“The moment one gives close attention to anything, even a blade of grass, it becomes a mysterious, awesome, indescribably magnificent world in itself” ― Henry Miller
I hiked the Cotswold Way in England with my husband a few weeks ago. It was by far the most beautiful hike I’ve ever encountered in my life, nothing else is close. Each buttercup, old brick wall, and church steeple was “indescribably magnificent.” I was an artist and writer narrating to myself the art I saw before me with rapt attention.
I found myself walking far in front than my fellow hikers because amidst this unfathomable beauty, some of my fellow walkers were talking about their financial portfolios, places they’ve been in the past, where they are going next.
HEY, look where you are RIGHT NOW.
Even with the best intentions, if we’ve been shimming the beauty in our world by quickly moving on instead of savoring it or being preoccupied with conversation while viewing it most of our lives, we can’t realistically adopt the type of attention Henry Miller is talking about in that quote above, without incremental practice.
Incremental practice looks like this for me: When I notice an aspect of nature I enjoy: a tree, the breeze, clouds, a hibiscus, the view on a walk in the countryside in England, I make a point of adding five seconds more of undivided attention than usual. Doing this breaks the habit of having momentary enjoyment soon hijacked by the next distracting thought -one not as pleasant as what’s in the moment. Being present is charged with inspiration, bliss, and healing.
Doing this over time, I notice an improved ability to pay attention and enjoy my art and writing, being more fully present to ideas, associations, and connections in the creative process – essential to manifestation.
This is the Modern Day Muse, Aha-phrodite combining mindfulness and creativity in the realm of paying attention; both are a balm for the harshness of the world.
“Receiving unexpected poetry means someone is paying attention.”
~April Mae Monterrosa
Two finches are performing for an audience member that would like to eat them. The birds peck at sunflower seeds in a transparent acrylic bird-feeder suction-cupped to the other side of my window so the cats can watch (and no birds are harmed). Sunshine, the Siamese is motionless, preparing for another futile ambush. Her instinct makes her do it.
Max, my other cat, lies in between my legs. He notices the finches, but unlike the Siamese he relaxes and purrs like a muffled outboard motor engine. Max’s breed has different wiring. He’d rather be comfortable and cuddled than in ambush.
My instinct is to write. It’s a passion of mine. Sometimes I succeed in ambushing it when I’m paying attention and mostly to amuse myself. It’s a passion of mine.
Aha-phrodite, the Muse of Paying Attention and Passion, tells us creativity is not possible without paying attention. In the creative process, attention paying is the scaffolding for:
Ideas triggered by visuals, random thoughts, memories, and what’s right in front of us and making sure we capture them by taking notes. (Aha!)
When and what makes us feel most creative.
What we love about the process Associations, memories, word and image connections that trigger ideas.
Which idea or step from our list energizes us the most.
What’s working for us now and, when stumped, revisiting what worked in the past.
Remembering anything a mentor or fan of ours has said about our creativity that might fuel our confidence, inspiration, and persistence.
Start “write “now. Pay attention to and narrate out loud, what’s in front of you by filling in the sentence: I notice … over and over. Then follow your instincts as to where the writing takes you next. If you’re an artist, take one minute and sketch one thing you see.
The Reason A podcast I did almost a year ago, about paying attention and the reason I got married in my sixties.
Stay tuned for Pay Attention fuel this week and meeting Albert, The Muse of Thinking Differently next week.
When I was nine years old, my imaginary friends convinced me I could herd cats in my backyard; it was a fulfilling but fabled endeavor. They also appointed me daughter of secret agent, Illia Kuryakin; I was successful in foiling evil villains from destroying the world on my Schwinn. And it was their idea for me to wear a towel on my head so I could have the long hair I … longed for. They saved me from a troubled childhood just as art and writing saves me from harsh realities now.
When I was fortyish, I wrote a book with ten imaginary friends I called the nine Modern Day Muses (and a Bodyguard) who ironically helped me write the damn book. I was procrastinating, doubting my idea, and questioning my ability. Given this creative call, I had no idea how to fulfill it. But I did write it and much to my surprise, it sold to Penguin Putnam. Who knew? Evidently the Muses did. Insight, resources, and common sense surfaced when I imagined my inner voices as helpful Muses rather than inner critics, doubters, and the piped pipers of distraction.
These wise inner voices said things like:
Pay attention to what energizes you not what depletes you.
Think differently from the obvious and what’s already out there.
Have fun with your idea, play with it without being so serious.
Be kind to yourself -it will result in more work than harsh pressure.
Practice without expecting perfection, love the process.
Act as if you have courage even if you’re scared.
Take a break once in a while to refill inspiration and take note of your progress.
Have compassion for your faults to free up energy for your strengths.
Just take really small steps – they create an unpressured momentum that will keep you going.
Protect your time, your intention, and your belief in yourself.
In its fourth edition and twentieth year, the Modern Day Muses (and the Bodyguard) remain whimsical, wise-crackers with surly attitudes and good advice. They continue to offer profound and applicable ways to make creativity easier so our visions and voices can be brought into existence despite everything working against them. The Muses’ principles are part of the Kaizen-Muse Creativity Coaching Certification Training curriculum.
To continue with the theme of I Make Art so I Don’t Die of Reality, I’d like to share with you how to stay creative, how to be more creative, and how to get through all the detractors to the creative process so you too can use the creative process as sanctuary from the harshness out there in reality, and in fact alchemize some of reality’s truths into inspiration for art and writing.
In the next ten articles, I’ll share with you short, painless snippets about each of the Modern Day Muses (and the Bodyguard). Aha-phrodite will be first.
If you listen closely, you’ll hear your own Muses guiding you to answer your creative call. BUT YOU HAVE TO LISTEN.
Onward,
Jill Badonsky
Taking Application for the Kaizen-Muse Creativity Coaching Certification Training Tools, approaches, and Muses to be a creative mentor and/or unleash a deeper relationship with creativity in arts, writing, and living. Mention you are a subscriber of The Muse is In for $100 off. More Here
The Underground Highway to Creative Results Keep creativity in your world with easy, unconventional weekly writing and art prompts, two Wild Abandon monthly creativity workshops, and a community of supportive and noncompetitive kindred spirits. No pressure, just fun and a love affair with creativity. More Here
As instructed by my Muse, (who doubles as a flight attendant), I first had to secure my own oxygen before I could teach others how to survive the chaotic storms encountered when self-doubt clouds their creative intentions.
One of the missions I choose to accept in this lifetime includes freeing people from their restrictive natures --the ones fostered by misguided notions that tell them art or writing or anything creative demands to be approached in a specific manner and when finished, needs to be a certain way for it to be “good.”
These restrictive notions are perpetuated by our tyrannical inner critics, educational institutions that prioritize stifling standards over creative freedom, and the deep-seated fear that everyone will see we aren’t good enough.
I abided by the same myths, mistaken notions, and fears of being inferior but because I had a compulsion to “survive reality” I doggedly devoted myself to creativity despite the easy frustration that was included with my factory settings.
“Imagination is the only weapon in the war with reality.” ~Lewis Carroll
Fear is an inherent part of the creative journey, not something to be eliminated or avoided.
I don't try to banish my fears or those of students I work with; that's unnecessary for creative fulfillment and success. While I'm not entirely unbound by my own fears, when I acknowledge they are natural companions in the creative process, they lose their power to discourage me.
Fears don’t need to be believed, if they try to convince us that people won’t like our work, we don’t have to stop. If they don’t like our work, (and inevitably some people won’t), I encourage people to do it anyway. Rather than asking what’s wrong with our work, let’s ask what’s wrong with those people who don’t like it. Make art, write stories, compose music that YOU love and find meaningful.
Easier said than done but that’s what Georgia O’Keefe taught: “I have already settled it for myself, so flattery and criticism go down the same drain and I am quite free.”
She was indeed “quite free” from the opinions of others. She painted for herself.
I made a podcast about her quote and even though I admire her ability to be deeply rooted in who she is, immune to both the criticism and praise of others, I am not quite that free. And truthfully, I'm not overly concerned about it. I’ll shoot for 25% free from the opinions of others. Small steps! 25% actually feels better than none and I’m not ready for 100%. But I won’t let the 75% of not feeling free stop me.
We are pack animals. Most of us come with a concern for what our tribe thinks; at some point millions of years ago if they didn’t like us, we were kicked out and left to die. We still have the instinct to be accepted though it’s not as dire as it was for survival.
One of the biggest concerns I have when I lead workshops is the inability for people to accept praise. It makes me sad and irritable, neither of which deserves praise, but my theory is they often refuse compliments for one or more of the following reasons:
· They think the person giving the compliment is just being nice.
· They have high expectations of themselves and if they aren’t reached (which they seldom are), they are unable to accept the opinions of anyone else.
· They feel awkward accepting compliments, it wasn’t a part of their upbringing.
· They are afraid to believe them, for whatever reason.
· They don’t want to appear big-headed.
Accepting Compliments is Fuel for Progress
My art life would not be what it is now if I hadn’t started to believe in the compliments I received. It took a while. I got the message early on that my art wasn’t good enough, so I was resigned to just do it for entertainment. This message started to untangle after an editor at a publishing house in Philadelphia wanted to publish my book mainly because of my art. At first that was hard to believe, but I grew more courageous when people I shared it with were complimentary. I started posing a powerful question to myself:
"What would it feel like to believe these compliments?" The subconscious loves questions and works to answers them.
Once I started to embrace the compliments, they became fuel to continue taking risks. Seeing my art through the eyes of others and respecting their opinion, finally got me to appreciate and enjoy my art; it became more than a coping device to engage in art.
Prolific movie maker, writer, and comedian, Judd Apatow, recently expressed this very feeling in an interview with comedian, Mike Birbiglia.
“Sometimes when I let people read scripts or see cuts, … if they get excited, it just gives me the fuel to believe in myself to keep going. I remember James Brooks liking one line in This is Forty, he just picked it out. I thought about it every day the whole shoot. His enthusiasm filled my tank with enough confidence gas to take risks every day.”
Suggestion:
If someone compliments your work, consider cracking the door open to embracing its truth. No need to dismiss, qualify, or broadcast it to others. If you can believe their words just 5% more than you currently do, compliments may fuel your inspiration as well as your willingness to take the risks necessary in the creative process.
Become a Certified Kaizen-Muse Creativity Coach while you take your own creativity to a new level.
Now taking applications for the August 19 - December 16, 2024 Training
"I am writing today to say that the reason I am doing well is because of your excellent teaching. I wouldn’t be doing as well if you hadn’t set up the KMCC program to support students in a step wise fashion, with plenty of repetition and the scaffolding of kindness. I can incorporate KMCC tools and concepts naturally because of the way you teach them.
As you may remember, I do have life coaching training so I am able to compare. No, wait, there is no comparison. Your training is the best by far." ~Alice Brock, Energy Healer, Kaizen-Muse Creativity Coach
Creativity is place to save ourselves from the craziness of the world. It gives us control when we feel we've lost it, it gives us amusement when we've become too serious, and it often gives us souvenirs we savor or gift to someone or the world.
Come be guided in this 90 minute Zoom workshop to that place inside of you rich with imagination, words, and images.
Sometimes a little scaffolding is just what we need to make it easier to access the creative treasures amid the distractions of the world and our mind.
This workshop will be influenced by the Modern Day Muse, Albert: The Muse of Thinking Differently.
We will explore how repetition makes free range doodling a journey in finding patterns, and writing, a rhythm. We will use triggers to access words stuck in the rafters of our neglect.
Original prompts will make it easy in supportive, non-threatening environment giving you permission to be imperfect.
For:
Intimidated beginners to pros just wanting a little inspiration and a welcoming community.
Anyone wanting a little creative play, some tips, and of course - fun.
Two times to choose from to suit your time zone and schedule:
"We have art in order not to die of the truth." ~ Nietzsche
A friend of mine asked me why I make so much art. Or maybe he asked how I make so much art. The answer to both questions is the same. I make art so I don’t die of reality. (A rather dramatic answer, but if “all the world’s a stage,” I am on theme).
This isn’t the first time in history we’ve have been hit by hard times, but it’s the first time horrific news, often reported unreliably, is in our face as much as it is. And in my lifetime, our country has never been so divided and hostile.
Art in all its forms is where we find refuge and retreat so we can regenerate. Whether we make it or get lost in it, it’s a way of finding order in chaos.
"Art is not escape, but a way of finding order in chaos … a way of confronting life." -Robert Hayden
Like I said.
Art and writing remove life's harshness and replace it with resilience.
When reality is fodder for art and writing, it doesn’t hurl me into despair as much, although my purse strap still frequently catches the doorknob and yanks me backward as if to say, “Not so fast little missy, your day is going a little too smoothly.”
I wouldn’t literally “die” if I didn’t make art but I’d be a lot less polite. Reality is a source of wondrous, delicious, funny things, other times it sucks.
To escape its severity, we binge on Netflix and French fries, play computer games, over-schedule, fall into the underworlds of social media’s dopamine high and incessantly wipe down the kitchen counter. Those escapes have their place, some offer benefits, but in excess they become hollow rewards.
Creative expression is not always easy. But when you continue painting despite the portrait you’re painting looking more like a turtle than a human, writing even when you think it’s been said better before, or understand that it takes longer than two weeks to play the guitar, you’ll find the skills that you used to persevere spill over into believing in yourself, being more tolerant, and saying “yes” to other things that expand your existence.
Creativity requires, patience, perseverance, resilience, resourcefulness, humor, courage, and an evolving relationship with ourselves in order to triumph over the usual ambiguities, doubts, and failed attempts. So does life. Mastering one assists in making the other easier. Plus, what could be more fun than losing ourselves in creativity?
What's one 30 second step you can take to find a little refuge in creativity and expand your existence on the pleasant side reality?
Life shrinks or expands in proportion to courage. ~Anais Nin
Like I said.
Best wishes,
Jill
Here's some ways to bring more creativity into your reality.
Creative Thought Cards
A deck of illustrated creative thoughts to program your intentions in the creative direction. A little bit of humor, art, and a tip from Kaizen-Muse Creativity Coaching. Buy them here
The Nine Modern Day Muse Facilitator Course Tuesdays at 11 am pacific/ 2pm eastern June 11- August 27, 2024
Learn to facilitate creativity groups, guided by 10 profound creative principles in the guise of nine Muse and a Bodyguard. Experience the playfulness possible in taking creativity to a new level for an additional stream of joy and income. With Terry Way and Rozy Walker.
"Wanted you to know how many of the lessons learned from you continue to add value in my work and life. Many thanks for that powerful training." KC
A 16-week journey with mindfulness, psychology, and the imagination into tools, thoughts, and approaches that free creativity in every aspect of your life. A great way to connect with a supportive non-competitive creative community and discover how these tools work so well. Check it out - payment plans available.Taught by Jill Badonsky
Watch for another Wild Abandon Art Class on Zoom through the Athenaeum: June 5-26 Link coming
I know you’re listening and believing everything I’m incessantly repeating, so in the interest of getting to my writing and art without the usual ruthless self-judgment, fear, and additional flotsam and jetsam I say over and over, listen closely.
It’s normal for us to engage in an inner conversation inspired by fear responses installed in our psyches centuries ago. They’re still useful to alert us to oncoming Mack trucks, scammers, and edges of cliffs but they can wreak havoc with our creative process.
But depending on the thoughts we choose, creativity will either be met with resistance, pressure, and judgment or curiosity, enjoyment, and perseverance. We need reminders of the thoughts that work best.
Instead of trying to change the negative or high pressure self-messages (which doesn’t work anyway), I made a deck of cards with the thoughts that best result in creative action, illustrated with some of my wobbly watercolor art, and including a wise-crack or two because … just because. That way I can pick cards frequently, make creative thinking more of a habit, and get a laugh in the process.
Signed, The human you were assigned to
You can use them too. They are Creativity Thought cards.
Teaching creativity coaching for twenty years and getting through my own procrastination, resistance, overwhelm, perfectionism, and ruthless self-criticism, helped me understand what it is we can say to ourselves to neutralize or sneak around the negativity bias. It’s how I got done a myriad of creative projects in the midst of what sometimes felt like self-sabotage.
The cards are for anyone who:
loves creativity
wants to take their creativity to another level
is an affirmation card collector and wants to add funny, creative ones
needs a little tweaking around the thoughts they have about creativity
likes to build houses out of cards (not the metaphor)
Included with a card deck purchase is a Zoom Creativity workshop on May 8 that elaborates on some of the cards, includes some funny storytelling about the creative process, and provides some easy creative prompts you can play with in real time, or just be privy to. Recording will be available.
I started the A Muse’s Daydream podcast during the pandemic for sanity reasons. I’m a rather stoic individual so I try to focus on what I can control and let go of the rest. Writing funny, mindfulness stories, recording, and engineering the episodes was what I could do from my quarantined pillow-fort to keep me from eating entire pizzas. I had no idea I’d be doing it for three and a half years.
As part of the continued celebration of 20 years teaching Kaizen-Muse Creativity Coaching, I just finished the Creative Thought card deck. I illustrated it, added some quirkiness, but most importantly provided some helpful tips from what I teach to keep our creativity going deeper. I made many cards, but I limited the deck to 50. (Card decks available for purchase soon, subscribe for updates).
Doing the Creative Thought cards freed me from a little prison called Resistance. After I took a break from the podcast, I was a little lost as to what was next perhaps from the trauma of the pandemic. I have three books wanting to be written but I wasn’t excited enough about them to foil the block.
One of the hallmarks of KMCC is low pressure and small steps, which ironically get people further than high pressure that comes from insisting on an amount of time, words, and/or desired productivity. Our creative processes work best and are most enjoyable when they are irresistible, intuitive, and intrinsic, not based on extrinsic motivation or high pressure goals that work for someone who’s been doing it for years.
I keep hearing advice to work EVERY DAY, even if it’s just TWENTY MINUTES, and make sure you do a CERTAIN AMOUNT of work. That’s pressure, that creates resistance. If you miss a day, you have a feeling of failure. Twenty minutes is too long for the resistant. If you do fifteen five days a week, you’ve failed. Margaret Atwood admits that she tells people to work every day… but she doesn’t. Oppression works for a very small part of the population.
I break out of my resistance by asking myself to do 30 seconds of anything creative that energizes me before I resort to social media rabbit holes and dopamine addictions. THIRTY SECONDS… I do it dailyish because I’m human.
But how did I get three books, 70 podcast episodes, fifteen years of articles, a play, six art shows, twenty retreats, and a coaching curriculum completed with 30 seconds at a time? After 30 seconds there is a momentum that is automatic, it’s irresistible, and run by intuition. The child inside me is engaged and can’t be stopped because its having fun not following an oppressive protocol. The “shoulds” are no longer necessary. I keep coming back. I want soul-inspired fun.
It's a better brand of dopamine.
Another Kaizen-Muse Creativity Coaching Training is scheduled June 13-October 11, 2024. Now taking applications. More here
2024 is the twentieth anniversary of Kaizen-Muse Creativity Coaching Certification Training and the 21st anniversary of the publishing by Penguin-Putnam of my first book, The Nine Modern Day Muses (and a Bodyguard).
I've since bought the rights and in celebration of 20 years, I updated it, ( for the fourth time), which it badly needed because it was published before things like podcasts and social media . I've also shortened it for our 21st century compromised attention spans.
It has color illustrations. Same humor, mindfulness, prompts, and profound ways to get through creativity.
So Aha-phrodite, Albert, Bea Silly, Audacity, Lull, Spills, Muse Song, Shadow Muse, Marge, (and the Bodyguard) - which are powerful creative principles in the guise of Muses, are back. If you want to catch them in their 2024 form, order here.
Watch for Muse Group Facilitator Course coming up this Spring.
Here's an excerpt:
Every mortal has some way to be a creative beacon. Whether it be to make luscious variations of portobello spaghetti sauce, to write a ditty about falling stars for the girl at the wi-fi cafe, to invent a fugue in D, a duet in E, and a ballad in Biloxi, to dance wild new steps to silly old songs, to smile radiantly from the heart, or to create awe in the studio audience of the mind, of life, of the effervescent magic of the soul—every mortal has a creative light just waiting to shine brighter.
To be creative is, yes, to do art. It has also been identified as one of the top qualities of an effective manager and the edge a successful entrepreneur has on competitors. It is an inner beauty that radiates on the outside no matter what age you are. Creative expression is the beacon your soul mate will detect to find you. It is the key to relationships that flourish, and the means through which parenting becomes joyous. It is the tool that takes a mundane reality and makes it extraordinary. Creative problem solving is the answer to life’s most challenging dilemmas. If you choose to be creative, life is a fulfilling journey where wonder awaits every twist of thought and turn of attitude.
"First edition was life changing. So thanks for that! Brava and cheers!" ~Eber Lambert
Spills: the Muse of Practice, Process, and Imperfection will be making a guest appearance at the Let's Talk Creativity workshop this Saturday 9:30 pacific, 12:30 eastern will be about getting through the feeling of never being and never doing enough... Creativity's Evil Step Sister - Perfectionism. For newsletter subscribers there's a discount: $15 Includes recording
I've been back from Taos for a week now but I'm still spinning from the quality of time that happens in community with amazing women.
One of the new things this year was a songwriting workshop with singer and songwriter, Kate Mann. Kate is an award winning musician who has been singing her version of Americano with us for over 11 years, dazzling us each time.
We all put three words in a hat, mixed them up and picked three words. We had two experienced sing-songwriters in the group, but that night everyone was one. It blew me away the songs people came up with - and half of them sang them. It speaks to what can happen in a creative space, a safe community, and the unspoken confidence from the teacher that we can all write a song with just three words. The creativity at Mabel's is palpable.
I thought it was my last retreat there after 12 years, but with the heartfelt feedback I received and the new good friends I met, I'm inspired to do another year. (Feb 8-12 if you're interested. Links will go up soon). Here's an incomplete snippet of Kate's talent.
Workshops and Memberships
Let's Talk About Creativity Saturday, February 24 9:30 am pac,10:30mnt, 11:30 cent 12pm eastern The Kaizen-Muse Creativity Coaching Training was recognized by Life Coaching Magazine as the best creativity coaching available. Now the tools and approaches that won it that honor are shared monthly, starting in January in a Zoom Session called Let's Talk About Creativity. I will share the most effective tools for getting through perfectionism and feelings of not being or doing enough plus you will have time to talk about your creativity. Free to members of The Underground. Try it for $15 -Includes recording
Next KMCC Training begins June 17 - September 12
The training is customized for individuals interested in learning how to use intuitive, imaginative, mindfulness tools based on psychology that have empowered thousands an authentic, joy-filled life
Just announced. Dates are yet up on the website. More info here
Join the Underground Highway to Creative Results Includes one Wild Abandon Creativity Zoom Workshop AND Let's Talk Creativity group monthly plus prompts, support, and camaraderie. More Information Here
CORRECTED LINK Parallel Universe Time: A Space to show up for yourself Free ..every Monday 8:30 am pacific/11:30 eastern More Here
Thank you for being a subscriber, Write, let me know if there's a creative block you'd like me to address or a creative success you'd like to share with me. Love, Jill
Yours Truly
Author/illustrator of three books on creativityand mindfulness
I’m sitting in a little outdoor café (not really, but let’s pretend), sipping a cappuccino and painting a swatch of blue that, with a little intentional wildness, becomes the Ligurian sea. It’s an abstract version of the sea because that’s the way my paint brush rolls. Perfectly steamed milk foam hangs out on my lips, and I don’t care.
Once the sea is dry, I paint in a guy with an Italian flag waving on the end of the boat he's rowing and I say, “Voila,” even though I’m on the Italian Riviera and not the French one. I’m under the influence of Wild Abandon so borders, rules, and cannoli don’t limit my autonomy.
As I let the rowboat guy dry, my fellow travelers and I free associate words, and then let them effortlessly form poems, funny prose, or something that surprises us because it borders on the profound. Or maybe it seems that way because the sea air is dizzying us to the enchantment of heightened inspiration.
The bright colors of the hillside homes, coordinate with matching laundry hanging window to window like flags of life being lived simply.
Adding creative explorations to a walking tour in Italy is like topping tiramisu with whipped cream served with an authentic cappuccino. Writing, sketching, and painting heighten an experience which is often treated like fast food when it should be a long lingering delicious banquet of beauty. They slow us down and connect us to a memory as its being made.
The Italian Riviera is more deserving of attention than the click of smartphone camera most travelers give it, eager to impress friends on social media. Impress yourself by making a trip to a beautiful land like a story inside a painting, savored by the eyes, ears and of course, the taste buds of an artist and the mind of a writer. (even if you don’t yet think you are one).
Italian Riviera…Rapallo, Portofino, Cinque Terre, Camogli and Chiavari: High on creativity and the occasional gelato. October 14-20, 2024 Creating some memories in the best possible way.
The Nine Modern Day Muse Facilitator Course
I've been back from Taos for a week now but I'm still spinning from the quality of time that happens in community with amazing women. 
Let's Talk About Creativity
Author/illustrator of 
hanging window to window like flags of life being lived simply.
