Day 15 – Focusing

"Focus," by Mary Gow
“Focus,” watercolor on paper, by Mary Gow
The most important thing to focus on today is: ___________ (fill in the blank).

It’s getting easier and easier to get detoured from what’s important, isn’t it?

I don’t need to remind you of the daily barrage of information to sort through.

To control my email that pops up in my “in” box I created a bunch of folders and then I created a bunch of rules so that much of my incoming mail goes directly to folders. It feels so much better!

Freedom software might be worth a try. It’s $10 to download. You can choose how much time to restrict your access to the internet.

What’s one of your focusing techniques?

Day 14 – What Record-Breaking Sales Mean for Creative Types

"Bravo!" by Mary Gow
“Bravo,” watercolor and pencil on paper, by Mary Gow
Good news made headlines over the weekend.

Americans still love to buy and we showed up in record-breaking numbers to support our own economy.

It feels good to see the uptick, doesn’t it?

It looks to me like the design of what’s available seems to be getting better. And better. My bold statement of the day is: There’s never been a greater time in history than now for well-designed products.

This year I my trusted PC laptop was ailing and I bought a Mac. And earlier this year I also got an iPhone (not this latest one).

I didn’t know why such hoop-la about a phone though I did notice my friends who had one seemed to use it as an everyday efficiency tool. For years I resisted because I didn’t want to go with something because it was popular.

But within the first two hours of buying my iPhone it proved its value because I was lost in Los Angeles and the GPS features showed me exactly where I was. Plus I immediately admired the useful speakerphone that could really amplify!

That doesn’t mean the new Android phones haven’t caught my eye.

The mini-computers we can carry around in our pockets is getting incredibly exponentially more awesome as the days go by.

And the astounding sales figures for them shows that people are willing to pay for well-designed products.

Great design is getting noticed more than ever.

Word travels quicker than ever.

I feel like there’s never been a greater time to be alive and creative. And for creative-types, there’s never been a more important time not to keep your work a secret.

I know I’ve been guilty of “hiding my light under a bushel.”

But no more!

Someone other than you needs to see what you’ve painted, hear that song you wrote, read that poem, smell and taste your new dish, experience your new film or play.

Will you let your light shine?

It’s your time!

Day 7 – Dreaming Big and Inspiring Kids

Rose, by Mary Gow
“Rose,” watercolor and pencil on paper by Mary Gow
I found Dallas Clayton‘s work while researching artists achieving success following their passion.

Watch him in the minute-and-a-half video below as he tells his story.

If you have any interest in creating books for kids or want to see art that appeals to the kid in you, check out his website.

My painting today is the gesture of a rose blooming.

It’s time to bloom!

Day 6 – The Greatest Privilege of This Life

Inner Sun, watercolor and pencil by Mary Gow
Inner Sun, watercolor and pencil by Mary Gow
In case you’re just joining my blog, this is Day 6 of 30 days of blogging and painting each day.

It’s amazing that something from my childhood is sorta “trending” now, at least as a term. Not literally.

I created this blog to nurture your creativity with my servings of soul food. I grew up helping my parents serve REAL soul food!

One major takeaway today from Oprah’s Super Soul Sunday was a Joseph Campbell quote:

“The privilege of a lifetime is being who you are.” – Joseph Campbell

This quote is from: A Joseph Campbell Companion: Reflections on the Art of Living. It comes out of a workshop at the Esalen Institute celebrating the scholar’s eightieth birthday.