1) Today I will be recording day 18 of my podcast. Honestly, I thought I would not even make it this far. But I have. I learned to use Audacity - the audio editing software you can download for free. How to record, add intro and outro (I learned there's such a thing as an outro), background music, edit the sound levels, edit my recording, and to be more natural (slowly) as a record. 

2) I finally saw Loving Vincent; and I cried. It's a beautifully done movie, with animated artwork by over 100 artists. Well worth seeing.

3) Also check out The Bread-Winner. I'm in two minds sometimes when I watch a Hollywood movie about any non-American culture; still I enjoyed this one, too. BTW, a wonderful find is this website where you can watch movies free.

4) I've been painting nudes every morning for a while, too. Some think it's no big deal, some in this region of the world say I'm gutsy and daring, and some are asking me what's the "lesson" or "point" of drawing nudes. I'm trying to break the taboo, our bodies are all we've got - even if we believe in souls, hearts, minds as having a separate identity - they all live inside this body for now. A person's body should not be shamed or abused. Plus, I'm learning and getting better at drawing figures. Check them out on my Insta page @Ghajaria.

5) I'm learning that I can be creative and free even within the parameters of some routine and consistency. Check out Twyla Tharp's book as an audio or on Amazon. It's one of my go-to books for creativity.

That's it for this week. My new objective to be able to share with you five interesting things I've learned, discovered or found over each week. Let me know what you think, and share your own aha moments and discoveries in the comments below.

xxx
Fadwa

It's been on my mind for a long time, to start a podcast. It's part new learning process and partly a way to keep me motivated, accountable and disciplined. Today, I finally did it. I've launched my first ever podcast!

Honestly, it's not that hard, but I had no clue about anything! I bought a lovely Blue Snowball microphone, downloaded Audacity, and royalty-free intro music. But, it took me all day to get things (sort-of) right. I kept messing up the recording, repeating myself, a few umms and ahhs, and stumblings. Then actually linking the intro and outro so they're not overlapping. I'm not very happy with the sound quality, I need a better room. 

I'm still new and learning, so bear with me.
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My podcast is about inspiring you and me to write for ten minutes every morning, for the next 365 days! Arghhh .. as I'm not very disciplined, this is a huge challenge for me. Come write with me, and push me as I push you to get more creative every day. I'm pretty nervous about this, so check it out and let me know how to make it better - but be kind.

Today's prompt is: You are alone. Where are you? You are curious, fearless. What will you do? You can explore. What will you find? 'Share on Twitter' icon (Jo Hudson, United Kingdom) from The Writers Academy by Penguin Random House.
Today is September 17th, 2018. Day one of 365 days!

Join me as I try to write for ten minutes every morning. Click here and follow or subscribe or whatever it is people do on Sound Cloud. Tell me what you think in the comments below, and share your own writing and thoughts. I'd love not to be alone in this :-)
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xxx
Fadwa
I Am What I Art

It occurs to me that we need to take some things for granted if we are to be able to keeping on moving forward, while simultaneous being very aware that we are intentionally taking some things for granted so that we can also be grateful.
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Does that make sense to you?
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*Knowing that we will wake up the next morning.
*Knowing that our loved ones will also wake up the next morning.
*That we and those we love will be okay.
*That tomorrow we will have another chance to do better, make things right, be better versions of ourselves.
*That we are healthy.
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Ink and water brush in my journal.

xxc
Fadwa
​I Am What I Art

So look, having a beer once in a while does wonders for the spirit :-)... but here's what's working for me on a daily basis right now:
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1. Perspective. Always keeping things in perspective. Looking at the overall picture versus focusing on one incident tgat surely does not define me or my life.
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2. Gratitude. But really, sincerely, deeply, wholeheartedly feeling this gratitude. For every little thing.
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3. Why. Making a point of remembering and thinking of why I'm doing anything that I'm doing. From business to personal stuff and family and friends. Remembering this helps me through the rough spots with people and with business and with passions and hobbies.
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4. Intention. From the why comes the intention for doing anything that I'm doing. Including writing this. My intention is remind myself and to share insight, as I've benefited from others sharing theirs.
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5. Journal. My journal is my meditation, my venting, my planning, my playing, my anxiety and stress relief. Whether I use words or art.

xxx
​Fadwa
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I Am What I Art

artwork: ink and watercolors in my journal
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#iamwhatiart #author #art #writing #artist #journal #artistsoninstagram #lifejourney #freedom #beer #heart #spirit #gypsyspirit

1) I'm way, way too old.

Fifty-five this year - but thanks in advance to everyone who will tell me I don't look it.  As I turn Fifty-five, I know who I am, although I am still learning. I know my worth, and this is not affected by social media. I know I can do much more, and my age won't stop me. I know I can look good without having to look young or younger or compete with anyone. I know appearance is important, but I also know appearance has its limits, and it won't cover up lack of confidence or compassion, insecurity or selfishness, or being overly judgmental and uncaring. 

I'd love to inspire younger women to feel good about themselves and their lives. To find ways to be stronger and more resilient. To look after their bodies inside and out, and to look after their spirits and their minds.

2) Not only am I old, but my sunnies are old, too.

I got myself two pairs of sunglasses from somewhere - maybe five years ago - and, what’s worse, I still wear them. Same goes for my jeans, bags, shoes. Fashion magazines and social media tell us that our sunglasses (and other accessories) make us look put together, or they make us look rich, desirable, classy or many other adjectives we've been told we can gain by buying certain products. 
 
I'd love for my nonchalance for following trends and opting for buying and wearing what fits my way of thinking, my life, my budget, my common sense, my style, to inspire others to do the same.

3) I don't use much make-up.

Never did. Use less now that I'm older. On the rare occasions I do get a manicure, the polish is ruined as soon as I get back to my studio and start painting. That and I don't go to hairdressers and spend hours coloring, blow drying, styling my hair.  I'm not against makeup as a rule, I just don't like it being pushed into my face - pun intended. I wash and condition my hair, and leave it alone to dry as it might.
I don't like that makeup and hairdressers are over-priced and out of reach for many women, yet women are constantly judged based solely on appearance.  
I don't like how women are manipulated into thinking they need so many products to look good (to men, to other women, in the corporate world, when compared to models). 
I don't like that most of these products are tested on animals unnecessarily because we already have enough products in this world.
And I don't like brands that support Israel’s occupation and colonization of Palestine.
 
I'd love for my minimalist approach to makeup and hair, and my preference to spend more time living: creating art, writing, spending time with my parents and family, meeting good friends, using my talent for art to share joy, laughing or simply being relaxed in my own skin, to be the influence I have.

4) I'm a rebel with a gypsy spirit.

I'd like to rebel even more, as I still find myself with my foot soiled with a little more conformity and main-stream-ness than I'd like.
I hate being told what to do, what opinion I should have, and what I should buy.
I hate that the way men do things is the benchmark for how women should do things.  

As an artist, author, business owner, mother, wife, daughter, and a woman, I'd love to inspire more women to rebel, to trust their own way of doing things, to not continuously doubt themselves and to not believe there’s only one right way to do something. Have we debunked the "having it all" thing yet? I've done a lot in my life, but it only comes together over time, now, looking back. This is when we can say we had it all - one thing at a time, may things over time.

5) I'm not quite Western, not quite Eastern, and I'm a Palestinian who has not lived in Palestine (or Jordan).

With more feet than I have in seemingly contradicting places, I don’t fit into that mold where people identify with me and I can influence what they buy. What this has given me, though, is a better understanding of how each one of us is simultaneously important and completely irrelevant in the bigger picture. It has taught me not only to speak more languages than my own, but also to understand what someone might mean when speaking his own. Not to be so quick to judge. That we have more in common than we do differences. And although it’s not always easy to understand someone’s joke, their pain is always understandable because it mirrors our own.
 
I’d love to inspire other women to have their feet everywhere, and not to worry about falling or failing, and to be more concerned about being open to their humanness and the humanness of others.  

xxx
Fadwa

Hello creative souls

I wish you laughter. I wish you lightness. I wish you tenderness. I wish you joy. I wish you peace. And enough craziness and adventure and love (and sex) to take your breath away.
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It's called grounding, earthing, or barefoot healing. So that's a thing. I've spent a large part of my life walking barefoot on the beach. 
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I have a lot of projects to get around to, many of which, like most people, I started before but haven't finished yet.

• My first novel in progress.
• Adding the finishing touches to my collection of fiberarts journals - and maybe get a gallery to take them on.
• Finish a book translation project I've been working on with a Palestinian author.
• Create the two visual book projects I have in my mind.
• I want to create a handmade gratitude journal inspired by Buddhist prayer books. I'll keep you posted about this, and do join in with your own gratitude journal and share your process and progress.
• Get the online visual journaling course setup for you.
• More courses in my studio for you.
• More visual journaling gatherings for us all! Check out the calendar and watch for info in the emails and blog posts.
• Keep learning.
• Keep playing!

Mostly, I want to live and not let the planning and projects and/or lack of accomplishment, productivity, failure get in the way.
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This is something I printed out and pinned to my white board (have a look at Inspired Indie for more on business and life). I wanted to have it in front of me as a guide to everything I'm doing. It applies to life as it does to business. This could be the biggest challenge for some strange reason. Apps are gonna fly off my mobile, for starters. Groups on Whatsapps. We need to be picky. 
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And, finally, I wish that you have enough freedom to be blissfully, wildly human.

xxx
​Fadwa 

​Hello creative souls
​I have a few things to share with you this week.
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Over the years, I have seen many discussions about art and craft. What is art and what's a craft? Who is an artist, who is a hobbyist, who is a crafter? Is this art? Are you an artist?
I've also been watching a lot of  videos and interviews with known artists. I want to share with you some of their thoughts on their own work. I won't mention the name of the artist, because it's not about the name. What I'm looking at sharing with you are the thought patterns and ideas these artists had about themselves, their work and inspiration. These are not necessarily direct quotes, I found them in interviews, articles and documentaries.

• I paint in the air and what falls on the canvas is what's left after I finished drawing.  
• I draw something because I felt like it.
• Don't pay attention to what they write about you.
• My work is autobiographical.
• Make your work all about love.

Some work with kitsch, some with everyday objects. Some were outcast, called insane, their work called rubbish. So the definition of what it is to be artist that resonated with me was what Marina Abramovic said: You need to be obsessed with making art to consider yourself an artist. That makes you an artist. But not necessarily a great artist.
That's what they - these artist - were all about, in one way or another.
What is art? Can you define beauty? Does art have to beautiful? Same old questions maybe, the answers vary depending on time and place.
You decide. You develop your own definition, and accept the consequences - mostly comprising of people not agreeing with you, not liking your work, or worse, not even paying attention to your work. So now what? Do you stop making your art? Do you become bitter and resentful?
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Second thing I wanted to share with you is that I've launched I Am What I Art website here. It's still a work in progress. I will be adding an online course, calendar for courses in my studio and the visual journaling gatherings in Dubai.
I've included a curated art magazine, art tips, and videos from famous artists to inspire you and perhaps give you a fresh perspective on art and life.
I've also changed I Am What I Art  Facebook page to a creative hub where you can share you own stories, insights and art.
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Of course, there's the random musings, art, photography and poetry on Instagram @ghajaria and @iamwhatiart.
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I hope you'll enjoy this art journey and that you'll share yours, too.
xxx
Fadwa