17. May 2010 by Marie Pinschmidt.

HELLO to all.  I want to take this opportunity to THANK YOU for your interest in my site and in my activities -painting and writing. I hope you will continue to find my comments useful and encouraging. Also, if there is a topic you would like to suggest for discussion, questions you would like answered, or just feel like expressing yourself, please feel free to respond. You may click onto the “comment” at the end of each entry, or contact me privately. I always enjoy hearing from other painters and writers, but also from those of you who appreciate and find enjoyment in the works of others. It doesn’t have  to be about art - tell me about your favorite activity, or send me your favorite recipe.  If you would like more New Orleans recipes, just ask.

 It has been a busy winter season here in south Florida with the snowbirds (I use that term without malice) sharing our sunshine, sports of all kinds, shopping, as well as tropical sea breezes and sandy beaches. Now, they have returned to their various homes in the north, and I find it a great time for catching up on domestic and artistic chores. I may even start another book since the main character is entering my thoughts more often than is comfortable - demanding to be heard.

My next project is a wedding portrait; a happy couple who want to preserve their special day for their children and grandchildren. No matter how many commissions I do, there is always a bit of apprehension and insecurity before I put brush to canvas. But one must overcome the usually unwarranted “fear of failure” and get on with the job at hand. After finishing a portrait, I find it necessary to de-stress by painting something abstract or inhuman like a landscape or still life.

All creative activity has a tendency to take one into another world where worries and cares are forgotten for a time. Perhaps that is why writers and painters never “retire”. In fact, I’m so preoccupied when painting or writing that I jump when interrupted. I forget time; I forget to eat (new fad diet?); I make a cup of tea and forget to drink it - in fact, I’ve even attempted to clean my brush in a cup of tea. Don’t try it - it doesn’t work and could be dangerous to your health. Frankly, in this time of unrest throughout the world, and in order to preserve our physical and mental health, we need to have short periods, at least, of pleasurable distraction. I’m a huge fan of journaling and always carry a small note pad to jot down thoughts while waiting for the doctor, the dentist, the car repairman, or for the coffee to brew. Much can be learned by watching the activities of strangers, or observing the awesome complexities of nature.

Summer is a good time to re-assess the world around you, set priorities by deciding what is important in your life, spend time with family and friends, read a book - or write one, visit a gallery and learn more about art - or even more exciting - create your own art. It’s never too late to be a kid again.

June will soon be “busting out all over” and I wish all of you a renewal of spirit as you “bloom where you’re planted”.    xxxxxx

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28. January 2010 by Marie Pinschmidt.

I’ve stopped making them. There are too many unexpected surprises in life that can and often do change our hoped-for or planned-for destination. Instead, I take the easy way out; I resolve to daily do the best I can, be open to opportunities that fall in my path, do my bit to help others and leave the future to the universe. This works for me. Like not buying green bananas, I prefer to make bite-size decisions. I can’t recall one single outstanding New Years Eve. Why is that? Not one memorable thing. No life-changing resolutions; and no traumatic results from broken resolutions. No earth-shattering romantic encounters. If there were broken hearts, they were later mended. This makes me reassess the importance of one night out of 365.

This doesn’t mean that I don’t look backward to the accomplishments of the past year, or forward with anticipation to a more peaceful existence for the entire world. Every year holds disappointments as well as periods of encouragement and accomplishment. Thus is life. Resolutions for change often prove impossible to keep; events show up and with one sharp blow knock us to the mat. People die and new life is born. Jobs are lost and jobs are found. Friendships last and others take a different path. Lovers break their vows and others keep them. A lot of stuff can happen in a year. In youth the years drag by too slowly; in adulthood, they fly by too quickly. In old age, a year can seem like a month or even a week.  

Natural disasters interrupt our flow. How many thousands of people have had their plans altered in this, the first month of a new year? How many resolutions were forgotten in the light of reality? Our futures are perhaps more uncertain than any time in the past. It makes sense to be more cautious, more alert to negative possibilities, but at the same time we can live a rewarding life by concentrating on the “now”. The present is the only thing we can control to any degree. We all know this, yet we worry and challenge the universe by promising to do better.

Do resolutions work for you? Or do you end yet another year with regret that things haven’t gone exactly as you resolved? If the old traditions aren’t bringing the desired results, perhaps a change of technique is needed. What if you concentrated on one day at a time? One day of success encourages another, and another, and pretty soon frowns of discouragement are replaced by smiles. Whether your dream is to begin or finish a novel, lose those pounds, or beat an addiction, I wish for you a lifetime of smiles and a heart filled with love.

Let me know how you handle this topic.

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