Spring enthusiasm
There is dappled sunshine in the garden and on my keyboard this morning. The first day of Spring feels very nice indeed. I will continue to ignore the weeds for the time being.
We had a busy weekend full of friends and relations, croissants, swimming lessons, fish n chips, movies (date night = Tropic Thunder – brilliant!) birthday parties and even some of my parents’ friends giving us a spontaneous singing rendition over lunch on Saturday. When I looked at my calendar on Friday I wasn’t sure how we were going to manage it, but it was actually an incredibly refreshing weekend.
You will notice (if you visit this site, and not just read the feed) that I have updated my right hand side bar links today for September. There are plenty of lovely blogs this month. I got a bit carried away.
So, here are some more Spring thoughts;
1. Angus Stone has a very nice voice. I have Paper Aeroplane on repeat.
2. I have almost finished my enormous pile of rabbits and they will be on sale early next week. Stay tuned for details.
3. Rachel Power’s book combined with my teenage journals have been an incredibly potent combination of “get your ass in to gear” type of inspiration for me lately. Reading back over those years of 15-17 where everything was exciting because everything was a possibility made me feel a bit sad that I have seemed to have lost that sense of wonder. Every play I saw had a little tingle of excitement because somewhere in the back of my mind there was a “I am going to do something like that one day”. Every good book I read continued to convince me that one day I would have a bash at something like that. I have found that as I have got a bit (lot) older a good play or a fabulous book can leave me with a little tinge of sadness, a little sense of regret.
And then suddenly I realised (thanks Rachel, thanks teenage self) that there is absolutely no reason at all, just because I’m a “grown up” and primarily a mother that I can’t start dreaming like that again. And the exciting bit is that as a “grown up” I actually have the capacity to let some of those dreams become more of a reality. All that’s required is a little hard work (and a little less worry about how clean the house is).
So there you have it… I am doing some writing. Lots of crazed, first draft writing. It’s fun.
It’s so great to hear the excitement from you! It inspires me to get more done with my own work.
I love the bunny pile- Beautiful colors and textures!
Good on you Claire! Dream big.The rabbits look gorgeous & I quite agree Angus & Julia Stone are so good!
It’s a little scary when you make that realisaton – that something that was a dream could happen, if you choose to do it, if you choose to do things differently. For me, that last bit has been difficult and fun.Just ‘cos I’m a mum and work outside the home doesn’t mean I have to be all routine and thinking in straight lines! So here’s to September dappled sunshine and thinking in waves, circles, spirals and spots.
I am slowly figuring out that there has to be more to mums then children. I have begun to think about my passions, who I use to think I wanted to be – it is really interesting how we change and the things we forget. I hope your writing leads you to happy places.I love those bunnys too, especially the blue one on top.
Go for it!!Life is a continuum of possibility.
Several of my favourite authors published their first books well into (and some past) middle age. I think Annie Proulx (The Shipping News, Brokeback Mountain) published her first novel at 56 (??).
Thanks for the Sept links, always new and unusualSharon
Hi Claire, Good for you! Writing is better than chocolate. Well no it isn’t. But it is good for you.I wanted to ask you, you know that long-tailed fish you had on sale on your table. I want that. I see it was “SOLD,” so I’m out of luck. If you make more, please let me know. If I bought several and hung from the ceiling, I could pretend my studio is a pond. A Pond Of Ideas. Maybe I could commission you. You have my email. Let me know.
Happy Spring! We enter Autumn here soon.
Never too old to dream…I need to weed the garden too, but not today!
It is even more inspiring for someone such as myself when the very illustrator I look to for said inspiration becomes once again inspired. It can only be an upward spiraling chain reaction of growing inspiration for everyone.
You are very motivating. It must be nice to be entering spring. We are entering fall.
I need a refreshing weekend – ours are so crammed at moment that I can’t believe how fast hours can go by.Guess what Leila’s starting saying in only the last week or so “HELLLOW MAN” and “HELLLOW GIRL” to strangers around the traps! I think it’s adorable but not everyone on the receiving end does.
Lastly – I’ve got a lot to say don’t I! – Spring – just this morning I noticed that the clematis on our front and back porches is just pepping green growth, as is the maple and also we have our first jasmine flower – that fragrance to me, is all summer.
Look at the lovely colours there with the dolls! Beautiful!
The dolls are looking lovely, and your enthusiasm is contagious! I read the comments to your previous post, and what stuck with me was the comment about it “all being part of the experience”. Passions and pursuits and children and messy houses can intertwine and be something amazing, right?
That was an inspiring post – thank you.Write, write, write and you’ll just churn it out. You can always edit at the end, but it’s just about getting it out, isn’t it?
Those rabbits are a delicious confection of colour and pattern – I’m in awe.
I just discovered your blog and really identified with your post. Some days it does feel like dreams are slipping away. Thanks for reminding me to keep at it!
Wowie! You’re one of my all time favorite bloggers and you just linked to me! Awesome. Thanks so much.Spring is such a great time for my creativity. I am often made pretty downtrodden by the dreariness of winter (February is usually a particularly hard month around here). But when things start sprouting, I usually start about a zillion projects. There’s just something about the smell of green growing things that gets me going.
Hi ClaireThat was a very inspirational post, I know exactly what you mean! i’m starting an illustration course in the middle of this month. At the age of 33 with 2 kids, I will be studying for 2 years alongside 20 year olds! but, as you say, it’s never too late…
Claire, you inspired me to start a blog, so having you be re-inspired is even greater news! It IS fun, isn’t it?! I’ve got some books in the works too and I was wading through old journals just the other week. Keep at it!
gorgeous rabbits!On the dreaming…I am right there with you. I was thinking the other day “this isn’t how I expected it would be as an adult woman and mother”…then almost as quickly as that thought came another came “well, what are you going to do about it?”
LOL! Don’t ya just love those realizations?Lori
I want to read Rachel’s book so badly now–I wish amazon usa carried it… Urg. Why are all the cool artists in Australia??Love the bunnies!
I really understand what you mean, have also been reading my High School journals these last few weeks, and am amazed to rediscover the wide-eyed child I used to be. Want to try to be so easily enchanted by things again…
I just stumbled here from Tatertots and Jello! I love your rabbits! Keep dreaming, for what are we if we have no dreams?
Hello from Germany! I love your rabbits! very cute!
Awww! I can’t wait for the rabbits to go on sale!
I can’t wait to see those rabbits if you put in you store sign me up I am so glad that you are back in the blogging world.
Oh I am so in love with the rabbits! Please let me know when they go on sale! PLEASE?