First Day of School or How to Gain the Fresman, Sophomore, Junior and Senior 15!

I have a three hour void in the middle of my day on Wednesdays from 11am - 2pm.  I think most days I will be able to utilize this time for a quick lunch and study time but today is the first day of class at KSU so we haven't even had a full class.  Lot's of review of syllabi and short classes so I've caught up on my pleasure reading and Facebook game playing and now I am in pursuit of my favorite hobby...people watching.

This semester, because I am a full-time student, I have had to purchase a meal plan.  This is a good thing for people watching because it is like feeding time at the zoo.  There aren't a lot of folks who look like me...mostly teens and early 20-somethings with a plethora of styles.  Lots of tanned bodies, short shorts and knee high boots.  Not sure what style that is! 

I love the girl in the A-line skirt and simple white t-shirt.  Her only accessory is her waste long, blonde dreadlocks and simple Mary Jane style practical shoes.  I wonder what her major is.

As I sit and observe in this mecca of food and fashion, I wonder how all these folks aren't pudged out.  I had a nice salad and some turkey breast for lunch but I am also sitting next to the dessert bar where I can see donuts and cream puffs and muffins.  And of course soft serve ice yogurt. 

A kid just walked by with a service dog.  I wonder how I can qualify for that program?

Today is the first day...

So here i sit...it is about 7:35 am and I am in a conference room on my last day at SAP. For some reason I couldn't sleep. I don't know if it was the excitement of having a new life ahead of me or the nervousness of leaving the corporate world (and corporate paycheck).

There are a million cliches running through my head. Today is the first day of the rest of your life. Even the best laid plans... Why put off today what you can do tomorrow? A door closes and a window opens. A bird in the hand is worth more than two in the bush.

I have had friends declare their admiration for taking this big leap like knights vowing fealty to a queen. So many people possessing secret talents and passions and dreams of taking the same giant leap out of Corporate America.  The paralyzing reality of the paycheck makes tethers most to stay put and wish.  Some have called me brave...and some have called me stupid! 

My journey started long ago and just kept inching and pushing and shoving its way into my consciousness. Frequent thoughts over that first coffee of the morning, "how did I get here in my life?" and then came the dinner conversation that changed everything.

"If you could not fail, what would you do with your life?" asked my boss innocently. OK, in addition to being my boss, she's been a great friend for over 10 years too! I'm not sure I had an answer that night but the question festered in me and I thought about it every day.

And here is my big conclusion...sometimes you just have to take the risk. There may be success or there may be failure (that's why it is called risk!) but failure is just a temporary condition. It is not a finality.

So today as I embark on the rest of my life I go on to make art, continue to teach people how to funnel their creativity -- even if they think they don't have any, and help the people in this world that need me. My path is not the straight and narrow but the crooked, winding twists and turns of life. I'll be driving but you ca sit back and enjoy the ride. Warning: fasten your seat belts, it's going to be a bumpy ride!

A Woman Has Three Hearts

"A woman has three hearts, one she shares with the world, one she shares with her family and one she shares only with herself."  Chinese Proverb

Hi everyone-

I wanted to tell you all about a wonderful online workshop I am taking from an incredible artist, Christy Tomlinson.  This is my second online workshop with Christy and I have learned a lot from her.  For this workshop, I am so excited to just have my very own art journal.  I have always felt that I presented a different Kasey to the world then what I do to my family.  I also think that I have not taken the time to have a heart to share with myself.

If you are interested in taking any of Christy's online workshops (I HIGHLY recommend She Art!) you can get more information from her website 3 Hearts/She Art/Scarlet Lime.  Her online store at Scarlet Lime has some of the best prices and she often offers discounts to her students as a thank you.  Believe it or not, the canvases I've bought from Christy, even with the shipping, cost less if I factor in gas and driving over to the otherside of Cobb County to go to Dick Blick!

Check Christy out!!!  We can share journal pages.