twitter.jpgIt’s been a very long week here. I spent double duty in the studio in the days I was home because Tuesday and Wednesday were lost. Tuesday I spent 12 hours waiting in jury duty — and Wednesday I spent volunteering at school. The rest of the week I worked like a mad woman trying to finish another appliqué section of the piece I’m currently working on (pics coming soon).

I did find time to share articles on Twitter — this is my weekly summary. If you’d rather follow me in real time — I’m @vsgreaves — or hit the Twitter icon in the upper right hand side above the menu. The FaceBook icon next to it takes you to my Page — I post daily studio pics there.

This is a book review, full of helpful information for Creatives and anyone else that wants to live a more fulfilling life. “So I suppose the best piece of advice I could give anyone is pretty simple: get a life. A real life, not a manic pursuit of the next promotion, the bigger paycheck, the larger house. . . . Turn off your cell phone . . . Keep still. Be present. Get a life in which you are not alone.”
“A Short Guide to a Happy Life: Anna Quindlen on Work, Joy, and How to Live Rather Than Exist” — Get a life! http://feedly.com/e/zfkJf5CW 

Julie Zhou reminds Creatives that when we fall into “the Pit of Discomfiture,” working through it to come out the other side is the only way to truly grow.
“The Pit: Where Creatives Fall Into Despair” — “Everything is hard before it is easy.” – Goethe http://feedly.com/e/yiHFDZnk 

This is another book review (very long) but an important “exploration of how ‘discoveries, innovations, and creative endeavors often, perhaps even only, come from uncommon ground’ and why this ‘improbable ground of creative endeavor’ is an enormous source of advantages on the path to self-actualization and fulfillment…”
“Creativity, the Gift of Failure, and the Crucial Difference Between Success and Mastery” – taking the long view http://feedly.com/e/gtQuGyKd 

One last book review — there were several really good ones this week on Brain Pickings — this one from the author of Steal Like an Artist — his new book:
Show Your Work: Austin Kleon on the Art of Getting Noticed” another great book review for creatives http://feedly.com/e/DbyfJTtz

Elizabeth Barton writes this week on her blog about the famous NYC art critics Jerry Saltz and Roberta Smith — and their feelings about how words change your interaction with art.
“Hearing Yourself Thinking, Hearing Yourself Seeing.” How words affect how we see art — good read. http://feedly.com/e/5oko1wBp 

I often find frustration with taking pictures of people. Many people presume that they own their image — but that isn’t entirely the case. It’s a gray area that a lot of photographers work in. Hungary has taken a stand and outlawed the practice completely — a controversial move that will generate a lot of lawsuits and create a lot of discussion about who owns the image — the person in the photograph or the person taking the photograph?
Taking Photos Without Permission is Now Illegal in Hungary, Photographers Outraged http://zite.to/1gAjaBD 

At one time, in my youth, I was certain I would be a writer. (There — I said it.) I still consider plot scenarios in my head from time to time and may one day start writing them — and although I’m not personally a Stephen King fan, it can’t be denied that he’s one of the most successful modern writers of this century. He regularly produces a large volume of work, and in this article, gives some guidance to the frustrated writers among us.
Stephen King’s Top 20 Rules for Writers — for my writing friends — “kill your darlings” http://zite.to/1iNVkFe