Redefining the Comfort Zone

Oftentimes my cartoons for the Whole Living Journal are based on the season, so drawing a summer camp cartoon made sense for this issue. But as with anything I do, my cartoons are usually plastered with symbolism that I love to scry through to find more and more meaning.

The symbols in this cartoon took me to a lot of places I had already traveled. Apparently I needed a few reminders. So I started with the obvious, that the comfort zone is just another name for what we think we know, which isn't always comfortable, accurate, or fun. It is pitched like a tent in the lessons of childhood.

"Okay, cute." I thought of the tent symbol, but I was certain there were more symbols in the cartoon, so I kept looking. Quickly the tent became the mind, and the two children inside represented the right and left thinking. I took a moment to add a little more to my drawing just to see it better. 

The result confused me: 

The drawing showed the reverse of what I expected.  I typically associate the right brain with imaginings outside the comfort zone, while I usually think of the left brain as the fortress of rules built to protect us from the unknown.  The right side was worrying and the left side was accepting.

When I allowed for different interpretations of "right" and "left", I could see that it often seems "right" to exercise caution, even doubt, in order to make sure I am being safe about what I do.  Then I could see what was "left":  No matter how well I plan and wait to take action until I'm sure, change from beyond the comfort zone is inevitable. Even so, comfort zones are fairly indestructible.

So instead of being about getting out of the comfort zone or trying to dismantle it, this cartoon seems to be all about flipping its negative bent and using its imaginative ability toward something more positive.  We can change the assumption that unforeseen circumstances can cause difficulties if we are not prepared, and practice using our comfort zones to invent rather than prevent.  When we imagine in this way the comfort zone takes on a whole new meaning. 

A final look at the cartoon symbols affirms that even in the dark of night, surrounded by the unknown, there is a light within which will help us see, and a reflection of the day to come.  It is not change we need to challenge, but the challenge of change that is ours to accept and fully appreciate each the moment.  Imagine that!

Nothing changes, 'cept us!
Be peace-full.
Pic;)

When Dreams Change, Dream On

When we spend a lot of time on creating something special it can be hard to let it go, but so we must if we are to experience the full potential of whatever it is that we created.  Sometimes it is not obvious that we are doing this.  Oftentimes things change when we least expect it.

Just as the process to bring forth new life is called "labor" and is often filled with painful contractions, other things in life can feel as if they're being broken or destroyed in order to be more fully realized.

 If we are attached to the beauty and care that made things the way they are, we may feel the destruction thereof is unfair, an undoing of the work invested to this point.  But just as a mold is broken upon delivering the gold that is cast in it, so too must we release our attachments as a new life arises from everything we have done thus far. 


The changes in the way our dreams are from one day to the next can bring sadness or surprise...it's totally up to us and how we choose to see it.  That's the story behind this Enlightenmeant Cartoon.  The bird could see her eggs broken and destroyed but instead she sees new life coming into her experience.  No longer needing to sit still, she will soon be very busy gathering food for her little brood. 

Dreams are not static things we must maintain indefinitely, they are the Love of Life constantly growing and changing to, in turn, grow and change us.  When your dreams change, dream on.  

Dream Big!
Pic;)

In the Space Between

Look around today and see the many reminders that there is something working with us to unconditionally fulfill our potential, however we may establish it for the day.  You may notice the silence between the chirps of singing birds, that invisible something that stirs the leaves up off the the ground and soon will gently usher snowflakes down.  

 This is Life - not what we make of it - but what unconditionally fulfills that.  In between the banter of our everyday life, Life listens and unconditionally moves through our observances and intentions into creation, just like the breath moves through and supports our bodies.  

 Set an intention to take time to notice the wonder of Life as the source of all that Is rather than a limited identity or situation. Be mindful that your thoughts are in line with the highest good for yourself and others. Leave criticism, worry and impatience alone.  Life and you are bigger than that. It's taking notice of and being lucid to the little things that helps all of us see, and embody Life in all it's splendor.

tulitia,
Pic;)

Taking the Next Breath

The caption to this cartoon is one of those statements that push us to think about the things we hold onto and what we have not yet reached. The "leap" can be about making big changes which seem so due to the implications of the unknown. In responsible, obligation-based culture leaps should be calculated and not undertaken without knowing everything we can about where we might land in order to keep us safe from harm. The truth is we would all be dead if we did this at the most fundamental level.  Breathing would be a good example. 

There is a leap to every breath we take.  We know what it's supposed to do, but we rarely micromanage that even though we can never be sure what will fill our lungs and affect our senses.  There may be scents of cake and we will feel hungry.  There could be the poisons of smog or the smell of skunk and we might hold our breath trying to avoid what is unpleasant, but it's already in us. There is no time to test, measure, or manage the next breath.  Without knowing for sure, we have to take the leap of inhaling or we will absolutely die.

As a matter of taking the next breath we must let go of the breath we have taken no matter how good it was, because the breath changes and is not the breath we took in.  What got us pleasant scents and fresh oxygen is replaced with wastes and toxins we need to release.  There is no time to sort through it and see if there is something salvageable; we must let go or we will surely expire.

Because it's so important that we breathe we don't think about it very often.  But to be mindful of the breath is to be mindful of what life is about at its very essence. We can plan, but we can't know for sure what will happen next and we must move forward regardless.  There's no sense worrying about it.  Like the breath we just have to go with the flow.  Like the butterfly in the drawing, we can take the advice of the teacher on the precipice, and move on without fear of falling.  Breathing is faith well practiced, that what we need will be abundantly available to us as it is required.  Mindfulness of this truth makes every day a little easier. 

Breathe easy,

Pic;)

With No Expectations

Expectations are intricate to the adage, "when life hands you lemons, make lemonade."  It seems smart to think positively when things don't turn out as expected. But we can be free of the work of making lemonade out of something that can sour the smile when we give up having expectations.
 

"With no expectations" is the caveat found in the middle of The Circle of fire Prayer written by don Miguel Ruiz.  Simply put it is the key to living the Four Agreements: be impeccable with your word, don't make assumptions, don't take anything personally, and always do your best.  

Expectations are sure fire guarantees we will be disappointed.  Expectations involve people and things outside the sphere of our influence, expecting them to behave, deliver, and make us feel as we think they should.  

Though the domesticated world might insist otherwise, expectations are not the key to accomplishment and happiness.  Goals will not get you anything you truly need, but on that same note, goals and expectations are not the same thing, so go ahead and set goals, just don't limit your joy to the expectation things will turn out in a particular way.  

When we let go of expectations we can live in peace, lemonade free, without need to imagine the supposed blessings in adversity.  Without expectations there is no adversity.  Everything, even the unexpected just is, and with that attitude we can have the gifts don Miguel describes when we choose to live and move and have our being in the Consciousness of the Universal Operating System:

"We will live our lives with Gratitude, Love, Loyalty and Justice,

Beginning with Ourselves,

And continuing with our Brothers and Sisters."

Being peaceful, hope you are too!

Pic;)

Discuss this and more enlightening topics (topics designed to lighten up living) in the UoS Wisdom Group

Budgeting for a New Year

So, I have just finished my first month at a new job for the first time in 15 years.  It's a big change from the contract work I did for so long. I find myself budgeting time for "shifts" and spending differently.  Recently I realized I was "budgeting" according to my perceived limits.  How sad.  I sat down and wrote my budget for 2015.

The first thing I needed to do was identify what I had and how to spend it through the coming year, rather than focusing on cutting back. The list that quickly materialized reminded me of what I have that makes life something to look forward to rather than learn how to do without. 

Though it doesn't seem to have a lot to do with actual cash currency, I think the way I'm planning on spending my time and energy will make everything a little more affordable. When I look at my new budget I just want to spend, spend, spend!  

Seize the day! 

Pic;)

The Universal Operating System

When I made this drawing for Enlightenmeant Cartoons in mid-September, I had no idea what changes were upon me.  At the time I saw it as a commentary on our daily dependency upon devices which seem to rule our world rather than serve it. Little did I know that in a split moment I would be unwillingly and unwittingly introduced to the ways in which I myself acted as such a device, forgetting my true purpose and the greater system to which I am connected. 

Ever since I became aware of this particular situation I have been trying to deal with it, struggling to bring things under control. Those words: trying, struggling, and control all indicate that I am going against the stream of energy that is natural, Life itself.  It's as if instead of sitting beside the stream to admire the flow of life as the leaves fall and flutter off the trees without worry or concern, the woman in the cartoon decides she should run around and try to tape all the leaves to the branches, and stop the stream from flowing. That would be impossible.  

I am reminded of a simple song I sang to a group of wise men and women when I first presented my views on Creative Being.  The struggling self would see a return to an earlier time as a setback. Therein would be the error of the ways that separate us from the flow of life.  There are no setbacks, there is nowhere to progress.  Make that: There is Now/Here to progress.  

There is only to Be in the moment without history or herstory as the case may be, and let the flow of life through rather than block and damn it in (literally and verbally). In this way, like changing seasons and currents, we move effortlessly through a beautifully simple and constant system of operating...merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily, life is but a dream.

If you're making it hard, turn around and go with the flow.

Namaste',

Pic;)

I am thinking of hosting a wisdom group for those who want to share and discuss running the Universal OS and witnessing change and life from a natural perspective. Check it out on fb

Less is More

I liked rendering this month's Enlightenmeant cartoon in pencil instead of pixels.  I usually draw the original cartoon then snap a photo, email it to myself and digitally embellish it with shading as I pop it into it's box to send off to the publisher.  This month however I needed to take my time and feel the graphite as it scraped the surface of the paper.  As a rule, my drawings and paintings are meant to change meaning with the viewer, but for me this one is so metaphorical I thought I'd share what I had in mind when I drew it up. 

The traffic-filled nature of this scene is indicative of just how packed in things can get when we start thinking too much.  It's easy to get stuck in the traffic of our thoughts.  Thankfully, my little Yogi dude showed up and reminded me to let go and free myself of the sheer weight of thought upon thought upon thought.  Less thought makes space for a little peace, a sly smile, a bit of wisdom to come on through.
Next time you're driving through your thoughts like its the five o'clock rush hour, turn down the noise and take a deep breath and repeat the mantra: less is more, less is more.  Peacefully yours, Pic;)

Faith

When I drew this cartoon at the end of February I wondered if it would hold meaning as it was running in the Whole Living Journal well into April.  The answer is "yes" in so many ways.  It snowed last night, which is not unusual for this region, and the most basic application of the cartoon still holds. This winter was so cold and snowy we began to wonder if it would ever end.  Just as it seems things were changing, we are reminded of process and the need for faith.  Just remember that this faith is to be invested in one's ability to plant and cultivate opportunities whenever possible.  Start your seeds regardless of the appearance of outer conditions and have them ready to take hold at the right time.

;)

Everyday Meaning

Sometimes it seems only right that we wait for some event to be completed or a milestone to pass before we take the time to appreciate its accomplishment.  And yet it is only through appreciation that anything is ever accomplished and milestones are marked.  That conundrum illustrates the delicate balance of what goes into every moment, every day of our lives -- our imaginations. Without this, there wold be no amount of thanksgiving, faith, or love, nor would any sacrifice, victory or act of service be of any value.  We imagine our needs, we imagine the fulfillment of them or not. When we are aware this creative process is not an event; and we are mindful about how we manifest it through our attitudes, words, and actions, we give our lives meaning beyond measure.  Make everyday a holiday of possibilities and intent, and the whole of life will be special.

How to Freely Enjoy Life

It's easy to get caught up in wondering what we can do to fix, prevent, or work through conditions of loss, lack and limitation.  That's the way most of us learned life works. It would be nice if we could just forget about the things that don't work, but we've learned it's best to face them head-on. This is how we get hooked into struggling with our own perceptions.

Beautiful Vistas

A recent issue of the Whole Living Journal focused on the topic of the Divine Feminine. I couldn't think of anything better to include in my cartoon than a beautiful view of the Earth.

Cultivating Creative Awareness

Not long ago I spoke with Tara Robinson,on the WAIF radio program Waves of the New Age.  We talked about creative energy and various ways to reclaim its applications when opportunities for conscious use come into play.  Of course we can consciously apply our creative energy whenever we choose, however sometimes conditions are such that what appears in our lives couldn't be farther from what we would like.  That's because some of our attempts to create are to "try not to" do or experience something.  This approach to creative practice inadvertently maintains the polar opposite of what we desire in order to identify our choice as what we are trying to avoid.

We dream our lives and while we can have some pretty cool dreams without even trying, when we set our sites on being lucid in our dream of life, we can appreciate the entirety of our adventures.  To that end, I recently wrote an article on reclaiming your creative power for the Whole Living Journal (Nov/Dec issue online soon) and I am creating some unique classes for "drawing" and "painting" which are about so much more than how to pick up a pencil or brush.

Together we will explore basic drawing and painting skills and explore Surrealism and Expressionism as well as representational art.  We will practice being lucid to the application of our creative energy in an environment where it is safe to practice the same skills that apply to creating our everyday lives.  We will look at how we see and how to see in a way that is truth rather than fear driven.  It's the difference between art that isn't good enough and a masterpiece of life!

If you think you're not creative, doubt that you can draw or paint, and even if you can, these classes will be a fun way to change up and charge up your imagination to better accomplish all your creative practices.  

Here are 2 links to posts I've made at LucidChange.com: learn about the Unconditional Happiness that artists know and everyone can experience no matter where we are in our creative process, and why Doing Nothing is a good thing.  Both include practices for walking through life and seeing new possibilities.

Register for new classes Here!

Beyond Being Prepared

If you look back in time you can see plenty of occasions when there were droughts, storms, flooding, fires, pestilence and earthquakes, but seldom have they all occurred at the same time almost everywhere on the planet. 

I caught myself not wanting to go to an event after the rain last weekend because I didn't have any DEET on-hand and the West Nile cases are growing around here.  I also thought it would have been a little weird to contract the virus while floating luminaria on the lake at Spring Grove cemetery.  Some people say the environment is not changing, glaciers have always been melting and the weather will bounce back. 

In the meantime, I have contemplated planting cactus in my midwest garden to get along with the drier/rising temps. Rather than just trying to be prepared like the gal in my cartoon, I need to look at some other ways I can be more proactive (in addition to recycling and composting, of course).  

Here are some organizations and movements that are spending their time and money on fixing the problem rather than irritating political advertising:

Conscious Capitalism "accelerating the integration of consciousness and capitalism"

National Resources Defense Council "the Earth's best defense"

Corporate Accountability International "We protect human rights, public health and the environment from corporate greed and abuse around the world."

Change Happens

Just when I thought things were going to slow down, they pick up more steam.  It seems to be like that for everyone these days.  Trying to control it is crazy.  We simply don't move as fast as our fast paced world.  Just ignoring it, as mother used to say, doesn't quite cut it either, when being consciously engaged in life is something I would like to keep on the front burner.  So what then?  The sage advice, Just let go...and enjoy the ride, seems to capture both sides and wrap them into a fun time.  So here's what's up as a result:

• Enlightenmeant has a new look (it's about time I added a little color to the banner).  And there are new tabs at the top which cover the full offerings of my other creative interests as well.  Lucid Change is my favorite new addition. With short lively updates Lucid Change supports transformation through awareness and intent. Check it out and sign up to get email updates.
• You might enjoy my Process updates about my art and projects.  I will definitely be processing the art and philosophy behind my solo exhibit in Columbus this coming August, Not As Seen on Television, all 3-D wire and paper works.
• On Friday, June 1, 6pm-12am, is the opening reception of  SOS Art 2012, a community art show and event of creative expressions for Peace and Justice. This is a potluck reception with artist talks.  Two of my wire sculptures, Hoodie and Somalia, will be in the show which includes hundreds of artists of all ages and backgrounds.  Running through June 10th, the exhibit is hosted by The Art Academy of Cincinnati, 1212 Jackson Street, OTR.
• On Saturday, June 2, 6-9pm, I will be drawing Intuitive Renderings at the Center for Spiritual Living's Prosperity Potpourri fundraiser, 5701 Murray Avenue 45227.
• Also in June, New weeknight art practices will explore getting comfortable with not knowing so we can discover, explore and make some really cool drawings paintings and more.  I am also starting an artist support group for those who would like to live their art more.  If you feel drawn to either of these two opportunities, just email or call 513-549-4607.

I hope to see you around!
Pic;)

Working Overtime

 

Well, Mother Nature didn't give it much of a rest last winter and the rest of us have also been working like crazy.  A couple years ago a visiting Mayan Elder explained that time seems to be going so much faster, even though the days are still 24 hours long, because the whole solar system is presently zipping around the galactic center at a faster pace.  I asked how long this would go on.  He estimated a couple thousand years. I guess I'll just have to trust that.

10 classes/week for the past 4 months has kept me zipping right along making masks and completing an abstract art exhibit with teenage girls in residential treatment, now showing in University Heights.  I'm currently completing a mural with teens in the Upper School at The Children's Home of Cincinnati while starting a fresh stream of surrealist drawings of what goes on inside the minds of teenage boys in residential recovery after a winter of working in watercolors.  Shifting gears to get with 8-10 year-olds, this week we explored the positive consequences of sharing by borrowing from primary colors to create secondary colors in watercolor.  In addition to adult classes and a wire sculpture commission of a couple dancing (to be given as a wedding gift from his mom); I've also (somehow) been working on Not As Seen On TV for a show in Columbus that will feature solely 3-D wire and paper sculptures.  So, (big breath) I just wanted to take a moment to catch up a little and send out Happy Spring wishes that all is well in your world and hope you're finding ways to challenge yourself creatively.  If I can help, let me know!  Summer is on the way and I look forward to exploring new/unusual creative endeavors.

Nineteen Out of One Hundred

I don't have the time to draw it right now, but I'm imagining this cartoon where a confused character is scratching his head whilst looking at a picture of President Obama and muttering, "But I thought Jimmy Carter was president."  What's behind this cartoon?

Thirty six years ago things were so much like they are today (with the exception of who was president) that one of the most often quoted lines in movie history (ranking 19 out of 100) was first heard in the 1976 film Network.  In it, news anchor Howard Beale states:

"I don't have to tell you things are bad. Everybody knows things are bad. It's a depression. Everybody's out of work or scared of losing their job. The dollar buys a nickel's worth, banks are going bust, shopkeepers keep a gun under the counter. Punks are running wild in the street and there's nobody anywhere who seems to know what to do, and there's no end to it. We know the air is unfit to breathe and our food is unfit to eat, and we sit watching our TVs while some local newscaster tells us that today we had fifteen homicides and sixty-three violent crimes, as if that's the way it's supposed to be! We know things are bad - worse than bad, They're crazy!" 

At the end of his tirade, Beale tells his television viewing audience he isn't going to recommend they riot, or call their congressman, and he admits he doesn't know how to fix any of the problems.  Instead, he tells them they have to value their life and get mad as hell.  He tells them to get up out of their chairs, go to their windows, open them and shout: 

"I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take this anymore!"   

Believe it or not, that's not what started the idea for the cartoon, but it works. The point is nothing ever changes except us.  In truth, nothing really exists except the ability to perceive.  How we look at things determines if the world is hopelessly dismal or as Howard Beale offers the only hope we have to effect real change in the world.

In addition to the presidential primaries and race this year, there are plenty of ways our attention may be hooked out of the power of the present moment, and diverted to fuel the planetary dream of loss, lack and limitation.

Like the vote, it may seem like a right or a responsibility to get hooked up in the world.  There are many who would say it's as "mad as hell" (read: insane) to consider doing otherwise, but that's what I'm suggesting based on my own long, long history of not being able to make anything better by focusing on how bad it is.

Lets all get mad as hell: smile inside, keep our outlook open, and to all that is dark and negative, happily shout out, "I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take this anymore!"  Forget what 'everybody knows', let's choose instead to create heaven in as many moments as we can.

links:   A great clip from the movie: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90ELleCQvew  full text at http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Network_(film) (Two good reasons SOPA shouldn't go through as written.)

With gratitude to mom and dad for helping me see what's really important. 

Celebrating New Cycle's Eve

Got plans for next Christmas? Some folks think you might want to move your holiday celebrations up to December 19 or sooner to beat the end of the Mayan calendar.  It's been almost 5,125 years since the count went into effect and there are plenty of ideas about what this means to those of us who have shown up for the finale.

There are some who point to various natural, man-made, and unseen changes in the world and say it portends the end of the world...a better world...or nothing new in the world. Since what happens in the world is subject to perception, at the end of the year there will be a lot of people claiming their predictions were right -- whatever they were.

This year more than any other year since Y2K, people are asking what to expect so they can be prepared, a strategy I hope will end with this cycle. For thousands of years this cycle has been filled with fearful anticipation. Expectations are the tools which have been leveraged to ensure personal safety, financial solvency and spiritual salvation, with rather poor results one of which is making life a matter of prevention. In this new cycle (and yes, there will be another cycle) we have the opportunity to live with intention as our way of life. This is the message shouted by so many from the wilderness to the modern times of the closing cycle -- wake up!

Unfortunately, those who are attached to any doomsday or nay-say 2012 story may well be missing the whole point of having a cycle that has an ending.  Closing cycles provide the opportunity (daily, monthly, annually or every 5000 years or so) to see how things are going, determine what works and what needs to change. The old cycle promoted an intention of inattentiveness which is being thrown off and overthrown around the globe.  Much of humanity is no longer willing to trade in freedom for fear.

The trick now is to release attachment to the past so the new cycle of intention may unfold.  Unlike the old cycle, the new cycle will not be about the bottom-line. The mastery of Intention is to live effortlessly, free of expectations and fear. The closing cycle would say that's irresponsible, even dangerous.  In the new cycle it will be recognized as unconditional -- like love, liberation and our true potential.

Instead of dwelling on the end of the old cycle, wondering what, if anything, will happen on December 21, Let's treat 2012 as one big giant New Cycle's Eve. Celebrating for a year is a far smaller fraction of the more than 1.8 million days in the ending cycle than one of our holiday weekends is to our 365 day year. So this is not overdoing it.  Forget shopping, we should have started celebrating decades ago!
 
Happy New Cycle's Eve!

What's the Leap?!

  In the Toltec tradition, of which I am very fond, there are two lineages which may be followed.  One is the Jaguar and the other is the Eagle.  Among other things, the names describe the method of stalking that is unique to the animal representing that lineage.  Jaguars stalk with their feet on the ground, or close to it and their prey.  Eagles take to the skies and survey the land, looking for even the most minute movement, swooping in on it from up high.  In Toltec Tradition, the "prey" is what is untrue or illusion.  Stalking includes all erroneous conclusions and strategies to overcome them (aka agreements or beliefs).  At one level of personal development, "stalking" is about getting to know how we tick and later understanding that we are not or actually are much more than what ticks (like a little bomb in the back of our minds all the time).  

  Toltec wisdom as well as many other systems such as Advaita Vedanta suggest that humans are unaware of illusion and need to awaken to it's existence in order to transcend the suffering included therein. Many times on the path to awakening those who take up various practices come to believe they have awakened only to find themselves still suffering the same old habits and outcomes.  That is often the impetus to go seeking a new way to gain awareness and stop the cycle. As long as this is one's motivation, the same results will persist because there really is no cycle to stop.  

  When I drew this cartoon for the Whole Living Journal, I knew my character had nowhere to go, that whatever she thinks might be out there that might make a difference would be of little help.  The leap toward living her best life would be to stand where she is, and learn how to be comfortable not knowing (Don't take anything personally*), giving up expectations of how things should be (Don't make assumptions*), accepting and appreciating everything, even the most uncomfortable feelings as perfect manifestations of what they are (Be impeccable with your word*).  This is the Big  Leap that takes one from constantly stalking to learning how to enjoy the ride (Always do your best*).

Register for more information about What's the Leap?! a four-step workshop and discussion on living free of limiting conditions, Sunday, July 10 from 5-7pm, in Cincinnati.  For more information send your name and contact information.  

Peacefully, Pic;)

(*The Four Agreements from the book by don Miguel Ruiz)

A Shift in Consciousness

 

Just when I thought  (that's always the first sign of trouble).  Just when I thought I was getting used to this ever-so-often and strangely changing world, it changed in a way I wasn't expecting it to change. Google sent me a message about how I had missed my chance to renew the domain name for this blog.  When I clicked the link to make the transaction I found out I couldn't do it until I sent pictures of my driver's license and paperwork including a copy of this year's tax return (really?)!  Happily I saw the expectations and mounting frustration before they fully crossed the threshold of my mind.  When they knocked, I chose to let them go before they pulled up a chair and stayed too long.  That wasn't so hard because that meant I wouldn't have to pay godaddy a whopping fee to rescue my old domain name, AND I could have fun securing a new name!  I love shopping domain names!  

EnlightenmeantCartoons.com will soon be the new name for my blog.  I like drawing these cartoons which are so very different from my fine art.  Actually, what's in my cartoons is in my fine art, it just looks different.  Out of respect to the humongous disasters that make my little life challenges look like a day at the mall, I defer to Google and introduce my new blogspot aptly named Enlightenmeant Cartoons & Miscellaneous Musings.  I suppose this would be one of those miscellaneous musings.  

New Work! Not so miscellaneous, are the other changes that I have begun settling into.  I've been really busy teaching for more than a year and have been making a lot of choices about how I wish to spend my creative energy. My fine art has been given priority even as I have to wiggle it into my schedule.  Right now I'm eating, sleeping and dreaming new works. Paperworks, are sculpted paper canvases which you can see at cpicmichel.com.  The work in progress is titled Tsunami and I should be finishing it up in the next couple weeks.  It measures 7 feet by 30 inches by roughly 6 inches deep here and there.  It has been a consuming bit of work and I know this is the direction I will be travelling for awhile.  It feels so good, takes so long, and pleases me so much.  

There's a whole lotta' changes going on in the world these days.  Better to work with them than against them.