Dogs In Church

When I got to church yesterday, there was a massive St. Bernard pup sprawled out on the floor leading up the aisle I tend to sit off of. If you know me, you know this made. my. whole. day. I wanted to curl up on the floor with him (or her), but I felt like the owners might not be into it so I sat a few rows up.

It reminded me of something I wrote last summer, which I am copying and pasting below. Also it gives me an excuse to post photos of my babies ;)

Lastly, make sure to enter my current giveaway with Instead of Ashes! Girl is super talented so enter to win her beautiful art.

Without further adieu, I present to you A Black Lab Teaches Me Everything In Church:





I slid into the pew about ten minutes after mass had started. I'm a late person. I just am. When I left the apartment almost at the time church started, I figured I'd be much later than just ten minutes, so actually I was delighted with myself.

There was a homeless person in the pew in front of me, laying down, asleep, so there was a massive amount of seating open in that area. An invisible bubble of nonsense protection from whatever it is that people think they'll get from homeless people. For the latecomer here, this was great news, because it meant that I got a seat.

When I sat, I saw it; the flash of a long black tail whip up and around underneath the pew. And then my ears heard a familiar jingle of collar tags knocking into each other. And then out slid one paw, followed by the other, and bang, she was licking my feet. A beautiful black lab hanging out under the pew while her family took in the service. My kind of people. Her mom apologized profusely, but I shook her off. The only thing I could possibly think of to make a relaxing Sunday morning at church better, would be if there were dogs in every pew.

Every time she let out a little whimper, or thumped her head by accident, or jangled, or did one of the many other things that pups do, various people turned their heads, trying to place what the noise was. Add to this, the various screaming children who are either very upset, or are praising god in a way that adults somehow forget after age six. Parents who are shushing and hushing and rocking and reasoning. And then add the many other shuffles and sounds that come with a large amount of humans - jittery, cell phone having, busybusybusynewyorkers - all gathered in one quiet place. And I noticed something: the heads turning, the comments made, the stares and eye rolls and judgements. One couple got me, in particular. They were the first to whip their heads around when the sweet dog made a noise, every time. Yet they maintained a conversation between the two of them the entire mass. And this got me thinking.

Why were they here? To fulfill an obligation? Or because they wanted to be? Were they just punching in and out each week in order to earn enough star stickers to win extra good karma? And then ever further: Why do we do the things we do? Why do I do the things I do? What's the impulse? Reasoning?

I was speaking with a friend last night who mentioned they were considering making a decision based on filling their savings account. Now, you don't have to tell me about money. I'm an artist, for pete's sake. There are many moments where I'm like 'shoot I would be down to do that just to make the money'. Anyway, my answer to this was 'What do you want your life to look like? if you want to be in new york city, then be in new york city. If you want to feel secure knowing you have this check coming in and money being saved, then do that. If you want to move to, like, Atlanta, then move to Atlanta.' If she wants to make money right now, then she should absolutely do that. It's not for me to understand, it is only for her to do. Actively choose and do, based on what she wants for her life. Now, if the answer actually is that she wants to become a deep sea diver off the coast of some island but she's just too scared to pursue it.. well, that's a whole other thing. But if there's no fear, just an actual decision, then boom. There you go, do that.

I think this is one of the biggest blessings and curses of modern day living and freedom. We can literally choose anything that we want for our lives and then make it happen. Sure some choices come with a lot of hard work, a lot of money needed, a huge change, etc, but it's up to us. And there are so many choices, it can be overwhelming and much easier to stay where we're at, doing what we're doing, exactly as we are.

I'm rambling. I do this. I guess what I mean to say is: why are you doing the things you're doing? What do you want your life to look like? What would it look like if you took out a notebook and wrote out everything you want for your life, how you want it to look, where you want to be, heck even what sights and sounds and smells you want (or don't want) - what would it look like? And are you checking in with those ideas?

As for me, I've got a puppy friend here, and a blank notebook, and I believe it's high time to go sit by the water and check in with what I want, what I'm doing, and why I'm doing it. And then mayhaps enjoy an iced treat because holymoly it's hot.

Happy Sunday, friends.


Originally posted here.

Mustard Seed Sessions: PORTRAITS FOR PITS

I fell in love with Portraits for Pits on instagram recently. After a quick exchange of a few emails, I also fell head over heels for the couple that started it (and their sweet pup, Olly, of course). Steve and Evie make amazing portraits of dogs (and cats) based off of photos sent from loving owners. They offer digital or printed prints and donate 10% to BADRAP rescue, located near to them in the Bay Area of California. Aside from their amazing work to spread the good truth about pitbulls and help those in need, I love that they started this whole business from a simple idea to have a contest and give away several portraits. When we take action on an idea without worrying what will happen or how it will happen, but just take the action, amazing things happen. After reading their interview, make sure to check out their facebook page and tumblr.

Mustard Seed Co: What's a day in your life like? 

Portraits For Pits: Our days start with breakfast and coffee. When you take four years of art school, you learn to love your coffee. We spend most of the day painting digitally at our laptop computers. Sometimes we paint at home and sometimes we go out and work elsewhere. We can be found working on a range of things from pet portraits for Portraits for Pits, to a variety of other freelance and personal projects that we happen upon. 

We have a 5 year old, black-and-white pit bull named Ollydog (aka Olly / Oliver / Smally / PrinceOlly / Mr.Olly / AllsBalls / OllyBally/ WiggleButt / PoopFace / GoopGoop / SmooshFace / TheBaby / WrinkleFace / SealDog / WhaleBaby / NakedOrca etc.). We found Olly almost three years ago on Mount Baldy in Los Angeles just after a snow storm. He was standing in the middle of the road, skin and bones, clearly wondering whether we would stop to help him. We lured him towards us with some left over french fries and found that he was wearing a collar with the brand name "Ollydog", but no tags. The park ranger told us that people dump their dogs up there in the wilderness all of the time. We left our number just in case anyone lost him, but no one ever called. Olly is ours until the end of his days and a true daddy's boy. 

MSC: What prompted your business?

PFP: We both love Olly and pit bulls in general. Like many, we despise the negative stigma that people have shamelessly branded on pit bulls and other bully breeds like them. Portraits for Pits started as Steve's idea to host an Instagram contest where people could post and hashtag a picture of their pit bull or pit-mix along with a description of their dog's loving disposition or amazing rescue story. Steve and I each painted a series of 10 free portraits for those chosen from the contest entries. This contest was to raise positive awareness about the true nature of pit bulls, but there was a lot of interest and it only made sense to continue with it and donate some of the profits. We of course make portraits for all breeds and cats too with donations going to non-profit bully rescues, Bad Rap being our personal choice. We also continue to share the stories of these dogs so that anyone who views the portraits can not only learn more about their individual personalities and backgrounds, but discover that pit bulls are just as loving and good as any other dog or cat for that matter. We want to be part of the movement that shatters negative stereotypes against these dogs and we want to see an end to BSL (breed specific legislation).

MSC: Is your business/art your full time job? If not, what else do you do? If yes, how long were you doing it before it became full time?

PFP: Portraits for Pits is currently a part-time gig and only 12 weeks old according to our Instagram feed. We currently operate through word-of-mouth, but hope for it to keep growing and see where this takes us. We tend to stay busy either working on other freelance/illustration projects or just our own personal work.

MSC: What would you tell your 20-year old self? 

PFP: Well, haha, I'm 25 and Steve is 24 so we have not come too far from 20 just yet and still have a lot to learn and discover.

MSC: What's the worst job you've ever had?

PFP: I have worked a lot in retail and it's just not for me. Steve worked at a pizza place through college and liked it aside from cleaning the restroom after kids parties. I don't know if you've seen that scene from Daddy Daycare, but yeah, that.

check out their Ollydog above, posing with some recent portraits!

MSC: What's the best piece of advice you've ever gotten?

PFP: Beauty and knowledge fades, but character is long lasting. 

MSC: What's the hardest part about pursuing a "non-traditional" career? The best part?

PFP: A lot of people will question you and won't really get it. On the flip side, you're probably a lot happier than those people.

MSC: What inspires you?

PFP: Artistically, we each get a healthy dose of fresh art from the blogs we subscribe to. Both of us went to school studying Visual Development for the entertainment industry such as games and film. Because of that, we "follow" a lot of designers working at places like Pixar, Disney, and Dreamworks as well as independent illustrators all over the world. We also love anything vintage. Steve can't get enough of 60's advertisement illustrations right now. Mostly we just love to see people doing their own thing. It's always nice for us to see people who paint all day for a living, go home and keep painting. This is not just a job, but a passion.

Thank you so much, Steve, Evie and Olly! Remember to check out their amazing art and purchase one for your own pup.

Lessons In Patience; Or, How I Learned To Surrender At The Post Office

As soon as I put their leashes on, I started to doubt this idea. There was no way they'd make it the whole way, there was no way I could carry the mail and navigate my criss-crossing, zooming pups at the same time, and it was just dumb.

All of those negative thoughts meant one thing: I absolutely had to do it.

We had a typical start with Henry trying to partake in a sprinting competition that no one else knew was going on, and Layla trying to (literally) smell all the flowers along the journey of life, and me looking like I was about to be drawn and quartered the old fashioned way (is there a new way? not sure why I included old fashioned there..) with my left arm pulling as far as it can go to the left and the right arm pulling as far as it can go to the right, and the quiet whisper of the word 'help' escaping from my lips.

We had finally made it around the corner and I was sighing as we waited for Layla to fully sniff this particular blade of grass, when I turned to Henry and said, "Your sister sure does teach us patience, doesn't she?"

And that's when it hit me. She absolutely does. And I absolutely need it. And it's absolutely beautifully timed.

I like to believe I'm in control of my day, my life, and how things go. And I'm so not. Spoiler alert: neither are you! I can hear the sound of so many people clicking out of this blog post at this very moment, but it's true. I'm sorry, because I know how much you want to believe you are. Probably at least half as much as my control freak self wants to believe it.

But you know what's even more delicious than being that person who is totally in control? The person who is in full surrender. That is some yummy, sexy, powerful shit.

Our walk to the post office took much longer than it would have if I went alone, and I had to take deep breaths of patience several times. We don't learn how to surrender in one quick moment, it's something to keep practicing. I was convinced it must have been at least an hour or two by the time we got to the center of town, but the large clock told me it had only been about twenty minutes. Isn't it fascinating how freaking long everything feels when we just want to get there now now now? Don't we decide just exactly how long something should take and if it's any longer (or just feels it) we're stomping our feet in frustration. When really, in the grand scheme of things, we're just barely into the adventure, with everything carefully and thoughtfully planned out for us ahead of time.

When we made it to the post office, and I popped those letters into the mailbox, I pretty much pumped my arms into the air and cheered, and announced that 'we made it, you guys, we made it!', with the exhaustion and pride that one might attribute to, say, someone who had just journeyed across the ocean on a raft. And you better believe I hope some passersby heard me and questioned my sanity. Cause that's always the true sign that I'm doing something right.

Think of something that you think is going to be unnecessarily hard to do, and do that thing. Prove to yourself you can do it. Think of something that you're desperately waiting on and wanting to happen now and allow yourself to surrender to the fact that it's already decided on when and how and if it will come to fruition. Show yourself you can surrender.

And then throw your arms up into the air and cheer for yourself a little bit. Preferably in public.

Dollars For Doggies 2014

Dollars For Doggies 2014!

I'm so excited to announce my third annual Dollars for Doggies fundraiser/giveaway!

This year we're raising money for three incredible rescues:

Medical Animals In Need // SNARR // Pibbles & More Animal Rescue

These three rescues have really touched my heart this year. Some of their toughest rescue cases still haunt my mind and heart.

They are true examples of being selfless and a voice for animals.

Here's how it works:

1. Donate a minimum of $1 to this fundraiser

2. Come back here to enter via rafflecopter below

3. Enter in as many ways as you'd like (instagram, bonus entries for higher amounts, etc)

4. Feel really good for helping to save the lives of so many dogs in need :)

Since we've got three amazing rescues, it only seemed right to have three winners this year.
Here's what you're entering to win:

Winner A will get: 

1. one (1) custom collar & leash set from Luca Loves Madison

2. one (1) print of his/her choice from Wanderlust Print Co

3. $25 giftcard to Amazon (c/o Small town, Big Smile)

4. one (1) $35 print of his/her choice from SS Print Shop

5. $25 giftcard to Etsy (c/o The Soubrette Brunette)

6. $20 shop credit to Mod by Mel

7. $25 shop credit to Puddleduck Paper Co

8. 52 Weeks of Treats e-book from Pretty Fluffy

9. One (1) very dog appropriate notepad from Julie Ann Art

10. $50 shop credit to Poppy & Fern

Winner B will get: 

One (1) 45-minute skype Photography Lesson with Katie Rain Photography. Learn from the absolute best!

Ask every question you have about that dSLR you keep meaning to use, how to advance your current skills, and tips and tricks for getting the best photos of your family.

Winner C will get: 

One (1) 60-minute skype session with Mustard Seed Coaching.

Please see the coaching page on this blog to learn more.

And that's it! Phew. I'm exhausted. But SO, so excited!

TO ENTER: use the Rafflecopter below. Make sure to donate first!

The giveaway prizes are amazing but what you are doing for these dogs in need is priceless.

Thank you for helping me celebrate my birthday in the best way possible. xoxo

p.s. check out the pups behind this year's Dollars For Doggies. I am swooning.

p.p.s. to enter on instagram, please save and use either of the large square images on this post or just steal from our instagrams :)

p.p.p.s. the giveaway is open to US residents only. sorry to our international friends <3 donations are able to be taken worldwide.

If you can't adopt, foster. If you can't foster, donate. If you can't donate, network. We can all do something. Spay/Neuter all pets. Never shop, always adopt. Be their voice.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Lessons In Snuggling

Every morning, I wake up to a little puppy girl snuggled up against me. She likes to keep at least one paw on me at all times but sleep calls for fully up against my back, my stomach or sometimes lounging over my head (yes, it's as fun as it sounds). No one knows Layla's story except for Layla but I'm pretty sure her original human(s) left her and she'll be damned if that ever happens again (not that it ever, ever will - girl is home for life with me).

This morning, however, when I rolled over to say good morning to her, I realized the furry butt snuggled up to me was my Henry. My non-snuggler. My boy who likes a lot of space to sprawl out in. This makes sense when we factor in that he was locked in a cage for the first 6 months of his life. Kid likes his space.

My heart was just filled up with love immediately, and a thought struck me: encouraging someone to be braver but giving them the space to grow in their own time and on their own terms, while accepting them exactly as they are each step along the way, might be my personal definition of Love.

This awesome revelation was quickly followed by the pang of guilt and shame as I realized I do this wholeheartedly with my dogs.. but am not as gentle or patient with the humans I love.

One of my blessing/curses is that I can always see the incredible potential of the people that I love. I can see their greatness and that they already have within them the things they feel they are lacking. And I want to wave my arms frantically and make banners announcing it. "Hey look over here! You are already the amazing, beautiful, worthy creature you are attempting to be! Let me show you how to access that!"

And that's not my job. Unfortunately. Well actually is is my job but only with my clients and even then I can only shine a light, they must still make the journey. More over, just because I love self-growth (uh, obsessively) and striving toward always learning more about myself doesn't mean everyone else does. And just because I love someone that does not give me permission to coach them. And it certainly does not give me permission to highlight what I may feel they need to change. Not my business.

I'm trying to figure out why it's so easy with my dogs and harder with my human tribe. My dogs love and accept me unconditionally, so that's a start. And I am constantly reminding myself that they have had some tough times before so it's my duty to actively show them love. But the same can be said for people.

I remember having a similar thought about this several months ago. I was struggling to get Henry to learn something new and reminded myself to be patient with his growth, when it dawned on me that I was not being patient with the growth of my favorite human. I wanted that person to be able to be in a place they weren't ready to be in yet, and I wanted them to get there faster than they were able. When I actively reminded myself to love and accept him the way I love and accept Henry, it really shifted things. Since I'm a flawed human too, I forgot about this idea after awhile and went back to wanting him to be ready nownownow. But the good news is this great experience this morning has reminded me I get to try again with the people that I love.

So that's my current goal: encourage those I love to be braver but give them the space to grow in their own time, on their own terms, while accepting them exactly as they are right now.
Should be super easy, right? ;) If you're down to join me in this mission, let me know in the comments!