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.

Human Behavior Dynamics

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Posted on August 14, 2013

Your visions will become clear only when you can look into your own heart. ~ C.G. Jung

I hope you’ll excuse me this morning. I am rather excited. I received a wonderful comment on “Wheels of Change,” the blog posted on August 8, 2013.The reader commented “You need to be a part of a contest for one of the highest quality blogs on the internet. I will recommend this site!”

Also, another positive affirmation came from Salley, from the You Are Never Alone Foundation http://youareneveralonefoundation.org/ . She said “Your blog blows me away….How do you come up with something every day?” She was commenting on yesterday’s blog on All Things Fulfilling called “Social Entrepreneurs.”

Thank you, readers. I’ll take those comments as big compliments, and Salley, I think I have ADD – attention daily disorder. Daily, I look for stories that might be of interest our readers. My attention to All Things Fulfilling is rarely at a deficit.

The first comment came from a psychology internet site which, in part, is what All Things Fulfilling is about. My goal is to inspire positive change as it relates to self-improvement, career and business or building a more positive world to live in. All Things Fulfilling means different things to different people. Exploring and discovering how our content might relate to the reader, is their own challenge, as they look into their own hearts.

My inspiration for writing comes from observing the world at large. Finding creative ways of bringing personal happiness to myself and others, is what this site is all about. Sometimes contentment means simply reading a book, seeing images in an art gallery or movie or listening to sounds that educate, inspire, inform or entertain.

If you are interested in expanding your horizons, there is a book by Martin E.P. Seligman, Ph.D. called Learned Optimism: How to Change Your Mind and Your Life. Click for information and ordering The book incorporates the principles of how to look at and find the positive aspects of all things, thus changing our life experience affirmatively. Check it out.Click for info & ordering

This blog brought to you by Sue Batton Leonard, author of Gift of a Lifetime: Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected and www.allthingsfulfilling.com. Click for info & ordering on Sue’s memoir

Life and Comfort Zones

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Posted on August 9, 2013

“Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.” ~ Neale Walsh

All week we have focused on women using their own unique spirits and gifts to find success and bring personal fulfillment to their lives. Sometimes it takes courage to dig deep to identify and use the skills we innately have for the benefit of others.

I just signed up to do something that scares the bejesus out of me. In the past, just the thought of it, has been one of my biggest fears in life. I know I can do it. I have found inspiration and accomplished it many times before, and each time, it gets easier. So, I am stepping out of my comfort zone and moving full steam ahead to confront this “thing” head on, for good, once and for all, so it will become a non-issue in my life.

I’ve got a plan of action, and in order to accomplish it, this “thing” that makes me uncomfortable needs to become second nature in order for me to successfully go about fulfilling my dreams and sharing it with others. I’ll keep you posted in coming weeks of my progress and tell you what helped me to know I have what I need inside already.

Just writing my thoughts down for good measure and sayin,’ so, now I can move forward …..

Do return on Monday to All Things Fulfilling. The space where independent thoughts, words and views are all part of the business. This blog brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.

Bicycles and Freedom

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Posted on August 8, 2013

“The less routine, the more life.” ~ Amos Bronson Alcott

This summer I began switching up my exercise routine alternating from walking everyday to sometimes biking. I haven’t had a bicycle in many years but thanks to my mother, I inherited hers, when she got a new one. At eighty plus years of age, she is still biking three or four days a week. That’s the way to keep on movin’! Most women in the generation before hers took to their rocking chairs at age 60, and now women are staying active well into their 70s, 80s and even at 90.

Its been a while since I have been on a bicycle, and I had forgotten the exhilaration that comes with using that mode of transportation. It is a very fulfilling feeling to be able to cover more ground, than on foot, in a short amount of time.

There are benefits to getting out of a rut, and doing something different. Choosing a unique vacation spot, driving roads less traveled, dressing in something new and stylistically different, eating foods that have never been tried before are just a few things we can do to add spice to our lives.

There is a book by Sue Macy, a sports historian, called Wheels of Change: How Women Rode the Bicycle to Freedom (With a Few Flat Tires along the Way) which explores how the bike had social impact on women allowing them to become more independent. Women’s infatuation with biking began as far back as the 1890s, and it started a slow evolution in fashion – moving away from Victorian couture. Bloomers, split skirts, and less voluminous dresses began making their entrance onto the fashion scene, which made biking easier for women and more convenient. Click for more info & ordering

Women’s activist Susan B Anthony once said of biking “I stand and rejoice every time I see a woman ride by on a wheel…the picture of free, untrammeled womanhood.” Anthony’s independent thoughts remind me that I have freedom of choice. The same old story in my life needs to be replaced every once in a while with new narratives.

“I love biking in scenic Steamboat Springs, Colorado.”

Gift of A Lifetime: Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected is an story that has been waiting to be told for many years. It is now available! Click for info & orderingAll Things Fulfilling is brought to you by www.cornerstonefulfillmentservice.com. Where independent thoughts, words and views are all part of the business.

Good News for an Indie Bookstore

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Posted on August 5, 2013

“Once a year, go someplace you have never been before.” ~ Dali Lama

In a time when brick and mortar bookstores are struggling to stay in business, there is good news in the northeastern part of the country. Northshire Bookstore, in Manchester Center, Vermont, an independent bookstore that has won top honors from Publishers Weekly Magazine, just spread it’s wings and has opened in a second location, in a second state.

Saratoga, New York, the site of the new Northshire Bookstore, is a thriving community, the home of SkidmoreCollege. http://www.skidmore.edu/ The town has a vibrant performing arts center (SPAC), http://www.spac.org/ as well as many shops and galleries throughout town. The SaratogaArtCenter http://www.saratoga-arts.org/ teaches workshops and hosts artists in residence. It is also the summer home to many horse racing enthusiasts.

There are many reasons to visit this region. Saratoga is in the Adirondack Mountains region with sparkling lakes nearby for summer recreation. The town boasts of seventeen healing mineral springs, which were first found by the Mohawk and Iroquois Indians.

Next time you are in the area, stop by 424 Broadway and see the newly opened Northshire Bookstore. http://www.northshire.com/ If it is anything like the retail store in Manchester, Vermont, it will be stocked with all kinds of fulfilling reading and it will be well worth your visit.

Photo Above: Pre-Opening of the Northshire Bookstore in Saratoga, NY

This blog brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com. Tomorrow we will be sharing stories about art in a different part of the country. Do return to All Things Fulfilling.

Meeting Needs, Circuitously

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Posted on August 1, 2013

“I’m conscious of a series of circles working its way through my life.” ~ Ben Okri

Image above: Artist Nathalie Parenteau

There has been a certain synchronicity lately on All Things Fulfilling around the theme of building things – building stone walls and memorials, building a beautiful home and family, building business through our passions, building meaningful relationships between people and community.

If you read yesterday’s blog called “Riding the Circuit,” there was a bit of self-deprecating humor over searching for answers to what the term “circuit rider” means. Here is a continuation of my story.

As a first time visitor, I opened the red doors to the tiny UnitedMethodistChurch on TaylorsIsland with quiet trepidation, and with much curiosity about what this “circuit rider” my mother spoke of might look like. I imagined someone in the pews would be wearing a cowboy hat, since that is what I had grown accustomed to seeing on Sunday mornings as I entered the UMC in Steamboat, Colorado. From my relatively new Western point of reference, in my mind a circuit rider is a cowboy who rides the rodeo circuit.

In I entered. I sat in a pew behind a small group of people who turned, smiled warmly and said “Good morning, welcome!”

“No cowboy hats in this crowd, East coast dress code” I thought. I sat quietly and reverently listening to small town conversation around me. Finally, someone remarked that “the Reverend must be running late.”

“No big deal,” I thought. I was used to people running late, in places where people recreate (in vacation places like shore towns and ski resorts) people have more laid back attitudes, and seem to run on their own time clocks.

Finally, in the Reverend walked. What I came to find out after the powerful, inspirational sermon he delivered was that the “Rev ” is the “circuit rider” my mother talked about. He goes around fulfilling the spiritual needs of people at four services, at four different churches on Sunday mornings. That’s why he is called a circuit rider! To read more about this preacher’s life, please visit this article. http://delmarvane.ws/1bqWxTq. This minister has been serving people for almost sixty-six years helping to build one-on-one relationships between people and God, in different communities.

Tomorrow, a shorter blog. I promise! This blog is brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.

Spotlight: Inspiring Fiber Artist

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Posted on July 24, 2013

“Art is literacy of the heart” ~Elliot Eisner

The first thought that comes to mind when the word publishing is mentioned is books. Art, however, in all kinds of forms, can be associated with the word publishing, also.

The other day, I met a fiber artist, Windy Karpavage, who became a “test knitter” for patterns of felted handbags and knitted flowers. The forty original test pattern designs were subsequently published in the book, “Noni Flowers” by designer Nora J Bellows. http://noniflowers.com/.

Out of Windy Karpavage’s experience as a “test knitter,” grew the business Kaire´ je Studio (meaning left handed)http://on.fb.me/13Btjv6. Karpavage makes felted handbags, totes and purses. Her home studio on Taylors Island, Maryland is filled with treasures for the knitter. Along with purse patterns of Noni’s designs, Karpavage creates some of her own original compositions. All the accessories that go with the craft are available in Kaire´ je Studio such as yarns, knitting needles, handbag clasps (including a growing collection of vintage purse clasps), along with patterns for knit dresses, artistically-styled cowls, shawls, scarves and more.

Photo Credits: Grace Batton

Photo Design above: Sue Batton Leonard

Karpavage also gives knitting lessons from her home studio and at a knitting group gathering every Friday morning at the DorchesterCenter for the Arts http://www.dorchesterarts.org/ in Cambridge, Maryland. She teaches right and left handed knitting.

I’d like to thank Windy Karpavage for sharing her art with me. She has inspired me to find a way to spend more time knitting this winter, after business hours. Who knows what yarn creations I can make if I put my mind to it in snowy Steamboat Springs, Colorado. My first project might be one of the great new artistically-styled cowl patterns, to keep my neck toasty warm on those frigid winter days. Perhaps a felted bag, such as the pattern Hearts on My Sleeve, to match the knitted cowl, for when I step out on the First Friday Art Walks during ski season would be a fulfilling knitting project also.

Above: Custom Knitwear by Windy Karparvage. Work in progress – Original felted handbag design.

This blog brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com. Where independent thoughts, words and views are all part of the business.

Skillfully Delivered

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Posted on July 23, 2013

“Blessed are the ears of those who hear the pulse of the divine whisperer…”
~Thomas Kempis

I’ve had a fabulous summer so far. It’s been filled with business, checking out local art scenes in different places, meeting artists, including writers I have never met before, and best of all, the opportunity to spend cherished time with family. Yet, one Sunday morning in my travels, I awoke and finally identified something that had been quietly nagging at me. I realized I missed a message of inspiration that I find each week at the United Methodist Church of Steamboat. “Time,” I thought, “to do something about it.”

I visited the diminutive United Methodist Church on remote Taylors Island, Maryland http://bit.ly/1bIYSIl and came out feeling uplifted, almost giddy . The sermon was as fine as I’ve heard anywhere, and it was the kind of inspiration yours truly needed at that moment. The Reverend’s well-delivered words included a message about God’s relationship to people in the business of trying to live up to their full potential. It was the fifth sermon in the series on “Living the Successful Life,” called Faith is a Dynamo. The Rev. Dr. Robert Kirkley spoke about how “God is in the business of success and blessings,” but we must do our part also. He reassured the people that if we ascribe to the principles of Jack Welsh and add God to our lives, we will find success. As someone who has read books on Welsh’s leadership, I tuned in immediately. The message was skillfully and clearly delivered and at the end of his sermon, I felt spiritually renewed. I will be sharing more fulfilling things that came about in my visit to a church outside of my own community in future blog writings.

We often discover new things when we step outside the box, and change-up our routine. Over the coming month or so, there will be big changes coming to All Things Fulfilling. I am very excited and will be working hard to give this site an updated look while keeping the disruption to a minimum.

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

Artist Spotlight: Driftwood Art

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Posted on July 18, 2013

If we look at the world with a love of life, the world will reveal its beauty to us.” ~Daisaku Ikeda

One evening at the Second Saturday Artwalk in Cambridge, Maryland I had the priviledge of meeting Lynn Cegelski, an artist who makes driftwood art. Living so close to the shore of the Chesapeake, the material she needs to create her green art is readily available. She recycles a natural resource, wood that has been cast into the ocean, tumbled by the waters then discarded onto beaches. The wood is her canvas, and the shape provides inspiration for what she is going to create.

At her exhibit last week at the DorchesterCenter for the Arts http://www.dorchesterarts.org/ , paintings on driftwood of a bald eagle, an angelfish, and owls in a tree could not have been better suited for their subjects. No carving of wood was needed. Sometimes, Lynn says “her vision for the piece of wood is immediately evident” and other times, she brings the wood home not knowing what she is going to do with it, but with time, a vision for the piece shines through after studying the nuances in the wood. “Half the fun of her art,” Lynn says “is walking the beaches and along shorelines in search of her treasures.” It is a way of winding down from the stresses of life.

I enjoyed meeting this artist, from Denton, Maryland. She was warm, friendly and her passion for her art was evident. I wish her well in her endeavors as an artist. Her exhibit at the DorchesterCenter for the Arts was her first.

For more information on Lynn’s business, Fiddlesticks Driftwood Art, please visit www.facebook.com/fiddlesticksdriftwoodart or contact Lynn by email at FiddlesticksArt@gmail.com. A company website is forthcoming.

Pleasure to meet you, Lynn!

Return tomorrow to All Things Fulfilling for another artist spotlight from the Chesapeake region. This blog brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.

All Things Fulfilling

Writing Focused on Fine Art & The Humanities

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Skillfully Delivered