Mrs Joanna Warren

Hi, friends. (1 friend = Leila Graham…thank you.)

I’m in the middle of what appears to be a need for a web and marketing guru. I have consulted my Broygue, and he’s in favor of all new things. So, here goes.

Two things (I almost always start every blog or email with “Two things”) -

For a long time, my art has been known as JoZ Art. Although it’s not consumed the planet, the reason for this title was the Z found in my last name…my now maiden name. MAIDEN NAME!! (Which was Pentz) I feel the need to progress. Viewing business cards and the like, I’ve decided to switch entirely to J.Warren…or, something like that. Which means that everything attached to JoZ needs to go. Obviously. JoZ is just so cute. I need to transfer to a grown-up, business gal. uh-huh.

Secondly, I changed my email. No, you don’t understand, I changed it YET AGAIN. Therefore, it is no longer “mrs” but now simply my name. Again, this is because I’ve felt really unprofessional (and un-grown) with a mrs in front of it…and if I change my artist email from JoZ, well, I just need to simplify.

The final point to this email is that I may actually need to close down this tumblr account. Ok, don’t panic! (Again, Leila…) Say goodbye to the wedding days and hello to the artist professional. What’s everyone think?

I need a blog for my artwork, at least until I start generating income to have a website. Tumblr is my favorite host. (Yes, quote me. I can be photographed by my husband’s old, white macbook for your ads.) And, finally if I log out of this account, I’m afraid I won’t remember the password and will never get back to you.

All that being said, if this is goodbye, I say my farewells and please do find me on something having to do with J.Warren. I’m around, just may have to fish for me.

Toodules.

The artist formerly known as JoZ Art.

2 More Res:

Learn to crochet. By the time we decorate again for Christmas, I would like to have knit some sweet, pretty nice sized stockings.

Become ambidextrous. This would be useful for a lot of reasons, but one is painting.

I am becoming more and more interested in English and poetry. I’ve been studying my old college textbooks like I have an exam coming up. I’m wondering how this may play into my own writing and even painting.

:D

Ok, we’re day number 3 into the New Year, 2012…

I have made it through a tough and challenging year - through engagement and planning our wedding (with everyone and anyone wanting in our business!!), through financial stress-ors and holiday catastrophes…I’d say we have conquered, but it’s more like we beat them by an inch or few! Now, onto the New Year!

David and I are having more fun than we were. We always love each other, but very easily something (or someone) can slip in between our great times and produce stress and quarreling. He’s like a duck - he lets things slip off his back. I have a challenge there, so my first New Year’s Resolution is to “Let it go”. Pray. Release. And not let it bother me or get in the way of our marriage, happiness and a positive, healthy life. I am prone toward depression, so this is hard, but David just loves to see me happy and will give the world for me to be, so it’s necessary for us to work on a healthy, inner happiness that does not shift or fade. *I have a few friends who are going through hard things, right now I pray for them to make the wisest decisions and begin to follow God in their personal lives. I pray that David and I could be a light for them, to guide them to truth.

The next resolution I would have would be to say and do things that are bolder - that I wouldn’t necessarily have done a few years ago, or maybe responded to immediately, but to live out an artistic and truly creative life. NOT PROCRASTINATING!

I have a goal from last year, that is to keep up with my greatest friends who came to the wedding. Challenge number 3 comes with having two families to keep up with now, as well! So, that’s the next resolution…praying for and being here for all of our friends and family, as if we were right in their back pockets.

The next is a bit deeper. That is to cultivate fantastic couple friends. David and I have made a lot of really great changes, and have a few amazing friends who would do anything for us, but we desire people to come another step with us. This means that we need to go out of our way for them, as well, but I think we’re willing to do that in order to pursue reciprocation. Praying for these new couple friends to emerge!

I guess that’s 4. How’s that for a start to personal New Year’s Resolutions?

David and I have another goal, that is to pay down our debt. I would like to completely pay off our credit cards this year, but will require much discipline, and more than that, possible additional income…particularly from freelance work, I’d imagine.

I’d like to purchase a new iPhone and iPad, and would like them to come from my business endeavors, so that’s a personal, artistic goal. (Not one that David should have on his plate.)

The apartment is coming along, but needs a bit more creative work, so purchasing a couch is step one, but continuing to organize, love the place, create our own look, etc. are also steps toward comfortable living here.

Anything else? I’ll add them later!!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Yesterday’s sermon topic was “Hope” - How to “Grab the Rope of Hope” instead of “Despair” or “Fear”, which are also dangling in front of you. (To grab those means letting go of “Hope”.) In response,  I decided the best thing to do would be to let go of all the other ropes (which lead to death), such as “Fear”, “Low Self-Worth”, “Isolation”, “Worry”, “Self-Pity”, “Despair”, and many more (!!), and grab “Hope”, again. This morning, I’m working on a new painting called “Hope” with that message. I’m also going to go with my husband to get us a Christmas tree tonight and decorate the house while watching “The Grinch”!! Time to “Grab the Rope of Hope”, for sure!

I’m sad that the wedding is over…I haven’t been honest with myself about that because I know most brides feel this way and I didn’t want to be like most people…but, it’s true. We had a perfect wedding! There are no regrets from myself or David…we both feel the same.

I want to be with my husband all of the time. We fight, mainly because we need our space. It’s really bad and doesn’t work, this system.

I guess the answer is just to accept the feelings that accompany post-wedding days and let our relationship breathe and be what it should be. It is hard, but best.

Everyone tells you how happy they are for you. No one can truly explain why they cried at the Ceremony. My husband wears nothing but joy on his face when we are at home, and when he’s away, he texts me little, mushy messages about how much he misses me. This is the same as before, only more meaningful…deeper. My name got changed - not automatically, of course, though it felt like it did…I did have a choice. Our name is nice! But, where did my old life go? Just like that and my Social Security card has another last name printed where my old one should be…where did that little girl go? I’m plagued with guilt over things in my childhood I wish I could change, but I can’t and I can’t even go back to yesterday and make it any different. Yesterday’s done and so is that little girl who used to play in the dewy grass at her Grandma’s house…I can still smell that grass.

1. Today I am 29, but tomorrow I turn 30.

2. Today my husband bought me a desk for my art studio and a pretty, colorful knob to put on the front drawer.

3. Tomorrow I am eating cake with my church friends and making paper cranes for a gallery installation on December 15th, which I am Curator for.

4. Tomorrow night I get to wear the wrap dress I wore on our honeymoon, the one I wore when my husband wanted me to dance with him, but I was too self-conscious.

*Tomorrow night I hope to get a second chance.

Our great friend, Stefanie, is officially IN for helping us to coordinate the events on the wedding day! YAY STEF:) You’ll love her - the best!