It's in the Dallas paper today...the event is tomorrow, Texas/OU weekend...

Press here for the link!!

Tough times don't last, tough people do.

Urban Dog Coffee hosts a Fine Art Auction featuring Jim Frederick, Billy Miller, Armando Rivera and other local artists benefiting Lone Star Ride Fighting AIDS through Team Tough as Jim


When: Noon to 3:00 p.m., Saturday, October 11
Where: Urban Dog Coffee
2720 Oak Lawn Avenue
Dallas, TX 75219

See you there!

David Minehart
Event Manager
Lone Star Ride Fighting AIDS

No, not Bud or Chester....not Virgil...meet Stumpy...he was given to me two years ago by my friend Billy and he's been with me all the way...I've been waking up to him on my dresser and decided it was time for him to get out and see a little of the world.



Stumpy will be helping me countdown to the trip back to Dallas at the end of the month....he'll paint, exercise, everything I do....Stumpy is a little over 2 inches, so he's easy to carry around....he's a small woodsman, but, he's got ideas and like me...he's going places.

Tomorrow marks the first full week of october...Acorns are flying, leaves are turning....there's a chill in the air and my shorts are longing for Texas. Stumpy is downstairs now, watching over the paintings....I've come up with two more ideas, Change and Attitude.

This also marks the end of a pretty great weekend, watching my nephew march in his first homecoming parade friday afternoon, working out at the Y afterwards and today watching my nephew play soccer and help him celebrate his 13th birthday today, with the family.

So this starts the life and times of Stumpy...stay tuned for this and more!!!!


Tough times don't last, tough people do.

Norm....uh, Pop, gave me a great website with different painting and sculpture artists, quotes and articles, this is an article I just popped on called The Zen of Art...

Have an attitude of low expectations and nothing to lose.
Try to make deliberate, thoughtful, rhythmic movements.
While not necessarily alone, be solitary.
Allow yourself to dream, flow and indulge your fancies.
Be philosophic about your weaknesses and creative faults.
Let your tools and your media do the talking.
Let your work tell you what it needs.
Let yourself yin and yang between thought and no thought.
Accept imperfection. Try for the spirit of attaining.
Teach yourself to teach yourself as you go.
Be in the now, but look gently ahead.
Be not lazy in your relaxation.

This is not the entire article, but, the part that jumped out at me the most...Now I can explain Dare to Fail

http://painterskeys.com
This is the website...

Tough times don't last, tough people do.

I've been thinking about what motivates me when I paint...Some years ago, a stranger asked me what motivated me to paint...I simp;y said, people buying my stuff...no big revelation, like touching my inner child or something...so buy my stuff so I can paint more!

Yesterday during my morning walk and trying to concentrate on bending that left knee, I was thinking about all the ideas I have for paintings...my mind has been going a mile a minute...anyway, here is what I told myself, right or wrong...

One of the best ways to experience success is to... experience success. By that, I mean that success in reaching your goals is largely a product of momentum. Kind of funny now, because, I'm much slower...sometimes feeling like I'm at a snails pace.

If you can keep the momentum going long enough, you can reach any goal you set out to achieve. To build and maintain that momentum often requires a gradual process of setting and reaching higher and higher goals.

This is where the concept of micro-goals can help. Micro-goals take the concept of "one day at a time" and break it down even further. Micro-goals will get you in the habit of setting goals, and in the habit of reaching them as well. This, in turn, will provide you with the experience of success on a regular and continuing basis.

What is a micro-goal? It is a small, easily achieved portion or fraction of a goal. Suppose your ultimate goal is to write a book. That is a huge task, and one that cannot be easily achieved in an afternoon, a week, or even a month. So you break it into micro-goals. A micro-goal might be to write a paragraph in the next 5 minutes. Now that is something you can do immediately. Your success in reaching this micro-goal will come quickly, and the experience of that success will inspire you to set another goal. Perhaps a chapter by tomorrow afternoon. Or perhaps another 4 paragraphs in the next twenty minutes. These fractional goals are all helping you reach your ultimate goal. However, since they are quickly achieved, they prevent you from being overwhelmed, while at the same time providing you with very positive feedback.

The key to reaching your ultimate goal is to attach these micro-goals end to end in an upward spiral. Use micro-goals to get yourself in the habit of setting and reaching goals, and to move steadily in the direction you have chosen.

So, what are my micro goals?

Bend the damn knee

Paint

Do Artcards

Build my body strength back up

Build up my Endurance
_____________________________________

Ultimate Goals are



Live by Myself again

Drive again

Host an Art Show


Best place to start is at the beginning.

Tough times don't last, tough people do.