Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Friday, September 10, 2010
Thursday, August 13, 2009
The 45 Lessons
Written By Regina Brett, 90 years old, of The Plain Dealer, Cleveland , Ohio
"To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me.. It is the most-requested column I've ever written.
My odometer rolled over to 90 in August, so here is the column once more:
1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.
2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.
3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone...
4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch
5. Pay off your credit cards every month.
6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.
8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.
9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.
10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.
11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.
12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.
13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.
15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.
16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.
17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.
19.. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.
20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.
21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.
22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.
23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.
24. The most important sex organ is the brain.
25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.
26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words 'In five years, will this matter?'
27. Always choose life.
28. Forgive everyone everything.
29. What other people think of you is none of your business.
30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.
31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
32. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
33. Believe in miracles.
34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.
35. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.
36. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.
37. Your children get only one childhood.
38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.
40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.
41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
42. The best is yet to come.
43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
44. Yield.
45. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift."
Friday, August 7, 2009
Baby, come back (Picture that singing mop)
Hello faithful readers! Hello, hello, are you still there (tumbleweed passing and the sounds of chirping.) Okay, I deserve that. It, again, has been a long time since I have written last. I get it if you have decided to abandon ship. But, my lack of writing has not been about being too busy to write. (Finally!) Rather, I have been trying to decide what to do about the direction of this blog. I promise I am not abandoning ship--instead I have decided to steer things in a different direction.
As much as I love design, I am engrossed in it all day long every day and have decided that I am not as inspired as I used to be by writing about it.
And, there it is again! That word again--inspired! I took the afternoon and have read through my blog in it's entirety and I would say the word "inspiration" or some derivitive of it appears in almost every post that I write. I have decided to take this as a sign that maybe inspiration should be the focus of my blog--roominations about life, what's important, and what it means to truly live. Of course, art and design is still inspiring to me and will be a main topic here, but my life has been inspired by so many things that have nothing to do with design and everything to do with having that overwhelming I'M ALIVE feeling.
The first two years I was back in Chicago, I lead a very singular life revolving around developing my art and design. Through these intense years, I realized that I am more of a generalist--not a specialist! It drove me nuts to put such a strong emphasis on one interest that it took all my time from all the other eight million things that interest me.
I have savored the past eight months and my ability to be able to water my other interests and watch them grow. So, as my blog may become a bit scattered, I am going to focus more on my writing and the inspiration I find in my unending joy of just living. Oh, and I'm sure I will throw in my inane ramblings about the quirks of life. I am not promising fluffy bunnies here.
I would be remiss if I took all the credit for this change in the direction in my blog. I was recently instant messaging with an old friend and co-worker who I did Americorps with back in my ghetto Baltimore days. She told me she had read my blog and that I should write a book about what is important in life--I believe that's how she put it. First of all, this may be ranked in the top three compliments I have gotten in my entire life. Secondly, I may not have time to write a book, but I sure as heck can blog the crap out of my observations on life, love, inspiration, and living a life less ordinary. Thanks, Jackie!
So, I hope all of you enjoy this new focus and the fact that I will be posting more regularly now. I'm excited for this change!
As much as I love design, I am engrossed in it all day long every day and have decided that I am not as inspired as I used to be by writing about it.
And, there it is again! That word again--inspired! I took the afternoon and have read through my blog in it's entirety and I would say the word "inspiration" or some derivitive of it appears in almost every post that I write. I have decided to take this as a sign that maybe inspiration should be the focus of my blog--roominations about life, what's important, and what it means to truly live. Of course, art and design is still inspiring to me and will be a main topic here, but my life has been inspired by so many things that have nothing to do with design and everything to do with having that overwhelming I'M ALIVE feeling.
The first two years I was back in Chicago, I lead a very singular life revolving around developing my art and design. Through these intense years, I realized that I am more of a generalist--not a specialist! It drove me nuts to put such a strong emphasis on one interest that it took all my time from all the other eight million things that interest me.
I have savored the past eight months and my ability to be able to water my other interests and watch them grow. So, as my blog may become a bit scattered, I am going to focus more on my writing and the inspiration I find in my unending joy of just living. Oh, and I'm sure I will throw in my inane ramblings about the quirks of life. I am not promising fluffy bunnies here.
I would be remiss if I took all the credit for this change in the direction in my blog. I was recently instant messaging with an old friend and co-worker who I did Americorps with back in my ghetto Baltimore days. She told me she had read my blog and that I should write a book about what is important in life--I believe that's how she put it. First of all, this may be ranked in the top three compliments I have gotten in my entire life. Secondly, I may not have time to write a book, but I sure as heck can blog the crap out of my observations on life, love, inspiration, and living a life less ordinary. Thanks, Jackie!
So, I hope all of you enjoy this new focus and the fact that I will be posting more regularly now. I'm excited for this change!
Friday, March 13, 2009
http://forgottenchicago.com/features/chicago-architecture/st-ignatius-architectural-ornament-graveyard/
Check out http://www.forgottenchicago.com/ and find out the background on all of the amazing artifacts adorning my high school, good old St. Ignatius. Go Wolfpack. Also, find out some cool and interesting facts about architecture in Chicago.Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Brad in the City
Hello all. Yes, I've dropped the ball on my blog for the past few months. The holidays and getting laid off and then rehired in a new (and WAY better) position at work are the culprits conspiring together to steal my time. But, this year it is a whole new Margey and I am only taking one class this semester and focusing on my art, friends, boyfriend, family, new job and (gasp) myself. The above work is a commissioned painting that my coworker asked me to do after he saw my work at Imagine (he bought the pink lady painting.) It was really fun to do this for him and I was pleased with how it turned out. I was even more pleased when I saw how excited he was when he got it and that he told me he was going to spread the word to his friends. Yay. Enjoy :)
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Speaking of nontraditional materials. . .
Check out this article on the "scrap house" on Dwell's website, http://www.dwell.com/homes/green/33933454.html
Monday, November 10, 2008
http://www.aiweiwei.com/html/works.htm
The only room I've ever seen that has more bikes than Sean's Room.Saturday, November 8, 2008
Provocative photo from Todd Selby
I want this hat and dress and check out the candle wax waterfall in the background!The Imperfect Hello has been completed
Quote my friend, "I love you. I'm so glad you called."
I'm going to be doing this more often.
I'm going to be doing this more often.
The Imperfect Hello
This was a blog written by Christine Kane on her blog, http://www.christinekane.com/blog. She is very inspirational and has many great insights to share. Please take a moment to visit her site. For anyone who is creative, she is a voice of wisdom.
I especially appreciated the following blog and wanted to share it with all of you. It's ironic that I read this today of all days because I was just thinking earlier about how I think that it is actually my perfectionist tendencies that help me maintain my all A streak in design school, NOT necessarily my creativity. It's this same search for creative perfection that causes weekly freak-outs, loss of sleep, and most DEFINITELY (and detrimentally) my disconnection with my friends and my own thoughts. I have really tried to examine these tendencies lately and mitigate my desire to succeed in a creative environment AND have a fulfilling and wonderfully diverse life. I am really trying here, friends and family. I swear! I even told Sean to help keep me in check.
I am really going to try to incorporate imperfect hellos into my life. As a matter of fact, I am going to make one now. I am going to call my friend who moved to Chicago six months ago who I haven't even seen and who I hold very dear to my heart. (You know who you are--and you're just about to get a phone call from me).
Do you ever have those times when you’re just plain really busy?
I do.
In fact, I’ve been there a lot lately with all the shifts and changes happening in my career, and all the shows and speaking I’ve done lately.
Now, here’s the thing about me.
I can be in one of these busy places, and yet I’ll find myself spending a good 30 minutes scrubbing the kitchen faucet with an old toothbrush or something inane like that.
Enter The Drill Sergeant.
There’s this little perfectionist Drill Sergeant in me that tries to keep everything on task and doesn’t want anything to go wrong. She knows that I’m such an “in-the-moment” person that it’s very easy for me to wander off on little activity tangents that often involve scrubbing things with old toothbrushes.
The Drill Sergeant means well, but she can get a little power-hungry…
“You have to leave for Albany tomorrow,” she barks. “You don’t have time to write that email!”
“No you can’t go out for lunch tomorrow! You have a phone meeting to prepare for!”
These busy times don’t last forever, of course. But when I have them, it’s important that I do stay focused and on-task, so I don’t mind a little help from the Drill Sergeant.
One day when I was in such a busy state, I thought of my friend Kathy. I thought of how we hadn’t really talked in a few weeks. I wondered what was going on, how her house sale was going, and how her law school applications were coming along.
I was just about to grab the phone to call her and say hi when I heard the Drill Sergeant remind me of my schedule.
She was right.
I had a flight the very next day, and a meeting with my accountant that afternoon.
So, I created a compromise.
I called Kathy.
When she picked up I said, “This is officially an Imperfect Hello. I know we have a million things to catch up on, and that if I were truly a good friend, I’d set aside an hour for catching up. I don’t have an hour. But I was thinking of you. And I’d rather say hello imperfectly than not say hello at all.”
Kathy knows me well, and she has several of her own perfection-seeking Drill Sergeants in her head.
She burst out laughing, and said, “Well, I’m so glad you opted for imperfection!”
We talked for about 3 minutes, and we both hung up smiling.
I’m writing this post today for two reasons:
The first reason is that many of you have your own busy lives. I know it’s easy to put people aside because you’re holding out for a more “perfect” version of yourself, or for a few unscheduled hours of free time when you can really catch up.
This is your official permission to not be perfect.
Try the Imperfect Hello some time. I’ve used it a lot in these past two months. It keeps you connected, it allows you to stay focused, and it builds your courage, too. (Besides, most people love the idea and will start using it themselves!)
The second reason is that I’m home this week catching up after two months of nearly constant traveling, and this is - as you might have guessed - an “Imperfect Blog post.”
I especially appreciated the following blog and wanted to share it with all of you. It's ironic that I read this today of all days because I was just thinking earlier about how I think that it is actually my perfectionist tendencies that help me maintain my all A streak in design school, NOT necessarily my creativity. It's this same search for creative perfection that causes weekly freak-outs, loss of sleep, and most DEFINITELY (and detrimentally) my disconnection with my friends and my own thoughts. I have really tried to examine these tendencies lately and mitigate my desire to succeed in a creative environment AND have a fulfilling and wonderfully diverse life. I am really trying here, friends and family. I swear! I even told Sean to help keep me in check.
I am really going to try to incorporate imperfect hellos into my life. As a matter of fact, I am going to make one now. I am going to call my friend who moved to Chicago six months ago who I haven't even seen and who I hold very dear to my heart. (You know who you are--and you're just about to get a phone call from me).
Do you ever have those times when you’re just plain really busy?
I do.
In fact, I’ve been there a lot lately with all the shifts and changes happening in my career, and all the shows and speaking I’ve done lately.
Now, here’s the thing about me.
I can be in one of these busy places, and yet I’ll find myself spending a good 30 minutes scrubbing the kitchen faucet with an old toothbrush or something inane like that.
Enter The Drill Sergeant.
There’s this little perfectionist Drill Sergeant in me that tries to keep everything on task and doesn’t want anything to go wrong. She knows that I’m such an “in-the-moment” person that it’s very easy for me to wander off on little activity tangents that often involve scrubbing things with old toothbrushes.
The Drill Sergeant means well, but she can get a little power-hungry…
“You have to leave for Albany tomorrow,” she barks. “You don’t have time to write that email!”
“No you can’t go out for lunch tomorrow! You have a phone meeting to prepare for!”
These busy times don’t last forever, of course. But when I have them, it’s important that I do stay focused and on-task, so I don’t mind a little help from the Drill Sergeant.
One day when I was in such a busy state, I thought of my friend Kathy. I thought of how we hadn’t really talked in a few weeks. I wondered what was going on, how her house sale was going, and how her law school applications were coming along.
I was just about to grab the phone to call her and say hi when I heard the Drill Sergeant remind me of my schedule.
She was right.
I had a flight the very next day, and a meeting with my accountant that afternoon.
So, I created a compromise.
I called Kathy.
When she picked up I said, “This is officially an Imperfect Hello. I know we have a million things to catch up on, and that if I were truly a good friend, I’d set aside an hour for catching up. I don’t have an hour. But I was thinking of you. And I’d rather say hello imperfectly than not say hello at all.”
Kathy knows me well, and she has several of her own perfection-seeking Drill Sergeants in her head.
She burst out laughing, and said, “Well, I’m so glad you opted for imperfection!”
We talked for about 3 minutes, and we both hung up smiling.
I’m writing this post today for two reasons:
The first reason is that many of you have your own busy lives. I know it’s easy to put people aside because you’re holding out for a more “perfect” version of yourself, or for a few unscheduled hours of free time when you can really catch up.
This is your official permission to not be perfect.
Try the Imperfect Hello some time. I’ve used it a lot in these past two months. It keeps you connected, it allows you to stay focused, and it builds your courage, too. (Besides, most people love the idea and will start using it themselves!)
The second reason is that I’m home this week catching up after two months of nearly constant traveling, and this is - as you might have guessed - an “Imperfect Blog post.”
Friday, November 7, 2008
Imagine
The final of a series of paintings I did for Imagine--title inspired by the name of the occasion itself. I had so much fun doing these paintings, I hope they earn some money for DIFFA. We'll see next Friday. . .Thursday, November 6, 2008
Over the Hills and Far Away
Here is another mixed media painting I created for Imagine. I like using mixed media because it is symbolic of my hodge-podge life. A little bit of this and little bit of that for this gal :)Pretty Little Things
I created several mixed media paintings for Imagine--a student-run silent auction that our school holds. Proceeds are going to DIFFA-The Design Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS. I used paint, fabric, paper, modge-podge, ink, and vintage jewelry. As the title suggests, I hope this 12" x 12" painting finds itself a home with an owner who appreciates how sweet it is.
Axonometric Drawing
That's what we call this type of drawing in "the biz". I drew this in my first drafting class. It is a fictional coffee shop I designed for the first floor of Harrington called Perk. The circular furniture is meant to mimic bubbles perculating :)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
