Noticing

If you are going to be inspired by anything, the first thing you need to do is notice.

It is so easy to move through life on autopilot, going about our daily activities and business without paying much attention to our surroundings. Or, even worse, trudging along purposefully ignoring our surroundings just to get on with what we are doing, or to get to where we are going.

In order to be inspired by everyday beauty, you first have to notice it. The good news is that it is everywhere! It only takes a conscious moment to stop and notice. It might be the scent of your first sip of morning coffee, or the sound of rain splattering on the window while you are in your warm house, or the sight of a toddler’s rosy cheeks. If you stop for a minute to notice and think about the beauty you will at the very least have one pleasurable moment. Best case scenario, you will start to notice and then take a few minutes to think more deeply. What memory does it stir? How does it make you feel? Breath it in and enjoy. Enjoy it fully in the moment, or maybe, make a conscious note of it for use later. Once you take time to think about the beauty, you never know what it will lead you to create.

I almost posted a picture of my lunch today, but I’ll save that for another day. I think you’ll like my Backyard Moon shot better.

A couple of days ago, after spending the whole afternoon at the computer, figuring out how to blog, I packed it in and stumbled bleary-eyed toward the dark kitchen. It had been a wet, drizzly day and our backyard was a soggy, drab, winter mess. But, on my way up the stairs, I looked up and out the backdoor window. There was the most beautiful moonscape. I snapped the picture below on my phone.

A little cropping and look what it has revealed! The gorgeous, inky clouds in the background with a hazy moon peeking through to illuminate the black lace of naked trees.

I’m thinking this one may inspire me to experiment with fiber collage. I’m going to try a wooly textured background with overlay of gauze and needlework—-at least that is the plan at the moment.

I’ll keep you posted.