Are you making the changes you need?

  Welcome to my s~A(R)T~urday linky party – today:  Changes

“They always say time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself.

~ Andy Warhol ~

T
here is truth as I see it. Changes – it may sound harsh, but I believe that they are very necessary in life. Some regard them as bad, I usually welcome them as a new start, a new chance, possibility to grow or leave something behind you don’t need anymore.

Chances are you have been with me for a while and read my musings (or babbling) about my life, my photography, my art.

And I thank you with all my heart for tagging along on my journey!

Now I feel that it is time for a change. Actually, I have felt this for a while, but my problem was and still is that I am not entirely sure in which direction this change will lead my future path.

So, today I am sharing with you a few of the things I have already changed or am in the process of changing. I am going to initiate more change, by cleaning up, de-cluttering

  • my house
    • Today I will be rummaging through our kitchen. Well, that is actually an ‘de-clutter again’. While I am pretty good at not buying too many unnecessary things, stuff still piles up. Fun!
    • I will definitely need to go through my clothes. Oh so many that don’t fit anymore, I don’t like anymore, I have not worn in a year or so – time to part with them.
  • my body
    • for the next two weeks I will go on a cleanse by not eating certain foods e.g. dairy, gluten trying to figure out why ‘normal’ diet changes e.g. no sweets at all, no alcohol at all have no effect on me – at all
    • make more time for meditation and yoga
    • continue exercising at least three times a week for more than 45 minutes
  • my virtual life
    • I have a lot of subscriptions, I am sure you do, too. I actually created my imagesbycw (at) gmail just for that purpose. Time to de-clutter. This means that I will be unsubscribing from… all email subscriptions. Yes, you read that correctly, ALL of them.

Of course, this does not mean that I will not be reading your posts anymore. No, no, no, I will, trust me – we are friends. The only difference is, I will be visiting you through RSS, Feedly is my preferred reader. Don’t you just love their magazine layout?

Like many others did before me, I have also been thinking about taking a blogging break. But – you know what?

  • I don’t want to take a break. I want a change.
  • I do not want to keep on ‘babbling’.
  • I do not want to feel that I have to publish an article, yet nothing to say or show.
  • I need to change this back to ‘I have got something to say, to show – let’s do this!’

And until I figure out which direction this change is going to be, my only 100 % sure-fire article that I will be publishing each week will be this one here: sARTurday.

To mark this change I am sharing with you my ‘inner muse painting’ that I did last weekend. It is painted on aquaboard with acrylics, watercolor and gel pens. And it was such a fun experience, I could hardly stop. Waiting for layers to dry can take way too long, it made me itch to continue. Do you know that feeling I am talking about?

I hope you do. Because that is exactly the feeling that I hope to be getting back for writing on my website, my online world, too.

And now, here’s to the weekend – enjoy it!

Love,

claudia3

 

 

changes, muse, painting, goddess

 



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26 thoughts on “Are you making the changes you need?”

  1. Oh my gosh, I love this picture!!! It would look so fantastic on display. And I love how you have embraced Change. It’s so funny – you will see in my own post some similar thoughts!! I will always be busy because the Minions make it so, but slowly I too am getting rid of this extra stuff. In my house. In my virtual world. I keep the Twitter and the Facebook — but it’s basically for sharing blogs only; with some personal for friends and family. I don’t feel the same old compulsion to be there daily.

    The truth is, so much of it is mere distraction and not actually conducive to creativity. I’ve even grown bored with Instagram and seriously considering deleting. Then there is Nat Geo Your Shot and Flickr. I never have time to check any of those feeds – two of these photo sharing sites have to Go. Instagram? A single picture – and it’s so small on my phone, and no story often. I can admire a good shot, but it often leaves me wanting more. And notification after notification after notification and good manners dictating you should return the visit and hit Like. It’s all so time consuming. I’ll always enjoy seeing a great photograph, or Art – reading a great story/blog post – that’s great for surface level. But I also want to be moved towards something bigger too. I have found Steller to be more my liking – people on adventures and sharing them in a new visual way.
    Reading blog posts takes me away from reading actual books. And my own writing. It’s a never ending game to keep up. A blog post often cannot go as deep as an entire novel. Yet, I miss certain blogs if I don’t keep up. (yes, like you!!) So, what do you do? Ultimately, if I want to be a writer, I need to read other writers more, and maybe blogs less. So I keep my subscriptions, but they all go into a Blog Reading folder and if I have to hit “delete all” at the end of the week because a new book has me enthralled? So be it.

    Our time is precious and we have to make the most of it. Declutter our spaces – all of them. I cannot create when the mind is over-crowded; it now has a strict baggage limit constraint!! LOL

    Reply
    • No, I won’t display it, but it was fun creating it. Hm, it almost seems as if I need change every now and then. It is weird. Maybe I am weird. I don’t know, oh well.
      Flickr – I am very seriously thinking of deleting it. Nat Geo – I never really did anything there. And, you know, I feel pretty much the same as you about instagram. I actually only use it to share to facebook, but I could do that directly. So, maybe I’ll join you in the ‘Instagram-boycott’. I signed up for Steller, but – I’m not sure I got a story to tell – so to speak.
      Notifications – on my phone – NONE! They are all ‘not allowed’ 🙂 And that is good. Seriously.
      I thought about having the subscriptions in one folder, but the problem is you will still see all emails on your phone, right? So, it doesn’t help me really, unless I get even better at ‘ignoring’. Yet I feel so bad unsubscribing from you or Susi – sigh. But it is true that I am usually clicking to your sites anyhow without the email.
      And, yes, I cannot create when there is too much clutter. No matter if that is the mind or in the real world e.g. kitchen 🙂
      Hopefully I’ll figure it out how to have change come to my rescue…
      Thanks for being my friend, Leslie!

      Reply
      • Don’t worry about unsubscribing from me.. I don’t even know how to look at my subscribers list!! LOL There could be just you and Susi – there could be 300; I have no clue. That’s one way I keep this from being “numbers game.” And I don’t put email on my phone. Many are pushing me to do it — so they can ask me stuff or get me to do stuff all damn day long. Nope. There was a time we were all not so easily available, and stuff still got done. For me, I have to keep some stuff because both my church and my Girl Guides group use Twitter and Facebook. Flickr comes with my email so I’ll keep up, but barely care if I ever upload a shot again.
        Steller story? GoPro bike ride!!! Oh my gosh, that would be awesome to see. Bonaire trips?! You got great stories my friend. 🙂

        xx

        Reply
        • You are so right about ‘the numbers game’, pretty sad. What a revolutionary idea – a phone without email! Hahaha – I still remember the days when I did not even have a cell phone – LOL. But truth is that I do like to have my email with me, yet I did turn off all notifications on my phone. No pesky bleeps, vibrations or icons for them.
          Maybe I’ll steller – when I make the time for it.

          Reply
  2. Your Muse is beautiful albeit a bit tentative. Change is much easier to commit to than to accomplish. At this point, at my age, I find I am surrounded with clutter … stuff, I call it, that at one point in my life held value. But, now the real trick (or change) is to get rid of it. I haven’t figured it out how yet, but that is one big difficult change I am making in my life. You have clearly given much thought to what you want to change and I agree, slimming down everything from our bodies to our outside commitments is a must if we are to reach for and achieve quality, quietude and inner peace. Interestingly change is a big part of my life. I have a core set of people, places, friends and pets that I feel have passed all of the tests of what is important to me, but my periphery is in constant flux, flitting from place to place or subject to subject. That allows me to “taste test”, if you will, all that is out there. Some things stay with me and work their way to my core, others go into my memory as an experience that could be forgotten in time. That is where my blogging comes in … As I “taste test”, I blog about it. It is a memory, a moment that I share with others and save for myself. When I go back through what I have done, I hopefully will be able to see some growth and I, for sure, will be reminded of things that have been replaced in my memory by newer possibly more interesting experiences. It is a culling process … weeding out those things that drain you, those people who use you and things that make your life difficult. Is it possible to achieve perfection in the end … I doubt it, but the trip is amazing 🙂

    Andrea @ From The Sol

    Reply
    • ‘Tentative’ – hmm, yeah, maybe she is. I can see that. Probably the outlook at change. Because even if you embrace change in general, it might not always work out.
      Your words speak very true, Andrea. I am glad we connected. The core of people, fiends and then the next layer that is ever changing – truth. I like it – ‘taste test’ 🙂 good way of putting it. And I agree – ‘perfection’? Not really, but you are so right: The path is what counts.
      Thank you for sticking with me in one of my layers, Andrea.

      Reply
  3. I’m baaack! Wow…this is a difficult one for me. My entire life has been about change. I am like a cat; I do not like change. There is security in sameness. Change can be good, but it is scary. And for me, it usually has held pain. I know. many disagree, and that is okay. If change is good for you or you feel it is: go for it. Me? I have led a life of change. I have had the wild ride, but not by my choice. I want things to settle down so I can breathe. I just want to hear my own inner voice now, and be at peace. Shalom.

    Reply
    • Yay, you’re back, Annie. I was wondering what was going on, but I have to admit I did not visit your online home as much as I would have wanted to.
      Hahaha – how did I know you would say you’re like a cat? It is not a bad thing. Everybody is different. I like some continuity. Yet, it just seems to me that in it I also need change every now and then – paradox, huh?! I have had a lot of changes in my life, too, yet I seem to not have had enough yet.
      Having said all that: Absolutely – breathe…. listen to your inner voice… and be at peace. Namaste.
      Thank you, Annie, for being back!

      Reply
  4. Your inner muse is a beautiful piece! It’s got all the right colors, light and shadow, and interesting accessories. I love it! Wishing you all the best with your upcoming changes. I have also had to unsubscribe from most email correspondence. The inbox had become a thing that I dreaded. Have a great Sunday! Tina from Amanda’s Books and More

    Reply
    • Thank you so much, Tina. I am glad you like it – I, obviously, loooove the colors, too.
      Yes, that dreaded inbox… but – we can control it! We really can. And still be compassionate about the people we connect with.

      Reply
  5. Awesome artwork – and certainly relate to the need for change! Going thru a season of them myself!
    Best of luck on your journey!

    Reply
  6. Change can be good. There are times when I absolutely hate it. Like when something has worked well for 20 years and is not broke suddenly gets thrown by the wayside for something new and shiny. Blech. Had this happen at work. The new and shiny is not as good either. Double blech. However, I too am decluttering, going through clothes, etc. I want to move to New Orleans so I need to really downsize a lot of stuff out of my life. I got rid of my blog because I am using FB for a blog instead. Simpler really. The website got so broken it was safer and better to shut it down. Kudos for you to be brave to do these things. As far as the diet goes, I would seriously ask my doctor about doing an in-depth thyroid test. Not the usual annual general one they do. Because some of what you describe with your food issues can stem from that. It used to be that I could do diet changes and lose weight, then suddenly they did not work and it was not until we found my thyroid problem that we figured out why!!

    Reply
    • Yeah, I know, change is not always good… Hope, well, I know your stress at work is going to be over soon (we still have to take care of the taxes).
      See, with the diets, that is why I am stumped. I have had my thyroid monitored since about ten years and am on medication, have us every year etc. So, (unfortunately) I am very sure that it is not the culprit. I just don’t know. It is quite depressing, honestly. Well, we will see. Thanks for sticking around, Debbi 🙂
      p.s. Oh, and I am very (!) glad that you figured out that the thyroid was causing you so many problems.

      Reply
  7. Change is good, if you embrace it. You do what you need to do to feel better about yourself and your world. I can so totally relate. With our impending move, I’m in a constant state of purging lately and have made a few Goodwill trips already with more to come. After my recent illness, I did some thinking as well about what’s important and what isn’t. It’s weird how something like that can change your point of view on things. I for one will be looking forward to our art on Saturdays, since I so enjoy your talent. xoxo

    Reply
    • I am so glad that you are not mad at me for leaving you and Leslie alone, hopefully only for a while. But I do feel strongly about implementing some changes and when that feeling gets to a certain point – you got to do something. Well, I do.
      I hope that you find and nurture your important things in your life and that your move will be an easy one. Can’t wait to see and read more about it.

      Reply
  8. Everyone does need breaks. I’m all about the changes, even though I don’t like changes. They do seem harsh to me, but only sometimes. When it’s really time for one, your whole body tells you. I suppose yours is doing that too!
    I’m glad you’re sticking around with the blog.

    Reply
    • Yes, to breaks! And I think I can relate to what you mean about change. For me it always seems like I am striving to get to a certain point and to enjoy being there – for a while, but after an uncertain amount of time I get uneasy. I cannot really put my finger on it, but it feels like something needs to happen, to be done, to change.
      Now I just hope that I understand my body to get it into a better state again.

      Reply

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