Dena McKitrick | Dena McKitrick

Dawning of a New Art Challenge

My newest self-imposed art challenge: I choose this moment to recognize the urge to push beyond some unseen boundary that has been keeping my blogging at bay. In 2013 I attempted a challenge to create and POST a new image everyday for a year. It was more than I could do. If there’s one thing I’ve learned about self-challenges, it’s that I do much better with those that I can succeed. So, this time, in an attempt to revitalize my art sharing efforts, I challenge myself to complete an image a day for one week. Then, I will re-evaluate and perhaps make another small scale challenge to myself.

I’ve been creating images and/or working on other creative projects some little bit everyday. The problem has been that I have not shared hardly any of them. The more I didn’t share, the more guilty I felt, and the more difficult it became to break free of my self-imposed limitation. It has now gotten so ridiculous that I’m going to break the down-spiraling cycle the only way that I can imagine doing so, by covering my eyes and blindly acting as if it’s not a big deal that I stopped and went on sharing hiatus for 2014. I intend to get back to sending out my newsletter the same way.

How about you? Do you have any invisible boundaries that have kept you from expressing, creating or sharing? Have you considered sharing your own art challenge? If so, share it with me on facebook. You might even win something. I’m thinking I would like to gift those that walk along the path with me.

Flower Lady

Is She Bright Enough?

We went to an Iris Dement concert a while back. It was great and it inspired a song as well as this picture. This is totally not a picture of Iris, but rather a picture of how I felt after hearing her sing. I went with the song, and forgot to post this lady, so here you go.

Bright Ideas

Yes, if you have looked through my site, you may have spotted this face before. It looked different. This is a new mollage using my images in a new composition. Some days I have bright ideas. Other days, not so much. Today, I am merely getting back on the steed. Without judgement (or at least without too much), I take the commitment leap once again. Begin again, and again, and once again again – whatever it takes to develop the habits that I wish to.

I am also working on combining blogs perhaps so that I can get more mileage out of my efforts. I created this image for today’s Daily Napkin email, and thought I would share it here as well. Oh, and here’s the napkin entry for today:

Bright Dream

The real thing

The truth shining through

Is obvious to the center

Where gut feelings are born

That clear truth

That speaks of everything

So apparent in anything

Shines light on the darkest corner

This bright dream

That wakes upon its dreaming

A beacon of hope’s veracity

Permeates each conscious hour_________________

Note from Dena – Ever since my mom passed away, in early March, I have been experiencing a catharsis through grief, which also interrupted the publishing of the Daily Napkin. I believe the mending of the fabric of my life adds richness and depth to my creative expression, even though the process causes lapses in my daily practices.

Looking Back

Lately I’ve been looking back, re-assessing, purging, cleaning, re-focusing, clarifying, re-organizing. It’s an interesting process. One thing it has done for me is create a much more pristine space for creative expression. It’s also helped me to lay the ground for a shift in my career focus. I’m great at saying that we should follow our joy, yet I so easily fall into the shoulds (of financial considerations or any other judgemental construct) at the expense of letting my true passion(s) languish.

One of the pitfalls of having so many interests and so many things that I could do (as Melissa Dinwiddie says, I’m a “Passion Pluralite”) is that I can easily start shoulding on myself regarding what I am to spend my time doing. Even though I am constantly creatively expressing, somehow my “fine art” will frequently pull the short straw when it comes to time and attention. I am consciously letting go of my grip on the judgement that that is less than ok. Instead, I’ve decided to embrace the concept that my whole life is my constantly evolving piece of very fine artwork, and that it all falls together just divinely when I release the shoulds about any darned thing.

I woke up at O-dark-thirty involved in a vivid dream for the third night in a row today. Upon review of past experiences and promises, I’ve been once more nudged toward action. This image was a first result. Sharing it was even more of a result.

What do you glean from looking back? Do you ever should on yourself?

Tree of Life

Outside the Box is the name of the major annual Placer Arts fundraiser show and auction. My piece for the show this year is of the seasons on the Tree of Life. It is up for a silent auction right now online (check it out here) which will culminate live at the Blue Goose in Loomis on January 31.

The process for the Outside the Box show is that you start with a “box” that Placer Arts provides and incorporate that in the art piece to be shown and auctioned off to benefit Placer Arts. There is all kinds of wonderful art available in the show. Everyone this year really outdid themselves. I am honored to be included in their ranks.