5 Years Blogging - A Retrospective: 2010

This is the last in a series of five navel-gazing retrospective posts celebrating my five years of blogging in which I offer my top five posts for each year. Click here for the first four years. Congrats to Dayle on winning the celebratory giveaway!

2010 was incredibly full:

Creative and writing experiments on my blog;  the Vancouver Olympics; new assignments at work; moving from a 1920's house to a 1970's bungalow (more purging, packing and creating a home); a '70s housewarming party in full '70s garb; becoming an Auntie; a few getaways to Montreal; a Flying Lessons e-course and creative business possibility; summer rest & relaxation; moving to Squarespace and my new URL; gorgeous scenery and hiking in Gaspésie, Québec; a quick trip to NB for Dad's 70th birthday - singing with Sis at the party; new family connections on D.'s side; Thanksgiving on a dairy farm; Squam Art Workshops for a third year in a row; another abstract painting class, painting bigger and painting a lot; my first official solo art show; organizing a Winter Solstice art show; and at the end, a slow and restful December.

me, laughing at the glitter stucco in our groovy '70s basement (photo by D.)

My top five posts...

Creative Triggers - OK, again, I'm cheating here with more than one post. This is a link to a series of four posts describing some of my favourite creative triggers. It was my first time experimenting with a once-a-week series and I liked it. I might try it again.

creative possibility found at a favourite thrift shop

Joys of a Trusty Point and Shoot - Part of my Photography Month experiment, I wrote this post to remind myself that though my little point & shoot camera may not be fancy, it can still be effective in many ways.

Feeling Alive and Grateful - This was written in the midst of Kelly Rae Roberts' Flying Lessons e-course. I was riding on a major creative high that found its way into many of life's nooks & crannies!

belle Gaspésie, Forillon National Park

What's in a Name? (or A New-Manifesto) - A look into my bloggie psyche and how I came to choose Creative Living Experiment as a name.

A Stroll Through Mer Bleue - Because these photos ground and soothe me.

This concludes my little retrospective on my past five years of blogging. Combing through nearly 650 posts, noticing patterns and pivotal happenings along the way was a lot of fun - I highly recommend it!

Thank you for playing along. It just wouldn't be the same without you.

Steph

xo

On Painting, Expectations and Pleasant Surprises...

Last week I went back to the art table after several weeks away. After a particularly frustrating painting session on Day 1, I wanted to get back to it before I lost my nerve so I hit the table again on Day 2. I must say I was pleasantly surprised.

The original canvas I started with (below) was painted in January 2010 and sat on my shelf for a year waiting to be finished. I decided to use it - no use letting a perfectly good canvas go to waste right?

After collaging (is that even a word?) three more ladies and trying to brighten up the piece, here's the end result of a frustrating Day 1:

The scribbles were added at the end of the session in a "take that!" kind of a way. As if the canvas cared.

But lo & behold, here's what Day 2 brought:

Coming in fresh, I saw facial features in my scribbled grid of frustration so I pulled out my drawing book and worked with it.

I still don't know where this piece is going (though I'm thinking aviator goggles à la Amelia Earhart?), but I certainly never would have predicted it getting to where it's at today.

The moral of this story? I don't really know what the moral is. But I do know that when it comes to painting, checking my expectations at the door seems to produce the most pleasant surprises!

And the winner is...

drumroll please...

D.'s blurry hand, I nabbed him when he surfaced from the man cave for coffee

YAY Dayle from Curlie Girlie Art!

Dayle, send me a note through the Contact form (on the top, right-hand side of the page) and we'll get Giselle on her way.

Thanks to all for your support and for playing along. I had fun ceremoniously prepping the comments for the draw and D. got into it too! Your comments were rays of sunshine breaking up a somewhat cloudy week.

Here's to another five years...

A Celebratory Giveaway!

OK, so I'm feeling all what-if-I-have-a-party-and-nobody-comes (read: what-if-I-have-a-giveaway-and-nobody-comments), but dagnabbit it's my bloggiversary and I'm having a Giveaway!

Call it a celebration of my still being here after five years and a token of appreciation for your being here with me.

The prize? A 12x12 (10x10 print with a 1" white border all around) of Giselle:

(The print itself has more of the blue & yellow background showing on either side of her hair, this is a  cropped picture.)

Giselle is very special to me, she's my first face painted from scratch - evah. Her wild red hair and the borderline crazy don't-mess-with-me look in her eyes speak to me so. I think the eyes creep D. out a little bit, but she's got EDGE baby! I'VE got edge and so do YOU!

So here's the scoop:

Leave a comment on this post by end of day Friday, January 28th and I will add your name to the pot. When I wake up Saturday I'll print out the comments, put them in a bowl and ask D. to pick one (if Cassie had opposable thumbs I'd ask her). I"ll announce the winner here, he or she can send me a note through the blog's Contact page and we'll go from there. Easy peasy!

I hope you win!

5 Years Blogging - A Retrospective: 2009

This is the third in a series of five navel-gazing retrospective posts celebrating my five years of blogging in which I offer my top five posts for each year. Click here for 2006, 2007 and 2008. Stay tuned for a celebratory giveaway on January 25th!

If you are still reading this series you are a trooper and I thank you! Make sure you pop in on the 25th for a small token of gratitude in form of a giveaway OK?

Significant changes stemming from 2008 continued to morph my world in 2009. I got married. I deepened creative practice and friendships made at Squam Art Workshops. I joined Facebook. I pondered a lot and made it a regular practice to list the many things for which I was grateful. I honeymooned in Bar Harbor, Maine, and felt deeply at a cottage by a lake two hours north of Ottawa. I submitted work to my first ever art show and one of my pieces got accepted, I displayed art locally at my hair salon and sold prints for the first time. I experienced enormous highs and peace followed by exhaustion and depression. I took two months off work for rest. I returned to basics.

And how could I forget! My Urban Living Experiment, which was much about healing past hurts and discovery, came to a close and I created a Creative Living Experiment, which was - and still is - about looking forward and creating the life I want.

dancing down the aisle after the I Do's (photo by Kirsten Michelle)

Here are some of my favourite posts from 2009:

Giselle - Because she is still one of the accomplishments of which I am proudest and in my mind, represents wild, creative possibility!

Word for 2009: Create - A powerful manifesto set out for the year that took hold and evolved into this blog. I didn't realize it had that much staying power when I wrote it.

Marriage: Challenging Old Patterns - In 2009 I married D. After failing at a previous marriage I was a little gun-shy and did much reflecting on the matter during the months leading up to the big day. This post documents an important A-Ha moment (thank you Oprah!) that brought me comfort. My wedding day was one of the happiest days of my life and I am forever grateful for allowing Love back into my life, in all its forms.

our honeymoon suite at the Bar Harbor KOA

Seeking: A Lighter Shade of Grey - Along with the emotional highs, 2009 brought its darker days. In September D. and I spent a blissful week at a cottage on a secluded lake and it cracked me wide open. When we got back I crashed hard into depression and didn't really come back up until December. I still don't know what happened, but I suspect that that cottage and lake have magical powers within. I felt it.

Bennett Lake morning mist

An Instance of Creative YES - But all was not grey! Short and sweet, this post sums up how I felt after a particularly stimulating conversation with an acquaintance of mine about his plans and vision for a non-profit organization. It could easily describe any one of my creative highs.

And a bonus post because I just couldn't leave it out...

Back to Basics - I go back to this post again and again. It serves as a reminder when life gets a little too unmanageable.

my first prints!

2010, coming soon...