Insight by Alison Gelbman:

It's not about what happens ~ It's about How we Interpret what happens.

This is just Fun. I usually say that I can't draw without a reference - how would I know what to draw? But last night I decided to just make up faces. Just because I felt like having my pen moving even though I was taking a break, just watching a light easy movie (Baby Mama - It was pleasant). I drew these five faces - Decided that I liked doing it so much that I was going to make lots of them this year:

Then, while I was scanning them just now, I made this one:

Now, That one was Really fun. Just put a mark on the paper - without thinking - and then just keep responding to the marks that I put down. The face just grew - just developed on it's own.

Yes - I hope I do lots of that this year.

Celebrity status? Well, I'm wondering - what degree of papparazzi does a person have to have in order to claim Celebrity status? How many times need we be written up in the media both with and without our knowledge (all for free). There must be some sort of degree of Celebrity status - like some people are Over-the-top, but others are still 'in the limelight'.

What got me thinking about that was because I was called by a writer from the New Rochelle Review this morning. He had seen me drawing at last night's First Night Celebrations, and he wanted a little more information. So I guess he's writing about me.

And I was on the radio during that event last night.

And I remember one time about 15 years ago when I was drawing at a Father's Day Event at a very exclusive club in East Hampton when somebody took pictures and said they would be printed in some paper that's distributed out there.

And there was the time when I was drawing at a Harry Potter Opening at a Borders Book Store in NJ - I was subsequently sent a newspaper clipping which had a very big picture of a child holding up the Caricature I had drawn of her.

And the Baldwin Public Library - I draw there every year for a special Library Day - at least one year I remember someone saying that they wanted information about me because they write for a paper out there.

All sorts of vague references to things like this pass me by. These are just the ones I'm recalling just now -

Oh yeah - I just remembered about wishing I had stopped to talk to the guy from the radio one year when I was rushing to get set up at Dan's Kitefly (Bridgehampton) - another event that I work at every year - - - He wanted me to stop, but I don't remember if I came back to him or not.....

So I was saying - these are just some of the instances that I can recall off the top of my head - I'm sure there are plenty more, and there are even more than that which I never even know about.

So does that give me Celebrity Status? Well, is there such a thing as a 'Small Celebrity'? I've been 'in the news' for many years already.

Oh yeah - I'm remembering a time when I was drawing at Mitch Modell's (owner of Modell's Sporting Goods) older daughter's party. And she asked if I was famous.... apparently had the idea that I was.....

And on. And on.

Today's drive - it was the easiest ever. There was practically no traffic on the roads (Very unusual for going over the Throggs Neck Bridge). And the roads had been cleared perfectly.

Even shoveling my driveway was fine. It wasn't so cold. It was nice out there - felt like I was communing with the earth, gently scratching it's skin.

I worked at a First Night Celebration in a Library - It was nice and comfortable - Lighting and sound were plenty to my liking, I was interviewed on the Radio there (New Rochelle), and I felt very much appreciated by the polite guests.

Just goes to show once again that we don't have to be afraid to do what we've decided to do. I usually say that I learn how to live by creating the Drawings, but today I even learned how to live by doing the Work part of my job. We don't have to be Afraid! If we wouldn't have recognized it as a danger when we were babies, it's not a real danger. Fears can disappear like floating dust-clouds.

Most of the things that hold Adults back are completely unnecessary fears that dissipate as soon as we refuse to let them have any power over us, as soon as we refuse to let them affect us. Do what you think you should do to get what you want.

Best Wishes to us all in the New Year. I'm confident that I'll see a lot of growth in all areas of my Life.