... Hoping to get going once again, drawing more frequently - actually hoping it will be that hour a day.  
... Perhaps, taking a course will be the (wanted) pressure needed to hold the pen to the paper.
....Here are a couple of sketches which I hope to include in some upcoming work!

   This is a big year for me - for a number of reasons, none of which I will share - some of it's ordinary "life happens" things -  Good events for many, not so good for others.  I though, am looking forward to not only a new chapter, but actually a number of new chapters ahead....  I haven't forgotten my goals and my original resolution/idea - the hour a day.... although that almost never happens as an every day thing -- it usually comes with a burst of time and energy on the weekend and I surprise even myself with all that I can get done. I still believe in that idea and that discipline....An Hour A Day. ("... As an experiment, I suggest the following strategy...you must actually spend a full-un-interupted hour, each and every day doing the critical inch of that business....if you pick a business that you love, and faithfully spend your hour doing the key parts of the business (not simply busy work), that within two years you will be well on your way to complete financial independence....")

   I haven't forgotten the 30 day deal either.  I am starting this year with the challenge to stay away from sugar or anything that turns too quickly into sugar....   I like the self-challenging challenges.  Funny thing though - this is a challenge I gave to myself a long, long time ago, well before the concept of 30-day challenges came about.  It worked well then - let's hope it works again.

To end I will include an "Hour" project that took a number of hours to finish and as I look at it now, I am not so sure that it still doesn't need a number more.....
Oh well - maybe next weekend....

That hour a day ("Finishing with an hour to spare") was and still is a great idea - have been using that idea in a number of areas of my life - maybe should say I've been using an adjusted version.....an hour a day with a 30 day theme.   I love the 30 day idea.  Start a wanted change, either adding something or removing something from your life.... ie adding a diet or removing TV (lots of other ideas if you stop to think into it).
So, been doing some "adding" and "removing".....BUT - in the meantime, finally caught up to this blog and Illustration Friday once again - Here's a sketch I submitted for the topic of "Liquid"...enjoy.

An Hour to Spare - Should I work and can I squeeze in a quick nap?

Seriously, after an exhausting day being creative at work it is soooo hard to get enthusiastic about being creative at home - even if it's just for an hour.  Sometimes I can muster the umph to sit down and "play" but sometimes it's all I can do to just stay awake.   If I can remember that when I do muster the umph and I do begin to do the art I love so dearly I usually find that other world that not only takes me to another place but all the energy I've lost during the day comes flooding back.  Isn't it wonderful?
I did check off another thing on my "2-Do" list.  I found some great portfolio books at a local art store and I put together my "Design" book.... I also did a lot of set-up work for a "Cards" portfolio book... the big nut seems to be the "Illustration" book.  For that I have to get serious... and stay awake!

The Artist's Way ... Julia Cameron

I am reading The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron and thought I would share some of her "rules."  BTW - a great book.  I started it almost 20 years ago and couldn't get into it.   It's been sitting by my bedside all this time waiting for me to pick it up once again.  Some would say that I wasn't "ready" before and now I am.

don't forget design!

I have started looking at my portfolios, beginning with the one I work with the most - my graphic design work.  I work in graphic design everyday, have collected a very large sampling of it all and yet I have not put it together cohesively, to show.  SO, with that said I now have an on-line portfolio with a sampling of my samples.  I learned how to slideshow in a blog and kept it very simple so as to highlight the work.

Take a peek: 

www.cathyparkerbreese.blogspot.com

new order

I reordered my "2-Do" list once again... After watching some kiddy shows this past weekend I became enthused with my original idea of doing some motion work with a children's story. It brings me back to the list of all the things I have to learn and all the steps involved in finishing the stories and illustrations I began, what seems like so long ago. If felt a little like I was cleaning out a cluttered closet....Consolidated some of the list and then re-ordered the priorities to put the motion idea back at the top of my list.  It's great to feel redirected, refocused and enthused again.