Giving Myself Some Good Advice #2 : Memories Are Treasures Worth Saving

I have been carrying on with life recently, just running and doing, that blogging became somewhat neglected. I suppose the beginning of the year is always a rush and work is already pulling me to scurry along. Do you ever feel that life seems to be moving a pace faster and you constantly look back, afraid that you might have missed something? Well, I have been feeling like that ever since my daughter first went to school in kindergarten. I don't know, maybe motherhood makes your biological clock ticks louder and you can hear it tick-tocking in the back of your head. Makes a pretty good reason to just slow down and watch my children create their memorable moments.

It just so happened that I came across this picture the other day. Yes, that little girl is me, stuffing myself with a very curious sort of snack. And the boy is my older brother, who was a friend and a foe back then, all in a loving sort of way. Take no notice of his unbuttoned shirt and opened fly! Makes you wonder about the kind of things he was up to those days... Well, this is one of the very rare tokens I have of my early childhood. Sadly, I don't think my parents were the photographing type, so most pictures I have as a child are the embarrassing ones my siblings took when we were older. Which I'm afraid will never grace the walls of this blog! (^_^)

Later on that day, I created these paintings, inspired by the two little birds in my life... and both are available in my Etsy shop.

 The Philosopher, 4x6", acrylics and tea stains on paper

The Clown, 4x6", acrylics and tea stains on paper

So with all the flashbacks and memories flowing in, I realized that time can, in fact, stand still. All I have to do is slow down and just sit quietly as I watch every little thing marvels around me. After that, life will carry on as before, but I'll always have my chest full of treasured memories.

I'm sure your chest is as full as mine.

~Amalia~

oxox

Giving Myself Some Good Advice #1: Small is Often Bigger Than It Seems, So Look Closer

Ten long years have passed since we entered the year 2000. Looking at it that way, I can't help but think about all the leaps and stumbles that have brought me where I am today. What kind of advice would I give myself this time, when I can still see repetitions in my long list of resolutions? Here I am again, reenacting my previous attempts to make myself a better and hopefully wiser person. So, good luck to me.

Well, one of my biggest flaws, I'm afraid, is the tendency to underestimate the tiny details in many things. I've always focused more on "the bigger picture" than I need to, especially in my own work. For instance, I've never quite understood why some artists dedicate their time to creating such small scale original art like ACEOs. Prints I can understand, but originals? Why bother? But then something tickled my curiosity when I saw the delicate pretty little cards my friend Lauren had created. So I set out on a quest...

After several unsuccessful attempts, a few crumpled papers and oodles of erasing, I watched these two sketches with blurry vision in amazement. How small they were compared to my other sketches and yet, it took me twice as much time to make just one!!

And now the next trick was to have them painted without losing my patience completely... or better yet, my sanity!!

...and I was, at the end, proven guilty as charged for my lack of appreciation in these small things. I realize now that size can be misleading, and it's good advice to always experience before passing out judgements. So here they are, the fruit of my labor, Ophelia and Marian. They will be reminders of a lesson learned.

Both are available in my Etsy shop.

Sunshine kisses to all of you! 

~Amalia~

oxox