Embracing my inner SMuP

I HAVE SPENT most of my life apologizing for not being single-minded.

"Find your passion!" is advice often given to people who are struggling to figure out what they want to be when they grow up.

Last night I listened to a podcast of my daughter Melanie Gillman. They are as driven and passionate about their field, comics, as a person could be. They're even keeping track of their hours spent comic-making so that they know when they reach the magical "10,000 hours" that should mean mastery. And here in their mid-20s, they have a master's degree, were nominated for an Eisner award, and are regularly interviewed and written about. They're amazing! Check out Mel's Eisner-nominated webcomic here.

And I felt so ashamed.

What have I ever given that much focus to?

"You're like the ADHD of passions!" the nasty voice in my head snapped. And he's right (I think of him as a 'he'). I have grown and cultivated passions and talents in so many things: painting, drawing, calligraphy, music, theater, education, child sponsorship, puppetry, sewing, and even some odd, less-traveled roads such as Ukrainian Easter eggs and African drumming! And it's not just that I "dabble" in lots of things--I fling myself into them, sign up for classes, TEACH classes, drag family members along. Each one is truly a passion, not just a passing interest. 

"Just CHOOSE ONE!!" snaps voice-in-head

The problem is, I can't. As soon as I start to drill down on one, I start whining, "but what about ____?"

ADHD. Yup.

I have now made a resolution. Ya ready, world?

I am a SMuP (Someone with Multiple Passions). Always have been, and apparently always will be. 

Are you a SMuP? Can we decide once and for all, that it's an okay way to be? The world admires single-mindedness and the success that follows. But the jack-of-all-trades can come in and fix ALL the things. A SMuP can carry on a conversation with anyone, any time, because they are likely to find some common ground somewhere. 

I may never be successful in our usual definition of the word. Certainly I will never be famous for my mastery of, well, anything. 

But I am never bored!

SMuPs of the world, I salute you!

Shout out to . . . Dover Publications!

It's ArTuesday, and I want to recommend a publisher: Dover Publications!

I first discovered Dover about a million years ago when I took my first calligraphy class. The teacher recommended that we buy and study their book Three Classics of Italian Calligraphy. (Being a total nerd, I followed this advice, and have not regretted it.)






Dover publishes oldies-but-goodies. They even have a reprint of the how-to-draw-animals book that was given to me by a neighbor who was an ACTUAL WORKING ARTIST (and therefore my hero) when I was growing up. The copy she gave me is falling apart--maybe I should replace it!



They also publish the most amazing coloring books! 

And here's a really neat feature: Sign up for their "sampler" emails, and you get a weekly email with links to download pages from their books--coloring pages, mazes, puzzles. These were a staple in our household, and they make great inserts to send to sponsored kids!

Check them out! www.doverpublications.com

Why Arts?

When I was a music teacher, I sometimes had parents expressing their conflicted feelings about putting their kids in arts activities or sports. (Our overscheduled children don't seem to have time for both... but that's a topic for another day!)

I know that sports are wonderful--teamwork, physical fitness, all of that. And if your child *loves* the sport in question, then the answer is easy. But we often saw kids who had more of a, shall we say, artistic nature being forced to participate in a sport they did not enjoy. The feeling seemed to be that the benefits of a sport absolutely outweighed any perceived benefits to the alternatives--art, music, or theater.


But let's think about this. Arts activities have some unique benefits:

*Boys and girls can play together. 
Sports by necessity need to segregate the sexes. Arts do not have such a restriction. In a choir, both are necessary for a full sound. In a play, there are almost always parts for boys as well as girls (except for "Steel Magnolias," ... but I digress.). Boys and girls get to experience working together for a common goal. That's cool!

*Arts can be a lifelong involvement.
Our family was in a summer musical once in which the ages of the actors ranged from 8 to . . . wait for it... 92! In arts activities, not only the genders but the generations can play and work together. For the individual, this means you never "age out" of the arts: You just improve and improve, and even if you blow out your ACL, you can still participate! And how cool is it for a child to participate with teenagers or adults in an activity? Talk about a self-esteem builder!

*What about physical fitness?
Pick your kids up after rehearsal for a musical and observe their healthy pink faces-- practicing a dance routine over and over can be all the exercise anyone could ever want! And a word about dance: Groups who engage in movement together actually bond strongly. It's science: dancing or moving in tandem releases oxytocin (the bonding hormone) in the brain. Ken Robinson says that if there were only one course that should be required in every school, it would be dance. More and more, I agree (and I am NOT a dancer--just ask any of the kids who are following my lead for movement during rehearsal of our church Christmas musical!). But, wow--all the benefits! Fitness, coordination, cooperation, oxytocin--all wrapped up in one FUN package!

*Self-confidence
Besides dance, I would add "presentation skills" to the list of required topics in school. Think about it: There are the ubiquitous book reports in school, but the workplace also often requires presenting. People who are calm and confident when having to present their ideas to a group have a distinct advantage (and a happier time of it when that presentation looms). Teachers told me they could always identify the theater kids: They were the ones who were completely unruffled by having to speak in front of the class! Theater, singing, dancing--all of these help take a bite out of the Fear of Public Speaking. And people who are well versed in art care about creating visually appealing presentations. 'Nuff said!

So, parents, if your child would rather paint and sing than throw a ball--don't despair. They are reaping benefits that can continue through their lifetime!

The Amazing Pencil!

For ArTuesday, I want to talk about my favorite drawing tool, and one of the main attributes that makes it so cool for drawing: The Amazing Pencil!

Everybody knows how to draw with a pencil, right?

Something I often see kids (and adults) fail to notice about the pencil is the wide range of marks it can make. Take light and dark marks, for example:

What if you combine the light and dark marks? You can get such a wonderful variety of marks—and really awesome hair!

In art classes, you often have to make a bar like this one to prove that you know how to make different values with your pencil:

That's pretty boring! What if you were to draw, say, a fox, with and without dark and light lines?

Now you can start to see the difference that occurs when you use those light and dark and varied (hair-like) marks!

I like this exercise:

1. Draw a scribble:

2. Start to fill in some of the corners you see with a dark-to light gradation:

3. Keep going!

(I could spend a lot of hours on something like this—how about you?)

So... take out your pencil and try varying the lines. Try shading something. Try filling in the corners of a scribble! And HAVE FUN! Hooray for the Amazing Pencil!

Mommy and Me Toddler Arts Classes!

Mommy and Me Toddler Music Classes: Why?

Next week we will start our “Mommy and Me” toddler arts classes. Little ones will be making music, dancing, singing, and creating colorful works of art with their moms (Dads are welcome too, of course!).

Why do we think this is important?

More and more research shows the benefits of early, early education. Combine that fact with our world’s desperate cry for individuals who know how to think creatively, and how could you not offer toddler arts classes?

Here are some specific benefits:

•Bonding. There is nothing like creating something together to bond a parent and child. Decisions are made, questions are asked, and all that creativity is applauded and celebrated with smiles and hugs.

•Sing now; play [music] later. Research indicates that young children and babies who are sung to by their parents are the ones who grow up to show musical talent and interest. Participating in music with your child shows her that you value music, opening the door for her to value it as well.

•Create memories. Those pieces of art that end up on the refrigerator and later in a “memories” file box are tangible representations of quality time spent together. Years later, they can bring back memories of the fun.

•Socialization. Singing and dancing together releases oxytocin, the “bonding hormone.” Besides strengthening parent/child relationships, the group songs and dances we will do together will help foster a “circle of friends” among the participants, children as well as adults.

•It’s fun!!

There is still room in this fun and amazing class—sign up here!

Letters make us happy, too!

THE OTHER DAY, my daughter Lilia got a letter from her sponsored child, and it included the greatest thing: a picture of Gloria, holding the letter she had just gotten from Lilia.

Which got me thinking...

We read a lot about how much our letters mean to sponsored children, but do they know how much their letters mean to us? Do you ever have those nagging doubts that maybe your sponsored child didn't even get the last letter you wrote? They must have those feelings too!

So... my gift to you: an idea, and a way to implement it. Have someone take a picture of you holding your sponsored child's latest letter. Print it out, print out one of these "frames" and paste your photo onto it, and send it with your next letter! Hope you like them!

Here are two "frames" showing how they'd look after you paste your (much more attractive) picture of yourself in...

The mouse version (without my picture in it!) can be downloaded here.

And the floral version can be found here.

(Or just click on the images below!)

Enjoy!

Sermon Doodle 6-9-13

IT'S TIME FOR ANOTHER SERMON. 'Cause... it just is. I don't know how many more of Ian's sermons we will be in town for! 

Sermon Doodle April 21, 2013

IT'S BEEN A WHILE. I've been soooo swamped with working on shows (creating one, directing two, playing bass [yikes!] for another), it's just been INSANE. I am now down to one show to be panicked about. So here's today's epistle.

God has trendy glasses, don'tcha think?

Sermon Doodle 3-3-13

HEEERE IT IS--today's sermon! It's not every Sunday one gets to play with drawing leeches!

Sermon Doodle Feb 17, 2013

WE HAVE A NEW PASTOR for a while--Matt Gravelle. Here was his first sermon of this stint as our temporary help!

Two sermon doodles for the price of one

 WITH OUR PASTOR Ian Prichard in the hospital recovering from a terrible skiing accident (there's a reason I've never gone skiing...), it seemed almost disloyal to take and publish sermon notes... but then I thought maybe he'd like to see them. So... here are today's and last week's--all in one post!

Help Kenyan Kids Take Exams (They want to! Really!)

Even a small donation will make a big difference!

ONE OF THE SPONSORS from Australia wrote this; I could not have said it better myself! 

"Another plea for a couple dollars for "my" Kenyan children.

I know everyone's giving budget is stretched to the limit, but I'm hoping you can spare another $2 or $3 for a worthy cause.

For the past six years I've been involved with what is now called Plant-a-book International (formerly called Kenya Kids in Need) charity. I'm currently paying for the education and lodging for two teenage orphans who live at Galilee School in Sowete-Kayole slums of Nairobi, and for the education of three other students who live in the slums nearby. The school is the creation of a man who was a sponsored child himself.

The school has developed to the point where in 2009 the first graduating high school class took their final high school exams. (Every student passed!)
But while primary education is free in Kenya, secondary education is not. At Galilee, the neediest and orphan students mostly have overseas sponsors, for the rest, where most slum families live on $1 USD a day, it is a struggle to keep students at school and not contributing to the family income.

The Kenyan government charges $85 USD each for the students to take their final exams, and Plant-a-book International is trying to provide for as many students as possible to take the exams. (The headmaster also raises money from local businesses and slum families.) The time for payment is drawing near, and it would be tragic if these hopeful students were not able to sit their final exams.

These kids work so hard to do well...they have to share textbooks, they have no electricity to study at night, so they come to school at 6am to work; they form study groups and work together on Saturdays to help each other through the curriculum, and their courses are so much harder than Aussie ones...EVERY student has to do the equivalent of extension maths, for example, and they all study Shakespeare in English, which is usually their second or third language.

Having the high school certificate makes a huge difference to employment prospects for these students. The top 10% are eligible for a uni scholarship. Even a poor pass opens the possibility of an office job rather than being a maid or a street seller, thus breaking the poverty cycle for whole families.

If you can spare a couple of dollars you can use the PayPal donation button at http://www.plantabook.org You'll be donating in US dollars, which are close to parity with $AUS at present.

Think of the karma! Thanks for reading."

Reconditioning Humanity

FROM THE "I wish I had thought of this" files... Check out this website: www.reconditioninghumanity.com. This is so great! 

The Idea: You get cards from them and leave them or give them with a Random Act of Kindness. The card asks the recipient to "pay it forward"--but there is also a number on the card that can be tracked through their website. . . Assuming people actually log in and report on their card, you could watch your little act of kindness grow and multiply!

I ordered three cards for Bob & Lilia & me. 

Go to their website! Order some cards (they're free)! Pass it on! 

Sermon Doodle Jan 6, 2013

IT WAS INTERESTING to me that today I started reading My Descent into Death on the recommendation of a friend. Fascinating book (one of those "near-death experience" stories, but this one started out badly!), and in the book, the author is told--in Heaven, no less!--the same two points that Ian preached on today: Know yourself, and know what you're about!
(Embarrassing challenge: Find my misspelling!) 

Nudibranch cake

Actual nudibrachs. Cute, but poisonous.

MY OLDEST DAUGHTER asked for a nudibranch cake for her birthday. Why?, you ask. Why not? So Lilia and I set out to create said cake. Here he is, in all of his sea sluggish glory...

Nudibranchus funfettius

I can only imagine what she'll ask for next year...

And, in a show of extraordinary family togetherness, my middle daughter drew a nudibranch. Here it is, with a link to her tumblr . . .

This is probably the only spot on the Internet where you can see nudibranchs all together in the three classic media of photography, colored pencil, and ... cake.

Sponsors urgently needed!!

I OFTEN MENTION Compassion International in my blog posts, but I want to give a shout out to another of my favorite sponsorship organizations: PlantaBook International. Our story is a modern-day miracle: One little school in Nairobi (Galilee School), with caring people from all over the globe supporting them through the Internet!

When you sponsor a child through PlantaBook (for as little as $12.50/month!), you also become part of an active, caring community of sponsors. You will get to know other sponsors as friends, all the while banding together to support the sweetest bunch of kids on the planet as they struggle to obtain an education.

Several things set this program apart, besides the fact that it truly is a grassroots effort, and a very successful one at that!--

My little Elvis, with the school supplies and school bag I bought for him

*The online store: This is part of the PlantaBook website and allows you to purchase items, from school uniforms and shoes and textbooks to umbrellas, mosquito nets, and soccer balls! Everything is purchased locally, so you are helping the local economy as well as your sponsored child. Added bonus: You get a photo of your child with the item you bought. Every time! 

Fanuel

*Fanuel: Fanuel, the director of the school, is (in my opinion) an angel on earth. You cannot be involved in Galilee without getting to know Fanuel and feeling privileged for the chance to do so.

Here is the latest "New Year's" message from Fanuel. Read it and then go to PlantaBook.org and get on board! 

Dear Sponsors and Friends,

The new year is here. 2012 has been successful for us and hope that 2013 will be even better.

Our prayers and wish is that more and more sponsors come forward to sponsor children both at WHS, GPS and HH for it is the sponsorship that has kept these children in school, put books in their hands, keep teachers in class and so much more. It enables the children to learn well and before our own eyes transformation of our poverty stricken community is taking place and soon and very soon light will be showing at the end of the tunnel. What we most need at the moment is to have more children sponsored so that we can help our community. On this may I take this opportunity to urge our sponsors whose children did the KCSE exams last year or are no longer coming to our schools to consider sponsoring another needy child, we all reach out to our friends, family, colleagues, church, etc. and spread the word, for the more sponsors we get we shall be able to keep so many more children in school and many lives will be transformed in the process.

This year our priorities are in improving the school infrastructure, ie our primary school classrooms, being that they are temporary they are not comfortable for children to learn in during rainy season because of leaking. Then we need to purchase the remaining plots of land and sanitary facilities.

At the same we would like to do some purchasing of textbooks and other teaching aids in areas we feel our children are not performing well, e.g mathematics, so as to improve their performance.

Thank you so very much. I wish you and your families a happy and successful year 2013.

God bless

FANUEL

Fanuel Okwaro
The Director
Galilee Primary School, WHS and Holly House Children's Homes

Things to Send Sponsored Children: A Bible Verse "Cootie Catcher"

RAISE YOUR HAND if you remember "cootie catchers!  

HERE IS ONE you can print out, fold, and send to your sponsored kids-- a cootie catcher with Bible verses! I remember making these and playing with them for hours in elementary school (We would rig them with names of boys in our school that we'd marry, numbers of kids we'd have, all kinds of fortune-telling narratives!), and I thought it might be neat to have them with Bible verses rather than fortunes as the final step. Plus, for the little ones, they provide a teeny bit of practice with numbers and letters (of the English alphabet).

To make it easier, here is a PDF so you can print the sheet on regular paper, with an instruction sheet showing you how to fold it (in case you don't remember, if you were not as obsessed with these things as I was as a kid!) and the third page is an instruction sheet to include for your sponsored child on how to play the game. I've included lots of photos (featuring my lovely daughter) to make it easier.... Don't forget to write your child's name/number on each piece to make sure it gets to them! Enjoy!