Where is this Place?

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Posted on May 18, 2015

All architecture is shelter, all great architecture is the design of space that contains, cuddles, exalts, or stimulates the persons in that place.~ Philip Johnson

Identify both of these places and the city where they are located. Leave your answer by way of comment to this blog. First person to identify accurately these two houses of worship will win a free personalized paperback copy of the award-winning book, Gift of a Lifetime: Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected. Family members are excluded from entering!

Hints:

They are located in a state west of the Mississippi
Each place is distinctively different yet, they are located in the same community, a few blocks away on the same street, making them nearly neighbors!
I can hear your brain buzzing with activity trying to figure this out!
I visited both of these places last week and thoroughly learning more about each and enjoyed the photography opportunities.

Edifice #1 – I am so grateful for the kind stranger who directed my husband and me to the 10th floor of a nearby building to capture this incredible shot!

Edifice #2 (below) – As I entered into this building I couldn’t help but wonder how many people every hour, every day, every month or year pass by this structure having no clue of the magnificence that lies inside the doors. All it takes is one peek to grab one’s attention.

Aren’t both visually and architecturally stunning? If you joined in on All Things Fulfilling last week, by reading the posting Finding a Good Fit and if you read my memoir Gift of a Lifetime: Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected you’ll understand the reason why I enjoy seeing church buildings. It has to do with my family history!

Do return to All Things Fulfilling tomorrow. I will post a few more pictures of these two extraordinary places.

Drink in the Outdoors

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Posted on August 5, 2014

“Life’s enchanted cup sparkles near the brim.” ~ Lord Byron

Baltimoreans of my generation will surely remember the Enchanted Forest in Ellicott City, Maryland. A trip to the Enchanted Forest always made me feel as if I had stepped into any one of my favorite fables. Back in the 1950s and 1960s, people didn’t travel great distances. Family day trips to amusement parks were considered special. For a child to see scenes of gumdrop cottages and fairyland castles like those in their favorite nursery rhymes turned boys and girls into princes and princesses for a day.

I liked peering into the windows of the Hansel & Gretel house and climbing on the statue of Old King Cole. Tiptoeing through a field of oversized gingerbread ladies and gents was thrilling to a youngster. You could even take a ride in “Alice in Wonderland” teacup shaped cars through the park. Baltimoreans, if you ever wondered where the Enchanted Forest went, follow this link. http://bit.ly/1nY7nQS.

Our world has changed over the decades and so have the people’s ideas of vacationing. Tomorrow we will be featuring a new website for outdoors enthusiasts who love to travel. The news wire for this site will be “officially launched” in a few weeks and it will feature inspiring places to see and things to do to enhance your lifetime experience. The great outdoors was created for us to enjoy. Take advantage and drink in all the great outdoors has to offer.

This blog brought to you by Sue Batton Leonard, author of the memoir Gift of a Lifetime: Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected. Click here for info and ordering.http://amzn.to/1o69dEg. Pssst.. The treasure is in the voice of this author narrated audio book!

Paper Flowers Redux

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Posted on May 8, 2014

“My dear girl, you must cultivate a taste for the finer things. Civilized pleasures give meaning to life.”

― Barbara Taylor Bradford, Being Elizabeth

Did you read yesterday’s blog about my childhood fiasco of trying to take my little brother on a road trip? If not, check it out.

Speaking of road trips – A few weeks ago, a friend and I took a journey from Steamboat Springs, Colorado to Glenwood Springs, Colorado. We gallery hopped, window shopped and had a tasty lunch. It was a wonderful and a much needed day away for both of us just before Easter.

Not only did my friend get to return to something familiar from her past, so did I. My book, Sue’s memoirGift of a Lifetime: Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected had only been published shortly before and as I entered into a fanciful women’s clothing shop, called Confetti Design http://www.confettidesign.net. I was nearly blown away when I saw their window dressing!

There she stood a shapely women, a manikin, dressed in a fitting Easter outfit all made from tissue paper flowers. I couldn’t believe my eyes! My memoir has a chapter entitled Paper Roses. which recounts my fulfilling experience of learning to make and sell paper flowers as a project in junior Girl Scouts.

I had never seen an entire frock made out of tissue paper flowers. As you can see from this image, it was gorgeous and so was the women’s clothing shop. The store had a real vibrancy to it, every color in the spectrum was represented in their high quality and creatively decorated shop. The sales clerks in it could not have been more hospitable either.

I could have shopped til I dropped, but instead I behaved myself. I’m trying to be fiscally conservative so I can properly get the word out about my publication through a diverse marketing plan and that takes some bucks.

Some day soon, I will take Barbara Taylor Bradford’s advice and will return to Confetti Designs with cash in my pocket to splurge on something deserved and special just for ME – perhaps an accoutrement to an outfit for a book talk! From all appearances, the ladies in Confetti have an outstanding eye for style and design. Maybe they will help me find just the right thing. I will be back!

I want to remind everyone to shop around by visiting different blogs – it’s a great way to discover fascinating sites and topics through the world-wide-web. You never know what you might run into that may peak your interest. Looking for a fun fashion blog? Visit http://invisiblecrowne.blogspot.com/. See you tomorrow on All Things Fulfilling.

What will Tomorrow’s Picture Bring?

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Posted on February 24, 2014

“Progress is impossible without change, and those who can not change their minds can not change anything.” ~ George Bernard Shaw

On Saturday evening I went to the movies and saw Philomena. Judy Dench was outstanding in her role, and I hope she is awarded an Oscar for her performance. The movie had a lot of important and controversial issues to reflect upon. As I watched the movie I thought about how integral dialogue has become to telling a story brought to cinema. “Talkies” gave way to a whole new generation of movies for the theatre. Now we are in the digital age of filmmaking which brings more changes to the industry.

I used to think that those behind the scenes of making a movie were inconsequential, that the only thing that really mattered was the actors’ performance. I’ve gained a new respect for the entire process of filmmaking since my son is in the business. In deference to all, I now feel it’s necessary to pay attention to the long list of credits at the end of the film. The cast and crew is no longer a half dozen people like during the days of silent movies. With each passing decade the list of technicians who make movies come to life seems to get longer and more impressive as skills of the filmmaking artists become more specialized.

If you are a baby boomer you will remember the excitement of looking at film images through the Viewmaster. How far we have come from looking at film from one of these devices!

In retrospect, the idea of getting a thrill by looking at images through one of these devices is now laughable. Techniques of creating visual images sure have changed since the days of the Viewmaster. Now we can even stream film videos from our computers and from mobile telephones! Who would have thunk it fifty or sixty years ago?

Throughout this week on All Things Fulfilling, I will be posting other images that will arouse memories for baby boomers. Stay tuned!

This blog is brought to you from the space where independent thoughts, words and views are all part of the business. wwww.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com. See you tomorrow on All Things Fulfilling.

Gatsby Groupies

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Posted on September 23, 2013

“Show me a hero, and I’ll write you a tragedy.” ~ F. Scott Fitzgerald

I feel as if I am becoming a Gatsby groupie! Today I walked into the Bud Werner Library, and saw a display case announcing the next One Book Steamboat (a community read). It is The Great Gatsby. “I’m in,” I thought, as I proceeded to the DVDs and took out the 2000 production of The Great Gatsby movie by A & E Television Networks. Then I wandered over the computer and put in a reserve for a copy of the book by the same title.

I guess I haven’t had enough of the Fitzgeralds, the Jazz Age and the Long Island social elite even though last summer on my vacation, I took in the movie The Great Gatsby with my sister and I also hawked my mother’s copy of Zelda and read it.

Truthfully, I was disappointed in the latest rendition of the movie, with Leonardo DiCaprio. The visual effects, I felt, were so over the top and frantic that it distracted me from being able to absorb the tragic tale of wealth and entitlement. The telling essence of Jay Gatsby’s character weaknesses were lost in the visual chaos of the movie, rather being told by the dialogue of the story.

The book Zelda, for me, provided much better insight into the psyche of an artist who “never wanted to give in or give up” despite failure and rejection. The narrative told an up-close and personal story of the relationship between wife and husband, Zelda and F. Scott Fitzgerald and it gave historical perspective into their friendships with other contemporaries (filmmakers, writers and artists) from the era.

As a lead-up to the community discussion of the novel, on October 10th, the latest Leo Dicaprio version of “Gatsby” will be aired at the Bud Werner Library. I’ll probably skip it. But then again, perhaps with a second look I might have a different opinion. But I hope not to miss what will probably be a very fulfilling discussion on Monday, October 21st. It will be led by the English teachers of SteamboatHigh School. I hope students are required to join in and read this classic novel. For more information, please follow this link. http://www.steamboatlibrary.org/events/one-book-steamboat

Come on back tomorrow to All Things Fulfilling. This blog brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.

Film Friday: Teaching Emerging Filmmakers

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Posted on September 20, 2013

“One of the privileges of being a filmmaker is the opportunity to remain a kind of perpetual student.” – Edward Zwick

Are you an educator who teaches emerging young filmmakers? The other day I came across a film distribution company that may not be known to visitors who frequent All Things Fulfilling for news about independent filmmaking.

New Day Films is a filmmaker-run distribution company providing award-winning films to educators since 1971. This on-line site “delivers over 230 titles that illuminate, challenge and inspire.” Many of the films can be digitally streamed directly from the website or delivered in DVD or VHS format.

Since the genre of documentary film is particularly interesting to me, I was drawn to a film called Conversations with Willard Van Dyke. http://www.newday.com/films/Conversations_with_WVD.html. In this film, Van Dyke discusses his belief that “films have the power of film to change the world.” The man behind his films, Willard Van Dyke, “became synonymous with social documentary in the U.S.”

During his lifetime (1906 – 1986), Van Dyke painted portraitures of Americans, through the medium of film, who made their living through hard labor everyday such as steelworkers, cottonpickers and machinists. The Depression, he said, made an everlasting impression on him.Click for info & ordering Willard Van Dyke’s film

Van Dyke was director of the Department of Film at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) from 1965 to 1974. He also began the film department at the State University of New York in Purchase. In 1978, he received the prestigious George Eastman Award, given by George Eastman House for distinguished contribution to the art of film.

New Day Films distributes films on many social issue topics, among them:

Aging & Gerontology
Media, Art & Culture
Religion & Theology
African-American
Multi-Cultural
Children & Family issues
Sociology
Native American Studies

Film educators and film historians may find the perfect film they are looking for to use in the classroom on the website http://www.newday.com. Check it out.

See you Monday. This blog brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.

Treasuring Art

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Posted on September 17, 2013

“Learning is a treasure that will follow its owner everywhere.” ~ Chinese proverb

At a thrift store recently I came across an art print of Thomas Moran – imagine my delight! It seemed like a God thing – the image was just sitting there waiting for someone who’d appreciate it to pick it up . I gave in to my desires and purchased it – a real deal. I am very grateful to have the Moran art print hanging on my wall. He was one of the greatest illustrator and colorists of all times.

Every evening the week before last, I had been watching Ken Burns’ documentary The National Parks: America’s Best Idea. http://bit.ly/182xh1N. Moran’s name was mentioned as one of the top landscape painters of the 19th century who ventured west. I learned he traveled to YellowstoneNational Park from the Hudson RiverSchool in New York, in the summer of 1871, to document on canvas what others described as a place where “hell bubbled up.”

Many artists traveled westward in the early days of the founding of the U.S. National Parks and they continue to be favorite places for artists who are seeking inspiration. Artists still go to paint, photograph and write about the dramatic landscapes in these protected government lands which are far more unique than many other places across the United States. Ralph Waldo Emerson described the National Parks as places where “God is more easily found in nature than in the works of man.”

Lots of people find personal fulfillment in poking around in thrift shops. You never know what treasures you might find. I scored!

This blog is brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.

Do return to All Things Fulfilling tomorrow!

Journey toward Enlightenment

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Posted on September 10, 2013

Words that enlighten the soul are more precious than jewels. ~ Hazrat Inayat Khan

“Okay…it’s 4:30 in the morning and any minute we’re off to the airport…Burlington VT to Newark, NJ then 14 hrs to Bejing, from there to Mongolia and the Gobi–the first leg of the journey has begun!” ~writes Clemma Dawsen from Sandgate, Vermont.

I doubt my friend Clemma has taken her feline. She’d be more likely to transport her horse. She’s an equestrian, and finds the same kind of fulfillment in owning an equine as the Dali Lama does in having a cat. If you missed the story about His Holiness and his feline, scroll down to yesterday’s blog.

Clemma is part of a group that is traveling from Vermont to Tibet to learn more about personal fulfillment. This group is made up of artists of all types. She will be journaling as she travels, she is the poet/writer of the group.

I am so proud of Clemma. She is deserving of this assignment. I met her when I worked as education coordinator at the VermontStateCraftCenter “Frog Hollow.” She is one of those kinds of people you feel as if you have known forever – warm, loving and friendly. We “clicked” immediately. Although we only worked together for a relatively short time, she has never left my heart. When we met, we had a lot in common – both of us had sons, who were only children. They attended the same high school and both boys have artistic spirits. We’d share notes on teen rearing a lot.

I encourage you to follow Clemma and her fellow adventurers on the blog Triptych Journey: The Alchemy of Stories, Art and Travel. http://triptychjourney.org/ .

The group is also comprised of a project advisor (a Buddist who has more than two dozen books on spirituality to his credit), a documentary cinematographer, a photographer, and a choreographer. Their mission “is to tell compelling world stories that speak to all of us. Using multimedia arts and expression, Triptych Journey connects audiences to vulnerable people, cultures and ecology, instilling values of conservation and preservation in a rapidly changing world.”

Happy Travels to All! I can’t wait to be enlightened about what is learned from this experience that will take these artists to far off reaches of the world.

This blog brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com. Come on back to All Things Fulfilling tomorrow.

Artistic and Technical Minds

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Posted on August 20, 2013

Whenever parents with adult children gather, it becomes catch up time. “What is your son or daughter doing these days?” always enters into the conversation. Sometimes this question leaves my husband and me at a loss for words. A pat answer, like “our son is an accountant does not work!” Frequently, we answer “all kinds of things,” because it is the truth and hard to explain it. Only parents with creative adult children seem to understand this.

Our twenty-five year old son is an artist, with technical abilities. These words bring vague connotations because artists have a way of being involved in whatever moves their spirit. Their passions and interests can change frequently, especially if they are multi-media artists.

From now on, perhaps I need to write out on a piece of paper, the link to a website which will clarify his position(s). Here you go, this will explain it. He has his own number.
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm3786343/ .

It’s very hard to keep track of what our son is doing from day to day, except to say “he is doing a good job of fulfilling his dream and that makes his parents very happy.”

The Artist’s Way for Parents: Raising Creative Children, http://amzn.to/19EfT6U available as an e-book, is a great resource for adults with young children who are showing signs of becoming budding artists. This is a memoir by Julia Cameron.

Today, in this blog about children and the arts, I’d like to share some photographs. Having permission to use these treasured images is a gift to my husband and me. What is contained in the photos makes us very happy. All images are courtesy of Lindele Media http://www.lindelemedia.com/ in New Mexico, and I wish to say “thank you” for letting us use them.

I look forward to Lindele Media’s upcoming movie “The Garden,” set to be released in 2014. There is a trailer to watch on this website. http://bit.ly/UJrK73 and to learn more about the cast and crew, please visit the Internet Movie Database link http://imdb.to/14VZEjZ .

At Work: The Award-Winning Director of “Moses Stuttered” (2012):

Photo courtesy of Lindele Media

Photo Courtesy of Lindele Media

Photo courtesy of Lindele Media

Photo Courtesy of Lindele Media

Photo courtesy of Lindele Media

To Watch Moses Stuttered http://bit.ly/UJrK73

Tomorrow on All Things Fulfilling, our blog will be exploring the creation of each one of us as individuals. This blog brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.

Clearing the Way

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Posted on August 15, 2013

“The purpose of art is washing the dust of daily life off our souls.” ~ Pablo Picasso

Are you person who has always had an artistic calling, yet you have never pursued your passion in earnest? You are not alone. There are many people, for various reasons, who have had to travel down other career paths feeling they have not fulfilled their God-given talents.

The book Unlocking the Heart of the Artist: Practical Guide to Fulfilling Your Creative Call as an Artist in the Kingdom speaks to this issue for the new generation of people who seek personal fulfillment as a priority in their lives. He invites others to live fully, doing what makes them happy, and to become “unstuck” by expressing themselves creatively.

The author, Matt Tommey, is a successful basket maker and art consultant from Asheville, North Carolina. His sensible messages to other artists, through his publications, helps clear the way of self-doubt by providing hope and insight to individuals who wish to thrive and become fulltime artists. His book Crafting your Brand: Simple Strategies for Cultivating a Successful Creative Career, is also a good resource for anyone who wants to pursue their calling.

A well-rounded artist, Matt Tommey, makes a living in a combination of ways, also offering workshops on the craft of basketry. To learn more about his workshops, how to order these publications and to see his website, http://bit.ly/1bpQhI9 .

Do return tomorrow for Film Friday, we will be featuring a film that is soon to be released that plays well into our recent topics of writing on All Things Fulfilling. This blog brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.

All Things Fulfilling

Writing Focused on Fine Art & The Humanities

Category Archives: visual effects

Drink in the Outdoors

What will Tomorrow’s Picture Bring?