Sometimes it takes our friends to give us a bit of a push to try new things.  

Back when we  live in Austin Texas I was  telling a friend that I had always  wanted to  fly an  airplane. She asked me why  I had not given it a try.  Since  I could not come  up with a  good  answer besides the  cost.  She looked at me and  said, ” lets go  check out  flying  schools. ” We  drive up to  Georgetown and I  talked  with some  old  guys about  flying . Within  15 minutes I  had my first  class , and the cost was  under $100 bucks!  A  few months  later I was given an  opportunity to take a  lesson in this darling.

 I would have never  given it a  try if a  friend had not given me a  gentle  push! 

“I have learned, as a rule of thumb, never to ask whether you can do something. Say, instead, that you are doing it. Then fasten your seat belt. The most remarkable things follow.”
– Julia Cameron

About Julia Cameron

American author Julia Cameron has become an icon in the creative community for her best-selling self-help book, The Artist’s Way, which guides people through a series of simple but profound exercises to awaken their creativity. She grew up in Chicago and has been writing seriously since age 18. In addition to her 28 books, she has written plays, screenplays, and songs. She was married to film director Martin Scorsese and has one daughter. She currently lives in New York.

This weeks  new  piece  of art is  20x16x .08  acrylic  called,   Double Vision

I don’t think I would have  started painting if a  few good friends had not  also given me  some  gentle pushes.  I am  super  thankful for  so many good friends!

As long as I can remember I have loved to try new things. When  I see someone doing something that looks fun I  want to  try it too. Sewing , welding , painting,  new jobs,  cross country bike rides, flying the list goes on.  Painting is  one of  the  newest things I have  been having  fun with.  Since I  have  always liked to  try new things and  tend to be a bit fearless I had never really thought that some people  do not like to  try new things, they do not like to be out side of their  comfort zone. Some people  stay at the  same job for  20 or 30 years!  Some  people are so afraid of making a mistake that they  don’t try  anything. I have an  adult  child like this and I wish I knew how to help them to move  forward. I cannot imagine being afraid to fail as I have learned the most from my failures and learned  very little from my successes.   The  below  painting  is inspired  by this  topic as  I want to  learn how to teach someone to  fly to  let them see that the  cell door is open and they are free to fly,  I am concerned that  some how  without  realizing it I have  clipped their wings. . . Jail Bird, is 14 x 11 x .8 . Acrylic $75 the  texture is  lots and  lots of paint.

and for  something really  new,  last week I  drove 200 miles each way to take a  fun class with a friend. ( I am in the  upper  right hand corner)

“It is common sense to take a method and try it. If it fails, admit it frankly and try another. But above all, try something.”
– Franklin D. Roosevelt

About Franklin D. Roosevelt

Four-term American president Franklin Delano Roosevelt, known as FDR, pulled America out of the Great Depression and led the country during World War II. He was born in New York on January 30, 1882. His political career halted when a bout of polio paralyzed him from the waist down, but after learning to walk with leg braces, he became governor of New York and then president. His New Deal initiatives included Social Security, jobs programs, and collective bargaining. He died on April 12, 1945.

Sometimes what we think is normal  is  far from normal for someone else. I am one of those people that likes to move the furniture around every few days,and in my perfect world  everything in  the house and in the yard would be on wheels so it would  be easily moved to a new location.

I thrive on trying new things , going new places , meeting new  people and  making  lots of  mistakes. I am often happiest when I am out on a limb!   16 x 20  Acrylic, Out on a Limb

“Life is about not knowing, having to change, taking the moment and making the best of it, without knowing what’s going to happen next. Delicious ambiguity.”
– Gilda Radner

About Gilda Radner

The endearingly goofy American comedian Gilda Radner was the first actor cast on “Saturday Night Live” and stayed with the show for six years, creating such beloved characters as Baba Wawa, Emily Litella, and Rosanne Rosannadanna. She was born in Detroit on June 28, 1946. After she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in the late 1980’s, she wrote “It’s Always Something,” a book about her experiences. Her widower, Gene Wilder, founded the “Gilda’s Club” national support group after her death on May 20, 1989.