Last week I finished a doll I began hand stitching seven years ago.  |
| LiDoña Wagner Hearts & Flowers |
I had created the body first; it was hard. Not knowing what to do next I put my doll and all the materials in a basket in the closet. After doll had rested a couple of years, I tried making the apron. It did not go well so once again I quit. Another couple of years passed before I decided to tackle the face. It was really hard and didn't turn out as I had hoped, but I did it. Still thinking about the apron, doll went back to the closet for another year.
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| I am a sucker for symbols of transformation. |
When I had figured out the apron and actually made it, my heart soared. Enthused, I started on the hair. But then I discovered that the ribbon I’d cut for the hair was too short. Once again I quit. Last week for some inexplicable reason, I got Hearts & Flowers out again. This time I pushed aside my inner critic, by saying, “Whose hairstyle is perfect? Let it be.”
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| Anticipation of spring may have inspired finishing my doll. |
HAPPINESS
During this whole journey, the heart-shaped head of Hearts & Flowers doll inspired me to make small heart-shaped love notes to myself that i post on a kitchen cabinet. One such note reads HAPPINESS Sleep, Gratitude, Helping Others. I can’t recall if this is a summary of one article I read or several that I summarized. What I do know is that it precipitated creation of an evening ritual.
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| Perhaps it's anticipating Valentine's Day that got me off my duff. |
Each night before going to bed, I open my Gratitude Journal and record:
JOY = What brought joy into my life in the last 24 hours?
COMFORT = What gave me solace amid climate change and Covid’s ravages?
INSPIRED = What gave me hope or moved me to action?
GRATEFUL FOR = 3 or more as they come to mind – some nights it gets up to a dozen.
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.
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| What creative project is waiting in your closet? |
3 comments:
My closet overflows with creative projects! My curiosity is piqued- I’m sure there are some gems just waiting for me to “rediscover” them… Thanks for the gentle nudge and I love 💕 your doll! Cheers ~
The email about this month's blog asked "how happiness has made its way into your heart?" Hmm. I've never spent much time worrying about "happiness." But then reading your blog, I was really grabbed by the idea of a "Gratitude Journal." I suppose that's different language to describe the same phenomena. The four points of "joy, comfort, inspiration, and gratitude" struck me as being particularly helpful. While I'll experiment with this format in the coming days, here is one thing I'll share now:
I'm grateful for a colleague who sits with me on the Board of Directors at the ABCD Institute at DePaul University. I unexpectedly had time to share an idea for a potential new project today. I appreciated their stance of "yes" to the underlying purpose even as it was obviously they had some questions about details. Beyond appreciation, I did experience comfort.
Amazing!!!
You are a talented artist. Hugs
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