A New Experiment

And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.
- Anais Nin

I'm ready. Thank you for being here with me. Please join me at my new digs, my Creative Living Experiment.

Love and hugs,
Steph
xox

Weekend Artist Date in Montreal: A Trip Report

4:45am - The alarm clock rings. Remarkably, after only one snooze I stumble out of bed and into the shower. The dog doesn't stir; it's even too early for her.

5:45am – I send a last-minute email to an acquaintance in Montreal on the off chance she may be available for coffee. A groggy D. waits patiently to drive me to the bus station.

6:00am – I pick up the ticket I bought online the day before, grab a coffee and two toasts – white bread with butter please – at the bus station’s canteen. I drag a still groggy pre-coffee D. in the photo booth with me to commemorate the moment. He's such a good sport.

7:00am – I’m on the bus, window seat, empty aisle seat beside me. The sun is shining, life is good. I take in the scenery and consult my copy of Montréal's 25 Best by Fodor’s. The trip goes by fast.

9:30am – Knowing that I’ll most likely be wandering the Museum of Fine Arts till mid-afternoon, I proactively stuff myself with a greasy breakfast consisting of eggs, toasts – white bread with butter please, hashbrowns, tomatoes, about seven slices of bacon and a cup of coffee. Oh my.

10:30am – After a quick ride on the metro I’m at the Museum. I love this place.

10:30-13:30 - I blissfully take in the Van Dongen exhibit - the reason for making the trek in the first place - and am not disappointed. His paintings speak to me. The subjects engage me. The colours inspire me to be bold in my own artistic play. I discover (or maybe confirm?) that I like portraits. I also take in the Imagine exhibit, commemorating the anniversary of John and Yoko's famous bed-in at Montreal's Queen Elizabeth Hotel 40 years ago. I don't know what to expect, but am pleasantly surprised; I am moved to tears more than once and leave feeling centered and at peace.

13:31 – Tired from museum-ing, I consider hopping an early bus back to Ottawa. I’ve done what I came here to do; I could leave now and be entirely content with my day.

13:32-15:00 – I decide to stay a while and meander the streets of Montreal: Sherbrooke, Saint-Laurent, Prince Arthur, St Denis. I enter Café Gitana to grab a coffee and a light bite to eat, but am intimidated by the Turkish coffee contraptions on the table. I leave and find a more traditional café, vowing to come back someday and try the Turkish one.

15:00-16:00 – I walk back to the bus station, but am drawn to the public library branch located across the street. I catch an exhibit by Monique Charbonneau called "Le goût de l'encre" (literally translated to The Taste of Ink) and shop at the library’s boutique. I score a three funky journals for my morning pages and a few other trinkets.

16:00-19:30 - I wait in line and hop an early bus home. My day here is done, I am content. I cross #6 off my 36 Things.

36 Before 37

I turned 36 this week. Inspired by a few other bloggers, I present to you a list of 36 things I'd like to do before I'm 37 (in no particular order):

1. run 5K
2. host a Creative Salon
3. update my resume
4. create my freelancing Web site and business card
5. save $5000
6. take a solo trip - it doesn't have to be far
7. show my artwork at a local café, restaurant or gallery
8. go hiking somewhere new
9. lose 10 pounds
10. find a pair of tall black boots
11. hike Gatineau Park's Wolf trail again
12. volunteer
13. write a personal essay - maybe even submit it for publication
14. self-publish a book on Blurb about my Urban Living Experiment
15. clean/upgrade my PC
16. see a Cirque du Soleil performance
17. get married (squee!)
18. bake a batch of Mom's chocolate chip cookies
19. research and profile ten female artists on my blog - past and present
20. publish a resource list on my blog (creativity, personal finance, writing, starting a business, etc.)
21. meet three people active in the local arts community
22. start a Creative Living Experiment blog
23. re-read The Omnivore's Dilemma
24. go swimming
25. go dancing
26. go on a solo date on a summer terrace with a book
27. write my morning pages at least four times a week
28. visit NYC with D.
29. go dancing with D.
30. go canoeing
31. make Mom's meat pie
32. take a drawing or painting class
33. go to a Bluesfest concert
34. have my photo taken for my Web site/creative business
35. do something with my mandala series - I don't know what yet
36. paint/collage at least once a week

It's a full list, but I'm a big believer in writing things down to make them happen; I guess I don't pay much attention to whether they're realistic or not.

I will be gentle with myself too. It's all in the spirit of creating the life I want and if that means shuffling things around or postponing them, then that's what I'll do.

Let the good times roll.