Wednesday, February 23, 2022
Recipient:
Jose @ Trader Joe's, Congress Park
Jose: Can I help you find anything?
Me: My sanity? A few extra hours of sleep?
...
Jose: Well, we do have tater tots.
Fair enough, Jose, fair enough.
Saturday, February 26, 2022
Thursday, February 24, 2022
The BRIGHT SPOT Awards: No. 049
Wednesday, February 23, 2022
Recipient:
Pat R. @ Meininger Denver, Broadway
[Note to self: You may want to ponder the fact that a good deal of these stories start with you being in a snit.]
Getting in the car and going somewhere seemed like a good start toward realignment. My first stop was Azucar Bakery to pick up a couple empanadas and a little chocolate mousse cake. Second stop, Meininger. Or, H.R. Meininger Co., Fine Art Materials Since 1881.
Long of hair, quiet of voice, and whip-smart of humor, Pat R. was my helper in the store. He showed me what they did have for art mounting boards. He chatted with me about the business. He made me laugh. Best of all, he didn't take me for a stalker when I asked what the R stood for. (My sweetie's father is also a Pat R., so I was curious.)
The store itself was, well, restorative. Meininger has spent 141 years in the business of creativity. I imagine the bricks themselves are steeped in artistic energy.
I am also a little bonkers for pens, papers, notebooks, and other art materials, which automatically makes this a happy place for me.
And happy I was upon leaving -- much happier than I was when I got there.
Thank you, Pat R.
P.S.: This magnet really did make me laugh out loud.
I was worried it was too negative, then decided that it was too funny to pass up.
P.P.S.: A few pics for my fellow art supply geeks.
Le Pen! In colors I haven't seen before.
Origami paper. The metallic prints are swoon-worthy.
I've got collages hung up with twine and binder clips. Can't wait to try this instead!
Friday, February 18, 2022
The BRIGHT SPOT Awards: No. 048
Friday, February 4, 2022
Recipient:
Juan @ Tattered Cover Kids, Stanley Marketplace
I wanted to pick up something to read. There was a Tattered Cover Bookstore. Great!
Oh...Tattered Cover Kids. I walked back out. I love kid lit, but that's not what I was in the mood for. Except just as I was passing the front windows I saw a sign saying they had books for adults, too. Walked back in, hoping the staffer didn't think I was some kind of lunatic.
Perfect time to ask my favorite random question.
"Do you like working here?"
"Why do you ask?"
"It's just something I ask people generally."
Juan answered in the affirmative.
He likes the store. He likes the hours. He really likes his boss.
And then the truth bomb:
"Attitude has a lot to do with it."
Damn straight.
P.S.: The book I bought is Amanda Gorman's Call Us What We Carry. Also inspirational.
The BRIGHT SPOT Awards: No. 047
Saturday, January 29, 2022
Recipient:
Jana @ Denver Graffiti Tour
On Wednesday night I received a text from Kathleen inviting me to join her and some friends for a Denver Graffiti Tour on Saturday. I told her it sounded great!
Saturday: Running late, bombing down the icy streets with no breakfast, no coffee, no meditation, no gratitude practice, and a choppy night's sleep. Not the ideal way to begin the day.
Little did I know I was in for a major attitude adjustment.
Our tour guide Jana was outstanding! An East Coast fast-talker and writer, she is passionate about her side gig. She taught us so much about street art and graffiti: the etiquette, politics, changes in perception, issues around diversity and inclusion, and so many stories behind the works.
The works.
Breathtaking. Vibrant. Heartbreaking. Inspiring.
I felt like my soul soaked up all the beauty, then whispered, "This is what you need in your life. Creativity is where you belong." Made me want to run right home and break out the paint.
Now, I took about eleventy-million pictures, but there is an ethics question around publishing photographs of someone's art. Here are some artists' links. Check 'em out.
And for heaven's sake, go on a Denver Graffiti Tour yourself! You'll love it.
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