Influence

What exerts influence on you? 

What do you allow to move you one way or another? Are you easily swayed by the opinions of others?

If you're aware of what influences you, you can make sure to make allowances, to ask questions, to resist when you need to. If those influences are for the good, then listen. If they're not, move as far away as you can. 

And here are a couple of things I've worked on in the last week.

Grow or die

 

Change is inevitable - grow or die.

It sounds harsh, but all growth is change.  It may be slow or it may be fast, depending on the season we are in, but wherever we're at, we don't stay the same. We can't. If we stop changing we're stagnant or dead. So embrace change.

Forest of emotion

Can't see the wood for the trees. Emotions swirl and get in the way.

This page was so busy and felt quite emotional, but I really felt the pull to put some trees on there. When emotions are high we don't always think clearly. It may be necessary to put aside our feelings to see things as they really are and make better decisions. Not that emotions are bad, and we should definitely realise what our feelings are and acknowledge them, but in the heat of the moment we don't think clearly.

On distant shores

On distant shores.

I've been away for a bit because family have been visiting - for four weeks - and I needed some time to recuperate afterwards!

Getting older and seeing parents getting older is always confronting, especially when you've only seen them over a screen for a couple of years. Lives carry on miles apart, on distant shores, but the bond of family holds.

 

New series

 

I've been working on a new series, and it is only in the last couple of days that I have realised what they are about, and why little tally marks have been appearing on my pages recently. Does that happen to you? Or do you have an idea going in? In writing it's called plotters and pantsers - those who plot everything, and those who write on the fly. I guess the same is true for visual artists, too. There are those who plan, and those who start and wait to see what happens.

This series is called 'How do we mark our days?' Each canvas started from a black background, but still has my signature bright colours.

And I was successful with an EOI at our local library, for an exhibition called The Open Community Exhibition. Yay for me :). My pieces are displayed in a corridor, so this is the best I could do with a photo:

What's important

What's important to you may be trivial to others.  

We all have our pet subjects, but they may not be of interest to others, so don't be surprised when your enthusiasm for something (such as being chosen to exhibit somewhere) means nothing to them. It's disappointing when people don't get behind you on something you enjoy. One way to ameliorate the situation is to find 'your people'. They will be your cheerleaders, and you will be theirs. 

Anyone who isn't behind you just isn't 'your people' for that particular thing.

Tidal

 

The tide comes in.

The tide goes out.

All things pass eventually, even if that 'tide' is a tsunami. 

Control

 

You can only control you.

You cannot control your situation or how others react, so save your energy. Put it into how you react within yourself.

Forgive

Forgive - others and yourself. 

At times it can be so much easier to forgive others than yourself. 

Contentment

 

What does contentment require?

The answer for each of us is different, but it is worth knowing what it is for you. How much is enough? What conditions are best for you? Do you really need 'x'? Sometimes it is necessary to strip things back, to simplify, to bring more contentment.

Here is the latest vase of flowers. I think it is my favourite so far. It feels like the most loose in terms of not trying too hard.