Hey ya’ll - we are in the midst of some heavy duty motion.

All is well, life is good, and I will see you mid-September.  I need a little break to put the world right side up.  Or to acclimate to upside down.

Anyhoo – see you in a few.

J.

This is Ev’yan.  And she is awesome.  Hers is the voice behind Sex, Love, and Liberation, a blog that delves into the journey of freedom through self discovery.

She writes about sensuality and sexuality, encouraging others to embrace the roots of their beauty while working to do the same for herself.  Ev’Yan is a truly captivating writer whose subject matter and voice will take seed deep within your soul.  Promise.

In support of her latest project, we had ourselves a little interview about the connection between sexual expression and artistic expression.

One of the best approaches to learning is to find multiple ways to understand the same material.  Overcoming artistic blocks and understanding your inherent worth as an artist is no different.  My intention behind this interview is to show how creative expression is not a gift for the select few–it’s born within you.

Because really…the only reason you need to have sex is to pro-create, right?

I can hear you laughing.  I can hear it.

Now why do you get so crazy about art?

Give a listen (about 25 minutes), go grab a Manifesto, and share what you think.  I’m crazy curious about your thoughts.

Summertime is our time of full speed chaos.  Pedal down, no side stops, crank it up and go time.  Pursuing any kind of creative project at this time of year is challenging, mostly because so many other commitments seem to take precedence.

Pushing your art and creative work aside is not an option.

Stop doing it.

It’s ok if you have to cut down your creative time, just make sure there IS creative time.

Five Quick Ways to Keep Your Creative Power Primed and Ready

• Integrate a creative step into something you already do. What’s a part of your daily routine that you can step up a little bit?  I do writing exercises every morning as part of my practice.  For a quick creative boost, I have started to paint a watercolor wash on the paper I use for these exercises.  This forces me to practice with a new medium in a low pressure way, and it gives me a little boost in the morning, setting a creative tone for the day.
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• Join a creative community. Though this has potential for being a time sucker, it will keep creative projects on your radar.  One of my favorites is 52 Photos Project, which sends me a weekly email about the photography prompt.  I can easily incorporate the photo into work I already do and it gives me a fresh perspective behind the camera.  Don’t pressure yourself to do every prompt unless it feels inspiring.  Pressure and creativity do not mix.
• Schedule some creative time. Like date night.  Give yourself this gift once a week.  Plan a creative escape when you feel inspired and have a lot of energy.  By the time your creative date rolls around, you will try to find any excuse possible to ditch out on it.  Go anyway.
• Doodle. All the time.  Incessantly.  Make it your “thing”.
• Change up your personal style. Wear an article of clothing that is just outside your comfort zone.  Get a cool hat.  An armful of bangles.  It’s summer.  Have fun.

::  SaFire’s Hooping Manifesto  ::  Love the Process  ::

found through Joy Rebel Yoga

The other day, something amazing happened.

I started to see in watercolor.

Please feel free to use these images for your own study and inspiration, under a Creative Commons Attribution license.  If it is a work published online, please link back to thepeacefulpeacock.com.

::  the statler brothers  ::  flowers on the wall  ::

So you might have noticed that I installed one of those “Related Posts” things at the bottom of the individual posts there.  A small change in format on the outside, but a wild hayride on the inside for me.

Those little icons have kind of slapped me in the face since their humble appearance a week or so ago…reminding me of projects I haven’t had time to pursue, ideas that have shifted and rolled under the bridge, scattered and random jumps and leaps across the board.

Humble pie.  Served up fresh.

Or is it?

Is this actually my field of expertise?  My calling?  This process of jumping around from idea to idea?

I can hear my grandmother laughing.

“Yes, Julie,” she says, “Yes, it is.  I told you that when you were 19.”

(She did.  It’s true.)

For some time, I feel like I’ve been sitting in front of a pie that was missing one last piece.  I’ve got the technical aspect nailed, my direction is solid, I know the methods and the formulas to make it look completely effortless and I’ve seen them work without a hitch.  The thing is, I still can’t answer that tiny little question…

“What do you do?”

There are mountains of complexity surrounding that question.  If you want the long answer, I can prattle on all day about 400 different topics that relate to fiber art.  I see the stall immediately…and I hear the question dinging around in my audience’s head:  “What the hell is fiber art?”

Sigh.

There’s that incomplete pie again.

Well, friends.  Prepare yourselves.  I’ve finally got a whole pie.

So go ahead and dig around those old posts.  I dare ya.

Save some room for dessert.

Welcome to WordPress. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start blogging!

My first Wardrobe Wednesday post, which is totally cracked out on Photoshop.

That’s cool, it’s kind of taking the edge off for me. I’m nervous. Taking pictures of myself is WAY outside of my comfort zone.

Look at how apprehensive I am with myself. Bah! On a side note, I got to meet Jennifer Olsson last week, a woman here in Bozeman who produces bison yarn at an affordable (for bison yarn) price, and she was explaining how young models perform better than more mature models simply because they don’t have any hang-ups.

“You can tell them what to do and they just do it. Once women hit a certain point in their lives, they begin to get so self-conscious that they just can’t make a photo look good no matter what they do.” The secret to being photogenic is being relaxed. Must.Relax. It’s not a bad shot, I just…well, good Lord, there it goes. **ReLax**

So the way this works is that I’ll do my best to post a photo of one of my outfits every Wednesday both here and to the Flickr group Wardrobe Remix. If you’ve never checked out Wardrobe Remix, you should probably know that it just might change your entire outlook on clothing. Normal people wearing their everyday clothes with an emphasis on style, individuality, and using what you’ve got. Bingo.

Here are the stats:

• Sweater: scored from a free pile
• Shirt: two Hanes wife beaters
• Skirt: a skirt that I made from a pair of hand-me-down Old Navy jeans
• Tights: Target
• Boots: brown suede, found in perfect condition at a yard sale for 50 cents

Wow.

I figured you might get fired up about my post yesterday, so let me reiterate that I’m not digging up compliments or looking for any kind of drama.  What I’m saying is that I’m makin’ 35 my bitch, ya’ll.

And I’m bringing anyone who cares to come along.

I think it’s safe to assume that everyone who reads this knows that I sew.  Well, get ready to see a lot more action in that department.

I’m rebuilding my wardrobe.

I’d like to do the bulk of it by hand, but I know that won’t be entirely possible.  I’ll be buying  a few pieces too.  My emphasis for the entire project kind of mirrors who I am as an individual:  a high regard for sustainability (both for the environment and for human rights), simplicity, motion and flexibility, and professionalism.  I’ll be documenting a lot more of the design process, where ideas come from, how I make stuff, and what materials I like to use.

I’ll be sharing how I learn to put outfits together and how I keep my closet in check.  This isn’t about getting more stuff, it’s about carefully selecting pieces that can work well in a variety of looks.

I’m not saying I’ll be good at it but I’m ready to give it a shot.

And speaking of shots, you’ll be seeing a lot more of me now that I have a little remote for my DSLR.  This here is an unexpectedly pretty practice shot that I took while configuring the settings.  The lines and the colors made me smile, especially the reflection in the mirror.  So much going on in such a small space.  A little portrait of our life in this wee bitty house.

I love happy accidents.

The audio is shot due to the bird’s eye view, but here’s some footage found on youtube from Saturday night:

Colorful people in dusty, bright weekend homes.  The swaying of gentle trees.