March Commitments...

 I belong to a drawing group on Facebook. This group is called Simple Daily Drawing. I am not so good at keeping it simple. But I am working on it. I have challenged myself to do the daily drawing prompt every day in the month of March. I missed day one. That's okay right? But I have posted days 2,3, and 4. Which is also like my other commitment this month. I signed up for Slice of Life writing challenge to get myself writing again. Did you know this is a blogging challenge for teachers? I guess I knew that. But I'm now a "former-teacher." I never meant to be part of that attrition statistic. But that is another day. Or days. What I want to touch on is.... March commitments: SoL and SDD. 

Simple daily drawing is a group that posts a new prompt every day of the month. They are posted for the entire month and you can post on a day that is not that day's prompt. I had a habit (maybe not the best one) of picking and choosing prompts and just posting 5-7 prompts a month. Okay, that works. In a way at least. But here are few things I have discovered or want to discover. 

One: there are many ways to follow and fulfill a prompt (and I'll include my March drawings at the end of this post). If you don't like the prompt per se, find a way to make it work. March 1st, I didn't do it, but I thought about it, a lot, that day. The prompt was #dart. Some friends drew lawn darts, some drew the darts for a game of darts, some drew a poison dart frog (which I would be enamored with, I think frogs are fascinating and poison dart frogs are beautiful and colorful), some friends drew a dart fish. I thought of darting quickly. Like a bicycle messenger darting in and out of traffic, or a super fast motorcycle zipping between cars on the freeway. Or a dart in a curtain or in your pants, and the art of sewing. 

Two: it is a good discipline to do what everyone else does even if I do insist on ALWAYS thinking outside the box. Following prompts.... following directions, keeping a job, being able to be directed or coached. Good ideas. So I want to develop the discipline to follow the daily prompts.

Three: drawing every day of the month would be the same thing. Discipline. And who doesn't need to practice self-discipline?! Well, okay, I don't actually know about you all, but what I know about me.... I need a little discipline and a little less whimsy in my life. So commit. And do the damn drawing prompt already. Sheesh.

Four: Drawing. you know my favorite quote about art? I have probably paraphrased it to the point that the original author of the quote wouldn't even recognize it, so at this point it might even my own made up artsy quote. Here it is: "If you are good at art, you're an artist. If you are not good at art: you're an artist!" Hey, hey! Because let's face, the science supports it. Creating is calming. And coloring is rhythmic and calming and downright healing to our over-stimulated brains. So.... art.

Five: connection. 

Six: I can make this list expand all day.

Seven: well, okay, I'm moving on now. I could seriously keep going, but I am also passionate about writing and want to expound on my Slice of Life commitment as well. 

Two-writing teachers started this writing challenge a WHILE ago now. And several years I have attempted to do the writing challenge and write and post it every day in the month of March. This year, I am unemployed. Ironically, I am busy as heck. But not a "real" job. Just writing and drawing and creating and farming and tending to chickens and a kid and throw in some "normal" stuff too.... housecleaning, cooking, laundry, etc. In order to read today's Slice of Life posts, visit the blog by clicking on the Slice of Life image.

Currently we are one car household. The really interesting thing is that it is the kid's car. She bought it with her own money, it is her name on the title. But she is battling some mystery illnesses and I'm the primary driver. So I taxi to all kinds of appointments that are 10 miles away at the least and 30+ on average. Anywho.... 

I signed up for Slice of Life Story challenge on the 1st and then went about our daily stuff. Except we didn't get home until like 8:30 in the evening and then I had to feed and water the outside birds (chickens, ducks, geese), tend to the inside birds (the back room is the place for birds that need special attention and Carrie's whack-a-doodle veterinary services). After that it is time to take care of dogs and cats and make sure the people eat something. So... after signing up to slice in the morning, the next time it crossed my mind it was after midnight. So I figured that starting in earnest of the 2nd was good enough. 

And I love it. I love writing about a slice of my life ev

ery day. I have big ambitions to write a book. Probably just in blog form. or whatever. I mean, once I finish a blog post, I am exhausted. And it makes for great bathroom reading. Or something like that. Coffee table fodder? 

These are my commitments this month. But my kiddo just stuck her head out of her room to remind me that I also committed to help her and I said I'd be ready 5 minutes ago. Time to get busy on life outside the blogging community. 

I am adding my drawing so far this month. March 2 prompt was upside down, the 3rd was roaming ostrich, and today's prompt (the 4th) was Blue Jean Baby.