Freshening Up

I don’t always recognize when I’m going stale. I was fed up with my process journal, but tonight I’m back into the groove. Spending two days in Toronto really got my creative juices going again. Sometimes a change of scene will do it. But the best catalyst is always the company of someone who inspires me…someone like Mary.
Last night Mary took me out to dinner for my birthday. Beforehand we engaged in a little retail therapy. First, we went to Aboveground Art Supplies. We spent our time there looking for interesting stuff, and talking about our upcoming projects like the Holly Jolly craft sale. Mary will be selling her jewelry, and I want to offer some small paintings in addition to my digital prints.
Then we went to Active Surplus which is Junk Heaven for both of us. We grazed up and down the aisles rifling through the vast array of cheap gizmos…and filling up our shopping baskets, of course. Mary got all sorts of neat bits and pieces for her jewelry making. Watching her in action is fascinating. It’s almost as if she sees each potential bracelet and necklace as a story in itself; the beads and embellishments are her characters, and the way she puts them together, the plot.
Mary gave me some nifty presents for my birthday: a small banana leaf journal from Cuba, some paint (like food to me), stick-on letters and an atlas. Yes, my mind is buzzing with possibilities. Now all I have to do is to get control of it.