abundance: by alma de la melena cox

this piece by alma de la melena cox couldn't be more perfect here on pecannoot, because it's called "abundance," and isn't that the feeling you get instantly upon looking at it? those colors, oh my. so lovely.

alma says:

this artwork took me a long time to make- probably because i don't want to see the truth.
i have caught the biggest fish and don't see it on the line because i'm busy wishing on a star (or pleading!).
i'm piled high on the gifts of this world and don't always notice.
my wise inner knowing, she has my back (thank you!),
she whispers, "look, abundance is yours, reel her in."

ABUNDANCE IS YOURS, REEL HER IN.
i'm taking that idea with me into the weekend.

to see more of alma's work, please visit her blog and her website.

*thank you so much, alma!*

don't let anything stop you: by jess gonacha

sometimes i have little realizations into how i am judgmental towards other people that make me stop for a second and reevaluate how i want to be in the world.

this happened yesterday when i came across a photo of an older, overweight man wearing a fanny pack walking in some european city. my immediate first thought was something like "that's why americans get a bad reputation when they travel. god, people like that shouldn't be allowed to represent us!" isn't that awful? i'm even embarrassed and a bit ashamed to write it, but i figure getting it out there will help me let go of thoughts like that and allow more loving thoughts to come in. so, the great thing is that i stopped, and i realized that this man probably wanted to see europe. maybe he'd never traveled there before. maybe he'd traveled there a million times. maybe he just got a divorce, maybe his mom just died, maybe he just got a big bonus at work and decided to use it to see the world. maybe this was the best moment of this man's life. maybe he was living out a dream he'd had for 20 years. who am i to judge that? i don't know what's going on in anyone else's life.

i'm so quick to judge people on what i imagine them to be, dismissing people for such and such reason, embracing and admiring others for different reasons.... but we're all just people, yes? with our own thoughts and dreams and wishes and fears.... let's give each other a break!

and back to the title of the illustration: i called it "don't let anything stop you" because i imagine the guy in the drawing is visiting europe for the first time, had been saving for many years to do it, and had many reasons NOT to do it, but lived his dream of seeing europe anyway. i'm totally inspired by people that don't listen to the things telling them NO in their lives and just go for their dreams anyway and say a big fat YES to life.

my good friend teresa sent this piece over that she saw on the art in action website and thought we would all love. i think she was right! it's such a nice sentiment, yes? i do love the morning sunlight.... i think this piece would be lovely hanging on a wall by a window, as a reminder to appreciate all the beauty the earth gives us.

i particularly love early morning and dusk.
what part of the day is most beautiful to you?

i need your submissions!

my dears, after a swarm of submissions during the beginning of pecanoot's life, i am running low now! i need your submissions!

if you are a fan of pecannoot, i'd love it if you'd consider posting about it on your blogs and helping to get more artists and creative people involved. and if you are a creative person yourself, please feel free to send over your images! paintings, drawings, photographs, collages, sculptures, videos, links to images that have inspired you... whatever!

let's spread the word! i want abundance to run far and wide. :)

thank you!

seeking your path: by jodi ulschmid

So, i was just on twitter, browsing through all the tweets made by the people I follow, starting to feel bad about myself and think thoughts like "so and so always has such interesting things to say, why don't I?" and "wow, I'm so boring compared to everyone else," when I decided it was time to write a post here, and Jodi Ulschmid's painting and the words she wrote about it smacked me right in the face!

Jodi says:

"Seeking Your Path" is inspired by the quote: "Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail." -Ralph Waldo Emerson

I believe this quote fits everyone. We need to be inspired to make our own path in life and not to just be a follower. Sometimes it takes a lot of encouragement and faith to follow our heart and dreams, but life goes by so quickly so why not take a chance now and leave your own trail! No matter what happens, it will be a great learning process.

What a reminder that I don't need to do what others are doing, I just need to do what's right for me. To listen to my heart, and not to my ego. Ahhhh..... it relaxes me just thinking about it.

To see more of Jodi's work, please visit her etsy shop and her blog.
(And I also wrote about her on Pecannoot once before.)

*Thank you, Jodi, for the reminder this morning! I needed it.*

fruit market: by gina o-brien

one of my favorite things about traveling in europe is the outdoor fruit and vegetable markets, so when gina o'brien sent over this image of a fruit market in barcelona, i was immediately reminded of my own travels through europe and lal the delicious food i ate from markets like this. oh, how i love to travel! (and oh, how i love to eat! hee hee)

gina says:

while traveling in barcelona in 2006, I visited the most fantastic fruit market. there was variety, and quantity, but most importantly, there was artistry behind these produce displays. i have never before seen so many wonderful colors in one place. while most talk about the architecture in barcelona, the memory of this fruit market will forever bring a smile to my
face.

isn't that such a lovely memory? you can see more of gina's lovely photographs in her etsy shop right here.

*thanks so so much to gina for sending this beautiful photograph over for us to oogle at!*

the kingdom of bhutan

good morning, friends!

have you heard of the kingdom of bhutan? in the himalayas? it's that little country right above india and below china.


well, recently i learned that bhutan measures their Gross National Happiness, which is "an attempt to define quality of life in more holistic and psychological terms than Gross National Product," (quote via here) and that idea just really struck me. it's a way for them to live in harmony with their religion (they are the only country in the world where a tantric form of Mahayana Buddhism is the official religion.) the government believes that the happiness of the people in bhutan is more important than their economic growth and development, and that one can't thrive without the other.


"while conventional development models stress economic growth as the ultimate objective, the concept of GNH claims to be based on the premise that true development of human society takes place when material and spiritual development occur side by side to complement and reinforce each other. the four pillars of GNH are the promotion of sustainable development, preservation and promotion of cultural values, conservation of the natural environment, and establishment of good governance." (from wikipedia)


i can't help but wonder how using this as a governing principle in my country, the usa, and other countries would shift the world. or what about just using it as a personal governing system? what if our happiness was more important than our bank accounts? what if happiness was more important than being right, or being the most powerful? i like the idea of measuring my own progress by my happiness, rather than the size of my bank account or my "big accomplishments."

if you'd like to learn more about bhutan and the gross national happiness, you can find some some good websites here, here, here, and here, and watch a great video right here.

*have a fantastic weekend! i'll see you on monday.* :)