Working full time in the corporate world isn't easy when one has the artist's soul. And particularly difficult at this time of year when I so long to be outdoors, or working with windows wide open.

I was finally able to squeeze in a bit of art making this weekend with a project I've had in mind for months now. That is, creating a pair of earrings with the over-sized emblem of the karate school I study at. It's a five petalled plum blossom with three inner circles. They look very hip in that Japanese animae kind of way. Exaggerated, expressionist, not classical Zen. I'm not sure my grandmaster would approve, but I love them.



Links worth visiting today: two. Well, I'm sure there are many more, but these are the ones on my radar today.



One sent by my sister who always sends the greatest.



http://factoid.lavoice.org/heavy/



Make sure you read the first entry in this blog. It explains everything.



The other, a business of art site that I think is particularly great. Sign up for their Art Matters e-letter.



http://www.artistcareertraining.com/newsletter.asp



And finally, not a link, but a thought to leave you pondering. I received an email from my freind Robert in Los Angeles the other day with the following quote and query. I pass it on to you:



"In 'The Blind Assassin', a pivotal female character in her seventies, looking back over her life, states that 'at some point in life, one must make a choice between Romanticism and Classicism.'



I found this to be an intriguing idea, with many ramifications. I looked up both movements and distill them here:



Romanticism: an emphasis on the imagination and emotions, an exaltation of the primitive, an appreciation of external nature, an interest in the remote, a predilection for melancholy.



Classicism: adherence to traditional standards (as of simplicity, restraint, and proportion) that are universally and enduringly valid.



What is your take? Would you see yourself as Romantic or Classical? What do you think are the benefits and drawbacks of each tradition?"



I've been rolling Robert's questions around in my head for a few days now, a multilayered Zen Koan that leaves an enigmatic smile on my lips and in my heart.