Just Be

There's nothing like ending up in the ER to help you set your priorities. I've been on auto-pilot for a while trying to keep it all afloat. Getting my studio into working order. Cleaning and organizing the houses. Taxes. Identity theft. Dog. Classes. Juggle, juggle, juggle... Then, suddenly, I'm in the ER trying to figure out what is really important. Well, of course DOG is important. He does take up a lot of my time and I'm more than willing to be his caretaker human.

Color mixing -- French ultramarine blue, permanent Alizarin crimson, cadmium yellow.

I had quite a bit of time to reflect on my uncomfortable hospital cot. No TV or radio. Just me and my journal. This is what I learned: I need more joy in my life. By nature, I'm a very serious person. Chester has helped me find the goofy in life. His favorite saying is that everything is funny given enough perspective. He's helped me be able to laugh at myself. That's important in life. Still, I've been wrapped up in guilt recently because my To-Do list seems to be getting exponentially larger every hour.

Color chart for Jane LaFazio's watercolor class on recommended hot pressed paper.

My life need to change or at least rearrange. I have started to allow things to resolve themselves without my intervention. This goes against my helpful nature; but, I need to start taking care of me a little bit better. I'm stretched too thin especially for someone with a heart condition.

Color chart on my favorite type of watercolor paper: cold pressed.

I've started sketching again this year. I haven't done it since I was in middle school which was about forty years ago. Except for one year of engineering drawing, the only sketching I've done is jewelry. Forty years is a long time to abandon a skill. I've got a lot of practicing to do before I get back to where I was in middle school.

Brushes, pencil sharpener, water soluable pens and pencils, Schmincke travel set watercolors. 

Twenty years into Gingrich's Fiber & Metal Art, I'm finally investing in a skill set without an immediate monetary benefit. In addition to my daily sketch (you can follow my progress on Instagram -- Gingrich's Fiber & Metal Art. I'm also taking a watercolor class from Jane LaFazio. So far, I've done the first lesson. Both the sketching and class progress were interrupted by my little hospital stay.

Winsor & Newton watercolors, pencils, waterproof markers, erasers.

For the watercolor class, I've done swatches and played with color mixing on various watercolor papers. This is the first time I've actually used professional watercolors. The swatches were done with Winsor & Newton professional series with the colors specified by Jane for the class. I also bought some Schmincke and Daniel Smith watercolors. I'm looking forward to playing with them too. I'm sticking to the W&N for the class though.

Watercolor paper we're using in class.

So, my life is changing and rearranging. I want the joy to stay. Other things are going to be left behind. Most of all, I'm just willing to let things Just Be and let them resolve of their own accord. I don't need to fix it all. I can just be in the moment... at least I think I can...

Ashley Jana -- Just Be
Just Be