I love the metaphor of the kite stuck in a tree. It pretty well describes May for me. I’ve had so many “must get dones” this month that I’ve been spinning and spinning and not really getting them done. Now the rush is on and I have to shake myself loose from the branches.
ICAD holds a space near and dear to my heart. In 2018, I decided I was going to learn how to draw and paint. I had signed up for LifeBook and began diligently going through the lessons. One lesson about abstracting faces really resonated with me and landed just before ICAD kicked off. That year I committed to doing 61 faces in 61 days just to see what would happen. It honestly completely changed the trajectory of my life. I would not be an artist today if it weren’t for that project. I celebrate June 1 as a bit of a birthday for me. It was that powerful.
I’m sorry I won’t be doing it this year because I’ll be on vacation the first two weeks of June, but I’ll be cheering everyone on from afar.
Thanks as always for your beautiful post and all you do!
Thank you for reading and commenting! That is a powerful ICAD history! It is a challenge that has meaning for so many people. I love knowing that your deep dive that year into portraits was a real kickstart! I hope you are gearing up for a wonderful vacation.
Indeed a beautiful and thought provoking post. Your kite references resonate - having flown (and lost)!many a kite on the windy beaches of my childhood. This also reminded of the movie "the red balloon" which my oldest and I watched ad infinitum when he was little. The ending always excited and confused me. A bit of integration between boy and balloon, relief in the escape, and then the exciting expansive perspective shift with the over the city aerial view. Metaphors make meaning of life. The kite, the balloon, and the sole fence post are all such vivid metaphors for life challenges, changes, feelings and so much more... This last week of May (week #21) I was deep into reflection and introspection, probably stimulated by my birthday but I've been thinking about big life questions and the unique experience of middle-aged me.
Thank you. I appreciate your comment - I don’t know that I’ve ever seen The Red Balloon. Birthday months are, so often, incredibly philosophical, but thinking is good!
Yes, the introspection following a birthday and even before birthday is really intense. I highly recommend seeing the red balloon. It's a short film in French with subtitles that takes place in post-wwii Paris. It's really beautiful and very poignant.
A highlight for May.... I'm looking back on the month and it feels like one big lump of days just jumbled together in a pile. Like every day was just like the last. I know that's not true, but it was a busy, stressful month, with never enough hours in the days. I was the kite, at the whim of the wind.
I was obsessed with Violent Femmes when I was in high school! Your playlist is excellent. I'm a big Pat Benetar fan, too. I saw her in concert just a few years ago and she's still incredible.
Thank you SO MUCH for suggesting my comic. I'm truly grateful. 💕
Thank you. Glad to see the playlist comment! I hope June gets off to a good start. I know that monotonous feeling. Happy to recommend your comic. Love seeing it each day.
Great post Amy. And it was so much fun to look at your playlist. Great choices. It made me think about the 80s music and I almost fell in a rabbit hole :) I could restrain myself but I am going to create a 80s playlist soon. I loved Cyndi Lauper. So she will be on my list for sure.
-"Take On Me" by a-ha. I loved the clip with all the illustrations and how the girl is pulled in the graphic novel she is reading.
-"Karma Chameleon" by Culture Club
-"Red red wine " by UB40
-"Take My Breath Away" Berlin
-"Fast Car" by Tracy Chapman
-"Everywhere" by Fleetwood Mac
-"99 Luftballons" by Nena
Lol and now I will stop before there will be a list of 50 here.
I saw Air a few weeks ago and loved that soundtrack, too!
I too could write you a lengthy list of 80s tunes that I think are totally rad, but here are just 8---
Fortress Around Your Heart by Sting
Situation by Yaz
How Soon is Now by The Smiths
Lucky Star by Madonna
Dreams by Van Halen
Something So Strong by Crowded House
Something About You by Level 42
Under the Milky Way by The Church
Music from your teen years seems to stay with you throughout your life. So much angst and longing and uncertainty are tied together with the music as our brains are developing into their adult state!
Your kite analogy made me think of a little student of mine who brought a kite for recess that he bought with his own money. He had to run and run to keep it in the air, and i had to coach him to let the line out more. I think i could make life lessons out of that if I tried.
I’ll be starting ICAD this week for the 4th time--only the last 2 years was i successful in getting to 61! Can’t wait!
My May highlight was traveling 6 hours to see my niece’s HS graduation and spending time with my sisters family. This features Big on my illustrated journal pages.
What a wonderful kite moment with your student! Definitely lessons to be drawn there. So glad you had a good month and got to see your niece’s graduation. Thank you for the track suggestions, too! Good luck with the start of ICAD this week.
I am all about outer stillness in chaos. I was trained well by my mom and grandmother, that showing your emotions isn’t acceptable. I get very emotional about my kids, but for me...stoic.
After being diagnosed with autism and adhd at 50, I have learned about masking, and how damaging it can be. It almost always causes burn out, which is where I am now.
Strangely, I find it has really caused issues for me and medically. I think we know that womens’ pains and illnesses are frequently dismissed by doctors and hospitals. Being stoic just makes that worse. I really thing my arm could be falling off and I would still be polite and charming.
Your words really reached me, Laura. I totally understand where you are coming from, and I think your comments on how double-edged stoicism (or maintaining a smooth exterior that masks the real going on) can be are super important. I hope there is someone you can let down the surface with.... we all need a space to be real and be seen. But I know that pushing away reality and deflecting is often an ingrained pattern. Thank you for your comment .... and for reading.
I love the metaphor of the kite stuck in a tree. It pretty well describes May for me. I’ve had so many “must get dones” this month that I’ve been spinning and spinning and not really getting them done. Now the rush is on and I have to shake myself loose from the branches.
ICAD holds a space near and dear to my heart. In 2018, I decided I was going to learn how to draw and paint. I had signed up for LifeBook and began diligently going through the lessons. One lesson about abstracting faces really resonated with me and landed just before ICAD kicked off. That year I committed to doing 61 faces in 61 days just to see what would happen. It honestly completely changed the trajectory of my life. I would not be an artist today if it weren’t for that project. I celebrate June 1 as a bit of a birthday for me. It was that powerful.
I’m sorry I won’t be doing it this year because I’ll be on vacation the first two weeks of June, but I’ll be cheering everyone on from afar.
Thanks as always for your beautiful post and all you do!
Thank you for reading and commenting! That is a powerful ICAD history! It is a challenge that has meaning for so many people. I love knowing that your deep dive that year into portraits was a real kickstart! I hope you are gearing up for a wonderful vacation.
Indeed a beautiful and thought provoking post. Your kite references resonate - having flown (and lost)!many a kite on the windy beaches of my childhood. This also reminded of the movie "the red balloon" which my oldest and I watched ad infinitum when he was little. The ending always excited and confused me. A bit of integration between boy and balloon, relief in the escape, and then the exciting expansive perspective shift with the over the city aerial view. Metaphors make meaning of life. The kite, the balloon, and the sole fence post are all such vivid metaphors for life challenges, changes, feelings and so much more... This last week of May (week #21) I was deep into reflection and introspection, probably stimulated by my birthday but I've been thinking about big life questions and the unique experience of middle-aged me.
Thank you. I appreciate your comment - I don’t know that I’ve ever seen The Red Balloon. Birthday months are, so often, incredibly philosophical, but thinking is good!
Yes, the introspection following a birthday and even before birthday is really intense. I highly recommend seeing the red balloon. It's a short film in French with subtitles that takes place in post-wwii Paris. It's really beautiful and very poignant.
A highlight for May.... I'm looking back on the month and it feels like one big lump of days just jumbled together in a pile. Like every day was just like the last. I know that's not true, but it was a busy, stressful month, with never enough hours in the days. I was the kite, at the whim of the wind.
I was obsessed with Violent Femmes when I was in high school! Your playlist is excellent. I'm a big Pat Benetar fan, too. I saw her in concert just a few years ago and she's still incredible.
Thank you SO MUCH for suggesting my comic. I'm truly grateful. 💕
Thank you. Glad to see the playlist comment! I hope June gets off to a good start. I know that monotonous feeling. Happy to recommend your comic. Love seeing it each day.
Getting my college acceptance letter and blister in the sun are permanently connected in my memory banks.
Love that one! That’s a great milestone connection, too!
Great post Amy. And it was so much fun to look at your playlist. Great choices. It made me think about the 80s music and I almost fell in a rabbit hole :) I could restrain myself but I am going to create a 80s playlist soon. I loved Cyndi Lauper. So she will be on my list for sure.
-"Take On Me" by a-ha. I loved the clip with all the illustrations and how the girl is pulled in the graphic novel she is reading.
-"Karma Chameleon" by Culture Club
-"Red red wine " by UB40
-"Take My Breath Away" Berlin
-"Fast Car" by Tracy Chapman
-"Everywhere" by Fleetwood Mac
-"99 Luftballons" by Nena
Lol and now I will stop before there will be a list of 50 here.
These are great suggestions! I will add these to the list. Thanks for sharing them - and I love knowing many of us can relate to this timeframe!
I saw Air a few weeks ago and loved that soundtrack, too!
I too could write you a lengthy list of 80s tunes that I think are totally rad, but here are just 8---
Fortress Around Your Heart by Sting
Situation by Yaz
How Soon is Now by The Smiths
Lucky Star by Madonna
Dreams by Van Halen
Something So Strong by Crowded House
Something About You by Level 42
Under the Milky Way by The Church
Music from your teen years seems to stay with you throughout your life. So much angst and longing and uncertainty are tied together with the music as our brains are developing into their adult state!
Your kite analogy made me think of a little student of mine who brought a kite for recess that he bought with his own money. He had to run and run to keep it in the air, and i had to coach him to let the line out more. I think i could make life lessons out of that if I tried.
I’ll be starting ICAD this week for the 4th time--only the last 2 years was i successful in getting to 61! Can’t wait!
My May highlight was traveling 6 hours to see my niece’s HS graduation and spending time with my sisters family. This features Big on my illustrated journal pages.
What a wonderful kite moment with your student! Definitely lessons to be drawn there. So glad you had a good month and got to see your niece’s graduation. Thank you for the track suggestions, too! Good luck with the start of ICAD this week.
The smiths and yaz would definitely be on my playlist.
I am all about outer stillness in chaos. I was trained well by my mom and grandmother, that showing your emotions isn’t acceptable. I get very emotional about my kids, but for me...stoic.
After being diagnosed with autism and adhd at 50, I have learned about masking, and how damaging it can be. It almost always causes burn out, which is where I am now.
Strangely, I find it has really caused issues for me and medically. I think we know that womens’ pains and illnesses are frequently dismissed by doctors and hospitals. Being stoic just makes that worse. I really thing my arm could be falling off and I would still be polite and charming.
Your words really reached me, Laura. I totally understand where you are coming from, and I think your comments on how double-edged stoicism (or maintaining a smooth exterior that masks the real going on) can be are super important. I hope there is someone you can let down the surface with.... we all need a space to be real and be seen. But I know that pushing away reality and deflecting is often an ingrained pattern. Thank you for your comment .... and for reading.
Thanks for the mention, Amy! I’m glad you enjoy my posts and photos.