A few weeks ago a blogging friend & fellow artist, Shawn McCann, purchased a couple of my porcelain vases from my Etsy shop. Of course I was flattered that he purchased my work, but I was even more tickled when he sent a photograph of how he was using one of the vases. While I envisioned a luscious spring or summer bouquet tucked into the vase, I was so pleased to see that he has re-purposed my vase to use as a receptacle for his paint brushes. Thanks Shawn! Check out his blog and his growing illustration portfolio when you visit.

Meanwhile, I’ve been experiencing a bit of a spiritual crisis. Well, not exactly a spiritual crisis, but more of an awakening. As I continue to listen to Oprah and Ekart Tolle discuss, A New Earth, I’ve begun having some a-ha moments and am moving forward on some thoughts that have been finding a way into my consciousness in the past several months.

If you’ve been around awhile, or at least since last winter, you’ll remember my rants on Walmart, consumerism, the environment, etc. If you’ve only recently started reading my blog, consider yourself lucky! I decided to stop ranting, and instead let all those thoughts mill about my brain fermenting into something tangible – some way for me to make sense of my thoughts and my actions. It’s still not lost on me that while ranting about stuff, I make stuff and I sell stuff.

I’ve always felt that as a responsible citizen that it is my duty to help make this world a better place to live. What’s that old saying, “If you’re not a part of the solution, you’re a part of the problem”?

Meanwhile, a new blog friend, Noelle Horsfield and I have begun a conversation on the very subject. I’m so thankful to the medium of blogging for bringing people all over the globe together who might not otherwise “meet” one another. Check out her website to see her whimsical ceramic creations concerning “all things dog”.  I’m also a little jealous of her – she lives in Maine, a place we lived before moving to land locked Colorado.

So what are some of the things I’m going to do to contribute? I originally toyed around with the idea of having a percentage of sales go towards a charity. I nixed that idea, and have instead decided to jump into the micro-lending program and help entrepreneurs in third world countries become self sustaining and to break the cycle of poverty. I’m researching various micro-lending programs and it seems like Kiva is one of the top contenders. They’re a non profit group that helps regular people like you and me connect with people who need a little extra capital to go into business for themselves or to expand their businesses. They have quite a few success stories and next to no loan defaults. Of course, I’d love to help a clay person, but right now, I’m searching for a woman or group of women in need of capital who work in an arts or crafts related field. Stay tuned….

In other news, I was flipping through my recent issue of Sierra when I came accross a blurb about an article originally published in San Franscisco Magazine (though I can’t find the original source) that mentions a new affliction, “eco-neurosis”. It seems as though a number of people are experiencing an assortment of stresses related to global warming. I wonder if that’s part of what is bothering me? Do I need an eco-psychotherapist to help me overcome my neuroses?

On that note, have a good weekend,

~Cynthia