Random

Journal entry...

I know these pictures are fuzzy, but here is a necklace I put together last week. I've always wanted a locket to wear - this is one I found at the Rose Bowl flea market and I added some old charms I had lying around. It's a a very sentimental piece to me...

Plotinus

I read this in a book last night and I thought it was really beautiful. I will be the first to admit that I'm far from perfect and I have a lot of work to do on myself to be the person I want to be - but this writing gave me a great visual of how to work at becoming a beautiful person...and I find it fascinating that something written in 270 A.D. holds so much truth today...

"And if you do not find yourself beautiful yet,
act as the creator of a statue that is to be made beautiful:
he cuts away here, he smooths there,
he makes this line lighter, the other purer,
until a lovely face has grown upon his work.

So do you also:
cut away all that is excessive,
straighten all that is crooked,
bring light to all that is overcast,
labour to make all one glow of beauty and never cease chiseling your statue,
until there shall shine out on you from it the godlike splendor of virtue,
until you shall see the perfect goodness surely established in the stainless shrine."

---Plotinus, 270 A.D.
(Plotinus was a major philosopher of the ancient world who is widely considered the founder of Neoplatonism)

What's Your Fingerprint??

I've been thinking a lot lately about how unique each person in this world is. No two people are the same. Now, you may think "Wait. What about identical twins." Yes, identical twins may look the same but their soul, their personalities, their facial expressions are each very unique. I have witnessed this with two twin girls I know - they look identical but even at 1.5 years old you can tell them apart by their demeanor, their personality, their actions, etc... It's really a beautiful thing that to the outside world you can look just like someone else but in reality you are still a unique, one-of-a-kind person.

I think a beautiful example of how unique we are is that we are all created with our own, individual fingerprints - no two people have the same fingerprint! That blows my mind...with all the people in the world, how many circular patterns for a print can there be?? Evidently, a lot!

So, yesterday I started to think about how if I am a unique, one-of-a-kind person with a unique fingerprint and this one life to live, what do I want this life to look like? After all, I only get one shot! What "fingerprint" do I want to leave? (and I am speaking metaphorically now)

As you can see from the picture above, I put my fingerprints in my sketchbook and wrote some questions I want to continue to think about...
What's my fingerprint on the world?
What's my fingerprint on Caroline? (my daughter)
What's my fingerprint on friends and family?
What's my fingerprint on strangers?
What's my fingerprint on society?
What's my fingerprint in art?
What's my fingerprint on me?

Just some food for thought. Leave a comment if you want or if you have any insight/thoughts. I'd love to hear from you!

It's About Love

A beautiful quote sent to me by my husband....

"Don`t walk in front of me, I may not follow. Don`t walk behind me, I may not lead. Just walk beside me and be my friend." -Albert Camus

This speaks profoundly to our marriage and what we desire but it also speaks to our life.

When I think about what I want in life, I really don't desire to lead or to follow anyone - what I truely desire is to walk with people through this journey we call life. To come along side those I love and to be a support, an encourager, a shoulder to cry on, a friend to laugh with, a buddy to drink with, etc....

If I can journey with people in this world, if I can walk among humanity and contribute positively to people's lives, then I will consider my life full and successful. To me it's not about money, fame, career success ... it's about love.

"Blessed"

I found a piece of Beauty this morning in a song I was listening to while sitting at work...

"Blessed" by Brett Dennen

I welcome the sun
The clouds and rain
The wind that sweeps the sky clean and lets the sun shine again
This is the most magnificent life has ever been
Here is heaven and earth and the brilliant sky inbetween

Blessed is this life and I'm going to celebrate being alive.

I dwell in the darkness
I let in the light
I sleep in the afternoon and become the noise in the night
I trespass in temptation suffer in sacrifice
But I awake each day with the new sunrise.

Blessed is this life oh, and I'm gonna celebrate being alive.

Beauty

I have recently begun a study of "Beauty" - it's a word that is used abundantly in our society but I feel like it is used in a very superficial way. We describe people, celebrities, homes, clothes, etc. as beautiful and it's true, these things are often nice to look at. But I would call all of this glamour, not beauty.

Real, true Beauty is deeper than what's on the surface. For example, the Beauty of a person is not external - yes, they may have a pleasing face but what makes that face truely beautiful is the soul underneath it.

Think about a time that you have witnessed true Beauty -- maybe a sunset in Maui, an eagle soaring over the Grand Canyon, a child running into the arms of her Mother, a swan swimming across a glass lake, a rainbow across the sky,...what did you feel in that moment? How did your soul, your core, respond? Did you feel peaceful? Did you feel alive? Did you feel courageous? Inspired? Joyful? Hopeful?

Continue to think about some of the truely beautiful moments in your life as you read the following descriptions of what Beauty is:

Beauty "suspends the desire to be elsewhere." --Ken Weber

Beauty is moving and uplifting.

"Beauty is the experience that gives us a sense of joy and a sense of peace simultaneously."

"Beauty is serene and at the same time exhilarating; it increases ones sense of being alive."

"Beauty gives us a feeling of wonder and a sense of timelessness."

"Beauty is dynamic." -- Rollo May

As I've been reading, writing, reflecting, experiencing Beauty I realize that it's all around us every day, every moment. We just have to be willing to take the time to see it. This is a great quote from John O'Donohue in his book 'Beauty: The Invisible Embrace'... "We can slip into the Beautiful with the same ease as we slip into the seamless embrace of water."

So really, it's up to us. Beauty feeds the soul in a way that nothing else can. When we awaken to the Beauty around us we become aware of a new way to be in the world - we are more joyful, more whole, we find more peace within ourselves and the crazy, busy world we live in.

I will leave you with two final thoughts (not my own, taken from O'Donohue's book)...

"The wonder of the Beautiful is its ability to surprise us. With swift, sheer grace, it is like a divine breath that blows the heart open."

My goal, Erin Drez's goal, is this..."to think, feel and act beautifully in the world; to create and live a life that awakens the Beautiful."


Below are a few Beautiful moments I've caught on camera over the last few weeks...

Nap-Time Project

A little piece I put together during my daughters nap last week.

Christmas Projects

I was very busy through the holidays filling orders for Christmas. Here are some of the items I created...

This was a gift I did for my parents this year - a collage on board with a matte photo of my daughter and I in the middle. I used a crackle glaze for the background and an antique varnish to give it an "old world" feel. They loved it!

Here are some of the many Christmas ornaments I made for people this year...




These are a few of the necklaces/charms I made...





this one was fun - the order was for someone who loved sunflowers and I couldn't find a good picture/image of a sunflower, so I drew my own...



Feel free to contact me anytime if you would like something custom made for you or a friend/family member. Even if you don't know exactly what you want, we can come up with an idea together and get it made. Unique, hand-made items are such a special gift!
erindrez@yahoo.com

Honored, Humbled

Last year I participated in a monthly gathering at a local church where we would read scripture, silently meditate on it and then break into small groups to share what was on our hearts. I loved being with this group and at the end of the year, as a way to say thank you, I made each person a gift.

Well, I ran into one of the ladies a few weeks ago and she wanted to tell me something....this summer she was forced to evacuate her home due to the wildfires. She only had 30 minutes to pack up and get out and therefore, very little time to grab what was meaningful to her that she didn't want to risk loosing. She then told me that one of the first things she grabbed was the necklace I had made for her! She said that necklace meant so much to her that she knew immediately she didn't want to leave it behind.

WOW, I was blown away (to say the least). Shocked, humbled, grateful!

THIS is why I create. I do it for myself, but I also do it for others - to show them how much they mean to me. I love working on a project/gift for someone because while I'm using my heart, mind and hands to make something special for them, it allows me the time and space to focus on that person in my life. To really think about them, who they are, what they like and what they mean to me. It truely is a blessing!

And, I'm not gonna lie, it feels good to know that it is appreciated.

My goal for 2010.....Create! Create! Create!

PS -- her house was fine -- they were evacuated for 2 days but no damage from the fires.

My new daily mantra...

“I'm always thinking about creating. My future starts when I wake up every morning . . . Every day I find something creative to do with my life.” - Miles Davis