Thursday, May 28, 2009

pushing boundaries

petunias (c) 2009 julie king

a couple of months ago i volunteered to take a class at work that would train me to be a certified car seat technician. it is a 4- day course of training, lectures, hand-on skills tests and written tests. as it got into the hefty technical aspects today i couldn't help asking myself why am i doing this?? it was not required. no one else in my department volunteered. why had a taken something on that i was obviously not all that cut out to do? one co-worker said it was because i was a real go-getter. others said i had a thirst for knowledge. me? i say i'm just a glutton for punishment. hee hee i am proud to say that i hung in there and passed both the skills tests today. pusing those boundaries aside i found a way to push thru and succeed.



single violet blossom (c) 2009 julie king

i've often said that as aging women, we have two choices: give in or fight back. when i give in i allow myself to eat too much, gain weight and be a total couch potato. very little self-improvement takes place and i tend to simply veg. when i fight back i eat healthier, get more exercise, feel better and challenge myself to stretch my wings in new and often frightening ways. it is by fighting back that i gain my strength and my joy in life. although, even when fighting back i rarely pass up a good piece of chocolate cake! hee hee



coral bells swaying (c) 2009 julie king

this last week, some of my art sold including an original shadow box collage and the "she journeyed" piece i featured here. this small surge validates me in ways many of you can understand, i'm sure. it satisfies the soul and creates in me a desire to push those boundaries back even further so i can fly free . . . soar.


this is a large commission piece i started on monday. it is 36" x 18" solid aspen. i'm still applying the first layer of torn vintage sheet music. next i'll start adding layers of paint and building the base for the subject matter up with torn tissue paper. i don't have a firm design set down yet and plan to just let this one take course as it will -- basically i'll let the art have it's way with me and i'll follow along for the adventure. how fun to see where we'll travel together . . . pushing the boundaries all the way!!

10 comments:

Kristy Worden said...

Love the petunias - I like the bigger size art - I'll be interested to see if it's harder than the small ones. How 'aging' are you? I'm 55. This has been a tough year for me.

Almost Precious said...

What a great philosophy you have. You've just reminded me that by taking positive actions one will receive positive results. Thank you !:)
Anna

lori vliegen said...

i just love visiting your blog...you always have a way of putting into words what i wish i could put into words! i'm trying to fight back, too, but of course i'm kind of a wimpy fighter...my idea of healthy is "no pudge" brownies! hee hee

congrats on your art sales....you SO deserve it sweet friend! :)

Shannon said...

WOW! GOOD for you! I so know... I sold a photograph of mine once.. and was SO pleased. After I realized how much the online company made, I took all my stuff off the site.. now I just go on enjoying taking pictures! ;) Maybe someday I'll want to push myself to do more with this passion of mine? For now.. I love it as a hobby! AND... good for you for always fighting! Makes my heart smile!

Nana Trish is Living the Dream said...

I am so excited for your sales. I need to get busy and do something that will make me feel better about me. I guess I give in to being tired and just chill too much at night. As I'm sitting here right now and could be up doing something like art or writing. Those petunias are fabulous. Is it photography, tissue paper, watercolor? I know one thing...it's stunning!!!

Christine said...

Lovely art today, Julie, thanks for sharing, along with your upbeat mood of accomplishment! Car seat technician!

Cindy said...

you have a great attitude, julie. no pain, no gain. but, sometimes the gain is such a pain ;). congrats on the recent sales and can't wait to see the commissioned piece as it progresses. have a nice weekend!

Jennifer {Studio JRU} said...

YEAH!! Here's to fighting back!!

Unknown said...

Yay, Julie! Congrats on the sale on your fine way of living...chocolate cake included!

supplies overflowing! said...

I love this post- from your photograghs to the obvious glee and enthusiasm-
You have the right attitude-if you are able to "fight back" then those issues such as eating too much, not exercising, etc., are no longer issues.
Enthusiasm can be infectious- thanks for the boost, and congrats on your sale!
Looking forward to seeing the end result of this latest work, too.