tee turns two

Even the animals know when they need to stop and stretch out the body; taking a wellness break on this last day of summer. See you in September when The Eclectic Eye (TEE) turns two!

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the day before

Mother Nature has been having her way with the East Coast this past week, first an earthquake now Hurricane Irene! When I woke on Saturday, the rains had not yet begun so I headed out with my camera (now affectionately called lumi-belle) into an atmosphere I can only describe as tropical. The wind made its presence known just as a reminder that a storm was coming noted in the ringing of chimes on porches and the flapping of my white blouse around my thighs as I stopped to capture flags unfurling in waves above my head…

…as always, the flowers called out to me to capture them in their final moments before beating rain and strong gusts would strip them of their blossoms, altering their complexions too soon…

  

…the bees were buzzing wildly about and flies were perched on petals as if they were in a drugged stupor…

…it didn’t seem likely but when I looked up, it was 10:30AM, three hours had passed and as I looked down at a big brown acorn, I felt the first drop of rain plop on my forehead…

…fortunately I was a block from home. I didn’t rush to get inside especially since I knew I would be there for at least the next 24 hours.

As I sit at 12:40AM remembering the day before, tree leaves swishing loudly and water spilling over the gutter, Irene is just really beginning to show DC exactly what she’s got. I happened to look up from my laptop to see the strangest picture on my sputtering TV screen -- a totally deserted Grand Central Station in NYC. Wow!

Here’s hoping that the eye of this storm will close without leaving behind too much mayhem but, until it shuts…

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the morning after

About two weeks ago, I picked up an ornate ceramic bowl that has been sitting on some surface in my homes for over 12 years; a nice neat slice of it remained in my hand as I watched the rest of it fall back onto the coffee table. Yesterday, I walked into the mini disaster that was my apartment after a 5.8 earthquake hit the east coast. Almost everything on the walls was hanging askew; a champagne glass fell out of the cabinet hitting me before it crashed to the floor. Several things had been launched from their various perches landing on top of one another or far from where they had stood and a few sculptures and ceramic pieces were broken.

When the bowl cracked so neatly in my hand that day, I remember thinking that though broken it was not beyond fixing. I took that as a metaphor for how I was managing situations with people and took steps to rectify some of my missteps….some, not all. So as the earth moved under my bum yesterday during a meeting, one of the first things that came to mind after evacuating to safety those around me and checking in with friends and family was the one person I wanted to speak with that I was no longer speaking to. Suddenly, the misunderstanding caused by miscommunication felt trivial and just plain silly when all I wanted to know was if my friend was safe from possible harm.

Perhaps Mother Nature was sending me and I am sure thousands more messages that only each person would comprehend. It took the shake, rattle and roll of an earthquake that lasted no more than a few minutes for two people to unearth words that couldn’t be found for weeks because of ego, pride and maybe a little fear. As I pulled out the glue to patch up the broken, it was very clear to me that what I held in my hand was just stuff when compared to the welfare of and relationships with people in my life; the thought of never hearing someone’s voice again puts a stop to the nonsense and can quell the deepest tremor.

Pick up the pieces, patch up what’s damaged if in your heart you know it’s right and as you do….

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wild rides

I read a passage comparing the journey of water to our own life journey. How it winds over and around bumps and turns much like the challenges we face, how it remains fluid keeps moving forward picking up energy regardless. The past couple of weeks have felt like a white water rafting trip gone wild. Thankfully, the words that popped up in that email from DailyOm took hold of the boat guiding it and me into a peaceful glide that brought me safely to shore...I’m still trying to catch my breath.

Channeling my energy to redirect my flow, so until Wednesday…

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admirable aspirations

When asked recently, I described myself as an eclectic artist, writer and photographer who loves to cook, has a serious flair when it comes to interior design, and is newly passionate about international travel. Well before my trip to Egypt last fall, I had become enamored with two travel magazines. The first is the now no longer published quarterly Town & Country Travel issue; lush in color, texture and content, I drooled over the pages leisurely, imagining the aromas that would pleasantly assault my nose, fingering places I wished my feet to touch as I filed everything in the must go there body file. Thankfully, AFAR had already hit the newsstands and my radar when the last T&C Travel came home with me. Much different, AFAR's feel is hip, quick, makes me want to go immediately and travel like a nomad planting myself in as many places as I can. I absorb its pictures and articles usually in one slurp then go back to take little bites at a time. Both magazines encourage my desire to go beyond the shores of the USA, have envious photographs I admire. As I flip through old issues of Town & Country and new ones of AFAR, I am coaxed to pack my camera and continue my pursuit of photos that I hope others will admire and envy.

In the Sept/October issue of AFAR is an article on street art. JR, a self-described photograffeur is featured along with a full page containing a picture of a photograph he posted on a staircase in Rio de Janeiro. I had to look several times before I realized that the snapshot he took was actually adhered to steps not the side of a building; wow, something to aspire to was all I could say as I admired his art for so many reasons. His larger than life size photograph reminded me of my first enlarged to larger than poster size photo that I just sold. Seeing something I had taken blown up that big…wow, wow, wow!

Go somewhere and as you go…

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house keeping

Friday evening was filled with food, fun, flowers and festivity! In addition to having art on display, on display for those who attended the reception was performance art, a nice touch. The weather was perfect, cool no humidity and there was a full moon. Surrounded by friends and others who love the cultural arts, I bathed in the moment; it had been such a long struggle. Seems like every possible obstacle challenged me from the start however, a determination to get my show up despite the who, what, when or why that presented itself fueled me at times when my energy was on low ebb and the body was on no. But none of that mattered on Friday and after a stop at the train station (I had said to the universe earlier in the day that it would be nice if at least one person who I didn’t expect to show actually did…the universe delivered! My good friend came down from Jersey only to be with me for the opening; as I walked out of the restroom she was walking out of the elevator, a lovely surprise.) I headed home anticipating a peaceful rest and a quiet Saturday to do nothing or whatever.

Now sometimes the universe gives us just what we want just the way we ask and then there are those exceptions. I slept late on Saturday morning, the phone taking messages that I read when I finally got up. Most of the text and emails didn’t require my attention but one of them made me pause; I ended up climbing back into bed with magazines and sadness. After a few hours of contemplation, resolution and junk food, I began to flip through the magazines landing on a page in Elle Décor with beautiful Steuben glass objects….and then it started. A thought zinged through my head -- could I create a collage goddess from paper pieces clipped from one magazine starting with that picture of a vase? My adrenalin began to race; it was on! I grabbed scissors, glue and paper on which to place the image then ripped pages and pictures filling up the top of my comforter all the while forming the image in my mind while my hands searched the pages. As I cut out a few things that I thought would be used for hair or a head-piece, she hit me.

My hands assembled what my mind and heart knew was needed but didn’t want to accept or verbalize. It is my pleasure to introduce you to Cleaning House…

The universe does bring us what we need and in this case, she eased a sad situation by stimulating my creative spirit. I got so excitedly involved with what I was doing; the day passed, it was time to clear the bed for rest and that I did at peace all night long.

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lush!

If you're in the DC area, stop in for...

"lush!" 

an exhibit of collage art & photographs

by

tina s. lassiter

Busboys & Poets

5th & K Streets NW

Washington, DC

Friday, August 12, 2011

6:00 - 8:00PM

special performance by 

The Saartjie Project

  

The show will be up until October 31, 2011 if you can't make it Friday but I'll be there then, so if you come...

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poppin'

A few kernels of doubt can pop up and crowd a bowl with so much fluff that it’s hard to hear your own thoughts. Though it can be a challenge at times, I’ve become more adept at picking out the burnt stuff well before it has a chance to sprinkle distaste around the good. Right now, I’m muchin’ from a vintage vessel filled with positive spirit that leaves me nourished. Delicious!

Pop your own bowl of inspiration, affirmations, encouragement and light. I guarantee it will sound & taste much better when it contains what you believe and while you’re getting full…

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shopper's delight

I admire those folks I see on TV that clip coupons, buy the specials, do two for’s and a whole host of other things I cannot recall at this moment that deduct from the total bill until the register rings up zero or a negative number. Now that’s some creative shopping! I actually practiced the art of strategizing to get more for less a few holidays back. Using gift cards and percent off certificates, exchanging items I either had or had no use for and keeping up with the Christmas and New Year’s weekly sales and markdowns, I redressed my table with a new set of dishes, wine and champagne glasses and flatware for eight for a total of $120. I still giggle with delight at my shrewd shopping skills each time I eat or drink from any of those purchases.

I guess I got a tiny bite from the savings bug after that. This past week, I spent time on the Vista Print site creating two sets of 100 custom designed, double sided postcards for $9.99 plus shipping for each order (and got 10 free magnets that had my artwork on them as a bonus with one of those orders). Why spent $50 plus if I only need to shell out 20? At the FedEx office, the 20% coupon I applied to my order of $10 or more saved me few bucks. Even my decision to carry and use a credit card is now predicated on what perks they offer. Recently, the points accumulated on one Visa allowed me to get the cutest grill (Bodum Fyrkat available in black, white or four bright summer colors) for $3.29…now if only the weather would cool down enough to keep me from baking while I cook on it!

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