I am a Moth: Ryan Darton.

This is my friend Ryan Darton.
























He sings. He plays guitar and piano and bass and  adds new instruments to his repertoire constantly. He writes music. And this summer, he released his first solo album.

My first encounter with the album was "Sing to me Baby." It was the beginning of the summer, and this song seemed to capture exactly how I felt about the coming season--happy, hopeful, and a little vulnerable. Like you are aware that you are reaching for a dream that might not come true. Summers in the northwest can be fleeting, short-lived creatures, and wishing for a beautiful one can lead to minor heartbreak. Like most things in life, really. Ryan Darton has a knack for capturing that feeling in its many incarnations. If Ryan Darton is anything with his songs on "I am a moth," he is true.

Ryan Darton seeks to translate the beauty in all of life's experiences into songs. His care for life is apparent from the intimate opening tune "Summer and Snow" to the the energetic "Living this way."

The result: an approachable album brimming with emotional and musical staying power.

Ryan Darton hooks you with thoughtful lyrics and a variety of catchy tunes. He wins you over with warm vocals and melodies in "Uptight" and "Living this Way." He keeps you close to the speakers with the quiet love song (aren't those the best kind?) "I am a moth" in what might be my favorite moment on the album.

At the end of the album or just the end of your day, if you're not convinced that life is beautiful, just listen to "I am a Moth"'s closing track, Ryan Darton's breathtaking cover of "Can't Help Falling in Love." His rendition begins reverently, but quickly grows into an epic declaration, complete with romantic strings.

I'm listening to "Uptight" yet again and I can hear my kids down the hall. They are singing along. Ryan Darton's album has that effect. The opening song is an invitation, after all. An invitation to listen, do some soul-searching, sing along, and if you feel so inclined, pick up a khim to play along on "Camel's Back."

You can find Ryan Darton's album here, and watch for upcoming live shows. He puts on a great one.
Now enjoy this music video for "Sing to me Baby." It features some of my favorite scenes in LA and feels like eternal summer.

30 Red Balloons.

This year's birthday video for B took a French twist. Some notes about the production: 
+It took about 10 hours total, including help from my friend Chelsea who has a talent for wrangling balloons and children. This includes planning, filming, and editing.+The song is "Cet air la" by France Gall. I love me some yé-yé.+This is the second film in my Twelve Films project for this year. The other one is here.+Between meticulously watching the weather and keeping the film a surprise for B, I was quite a mess the week before B's birthday. Thankfully the clouds parted and it stopped pouring when it said it would; I was able to use the balloons in their six-hour window; and B was actually surprised to see the movie.

Flora Swatch Head.

Here is a rendering of my gray-eyed baby girl. Capturing her face was a lot trickier and I'm not totally sure I did it. I need to let it set a bit and I'm sure I'll revisit it soon.

Mindful in March.

Oh February. You were so good. And so crazy busy. It feels right to make this month a time to be more mindful.

I was looking through the book Organized Simplicity by Tsh Oxenreider of SimpleMom.net. I love the ideas she poses of living simply, of living holistically. To live holistically, she writes, means to "emphasize the importance of the whole and the interdependence of its parts. All the parts work together for the good of the whole, and the final result--the whole--matters more than any single, independent part." She goes on to talk about how to balance the different parts of our modern lives--spiritual, relational, emotional, intellectual, physical, and financial--and keep them working together instead of competing.

I love this definition of holistic living. It rings as a true principle to me. As I was reading it, I also thought about families. I kept picturing each member of my family, each doing their part for the good of the whole. I can see much room for improvement from this single entity lately. I don't say that with self-pity--it's just a good self-realization.

So Mindful in March. I want to slow down. I want to make dinner every day. I want to feed myself and my family more fruits and vegetables. I want to walk to school more. I want to shop less and simplify our errands. I want to declutter and spring clean and make our home work better for us.

What does March hold for you?

In Progress: Swatch Faces.

I had this idea a while back to try to boil down the colors of my eyes and lips to single shades so I could make swatches with them. I have been fascinated by color lately, and this was a fun exercise. If you ever look at yourself in the mirror up close or examine a photograph, no bit of us is one simple color. I still thought it would be possible to at least simplify to one essential color. This is just a rough first draft, but it was fun to do.

Update: new version of Swatch Head Meg.

I wanted to play around more with the line style. This is the next version.

Thank you, Sylvia.

Write about your own experience. By that experience someone else may be a bit richer some day. Read widely of others’ experiences in thought and action – stretch to others even thought it hurts and strains and would be more comfortable to snuggle back into the comforting cotton-wool of blissful ignorance. Hurl yourself at goals above your head and bear the lacerations that come when you slip and make a fool of yourself. Try always as long as you have breath in your body to take the hard way, the Spartan way – and work, work, work to build yourself into a rich continually evolving entity.

- Sylvia Plath

supplies.

really, i want to use up the craft supplies i have before i get anything new. yet, there a few things that i would really like to add to my stash.

red tulle.

chiffon.

calligraphy pens (see previous post)

tacky glue.

more little canvases.

headbands.

we have a midwinter holiday next week. i hope to organize and refresh and make some arty things with my kids.