Salon de Maria Blog

Yesterday I celebrated my 35th birthday!  For some women turning one year older is just horrible.  They start checking out their face for wrinkles and lines...

Sure, it was a special day, but for me the "Big 35" is just another year.  My life philosophy has always been to celebrate each day like it's a birthday!

The fiance treated me out to lunch and afterwards we headed to beautiful Balboa Park to check out the Museum of Man and enjoy the absolutely gorgeous weather we are currently having in San Diego.  It's hard not to have a good day when you live in a city like San Diego ;) 

As I was looking at the exhibits in the Museum of Man, I was awestruck by the fact that many of these pieces survived thousands of years buried underground before they were discovered by archaeologists.  Just think, one day thousands of years from now people will be looking at our computers, digital cameras, and works of art as if they are foreign objects! 



I started to think about the mark I wanted to make in the world.  What could I leave behind that would tell people from the future about this day and age? 

Posted by Maria Palma at 10:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Artists are from another planet.  That's the conclusion that I've come to. 

In general, people who give advice on productivity always tell you that it's better to get up early...blah...blah...blah.  Sure, this may work for other people, but the creative people I know are night owls who work into the wee hours of the morning.  They're idea of waking up "early" is 10-11 a.m. 

There's something about working in the very early morning...say, 1-3 a.m.  Except for the occasional dog barking, the earth is very silent.  No birds chirping and no rooster crowing. (I have a neighbor with chickens!)  Absolutely silent...and during those hours I'm able to just be inside my head.  There's no oohing and ahhing at how beautiful the sunshine is outside.  I'm focused on the task at hand (Usually I'm writing). 

I echo the same thoughts Liz Strauss shared in a post she wrote awhile back, Reasons To Write at Night and When the Sun Is Rising. 

I would say that this lifestyle of staying up into the early morning hours would be different if I had kids.  So, I'm going to enjoy this time while I can!

One thing I've learned is that I shouldn't force myself to be creative.  It will be two in the afternoon and with only one blog post written, I'll feel like a loser.  I realize, though, that my creative peak times change throughout the day and I'm becoming more in tune with my creative and biological rhythms.  I've come to accept that my body operates differently than the majority of Americans.  I no longer live that 9-5 lifestyle...and I'm lovin' it.

Photo Credit:  Luz A. Villa

Posted by Maria Palma at 08:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

 

As someone with a great deal of creative energy flowing through me, I often find it a challenge to stay focused.  Many people have told me that I should focus on one thing, but for me that's hard because I have so many interests.  I love writing, but I also like to make jewelry and greeting cards...and I've built businesses around these interests. 

Perhaps, yes, my jewelry business would be much bigger now had I focused solely on that.  Or maybe I would have finished that ebook I've been working on for the past year had I focused just on my writing.  However, focusing on just one thing just isn't me.  I'm moody like that.  My creative moods are different from day to day. 

I think what's most important to me right now is that I just focus on the moment and be happy doing whatever it is that I'm doing.  I'm not focusing on the end product or reaching some kind of income goal - although it would be nice to be making millions a year right now! 

I've been revisiting the book, The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle.  If you've never read it, I highly recommend that you do.  More than anything in the world, what I want to be is happy...right now in this moment.  I already know that every goal will come into fruition sooner or later (hopefully sooner).  Now it's just a matter of taking the steps and enjoying the journey...and that journey is different from day to day. 

One thing I know for sure...that I am focused on being happy :)

Posted by Maria Palma at 04:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)