What's your message?

Boy Ali, I really needed to read this tonight. Thanks :-)
Michelle

I LOVE your Life Artist message and have bought the big mugs for my best friend and myself. Here's my take on your message:
--A few years back my best friend and I read The Artist's Way together. We loved its message but we both struggled with our own perceptions of ourselves as artists. In "real life" I was a teacher and she was a speech pathologist, though we both had "art" projects~via writing or scrapping or painting, etc. But those projects weren't our focus, especially after we had children, so we were at a loss as to what was our "art" ---and really, what was our "purpose"...
And then we both agreed that our life was our purpose. No one project, or career or calling, but the whole thing. Our art would be our life---that is the canvas we are always working on, the "project" that commands our soul and all we have to give. It is always changing. We didn't have a name for it but now we do---we've adopted your title, "Life Artist" ---to mean a person who finds the art in her everyday life and celebrates her life as a work of art.
Hope you understand what I mean. Thanks, as always, for the inspiration!

dude...that is SO cool about Simon:) Congrats to him to an awesome day at school:)

i find a new message...all the time.
words and quotes lift me up and inspire me.
to make art, to live a better life.
to be a better mother, to be a better wife.
friend, sister, daughter.
human being.
i like having an ever-changing message.
thank you, once again, for sharing your insight.

Congrats to Simon!!! What a big step for him. I love hearing about his progress.

ahh, you are so motivating Ali... a breath of fresh air. and YAY for Simon D00d!!!

Ali, is the pin or magnet one of yours, as is it for sale? I would love something like that to gently remind me that we should look at each day with wonderment. I work in a factory, and it is not a good thing. I believe you should also add "mentor" to your list of accomplishments, because you do do that as well. Have a wonderful day. Linda

I love that you defined 'life artist' - I totally get it. And yet...I have many of the same feelings that Athe stated. How can I *get it* and yet it feels pretentious at the same time? LOL To me. I totally don't see anybody else as being pretentious. An odd thing.
I did have my own little revelation within the past few months tho. It's hard, sometimes...to keep it all in focus. It's easy for some of us to slip into the call role rather than does this fit me mode. And I caught myself and I stopped doing that. Now, first and foremost, I try to keep my focus on the story. I often look back into my own childhood and think of what I wish I had pictures of, or what I wish I knew a bit more of...and that's what I focus on. And it is...it's the little things.
My message? heck if I know. LOL My family will tell you that it's, "be good" for I say it everytime anybody leaves this home. I'm in the process of painting it over the door lest I forget anyone. haha!
and hey...see you in a couple days. I'll be the wallflower in the corner. ;)

WOW Ali! Great job for Simon! I have some of the same issues going on at my house yet my son is 12 and still wets the bed. You keep me optimistic that some day he will mature enough to stop this. I read your blog daily. You are so inspiring. Scrapbooking truely does = art. I have made several books for the Seniors in my family when they graduate. I cover their life from infancy until the present. They treasure them so much. Even my nephew took his to college with him. Thank you for sharing your life with us. We can all relate in one way or another. Happy summer to you and your family. Hope to get up to Scraptacular in Cleveland to see you.

I want to thank you. Becasue of the inspiration I got at CKU and through your blog and manifesto I created my own manifesto of sorts. I thought about what I say to myself over and over again and came up wtih 5 words, breathe, play, live, embrace, and smile. Those are what I need to remind myself of. Through a circle journal I have challenged the other people in the group to come up with their own 'manifesto' of sorts. I think it's important to know where you stand, what makes you you, what is important. These are things I would have never formally put down on paper without your help. Thank you again!

Apparently Simon was NOT going with the flow, he made the flow go the way HE wanted it to. WTG Simon!
The enduring value of life artist is having your eyes opened. I think one of the gifts that this (hobby, obsession, lifestyle) brings with it is awareness. We NOTICE stuff, at first because we want to make a cool page, then as time goes on because the noticing is what's important.
THAT's my message.

your message is wonderful! thanks for putting it out there and giving me some good reading each day :)
my message? leave each person you come in contact with feeling better about themselves and the world. I tell my kids this every day.
peace to you!
Sally

Way to go Simon! A life artist before his time! Thanks so much for your inspiration...I enjoy reading everything you have to say...it's so real and needs to be heard...I try each day to remind myself to celebrate...after all there is always something around us or in us that calls for celebration!

I constantly wonder what my message is. Especially since having my son. I'm always wanting to send the right message to him, so it's always on my mind what message am I sending to him.

My Mum's message is 'go for it'. Actually I just posted a layout about that on my blog.
As for my message - it would be something along the lines of 'you are worth it'. Keeping our stories alive is worth it, having fun - we are worth it, having time out - we are worth it.

love your post today..puts things into perspective....Marirosa

Ali,
You inspire so many with such meaningful messages. I read yesterday's post and felt as though you are validating how I have been feeling lately. I love to scrapbook and have been in a state of flux about how and the direction I want to take this art since I had my son three years ago. I have recently figured out how I want to do this craft and your words about what is a life artist made me feel that it is OK to put some photos in slip in albums and just write notes in the margins - that not everything needs to be in a scrapbooked page with details. That it really is OK to be ME! Thanks.

So good you can take a relaxed view on ther potty training. Thats Karma man.

Ilove your concept of Lifeartist. Your outlook has been very inspiring and made more of an impact on my passion for scrapbooking. This post totally rocks!!!

I am a Life Artist......
and
if you don't believe in yourself, than how can you expect someone else to....
xoxo
Mary