The month of gratitude: day 25
Day 25
I'm grateful, in a bittersweet way, that my sons are only nine and six years old, and still considered non-threatening.
As an African American mother, I am in agony over the Ferguson, MO grand jury's decision, and the thought that my sons could be shot and/or killed merely because a police officer or a vigilante finds their very existence 'threatening.'
These feelings will come out in my art again, as they have in my Janus collage portraits and the altered book "A Short History." But today I want my work to inspire you to do more than shake your head at what's going on in Ferguson. I want you to put yourself in the shoes of someone who could lose their child... just because someone finds your child 'threatening.'
At the very least, please consider reading this insightful essay on what mothers like me go through every time nothing is done in the wake of a young black person's killing.
The month of gratitude: day 24
Day 24
I'm grateful for permission to re-post a great article from art business coach Alyson Stanfield. As far as I can see, only one might not apply to non-artists, so feel free to take notes...
Everyone is focused on gratitude for this Thanksgiving week. I'm sharing 11 ways to be grateful -- not just for this one week, but for a lifetime. If only we could remember these and make them habits.
1. Send sincere, handwritten Thank You notes whenever you can.
2. Send your Thank You notes within a week (two weeks at the latest). But better late than never!
3. Use images of your art on your Thank You notes.
4. Start most of your email responses with “Thank You” as in “Thank you for contacting me” or “Thank you for sharing your thoughts.”
5. Thank people on Twitter, Facebook, and in your blog posts whenever it’s appropriate.
6. Thank people in person by looking into their eyes–even to the clerks at the grocery store.
7. Get into the practice of writing down your gratitudes on a regular basis.
8. Stop yourself whenever you’re feeling bitter, gossipy, complain-y, or just whiny. Remember all you have to be grateful for. This is something I like to tell myself: “If this is the worst thing that happened to me today, I think I’ll be okay.”
9. Enjoy the Thanksgiving meal to its fullest–knowing that it comes around only once a year.
10. Wear pants with an elastic waist on Thanksgiving. Or don’t. Depends on your plans for after the big meal.
11. Take a walk on Thanksgiving day. Get some fresh air and exercise.
Alyson Stanfield is an artist advocate and business mentor at ArtBizCoach.com. This article was originally published in her Art Biz Insider, which is sent weekly to thousands of artists who are elevating their businesses. Start your subscription now and get Alyson's 6 free art-marketing video lessons at http://artbizcoach.com
The month of gratitude: day 23
Day 23
I'm grateful for the occasional lazy Sunday, like today. The only reason all four of us got out of our jammies was to go out to dinner.
We're back in our jammies now.