Let us Cultivate...

Cultivate Creativity, Sumi ink, Micron pens and Gouache on 9 x 12" watercolor paper, 2011.

I'm sitting here in my home in Franklin, Massachusetts and it's 55 degrees on February 22nd.  Where's the snow?  Where's the ice?  I bought new boots and a down coat so that I would be warm when I took my dog out in freezing temps.  I even stocked up on sweaters... for the dog!  I'm aware that living here in New England means not knowing what's going to happen next with the weather.  I still have flashbacks of driving home from work through a freak snowstorm in May of 1983!  So why am I surprised?

I encountered a crocus bud the other day on my way into my folks' house, which brings me to the theme for this post.  Stopping in my tracks for that split second, I thought to myself, "Wow!  Is that a crocus?  Is that a sign of Spring?  Where'd winter go?"  Maybe this bud was a sign that I should try my hand at growing things again.  Then I got home and looked at my array of almost dead plants in my dining room and reality set in.  Let's face it, I'm calligrapher, not a gardener.  My thumbs are more black from ink than green.

Maybe it's because the days are a little brighter and longer, but I'm feeling like something new could grow in this environment.  I'm excited about a new year long class called "26 Seeds. A Year to Grow" with Reggie Ezell, a great calligrapher from Chicago.  I took his other class called "Primitive to Modern", exploring letter art from the first human marks to contemporary styles and scripts.  Just thinking about all this makes me feel like exploring my creativity.  After all, my younger daughter is moving on to college and I'll have to find something new to cultivate.  

Maybe I'll take my new found resource of artistic enthusiasm and put it to good use.  Maybe I'll teach.  Maybe I'll expand my little  ETSY web-store (check out my link below).  Maybe I'll build a new studio over my garage (if I win Powerball).  

Who knows what new idea will take root... and what this crazy N. E. weather might bring next.

Thanks for looking,

Claire
Here's the link to my ETSY Web-store

http://www.etsy.com/shop/clairegriffin164