I've written so little lately that I fear I can no longer call myself even a pseudo-writer. Life has been busy around these parts, even if my life consists only of myself and my two dogs and the occasional foreigner who crosses my path. So many things have been running around in my head lately, though, and one of them has been the roadblock to writing that seems to linger around me. I had a conversation with my dear Lawrence recently about this and explained to him that what holds me back in my craft is my fear of breaking the rules. Half my friends are killing themselves with laughter and coughing up lungs at that last statement. Let's give them a minute to catch their breath. What I fear is having my name attached to something that goes against the grain of what I've been taught. This is a serious issue to me because much of what I believe and think today very much goes against what I was taught as a child. You've seen the progression here in this blog even though I...

For the last month or so I've been going through a transformation that has resulted in a few changes in my life. For one thing, I've made it a point to go to the beach once a week to just sit alone for an hour. I've also started journaling--old-school style--again and have filled numerous pages with thoughts both random and not so random. The whole point of this is to get in touch with the core of my being so I can make the best possible decisions for my life. I'll be honest with you. Being still is still a challenge. I'm not always comfortable with the thoughts that rumble through my head because they scare me and make me want to judge them. I don't always like that feeling I get when I stumble across a truth for my life that requires a change because I really don't like change. However, I'm getting better at it, and in the process I've discovered some really interesting things. The most obvious is that I NEED that still time more than anything else...

I've been setting in motion the wheels for my transition out of public education and into my true call in life: writing. It's not been a particularly easy (or quick) move for me. In fact, the main reason I decided to start teaching was because I thought that the hours would give me time to write. That was seven years ago. During that time I've done my fair share of editing and freelance work. I've even published a short story and almost finished the manuscript for a trade book. I have notebooks here filled with all sorts of ideas and outlines. The problem is that I don't always believe in my own talent and want everything completely perfect before sharing it with the world. Since the divorce, though, I've found myself oddly comfortable in my own skin. I'm standing up for myself more and have embraced the all important question, "What do YOU want?" The answer has been slowly emerging, rising to the surface of the still waters that run so deep in my ...

These are paper sculpture greeting cards. I first experimented with paper sculptures in college in Drawing I. We used our sculptures as models for drawings. I thought it could be fun to use photographs and drawings as models for paper sculptures. They are made from pieces of torn paper, almost like a mosaic. Each one is different...and I think they are oh so adorable. This one is for my niece's birthday this week. It's based on a photo I took at the beach. This one (and the next two) are based on my doodles when I'm bored. This one is my personal favorite.