As I was organizing files near my computer desk I came across the above letter, which I wrote to myself during my JournalFest trip last year. It was a pleasant surprise and inspired me to drop the current task at hand and open my art journal instead. As I placed the finishing touches on, I realized there are only 2.5 spreads left until this journal is completed. For some reason there’s a feeling of intimidation to finishing this journal. I suppose it’s because I feel these past few pages should be exceptional. But in truth, this journal is only the beginning.

With cherries at their peak, I decided to make a cherry galette. And despite not finding mascarpone at either our local Fresh Market or Publix markets, a dollop of Blue Bell vanilla ice cream tasted just as delicious.

Last week: Stuffed Flank Steak with Creole Hash. The above photo was taken before rolling/pinning the steak together and grilling it. There was also a pepperoni pizza variation for the steak’s “stuffing” which I’m sure we’ll try in the future. This dish was so delicious I forgot to take a photo of my prepared plate when it was finished. I can’t express how incredible the final product was.

Last night: Jerk Chicken. The spice rub was delicious, as was the homemade mojo sauce. Although the recipe didn’t require marinating, I will definitely do so next time to allow the flavor to penetrate into the meat. Even still, all the flavors from the spices and glaze worked beautifully together.

As previously mentioned, lately I’ve been experiencing one of the worst creative blocks. So, to help work through it I started to look for other journaling sites for inspiration, which is when I stumbled upon Journaling Saves by Kristin. Coincidentally, I received a newsletter from her regarding the very topic of feeling stuck. She suggested creating and keeping a list in one’s journal for the things you are grateful for. I’ve never been one to take many things for granted, but it seems over time I may have overlooked certain parts that have always made me appreciate this life. As I started to think about my list and put things down on paper, I realized that I soon had a list of items that were simple, significant, and everywhere in between. I’m hardly finished with the list and this stems from my belief that there are things I can only appreciate with each day that passes. Best of all, this list has helped in allowing me to feel a little back to my old self. I’m even writing my morning pages again – and for that I’m grateful.

Keeping in touch with friends, near or far is almost effortless now thanks to sites like Facebook. But I’m still a fan of hand written letters and cards in the mail. So after procrastinating long enough, I managed to tackle one of the exercises in the Artist’s Way, which involves sending letters to 5 people. Coincidentally,  in early May I purchased a box of beautiful cards from Papyrus simply because I loved the design. Plus, the box was adorable. I suppose this is just another example of the “synchronicity” Julia Cameron speaks of in her book. It’s always interesting when that happens. I just hope my 5 people enjoy their letters.

Lately, visions of vibrant color have been making their way into my daydreams. In my mind, paint splatters all around me. Intense colors of magentas, reds, and oranges gush, swirl, and surround my body. My hands dip into buckets of varying hues. The color coats my skin and drips from my fingers. It’s a huge mess, but in these thoughts I’m happy.  I’ve felt creatively blocked for some time – probably the longest “dry spell” I’ve had in years. It feels unnatural and foreign. I feel out of my element.  “Work through it,” say all my books on creativity. I’m trying. I only hope my efforts can restore some sort of normalcy.

A trip to Butterfly World for the first time in almost 20 years. The blue butterflies always strike me as the prettiest for some reason.

Reading Let the Great World Spin. It has completely sucked me in. The author’s words flow off the page and I’m transformed into the world he creates. I haven’t loved a book this much since House of Leaves.

This week’s dip back into the Artist’s Way has made me realize:

1) I really missed the unpredictable results of my film shots.
and
2) It’s taken maybe a good 2 years, but all the color print film I had has finally been used up – with the exception of one Lucky roll that I just loaded into my Canon AE-1.

Let the shooting commence!

(Samples of a few journal page backgrounds I did over the weekend.)