@Vickie Helm I frequently use broken pieces as focal points in my art….

I watched a video of Jane Goodall last night. It was her very last interview that was known would not be released until after her death. It was an incredible interview. I teared up a number of times. At the end of the interview, the interviewer left and Jane closed with a direct personal message to the rest of us. I believe it’s called something like “Last Words”. Check it out, it’s well worth watching and learning more about this incredible woman.

@Vickie Helm Thank you very much. I appreciate your posting this and sharing it with the community. I am rather shy and have always felt challenged by “tooting my own horn”. Thank you for the shout out. Wait till you see what’s at Shumei International Institute! An honor of a lifetime for me, and truly what I think of as some of my best work ever.😁

@Susan Kline My degrees are in ceramics and intermediate sculpture and I worked in ceramics, glass, stone and found objects. About 12 years ago I had to move from my home into an apartment and couldn’t use my kilns or glass set up and needed to find other materials to create with that didn’t require flame 🔥 and volatile gases. I took a felting class and a metal embossing class. I find it interesting that the majority of my sales are felting pieces. I love the difference in working with the materials… heavy, hard, stiff and stable as opposed to soft, light and pliable. Keeps me from getting bored.

@Karen Saxe I also start my day with saying a prayer of gratitude for the blessing of another day on this planet. I am most grateful for my health, my son and my creativity. After that, I am grateful for the incredible people, friends, “sisters” that God has surrounded me with... Especially since my dear husband passed away unexpectedly on a hike a little over 2years ago. I am truly blessed. I keep a gratitude journal and every now and then I page back and read previous entries, sometimes from years past. It always makes me smile and often reminds me of how sometimes the simple things can be so profound.

@Bulbul Varma Even though I am much older than you my dear, I so relate to doubting our capabilities and purpose.This group and platform is amazing and I am beginning to see myself and life and its possibilities in a whole new way. How fortunate that you are being exposed to all of this at your age. I can’t help but wonder who and where I would be if I would have learned this in my youth. Now I am looking forward to who I can become and what the future hold for me in the future ahead. Go for it Bulbul! We are all in this new adventure together and I feel so blessed to now be in association with all of you incredible women. Thank you all for this incredible fellowship and THANK YOU Vickie and Leslie for initiating this incredible adventure.

@Karen Yount It is an amazing amount of pertinent, life changing information presented by an incredible woman who really knows what she’s talking about and is delivered in language that even I can understand.