Feet hit the floor a little later than usual this morning. Been sick on and off with a cold, or something, for several weeks, and I decided to let myself sleep until I woke on my own today. Clock said 7:48 when I rolled out of bed. Usually the clock says 6:05. Or 6:14 if I've hit the snooze. Or 6:23...you get the idea.
Down to the kitchen to make my morning tea. House is a bit of a mess. Having teens who stay up later than I is frustrating. I can tell what they had for a late-night snack. Going to have to speak harshly, AGAIN, to them about cleaning up before they go to bed.
Perhaps Chai this morning instead of my usual Constant Comment tea. While the tea steeps, I feed the fish when I notice the paintbrushes left on the table from Artemisia's watercolor work. (Must speak with her about cleaning up, too.) The light is hitting them just so, making the bristles on that well-used (and mis-used) Chinese calligraphy brush stand out so beautifully.
I look.
Then I think about my camera. I've got a lot to do this morning before I head out the door for a day of errands and classes and a talent show. Lately life has been a real whirlwind...and my photography has withered. Lately I'd have noticed something beautiful, but rushed on to the next thing. But not today.
Today I searched out my camera and snapped a few photos. Loaded them up to PicMonkey and cleaned this one up. Decided I liked the black and white (although it was hard, the colors were so pretty...but the black and white made the bristles pop).
So, why did I take the time to do this today?
If you've been around this blog for very long you will remember Dear Neighbor. Well, Dear Neighbor has FINALLY started a blog. She's blogging about her particular creative pursuit, quilting and sewing, but also about creativity: Windsor and Main. (She's also a home educator.)
Last week she had a post about creativity and just "doing it", not waiting for "inspiration". And I was reminded of that this morning while looking at those paintbrushes. Of course, I was practicing the opposite of "doing it", being inspired in the moment ...but I did have to force myself to pick up the camera and frame the photo. And sometimes inspiration does just happen...but so much more often it is just regular work where the "magic" happens. I'm reminded that I need to make a regular practice of looking for photos rather than waiting for them to happen.
Check out Dear Neighbor's blog - it's fun reading even if you aren't a seamstress!
