Creativity amid Chaos...

No pictures or fancy message tonight, just a gentle reminder that when you go looking for something, you usually find it.

Last night, heavy rain and high winds tore a lot of the lovely orange leaves from the trees.  I am hoping there are still plenty to see when Dad and Barb arrive this weekend to celebrate Thanksgiving since she has never really seen the maple leaves turn colours.  I was feeling cold all morning until a great friend showed up to take me to our lunch date while the kids goofed off a bit from their morning of child labour assembling kits for the show in Toronto.

We went to lunch at a marvelous restaurant here in Moncton called the Blue Olive .  My plate was such a work of art that it had me wishing my cellphone had a camera!  A wonderful sampling of Mediterranean food was arranged on the plate in artful groupings and every little bite offered different flavours.  Creativity in food presentation.

When I went to the washroom, there were patterns in the floor tile and also in the wood grain of the dark brown wooden stalls that had brightly painted ORANGE door handles and hinges!  It was a gentle reminder than when you seek, you shall find.

INHALE:  Even in a crazy, hectic day of trying to get ready for an important event, I could still notice and appreciate the Creativity all around me.  I find the older I get, the less I believe in coincidence. I rather think the Universe was smiling along with me today and putting gentle reminders in my path that in the midst of my own chaos  (as I get ready to go share my Creativity at a show), I can still enjoy, experience and savour other Creativity around me.  Such offerings are everywhere once we begin to look for them, just as the negative will be if that is all we go looking for.  When we look for the positive and the Creative, we are really just affirming Life and Hope in all their glory.

EXHALE:  When things get hectic, it is OK to bask in the Creativity of others.  Today’s project is to make two lists in your sketchbook, taking time to think before you write things down.  Make one list of the people in your life who exemplify Creativity to you; your favourite authors, musicians, cooks and even friends who have talents you admire.  Next, make a list of the people in your life who most ENCOURAGE the Creative spark that lives inside of YOU.  Neither list has to be long.  The first list is to remind you of where you can draw inspiration and the second is to remind you of who you can call on for support and encouragement when you need it.  Think of these as emergency contact numbers... you never know when you might need them!