art

art, autumn, childhood, children, fall, Holidays, life, love

Falling and Jumping for Joy into Autumn

Gallery | Posted on by Jill Telford

Adios Summer. See you in a few seasons. Change is some kind of incredible for our souls. I’m noticing the leaves, the air, the fires and how nature in all of it, still cares. Our kids are noticing, too. Often I take notice how they gather, collect leaves and step through the crunchy brown ones. Hiking and walking while noticing nature all around is an art in itself.

Here are some of our Bucket List ideas for Fall Fun Things to do 🙂

  1. Get lost in a corn maze
  2. Use a compass / map to hike in and on the forest trails
  3. Pick some apples
  4. Leaf piles and JUMP in!
  5. Leaf peeping
  6. Pumpkins and Gourds
  7. Draw and observe what you notice
  8. Make natural “decorations” out of nature finds
  9. Hot cocoa 🙂
  10. Make hiking staffs
  11. Make a fire and tell stories
  12. Camp out on the trampoline
  13. Fall movie night outside
  14. Read and reread / retell stories about Fall or just because you like them stories
  15. Chop up wood
  16. Visit the Gnomes and Fairy gardens / Feeling inspired? Make one in your yard 🙂
  17. Make a list of what you’re thankful for (maybe on those beautiful fall leaves 🙂 and put it in a time capsule. Bury it somewhere and send gratitude into the universe and beyond!
  18. Take a road trip or walk to see the changes

Need more inspiration? Here’s a marsh mellow toast to another blog who offers some Fall Fun Things to do https://www.nickandalicia.com/2019/09/10-activities-to-do-this-autumn-fall-bucket-list-printable.html/

Happy Falling into Fall! Marsh mellow toasts to all of you. Enjoy the season, on purpose!

art, artists, dreams, family, Holidays, Language, life, love, self-help

Lean on Me…

Gallery | Posted on by Jill Telford

Photo by Tatiana Syrikova on Pexels.com

Lean on me…

When you’re not strong.

There are so many songs that epitomize love, reliance and resilience. This one is one of my favorites.

We fall. We get back up sometimes on our own or with someone else’s help.

Then, the beautiful purpose of falling down is to help someone else up along the way.

What did you do for the month of February? And, most importantly, the months prior and leading up to this month and after it, what are you planning?

How do you show and share your love? How do you receive love?

What are your love languages? Quality time? Gift giving? Service to others? Affirmations? Physical touch? A little bit of all of them?

Love a little, a lot. Love a lot, a little.

art, art, artists, childhood, children, culture, education

It’s not a Dog, it’s My Mommy: Tips for Drawing and Creating with Children

Gallery | Posted on by Jill Telford

Photo by Liliana Drew on Pexels.com
Photo by Liliana Drew on Pexels.com

When you see a child’s drawing what do you notice, say or ask? 

Most times, as grown ups, we’ll label what we “think” the drawing / painting / sculpture / creation is that a child made. Or as children create, we will show them what whatever it is “should” look like. For example, take a star — we may show them. What would happen if we didn’t show them but see what kind of star they’d create based on their own observation and imagination? As opposed to getting a replica of the carbon copied four pointed star (as illustrated in the picture below) — we may just get something else more creative and out of the box way of seeing the world in which we live. 

The following are tips for making with children. 

  1. Don’t name it — ask open ended questions. Ask children to tell you the story of their picture / creation and write it down as they tell you the story of it. Ask them to describe it. Think of who, what, when, where, why and how questions. This shows you value their masterpieces as you actively listen and take notes about their work.
  2. Save their creations — save their work and bring it back out so they can add more detail to it or be inspired to make another part. Learn new terms like dip-tic, trip-tec etc. This helps children to work on a project over time and strengthens their attention to detail. 
  3. Display their work — at their eye level. If they want let them help you or even let them do it by themselves. This shows that you value their work without over empty praise such as always saying good job or it’s beautiful. The action of displaying their work whether on a shelf or on a wall says to children: “I value your work. You are a creator.” 

What ways do you inspire and encourage children’s creativity?  

art, art, artists

Art’s Process: A Day of Becoming

Gallery | Posted on by Jill Telford

“As an artist you don’t owe them an answer but as a leader, you do.” -Kanye West

Creating something —anything is an action of process and processing. A process of becoming and unbecoming again and again. Into the dark and out of it back into the light.

Putting something somewhere out there in the world doesn’t need an explanation just as your very life’s essence way of being doesn’t need one or permission to exist. Don’t ask permission, ask forgiveness. For some of use the mere art of living and being free is a revolutionary act of consciousness. In this act, it sets others free and on fire for something deeper than the surface. What you see is not necessarily what you get. When you’re zoning and in the zone it just comes to you this free fall form. Nothing else matters but seeing just how much of the universe is in you and how much you’re out there in the universe. Taking the bits and pieces and the parts and transforming it all back into a whole piece of art. 

That not everyone will understand.

Using subtle Imagery or even words both big and small brings bits and pieces of a whole together again. No longer ash but spirit. You may not have spirit without ash. Water without dirt or sand. Ever taste a piece or particle of a grain of sand? The texture is gritty which is what our bone is made of. We all become brittle bone, rock and grains of sand. Fragments. Texture and color which is art. We are art.

Children are works of art. Therefore, we are all God’s works of art. Masterpieces. I’m finding myself more in God’s hands than I’ve ever been. The prayers of my Mother. No one else could take the credit of a mother’s prayers. 

I remember the Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep prayer. Each and every night. A prayer of peace, blessings and protection to all those we love. God is love. Found in a Tupac song. Found in a sip of water. Found in the whole. Found in the 1/2. Found in the bits and in the pieces. Fragments found in eternity put back together again. Found in Heaven. Even found in Hell.  So choose wisely.