Memorial Day-Take a Moment to Remember

 

   1. ANZAC: Still, 2. 04ITC02a, 3. midnight raid

I've never tripped a booby trap,
or stood upon a mine,
but I have seen what happens,
when you're out there on the line.

 1. Guaviare, 2. to earth thou shalt return, 3. General

Some men die real hard,
others not so bad,
but t really doesn't matter,
when you've given all you had.

   1. a little brake 2. Sniper 3. "I Have IVA "

I was never wounded,
so I never felt the shock,
or felt the pain rip through my body,
while calling our for Doc.

 1. WW II  2. Not dead until Forgotten  3. BrotherinIraq

Sometimes the pain is awful,
it can make you want to dry,
that pain can get so bad at times,
you might pray to God to die.

   1. fallen comrade 2. I love you Douglas MacDonald 3. Mourning the Fallen

I know I was lucky,
that it never happened to me,
and that someone else's blood,
was shed to keep me free.

--Ronald Murray

Hello World! Depression, Hope & Possibility

1. another 2. Hello darkness, my old friend 3. even cowgirls get the blues  4. Light at the end of the tunnel 5. Thank You

"Life's challenges are not supposed to paralyze you, they're supposed to help you discover who you are.”
-Bernice Johnson Reagon

As some of you know, these last few months have been particularly trying for me. Though not always easy (or successful), I put a sincere effort into maintaining a positive attitude throughout times like these... a life lesson, I wasn't always aware of. Sadly, there was a time where circumstances like those of late, would have had me sitting & rocking on the edge of a roof not wanting to live.. yet not wanting to die. Looking back.. that event seems so surreal.

  “Your work is to discover your work and then with all your heart to give yourself to it.”
-Buddha

 Living with Tourette's Syndrome, and Bipolar Disorder, has presented many challenges for me... the hardest of which, is fighting those 'demons' in my head. An internal struggle, that I have accepted will never cease. My best defense is self-awareness, and to achieve that.. I am constantly in the process of self discovery. As you get to know me, you will begin to see just how evident this is within my artwork... a tad ironic, considering my creativity is a blessing and gift that having these disorders provides. Admitting this, believing this, and embracing this .. is also my path to healing, my way to cope.

“The greatest discovery of all time is that a person can change his future by merely changing his attitude.”
-Oprah Winfrey

In early April, when just about everything in my life seemed so damned bleak to me.. I forced myself to begin a shift in my mental state. Little by little, day by day, literally.. just...

... o n e - s t e p ...
... a t - a - t i m e ...

I found myself waking up... that rebirth of self so many speak of, and we chalk off as silly or absurd...I found myself saying "Hello" to the world and all it's endless possibilities once again...I had found hope, where I least expected it... within myself.

"Hello World"
 Mixed Media Collage & Painting
One of a Kind 4" x 4" Canvas Panel
By Raleigh, NC Outsider Artist Chrysti

This beautiful piece, was created during that magical time. The adorable, vintage puppy with his hopeful, eager eyes.. looking ahead at what's to come. A cheerful, whimsical world just awaiting him to discover it and if you look carefully, you can see the faint image of a newborn baby behind him, a symbolic image of that rebirth.

Though this is piece is small, it took hours to create .. no detail was left unturned. It has served as a powerful, inspiring reminder to me over these last 2 months, and it's my wish now .. that it do the same for someone else.. so, it's for sale here. You can read a bit more about this small treasure in the listing as well.

“Our real discoveries come from chaos, from going to the place that looks wrong and stupid and foolish.”
-Chuck Palahniuk    

“Learning is the discovery that something is possible”
-Fritz Perls

Now go - discover something, anything ...that you didn't believe was possible.
-Chrysti

Pain, Heartache & Inspiration

"Every adversity, every failure, every heartache carries with it the seed of an equal or greater benefit"
-Napoleon Hill

116 años. ¡116 years old!
Originally uploaded by Fano_Quiriego.

Tell me this photograph didn't just utterly blow you away.

Boy, do i ever miss my grandmothers.

It's not only visually appealing... but breathtaking, inspiring, and yet still, slightly heartbreaking. A whirlwind of emotions arose within me when I stumbled upon this gem. Every wrinkle, just enhances her true beauty. Every wrinkle, tells yet another tale. I just haven't been able to stop myself from staring at her.. Oh! The stories she could tell. I continue to wonder so many things...

 What challenges did she face in her life?.. What struggles did she overcome?.... Where did she find her source of strength?....What joys, and sorrows would she share with me?...What could I learn from her?... and a zillion other questions I would ask if given the oppurtunity. So, What questions does she pose in your mind? Leave a comment, and let me know!

 This absolutely amazing portrait was a much needed source of inspiration today. To be honest, it has been an incredibly frustrating 24 hours. Actually, frustrating isn't even the right word. Disappointing, discouraging, disbelief.. are just a fistful of the terms that immediatly come to mind.

 “Waiting is painful. Forgetting is painful. But not knowing which to do is the worse kind of suffering.” 
-Paulo Coelho

"An excuse is worse than a lie, for an excuse is a lie, guarded."
-Alexander Pope

As some of you may know, I've been in almost constant pain due to a few severe toothaches over the past month. Daily calls, were placed to my dentist's office... all unanswered, all unreturned. This is after months of similar troubles with their office. To make a long, boring and needlessly dramatic story short.. The first I heard from him was yesterday, when he informed me that he was refusing me treatment due "to the complexity of my needs". He was my second to last resort. Thing is, he had no trouble working with/on me in years past. It is only when I wouldn't commit to a $25,000-$35,000 treatment plan that this decision was apparently made. It comes down to the almighty dollar, but he's using my disorder as an excuse. What a load of....

Trying to find dental care when you have Tourette's Syndrome?
(my facial tics make it necessary for me to be sedated, and more time to be set aside for an appointment)

Well, it is like trying to nail jello to a tree.

Every time I am refused treatment, I feel like the 9 year old little girl I once was, that was made to stand in front of a room full of laughing kids until my tics stopped. This of course, exasperated them. Then there was the time the substitute nun attempted an exorcism on me with a classroom full of children ... ahh, I don't miss those days.

"Two roads diverged in a wood, and I... I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference."
-Robert Frost

On most days, I am glad I had these trials to endure, they truly are part of what made me who I am today. But days like today, well.. it's just not so easy. I often wonder why I am faced with this particular issue time & time again .. could it be it's given to me repeatedly to allow me the chance to handle it differently? That,is a thought for another day.

Enough of my pity party .. it's time to pick myself up, dust myself off, and remind myself of the things in life I am grateful for. You, my dear altered art community - are on that list. You never cease to stop inspiring & motivating me.

"Troubles are often the tools by which God fashions us for better things."
-Henry Ward Beecher

Here's to better things! - Chrysti