniffing…

DSC_0530

Hope hurrying toward me with her tongue licking her nose.

DSC_0531

Wood and rocks with Radio Flyer in the background.

DSC_0532

Hope in profile.

DSC_0533

Hope relaxing after our walk.

As I work toward doing something creative every day it seems to get easier and feel more rewarding. I encourage anyone who is contemplating doing one of these projects to go for it. It stretches your abilities and gives you practice to help you move forward with your artistic pursuits. My only regret is that I did not begin earlier.

I hope you are following along and will continue with me on this adventure. Your input is priceless to me. If something touches you, or amuses you, please let me know. Even if you have a negative comment I am interested in hearing what you have to say. This is a journey on which I hope to improve my skills, so all opinions are welcome.

I hope you are having a wonderful day and that you are inspired to do something creative.

Always,
Jo Ann

Creative Project–Day Four

With reading less I am accomplishing a lot creatively. However, I am still doing a decent amount of reading daily. I am glad to have lessened the pressure on myself to complete so many books.

My hand written journal entry for the day:

Journal 1-13-20120001

Journal 1-13-20120002

This morning Penny, Mom’s fourteen year old dog, was sleeping in a unique place:

DSC_0504

These are some pictures from our walk:

DSC_0506

DSC_0508

There is something fascinating to me about equipment sitting out waiting for use. I think it is the sense of stored power.

DSC_0510

Boat, dock, and pond.

DSC_0511

The field growing back toward forest, because my brother, James, is no longer here to fight the trees.

DSC_0512

Big rocks…

DSC_0513

Vegetation…

DSC_0514

Swing and picnic table, abandoned for Winter.

DSC_0515

Cane Mill…

No drawing today, because I have been rather busy.

I do have some thoughts about grief. When someone leaves the world, or even exits your life, it leaves a empty space that you always feel should be filled by your loved one. There are marks left not only on your heart, but in the outer world, by the absence. Things change because the work they did is left undone. Often I have heard no one is indispensible, but I tend to disagree. Our loved ones are forever missed where they once smiled, laughed, and walked in our lives.

I hope your day is full of joy and creativity. Make something, no matter how small or to your mind insignificant, and impact the history of the world.

Always,
Jo Ann

Creative Project–Day Three

Firstly, it is Thursday, thankful list day.

I am thankful:

1.   I have some awesome books to inspire me.
2.   Mom brought me lunch from Applebee’s today and it was very good.
3.   I am excited about working creatively this year.
4.   I have not had to go to town this week.
5.   Jeremy, my nephew, has a treadmill that Mom and I can try out here to see if we really want one.
6.   I still have an Amazon gift card from Christmas to use for books.
7.   I was able to set my old laptop up for Mom’s use and she is spending time playing games.
8.   My new coat is very warm and comfortable.
9.   Reba may be able to buy a house.
10. I was able to get our watch warranties extended to five years as advertised.

My journal entry:

Journal 1-12-20120001

The picture of a unicorn that I created on the Wacom tablet:

Unicorn 1

The photographs I took while walking a mile with Hope this evening:

DSC_0483DSC_0484DSC_0485DSC_0486DSC_0487DSC_0488DSC_0490DSC_0491DSC_0492DSC_0493DSC_0494DSC_0495DSC_0496DSC_0497DSC_0498DSC_0499DSC_0500DSC_0501DSC_0502

DSC_0489

I thought some of these shots turned out extremely well. I am so fortunate to live in such a beautiful place.

Be creative and enjoy your wonderful life.

Always,
Jo Ann

365 Project–Day 2

I am very excited about this project and so far that is providing motivation to continue. I only hope that I can sustain the willingness to do the work over time. I want to share a picture of my work area with you all. That way you will know where at least a portion of the work I do is accomplished.

DSC_0482

Not the most organized space, but it works for me. The computer you see to left has now primarily become for my Mom to use to play games and enjoy. We share the space very well and she likes having me near her.

I wrote the following poem in the wee hours of this morning. It is an unedited first draft:

Journal 1-11-20120001

I have to share a picture of my puppy dog, Hope. She is my sweet companion and loving friend.

DSC_0481

Here is a little whimsy I came up with today in response to one of my friend’s works:
Life is just the story we tell ourselves. Truth is the perception we retain of what goes on around and within us. The observer, so they have proven in science, has an effect on the outcome of any situation by virtue of simple presence. So we are creative actors in all we witness.

I thought that quite clever, like some of my 140 character postings to Twitter. What astonishes me is how one person’s creative work can provoke creativity in another person. My contact with others through the internet helps inspire me. It is so wonderful that those of us who would otherwise live quietly isolated lives can communicate with people worldwide by simply using connected devices. I am so glad that I have this ability.

I usually do my creative work during the late hours of the night into the early morning, but am hoping to accomplish some of this project during daytime.

That is all I have currently. I wish all of you a fantastic day filled with productivity.

Always,
Jo Ann