The beginnings of a Dream

Many of us have dreams that we don't share.
Quietly keeping them to ourselves.
Watching them come to be

or

watching them

 sometimes painfully

 fade away...

out of our grasp.

I've had a dream for a while.
Versions of it have already come to fruition.

Opening a magazine and seeing your words.
Your creativity printed before you.
It's an incredible feeling.
That version of my dream was

promoting my dolls and my business.

This new rendering of my dream

 involves sharing photos I've taken

 around the Farmhouse.
Being brave enough to share

 the most quiet thoughts 

I've only written for my eyes.

Able to reach back thru time 

by reading them again.

Reflections of myself

 only shared with 

blank pages of journals.

I wanted to make sure to find a magazine that
seemed to fit with the idea in my head
 of the finished concept.
Have been thrilled with the magazine I have already
been part of that Stampington &Company publishes.
Thought I'd lean towards another of
their amazing publications for this dream
to come to be.

A number of friends kept sending me messages
 and emails about the magazine "Bella Grace"
 that Stampington & Company publish.
Began thinking it might be the one
to look deeper into.

In the sharing of this dream and
the desire for this magazine,it was mentioned that
 it was difficult to find in my neck of the woods.
{It's a tad pricey and I don't have the extra funds
 to splurge at the moment.}
I was second guessing myself
and even the dream.
I thought further down the road
I'd spring for a copy and
be able to hold it in my hands.
See if this truly was the fit that
I was hoping it would be.


Beyond blessed to have people
in my life that wish to see
my dream come to life.
LOOK!
My amazing friend Sandra in Texas contacted me
and said she wasn't taking no for an answer.
She wanted my mailing address so that
she could send me a copy of the magazine.
She believed in this dream of mine.

Bella Grace blew me away!
What an amazing magazine and I may have been thinking
that it was too high priced but
it's so much more then the price.
This isn't a magazine that you casually read
 once {maybe twice}and then toss away.
I am guilty already of reading this issue 4 times!

You notice a photo or a quote that you didn't quite take
in fully the last time you read the magazine.
I can see this issue being read so many times I lose count.
The photography is sheer eye candy alone.
Inspiration and fuel for a creative soul.


On their website {and inside the magazine},
it's stated that Bella Grace is a special publication 
devoted to discovering magic in the ordinary. Our aim is to
 touch the souls of our readers
 through beautifully penned stories and 
striking photographs that capture 
life's beautiful journey.




Embrace imperfection.
 Celebrate your messy life.
 Shine a spotlight on small, 
everyday moments 
– they are special, 
and they are yours.


YES!
YES!
YES!

This is the magazine that holds
my dream and will bring it full circle
into being.

I am going to:
- read this cover to cover
{again}
- write
- edit and fine tune
- practice with my camera
-look thru the lens of my camera until
my heart shows clearly.

Then be brave enough to submit
something to this incredible magazine.

The next photo of me holding Bella Grace
will be where I'm inside of that issue.
Where a dream has come true.


*****

Trust yourself to dream.
Trust that desire enough to share it.
Share it with those that will fan the flame.
That will encourage you and whisper
their strong belief in you.

With that powerful energy surrounding you,
watch your dream explode into reality
 and place you exactly
 where you imagined you could be.

Tracy(Cedara)Dunn

Thru the Attic Door
{A Collection of Primitives, 

Mixed Media Paintings and more}
*LIKE* my Facebook Page
https://www.facebook.com/thrutheatticdoor

My Artistic Style is Shifting

My comfort zone style of artwork is typically like the above pieces.
Lots of layers and background depth. Part of the creative process that I find easy to

escape into and yet always different in each piece.
Not much facial detailing to speak of

Then one day while sitting at my art table
this is the piece that came out of me

 I had still used different papers and stamps for background.
Her face sort of just happened though.
It wasn't really planned.
Layers of acrylic paint; oil pastels,
 clear gesso and even color pencils
all going on at once.
She was fun to see come to be.
I had never done a face like hers before.
It was exciting.

The painting
as a whole though
didn't steal my heart.

Something was just a wee bit off and yet I couldn't
 pinpoint exactly why it didn't make me
 smile when I'd look at it.
It didn't get hung on one of my walls.
Stashed away with other canvas.
I needed to take a break from her.

One afternoon I brought her out of hiding.
I'd been reading comments in a number
of different art course classes that I was
part of. One that struck such a cord
with me was along the lines of it's alright to
revamp a painting into something else.

I laid her on the table and began.
Layers of clear gesso were slathered on top.
As I let that dry I began to second guess myself.
{That can happen a lot as an artist}
With a big gulp of my coffee I shook my nerves and
uneasy off and began to play.
She morphed quicker then I thought
once more paper was added.
Then I went dark with the back ground.
As that darkness happened
she took a totally different look in my head.
With fingers crossed that I would bring the image
 from inside my mind

out onto this painting,
I set to work until I finished.

She was getting closer to what I was hoping for.
Her hair became untamed.
I was stamping images into her hair and onto her dress.
Splatters of paint were happening all over the canvas.

I was mixing in colors of paint I generally never used.
Shades of purple, blue and even pearlescent paints.
I was finally falling in love with her.

A row of antique buttons was attached at her neckline.
A little bit darker stamping was placed on her bodice.

She had amazingly shifted into a painting
that I couldn't stop the smile
when I gazed upon her.
I'm getting ready to find the perfect place
to hang her in my home.

I'm getting ready to paint a few more in this
newly discovered style within me.
I look forward to sharing
the process and pieces
with you all.
**********************

Tracy(Cedara)Dunn

Thru the Attic Door
{A Collection of Primitives, 

Mixed Media Paintings and more}
*LIKE* my Facebook Page
https://www.facebook.com/thrutheatticdoor

How loud is your voice?

In the process of dusting off this blog to write more, I've discovered that I have forgotten my voice.
Sitting at the computer with coffee{liquid muse};staring for a good solid 10 minutes and getting nothing.
I'd type a sentence. Backspace. Backspace.
Stare.
Drink until last drop of coffee.
Type.
Backspace.


Oh now come on! This is just crazy.
So I did what any sane person does at 7am and only wearing their pajamas....... I stepped outside to inhale deeply fresh air and clear my head.
Well truthfully a sane person would have taken a moment to check the weather a bit closer as when you close the door behind you, only to discover it's -18C with a windchill..... quickly gasping the icy air into my lungs and having my eyes begin watering instantly.
Inside....I can clear my head and find my muse inside.
{Went down and tossed 3 more logs into the furnace}

Sitting here again and giving myself a good shake off.
I'm just going to begin writing again.
Days will be picked out to blog on. Circled on the calendar for reminders.
I'm not going to bury myself with a mountain of how and what and why.
The more I write, the louder my voice will become.
It's there. I can hear the whisper deep within. I have just forgotten how to bring her out and onto the screen.
I'm going to keep a little notebook with me to jot down ideas and brain blurbs.
Something to put next to the keyboard for when I stumble. I'll be able to open a page and pick something out. It might not make sense at that exact moment but it will give me something to write about. To focus that energy again with words.

I also am going to start sending out more tweets.
Twitter is a great way to get writing practice as it's short and uncomplicated.
Do you follow me there?
Thru the Attic Door on Twitter

Feeling better already about my voice.
It just took a little writing ;)

Tracy(Cedara)Dunn

Thru the Attic Door
{A Collection of Primitives, Mixed Media Paintings and more}
*LIKE* my Facebook Page
https://www.facebook.com/thrutheatticdoor

Feeling like a VooDoo Queen

Truthfully I had thought of just letting this blog die a slow death.
My mindset wasn't into it anymore.
When you lose that "whatever"  that brings you to sit in front of the computer and write....having a blog becomes difficult. You begin to think you are sitting in a room by yourself talking to the walls.

Something shifted again.
I've been sharing on Facebook about what has been happening with my life at the Farmhouse...... gardens, cooking, doll making, paintings mixed with daily musings. Folks were responding. People were interested.
They began making a comment I was no longer able to brush aside.

You should write a blog

Ummmm
well
I actually HAVE one and just don't write in it any longer.

So looks like I'm dusting this bad boy off and seeing what happens.
Hope you'll stop back thru with a cup of joe and help make this fun.