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Ordinary Things by Ana Guardia

“Every artist was first an amateur.”

To be an artist one has to find beauty in ordinary things. Find 10 things of great beauty in the landscape that surrounds you. For example, crumple sheets on your bed in the morning, the smell of coffee making its way around a busy office.

(Author: Ana Guardia)


I live in Arizona - there’s a lot of beauty to be had.

From what I experienced today:

1. The green Ocotillos that line our work parking lot. They look so fresh (at least most of them do).

2. The new Hyundai Sonata. It’s so pretty. And, it haunts me. I see it on the road all the time and I stare and drool.

3. The wallpaper on my Mac. It’s one of their standard pictures but I think it’s just lovely. It’s a ladybug sitting on the edge of a leaf.

4. Camelback Mountain. We have a great view of it from our receptionist area that I see every time I leave the building. It’s always magnificent.

5. My group work photos. There are three that I’ve put together on my wall: a group of employees at Friday’s Front Row, our old IT team after bowling and my former employee recognition committee. A lot of the people have moved on but it’s nice to notice them and remember the good times we had.

6. My feline baby. I think cats are so elegantly fluid and I love watching George stalk one of her toys or come to attention at the window when something outside fascinates her.

7. My human baby. Today is my son’s birthday so I took a picture of a picture to post online. It was his first Christmas and he was so little (except for his giant head) and surrounded by too many toys for a child that age. Wonderful memories from that time go with that picture.

8. My newest lia sophia ring. I actually got distracted in a meeting when it caught my eye. It has beautiful shades of blues and sparkles so prettily.

9. Silence. I’m usually the last or second to last person to leave the office. There’s something soothing about working without any noise to distract you. No phones, no chatter, no people moving around.

10. To be experienced - that last sigh caused by your heading hitting your pillow as you prepare to travel to the land of nod.

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