Off the Beaten Path

Sometimes I get frustrated with myself because I feel like I'm a jack-of-all-trades, master-of-none. I always have a ton of projects going at any one time. The good thing about that is that I'm never bored . . . .

I started my drawing class last Saturday and have only had one lesson, but my drawing has already improved dramatically. This is not due to any innate talent on my part--drawing is very hard for me, but the instructor says she loves teaching this class because students see rapid improvements. I tried to do one drawing every day this week (although it was a hectic week so I did miss one or two days).

I'm still trying to work in my art journal occasionally. Earlier this year, I spent a solid month working every day in an art journal, and at the end of that time I had a collection of drawings, paintings, collages, and other crafty endeavors that I was really proud of--not because of the quality, but because I let myself be free and play and experiment. I still have an art journal handy to "catch" leftover paint, thoughts, and doodles. The background on this page was some leftover Setacolor paint I had used on fabric; I couldn't throw it away, so I slapped it in the journal. This week I drew the flowers, inked them (India ink is fabulous! It's waterproof, so once it dries you can keep painting over it), then added watercolors on top.

I've also been reading whenever I get a chance. I'm still working my way through Alice Hoffman novels. I've now read Seventh Heaven, Turtle Moon, and Blue Diary, and I've started Here on Earth. I managed to slip in an Anita Shreve novel a couple of weeks ago (Body Surfing); I was wary, because I've been so disappointed with her last couple of books, but this one was pretty good.

All in all a fairly satisfying reading season, until I got to the book I just finished: Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. This pushed my reading experience right over the top. It was the most amazing book I've read in a long time (maybe ever?). It's non-fiction, and Gilbert describes the year she spent in Italy, India, and Indonesia (Bali, specifically). It's beautifully written, engaging, intriguing, uplifting, and inspiring. I'm buying a copy for everyone I love.