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Wait, I Can Do That!

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I’m not sure about you but I am holding on to summer.

Cutting flowers from the garden. Munching on cucumbers, green beans and cherry tomatoes. I have no desire to see fall quite yet and I am happy wandering around in my flowing skirts and slip on shoes.

My working schedule, as a result, has been a bit off kilter lately. We have been enjoying lots of social time with friends and I have been getting more and more involved in our church sharing creative projects with the kids and helping out as best I can. It didn’t occur to me until yesterday, after I was once again beating myself up for missing my upload dates that, “wait, I can change them!”

For some reason, the arbitrary schedule I created when first launching my channels seemed to be etched in stone-a deadline that must be met at all cost. I started feeling myself dragging my heels uninspired to create. I am so grateful for the little voice that pointed out simply, “you could just adjust things.”

Huh, wait, I can do that!

So I did. I let go of some content that was just not inspiring me. I focused on the ones that still are and, I moved around when I will be sharing my content and as a result of feel amazing! I am inspired once again with the content I am creating and looking forward to my studio time which has freed up immensely giving me lots of play time.

And really, as creatives that’s what we need.

We need play time. We need fun. We need to be able to just mess around with our materials without worrying about the end result. Play time is essential to creativity.

So now I find myself, sitting here relaxing with lots of free time to just putter around the studio, have a cuppa and connect with you all. I hope you are finding yourself with some free creative time.

Until next time…

-Michele, aka The Dreaming Dilettante

My First Magazine Article is HERE! (Strawberry Moon Magazine Issue #5)

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I am so excited for this week’s Museum of Me share!

If I were to pick a theme for this installment of Museum of Me it would be “Dreams Realized.”  It’s easy to think that if something hasn’t happened in a pre-imagined time frame that it will never happen. To think that we need to realize a goal by a certain age or a certain life phase can in some cases cause us to give up. It is my deepest hope that I will keep dreaming and keeping working towards new goals until the last breath leaves me.

I was 8 years old when I decided I wanted to be a writer. As a child I was so committed to this that I felt I was a writer. It wasn’t until I became an adult that I started to believe I wasn’t a writer because I hadn’t checked certain boxes that I had for myself.  It’s taken me a few decades to realize that we don’t need anything external of us to define us. For me, having my words published is a dream come true and I hope, if you have a long-held dream, you won’t give up hope or stop working towards your goal.

You may remember I mentioned that I have an article coming out-it’s my first published work and I am just so over the moon! I wrote a bit about my journey as a writer in this post but to say that this is the realization of a life-long dream is no exaggeration.

If you aren’t familiar with Strawberry Moon it’s a wonderful new, independent publication. Each issue is jammed full of creative inspiration and beautiful photos from talented artists from all over. If you are an art journaler or mixed media artist I really think you will enjoy it.

Issue #5 is all about Self-care, a subject I am passionate (and always learning) about. I was so honored to be included among other talented artists and writers to offer our take on Self-Care as a creative practice. I hope you enjoy my contribution as much as I enjoyed creating it.

If you are interested in pre-ordering this issue you can do that here.

I will have lots more to share in the upcoming month-including a new class launch that will be available over on Teachable in April. (If you are a newsletter subscriber you will also receive a special discount code for the class). It’s going to be lots of mixed-media, textured filled, paint covered hands fun and I do hope you will join me!

Another announcement is that I am back on Instagram. If you remember I left social media about 3 years ago and while I don’t miss it I thought that Instagram would be a nice way to connect with other creatives and to share some of the projects I’m working on. I don’t plan to dedicate tons of time to each but if you would like to follow me you can find me here.

Well that’s it for today’s installment of Museum of Me. I have been so excited to share this with you all and I will be sure to let you know when I have the issue in my hands. I think a special Vlog on Dilettante TV will be in order 🙂

Wishing you a lovely day!

Until next time…

-Michele, aka The Dreaming Dilettante

Sharing this post as part of Kym’s Museum of Me Blog Series.
You can read Kym’s blog here.

Something just for you blog lovers…

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There is something I love about blogs. The writing, the sharing that feels a bit more intimate and cozy.
Then of course there is the discovery of a blog. While promotion in all its varied forms leads readers to a blog the ones you just somehow, someway stumble upon are probably the most rewarding.

Like finding a little cafe that you just love off the beaten path that no one else you know seems to have found yet.

I have some truly exciting news and I decided that I wanted to share it here first in a quiet sort of way with those of you dedicated blog readers. The announcement will be made elsewhere eventually but sharing it here feels a bit like getting together with best friends to celebrate an accomplishment. Before I share the news however, I need to give you some back story so if you just need to know what it is right now you can jump here to find out 🙂

I was about 8 years old when I first started writing. I co-wrote a poem with a lady named Ms. Crooker who was a bit like a surrogate grandmother to me. She was a teacher and even though retired she still taught-and I personally loved every minute.

She is the one who taught me how to read out-loud. How long to pause after a comma, (“count, 1, 2”) and after a period, (“count 1, 2, 3”). She would sit in the rocking chair in our living room when we had her over for dinner and I would sit in her lap and she would read with me. I’m not positive if that’s where my love of reading came from (my dad loved to read and I believe it’s just in some people’s DNA) but I do know that she is the first person to teach me how to construct a poem.

The first poem I ever wrote was about my Cabbage Patch Dolls. I still have it in a box of poems in my attic. I will have to share it with you sometime soon. We are going through our attic and doing a MAJOR de-clutter and organize. 22 Years of memories and toys and etc are lost up there and we are making changes. That story however, is for another time.

So Ms. Crooker and I wrote the poem together. If I am honest, she did most of the writing as she was a bit of a perfectionist-even when writing poems about Cabbage Patch Dolls with an 8 year-old. Still, I was very proud and the love for writing was planted.

Ms. Crooker & I on the left & Me and my first CPK doll-Tina-who still sits on my bed

I never not thought of myself as a writer. (Even if I am obviously not a master of grammar).  I never really cared to be an overly polished writer or one of the “greats” because truth be told-that wasn’t what I enjoyed reading. Still isn’t.

I just always wanted to tell an interesting story or write a poem that made someone feel something. How any of it was received was for the reader and I never wanted to tell anyone what my poems meant because I just felt like that was ruining the poetry. Isn’t art supposed to mean something different to everyone?

As for me? I just like writing words on paper and making stories appear as if from nowhere.

So I wrote and wrote and wrote some more. I love the act of writing and have always dreamed of when I was an adult and would be a published writer. At the time I saw myself as a fiction writer and of course, ridiculously successful.

I have tried the publishing game for books and racked up a few rejection letters, which thanks to Stephen King’s book On Writing I was quite proud of. I tried to do the freelance writing thing but quickly realized that while I might make a living at it-writing about topics I wasn’t interested in was still just a job. I even forayed into self-publishing and published a chapbook of poems coupled with a book launch at one of my friend’s businesses. A pretty amazing night I might add and an accomplishment I still feel proud of.

I do have several rough drafts of fiction books that I am working on-proof that I haven’t given up on the published fiction author dream. And if I am being honest-I hope I never do.

And now, for the news. (Fun fact-at one brief time in my life I majored in journalism)

Last week I was visiting a webpage and felt myself being called to check out their submission guidelines. Turns out that they were requesting submissions about a topic very near and dear to my heart and before I knew it I was asking for some help from upon to come up with a submission to send in.

And I did.

And guess what? I'm going to be published!!!!!

It’s been such a surreal experience. I have never doubted that writing was my purpose or that it would be part of the work I put out into the world so when it happened it was almost not surprising and yet-completely surprising if that makes sense? The best part is I am going to writing about Art Journaling so it is combination of both my artist and writer sides. I will also be taking photos to go along with article so my inner amateur photographer self won’t be left out either.

All the details will be coming soon-for now I have my very first actual deadline!!! I started the article today and I am hoping to have a first draft done by the end of the week and maybe even get some art done to go along with the article. I’ll be sure to share with you all here when my first draft is done.

So that is my exciting blog news just for my blog readers and since that’s you-thank you! Thank you for loving blogs like I do and taking time to come here and read and be a part of this really exciting news. I truly appreciate each and every one of you!

Much love!

Until next time…

-Michele, aka The Dreaming Dilettante

 

Finding a Groove

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Is it really just a few days until Halloween?

Halloween is a favorite around our house and we have been watching our Halloween videos. Tonight the kids and I watched “Nightmare Before Christmas” which we all love. Our drives usually involve at least one go of “This is Halloween” played over the radio. Tomorrow we are thinking “The Haunted Mansion” and then wrap it all up with “Hocus Pocus” over the weekend.

I have been busy creating a really fun Halloween project for what is my soon-to-be launched Patreon Page. I don’t have a deadline yet, I have just been wanting to make content and upload it so there is something already there when people sign up. I have some really fun ideas and am enjoying creating content.

I also plan to return to YouTube and maybe even work out a regular schedule. I think I just need to get over myself and stop taking it so seriously and just enjoy making videos. It’s so easy to make something a lot more than it is and I’m trying to just relax and enjoy doing what I love to do.

One of the projects I am working on right now is a miniature kit for Halloween. It’s a shoe box scene of a Magic Emporium. I have been construction a few pieces each night at the studio and filming it as a challenge to share with Patrons. It’s been so much fun especially since I haven’t really created anything like this. I started a kit last year but didn’t really get far and when I was a kid I made a piece of dollhouse furniture from a kit. I talked a bit about that in this week’s podcast.

It’s a bit of a lofty ambition but I am hoping to have the piece done by Halloween. We will see how I get on. In the meantime here is a sneak peak of some of the pieces I have created.

I changed a few things up in the studio. Moving my desks around to make way for my new printer and my Cricut machine. I have been working hard on my sticker creations and hope to launch my new sticker shop soon. Mastering the Cricut is part of that plan but I would really love to have it up and going in time for holiday shopping. I won’t rush it though, things happen in time and I am determined to enjoy the process and to make products I am excited about. I have come up with my shop name and just need to purchase the domain and set up my shop. If you want to stay in the loop on that you can subscribe to my newsletter here. I’ll be sending out a newsletter with shop updates and coupons but only once a week. I hate receiving daily emails so I won’t be sending them out 🙂

I am also going to be launching my digital download shop. I thought of having everything in one spot and I’ll probably do that here on the site but with my Etsy shop it seemed best to keep everything cohesive and theme based. I have been having lots of fun creating planner downloads and inspirational signs. It would be great to launch both shops at the same time but again, trying to keep the fun in everything but also taking advantage and harnessing the creative energy when it’s here 🙂 If you like digital downloads and want to sign up for updates about that you can do that here.

I know it may sound like a thousand projects but I am really learning how to make everything work in manageable chunks and making the most out of my studio time. I am excited to share more content with you here on the blog as this is my home base to connect with my fellow creatives. I would love to hear about the projects you are working on so please do reach out.

In the meantime I wish you a lovely weekend and a very Happy Halloween if you celebrate. I will be back with you again next week. Much love.

Until next time…

-Michele, aka The Dreaming Dilettante

The Routine of Distraction

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I have been a bit quiet lately.

Introspection is a very natural state for me. Sitting, pondering, pen in hand, notebook, a cup of tea, something sweet. That is a state of being I can exist in quite possibly forever.

During moments of quiet I am communing with something larger than myself. Sometimes praying, sometimes listening, most times just talking, everything makes sense in these moments. It often feels as if I am gifted a set of coordinates and my path is made clear.

Then I step out of contemplation and into the world of doing and things get muddy. Suddenly there is opposition, opinions, obstacles. I find myself shrinking, changing, complying-becoming ever too aware of other people and their role in what I am creating and doing.

I envy people who seem to be undeterred. The people who can seemingly march through life unaffected by anything as they continue on their set course undeterred.
I wonder if it’s as easy for them as it seems. So few things are. I wonder if they worked hard to be this way or if it was part of their identity from birth.

I am often detoured off my set path.
I change course because of an obstacle rather than charging over, through or removing what is blocking my way.
I prefer to journey two-days off course rather than deal with an obstacle-especially if that obstacle appears in the form of another person.

Sometimes this is a lovely way to be. I can float through, discover scenery and places I hadn’t planned and still land at my destination point.

Lately however it has felt that the more detours I take, the more obstacles that show up. I fatigue easily when challenged and it usually leads to my wanting to be at a table in a quiet kitchen with a cup of tea, a journal, a pen and my quiet introspection. The tangible of this world never really lures me the same as the deeper meanings do.

And recently I have been wanting to change this just a bit.

I am tired of forever detouring.
I am tired of letting my plans slide.

During my quiet time this week I realized that being flexible, enjoying a detour are beautiful gifts. It is not something I need to change. Rather I need to add a little discipline.

I need to train my mind to focus on what is important. To block out distractions and all the noise of a world that would forever have me bouncing around from one detour to another all the while stuck in traffic.

It is my easily distracted mind that needs tending.
My passions, my purpose that need my focus.
So I have retreated to strengthen myself.
To make sure that the work I am doing is what I am meaning to do and not just part of the routine of distraction.

I desire real connection with others.
I desire joy, peace, art-making and a thriving creative business that supports all of this.

So I am going back to what I love-writing and making art.
I am pulling away from YouTube (again) since it really doesn’t bring me joy.
I am making my art, finding my style and focusing on doing my thing and sharing it in a way that also feels like me.

I wonder what detours are showing up in your own life.
I would love to hear, please feel free to reply to this email so we can support each other.

In the meantime I am going to keep sharing my podcasts, blog posts, Letters to Creatives and Dilettante TV (and planning to add some more vlog style videos). And soon, I hope to be sharing some more of my art with you.

Until next time…

-Michele, aka The Dreaming Dilettante

You can also follow me on Substack here.

Weekly Round-up for the 1st Week of August 2022

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Welcome to Friday! I hope you had a lovely week. Maybe you had a few moments to sketch? Perhaps you knitted a few rows or sewed in a sleeve? Maybe you were inspired by the music you listened to and took the time to really hear each note or perhaps sing along? I wonder if you jotted down ideas that you are excited to implement the next time you find yourself in your creative space?

My week has been really productive and it feels so good as I am moving slowly into my hibernation week.

One of the deas I had was to create a weekly round-up blog post. Something that gives a quick summary of what’s new with all things Dilettante so you can just visit here and click on through to whatever interests you most. This will be separate from the weekly newsletter as I want that to remain a place of creative inspiration for everyone not just a way to promote all the goings-on. It seemed like a really nice idea to write this post each week and then offer it as a link through the newsletter this way if someone would like to read more about what’s going on with me they can, and if not they can soak of some inspiration and go about creating something wonderful.

So here is what I have been up to this week:

My New Studio Space!
The end of July I rented a small little office space to use as my art studio. It’s been a whirlwind of painting, moving over supplies, finding area rugs and slowly starting to make it my own. If you would like to see a tour and read more about the journey you might like to check out this post here.

Book Club is Back
So I didn’t necessarily make it through the pile of books I shared with you way back in March but still I am feeling pretty good about my reading practices. These reading practices also lead to my kids reading more-and my buying fish…but you’ll have to read about that here if you are interested.

The Week in Flowers
With the cut flower in full bloom I decided to share with you photos of some of the arrangements I am putting around the house as a new series. If you love photos and flowers I think you might just have a little smile waiting for you here.

Weekly Podcasts
I have also set myself a schedule and I am hoping to be making weekly podcasts to share with you all. Years ago I would record my daily podcasts while dog walking and it was always a bright spot in my day. I am hope you enjoy listening to these as much as I enjoy making them. You can find this week’s podcast right here.

Letters for Creatives
I am also getting my weekly Letters for Creatives going. I sent out a few but have been a bit here and there with them and I am excited to make these little inspiration letters for you to receive in your inbox each month should you wish. You can sign up here.

Lastly I have some clarity about what I want to be doing with my spiritually based site, Melia’s Energy. I am sharing weekly blog posts and daily energetic attunements (5 minute audio meditations to help you align to your highest self). All non-dogmatic and metaphysically based I am hoping that this will be a welcoming space for anyone seeking connection to Source Energy/God.

So that’s what has been going on with me this week. I would love to hear your thoughts or answer any questions you may have. It’s so much fun for me to share this journey with you and for me personally to be embracing my creativity in such a full way. I feel restored in so many ways and I hope that by sharing my journey here you might be a bit inspired as well.

Until next time…

-Michele, aka The Dreaming Dilettante