Green is Universal Contest—How to vote

It never fails to light a fire under me—the opportunity to reimagine and re-create something as more beautiful, glamorous, useful and surprising than its current self. We take too much for granted. We settle for what is rather than stretch toward what could be. But all around us, secret spectacularity is waiting to be discovered. I am building a business around this passion—Swoosh by Scrollwork on etsy.com.

Now there's a giant opportunity to light a fire under more people! Etsy and the ReUser's Guide to Green Living have partnered to sponsor the Green is Universal contest. It's a challenge to everyone with an imagination. How could I pass this up? Entries are in; voting has begun. If you live in Canada or the United States, you can vote. Voting goes from April 9-15 only! You must register to vote so you can be entered for a chance to win a $500 etsy shopping spree. For my readers outside of North America—I would still appreciate your comments! Please click the link in Step #2 to leave a comment.

The website doesn't make it easy to figure out the steps toward voting, however. Lots of readers were under the impression that simply clicking the Facebook Like button counts as a vote. If only they had made it that simple!

I've put together a step-by-step below to help you out. Thanks so much for your support and patience!

1) Go to http://www.greenisuniversal-reuse.com/contest-rules and click on the Log in button in the upper right corner. In the screenshot below, I superimposed "Log in" in red because I'm already registered so that button now says "Manage account."

 2) After entering your email address and password, it's time to find me. I'm entered under the Fashion category of the projects, on page 8 of 10. Shortcut via this link:
http://www.greenisuniversal-reuse.com/fashion/phoenix-rising-ballgown

3) Scroll to the bottom of the ballgown picture and click on the box that says "Cast vote in this category."

 4) You'll know for sure your vote is in when you see the button replaced with "You voted to this project."

And if you'd like to see this ballgown in action, here's the YouTube of the waltz performance:

I'll take the rose-colored spectacles, please

Showdown at high noon, originally uploaded by scrollwork.

Damn those glasses! They weren't rose-tinted enough for me.

Have you had enough reality for a while? Me too. I do the obligatory news scan online for a few minutes every morning, but that's it. The rest of my day, unless there's a global disaster, nothing is permitted to intrude on my equanimity.

It's a matter of survival: the survival of my delusion that all will be right with the world, and if it isn't, that I have a modicum of control over any part of the outcome. (I am not discounting prayer by any means! But it's still up to God, not me.)

If I don't subscribe to that outlook, how else could I go on stitching happily away at a frock to free it from its frumpy beginnings? How could I justify creating "art" that won't feed hungry children, only my vain, selfish soul? How could I have so much passion about teaching people to dance, to uncoil their inner springs and be surprised by how they can move?

I would be irrelevant to myself without my rose-tinted lenses. It would be a constant indictment of the hours spent blogging, photographing, dreaming, seeing what could be beyond what is.

But because I choose to keep those lenses firmly clapped over my eyes, I can take risks, make short-term sacrifices, air my shortcomings, stay the course, make peace with uncertainty, and love my spouse.

I can bear the garden's barrenness in winter, the shrunken pocketbook in lean times, the thickened waist in midlife.

I can choose what to build, what to grow, what to explore, never mind if the point isn't immediately apparent, if the checks aren't in the mail, if the blog comments are withheld.

I can finally stop seeking the counsel of others, and see in myself all the expertise I need for the task I've chosen for myself. And in this, I can be irreplaceable, no longer irrelevant.

Do you need rose-tinted glasses? Take mine; I have an extra pair.

P.S.  Commenting woes! I've gotten feedback from my dear readers that their comments have evaporated after hitting "Post." Some get through, some don't, no rhyme or reason. I've already turned off the Moderating feature and spam filter so all comments can post immediately. My apologies; I don't know what else to do. Please leave me a comment on my Facebook fan page via the link on the sidebar if you've had problems. I'll report them to blogger admin. Also, if you haven't already, I invite you to subscribe or follow this blog via one of the methods on the sidebar—e-mail, NetworkedBlogs or Google Friend Connect. Thank you!

How to be a fool (and what’s in it for you)

The Doodle Fool poem and print by IntentionalArts

Scrollwork’s School for Fools, Part Three
See Part Two, Why you should listen to a fool

Not many folks take a fool seriously these days. But kings, pharaohs, tyrants, and despots knew to keep their fools close.

Today’s wise leader sets aside the chorus of yessayers to seek the fool’s counsel. You might suddenly find yourself in the role of the fool. If you have lousy luck, you’ll have a boss who hires you for your expertise but treats you like a fool—in the contemporary sense. Such people have either not heard or chosen to ignore the adage, “Don’t hire a dog and then do the barking yourself.”

What’s a modern fool to do? Here’s an idea: Embrace the role!

Do you want to overcome a fear of failure? Become a Court Jester. Are you afraid of looking like a fool? Then look like a fool with purpose and panache. Be contrary! Make fun of all sides of an idea! Buck the status quo! And whether you stand on the podium with a trophy or on the sidelines with egg on your face, you will have fed your soul and had fun in the process.

~ Timothy Johnson, Carpe Factum

There is something incredibly freeing about being the fool.

The artist is still a little like the old court jester. He's supposed to speak his vicious paradoxes with some sense in them, but he isn't part of whatever the fabric is that makes a nation.

~ William Faulkner

How do you prefer to offer help—as an expert or a fool?