Sketchbook blog

The Rest of my Tiny Sketchbook Earlier, I posted the first few pages of my little book that I completed for the The Sketchbook Project . Working on a silhouette was new to me.  I really enjoyed learning about the basic distinguishing characteristics of specific trees from this exercise. True Confession:  I love blueberries so much that I eat them every day! Another confession:  I have tried to keep alive an echeveria bluebird alive for some years.  Let's just say some years are better than others. Fun fact:  My Dad used to build log homes out of Western and Eastern Red Cedar. I used to get weeping junipers mixed up with cedar trees until I did this exercise. Study nature,  Love nature,  Stay close to nature.   It will never fail you.  - Frank Lloyd Wright Originally, I was going to draw more birds (a favorite subject) in this sketchbook, but I probably needed a larger format book....

Book #1: 13 Things Mentally Strong People Don't Do by Amy Morin This book has had the most impact on my professional life in the last few years.  I had no idea (nor did my boss at my nonprofit) that I would be handling over $1.1 Million in disaster relief applications over three years.  I quickly had to assemble a project management timeline, find the vulnerabilities, and create volunteer management plans that made logical sense and were applicable to Hurricanes Matthew (2016), Florence (2018), and Michael (2018), and the EF-2 tornadoes (Greensboro, 2018).   At home, we say, "Thou shalt not whine," but Amy Morin's book put more meat on that saying with her list of 13 things mentally strong people don't do.  Note:  No. 1 is "They don't feel sorry for themselves."  No. 3 is "They don't shy away from change."   Here is the  full list  on Amy's website. If you were with me at the North Carolina General Assem...