A Reminder

Your children are not your children.
They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself.
They come through you but not from you,
And though they are with you yet they belong not to you.

You may give them your love but not your thoughts,
For they have their own thoughts.
You may house their bodies but not their souls,
For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow,
which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.
You may strive to be like them,
but seek not to make them like you.
For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.

You are the bows from which your children
as living arrows are sent forth.
The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite,
and He bends you with His might
that His arrows may go swift and far.
Let your bending in the archer's hand be for gladness;
For even as He loves the arrow that flies,
so He loves also the bow that is stable.

Kahlil Gibran

Owl tattoo by Dena & Bucks Buks Tattoo Studio

Catch Of The Day

The Power of One

I used to think that to make a change I need to do something big in order to make an impact. I justified my ignorant by making excuses: I don't have the capital to start & I just don't have the time. Until I read these excerpt from Rick Warren's devotional:

"You are a manager of the gifts God has given to you. They may be great or small in your eyes, but they matter to God. “Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful” (1 Corinthians 4:2 NIV). When God made you, he made an investment in you, and he expects a return on that investment. Are you using what He’s given you for the benefit of others to make the world a better place? Or are you just using those talents to benefit yourself?"

Last Saturday I met a photographer, a graphic designer, singers & musicians, a chef, teachers, an architect, a banker, an artist, a naval base commander who all have something in common: they share their talents to benefit street children of Jakarta. They use what they have to make a change in someone's world. Happy 40th birthday KDM!

One Fine Saturday

Never say to a child who loves to draw these instructions: to color within the line, to color things in certain color, or to draw things in a certain way. You will kill the artist in them. Let them explore lines & color in their own unique way and admire them for what they are even if you don't know what is it that they are drawing. Just say something in the line of "I like the way you draw your line", "I love your choice of color". Or use my favorite line: "Tell me about your lovely drawing". Then send those drawings and doodles my way, I'll turn them into a handmade journal, I'll capture your kid's innocence and freeze them into a handmade journal :-)

Outodbox Equation

2 large cardboard boxes + strips of old magazines, brochures, wrapping paper = 18 awesome photo frames + 18 happy kids @Pintu Elok Orphanage. We made quite a mess with the glue and it took quite some time to clean up but we had tons of fun!

Wonder Boy

I love children's drawings because they draw from their heart; there are something about their drawings that always put a smile on me and bring me such joy. It's like a cup of warm camomile tea. It's so comforting. Meet Egy, my friend. He is 6 years old and loves to draw. When we first met we connected right away through lines, shapes, shades, colors. It was love at first sight! His lines are fearless and full of giggles. I can't wait until he sees what I did with his doodles. Happy drawing and doodling love! <3 <3 <3

Illustration by Egy, Handmade Journal by Outodbox

Illustration by Egy, Handmade Journal by Outodbox

I Won't Grow Up

"Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once she grows up." 

Pablo Picasso

Digital drawing by Dena