Deanne Fitzpatrick Studio

"So many people tell me they want to make art. They want to write, or paint but they cannot seem to make time for it. This seems to be true for so many. They know it will make them feel good but they don't do it. You can suggest a few things to them but you are quickly shut down with roadblocks firmly in place. I have started to believe that if we truly want to do something we will make time for it. Whether it is walking, yoga, making art, dancing, or seeing friends. And now I tell people this when they ask me how I make time for art."

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Thoughtfulness and small kindnesses make everyones days better. They fill up a life because life is made up of the in between. It is in between the births, and the birthdays, the weddings, the celebrations, the new house, the vacations that we really get the chance to make meaning in our lives. We do not need to wait for the event to find all the things we seek there. We can find it in the ordinary, the everyday, the simple pleasures. We are meant to count these too, to take note of them and celebrate them for these fill our days and our days, they fill our lives.

“My cousin says his father only sought contentment. And I said that was good enough. To have a steady level of being well, of believing in the beauty of each day. It is a kind of joy in itself. For contentment itself is a great pleasure. When we feel it we may be unaware of its goodness. For in contentment we are lost in the flow of life.”

Excerpt from my Sunday Letter. Go to hookingrugs.com to sign up and receive your free letter every week.

"Art is important. In Maslow's hierarchy of needs he suggests that our aesthetic needs are related to both self esteem and self actualization. And isn't that true. The sense of accomplishment we get when we learn a new task or finish a piece of work. It makes so much sense. Art and beauty are far more than the trivial needs we seek after we have been fed and clothed. They are essential to us as human beings. They help us see the world around us, deepen our thinking, and comfort and soothe us."
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"People tell me all the time they love nature. Artists say they are inspired by nature. Some even say it is their temple. It is, of course, easy to love. When we walk the marsh or the woods it brings us back to the simplest things in life. It brings us closer to the source of all things. There are few distractions, and those that come are majestic. A hawk diving in a field, three eagles flying high, a coyote across the creek. They too are reminders of how simply the other creatures in the world live. That all they ever need are the basics of life. Myself, on the other hand am more of a gatherer than a hunter. Though I aim to live simply, well, the creatures put me to shame."