Recently, I had the pleasure of showing my solo exhibition “Embracing Imperfection” at the Overcash Gallery of the Central Piedmont Community College in Charlotte, NC. Among the many questions I received in conjunction with this exhibition was “How do you choose artwork for a solo exhibition?” Of course, making the selection did not just happen read more
Choosing Colors
A few weeks ago Nancy K. from Florida sent me an email wondering how I choose the colors for my fiber art. The way I select colors for my work has changed over time. Early on my work was based on photographs. I stayed fairly true to the colors of flowers or landscapes in the read more
Monday’s Mantra: Everything in life
It is comforting to know that bad luck, challenges, pain and suffering will not last forever. We might struggle but there is the light at the end of the tunnel. But unfortunately, joy, happiness, or comfort eventually come to an end as well. C’est la vie – such is life! Accepting impermanence requires us not read more
Monday’s Mantra: Trust is built
“Trust” is a big word which describes so much. When we trust someone, we feel safe with that person, we feel comfortable showing our vulnerable side and sharing our painful or embarrassing secrets. Trust allows us to approach difficult topics or opposing opinions in an authentic way and yet know that we care about each read more
Monday’s Mantra: Happiness lies not in finding
How do you define ‘happiness’? Often we assume that we need to reach the next step to be happy. Once we can buy new clothes, a new car, a new house, you name it, then we will be happy. Once we go on vacation to an exotic destination, an adventure trip, explore far away countries, read more
Monday’s Mantra: I am not a product
We are all born into ‘circumstances’ on which we have no influence. We are born into a specific geographic region, our parents’ socioeconomic environment, our family’s religion. While we grow up, we have dreams, but not always the opportunities to realize these dreams. However, at some point, we can no longer blame ‘circumstances’ for the read more
Monday’s Mantra: I myself am made
May your belief in your good intentions outweigh your awareness of your own flaws! Wishing you a wonderful week! Christine
Monday’s Mantra: No man ever steps in the same river twice
No matter how hard we try to be our best selves, we sometimes seem to be repeating the same mistake, seem to respond the same way, or show the same behavior time and again. Although we appear to be going in circles, it is not really true upon closer inspection. We are going more in read more
Monday’s Mantra: The Point of Life
Is happiness the same as having fun? Or is there a deeper meaning? Is it the feeling of excitement when you reach a goal? Is it the sense of competence when mastering a skill? Is it the exhilaration of being the center of attention, or can happiness surface in the quiet time of solitude? Is read more
Monday’s Mantra: If you think you are too small to make a difference
Have you ever felt small and insignificant, unsure of yourself? Were you afraid that your voice would not be heard, and your opinion would not matter? Were you concerned that your idea would be considered unreasonable, your dream belittled, and your actions would be minimized? We all have these occasional doubts about ourselves. However, at read more
Monday’s Mantra: You may have to fight
Sometimes it takes great determination and perseverance to reach our goals. We might have to defend our strategies repeatedly, we might need to request funding for a project every time we reach a ‘milestone’, we might need to reiterate to our colleagues or our boss that we will meet the deadline. However, there are also read more
Monday’s Mantra: Self-care is not selfish.
While we occasionally encounter people who are all about ‘me first’, there are also those among us who care deeply about others and act accordingly. However, sometimes we are faced with the question “How much can we give, how much should we give?” There are many commitments we certainly accept without thinking twice. Having read more
Monday’s Mantra: Intuition
How often do you make a decision in a split-second without really analyzing the situation? Sounds kind of foolish, maybe even dangerous! Yet we all know when a deal is too good to be true, when something sounds ‘iffy’ about an offer, or we are cautious about an explanation. Intuition is a sixth sense, formed read more
Monday’s Mantra: People often complain
How often do you find yourself with a to-do list that is a mile long and complaining that you have only 24 hours in your day? The sense of overwhelm can cause a sense of paralysis which makes things even worse. So, how can we prevent feeling stressed? There are different approaches to getting tasks read more
Monday’s Mantra: All progress takes place
As humans, we are creatures of habit. Most of us are much more at ease in our usual surroundings, among familiar people, and situations with predictable outcome than in circumstances that are different or even strange. But in order to learn and to expand our horizon, we need to test new ways. Have you ever read more
Monday’s Mantra: Confidence comes
Of course, we prefer to be right instead of being wrong. Of course, making errors frequently nibbles on our self-esteem. Why are we so afraid of being wrong? Because all eyes seem to be on us, because we question our own abilities and we are concerned that others question our capabilities as well. How can read more
Monday’s Mantra: Aging seems to be the only available way
We all hope to live a long and fulfilling life. Yet at the same time, we are not enthusiastic about getting old. An increasing number of wrinkles adorn our face and our body loses its firmness – we don’t look what society considers ‘beautiful’. Over the years came a few aches and pains and maybe read more
Monday’s Mantra: True friendship
Most of the time we define friendship as a relationship in which we can talk about everything and anything. We can vent when we are upset, pour our hearts out when we are overwhelmed or ask for advice when we feel stuck. We laugh when we are silly, and we cry when we are read more
Monday’s Mantra: The most important thing
In our busy lives with hectic schedules, long to-do lists, and places to go, go, go, we might not take the time to stop and think about the things that matter deeply to us. There are days when we feel overwhelmed and hence, forget our daily intentions. It seems impossible to carve out time to read more
Monday’s Mantra: Reality is always kinder
How do you respond when someone tells you ‘no’ to a request? Do you get angry, accusing the other person of not supporting you sufficiently, blaming them for not caring about your needs? Or do you withdraw, because you feel you are not worth the help you had asked for, you are not good enough, read more
Monday’s Mantra: The first step toward change
As humans, we feel most safe in an environment that is reliable, consistent, and familiar. Nevertheless, we experience frequent changes. Changes in relationships, in our surroundings, in our health. We might not like the changes we are facing, but there is nothing gained from ignoring or avoiding the new circumstances, or in blaming others for read more
Monday’s Mantra: Those Who Don’t Believe in Magic
As we are rushing through our busy days, we often forget what ‘magic’ even means. Magic is… … Standing over your sleeping child, looking at it tenderly. … Sitting next to your best friend, silently, and yet feeling deeply connected. … Being up early in the morning, experiencing the sun rise. … Walking through the read more
Monday’s Mantra: What Would You Attempt To Do
Have you ever thought about that? Would you change career, launch a project to improve our environment or better the lives of less fortunate people? Would you be an entrepreneur, or a philanthropist? Would you like to learn a new language or how to draw or dance? Or do you wish you could be more read more
Monday’s Mantra: Gratitude makes sense of our past
Gratitude makes sense of our past – let go of any grudges, forgive if you can. Be thankful for your own resilience and for those who stood up for you personally and for our society. Gratitude brings peace for today – celebrate your accomplishments, enjoy where you are now in your journey. Be grateful for read more
Monday’s Mantra: Daring to Set Boundaries
How often do we say ‘yes’ to a request even if we don’t want to do it, just because we don’t want to disappoint others? How often do we allow others to make a decision without being asked if we are okay with it and yet, we don’t speak up? How often does someone read more
Monday’s Mantra: In today’s rush, we all think too much
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not suggesting that you start your week without goals, ambitions, or dreams. What I recommend though, is to keep your objectives on a do-able level and make time for being mindful. Connect your work with a purpose, create achievable goals, prepare a to-do list for the daily chores, prioritize what’s read more
Monday’s Mantra: The greatest glory in living
Have you ever witnessed a child learning to walk? We teach our children to get up after falling, brush off the dirt, and try walking again. As adults, we also fall. We fail. We might hurt and feel crushed. It takes strength to get up – again. It takes courage to move forward. But staying read more
Monday’s Mantra: The opposite of love
Love is an emotion and so is hope. Indifference, however, is the lack of emotion, the lack of an opinion, the lack of interest. There are a variety of reasons for indifference. We are exposed to so many terrible news on TV or social media, there are times that the only way we can cope read more
Monday’s Mantra: Try not to become
How do you define ‘success’? Is it a certain monetary amount you like to see on your bank account? Is it a career level you would like to achieve? Is it the acronym that reflects your level of education? Or do you determine success based on how often you lend a helping hand to a read more
Monday’s Mantra: A smile is a curve
What’s in a smile? – A smile is recognized across cultures as an expression of friendliness. – A smile often causes the other person to smile, too. So, it is contagious. – A smile triggers the release of endorphins into our bloodstream. These special hormones are responsible for making us feel happy, and they also read more
