The sea,shore and a hair cut.

Happy Monday!

We had a jam packed weekend filled with running around, botching our normal (sleep) schedule, visiting with family (and friends!) and swimming in the ocean. I'd say it was a pretty damn good weekend.

On Saturday we drove to Orlando (which is about 2.5 hours from our little town) to sell one of my paintings, and visit with my grandparents who summer in Maine. We also enjoyed a lovely nacho-esque dinner with my in-laws and watched the horse race. We all "bet" on our horses with beer, my father-in-law and I picked the winning horse, so I rewarded myself with another glass of vino. ;)

I sold a painting this weekend that I was commissioned to do-- the clients loved it, so I am a happy girl. Painting commissions is a lot of fun, but they are more nerve wreaking since the client has a vision too. Selling something I've already made is a no brainer... making something FOR someone is stressful because there is always a possibility that the client wont be happy with my work. This has actually never happened to me, but it's bound to one day.. you can't make all of the people happy all of the time. 

 In this case they were very happy, so I am very happy too.

The Sea & The Shore, acrylic $360 SOLD 16x40 inches on canvas

On Sunday I decided that I was sick of my hair, so I cut it all off and I am SO glad I did. I don't know why I even bother growing my hair out, I love it short.

I look a little scary in the before picture because I didn't want them to know I was taking a picture of myself at the salon, although no one would have cared anyway..

I feel so free now and all that dyed crap has been cut out. After a few more trims I will be back to my natural hair color for the first time in over 15 years! I am trying to break the evil cycle of coloring my hair, this was a great start to ending that cycle.

After I got my hairs cut we spend the evening with out good friends enjoying the beautiful weather at one of our favorite little spots-- it was nice catching up with friends, we've all been so busy lately there hasn't been much time for that.

This week I am going to try something a little new in the diet/workout department.. so I'll probably share some of that on Wednesday, I am starting a new painting today (maybe) and this is going to be an awesome week!

How was your weekend?

Namaste!
r

Painting the ocean and some other things.

Team R&R has had a great week.

R was personally contacted and commissioned to do some special work for a website that sells images and videos, I was hired to do a custom painting, I have a really cool opportunity to work with some awesome young folks making their dreams come true, and R and I have been coming up with a business model to get our personal work out there, sold, and on peoples minds.

Getting paid to do what you love is a serious high. 

As far as what R and I are doing.. This cute little town that we live in has a decent artist community-- which means, people buy art, so we're entertaining opening a booth at the local downtown market. He's going to feature his photography, I'm going to feature my paintings and hopefully we'll be rolling in dough ASAP. I'm assuming we need to get a legit LLC going before we open the booth so we're not screwed by the IRS.

Side note: I have to say I think it is serious BS that I have to give the government my hard earned money-- especially when you consider there are MILLIONS of people out there abusing the system, and I couldn't even collect unemployment after working non-stop for 9 years-- all because of a technicality.

Don't get me started on social security.

I hate capitalism with a bloody passion. HATE.IT.

Here is a prog shot of what I have been working on this week. Florida-ish/beach/nature art is my favorite to work on, so I was really excited to hired for this.

So that's all. Hope all is well with my fellow bloggers.

Namaste!
r

On Practice

I am a week into my third month where yoga, as a full time occupation, has been up for serious consideration.

The first month was a little rocky, and the second shared with the holidays.. the third has already been really rewarding; mentally and physically I have made some major improvements, especially in the physical practice of yoga.

Spiritually however, I am quite overwhelmed.

Spiritual matters have kept me quite curious over the years. I started questioning religions at a really young age; and while I have a pretty good idea where I stand spiritually, I really struggle with expressing myself this way. Actually, expressing myself on any personal level is quite difficult.

The most tragic of all of my flaws is my inability to let anyone in... I am very guarded of my inner layers. I know that most of my depression is directly related this, so it adds to the frustration. This personality flaw is no bueno for someone wanting to help guide others through their spiritual & physical journey, via yoga or otherwise.

When you are 25 and have never let anyone in how do you change? I've been making a conscious effort to be less guarded; it is by far one of the most difficult things I have tried to overcome. I suppose there is some strength to be gained by not being so afraid, but I'm not seeing the light, so continuing to open up to my friends and family is not getting easier.. I am not giving in, I will make the change whether I like it right now or not.

(I guess what you push under the rug really does come back to haunt you, eh?)

Ok, back to the physical and more positive aspect of this journey; I'm really enjoying the challenge of power yoga classes, none comparable however to P90x guy's Yoga X.

R and I have this joke that working out (sweating, cardio, pushing yourself) forces the evil out and I believe it; after a power session with Yoga X, I feel like a completely different, nicer person.

I also really enjoy and benefit from the more meditative practices of yoga as well, so I am hoping to combine the two as I get deeper into my practice.

The best part about making yoga apart of my every day life as been the more I learn, the less I know, I know.. ya know? ;) Yoga is a process where accepting yourself just as you are in that moment is a key to your success in the practice, you eventually get to where you need to be if you keep trying.

So that is where I am at.. I haven't stuck to something in a while, so I am very grateful for being at the right place at the right time, to gain the inspiration I needed to start this journey.

Namaste,

r

FLIFF & stuff.

Ft. Lauderdale was good times. We bounced back and forth between FLIFF (Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival) events, ocean-side restaurants with blue moon on tap and the kava bar.

The Encore of Tony Duran was great, really great. We got to spend some time with the director over the course of the weekend and our time was filled with great advice and insight on making movies and working with people within that structure. As someone who is always willing to learn, I was happy to meet someone who was willing to teach and lead. (Another person we met over the weekend spent most of his time trying to discourage us and boast about himself-- Ego's are really unattractive.) As I am sure I've mentioned, we're pretty into film and making films.

I also met a really spunky lady who happens to be an art dealer with a few successful galleries in South Florida and also in Southern Cali-- I think I might have some pieces that are right up her ally-- my hope is that she'll be willing to take a young emerging artist under her wing and give me some wall time.  
A girl can dream.

A lot of cool things happened this weekend in my personal life too, which I will be sharing soon. I think I finally found my calling. I've been hearing my name, but couldn't see myself anywhere in particular. I have literally been floating around like a space cadet-- but, finally I figured it out.. and I feel pretty great about it.

That is all.

How was your weekend?

Xo,
r

Trying some new things.

I've been trying my hand at digital illustration. 

Best motivation.. 

Blog headers/Buttons.

For now I thought I would share what I worked on today.

Grab my butt.....on. 

I'm mature.

this pretty much depics how I feel 90% of the time. 

Yes, like a space cadet, not a planet.

and incase you missed it on my previous post...

aww, who loves to recycle....

me!

Okay, that's all folks.

Good night and dream sweetly.

xo. 

r

JJ done.

JJ has been done for months now, but I finally got a picture of him.

Here he be.

The kids were really excited to meet the artist.
I did some lettering too, but that's not as exciting as JJ.

Have a good weekend.

Music Monday and a Day without floppies

I swear I am not complaining about this, 

but I spent my entire day painting.

I'm exhausted. 

Nine hours on your feet is hard whether you are working retail or painting murals. 

Plus, my sweet Florida feet were confined in tennis shoes all day.
I hate shoes.

I spent about 7 of those 9 hours on a 12 foot ladder, and wearing flops whilst atop a 12 ft ladder 

is absolutely horrifying. 

I'm not even afraid of heights, but I was shaking like a crack head.

I do everything in flip flops, so you can only imagine the horror I was experiencing to resort to 9 hours of foot confinement. 

Now that I am done whining, and I'd like to introduce..

I love music. It's been apart of my life for as long as I can remember and I have this guy to thank:

 Mi Abuelo, who is affectionately dubbed Papa.

By his children, grand children and a great grand child.

First of all, he is the sweetest man I know with a heart bigger 

than Asia. I'm not exaggerating.

I grew up knowing my grandfather was someone special. 

My mother had all his albums displayed proudly around the house

and I didn't know anyone else who had a singing, guitar playing grandfather with his picture on album covers.

My siblings and I would demand listening to his tapes in the car... 

(OH tapes, remember those)

We would get especially excited when he would fly into town to take us to Mc Donalds.

(Silly I know, but kids love Micky D's)

Did I mention he is also a Pilot and a Doctor? 

Types A's.. gotta love 'em.

Our favorite song was this one:

This is where my love of all instrumental music started.

My grandfather started his music career with the Los Pekinekes, and ended it flying solo.
(Literally flying.)

Los Pekinekes opened for the Beatles!

THE BEATLES!

This is seriously exciting for me, because I am a huge John Lennon freak.

What's more exciting, is that my grandfather was part of a huge musical movement in the 60's.

Instrumental Rock. 

My favorite.

It's Romantic.

 It's rugged.

It's Funky.

Es mi familia.  

(He'd probably be horrified that I posted this video, but I love it.)

AH! I love him!
Hearing him sing and play is one of my greatest joys in life.
His voice echos my greatest childhood memories;
learning to swim, dance, eat paella and fall in love with music.

My one true idol in life. 

If I could be half the person he has been in his lifetime, I would consider myself a success.

<3

xo, r

On painting, and randon acts of kindness.

This week has been crazy for me. 

In addition to having some long days and late nights, I had a few random mishaps and acts of kindness happen. 

Yesterday, when I was about half a mile from my destination, I got a friggin speeding ticket. I was going 18 over. 

FUUUUUUUUU....... But the cop was nice enough to overlook that, and give me a ticket for going 10 over instead. That saved me about $100. PHEW.

In spite of the major inconvenience on my pocketbook (and driving record), I remained optimistic heading into my day of painting. To my surprise, my little brother dropped in on me unannounced, and not only provided another day of great conversation, but he had some great input for the mural. 

He is untrained in the arts, so his natural ability to come up with design solutions made me so proud and happy. 

(That creative gene runs in the family, one day I'll show off the family jems.)

I got home last night and the Internet was out. No biggie, I was exhausted and past out on the couch. 

This morning, still no internet. 

The internet holds a world of education for me; Rotoscoping tutorials GALORE! 

So I was pretty stressed out about not being able to utilize my day as planned. I obsessively called the provider until the they agreed to send someone over. 

They sent over a nice guy named Scott--Of course, by the time he showed up, I was knee deep in tears. 

The long distance relationship and the possibility of missing a Skype date with R, was really getting to me.

I explained my frustration to Scott in between apologies for answering the door so upset. 

Part of my frustration was not having gas in my car to drive to starbucks for internet-- I drove to Orlando A LOT this week, so my starving artist budget is a little slim until payday.

As he walked out the door, he handed me a Ten and said: "Hey, some gas on me"

I insisted he keep his money, but he insisted I take it. Since I am a lady, I went ahead and graciously took the money and told him I'd pay it forward and thanked him for his generosity.

The key to receiving random acts of kindness is paying them forward. 

When I lived in Chicago, I had a lot of bad days. I dating a guy that didn't like me that much, a job I didn't like and the lack of vitamin D made me rather weepy. 

One day I was taking a smoke break (I quit okay!), and I was balling my eyes out between puffs because a customer had just berated me in front of the entire mall. 

A homeless man named William came up to me and said: 

"I don't have much to give you, but I can offer you a hug and another cigarette"

I took him up on his offer, and we were friends the remainder of my time in Chicago. 

Fun Story: My final weeks in Chicago, I spent a lot of time trying to find William so I could say good bye and thank you for being a good friend-- My work location changed so I didn't see him as often. I looked for him every day for 7 weeks with no luck. 

My last day in Chicago, I decided to take a different route home from work, and there he was, standing at the corner of State and Madison. We embraced each other for a solid 10 minutes. I was dressed to the T, and he was wearing the same jacket he wore every day-- it would have been a beautiful picture. To this day, that moment is one of my top 10 of all time.

I always think about William when I have a bad day, and I catch myself wishing for that moment in time again; His act of kindness was so simple, yet so perfect. A hug, a cigarette and a beautiful memory. 

I'll keep that forever.

So today when Scott wanted to help a sister out with some gas, I was moved to tears and grateful. 

His company will be getting a call tomorrow with many compliments.

I make a point to always talk to someone who looks like they are having a bad day, pay tolls for the person behind me (when I can), smile back at strangers, thank the clerks at walmart, and tip a little extra for great service- I don't have a lot to give, but I try to give what I can, when I can. 

_______________________________________________

The mural I have been working on this week looks great. I am waiting for the client to give me the thumbs up, and then I will reveal the final product. 

I hope everyone had a great and positive week.

xo, r

JJ! and sibling love.

He's almost done!

I can't believe how good he is looking! This is about 14 hours of work. 

I estimated about 15-20 hours, so I am right on schedule! 

I should be finished with him tomorrow and onto the next,  I was asked to paint another JJ in the lobby of the gymnasium, and another in the cafeteria-- they're keeping me busy!

I think the best part of my day today was hanging out with my little brother (he's 20). 

He dropped in to kept me company.. We listened to music-- shared our new favorites (I love that we love the same music) and we talked about everything and nothing and he acted as an extra set of eyes, helping me make sure JJ looked his best.

My siblings have truly become my best friends. With the exception of our mother, we don't have a lot of people rooting us on to follow our dreams-- in fact my family can be pretty negative in general. I hate to say that in public forum, but.. it's the truth-- dreams shouldn't be squashed, even if they are deemed unrealistic. One thing I always envy in other families is the support system. 

I can't tell you how many times someone I love has told me my goals are impossible or unrealistic, or that I wont make a living in the arts. This creates a lot of conflict for me. I'd love to say it adds fuel to my fire, but honestly.. most of the time I just feel defeated. 

Brother, sister and I started a club today.

It's called, EFF THE NAYSAYERS. :)

_______________________________________________

I can't wait to show off my finished mural.

xo, r

I'm being Positive, I swear.

Today is the big day.. I am off to Orlando to do my first mural as a professional.

This is simultaneously exciting and horrifying.

This is JJ the Jaguar, he will be coming to life this week.

This week I am thinking positive.. SO, I know everything will turn out great.

I'm listening to some tunes to get me in my calm and happy place, so I thought I'd share.

I don't know why I am so nervous!
 It seems so silly to be anxious about doing something (painting) I do almost every day.
Ah, the joys.

Anyway, Music... I can't figure out how to use those fancy Music Players on my blog, so the YouTube videos will have to do. :) Yes, I am technologically special.

Enjoy.

Van Morrison, Brand New Day

Tom Petty and the Heart Breakers, Learning to Fly

This is one of my all time favorite songs.

Bob Dylan, The Ballad of Frankie Lee and Judas Preist

Neil Young, Birds

Rolling stones, Dead Flowers

Pink Floyd, A pillow of Winds

Buffalo Springfield, Mr. Soul

Cat Stevens, Peace Train

Paul Simon, Me and Julio down by the school yard

The Who, Behind blue eyes

I must be going now, send me the good vibes!

xo, r

"Do what you love, and do it often"

I have some exciting news! 

I have been commissioned to do a mural for a school gymnasium! 

It's a simple job, but when you get paid to do what you love it's really exciting and very rewarding. 

For three years I worked as a receptionist/office assistant for a fairly large home builder. I thought I liked my job, ya know... good hours, paid holidays, salary, benefits.. it was a good gig, especially for someone who had to put their BFA on hold until money started growing on trees (still waiting). 

In January of this year I was laid off (along with about 12 other people); luckily I was hired on by another company the very next week, and the week after that I was promoted to a manager position. I started to realize that this new company and I had very little in common. For instance, I don't lie... they do. I just couldn't handle the stress of trying to keep up with lies and inconsistencies, so I walked in to the HR office, handed over my company iPhone and said:

"I can not compromise my moral integrity for a corrupt company that doesn't have the customers or employees best interest in mind. I'd rather scrub toilets at a gas station than go home everyday hating myself for working here. Here are your things" 

(Yes, I really did say this, verbatim)

Then I handed her a piece of paper to sign verifying that I returned all their belongings so she couldn't deduct anything from my paycheck. 

Deducting monies from former employees paychecks was common practice, unbelievable I know.. 

But I kid you not my friends.

You got to be smart and cover your ass.

When I think about these 2 minutes of my life, I just smile. I was so proud of myself for standing up for what I believed in.  Did I mention when I went into her office I was dressed and ready to go to the beach? If that's not a big Eff-You, I don't know what is.

That week I decided I was going to focus on my art, because art that is what I love. Happiness is so simple.

If we live our lives waking up each morning, dreading the day.. what kind of life is that?  

I want to wake up excited about my day, so that is what I do now.

I realized that even when I had that job with the home builder, the only thing I really liked about it was seeing my step mom everyday, having the same days off as Rob and some of my co-workers were pretty rad, but for the most part, I was so unstimulated I couldn't stand myself.  
No wonder I had a nervous breakdown.  

(This is a different can of worms that I will get into later; I experienced complete HELL on earth for about four months of my life last year; I just don't think I can articulate that experience well enough to share yet)

The other thing I liked about that job was being able to live in my own apartment. A recluse such as myself does not fair well with roomies. :)

I know the economy is tough, but it's not impossible.
Nothing is impossible if you work for it. 

SO, all that being said.. I start on Monday. I will be sure to document all the highlights of my very first mural experience. 

(I've done play backdrops, but that was volunteer work) 

I had such a crummy day yesterday, so this news was just what the doctor ordered. 

Hope everyone is having a beautiful day, 

xo R