This is "My Book About Me", circa 1979.
Written by a 6-year old kindergarten girl named Sarah Rebecca Leu. (That's me.)
The book is full of facts about me including where I lived, my favorite things, how many forks I had in my house, etc. I filled it in with my big fat adorable kindergarten writing. It sits on my studio bookshelf and I get a kick out of perusing it from time to time.
One of the most important things in a little girl's life is her favorite color. Though I still enjoy pingk and all colors, greegn is my preference today. Tomorrow it might be glurple and the next day something different.
Art is still my favorite subject just as "Hurt 101: Introduction to Emotional and Physical Pain" is my least favorite subject. I'm a very good student if it's something that interests me. I am interested in gobs of different subjects at any given moment and it changes constantly, as I get bored quickly and thrive on finding new brain stimulation. A handful of current obsessions include learning yoga, finding inner peace, clean eating, old R&B music, "Friday Night Lights", the victorian era, drawing with a black Sharpie, how to make my bulging arm veins look smaller, raccoons, this blog and this blog. I am an awful student if I have to figure out board game instructions, read a chick lit novel, follow driving directions, talk politics, or organize my junk drawer.
I still have several of my 6-year old girl qualities. This can be good, and not so good.
GOOD (the short, but very important list):
- My imagination
NOT SO GOOD
- Attention span
- Impulsiveness
- Not wanting to shower
- Paint/marker stained hands
- Spilling my almond milk, water, or whatever is in my cup.
- Finding dried food on my face several hours after consumption
- Finding dried food on my face the day after consumption
- Talking in robot voice to my family which used to generate smiles but now annoys them because once I start I can't stop.
- Talking in an English accent so I can feel sophisticated. This too, annoys everyone but me and goes something like this:
"Mom, stop it!"
"Why no dahlings, I'm bloody mahd and I musn't stope untel you clean up yoah bahthroom".
"Pleeeeeeeeease Mom! AAAARRRRRRG!"
"My. superiors. told. me. i. can. stop. if. the. little. human. with. blue. eyeballs. will. push. my. reset. button."
"Not the robot! Stop all the voices!"
Sometimes I am a 6-year old in a body 31 years my senior. Only my family and a select few of my close friends see 6-year old Sarah. If you met me, you would think I was friendly and outgoing and I pull off 30-something very well.
As I said before, drawing has been on my study list so I've been goofing around with a single black Sharpie and learning how to digitally color said drawings, along with writing and letting my imagination wander into the 6-year old world of Sarah Leu.
Because zebras enjoy straws even more than I do.
We would also shoot trap wearing our matching ripped-at-the-shoulder plaid flannels and trim the split ends on each other's mullets. If I can keep my 6-year old attention span focused, I'd like to create a series of "If I Had a..."
Only this blind, wise owl knows when the world is really going to end. And when my PMS is going to start.
Sushi had a difficult time keeping friends because she was such a square. I enjoy making up nonsense like ridiculous names and combining things that just don't go together like Beatles songs and geometry.
Many of the items I sell in my vintage shop come with a story. Some of these become drawings like the one above, inspired by these slippers.
I try hard to see my cup half full as much as possible, but I absolutely have those moments when it is half empty or evaporated. Whether it's full or empty, it's almost always upside-down.
I moonlight as a professional dreamer.
When I wake up with a zit the size of a unicorn horn, I feel like Hattie. Have I mentioned that I love dark humor? Except when it's on my face.
I find the strange quirks, qualities and habits of people so charming. I did this drawing for a friend of mine who is not bipolar, nor a polar bear. She does, however, hate goat cheese and tissue boxes.
For a friend who cannot start her morning without a Mountain Dew.
Purple rain was pouring down all over him in his previous dream. Prince was holding the umbrella.
Old Blue Eyes on the ipod makes me want to croon in front of my mirror wearing my fedora. (Hey mirror, wanna hang out Friday?)
I'm a sucker for dots and plaid. And fuzzy caterpillars.
Totally crushing on Bill Withers lately. "Lovely Day" has been playing on repeat an awful lot. When Bill Withers is singing to me that he is going to have a lovely day just by looking at me, it makes my knees quiver. Drawing people has always been something that scares me.
Now when I get scared to draw people or share my art, I will tell my shadow to back the hell off and go annoy a peacock. And then I will draw people. Take that, scared self.
It would be even more fun if Yes came with.
My name is Sarah.
I think life can be much more inspiring and joyful if you look at the world through the eyes of your 6-year old silly and curious self.
I say put on your best pingk glow and give it a go.