JoDee Luna's Blog, page 32

Colorful Acrylic Painting of Tree and the Desire to Give

I’ve recently come up with the idea of a small social enterprising company called, “The Giving Tree.” Essentially, I’d like to start by selling artwork, paintings and photographs, and use the profits to empower locals in developing countries through already established microfinancing organizations, like Kiva. You can purchase this painting on my Etsy store.

[image error] Here is the beginning of a post that I created to feature my idea of using my art to raise funds:
What is your passion? What is your dream?
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When I was a little girl, I wanted to save the world. I didn’t know what that even meant at the time, but somehow I knew that it was my purpose in life. As I grew older, my dreams became a bit more specific. In high school, I wanted to be a public relations specialist for a non-profit organization. I planned on joining the Peace Corp directly out of college and then continuing a career in nonprofit work.

The first time I volunteered abroad in Cambodia, following my graduation from UCLA, I quickly became jaded. The evidence of millions of dollars of wasted UN funds lined the streets of Phnom Penh in hundreds of unused UN trucks. Our volunteer contact, Daniel Rothenberg, explained that in order to get the approval for the annual UN budget, the UN had to use their entire budget each year. As a result, millions went wasted on unused trucks when it could have been allocated to a much more needed purpose. There has to be a better way than this, I thought. READ THE ENTIRE POST…

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Follow your Creative Rainbow

The quandary of us creative eclectics is the multiplicity of our artistic desires. The white light of what we love to do fractures into a rainbow of possibilities.

sculpted by JoDee Luna and painted by Elya Filler

We embrace life in so many forms, such as writing, painting, antiquing, and traveling. Perhaps our career presents creative opportunities to form innovative products or services. Whatever the case might be, often our creative rhythms take us away from our paintbrushes or scrapbook supplies for weeks on end.

I say we do not judge ourselves too harshly during these artistically dry times when our art rooms rest still and our supplies lay untouched. This just means that our minds are conjuring up other endeavors. Perhaps we’re joining our family and friends for outings. Maybe we’re babysitting grand-babies, inspiring them to paint, or creating with an artist in the making.

Maybe a new career focus requires our mental energy and so we just don’t have the hutzpah to begin a new art project.

Remember to rest your heightened sense of artistic guilt during these times of rainbow living. I can assure you that the desire to paint or draw will revisit you once again. Flow with your creative rhythms. Follow your creative rainbow.

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Try a “Do Everything You Dread Day”

Yesterday, I decided to have a “Do Everything You Dread Day.” Simply put, I tackled those undesirable (but necessary) tasks one at a time until I got them all done. These are those items on your “To Do List” that pile up like this luggage I saw in an airport.

Do you ever feel like your “To Do List” looks like this?

I sorted through the stack of mail, papers, and items that had formed a mound on my art table. Here are a few other dreaded chores that I did:

Filed papers in my newly purchased secretary ($20 at the antique street fair in Cayucos).
Eliminated the laundry piles, so I could walk through the garage and get to my art supplies that are stored there
Organized the shed, so I could get to my stored floral supplies
Filled out and mailed the diagnostic benefit submission papers, so I could get some money back (and buy more art supplies)
Paid outstanding bills to silence their chortling in my brain
Cleared the house of clutter, so I could start the week without those feelings of being behind the eight ball

You get the picture. Now I’ve got room (both physically and mentally) for setting out my recent antique treasures to begin the mulling over stage of creation.

So if you’ve hit a creative roadblock, consider implementing a “Do Everything You Dread Day.” That’s right. Stop dragging out the process and dive right in until all of the items on your list are checked off and carried away. I guarantee new ideas will gain lift off if you lighten the load you are hauling around.

 

 

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I’ve Met the Wind

Original photo by Elya Filler (also the model), Photoshopped by JoDee Luna

Often the greatest opponents of change reside with us: fear of uncertainty, lack of self-confidence, or difficulty rising above life’s obstacles. Yet regardless of our human frailties. I believe each one of us has a destiny filled with purposes. Like the wind—unseen and yet felt.

Whether one wrestles from within or seeks lift off to soar, the wind of change is uncomfortable and yet thrilling.

“The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit.” John 3:8

The most precious part about this is that we do not have to go it alone. There is one whose presence mystifies us because we do not know “…where it comes from and where it is going…” but if we embrace soul wrestling, the Spirit will provide power to overcome, lift off to rise above, and a navigable flight plan to follow.

“Scripture quotations taken from the NASB.”

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Destiny’s Path

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Have you ever noticed that just when you think you’ve figured out your life path, another adventure unfolds? When this happens, preconceived ideas of what is important begin to morph into new possibilities. This is the essence of adventure. This is the mystery of faith.

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Inscription on the Church: "MEMORIAL CHURCH ERECTED BY JANE LATHROP STANFORD TO THE GLORY OF GOD AND IN MEMORY OF HER LOVING HUSBAND LELAND STANFORD."

I noticed this path (in the above photo with the poem) while exploring the picturesque Stanford University campus with my son, Josiah. He’s attending the GBS, Graduate Business School, and I enjoyed seeing him alive with possibilities. I feel so energized when I’m walking around the campus that forms world changers.

As he talked about what he’s learning, I tried to soak in the atmosphere tinkling with opportunities.

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I then returned to my already planned out life and found myself whispering in the night, “I am willing for change.” I decided in that moment, “I want to be like Josiah who is always willing to take risks.”

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When Josiah was twelve-years-old, his teacher took him on a field trip to UCLA. That day was a life-changing event, for he returned and told me, “Mom, when I walked around that campus, I said to myself, “Someday I’m going to go to college there.”

When we toured UCLA during the orientation day, I looked up and saw his name inscribed on a building called “The Josiah Royce Hall.” I then said to him, “Josiah, this is your destiny.”

Who would have dreamed that a little boy, once so angry over his parents’ divorce, would overcome all odds and end up at UCLA?

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When we toured the Stanford campus, he turned to me and said, “Mom, guess what the founders of the campus named their son? Josiah.”

We both smiled and knew destiny’s path had brought him to this place.

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So whatever your dreams are, whether big or small, be willing to set them aside if another path opens up to you. Don’t worry about missing the opportunity because it will seize your heart and draw your eyes towards another way you never dreamed you would go. You won’t be able to resist it because it will compel you to pursue.

This is the essence of adventure. This is the mystery of faith.

 

 

 

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My Life Mantra

Forgive those who have hurt you. Let go. Ask for forgiveness from those you have hurt.

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Travel to destinations you’ve never planned to see.

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Don’t ever let yourself get too comfortable.

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Don’t be afraid to wander and get lost. READ THE ENTIRE POST…

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Chapter 4 OVERCOMING OBSTACLES TO CREATING

Chapter 4 of Refrain from the Identical: Insight and Inspiration for Creative Eclectics addresses obstacles we creative eclectics often struggle with in our attempts to live creative lives. This chapter features topics such as dealing with depression (typical of the artistic temperament), steering clear of relational drama, and balancing multiple life roles.

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This next piece is an excerpt from the book to give you a taste of my style:

Hat Trick

Today’s modern woman wears multiple hats. Trying to be so many things to so many people can leave us with little time for our own creative projects. Often we have our home hat.  If we are married with children of any ages, our maternal broad brim extends far over our responsible shoulders. For those of us suspended between the “ultimate mother role” of the 1950s and the liberated women of today (mid-lifers), switching hats exhausts us.

My best friend called me recently, all churned up while driving in her car. She had temporarily “escaped” the family and needed to vent. Barbie is one of the unique hat trick artists who had a late-in-life baby. At fifty-years old, she switches between being a wife and devoted mother of a five-year-old, along with two grown up children. She also owns and operates a large floral business. Her mental and emotional fatigue filled her tearful complaints. As she rambled I could not help thinking, How on earth does she do all of this and stay sane? Practically speaking, how do women these days pull it off? What possible advice can I pass on to this desperate hat trick artist of the impossible switch-a-rue?

Even though I luxuriate in my empty nest years, switching hats continues to challenge me daily. Tuesday night culminated in a school board presentation that my colleagues and I had worked on for weeks to pull together. We highlighted the high-tech literacy program we run at all of the district middle schools. My tired teacher/presenter hat drooped as I drove home with several messages buzzing my cell phone from two of my children. “Answer me,” they cried.

“Mom, call me back,” my daughter’s insistent voice clanged.

“Mom, can I come up to get a hair cut on Sunday and bring my girlfriend?” My son requested.

Switch hats. My mom hat is quite matronly, resembling the old crisp, white nurse’s cap worn during hospital rounds. This hat houses a wealth of wisdom, nurturing, and giving. My children find comfort when this hat sits proudly atop my head.

Once home, I fell onto the sofa while I changed into one of my wife hats. There’s more than one wife hat. There’s the friendly “going out” black hat with a side button for show. There is the “sexy hat,” no more than a feather boa playfully streaming through my hair. I cannot forget the professional counselor hat when my husband needs to unload the day’s trials. This brown, business-like fedora sports a feathered fishing lure tucked into a velvet ribbon as a promise of eventual vacation time. Then there is the ball cap for the times we attend some man-type sporting event.

The next day, my teacher hat signaled a morning meeting and full day of inspiring and managing sixty low-literacy students, filled with middle school spunk. There were emails to answer, teachers to talk with, and meetings to set up as I kept tightening this safari-type hat under my chin in order to keep it on. Once home, the overwhelming numbers of emails were too many to bear, so I fell asleep on the couch without even making it to my bed. During an average school day, I often feel like I am cutting underbrush in the Amazon jungle.

Here I am the next morning trying to organize myself once again. I am wearing my professional trainer hat as I scratch copious notes of all I need to do in order to prepare for a training course I will teach in a couple of weeks. This hat is more like that of an airline flight attendant, sleek and fitted. When I create a course syllabus and accompanying digital resources, I feel the air currents under my wings. This work exhilarates and yet exhausts me. However, seeing teachers develop their talents is definitely a flight worth taking.

My writer’s hat grows testy if any dust settles on her. The flamboyant, floppy brim turns up on the edges and sports a peacock plume with royal blue and turquoise hues. When I wear this hat, I give myself an imaginary name as I order coffee at a café.

“What’s your name?” The employee asks.

“Julia, yes, Julia Rose,” I whisper in return, with a slight French accent.

Every morning she perches on my head while I write myself into the day. Like a bird of paradise, she dreams of published books taking flight to eager readers. Her brazen manner resists anyone telling her these ambitions seem heady and out of reach. She scorns any mention of the mundane while enjoying her fanciful flights of imagination.

One of my favorite hats is the artist’s blood-red French beret. Quite cheeky, she angles sleekly upwards on one side while diving down on the other. When she sits sassy on top of my head, I create as if I am a Parisian painter in full view of the Eiffel Tower. A variety of art forms flow from my hands, such as digital designs, sketches, floral arrangements, or sculptures. Her presence soothes my soul and brightens my gloom. Sadly, I often neglect wearing this hat due to overcrowded schedules and unrealistic ambitions.

How typical that I forgot to mention the important hat of an authentic woman; a snug wool hat encircled with a thick fur edging, which I wear during the winters as a covering for my mind. She enables me to think through difficult situations and to solve knotty problems. She protects me from blasts of difficult relationships and testy circumstances. When icy winds of criticism bite, I turn her furry trim down over my ears. Eventually sunny spring days peel her off as my sunbonnet beckons me to the garden, where a surplus of welcoming flowers and vegetable plants await me.

As you can see, our hat tricks are complex, especially for women. Few, if any, of us master frequent and flawless switches. Being stuck wearing any one hat for a prolonged period causes our heads to itch and our minds to sweat. There are two simple secrets to managing multiples hats. The first is to acknowledge that with all of life’s trials and tribulations, switching hats is normal. Stop fighting the reality that as a modern woman you must manage diverse and complex roles.

The second secret is to carve out some alone time in order to process your priorities through journal writing. You will come to see that some hats are wearing calluses in your skull and need to come off a little more frequently. Others gather dust while waiting for you to discover them again. Even as I write, my skipper’s cap calls me to schedule a time to sail off on another adventure.

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by Gina M. Wilson

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Rose and Daisies: A Tribute to Mom

This poem is a tribute to our precious mother/grandmother, Dee. Thanks, Mom, for all you are, for all you do, and for all the ways you love us. You are truly our joy and delight.

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Lullaby Rockings

I also offer this poem as a tribute to the other moms out there that are suffering with illness and to those who look down upon their families from heaven. To those families that are grieving the loss of their mothers, may God’s grace be especially present today.

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Possibilities

“Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.” – Thomas Edison

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Recently I awoke with the word possibilities on my mind. So I spent the day thinking about possibilities, and how I can make them become a reality in my life.

Yet if truth were told, I’m often tempted to throw in the possibility towel when something I’ve worked hard for fails. The fear of another failure creates stymied thinking. Courage corrodes and confidence rusts over until the temptation to do something safe settles in my soul.

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Possibilities

“I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” – Thomas Edison

I’m sure glad that Thomas Edison didn’t quit after he failed the first time, or the second, or the three thousandth. Here’s an amazing quote from the inventor himself I found on wikiquote.org:

“I would construct a theory and work on its lines until I found it was untenable. Then it would be discarded at once and another theory evolved. This was the only possible way for me to work out the problem. … I speak without exaggeration when I say that I have constructed 3,000 different theories in connection with the electric light, each one of them reasonable and apparently likely to be true. Yet only in two cases did my experiments prove the truth of my theory.” http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Thomas_Edison

This quote boggles my mind. I found myself wondering what character traits a person possesses who can devise 3,000 theories? I get discouraged after the first round of failure. Yet Edison also acknowledged that there was a time when he needed to abandon a theory. When he found it was untenable: flawed, unsustainable, and indefensible.

As a middle school literacy teacher, I find that tenacity is very important. Every student’s brain is a puzzle. My quest is to discover how each student learns most effectively, what motivates the youth, and what tools the student needs to be successful. Often what I think will work does not work, and I must release my preconceived ideas and move on to try something else.

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My artistic life is similar. I go after something until I hit a wall, an impenetrable boundary I cannot pass through nor climb over. Then and only then do I find a way around the wall. Sometimes I’m tempted to abandon the project and sometimes that is exactly what I need to do.

Possibilities

Whether in classrooms or personal lives, possibilities arrive like ships moving towards shore. Yet they dock in deep waters. We must decide whether to take the risk to swim out to them. Once there, only a select few have ladders we can use to climb onboard. It is the tenacious person who persists until they find a way up.

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Flocabulary: Creative Education

I’m excited to start this new section that will feature creative, innovative educational companies and ideas. Whether you’re a teacher, student, parent, administrator, family member, or friend, you can have a positive influence on a child or youth’s academic process. In fact, learning infused with fun is contagious for kids of all ages.

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I stumbled upon Flocabulary when another teacher told me about this website that produced educational hip-hop songs filled with vocabulary words. This past school year, I tried the company’s Word Up Project and was truly amazed at the responses from my students. Just yesterday, one of my students said, “Mrs. Luna, you’ve got me saying all these big words now.”

I started to send the innovative ways my students and I used the words to Vlad, Flocabulary’s marketing man, and then Aliza, the Editorial Director, featured one of the lesson:

How to Be An Entrepreneur Lesson Plan

Recently, I’ve been invited to become a guest blogger. This is a gratis service I’ve decided to contribute in hopes my ideas and my students’ creativity will inspire other educators and kids. You can follow this link to the introductory post:

Meet JoDee Luna, Flocabulary’s Newest (and First!) Guest Blogger

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Here’s a link to a lesson:

Guest Post: Alien Invasion Lesson Plan

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Send me your creative ways you engage children and youth to make learning fun. I’d love to see a steady flow of innovation featured on Refrain from the Identical. Let’s dare to teach and learn differently!

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