My Mother passed away

It’s been a while since I’ve posted. This year my Mother Donna Claire Crooke passed away. Trying to find a way to talk about it is not easy. She adopted me when I was just days old to give me a chance at life.  She was an amazing woman that has left a mark on many people’s lives. Her and my dad Bill Jack Crooke were great parents and showed me love and everything a kid could want. In a way I only feel like I’m starting to grieve. Shock seems to take over with the passing of a loved one. My mind seemed to go on a strange auto pilot and not come out of it for a while. I think God does that for us so we can still manage to provide for ourselves and others around us in a time of need. Mom loved to laugh, go to the movies, read the bible, but mostly help people. She took care of foster kids for over 20 years and then took care of elderly people for over 30. She spent her life opening up her home to strangers that needed help and was always looking for that person that needed her. Sometimes it would drive me crazy how should would give so much and get taken advantage of. Finally I realized that she had the heart of a nurse and God’s love in her to give to others and that wasn’t ever going to change. She would forgive people over and over all the time. I miss her smile and her energy and just her being her. She’s with God now so I don’t feel bad for her, she went very quickly. It just won’t be the same without her here. God is good though and He heals things in different ways all the time. I just wanted to share that with all you. Thank you for taking the time to read this. I hope you have a blessed day :) God Bless, Rosco “Carrico” Crooke

Mom Donna Crooke in a tie dye

My Mom Donna Crooke in a tie dye I made for her. She loved wearing this and shocking people with it. It wasn’t her usual type of clothing to wear. She thought it was lots of fun and made her feel good to have it on.

Thanksgiving, holidays and being single

Every year when the holidays roll around many people get excited or at least pretend to. What I’m finding in myself is for about the past handful of years, holidays are REALLY STRONG reminder of something. That something is that I’m single and being surrounded by couples that are happily enjoying time together, sometimes pushes me in a very certain core way. I love my family and I’m very happy, honored, and blessed to have them. It doesn’t change the fact that I’m alone in a sense. I have God, family, and friends :) That’s more than many people have and I’m more better off living in America with an opportunity to chase down a dream  of mine. All of that is true and yet it doesn’t change being alone. Something you read very early in the bible is God looking down and seeing Adam alone and God knows it’s not good for him to be alone. How can that not stick with someone when they read it? Holidays seem to be now a time of reflecting on all the mistakes I’ve made and why I’m now alone. I have no one else to blame but myself and that’s a fact. Over the years I chose to work a graveyard shift for 14 out of my 36 years of being alive. It’s probably not shocking that women aren’t crazy about being on a graveyard schedule. You can’t take a woman out to very many places a 3:30am, it just doesn’t go over very well. I guess one good thing is that it’s giving me inspiration for several paintings I’m working on. “All things work together for good to them that are called according to God’s purpose, to them that are called according to His name.” So I need to keep that in mind, while there is loneliness now it doesn’t mean it will remain forever. It might be and most likely is that I needed alot of work before I would be ready for the right woman. When I worked for the government I started listening to sermons all through the night at work. Not all the time, but sometimes it would be for long stretches, it was the only thing that kept me a little bit sane. Now I’m about ready to chase a rabbit trail in a story, I’ll save it for some other time. I know that I need to remember to be grateful during the holidays that I have so much family that really loves me. It’s easy to feel sorry for one self, but the truth is I should just feel blessed, because that’s exactly what I am. Blessed,saved,protected,provided, by God Himself and He is always with me. He withholds nothing good from me, all things in His perfect time.     What are some of your thoughts on loneliness, God, holidays, any one or all of thee above?

Paint of my face, that's all I have to say.

Paint of my face, that’s all I have to say.

14 years of fear and darkness

Lately I’ve been meeting new people online and in person and the topic of what I did in the past always comes up. I don’t want to bore people with all the details and the truth is, most of it is a flash. I started a job at a convenience store after I had enough of college and quit. I was 20 years old and found myself on the Graveyard Shift, because of fear I stayed working at this job for about 7 years. That’s right, seven years working at a convenience store on the graveyard shift and somehow I had it in my mind that it was were I needed to be. Truth is I wrapped up a bunch of lies and lived with them to keep me warm. Fear has a way of taking control of you and then you start to rely on it and almost look forward to it. Many people would argue that, but that’s because they haven’t taken the time to think about it. Almost every time you suggest something new to someone they immediately rely on fear to help them sort out their decision making process. People that talk about the pro’s and con’s, that’s a load of crap all the way!!! That’s just another way of talking yourself into or out of something. Have you ever seen the silly little things people will count as a pro? It’s fear, it’s fear, it’s fear all the time. A plane could fall out of the sky and kill me write now as I type this, but why live in the fear of that. Same goes for so many opportunities out there, what if this, what if that, what about him, what about her? All these little things that come to help control ever single choice we make. The problem is “not looking high enough for answers to choices” I mean that in several ways. The first one is simply looking at what you really want! If you have a big dream, why not go after it??? People come up with the most stupid reason why not to go after something. When they do that, they are relying and loving their fear. The fear now is their ally and it’s protecting them from chance of any kind. This makes the person feel comfortable and confident in the choice they’ve taken. I could go on and on, but I need to stop. The one good thing is all this darkness and fear is now coming out in some of my artwork in a positive way.

Art work picture One small drop of fear

This is my latest art work. A painting titled,”One small drop of fear”

I said all that because that was me for the 7 years I worked at the convenience store on graveyard shift. Then I finally quit after I couldn’t take the crazy scratch ticket players, crack heads, tweekers, drunks, and overall poopy people,lol. I worked a bit here and there for about 8 months I think, then I went to work as a temp at the post office. Wow!!!!!!!!!!!!! For everyone that thinks they don’t work much at the post office, they are wrong!!!! I can say many bad things about working in that place, but the people in general do work very hard. One reason why it may have been different were I worked was that it was a “processing center” so we had to get mail ready for 50+ other post offices. It was a 24hour operation and we would work 12 hours or more 6 days a week when I started. That was mostly the “casuals” as they called us. Then I got hired on as a PTF (part time flexible) sounds nice doesn’t it,lol? Well, I worked 60+hours a week to start as well. So it was long hard work and I made good money, but I had ZERO life!!!!!! That went on for a few years, then the next few I worked less hours, but it was still graveyard shift and almost impossible to make a life. People don’t really like to get up at midnight and go out for coffee generally :) So making connections outside of your other graveyarders is almost impossible. I stayed working at the USPS all that time because of fear. I knew in my first year I should quit and I stayed because of the false sense of security it gave. When I went to college it was to learn business so I could have my own someday. And I had always wanted to make movies that would change the world, all those ideas got lost in my fear. Then one day things started to change, but that’s for my next blog post, “When things started to change” You’ve just learned more about Carricocreations and me Rosco “Carrico” Crooke. What about you? Have you ever lived in any kind of darkness for long? Have you ever been controlled by fear? P.S. Here’s a link to a blog post I did for a friend recently. Check it out sometime :)  http://artgroupi.blogspot.com/2013/11/artists-in-their-own-words-rosco-crooke.html

I look forward to your comments about what kind of darkness and fear you’ve been in. It’s something to always be exploring and figuring out, so you can move past it!
Where to buy paintings by Rosco “Carrico” Crooke”
Rosco “Carrico” Crooke’s website

 

Freeing up your time by getting things done!

This is a picture of creating "The Creative Workshop" sign.

This is a picture of creating “The Creative Workshop” sign.

The more I work on finishing a huge “to do list” I created months ago, the more free I now feel to just create. While creating is always the major goal in mind, it’s often put on the back burner with worrying one way or another about other things getting done. Without certain things out of the way it almost seems impossible to “give myself permission” to simply CREATE! I’m thinking now that everything that’s been going on with my “to do list” and working on creative art projects has been exactly what I needed. Everyone has a different “creative process” on how they get things done. For some people it might be much easier and maybe they don’t need lists to help remind them of what they need to do. What I’m learning is that I do and that’s alright, now I embrace it and it’s helping me with now working on video, making some tie dye, and finishing a few paintings. I also seem to like to make things in three or four it seems. It’s like I need something very serious to work on, very colorful, very spiritual, and then a inner random piece that I don’t really know how to explain. This helps me relax on each piece and helps me not feel a need to incorporate all those things into a single piece, but separate pieces and keep them honest. The more I make and the more I think about “the process” in itself, the more I am learning about myself and how much more work I need on me,lol. Everyone is a work in progress though and that’s why God doesn’t give up on us. He is always bending and shaping us into something useful for His Glory and that is a great thing to lean on. Hopefully in the next few days I’ll be able to share a handful of my new creations and you can see what comes out of all this random and structured thinking. Thank you for reading, you’ve just learned something about me Rosco “Carrico” Crooke and Carricocreations. What are your thoughts on freeing up time to get things done? What holds you back and what helps you move forward? Love to hear what’s going on in your head and life. God Bless “Carrico”

Picture of some tie dye shirts and feel great about being able to use so many colors.

Made some tie dye shirts and feel great about being able to use so many colors.

How important is God?

Right off the bat you know this is a serious topic for everyone. Even if you say you don’t believe in God, you know others do and that people “say” that their lives are because of Him. For me I know that every thing centers around Him in some way. While I stumble and fall around I know God is always there for me to help keep me on the path He has for me. If it weren’t for God I would wildly taking anything and everything from anyone I wanted to. There would be not type of moral code or standards that I would live by. Without a healthy fear of God what can possibly hold someone back? The idea of being moral has always been so foolish to me. It doesn’t even begin to make since without the thought of God behind it. So not only is God always there to help me up when I stumble and fall. He is also the one who I respectfully fear and that keeps me on a straighter path and keeps me out of trouble.

Picture of To God Be The Glory

This room was used for drugs and sin. Now God has lead in it being something beautiful.

God is in every decision I make whether I include Him or not. He watches everything I do and He expects me to come to Him with questions and a looking for Wisdom and Knowledge all the time. He wants me to seek His instruction in the smallest of things I do. It might sound very childish in some ways, but I’m told to come to Him as a child. He is my Heavenly Father and it’s Him that I’m to seek all the time. He delights in the smallest of things we do for Him. He receives the weakest of things I do in Christ Jesus name as something great. He looks at it and is delighted! Being a Christian isn’t about not sinning and being moral. It’s about looking at God and searching after Him. When you do that you start to automatically separate yourself from sinning to be closer to Him. God isn’t about people locking themselves up in their rooms so they won’t go out and sin. He is about “living and doing for Him” It’s hard for everyone including myself to see the difference. Basically I’m trying to say with keeping God in mind all the time, life is so much higher and so much better for a bunch of different reasons. Without the knowledge of Him and all that He is and does. I would be going crazy attacking, stealing, and everything you can imagine. God is the only thing that keeps me on course and gives life real meaning. You’ve just learned something about Carricocreations and something about me Rosco “Carrico” Crooke and most importantly something about “God” Have a blessed day!

What are your thoughts, comments, questions about this post?

Art and creative projects aren’t easy to make simple.

The more art or creative projects I do. Example:tie dyes, paintings, videos etc..I’m realizing more and more how creating with so many options is alot of work. Throwing everything in something or not holding anything back is the easy part. That’s not really being creative though, if you throw everything you’re thinking onto something you end up with a mess. It’s the restraint that makes something special, holding back small things to get a bigger picture across. Many times when I’m painting I just want to go crazy with colors, but I realize that if I don’t hold something back I’ll lose the “idea” of what I’m making. That’s so important to hold onto and run with.

The Carricocreations studio, The Creative Workshop sign

Made the sign for Carricocreations studio,”The Creative Workshop” lots of fun playing with the carpet and dyes to make it just right. I really like crossing the “I’

I am going to use less restraint in a couple new acrylic paintings I’m working on and with a couple new pairs of tie dye jeans I’m going to make, but those are exceptions. Using restraint and being creative work for and against each other all the time. It’s such a weird mindset to work from when you think about it. You want to be creative, but if you go too far you have a mess. Sometimes a mess on a piece of canvas is considered to be great art and if it reflects what the artist wants to say, then it can be. Most of the time for me I’m moved by creations where I can “see” the thought that was behind or at least feel like I see it.

Creating a tie dye shirt

Creating a tie dye shirt is lots of fun. Try it a few times and you’ll be hooked.

Even in so called “randomness” there is order of some kind. Many would argue that, but the human mind works to find order in everything. That’s why restraint in creativity can be so important, doing enough to make the piece and leaving room for personal interpretation by others. That’s the winning recipe I think. You just learned more about Carricocreations and me Rosco “Carrico” Crooke a.k.a. “Carrico” :) Chase down your dreams! God Bless!

What does an artist really do?

Recently I’ve been working on a video about who artists are and what they really do. There have been so many thoughts rambling around in my head about this and it comes down to two ideas,”it’s all about creating and communicating.” Artists want to create something that they’re thinking and or feeling and communicate by the finished piece itself. The creating is the biggest part of the two piece question and answer. You would think a strong idea would be the start of any piece of art, but many times it seems to come from an overwhelming emotion that wants out. It may not look that way at all to the person looking at the art, but it certainly does for the person that created it. Sometimes the emotion is something that’s been festering for years or something that just recently happened. With all that said, there are times that artists themselves might not even realize why they are making, somehow “it just seemed like the thing to make.” Often times artists are driven to inspire others and on while other times they are trying to drag people down with them. It may not seem that way, but take a close look at the work itself and then get to know the artist. You’ll soon realize there is much truth in that.

 

So how do some of these people share what’s going on inside themselves? What’s the difference between making something that looks cool and making something that is really being shared from deep within that people would call art? I don’t know that there really is a difference. The more you think about it, the more you come to realize that even the lady that draws what seems to be a simple funny comic strip is sharing something. While it might be funny, that might just be something missing in her life and that’s her way of filling that void or maybe she really is happy and wants to share it, she is in fact an artist that’s creating and communicating. Some of the most beautiful pieces of art can come from a longing for something beautiful, not a thought or emotion of having something beautiful or being beautiful. The more I think about it, the more I’m beginning to think that art isn’t always honest.

rosco painting an abstract painting

With each finished painting I’m creating something new and sharing thoughts and emotions that really wanted out!!!

People often look at other people(often artists) in the wrong manner for not understanding them. What I’m learning is that I often looked at artists as slackers or just lazy people and I was very wrong for that. The reality is many of them were just trying to create and share what’s going on inside. Sometimes people are very shy and don’t know how to just blab out everything that’s going on, but that’s a good thing. We wouldn’t want everyone to not be shy and we wouldn’t want everyone to just be “going with the flow.” Sometimes art gives that person the necessary tools to share EXACTLY what’s going on with them. More often then not, they want people to understand and receive the artwork and the artist who made it. They just don’t have the tools to say that. I’ll never see something as simple as doodle the same way again, nor the person creating it. People need artists to help challenge them to feel and think. So many people are closed up and are just going about their day. They need art infused wake-up calls for their minds and soul stirring designs and colors for their hearts to open. People need to have the routine of their lives disturbed and if they’re brought before the right piece of art, that can most certainly happen! My name is Rosco “Carrico” Crooke and you just learned more about me and Carricocreations. God is good!
Where to buy Rosco “Carrico” Crooke paintings
Rosco “Carrico” Crooke’s website

kraftstitch stressed out in the creative workshop

Artists are often misunderstood, but that’s part of the reason they’re artists.

Emotionally exhausted and needing a recharge!

For the past few weeks I’ve been working on getting everything done on my to do list and some of the things on my to do list are pretty small detailed items. I’ve not gotten alot of sleep over this period of time and while it’s been really great, now I feel a weird wave of emotional exhaustion and or something else I can’t really describe. Right now it’s time for a recharge moment! I don’t know exactly what it will take, but there are a couple constants that I’ve found. The first one is “some time of real prayer” another is “reading the bible.” Some things I’ll also do is go to the river to just think and listen to the water and write down ideas that are running around inside. Maybe I’ll get with some friends and do some bowling and or playing some cards? Sometimes to recharge I really need to be alone and other times I really need friends and family. At some point I’ll eventually find my way to a painting I’m working on or even start a new one. And even though I’ll feel drained, that might be what the painting or paintings need. It’s weird how sometimes you have to get tired enough inside to let go of all the other stupid stuff going on. You’d think that you can learn to just relax and work on something, but the truth is that it isn’t always that easy. Sometimes you kinda have to crash to focus your energy into fixing or making something. Doing enough to be drained is a good thing and I’m just now learning that. For me lots of times painting is recharging! I’m probably just rambling and babbling, but what do you expect? I titled this “emotionally exhausted and needing a recharge” for a reason :) My name is Rosco “Carrico” Crooke and you’ve just learned more about me and Carricocreations. Chase down your dreams!

Going bowling on a night of freedom

Going bowling on a night of freedom.

Original paintings come from somewhere deep inside.

If you have pain or joy inside you, share it in a painting.

There is nothing so free as putting paint on a brush and letting it out on a canvas to share. To be able to use color, shape, design, texture, the expectation of light in low to heavy amounts is a great thing. When I can finally relax enough to “just paint” it’s so energizing and emptying all at once. It’s like getting out something that’s horrible and deep inside you. Then when it’s all over, you feel like a weight is off your chest and you can breathe so much better and see things much more clearly again. Then there are times when you have something of great joy inside you that you just want to share with people and express it in a way they can simply feel and or take in. I don’t think anyone can usually really “fully understand” what most paintings are about.

That might sound really silly to some, but even a landscape that looks really simple to some might have a totally different inspiration and meaning to the person that created it. An artist can share thoughts on how and why they created it, but often listening to them you can feel like they are holding something back. Maybe they are painting a nice calm landscape “because they’ve never lived in that kind of setting” or it’s a place that holds a good or bad memory for them. The great thing is when the paint starts to flow a part of you flows right along with it. It’s a release of something that needed out and needed to be put into form.

Warrior wounded by love. A painting about love,pain, and results thereof.

Warrior wounded by love

Art is a heavily debated topic by many and taste comes into play most of the time. People may not use the term “taste,” but that’s exactly what it really is. For me I have started to feel like I’m letting down walls and letting go of fears. The last several years I had become very “conditioned” over time by places I had worked at and or influences in my circle or even just media in all it’s forms. Finding some resources that brought me out of the fog I was in changed everything. God got a hold of me and brought some certain people into my circle. Then He brought a handful of books my way and released many of my fears away. Now that I’m painting abstract and surreal paintings, I’m able to let out and expand who I really am. I said all that so you would know more about me and maybe feel inspired to do some painting yourself. If you sit down and let something come to you that’s deep inside, you can’t go wrong!!! It will be a piece of you shared with anyone you want to share it with. Sometimes sharing is the one thing a person is really missing out on. The more I share the more I grow and the better things are. My name is Rosco “Carrico” Crooke and you’ve just learned more about me and how I think and feel. God Bless

Rosco “Carrico” Crooke’s webiste
Where to buy Rosco “Carrico” Crooke paintings

Why do people asking for help not read what’s given to them?

I’m a very select reader for sure, not a huge fan of fiction and that eliminates many books right there. Also, I’m pretty select on what kind of historical or life event books I’ll read. One of the biggest reasons for being so picky is the “What am I going to get out of it thought?” However, when it comes to a book or an article someone has wrote that I think may change my life, somehow I am totally open to it. There are plenty of worthless self-help books and things of that nature out there to read, but there are some that are really great. When I finally find something that really makes me think and or challenges me I can’t help wanting to share it with people and hear about what it’s done for them. The problem is many people don’t want to take the time to even get started reading something. They won’t even give it a chance and if the book requires them to answer questions at the end of each chapter or something, there is no way they wan’t to do that. People will ask for help in various forms, but they won’t take any time to read, think, and or question what’s going on. They don’t want to take any steps towards being better usually, even if it’s such thing as reading a small book.

The biggest part of changing your life is questioning and answering those questions. Almost every time I’ve given out certain books that ask you to fill this out here or on a separate piece of paper write down what you think about etc… or what you want to do etc…  most people simply won’t do what the book asks and then they return back with,”I didn’t really get much out of that book.” I’ll always ask if they did the exercises in the book and I almost always get those same old answers,”Not really, I just kinda read through it fast.” Sometimes it’s hard to convey something being life changing in a simple conversation. You just hope that people will eventually come around and be interested enough to make changes. It’s hard to hold back making an effort to help those around you.

 I threw this out here in an emotional reckless state of mind, but sometimes that’s the best time to share something. No bells and whistles, just real thoughts that are pressing my mind. Oh! I should make sure to add that the main books I’m talking about are, “Rhinoceros Success, Advanced Rhinocerology, Rhinocerotic Relativity, all those are by Scott Robert Alexander. You can find him on facebook or on his website http://scottrobertalexander.com/ The other book is 48 days to the work you love by Dan Miller. You can find him on http://www.48days.com/

scott alexanders book Rhinocerotic Relativity

A great book for changing your life.

The 48 days book has all the exercises you need at the end of each chapter to learn about yourself, I can’t stress enough how important that is! It helps you actually figure out what you really want to do.  As for the Rhino books by Scott Alexander I can’t say enough about them, they are simply life changing books. If you have ever thought about having your own business or simply going after your dreams, these are the books to read and live by. His books will help you chase down your dreams!!! 

Rhinoceros Success book cover pic

A life changing book that will challenge you, it’s something you need.

Advanced Rhinocerology by Scott Alexander

Life changing book for those that either hate their job or simply want to go after their dreams.