Kindergarten: 1/3/2013

"Ms. Brown, my butts hurt..."

"Your WHAT?"

"My BUTTS. Both of them." (points down to shiny new shoes)

"Honey, those are your feet. One by itself is your foot. Say it: fffffffffoot."

"Fffffffffffffffffffffffffff...BUTTS."

[All photos and content by Ann Howell Brown, 2013. Above photo from Instagram, more photos here.]

GOALS Part 2: The Tracker.

We've already discussed New Year's Resolutions for 2013; mine are more "mindset" oriented rather than actionable tasks. 

But, let's face it (as one intelligent reader commented :)) -- is a resolution really worth anything if you can't see it or measure it? 

In my classroom, my students and I track things obsessively, from what what their long term life goals are...

...to how they get faster and better at reading every day...

... to the sight words they've worked hard to memorize.

This system works really well with my students, because it proves to them, in colorful, visual glory, that growth and success is possible. They can SEE it, and they're motivated to see it grow even more. 

Opening my Etsy shop (woooo wooo!) is beyond exciting, but it also brings a thousand exciting new things I have to DO, in addition to already having a time-consuming, full-time job teaching precious babies.

So, how to keep track of it all??? I don't do well with write-in calendars where you have to flip pages back and forth; like my students, I have to SEE, in colorful, visual, glittery glory, what I'm supposed to be doing -- all at once.

ENTER (drumroll, please): GIANT RECYCLED WALL CALENDAR. I made this in 1 hour. 

(I am actually slightly moderately embarrassed by the lower half of this picture, so please disregard the mess.)

Designed to show me three months at a glance, I used recycled grocery bags (duh) and Sharpies to draw 5" x 5" squares for each day of the month (I marked them off quickly with a ruler and free-handed from there).

Using some leftover letters, washi tape, and Shotgun Betty, I labeled and taped my calendars to my wall. Now I can document daily to-dos and big picture concepts all at once, and kick JUST DO IT in the face.

(Okay, the first thing I put on there so far is a heart for Valentine's Day, because that is clearly the most important date to remember, ever. And that lil' heart is too adorable and joyful.) xo

PS - This post jammed out with Springsteen and The Biebs. 

[All photos and content by Ann Howell Brown, 2013]

It's here!!

Finally, my Etsy shop, Imagined by Ann Howell Brown has opened it's internet doors! I would love it if you'd take a look and let me know what you think. You can find my shop here, at this permanent link.

Four works of art are currently available, with one new piece being added each week -- be sure to check back for updates! I'll also post here when new art is available. 

Cheers to 2013, to new shops and new beginnings, to art making the world more beautiful, and to being JOYFUL!!! 

PS - I'm serious about the feedback -- any and all is welcome, be it positive, constructive, concerned for my mental state, etc. :) 

[All photos and content by Ann Howell Brown, 2013]

GOALS. It's 2013, y'all

So, New Year's Resolutions... eep. 

When I was growing up, sometime in the beginning of each new year my parents sat us down in their room, one at a time, to talk about our "goals" and "areas for improvement" for the next year (that they had written for us). I totally hated every minute of it (no offense, Mom and Dad, xoxo love you!) because I am vain and don't like it when people point out my flaws. Really though, who does? 

All immaturity aside, I recently wrote down these words that stuck with me, spoken by a priest: "True repentance must cause change in some aspect of your life. You must change the way you spiritually handle the challenges God sends your way." 

I think this is what "New Year's Resolutions" could accomplish -- a change in mindset, spiritual growth, an increase in peacefulness and strength.

So this year, rather than a long list of specific things to check off (Do yoga! Take my vitamins! Call my mother more often! etc.), I am handling this year's goals with a simple "mindset" approach, striving to change some of my attitudes towards life and work and challenges. 

(There are only two goals, because I have got to keep this simple.)

Goal 1. BE JOYFUL!

I think that a lot of times over this past year I've gotten sad by things that happen at school, or I remember how totally broke I am, or I've felt overwhelmed by whatever, and then I just start feeling sorry for myself. This anxious state of being is so antithetical to who I want to be, and I've noticed that living alone makes it a lot easier to slip into that anxiety since I don't have a counter-balance person(s) on a daily basis to bounce ideas/moods/happenings off of. I think it's more productive and healthy to focus on the purpose that life's challenges serve, rather than the challenges themselves, or how they might make me feel in the moment. 

I also believe joyful people accomplish great things. They change the world. They spread love and happiness. 

"Joy is a sign of generosity. When you are full of joy, you move faster and you want to go about doing good to everyone. Joy is a sign of union with God -- of God's presence." - Mother Teresa

Goal 2. JUST DO IT.

I take work/everything more and more seriously as I get older.  If I'm going to do something, particularly with art, I want it to be a reflection of my best self/talents, so I over-analyze and second guess and take forever to finish anything. With the opening of my new Etsy shop TODAY!! AHH!! (stay tuned for formal announcement later), I am taking my first step towards JUST DOING IT. 

Though scary on the outside, mistakes = feedback and a window into how to improve and get better. So, this is me in 2013, if I were a gymnast. I'm just going to start doing flips around my yard, without worrying excessively about the tenths of a point, trip and fall a bunch of times (hopefully not too hard), and improve my form little by little. And I'm going to be SO JOYFUL about it. Wooo woo! 

Happy 2013! What are some other resolutions you intelligent, thoughtful, self-reflecting people have? 

[All photos and content by Ann Howell Brown, 2013]

Organization Rainbow

When I make art, I sift through piles and piles of papers I've made, used, recycled, painted over, used again, recycled, painted over, cut, recycled..... you get the picture. 

 It takes FOREVER, but I feel like it's completely worth it because sometimes ideas take that long to fully evolve, and it's a good way for me to keep my train of thought/vision going from project to project.

[I found one scrap that was dated back in 2006!!]

With a 2013 resolution to work SMARTER, not HARDER... I used (read: exploited?) the patient help of my 11-year-old sister to sift through my thousands of scraps of paper, categorizing them by color.

We came up with:

 ...ocean + rain + sea kelp hues...

 ...tangerine + meyer lemon + citrus brights... 

...rose + fuchsia + Valentine's shades...

 

...my favorites, black + white...

... and my other favorites, shiny star-bright metallics. 

I bought these cardboard boxes to house all my scraps, and am now playing with ways to display them. The color cubes are utilitarian for now, but expect something more creative (and maybe a cool shelving unit?!?!) in the near future.  

[All photos, artwork, and content by Ann Howell Brown, 2012]

The creative process: FAITH

When I was in Kolkata, India, I went to 6 a.m. Mass almost every morning at Mother House, which was right across the alley from where I lived. After Mass, the sisters said their morning prayers, which always included the Prayer of Saint Francis.

When I read this prayer, I can hear their voices softly reciting it, kneeling on the cement floor with the morning light streaming in through the handmade blue checkered curtains. It brings such a feeling of peace, and is an incredible mantra for daily living -- regardless of your background, age, challenges, or faith.

This piece is the first in a series inspired by the life and words of Mother Teresa, and profits from these works will fund summer visual art and creative problem-solving workshops for at-risk students in North Carolina. 

[This workshop concept is still in the "dream phase" -- stay tuned. :)]

Imagine the reassurance this piece of art would give you if placed in an office space, where countless hours of hard work, trial and failure, over and over again were happening every day... or by your front door where you could see it every day as you go out to face the world. 

The glitter pieces are the ones that I can't stop looking at, and I wish these pictures did justice to the way the sparkle glows out against the black...

acrylic paint, recycled paper, glitter, vintage book pages.

[All photos, artwork, and content by Ann Howell Brown, 2012]

Two hearts are better than one

Inspired by this song 

(enjoy the nice slideshow of pictures that accompany the video... YouTube uploaders' creativity is really one-of-a-kind)

I love the edges of this frame... the layers of paint make it seem ancient and storied 

acrylic paint, watercolor paper, vintage book pages, pen and ink. 

[All photos, content, and artwork by Ann Howell Brown, 2012]