Kindness Chronicles May

A recent 2nd grade lesson I helped teach discussed being a "Bucket Filler".  It goes a little something like this....

All day long, everyone in the whole wide world walks around carrying an invisible bucket.  

You can't see it but it's there.

Recent journal page from my sketchbook

Materials used:  acrylic paint, paint pen

You also have a bucket.  Each member of your family has a bucket.  Your parents, grandparents, friends, and neighbors all have a bucket.  Everyone you can think of carries an invisible bucket.

Recent journal page from my sketchbook

Bird study

Materials used:  acrylic paint, colored pencils, black pen

Your bucket has one purpose only.  Its purpose is to hold your good thoughts and good feelings about yourself.

You feel very happy and good when your bucket is full, and you feel very sad and lonely when your bucket is empty.

Other people feel the same way too.  They're happy when their buckets are full and they're sad when their buckets are empty.  It's great to have a full bucket and this is how it works...

You need your bucket full and other people need you to fill their bucket.  

So, how do you fill a bucket?

I asked my 3 year what I should draw one day and she said an owl!  So that's what I drew...

You fill a bucket when you show love to someone, when you say or do something kind, or even when you give someone a smile. That's being a bucket filler. 

When you make someone feel special, you are filling a bucket.

But, you can also dip into a bucket and take out some good feelings.  You dip into a bucket when you say or do mean things, or even when you ignore someone.  That's being a bucket dipper.

Many people who dip have an empty bucket.  They think they can fill their own bucket by dipping into someone else's, but that will never work.  You never fill your bucket when you dip into someone else's.

But guess what... when you fill someone's bucket, you fill your own bucket too!  You feel good when you help others feel good.

All day long we are either filling up or dipping into each other's buckets by what we say and what we do.  Try to fill a bucket and see what happens.

Recent journal page from my sketchbook.

A bucket of kindness, love, flowers, and sunshine...

Bucket filling makes everyone feel good.  So why not decide to be a bucket filler today and every day?  Just start each day by saying to yourself, "I'm going to do something to fill someone's bucket today."

And at the end of each day, ask yourself,

"Did I fill a bucket today?"

"Yes, I did!"  That's the life of a bucket filler...and that's YOU!

This was a really awesome lesson for our 2nd grade class.  They were able to grasp the concept very quickly!  I enjoyed the fresh perspective on being kind to others!  It certainly stuck with me.

Thanks to Pam Russell, our Children's Minister for such a wonderful lesson!

trying to be a bucket filler each and everyday on this artist holiday,

hannah

Cupcakes and Ladybugs

You just never know the combination you will see on this blog!  I always enjoy trying to mix it up!

What have I been up to lately?....

painting with acrylics!

I am always reading a variety of inspirational websites, books or emails and I keep seeing the same phrase over and over again.  (Which I truly believe is for me to keep reminding myself!)

The power is within

Such a powerful phrase, maybe even a mantra for me and my creative abilities.

I am always trying to gain more self-confidence in my art making ability, so I decided I wanted to put my abilities to the test...

Create 2 paintings that are representational and not abstract.  (Representational meaning when we look at the same painting, we all see the same thing and abstract meaning everyone sees something completely different.) This also coincided with 2 gifts I wanted to make for 2 of my cousins and their children.  (one on the way)  The subject matters: cupcakes for the soon to be newborn Lily and ladybugs for soon to be 3 year old Grace.

My idea was to create a pattern with them both, sort of graphic, playful and child-like.

Lily's Cupcakes

Materials used:  Acrylic paint, Paint Pen

I wanted it to look like cupcakes but not a photograph of one.

I always "wrap" the image around the edges of the canvas.  I think it adds another dimension to the painting by creating angles of the images.

I am saying through my signature "I did this and I am proud to put my name on it".  This concept took me many years to realize.  You should create your own signature as well and put it on everything you do!

I wrote the title and the TO and FROM on the back as well as one more signature and year.

My other painting is...

Ladybugs for Grace

Materials used:  Acrylic Paints

I used a large, circular plastic lid as the template for the ladybugs body.  Whereas for the cupcakes I created a foam stamp as my template and painted over it many times.

No paint pen here.  I painted several layers and then went back with black on the lid to create the outline.  I free-hand painted the ladybugs heads, legs and antennas.

I added the speckles at the very end on both paintings to create that fun and even messy child-like look.  There is glitter on both paintings as well to give it a really cool shimmer effect!

Grace's message on the back.

Thanks Renee' and Crystal for all your support!  Love you and your girls!!

So, I put my mind to it and I did it!  The power and determination was within!  (These paintings were my 2nd attempts on both by the way.)  I stuck with it and found a creative solution to each aesthetic problem I encountered.  Sure, I learned from my mistakes and will do it differently next time.  But maybe even more importantly; I made a goal and achieved it.  That always feels so good!

it's never too late to learn that the power is within yourself on this artist holiday,

hannah