Learn Something New Everyday…

*Wisdom [Learning] is not a product of schooling but the lifelong attempt to acquire it. * (Albert Einstein)

Martha Stewart, being interviewed by Google Talks with Marissa Mayer, was asked what ideas she lived by. She answered that one idea guiding her was the saying,

   Learn something new everyday.    

This reminded me of a teaching concept--nurture a desire for lifelong learning. With an openness to continued learning, we take in new information and knowledge, which then impacts how we problem-solve, create, and behave. As an artist, we take in sensory experiences that impact our design process…whether through the music we compose, a wall-hanging we create, or a story that we write.

Boston - Boston Common: Parkman Plaza - Learning
Learning, Image by wallyg via Flickr

With a world that is changing quickly everyday, the changes and the speed at which they occur challenges each of us and our families continually. While it can create stress, it can also be a catalyst for growth. It is exciting to consider the new possibilities for the future.      

         It can be a stimulus for creativity, whether in our work or in our personal lives.

Change, while not always welcome, can force us to consider alternate ways of doing things, encourage us to try new experiences, and to consider the world around us with new eyes. In our families, we can use the latest technology as an aid to communicate with each other, provide up-dated information, and as tools for learning, while not allowing it to become a negative focus that erodes our time together and relationships.

As in most things, our changing world has the potential for positive or negative influences. So, perhaps the biggest challenge is to use the new things that we learn everyday…                                                         

…in ways that are good,

                                      valuable,

                                                 and add quality and well-being to our work, families, and lives.

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Reference:* Quote– Albert Einstein to J. Dispentiere—March 24, 1954. AEA 59-495.)

I’m Waiting For Christmas!

I'mWaitingForChristmas, (c)2010Joni Beach.
I'M WAITING FOR CHRISTMAS!, (c)2010 Joni Beach.

Or…

Finally, My Own Indoor Tree!!

    ~~~~

Christmas time is just filled with sights, sounds, and inspirations for art...and life.

My workshop (i.e. studio) is busy, though much of the activity is getting ready for the holidays. So while much studio work has been put on hold, cards are being written, gifts are being gathered, cookies are being baked, and decorations are being put-up.

         And, it is a time to enjoy colors, music, food, and relationships–and maybe some…

 Quiet moments of peace sipping hot chocolate in front of the fireplace.

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*Snowflakes~No Two Just Alike

Last night we saw our first big, flaky snowflakes of the winter…very steadily, for about five minutes! Just long enough to reminds us that winter is really on its way to the mountains.

English: Snow flakes by Wilson Bentley. Bentle...
Snow flakes by Wilson Bentley, 1902. Image via Wikipedia

They say that no two snowflakes are just alike. Now, how anyone would know that, I don’t know…But regardless, I believe this is true. For something so tiny and delicate, the snowflake designs they leave on a frosty window reveals their unique beauty.

Of course, people, who hold so much in common, are also uniquely different–no two human beings are just alike. (Though identical twins come very close!) It is this uniqueness that reveals the importance and value of each person…    

For everyone leaves their human design on the days of life…

        revealing their unique beauty.