Book Review --- Sort Of

I recently tried reading a book titled The Laws of Simplicity by Jon Maeda. I slogged through the first two or three chapters, then skimmed ahead to see if there was going to be anything I could glean for myself from this very technical book. There wasn't.

Don't get me wrong, it is a well written book with some very good insights for today's technological age and business climate. I think business owners could gain a great deal from it, especially if you have a product to produce and sell, or need some insights in marketing your product or services. But it was a hard read (my impatience rears its ugly head here), and because there was no clear cut value obvious for personal growth, I gave up on it (and it is a rare occasion that I don't read a book cover to cover...I always feel I should give the author every opportunity to touch me).

My thinking is there are literally thousands of self help and personal growth books out there. I would probably not be able to read all of them in a lifetime, so I can discard one that is not immediately helpful or is obviously out of my league, like this one.

I am currently reading one book and alternately listening to another one on audiobook. I'll be able to review both of those soon. In the meantime, I'll keep working on my baby steps.....falling down....laboriously pulling myself up again.....never giving up.

Another Finished Project --- This Time Finished By ME

This is a quick update to show an item on my "unfinished business" list that I actually completed (instead of my son doing it for me). I've had this photograph for several years of my brother-in-law, which I thought to do a black and white wash of. I love this photo, so it's been in my head for quite some time. I may still try a grayscale watercolor of it, but because I was just trying to get myself to do something, ANYTHING, I did a pencil drawing of it instead. I did put some time in on it, probably 4-5 hours (I'm really not sure, because I started it back in February and just made myself get back to it last week), but to perfect it would have taken at least another 2-3 hours, and I wasn't looking for perfection, just doing the work.

Just so you know, I'm like any other artist that ever lived; I don't like sharing my work unless I'm really happy with it, but I do partly to acknowledge to myself that I completed something and not to belittle that in my head, and partly to encourage others to chase their dreams. If I can make myself work in spite of all my fears, others can too. So here it is....perhaps I'll title it, "Man in Suit and Hat".