.everyday matters.

As most of you already know by now, I'm addicted to books. It doesn't help at all that I work in a bookstore. I will be the first to admit that I have a problem. But please, no intervention for me. I love the fact that I'm addicted. "Hi. My name is Kat and I'm a book junkie." Here recently, the selection of books that have made their way from bookshelf to checkout to my eager hands have fallen under the "self-improvement" category. Specifically, in the improvement of my "artful" self. I'm very much a visual person so when the book The Creative License by Danny Gregory was brought to my attention, I had to get it. From the moment I opened it up, I knew that I also needed to read his memoir, Everyday Matters. Having just finished it, I'm glad that I did.

Unlike most memoirs, the pages are not filled with paragraph after paragraph describing what has taken place in the author's life. Rather, Gregory documents his life as he saw it, literally. Dealing with life after a tragic accident that left his wife paralyzed from the waist down, he allowed himself to absorb his surroundings by taking the time to look at them and record them with pen and paper. Whether it be the contents of his medicine cabinet, a sketch of his wife and son, or the rich scenery of Italy, this creative process allowed him to see and appreciate the beauty of every aspect of his life. In turn, sharing his journal has inspired many, including myself, to do the same.

The first "assignment" in The Creative License is to draw a mug. This one is mine. Don't laugh. Okay, laugh. The "shadow" looks more like a beaver tail. Ha! Yeah, I've got some work to do.

One of my favorite mediums to play with is watercolor. One, because I love the way the colors bleed into one another, and second because it's easier to clean up! I wanted my daughter to have some fun in our little "art room" so I brought out the Strathmore watercolor pad and the paints. She had more fun dipping her brushes (she had to have two, one for each hand) in the mug (the one in the sketch) and slapping water on the paper instead. Once she realized that she could add color, the above "painting" is what she came up with. I decided to outline her hands so that one day she'd be able to see how little they were.

I hope you folks are having a wonderful weekend so far! I'm gonna get ready for work and place my order for a new book: An Illustrated Life, also by Danny Gregory. Remember, no intervention!