Ok I am determined to write a book.First I said I needed something to write about. Got it.It needed to be something different and interesting to me. Got itI needed a new computer so I knew it would not crash and I would lose everything. Got it
I needed time to just write. Can make it.
So what excuses do I have now?
Not enough room. In the winter my work space is limited to what I can do in a recliner in our tiny cabin.As I am writing a book on an innovative quilting technique (hey there is a bigger market than you may think.) it would be nice to have the space to actually play with the fabric more. But I can at least write up what I have tried so far and some generalities that apply. I can set up my formats and work on photos of the work I have done so far.Soon (ok this is a relative term to mean sometime in the next year) I hope to have it more or less pulled together and ready to print. I have a friend who is self publishing her science fiction novels and she has become quite the expert on the publishing thing.
Expectations: I may sell a few copies to friends and probably give away more than I sell.Hopes: it will be well received and I may be invited to teach some classesDreams: It goes really well, I can quit my job, I get to travel all over teaching my techniques and become a well known artist.
But first.... start writing.
for a few more details about the subject go to my entry about the 1/4 yard challenge in "Rouches and ruffles"
Thursday, December 22, 2016
Friday, November 4, 2016
creative joy in the spoken word
I truly enjoy storytelling. I did it for many years as part of my job. Telling stories to kids around a campfire or under the stars at the environmental education centers where I worked.
It was a fun way to engage the kids in listening and often becoming part of the story. I did not always feel that way though. I resented that in a setting where we were supposed to be teaching science and natural history I was being made to become an entertainer and well as taking kids fishing and canoeing, playing four square and volleyball.
But someone changed my mind. I had been enjoying the Keepers of the Earth and other books with native American stories for awhile and the chance to work with one of the authors at a conference was great. He said something important at that conference. He said that the most important story anyone has to tell is the story of their own life. And there is no greater joy than helping someone enhance their own story through the experiences you are doing with them.
OK I turned my thinking around. I thought back to the experiences I had where others had helped me enhance my life's story and I knew that those times learning to canoe, ride a horse, sitting around a campfire singing silly songs helped me become a better me as well. I could do anything with much more joy because of Micheal Caduto's words.
I never became a great foursquare player or volleyball coach, but I did continue story telling. I took a summer arts class with it and love anytime I can work a story into something I am doing. But now I have found that as I do almost anything the reason behind why and how and where and when often create a story to go with my art or project. I find myself quite disappointed when people just want to look at the object without the story.
Maybe that is why I find so few paintings very compelling. when I look at them I am missing the story, the who, why where, how... of that image. I tend to gravitate to the artworks where I have a little bit of that, but I mostly gravitate towards creating artworks that have a story.
It was a fun way to engage the kids in listening and often becoming part of the story. I did not always feel that way though. I resented that in a setting where we were supposed to be teaching science and natural history I was being made to become an entertainer and well as taking kids fishing and canoeing, playing four square and volleyball.
But someone changed my mind. I had been enjoying the Keepers of the Earth and other books with native American stories for awhile and the chance to work with one of the authors at a conference was great. He said something important at that conference. He said that the most important story anyone has to tell is the story of their own life. And there is no greater joy than helping someone enhance their own story through the experiences you are doing with them.
OK I turned my thinking around. I thought back to the experiences I had where others had helped me enhance my life's story and I knew that those times learning to canoe, ride a horse, sitting around a campfire singing silly songs helped me become a better me as well. I could do anything with much more joy because of Micheal Caduto's words.
I never became a great foursquare player or volleyball coach, but I did continue story telling. I took a summer arts class with it and love anytime I can work a story into something I am doing. But now I have found that as I do almost anything the reason behind why and how and where and when often create a story to go with my art or project. I find myself quite disappointed when people just want to look at the object without the story.
Maybe that is why I find so few paintings very compelling. when I look at them I am missing the story, the who, why where, how... of that image. I tend to gravitate to the artworks where I have a little bit of that, but I mostly gravitate towards creating artworks that have a story.
Sunday, October 16, 2016
seeking that new thing
Every day I look around and try to notice the small things. I think about how I would do it differently or other things I could do with what I see.
The other day while sitting in a waiting area. I noticed some candle stands and I found myself thinking about how I could make a version of them using my own techniques. Then I thought about how else such a candle holder could be used.
And that launched a brainstorm of ideas and note taking. From my original idea I spawned several variations and I have even thought of several markets for them.
The only thing I have left to do is try it out.
Stay tuned and we will see how it goes.
The other day while sitting in a waiting area. I noticed some candle stands and I found myself thinking about how I could make a version of them using my own techniques. Then I thought about how else such a candle holder could be used.
And that launched a brainstorm of ideas and note taking. From my original idea I spawned several variations and I have even thought of several markets for them.
The only thing I have left to do is try it out.
Stay tuned and we will see how it goes.
Finding Passion
If you are seeking your own passion or seeking other who validate your passions then stop. For just a bit and start hanging around people who have a passion. You may never have the same passion but if you spend time with them you will see living examples of the possibilities. I am blessed to have in my life several people with passions they have followed. From becoming an expert on ancient South American civilizations to knowing almost all the species of arctic moth, to raising organic vegetables and spinning local fibers to recycling electronics, to teaching the next generation these people are diverse in their focus but equal in the joy they get from what they do. And each of these passions has a real complexity to them. They did not just sit down with a pile of books and gather the knowledge of others. They took those books and tried things and went places and talked to people and wrote their own books and took pictures and voiced their opinions. They made discoveries, and shared their information. They became the experts and professionals because of their passion and the energy it gives them to go beyond what other people do.
That is what I seek when I think of finding my passion.
Find those people and walk with them see the world through their passion and know that you passion awaits you too.
That is what I seek when I think of finding my passion.
Find those people and walk with them see the world through their passion and know that you passion awaits you too.
Friday, October 7, 2016
juried art
Tomorrow i am exhibiting/ selling in a juried art show. I am excited as it feels more about art rather than arts and crafts at a bazaar. I am hopeful there will be a big turnout and at the very least my paintings get more exposure in the community.
Selling one or two would be a bonus.
Selling one or two would be a bonus.
Sunday, September 18, 2016
small things big rewards
If you ask any crafter they will tell you about the value of the smalls. That is the little things they have in a basket or hanging to one side of their booth. things that are a small representations of what they "really" do.
These are items they can turn out quick and cheap. bottle cap magnets, coasters, postcards, rings... These often make up the bread and butter for the crafter. If I sell one $100 item in a day I am thrilled but I can churn out $10 items all day long and make more profit in the long run.
For me I can make 2 wire wrapped stones in an hour. This includes cleaning, varnishing and packaging which I tend to do in batches. There are also things like package design and printing that probably factor in there and if I was honest I probably undervalue these stone pendants.
But then I can and do make copper wire pendants from large gauge wire that take me about 5 minutes each to make them including stripping the salvaged wire and hammering the final squiggle and adding cordage. So make it easy and say 10 an hour. I can make $50 in the same amount of work time as it takes me to make $30.
There are lots of intangibles that go with making the more complicated item including the opportunity to spend time exploring local rivers.
Each item will apeal to different buyers so there is value in having more than just smalls.
I have seen 1st time craft vendors who only had smalls. hair bows for babies, clay fridge magnets, wire and bead rings. after managing to sell a dozen of more of their items they would recover their booth fee.
Yep I sell the smalls but after I sell a dozen of those I have also sold three of some of the higher end items and maybe even one of my big ticket items.
These are items they can turn out quick and cheap. bottle cap magnets, coasters, postcards, rings... These often make up the bread and butter for the crafter. If I sell one $100 item in a day I am thrilled but I can churn out $10 items all day long and make more profit in the long run.
For me I can make 2 wire wrapped stones in an hour. This includes cleaning, varnishing and packaging which I tend to do in batches. There are also things like package design and printing that probably factor in there and if I was honest I probably undervalue these stone pendants.
But then I can and do make copper wire pendants from large gauge wire that take me about 5 minutes each to make them including stripping the salvaged wire and hammering the final squiggle and adding cordage. So make it easy and say 10 an hour. I can make $50 in the same amount of work time as it takes me to make $30.
There are lots of intangibles that go with making the more complicated item including the opportunity to spend time exploring local rivers.
Each item will apeal to different buyers so there is value in having more than just smalls.
I have seen 1st time craft vendors who only had smalls. hair bows for babies, clay fridge magnets, wire and bead rings. after managing to sell a dozen of more of their items they would recover their booth fee.
Yep I sell the smalls but after I sell a dozen of those I have also sold three of some of the higher end items and maybe even one of my big ticket items.
Monday, August 29, 2016
Please say hi
I check to see if folks are reading my blog. and they are but no one leaves any comments. I am curious about why or how you found my blog and what do you think about the post you read. Right now I sort of ramble on with some of the thoughts I have while I am sewing or painting or just thinking about the realm of creativity.
Feel free to comment.
Feel free to comment.
Saturday, August 27, 2016
ruching and ruffles
To me quilts should tell a story. Even if the story is not obvious to the casual observer.
Some of my fabric creations are made to sell. cat toys, sleep masks...
Some pieces are made as gifts. Baby quilts, pillows, some are made for myself wall hangings and such.
My present project from the needle arts realm is a challenge piece. I got a 1/4 yard of the challenge fabric and the only criteria were that you could not get more of that fabric, and that you must use at least some of it in your piece.
I added my own challenge to myself. I wanted to use some of the 15 yards of assorted fabrics I picked up at the dumpsters that very same evening.
And so I decided to make a pillow. I have been playing with techniques to add dimension and texture to strip quilts. I have made one pillow with 3 d twists and knots that will become a gift to a friend.
This pillow is using some different ideas. ruffles and ruching with some of the strips.
My hope is that these ideas will translate into a class I can offer at the retreat to get some discounts on the cost of the weekend at the hot springs.
Thats is the best thing about this kind of project there are stories and there are hopes and there are chances to play and learn.
Some of my fabric creations are made to sell. cat toys, sleep masks...
Some pieces are made as gifts. Baby quilts, pillows, some are made for myself wall hangings and such.
My present project from the needle arts realm is a challenge piece. I got a 1/4 yard of the challenge fabric and the only criteria were that you could not get more of that fabric, and that you must use at least some of it in your piece.
I added my own challenge to myself. I wanted to use some of the 15 yards of assorted fabrics I picked up at the dumpsters that very same evening.
And so I decided to make a pillow. I have been playing with techniques to add dimension and texture to strip quilts. I have made one pillow with 3 d twists and knots that will become a gift to a friend.
This pillow is using some different ideas. ruffles and ruching with some of the strips.
My hope is that these ideas will translate into a class I can offer at the retreat to get some discounts on the cost of the weekend at the hot springs.
Thats is the best thing about this kind of project there are stories and there are hopes and there are chances to play and learn.
critiquing
How do you offer an honest opinion of something you do not really like?
Not everything we create will appeal to everyone. I know that so I never ask anyone for their opinion. I asked my husband once, but that did not work out well. His opinion was not useful or helpful or in anyway a reflection on how I felt about my work. So I just put it out there and wait to see what others say. Usually if there is a negative reaction is is about the medium rather than the art.
"Skulls, not my thing", they will say as they go shuddering by.
Every once in a while though my creative friends will ask what do I think about what they have done.
I try not to sound like that second grade teacher trying to figure out if she is looking at a dog or a pirate ship or maybe a depiction of last night's dinner. "I see you have put a lot of work into your drawing". "Wow that is sure interesting". "I like the colors you used."
If I love it, I love it; if I like it, I like it and I just flat out say that. Sometimes though I feel a little more conflicted about their work and more often than not it is just a matter of my preferences. So I will try to devine their inspiration. "It really reminds me of ..." "it feels like you capture the essence of..."
Or maybe distract to the medium used. "I have always wanted to try... how do you like it?"
Now if some asks for my opinion about words they use or give me a choice of which color looks best I can always offer my opinion, but I do not classify that as a critique.
Not everything we create will appeal to everyone. I know that so I never ask anyone for their opinion. I asked my husband once, but that did not work out well. His opinion was not useful or helpful or in anyway a reflection on how I felt about my work. So I just put it out there and wait to see what others say. Usually if there is a negative reaction is is about the medium rather than the art.
"Skulls, not my thing", they will say as they go shuddering by.
Every once in a while though my creative friends will ask what do I think about what they have done.
I try not to sound like that second grade teacher trying to figure out if she is looking at a dog or a pirate ship or maybe a depiction of last night's dinner. "I see you have put a lot of work into your drawing". "Wow that is sure interesting". "I like the colors you used."
If I love it, I love it; if I like it, I like it and I just flat out say that. Sometimes though I feel a little more conflicted about their work and more often than not it is just a matter of my preferences. So I will try to devine their inspiration. "It really reminds me of ..." "it feels like you capture the essence of..."
Or maybe distract to the medium used. "I have always wanted to try... how do you like it?"
Now if some asks for my opinion about words they use or give me a choice of which color looks best I can always offer my opinion, but I do not classify that as a critique.
Sunday, August 21, 2016
Watch out for Number 2
This is my self discovery of the day.
When I get an idea I usually spend some time thinking about it, rehearsing the making of it, and then putting together the bit and pieces need to make it.
But then there are times like this morning.
I have some fleece scarves I made a few years ago that did not sell. They are spiral scarves and they did not sell because there were always at least five or more vendors with scarves that year.
So I decided it might be fun the have the twirls cascading down from the top of a fleece hat. Awesome plan:
Go inventory scarves and see what color fleece I would need to get. But hey wait! look I had fleece too. So I jumped right to the sewing machine and tried my idea. Awesome! Prototype looked cool and went together quickly and smoothly.
On to the next one.
Here I tried some short cuts, that did not save me time, I also tried changing the stitching as I did not need stretch stitching on all parts of the hat.
Ugh what a disaster. thread breaking and just a mess as my machine refuse to deal with 6-8 layers of fleece at a time.
OK so a rethink. it had worked the first time, right.
So back to the zig-zag on the heavy layers for hat number three and we were back to a sweet and easy project.
SO watch out for number two, that is where short cuts and logical changes might really mess you up.
When I get an idea I usually spend some time thinking about it, rehearsing the making of it, and then putting together the bit and pieces need to make it.
But then there are times like this morning.
I have some fleece scarves I made a few years ago that did not sell. They are spiral scarves and they did not sell because there were always at least five or more vendors with scarves that year.
So I decided it might be fun the have the twirls cascading down from the top of a fleece hat. Awesome plan:
Go inventory scarves and see what color fleece I would need to get. But hey wait! look I had fleece too. So I jumped right to the sewing machine and tried my idea. Awesome! Prototype looked cool and went together quickly and smoothly.
On to the next one.
Here I tried some short cuts, that did not save me time, I also tried changing the stitching as I did not need stretch stitching on all parts of the hat.
Ugh what a disaster. thread breaking and just a mess as my machine refuse to deal with 6-8 layers of fleece at a time.
OK so a rethink. it had worked the first time, right.
So back to the zig-zag on the heavy layers for hat number three and we were back to a sweet and easy project.
SO watch out for number two, that is where short cuts and logical changes might really mess you up.
Friday, August 12, 2016
Realizing the Vision
Sometimes its not about finding inspiration or vision because that just comes to you. the hard part is figuring out how to make it a reality.
This often entails collecting materials, sometimes over several days, weeks or months.
Then there is all the work of trying things to see if they match that picture in your head. and basically I do my best to match that though sometimes in unexpected ways.
and so here is my coyote vision. not exactly as I pictured it but in my best interpretation of what I saw in my mind when I awoke one morning 4-5 months ago.
This often entails collecting materials, sometimes over several days, weeks or months.
Then there is all the work of trying things to see if they match that picture in your head. and basically I do my best to match that though sometimes in unexpected ways.
and so here is my coyote vision. not exactly as I pictured it but in my best interpretation of what I saw in my mind when I awoke one morning 4-5 months ago.
Thursday, July 28, 2016
The little bits and pieces
Sometimes the process of creating is tedious. Cutting a zillion little fabric squares, painting hundreds of miles of wooden dowels, piercing a gagillion holes, Threading a ton of beads and sequins.
All of it is mind numbing, boring, and absolutely needed for the next great piece of art.
So how do I push past that desire to run screaming form this part of the process?
Sometimes I take it in little steps. (today I will do 6 of what ever)
Sometimes I break things into 2 steps. so not just doing one thing over and over and over, but rather 2-3 steps at a time over and over but it changes the tool in my hand or the focus of my brain.
Sometimes I give myself a time limit. I will work for 15-30 minutes at a time on a task. Sometimes I make a challenge to see how much I can get done in my time allotment.
Sometimes I just do it and let my mind wander. Considering other tasks or other projects like designing cards or writing blogs can occupy the part of my brain that rebels against the bits and pieces of a bigger projects.
All of it is mind numbing, boring, and absolutely needed for the next great piece of art.
So how do I push past that desire to run screaming form this part of the process?
Sometimes I take it in little steps. (today I will do 6 of what ever)
Sometimes I break things into 2 steps. so not just doing one thing over and over and over, but rather 2-3 steps at a time over and over but it changes the tool in my hand or the focus of my brain.
Sometimes I give myself a time limit. I will work for 15-30 minutes at a time on a task. Sometimes I make a challenge to see how much I can get done in my time allotment.
Sometimes I just do it and let my mind wander. Considering other tasks or other projects like designing cards or writing blogs can occupy the part of my brain that rebels against the bits and pieces of a bigger projects.
The story of my bone bin
Long ago and far away in a land under the midnight sun...
Once upon a time I was making jewelry and I had a vision; slices of antler carved, polished and set with real gems stones like ruby, sapphire, garnet, amethyst, and diamonds. So I bought a couple of antler pieces locally and bought some gems on Ebay for cheap and began. I loved them and it was great fun so I found folks on Craig's list who had some more antler for sale and I bought it, sliced it and made more pendants. I invested in sterling chains and wire and created some lovely pieces that I sold to coworkers and at bazaars.
I even bought a box with whole moose and caribou antlers as well as a couple of pieces of bone from steppe bison that lived here thousands of years ago. I bought some sheep horn at a gun show and some mammoth ivory at the fair. In all I made an sold about 30 pieces. Then we moved and I lost my work space for making jewelry in this way, but the antlers and horns moved with us.
The next chapter started when I saw an add on Craig's list for some lynx skulls. I was working at a school and asked if the science teachers were interested. "Yep" they said so I bought several. I saved 3 for me.
I gave one of them to my nephew, cause he likes cool stuff too, and the other two sat on my shelf for a couple of years. Then one night I had a dream.
I saw myself painting one of those skulls.
And I did. It took several days as I needed to let each color dry. I was using some stray paints I had left over and some water color brushes I borrowed from the art teacher.
As I was painting I just paid attention to the process and tried to match my vision. As I painted though I knew this was not a skull I would keep. It felt like it belonged to someone else. By the time I finished it was quite amazing; not only did it have many bright colors but I had done a lot of over work with black ink lines and I had set 3 rhinestones into the bone.
About this time I knew just who this skull belonged to.
We had a friend with a brain tumor, who had a biology background like me and like me loved animals and even found the bones and skulls cool.
We gave her the skull while she was in the hospital recovering from yet another procedure.
It became one of her favorite things and still holds a place of honor in the house after her death.
I soon painted the other skull and started seeking more to paint. It was the process that spoke to me. and often left me amazed that the end products could be so beautiful because I just painted things as they wanted to be painted. I seldom have that kind of clear vision of the end product anymore, instead I let myself be lead from one color to the next and one pattern or texture.
I acquired way more skulls since then of all types.
beavers, lynx, wolf, coyote, fox, otter, elk, cow, porcupine...
And so my bone bin has grown. I have no idea where my vision will lead me next.
I do have several skulls in process and several skulls on the market.
One of my favorites is the pronghorn skull my brother gave me after his hunt last year.
Once upon a time I was making jewelry and I had a vision; slices of antler carved, polished and set with real gems stones like ruby, sapphire, garnet, amethyst, and diamonds. So I bought a couple of antler pieces locally and bought some gems on Ebay for cheap and began. I loved them and it was great fun so I found folks on Craig's list who had some more antler for sale and I bought it, sliced it and made more pendants. I invested in sterling chains and wire and created some lovely pieces that I sold to coworkers and at bazaars.
I even bought a box with whole moose and caribou antlers as well as a couple of pieces of bone from steppe bison that lived here thousands of years ago. I bought some sheep horn at a gun show and some mammoth ivory at the fair. In all I made an sold about 30 pieces. Then we moved and I lost my work space for making jewelry in this way, but the antlers and horns moved with us.
The next chapter started when I saw an add on Craig's list for some lynx skulls. I was working at a school and asked if the science teachers were interested. "Yep" they said so I bought several. I saved 3 for me.
I gave one of them to my nephew, cause he likes cool stuff too, and the other two sat on my shelf for a couple of years. Then one night I had a dream.
I saw myself painting one of those skulls.
And I did. It took several days as I needed to let each color dry. I was using some stray paints I had left over and some water color brushes I borrowed from the art teacher.
As I was painting I just paid attention to the process and tried to match my vision. As I painted though I knew this was not a skull I would keep. It felt like it belonged to someone else. By the time I finished it was quite amazing; not only did it have many bright colors but I had done a lot of over work with black ink lines and I had set 3 rhinestones into the bone.
About this time I knew just who this skull belonged to.
We had a friend with a brain tumor, who had a biology background like me and like me loved animals and even found the bones and skulls cool.
We gave her the skull while she was in the hospital recovering from yet another procedure.
It became one of her favorite things and still holds a place of honor in the house after her death.
I soon painted the other skull and started seeking more to paint. It was the process that spoke to me. and often left me amazed that the end products could be so beautiful because I just painted things as they wanted to be painted. I seldom have that kind of clear vision of the end product anymore, instead I let myself be lead from one color to the next and one pattern or texture.
I acquired way more skulls since then of all types.
beavers, lynx, wolf, coyote, fox, otter, elk, cow, porcupine...
And so my bone bin has grown. I have no idea where my vision will lead me next.
I do have several skulls in process and several skulls on the market.
One of my favorites is the pronghorn skull my brother gave me after his hunt last year.
Friday, July 15, 2016
The joys and sorrows of multi unitasking
Then I get these ideas into my head that I should make several of something. I usually start with one and when I finish I say to myself, "that was easy, cute, clever..." and I should make 10, 20, 50 of them.
So in my prototype I try to figure out what worked and what did not. How can I change it to improve the end result or the process? So I grab everything I need to make this item in multiples.
This can be nicely efficient. Using one tool 15 times to cut, sew, glue, wire, tape all the same thing, before moving on to the next stage in the process and picking up the next tool. Everything proceeds at a good pace and materials are used to great efficiency. As I go I figure out how to same time and materials I also work out how I would write up instructions in case I want to sell a kit form for what I am making.
But then the flip side of this method:
Boredom
Mind numbing boredom and it makes it so difficult to get through the process 20 times. A project that would take an hour to make one of may take 15 hours to make 20 of. More efficient true, but way more time focused on a single project, over and over and over.
Sometimes I just have to put those projects away and break out a skull or a canvas and some paints.
So in my prototype I try to figure out what worked and what did not. How can I change it to improve the end result or the process? So I grab everything I need to make this item in multiples.
This can be nicely efficient. Using one tool 15 times to cut, sew, glue, wire, tape all the same thing, before moving on to the next stage in the process and picking up the next tool. Everything proceeds at a good pace and materials are used to great efficiency. As I go I figure out how to same time and materials I also work out how I would write up instructions in case I want to sell a kit form for what I am making.
But then the flip side of this method:
Boredom
Mind numbing boredom and it makes it so difficult to get through the process 20 times. A project that would take an hour to make one of may take 15 hours to make 20 of. More efficient true, but way more time focused on a single project, over and over and over.
Sometimes I just have to put those projects away and break out a skull or a canvas and some paints.
The story of my fabric stash
Just like my bead stash my fabric stash has grown through many sources.
Finds, Salvaged fabric from clothing being thrown away or even fabric itself being put out at our local transfer station.
Friends, at group sewing opportunities I often find myself in need of just a bit more blue, or black, or yellow. My friends often have scads of strips and squares and sometimes even more that they happily share. I of course offer whatever I have. I love working these pieces in to my wall hangings and quilts.
Pick ups, at the guild meetings there will often be a pile of free fabric from other cutting back on their stashes. So I grab a bit here and there that fit in with some project I have in mind or that just grabs my eye.
Bargains, sometimes when no other options are out there I will go to the store. Possibly I have a particular idea for a project and nothing I have fits the bill. My first resort is the thrift store. Here bags of fabric sometimes containing several yards are sold at half or less the cost at the fabric stores. But you never just get the one piece. there is often 4 or more different fabrics in the bag and yet I may only want the one.
So I buy it and either add the rest to the stash, give them away at the guild meetings or turn around and donate them back to the thrift store. Just recently acquired several yards of a nice multi colored batik and a lovely teal and purple fish print this way.
Fabric Stores, The only times I ever buy from a regular fabric store is when I need a very specific color or print and all my other resources have failed me. In our area we are lucky enough to have 6 shops that sell quilting fabric. And three of them only sell quilting fabric. One of these also sells fur pelts and the fabric is either for Kuspuks or lining fur parkas, but they have some of the most diverse prints and best quality fabric in the area. These three are also the only source for "Alaska" prints. So moose and wolves, blueberries and auroras all fall in this group.
No matter how much sewing I do my stash never seems to shrink. I love having lots of options for projects, and I love having fabric from friends in my projects, so I do not think I will be "destashing" any time soon.
Finds, Salvaged fabric from clothing being thrown away or even fabric itself being put out at our local transfer station.
Friends, at group sewing opportunities I often find myself in need of just a bit more blue, or black, or yellow. My friends often have scads of strips and squares and sometimes even more that they happily share. I of course offer whatever I have. I love working these pieces in to my wall hangings and quilts.
Pick ups, at the guild meetings there will often be a pile of free fabric from other cutting back on their stashes. So I grab a bit here and there that fit in with some project I have in mind or that just grabs my eye.
Bargains, sometimes when no other options are out there I will go to the store. Possibly I have a particular idea for a project and nothing I have fits the bill. My first resort is the thrift store. Here bags of fabric sometimes containing several yards are sold at half or less the cost at the fabric stores. But you never just get the one piece. there is often 4 or more different fabrics in the bag and yet I may only want the one.
So I buy it and either add the rest to the stash, give them away at the guild meetings or turn around and donate them back to the thrift store. Just recently acquired several yards of a nice multi colored batik and a lovely teal and purple fish print this way.
Fabric Stores, The only times I ever buy from a regular fabric store is when I need a very specific color or print and all my other resources have failed me. In our area we are lucky enough to have 6 shops that sell quilting fabric. And three of them only sell quilting fabric. One of these also sells fur pelts and the fabric is either for Kuspuks or lining fur parkas, but they have some of the most diverse prints and best quality fabric in the area. These three are also the only source for "Alaska" prints. So moose and wolves, blueberries and auroras all fall in this group.
No matter how much sewing I do my stash never seems to shrink. I love having lots of options for projects, and I love having fabric from friends in my projects, so I do not think I will be "destashing" any time soon.
Friday, July 8, 2016
The story of my bead stash.
Today I had an opportunity to revisit my bead stash. I have been focused on many other things, like painting and sewing.
But as I sorted out some beads for my latest project I was thinking about where some of them came from.
15 years ago when I came to Alaska I brought beads with me. Some of the coolest beads were pre WWII German beads I picked up from a thrift store in New Mexico. I bought the necklace for a buck. I have been hoarding them and using them only for special jewelry.
Some others had been a lucky find on line from a place going out of the bead business. 8mm Fire polished czech faceted beads for only a penny each. They became addicting and are still my go to bead for everything.
I have also been very blessed by friends who chose to give me their bead collections when they moved out of the State. The last lady gave me her stash from decades of collecting. She had a heart condition and her eyes had gotten bad so she knew she would not be using them. The box was huge and full of amazing things. I split the stash in half and donated half to a few silent auctions to raise money for a school garden.
My latest project is also one for charity. I am making items to be sold at a bazaar to raise money for our quilt guild.
I have found that giving things away like that so often leads to getting more things.
Here is a picture of what I am working on.
But as I sorted out some beads for my latest project I was thinking about where some of them came from.
15 years ago when I came to Alaska I brought beads with me. Some of the coolest beads were pre WWII German beads I picked up from a thrift store in New Mexico. I bought the necklace for a buck. I have been hoarding them and using them only for special jewelry.
Some others had been a lucky find on line from a place going out of the bead business. 8mm Fire polished czech faceted beads for only a penny each. They became addicting and are still my go to bead for everything.
I have also been very blessed by friends who chose to give me their bead collections when they moved out of the State. The last lady gave me her stash from decades of collecting. She had a heart condition and her eyes had gotten bad so she knew she would not be using them. The box was huge and full of amazing things. I split the stash in half and donated half to a few silent auctions to raise money for a school garden.
My latest project is also one for charity. I am making items to be sold at a bazaar to raise money for our quilt guild.
I have found that giving things away like that so often leads to getting more things.
Here is a picture of what I am working on.
Sunday, July 3, 2016
Back in the online game
Once upon a time...
I used to make things and sell them on Ebay. Then I lost my account because of a piece of paper I have yet to send them.
So I waited a few years and then tried Etsy. I had a couple dozen listings at one point in time but sold nothing and so I let the ads expire and waited again.
I am back in etsy or at least I have a toe in the water. I really struggle with on-line selling.
taking good pictures, making attention grabbing ads, throwing enough search terms in the listing so people will find it...
But getting better at all these things is more likely to get me success in the electronic media market place than just local bazaars and shops.
So I am determined to dedicate time to learning better photography skills, writing good ads, being active in the promotion of my Etsy store: https://www.etsy.com/shop/Alaskanbonesandbeads.
I am also determined to label the things I have for sale so people know me and can contact me. I am determined to put together my Artist page and keep my name easy to find.
I used to make things and sell them on Ebay. Then I lost my account because of a piece of paper I have yet to send them.
So I waited a few years and then tried Etsy. I had a couple dozen listings at one point in time but sold nothing and so I let the ads expire and waited again.
I am back in etsy or at least I have a toe in the water. I really struggle with on-line selling.
taking good pictures, making attention grabbing ads, throwing enough search terms in the listing so people will find it...
But getting better at all these things is more likely to get me success in the electronic media market place than just local bazaars and shops.
So I am determined to dedicate time to learning better photography skills, writing good ads, being active in the promotion of my Etsy store: https://www.etsy.com/shop/Alaskanbonesandbeads.
I am also determined to label the things I have for sale so people know me and can contact me. I am determined to put together my Artist page and keep my name easy to find.
Thursday, June 23, 2016
Priced to sell
The good thing about selling your crafts is that its an opportunity to perpetuate the cycle of creativity.
The difficult thing though is deciding how to price your work.
Looking around at those who sell similar items through on-line sellers like etsy or Ebay or Facebook groups can give you an idea of what people are asking. But check up and see if they are actually selling those items at that price.
Then decide if you want to join this market or if you want to keep things more local at shops or at bazaars. If this is your path you may need to modify your prices to reflect the local market or mark up put on by shops.
But there is also the formulas you find on other blogs for how to price your work.
Some say you should take your costs and triple them and that is your sale price. But what about if you craft like me with a lot of salvaged and second hand materials. Here is an example:
I recently began making sleep masks. A quick search on-line and I found prices ranged between $6.50 to $25.00 with very little difference between one mask and the other.
When I price things I use a formula that takes into account not just material costs but time spent as well. But when I craft something I seldom just make one so I end up guestimating how long it takes to make a mask. Instead I try to pay attention to how much time it takes me to get 10 of them done or how many I can do in an hour. (depending on the craft)
In general when I get that figured out, I can take my material costs (as if I was buying stuff new) and add for my time. I tend to value my time at $18-$22 an hour.
The time that is lost in the process is time spent developing a new design, and time spent on label or package development. In this case I modified the patterns I found to make the masks more comfortable, I also designed a care label to print and attach to all of the masks.
So:
Fabric & elastic cost $1.50
Label printing $.07
Time to make @ 25 minutes at $18/hour
and I more or less came up with $10 each as being a reasonable cost for these in my area.
At present I only have them in one shop and they do a mork up from my $10.
But if I want to sell them at other shops that want 50% I may not be able to afford to sell them in those outlets.
As far as on-line marketing goes I am sure my price makes them very competitive.
The difficult thing though is deciding how to price your work.
Looking around at those who sell similar items through on-line sellers like etsy or Ebay or Facebook groups can give you an idea of what people are asking. But check up and see if they are actually selling those items at that price.
Then decide if you want to join this market or if you want to keep things more local at shops or at bazaars. If this is your path you may need to modify your prices to reflect the local market or mark up put on by shops.
But there is also the formulas you find on other blogs for how to price your work.
Some say you should take your costs and triple them and that is your sale price. But what about if you craft like me with a lot of salvaged and second hand materials. Here is an example:
I recently began making sleep masks. A quick search on-line and I found prices ranged between $6.50 to $25.00 with very little difference between one mask and the other.
When I price things I use a formula that takes into account not just material costs but time spent as well. But when I craft something I seldom just make one so I end up guestimating how long it takes to make a mask. Instead I try to pay attention to how much time it takes me to get 10 of them done or how many I can do in an hour. (depending on the craft)
In general when I get that figured out, I can take my material costs (as if I was buying stuff new) and add for my time. I tend to value my time at $18-$22 an hour.
The time that is lost in the process is time spent developing a new design, and time spent on label or package development. In this case I modified the patterns I found to make the masks more comfortable, I also designed a care label to print and attach to all of the masks.
So:
Fabric & elastic cost $1.50
Label printing $.07
Time to make @ 25 minutes at $18/hour
and I more or less came up with $10 each as being a reasonable cost for these in my area.
At present I only have them in one shop and they do a mork up from my $10.
But if I want to sell them at other shops that want 50% I may not be able to afford to sell them in those outlets.
As far as on-line marketing goes I am sure my price makes them very competitive.
Saturday, June 18, 2016
Provocations
They say that true art provokes a response in those who view it. positive or negative.
But I think there are many thing that provoke such responses that are not art. Such as clothing, make up, a cliff, water fall, potholes in the road. (though typically no one has anything good to say about that last one)
So even though my skulls elicit many responses and some excitement from people that see them I try not to use that as confirmation that they are specifically art. But I do like the stories people share with me when seeing them.
Last night a man told me about seeing a muskrat racing along the beach, running so fast the breath was whistling from him as he ran. It was a very interesting story that made me want to know more about why the little rodent didn't just head straight to the water if he was seeking safety.
LOL I love the stories people tell me.
Like hearing that a Lynx skull provides no meat worth eating.
Or the way someone else learned about cleaning skulls
Or how they learned about skulls in biology class and they want to test their skill.
There is always satisfaction in that, even if they are slow to sell.
But I think there are many thing that provoke such responses that are not art. Such as clothing, make up, a cliff, water fall, potholes in the road. (though typically no one has anything good to say about that last one)
So even though my skulls elicit many responses and some excitement from people that see them I try not to use that as confirmation that they are specifically art. But I do like the stories people share with me when seeing them.
Last night a man told me about seeing a muskrat racing along the beach, running so fast the breath was whistling from him as he ran. It was a very interesting story that made me want to know more about why the little rodent didn't just head straight to the water if he was seeking safety.
LOL I love the stories people tell me.
Like hearing that a Lynx skull provides no meat worth eating.
Or the way someone else learned about cleaning skulls
Or how they learned about skulls in biology class and they want to test their skill.
There is always satisfaction in that, even if they are slow to sell.
Thursday, June 16, 2016
processes and creation
So here is my story of the week.
The other night/morning I had trouble getting back to sleep at 4 am. It was the light levels bothering me. Well living just a hop skip and a jump from the arctic circle we have no dark this time of year.
Normally this doesn't bother me but for some reason it was bothering me then.
So I decided I needed a sleep mask to darken things up a bit.
I began where so many of such ideas start for me research how to sites.
I like image searches because I can sort through the stupid ones, the ugly ones, the blogs, videos, DIY, Instructables, and Pintrest (which is just annoying and useless).
And from the research I found the dimensions which was my main quest. I also saw the expected construction style of 3/4 layers sandwiched between various kinds of fabric.
From there I headed out to my sewing studio.
I had everything I needed and more.
First I tried some fabric that I had some fusible backing on with the felt I planned on putting in the middle. Well that did not work. as I fused the two together the top fabric began to pucker and pucker and pucker. I have no idea why.
ok then I cut out a sample of my pattern from it anyway to get an idea of if the size was right. it was cool.
time for attempt #2.
just some scraps I had and more of the felt.
Oops no elastic. But I did have ribbon available.
so I whipped up a sleeping mask and took it back to bed.
ZZZZZZZ
it worked great. and now I was inspired.
So I took time to dash out and buy some elastic as tying a ribbon at the back of my head is a pain. (Literally as I always catch some hair in the knot.)
When I got home I made two masks with slightly different sizes of elastic. and while they were not too tight they did pull right across my eyes. I had seen some versions where they covered the elastic in fabric and others where they used two bands of adjust able elastic. But I did not have the hardware and the fabric covering seemed too fussy for me.
What to do?
I did not have wider elastic and that seemed like it would be uncomfortable. So I added triangular tabs to the sides of the masks. This had a secondary effect to my benefit. I could add the tabs and not fuss with trying to stuff the strand of elastic in the sandwich and worry about getting it just right and not displacing the layers either.. it also meant that I could complete all the main stitching on the mask its self and add the elastic as a last step.
So ten masks later and I was ready to see if my regular shop in downtown Fairbanks was gonna be ok with selling them.
And there they are ready to go.
Yeah. I have some hope that they will move well and even bought enough elastic to make 20 more.
The other night/morning I had trouble getting back to sleep at 4 am. It was the light levels bothering me. Well living just a hop skip and a jump from the arctic circle we have no dark this time of year.
Normally this doesn't bother me but for some reason it was bothering me then.
So I decided I needed a sleep mask to darken things up a bit.
I began where so many of such ideas start for me research how to sites.
I like image searches because I can sort through the stupid ones, the ugly ones, the blogs, videos, DIY, Instructables, and Pintrest (which is just annoying and useless).
And from the research I found the dimensions which was my main quest. I also saw the expected construction style of 3/4 layers sandwiched between various kinds of fabric.
From there I headed out to my sewing studio.
I had everything I needed and more.
First I tried some fabric that I had some fusible backing on with the felt I planned on putting in the middle. Well that did not work. as I fused the two together the top fabric began to pucker and pucker and pucker. I have no idea why.
ok then I cut out a sample of my pattern from it anyway to get an idea of if the size was right. it was cool.
time for attempt #2.
just some scraps I had and more of the felt.
Oops no elastic. But I did have ribbon available.
so I whipped up a sleeping mask and took it back to bed.
ZZZZZZZ
it worked great. and now I was inspired.
So I took time to dash out and buy some elastic as tying a ribbon at the back of my head is a pain. (Literally as I always catch some hair in the knot.)
When I got home I made two masks with slightly different sizes of elastic. and while they were not too tight they did pull right across my eyes. I had seen some versions where they covered the elastic in fabric and others where they used two bands of adjust able elastic. But I did not have the hardware and the fabric covering seemed too fussy for me.
What to do?
I did not have wider elastic and that seemed like it would be uncomfortable. So I added triangular tabs to the sides of the masks. This had a secondary effect to my benefit. I could add the tabs and not fuss with trying to stuff the strand of elastic in the sandwich and worry about getting it just right and not displacing the layers either.. it also meant that I could complete all the main stitching on the mask its self and add the elastic as a last step.
So ten masks later and I was ready to see if my regular shop in downtown Fairbanks was gonna be ok with selling them.
And there they are ready to go.
Yeah. I have some hope that they will move well and even bought enough elastic to make 20 more.
Wednesday, June 15, 2016
passionate rant
Ok this is a political rant and if you don't like it don't read it.
When I here those superlatives thrown around they are almost never true.
"worst shooting"
" deadliest Mass Shooting"
These should be carrying the tag "not sanctioned by the US government"
Massacres of natives by far exceed the numbers from Orlando. But we did not consider those acts of terrorism. To me these are as sickening as anything that happened in the last year.
Then we have those people who say we should respond by assuming all people of that religion are people to fear and we "should" take care of them. Whatever that means.
Oh wait...
Internment camps, because all American citizens of Japanese decent were assumed to be guilty of complicity with the enemy. And the Aleuts were similarly uprooted and moved out of their homes because of fear mongering.
So is that what some people thing we "should" do? Lock up people wholesale because of their heritage? Where does this thinking stop? There are those in the conservative white side of things that are not unhappy about the target picked. Because "those" people are not "normal".
And what about those "lazy" people that suck off the teat of America's handouts. I have heard they should all pee in a cup before they get a food stamp or an unemployment check. But the single mother who got laid off because of budget cuts or the minimum wage earner who owes tens of thousands in debt. The family who lost their housing because place the rented has been sold to a new owner and rents have tripled.
I have taken unemployment, I have been homeless and literally living in a tent on the river or couch crashing when the weather got cold, because I could not find a job. I have used the food bank to provide food for children who are not getting enough to eat at home. I do not use drugs, or alcohol, or even cigarettes. Lets not just assume its all about illegal drugs!
The path of fear leads to isolation leads to hate and leads to more violence. Be not afraid of every stranger.
When I here those superlatives thrown around they are almost never true.
"worst shooting"
" deadliest Mass Shooting"
These should be carrying the tag "not sanctioned by the US government"
Massacres of natives by far exceed the numbers from Orlando. But we did not consider those acts of terrorism. To me these are as sickening as anything that happened in the last year.
Then we have those people who say we should respond by assuming all people of that religion are people to fear and we "should" take care of them. Whatever that means.
Oh wait...
Internment camps, because all American citizens of Japanese decent were assumed to be guilty of complicity with the enemy. And the Aleuts were similarly uprooted and moved out of their homes because of fear mongering.
So is that what some people thing we "should" do? Lock up people wholesale because of their heritage? Where does this thinking stop? There are those in the conservative white side of things that are not unhappy about the target picked. Because "those" people are not "normal".
And what about those "lazy" people that suck off the teat of America's handouts. I have heard they should all pee in a cup before they get a food stamp or an unemployment check. But the single mother who got laid off because of budget cuts or the minimum wage earner who owes tens of thousands in debt. The family who lost their housing because place the rented has been sold to a new owner and rents have tripled.
I have taken unemployment, I have been homeless and literally living in a tent on the river or couch crashing when the weather got cold, because I could not find a job. I have used the food bank to provide food for children who are not getting enough to eat at home. I do not use drugs, or alcohol, or even cigarettes. Lets not just assume its all about illegal drugs!
The path of fear leads to isolation leads to hate and leads to more violence. Be not afraid of every stranger.
Tuesday, June 7, 2016
The learning curve
We all know a learning curve is the correlation of trying something the first time and the number of attempts to do really well at it. Sometimes urgency demands we figure out how to get good at something really quickly other times it takes great patience and many tries to get it right.
My latest experience with this is cleaning beaver skulls. I have a few in the freezer from a trapper I know. And last year was not a good year to get them all boiled and cleaned and ready for painting, but this is the summer it will happen and is happening.
Now I have been boiling and cleaning lynx skull for a couple of years and have gotten pretty good at making quick work of the job especially after they have been boiling about 90 minutes.
Now beaver are certainly a different critter. I have bought precleaned/bleached skull of these treee eaters so I thought I was somewhat familiar with their heads.
90 minute is not enough time to soften all the connective tissue and cartilage in a beaver skull. 2 and half hours is not enough. A 3 hour minimum and then make sure they are well cover with water the whole time.
I also figured out to separate the bottom jaw from the top and clean it first. The collagen congeals if it cools down and it becomes more difficult to separate from the bone. The bottom jaw will split in half as the connective tissue holding the two halves together will get soft enough.
When working with the top half I remove the large slabs of meat first and then scrape the joints and stuff in back.
The tree eaters seem to be built with way more shock absorbers than lynx have so there are more bones that are a little less fused or kept as semi separate sections. More bumps and more holes.
I now clean out the brain and nasal areas quickly in the process and so many of the holes seem to lead to these two areas.
OK enough of this detail. I know few people ever will need this info.
My thoughts about this whole endeavor in general. I clean these skulls because I use them in my art. Buying them cleaned gets expensive quickly.
I can get them raw from local hunters much cheaper. However they do take up room in the freezer all winter since I do boil them outside.
I boil them outside because everything I read about doing this said it smells bad.
I think it is not that so much as we feel like they should smell bad. Or else an aversion to cooking something you have no intention of eating in a kitchen space.
For myself I use an old rice cooker and a burner under the pan outside because I have no room to cook 3-4 skulls in a pot at a time.
Dental tools are amazing. especially scrapers that let you get to bare bone without damaging the bone but get rid of clinging tissue.
If you run across this and you are looking to clean a beaver skull I hope these notes help shorten your learning curve.
My latest experience with this is cleaning beaver skulls. I have a few in the freezer from a trapper I know. And last year was not a good year to get them all boiled and cleaned and ready for painting, but this is the summer it will happen and is happening.
Now I have been boiling and cleaning lynx skull for a couple of years and have gotten pretty good at making quick work of the job especially after they have been boiling about 90 minutes.
Now beaver are certainly a different critter. I have bought precleaned/bleached skull of these treee eaters so I thought I was somewhat familiar with their heads.
90 minute is not enough time to soften all the connective tissue and cartilage in a beaver skull. 2 and half hours is not enough. A 3 hour minimum and then make sure they are well cover with water the whole time.
I also figured out to separate the bottom jaw from the top and clean it first. The collagen congeals if it cools down and it becomes more difficult to separate from the bone. The bottom jaw will split in half as the connective tissue holding the two halves together will get soft enough.
When working with the top half I remove the large slabs of meat first and then scrape the joints and stuff in back.
The tree eaters seem to be built with way more shock absorbers than lynx have so there are more bones that are a little less fused or kept as semi separate sections. More bumps and more holes.
I now clean out the brain and nasal areas quickly in the process and so many of the holes seem to lead to these two areas.
OK enough of this detail. I know few people ever will need this info.
My thoughts about this whole endeavor in general. I clean these skulls because I use them in my art. Buying them cleaned gets expensive quickly.
I can get them raw from local hunters much cheaper. However they do take up room in the freezer all winter since I do boil them outside.
I boil them outside because everything I read about doing this said it smells bad.
I think it is not that so much as we feel like they should smell bad. Or else an aversion to cooking something you have no intention of eating in a kitchen space.
For myself I use an old rice cooker and a burner under the pan outside because I have no room to cook 3-4 skulls in a pot at a time.
Dental tools are amazing. especially scrapers that let you get to bare bone without damaging the bone but get rid of clinging tissue.
If you run across this and you are looking to clean a beaver skull I hope these notes help shorten your learning curve.
Sunday, May 29, 2016
Serious business follow up
I have had the chance to read two of my friend Lizzie's book.
Fisherman and the Sperm Thief, and Sapho's Agency.
Both are good stories with a unique slant about sexual liaisons in a world lacking enough men.
I highly recommend them and you can buy them at Amazon.
Fisherman and the Sperm Thief, and Sapho's Agency.
Both are good stories with a unique slant about sexual liaisons in a world lacking enough men.
I highly recommend them and you can buy them at Amazon.
Lost it
I swear last month when I was looking for something else I kept running into these about making various origami ornament/balls with aluminum cans. So I started saving cans including some unusual ones I ran across. And finally at long last I have the cans the tools the time and... Uh wait. What the heck happened to all those posts about how to make these things. I searched everything I could think of "aluminum origami", "can origami", "can folding", "aluminum ornaments"... Zip zilch nada.
I hate when that happens!
I hate when that happens!
Sunday, May 15, 2016
Following my dreams
Sometimes ideas and inspiration come at odd times; in the shower, while in the bathroom, or in my dreams.
Last night I had a dream about painting on canvas. This is of course something lots of artists do, but I have never actually done so. In my dream the canvass I was painting on was about 4 feet by 8 feet. so extremely large. and I was simultaneously painting two of these.
On one of them were some drawings that I had planned to paint very opaquely on top of my vibrant translucent mystical background. The frustration was trying to see the drawing behind the first painting.
But that neither here nor there. What I did find interesting is that I had family members who had died making comments about my work and talking about how proud they were of my creativity. Both my mother and my grandfather who I struggled with in life were saying how they always knew I was talented and following this path was the right one for me.
Anyway in general the dream felt very positive and I feel inspired to go pick up a couple of small canvasses to play around with. I have several types of paint and several media to mix it with as well as other ideas to try out. So yeah. I am gonna play with these.
I am completely ready for failure in terms of achieving anything like my dreams but the chance to play and experiment has me excited.
Following my dreams literally, almost never happens and when I do I seldom achieve the vision of my dream, but I often achieve something interesting.
Those quiet moments when your mind can speak to you and help you to create are important and to be cherished and listened to.
Seek them out.
Last night I had a dream about painting on canvas. This is of course something lots of artists do, but I have never actually done so. In my dream the canvass I was painting on was about 4 feet by 8 feet. so extremely large. and I was simultaneously painting two of these.
On one of them were some drawings that I had planned to paint very opaquely on top of my vibrant translucent mystical background. The frustration was trying to see the drawing behind the first painting.
But that neither here nor there. What I did find interesting is that I had family members who had died making comments about my work and talking about how proud they were of my creativity. Both my mother and my grandfather who I struggled with in life were saying how they always knew I was talented and following this path was the right one for me.
Anyway in general the dream felt very positive and I feel inspired to go pick up a couple of small canvasses to play around with. I have several types of paint and several media to mix it with as well as other ideas to try out. So yeah. I am gonna play with these.
I am completely ready for failure in terms of achieving anything like my dreams but the chance to play and experiment has me excited.
Following my dreams literally, almost never happens and when I do I seldom achieve the vision of my dream, but I often achieve something interesting.
Those quiet moments when your mind can speak to you and help you to create are important and to be cherished and listened to.
Seek them out.
Tuesday, April 26, 2016
Second hand middle class
We try to make our "make do" spirit a virtue. But in reality it is how we survive. Unlike the younger folks exiting institutions of higher learning with massive debt, my husband and I are now beyond those years. It only took a decade to pay off what I owed.
But we are like so many we know living that second hand lifestyle, not actually because we are adamant tree hugging save the planet at all cost types, but rather because we can't really afford anything else.
In my grandmother's day she raised 3 daughters, through the deprivations of WWII on just my grand father's salary and the ration books. And an active garden that kept them fed along with the extended family. After that was over though my grand mother was quite fond of name brand clothing and matching shoes and hand bags. She can and did occasionally sew something for herself, but she enjoyed shopping. They also managed to save a nice retirement investment and had grandpa's pension that allowed them to travel extensively after he retired.
In my parent's day they raised 4 kids on one salary. though having an extensive garden was also part of that picture. They too managed a retirement saving that allowed them to travel a bit though not as extensively as my grandparents had. My mother also enjoyed shopping and while we were by no means wealthy we did not struggle to put food on the table.
In my time the decrease in financial comfort is much more apparent. We both hold jobs that give us health care and retirement benefits, but we shop at second hand stores and even dumpster dive for clothing. We shop for bargains constantly and never buy name brand anything. We do not lack for most of the basics like food as we stock our freezer with fish and any kind of meat as long as it costs less than $1.50 a lb.
The luxuries we do indulge in are few and far between. We are Not going to be travelers even after we retire as there will be no money for that kind of frivolity. We are middle class, but only because we live a second hand lifestyle.
Part of my hope in indulging my creative side with art and sewing and such is that it will bring an added financial benefit to our efforts.
I struggle to empathize with friends who post about trips here and there. taking a week or weeks off from work because they deserve a break. They complain about salary declines while they post pictures of lavish dinners they prepare from steak and truffles.
They say necessity is the mother of invention so maybe too is desire. the desire to indulge in a nice meal or a week off work to travel to see family, the desire to buy shoes that are not on the markdown rack, the desire to buy clothing that actually fits rather than what I can afford. I am not seeking a closet full of shoes and matching handbags.
I asked myself two questions today. What do I want to do? and What am I prepared to do?
In my creative endeavors there is a real difference in finding financial gain vs. personal satisfaction.
But we are like so many we know living that second hand lifestyle, not actually because we are adamant tree hugging save the planet at all cost types, but rather because we can't really afford anything else.
In my grandmother's day she raised 3 daughters, through the deprivations of WWII on just my grand father's salary and the ration books. And an active garden that kept them fed along with the extended family. After that was over though my grand mother was quite fond of name brand clothing and matching shoes and hand bags. She can and did occasionally sew something for herself, but she enjoyed shopping. They also managed to save a nice retirement investment and had grandpa's pension that allowed them to travel extensively after he retired.
In my parent's day they raised 4 kids on one salary. though having an extensive garden was also part of that picture. They too managed a retirement saving that allowed them to travel a bit though not as extensively as my grandparents had. My mother also enjoyed shopping and while we were by no means wealthy we did not struggle to put food on the table.
In my time the decrease in financial comfort is much more apparent. We both hold jobs that give us health care and retirement benefits, but we shop at second hand stores and even dumpster dive for clothing. We shop for bargains constantly and never buy name brand anything. We do not lack for most of the basics like food as we stock our freezer with fish and any kind of meat as long as it costs less than $1.50 a lb.
The luxuries we do indulge in are few and far between. We are Not going to be travelers even after we retire as there will be no money for that kind of frivolity. We are middle class, but only because we live a second hand lifestyle.
Part of my hope in indulging my creative side with art and sewing and such is that it will bring an added financial benefit to our efforts.
I struggle to empathize with friends who post about trips here and there. taking a week or weeks off from work because they deserve a break. They complain about salary declines while they post pictures of lavish dinners they prepare from steak and truffles.
They say necessity is the mother of invention so maybe too is desire. the desire to indulge in a nice meal or a week off work to travel to see family, the desire to buy shoes that are not on the markdown rack, the desire to buy clothing that actually fits rather than what I can afford. I am not seeking a closet full of shoes and matching handbags.
I asked myself two questions today. What do I want to do? and What am I prepared to do?
In my creative endeavors there is a real difference in finding financial gain vs. personal satisfaction.
Thursday, April 14, 2016
Too Tired to be creative?
It feels like long hours and restless sleep cause by the stress of those long work hours leaves me brain dead when it comes to being creative. But I am not sure if it that or if I am just too aware that I will not have the time to execute anything outside of a very limited scope in terms of time and energy. So there is no point in putting thought into big projects or intricate exacting work.
I recently acquired a stack of jewelry magazines and as I flip through them I do not even let myself consider trying anything I see. Too much time, too much effort, too much learning curve, too much money, too many other pots simmering on the back burners.
I want to sit down and develop some long term plans for my creative endeavors. start taking classes instead of thinking about taking classes. start investing in tools rather than making do with what I have. Develop a structure of time that puts my creative self front and center of my daily routine instead of grabbing time in between other people's priorities.
Unfortunately I think that one way I have tried to justify my need for creative endeavors is to try making them marketable outcomes. I can always sell my bead work so its ok to spend time doing that. I can always give things as gifts so that makes it ok to do it. But the truth is that I have started becoming more invested in processes like quilting where I tend to like and keep the things I make with no other plan for those items. So do that just start to give me the mental space to take classes in glass fusing, mineralogy, jewelry design, and metal smithing.
But these are thoughts for another day when I do not have the pressure of time pushing me to get enough sleep for that next long day at work.
I recently acquired a stack of jewelry magazines and as I flip through them I do not even let myself consider trying anything I see. Too much time, too much effort, too much learning curve, too much money, too many other pots simmering on the back burners.
I want to sit down and develop some long term plans for my creative endeavors. start taking classes instead of thinking about taking classes. start investing in tools rather than making do with what I have. Develop a structure of time that puts my creative self front and center of my daily routine instead of grabbing time in between other people's priorities.
Unfortunately I think that one way I have tried to justify my need for creative endeavors is to try making them marketable outcomes. I can always sell my bead work so its ok to spend time doing that. I can always give things as gifts so that makes it ok to do it. But the truth is that I have started becoming more invested in processes like quilting where I tend to like and keep the things I make with no other plan for those items. So do that just start to give me the mental space to take classes in glass fusing, mineralogy, jewelry design, and metal smithing.
But these are thoughts for another day when I do not have the pressure of time pushing me to get enough sleep for that next long day at work.
Sunday, April 3, 2016
When It Doesn't Work
Sometimes Life seems to stack the deck against success.
Improvising on an art plan that did not work out. Much to the disappointment of the 7 year olds and myself.
Trying to stimulate some creative writing in 12 year olds who only see writing as a chore and the concept of organizing thoughts as stupid.
Some days I find it quite difficult when faced with set backs. Especially when I am doing my best to help stimulate the creative process in others.
I have been thinking about what I will do first when it finally gets warm enough for me to be out in my unheated studio space.
Photography will probably be it. I recently asked a professional photographer about how I should take pictures of my art skulls. And his advice was to just try different things. different lighting, different set ups, different cameras, different exposures... And take notes. figure out what works best so that it becomes second nature to get the right set up every time I want to take a shot of a piece I have done.
I admit I am one of those people that always resented the process of learning. Practicing clarinet, practicing hand writing, practicing throwing, kicking... I just hold some tiny hope that one day I will try something and I will be perfect at it. I won't need to figure out why or how or go through the process of getting better.
It is difficult to excite others to the process of practice and improvement when I resent it too.
So i find myself opting for those processes where control and perfection are not part of the final product. Haphazard or maybe serendipitous would be a better word.
Improvising on an art plan that did not work out. Much to the disappointment of the 7 year olds and myself.
Trying to stimulate some creative writing in 12 year olds who only see writing as a chore and the concept of organizing thoughts as stupid.
Some days I find it quite difficult when faced with set backs. Especially when I am doing my best to help stimulate the creative process in others.
I have been thinking about what I will do first when it finally gets warm enough for me to be out in my unheated studio space.
Photography will probably be it. I recently asked a professional photographer about how I should take pictures of my art skulls. And his advice was to just try different things. different lighting, different set ups, different cameras, different exposures... And take notes. figure out what works best so that it becomes second nature to get the right set up every time I want to take a shot of a piece I have done.
I admit I am one of those people that always resented the process of learning. Practicing clarinet, practicing hand writing, practicing throwing, kicking... I just hold some tiny hope that one day I will try something and I will be perfect at it. I won't need to figure out why or how or go through the process of getting better.
It is difficult to excite others to the process of practice and improvement when I resent it too.
So i find myself opting for those processes where control and perfection are not part of the final product. Haphazard or maybe serendipitous would be a better word.
Tuesday, March 22, 2016
Serious business
I have had the opportunity to watch some folks I know wade ever deeper into the business of creativity.
One friend, Lizzie Newell is a writer. She explores a world with its own sexual and environmental situations. But in addition to the pure writing there is the whole editing and marketing process.
She is blessed with the talent to design book covers for herself and a few others, but the effort she takes to understand self publishing, because her stories do not fit into a neatly defined mass market box that publishers push on unsuspecting readers is amazing. There are places for independent sellers and small scale publishers to get their product made and on the shelves, but it takes a lot of hustle.
Other friends have opened businesses as the outlet for their creative endeavors. Happily Carol at the Screaming Weasel in North Pole has recruited other artists (including me) to sustain and diversify her inventory.
I have also seen the efforts of other artists who network continually to get shows and their name out to galleries and businesses to hang their work for first Friday art walks or in pop up shops. or marketing through Facebook groups, Etsy, Ebay, Craig's list, and their own websites.
I find myself wondering if I would ever really have the energy and drive it takes to follow any similar paths. Because as many hours as they spend marketing their work they still find time to create new works for the public to enjoy and desire and buy.
And more than anything I would need the confidence in what I produce to market at the intensity that I would need to to make it pay me.
One friend, Lizzie Newell is a writer. She explores a world with its own sexual and environmental situations. But in addition to the pure writing there is the whole editing and marketing process.
She is blessed with the talent to design book covers for herself and a few others, but the effort she takes to understand self publishing, because her stories do not fit into a neatly defined mass market box that publishers push on unsuspecting readers is amazing. There are places for independent sellers and small scale publishers to get their product made and on the shelves, but it takes a lot of hustle.
Other friends have opened businesses as the outlet for their creative endeavors. Happily Carol at the Screaming Weasel in North Pole has recruited other artists (including me) to sustain and diversify her inventory.
I have also seen the efforts of other artists who network continually to get shows and their name out to galleries and businesses to hang their work for first Friday art walks or in pop up shops. or marketing through Facebook groups, Etsy, Ebay, Craig's list, and their own websites.
I find myself wondering if I would ever really have the energy and drive it takes to follow any similar paths. Because as many hours as they spend marketing their work they still find time to create new works for the public to enjoy and desire and buy.
And more than anything I would need the confidence in what I produce to market at the intensity that I would need to to make it pay me.
Wednesday, March 16, 2016
Dumpster diving 101
The first rule of dumpster diving is try to avoid it if you can.
If you see something out on the curb or in the back alley that is going to be thrown out you can either just take it or politely let the former owner know that you restore furniture, create art from found objects, have a specific purpose in taking the object if they are ok with that.
If you happen upon a house being renovated ask what they are going to do with any of the materials they remove. Things like older counter tops and cupboards may still be usable for you. Wood scraps can also be a great resource. The more you can take away the less haulage fees the home owner will have to cover.
If you actually see something in a dumpster that you really want you might also let the owners know. You should also make every effort to remove things without actually climbing inside. Sticks, rakes, something that will let you hook onto an object and draw it towards your arm's reach. And remember all that glitters is not gold. Wear gloves and old clothes to protect yourself from the icky things like wet food scraps, bodily fluids, dog or horse droppings...
If you see something out on the curb or in the back alley that is going to be thrown out you can either just take it or politely let the former owner know that you restore furniture, create art from found objects, have a specific purpose in taking the object if they are ok with that.
If you happen upon a house being renovated ask what they are going to do with any of the materials they remove. Things like older counter tops and cupboards may still be usable for you. Wood scraps can also be a great resource. The more you can take away the less haulage fees the home owner will have to cover.
If you actually see something in a dumpster that you really want you might also let the owners know. You should also make every effort to remove things without actually climbing inside. Sticks, rakes, something that will let you hook onto an object and draw it towards your arm's reach. And remember all that glitters is not gold. Wear gloves and old clothes to protect yourself from the icky things like wet food scraps, bodily fluids, dog or horse droppings...
Sunday, March 13, 2016
Getting the setting right
Today I drove through some amazing scenery. Snow capped peaks, glacier fed rivers, wildlife in all its glory and dotted here and there were houses.
Some of them were quaint cottage size cabins, others full blown mcmansions, rambling ranch styles nestled by old time A frames. And I though about how the home was so secondary to what it would be like living in these settings. Some of them were pretty remote or at least back on roads that would not be fun to drive daily in the middle of winter. But OH my! The view from the window/deck/balcony was amazing!
So if I found myself living in such a place I know there are some things that would have to be in place first.
1. No job. Like I said those roads would suck after a storm
2. Capacity to hold a month's worth of food and supplies so I could enjoy each day without thinking about milk, eggs and waiting in line anywhere.
3. Art supplies and electricity. I want to be able to let the inspiration take me in any direction. fabric, paint, carving, glass, metal, clay...
4. Space to work and seclusion. If my place was right on the road there would be a constant stream of noise and lost travelers. If my lot was too small any neighbors might complain about me running an angle grinder at 2 am.
So do I expect to ever find myself in one of these perfect settings? Of course not, but I can bring some of these ideas to where I do live. and it may not quite as spectacular but it is pretty damned nice.
Some of them were quaint cottage size cabins, others full blown mcmansions, rambling ranch styles nestled by old time A frames. And I though about how the home was so secondary to what it would be like living in these settings. Some of them were pretty remote or at least back on roads that would not be fun to drive daily in the middle of winter. But OH my! The view from the window/deck/balcony was amazing!
So if I found myself living in such a place I know there are some things that would have to be in place first.
1. No job. Like I said those roads would suck after a storm
2. Capacity to hold a month's worth of food and supplies so I could enjoy each day without thinking about milk, eggs and waiting in line anywhere.
3. Art supplies and electricity. I want to be able to let the inspiration take me in any direction. fabric, paint, carving, glass, metal, clay...
4. Space to work and seclusion. If my place was right on the road there would be a constant stream of noise and lost travelers. If my lot was too small any neighbors might complain about me running an angle grinder at 2 am.
So do I expect to ever find myself in one of these perfect settings? Of course not, but I can bring some of these ideas to where I do live. and it may not quite as spectacular but it is pretty damned nice.
Sunday, February 21, 2016
Knowledge Vs. Information
I was in interesting discussion the other day about education. It started by talking about the way budget cuts are affecting education and what the future will bring. They are dividing the majors our state university system offers to different regional branches. so if I want a degree in English I might have to go somewhere different than if I wanted to get a degree in engineering.
Rather short sighted as students in this state can go out of state for the same tuition and it is probably more to their benefit to get their degree from a bigger school that is equally distant from home but has a better cost of living.
Distance education might be more prevalent in the future with more on-line classes making up for the lack of specific local opportunities. But as someone pointed out (a school teacher) there is a huge difference between what you learn in a static environment (IE: books and computer screens) compared to a dynamic environment with living people who can respond to questions and guide through touch and praise in a public forum.
And as I thought about it I thought about some of my most effective learning experiences. They were not merely visual or even auditory experiences. there was touch and smell. the feel of a pencil the scent of the teachers perfume, the sound of a pencil being sharpened. These things all become part of that learning. They enrich the experience and enhance the information being learned.
When my dear friend Sue taught me about marbling fabric there was so much more to the experience than learning what to mix and when to do this and that. There was getting splashed by the hose as I rinsed out the tray, the sound of birds and the breeze on the back porch were we worked. The creaky stairs to the basement where the washing machine lurked. Petting cats and fun conversation about her life and mine. All of it made the experience way more than just the information about how to do something.
The class room experience for students is not even just about socialization, its about cheerful bulletin boards, the smell of red geraniums, the scent of a cup of tea cooling on the teacher's desk, the sound of pencils on paper or even the clicking of 20 computer keyboards.
Many times when I am recalling information I learned even very long ago I recall more than just the fact, I recall the setting in which I learned it. The third grade classroom where I learned my times tables is the wrapper that surrounds the act of multiplication for me.
How-to videos and distance learning have a place in the education process but there is so much more to school than just the information.
(Thank you Sue, RIP)
Rather short sighted as students in this state can go out of state for the same tuition and it is probably more to their benefit to get their degree from a bigger school that is equally distant from home but has a better cost of living.
Distance education might be more prevalent in the future with more on-line classes making up for the lack of specific local opportunities. But as someone pointed out (a school teacher) there is a huge difference between what you learn in a static environment (IE: books and computer screens) compared to a dynamic environment with living people who can respond to questions and guide through touch and praise in a public forum.
And as I thought about it I thought about some of my most effective learning experiences. They were not merely visual or even auditory experiences. there was touch and smell. the feel of a pencil the scent of the teachers perfume, the sound of a pencil being sharpened. These things all become part of that learning. They enrich the experience and enhance the information being learned.
When my dear friend Sue taught me about marbling fabric there was so much more to the experience than learning what to mix and when to do this and that. There was getting splashed by the hose as I rinsed out the tray, the sound of birds and the breeze on the back porch were we worked. The creaky stairs to the basement where the washing machine lurked. Petting cats and fun conversation about her life and mine. All of it made the experience way more than just the information about how to do something.
The class room experience for students is not even just about socialization, its about cheerful bulletin boards, the smell of red geraniums, the scent of a cup of tea cooling on the teacher's desk, the sound of pencils on paper or even the clicking of 20 computer keyboards.
Many times when I am recalling information I learned even very long ago I recall more than just the fact, I recall the setting in which I learned it. The third grade classroom where I learned my times tables is the wrapper that surrounds the act of multiplication for me.
How-to videos and distance learning have a place in the education process but there is so much more to school than just the information.
Sunday, February 14, 2016
finding like minded people. Communities within communities
Finding people who like what you like or do what you do can be difficult if you get too narrow in your focus. Some of you maybe asking why you should care about the support of other people doing similar things in your area. There are a myriad of reasons.
Competition: if you are showing or selling your work it is good to know you else is competing for the attention and the money.
Cooperation: you can share tips about where to find supplies, how to market and how to avoid having side by side booths at the county fair.
Support: its good to know other people have the same thought processes and they may have experienced many of the same hurdles you have.
Introduction: you can share information about other people in you local crafting community.
So how do you find these like minded people?
Networking.
Be social when you are at vendor venues. Talk to the customers, but also the other vendors. When you are not a vendor at a venue go and look around and introduce yourself. Almost everybody appreciates making more connections to people.
Have a card. Having business cards (even if you are not a business) means people can invite you to events you do not hear about through the usual channels. Hand them out and make sure you have an email address that people can use. if you have a webpage or FB page let people know. You do not need to have a physical/mailing address or phone number on the card. But and image and a few words that describe what you do is a great idea.
Pick up cards too. This gives you a way to start looking at how other artists are marketing themselves. Maybe this can lead to a discussion or the discovery of a class about marketing for the artist.
Have an on-line presence. You do not need an extravagant webpage to grab people's attention and Facebook is only one facet you should consider when developing your on-line space. Be careful though not to let the on-line pages become your focus instead of your art. Static pages that are rather like a super version of your business card but that do not need constant updating, unless you want to add to your gallery is a good plan. Make sure your business card and your fb page direct people to you webpage as well. On-line markets are also important to connect to all your other on-line media.
Go to events. The more you are seen the more you are known. Marketing at local craft bazaars and shops works great when possible buyers can meet the artist. Gallery walks and such get you known in your own communities.
We should not be afraid to make connections. We should not fear that what we do will lose the mystery or the magic because we are in touch with our communities. Reach out and find more reasons to make connections.
Competition: if you are showing or selling your work it is good to know you else is competing for the attention and the money.
Cooperation: you can share tips about where to find supplies, how to market and how to avoid having side by side booths at the county fair.
Support: its good to know other people have the same thought processes and they may have experienced many of the same hurdles you have.
Introduction: you can share information about other people in you local crafting community.
So how do you find these like minded people?
Networking.
Be social when you are at vendor venues. Talk to the customers, but also the other vendors. When you are not a vendor at a venue go and look around and introduce yourself. Almost everybody appreciates making more connections to people.
Have a card. Having business cards (even if you are not a business) means people can invite you to events you do not hear about through the usual channels. Hand them out and make sure you have an email address that people can use. if you have a webpage or FB page let people know. You do not need to have a physical/mailing address or phone number on the card. But and image and a few words that describe what you do is a great idea.
Pick up cards too. This gives you a way to start looking at how other artists are marketing themselves. Maybe this can lead to a discussion or the discovery of a class about marketing for the artist.
Have an on-line presence. You do not need an extravagant webpage to grab people's attention and Facebook is only one facet you should consider when developing your on-line space. Be careful though not to let the on-line pages become your focus instead of your art. Static pages that are rather like a super version of your business card but that do not need constant updating, unless you want to add to your gallery is a good plan. Make sure your business card and your fb page direct people to you webpage as well. On-line markets are also important to connect to all your other on-line media.
Go to events. The more you are seen the more you are known. Marketing at local craft bazaars and shops works great when possible buyers can meet the artist. Gallery walks and such get you known in your own communities.
We should not be afraid to make connections. We should not fear that what we do will lose the mystery or the magic because we are in touch with our communities. Reach out and find more reasons to make connections.
Saturday, February 6, 2016
Social Artistry
When you think about it I bet most of us picture an artist as a rather solitary figure alone in a room with their muse and maybe a model.
There are a few exceptions. When I think of "schools" of art, I think of places where there is learning and demonstration and a social aspect to creation. There are also street artists who paint, draw... in the public eye, interacting at some level with the world as is it.
But being in a room filled with the busy hustle of people creating and interacting and talking about what they are creating and why is not a typical "art" scene.
I just spent a weekend with quilters. Many of them are more about pattern assembly, but others (myself included) choose different paths. Using fabric and thread to bring visions we have to life.
While I enjoy the contemplative solitude sometimes for my creative time, I love having the occasional rooms full of excited and creative people hard at work all around me. The energy pushes me to do more than I would alone.
There are a few exceptions. When I think of "schools" of art, I think of places where there is learning and demonstration and a social aspect to creation. There are also street artists who paint, draw... in the public eye, interacting at some level with the world as is it.
But being in a room filled with the busy hustle of people creating and interacting and talking about what they are creating and why is not a typical "art" scene.
I just spent a weekend with quilters. Many of them are more about pattern assembly, but others (myself included) choose different paths. Using fabric and thread to bring visions we have to life.
While I enjoy the contemplative solitude sometimes for my creative time, I love having the occasional rooms full of excited and creative people hard at work all around me. The energy pushes me to do more than I would alone.
Sunday, January 24, 2016
How much Joy?
Today I was in a storage unit at 20 degrees sorting through the fabrics I am taking for a quilting retreat next weekend. And in spite of freezing fingers I found myself happy to be doing it. Anticipating the way I will stitch together the bright cheerful scraps into some planned and unplanned spontaneous projects. Anticipating time spent with other women friends chatting, laughing, oohinh and ahhing over each other's efforts.
This supporting and loving and gentle weekend brings me a great chance to be fully in touch with the creative side of myself. I do find myself wondering though how much longer can I just fit these times into the cracks of everyday life before I simply must make them a priority.
Seriously, how long?
Every time I get close to figuring that out I scare myself with numbers. But numbers do not translate well into things like enjoyment and happiness and peaceful sense of fulfillment.
I tend to undervalue these things and I need to make them the center of my life rather than the bits and pieces I slip into the edges and gaps.
Finding things that give me joy and finding things that fuel my passion has been my mission through this chapter in my life. And like all the missions in all the chapters I have lived thus far it is a scary thing to do.
Becoming my own person was one chapter. Escaping the routines of always being seen as someone's sister, cousin, daughter, grand daughter or niece was a revalation. Having the realization that I could be anyone I wanted to be when I was with people who did not know me, had never known me and had no prejudgements was exciting and scary. I was in charge of my own life.
Developing my intellectual side was another chapter. Going to college, getting a degree and starting a career based on that education were all parts of this cycle of growth.
Then came Alaska and discovering and developing my female side. Who I was as a woman and sexual being brought me many ups and down. interacting with men at a level I had never explored before. I found my husband in this stage. But I had to go through the other stages before I was ready for this one.
Since then I have been in a less than exciting phase. working full time, being responsible for the day to day living of life, without quite as many moments of excitement and pure growth. And so I think I am approaching the next chapter, but I feel a need to define a bit before I go forward. Maybe my first question should be "How much joy do I want in my life".
This supporting and loving and gentle weekend brings me a great chance to be fully in touch with the creative side of myself. I do find myself wondering though how much longer can I just fit these times into the cracks of everyday life before I simply must make them a priority.
Seriously, how long?
Every time I get close to figuring that out I scare myself with numbers. But numbers do not translate well into things like enjoyment and happiness and peaceful sense of fulfillment.
I tend to undervalue these things and I need to make them the center of my life rather than the bits and pieces I slip into the edges and gaps.
Finding things that give me joy and finding things that fuel my passion has been my mission through this chapter in my life. And like all the missions in all the chapters I have lived thus far it is a scary thing to do.
Becoming my own person was one chapter. Escaping the routines of always being seen as someone's sister, cousin, daughter, grand daughter or niece was a revalation. Having the realization that I could be anyone I wanted to be when I was with people who did not know me, had never known me and had no prejudgements was exciting and scary. I was in charge of my own life.
Developing my intellectual side was another chapter. Going to college, getting a degree and starting a career based on that education were all parts of this cycle of growth.
Then came Alaska and discovering and developing my female side. Who I was as a woman and sexual being brought me many ups and down. interacting with men at a level I had never explored before. I found my husband in this stage. But I had to go through the other stages before I was ready for this one.
Since then I have been in a less than exciting phase. working full time, being responsible for the day to day living of life, without quite as many moments of excitement and pure growth. And so I think I am approaching the next chapter, but I feel a need to define a bit before I go forward. Maybe my first question should be "How much joy do I want in my life".
Thursday, January 21, 2016
mind stretch
Knowing I have 2 art classes to do every week has been a little over whelming. But it has kept my mind open to possibilities all around me.
I like to use recycled materials for art and so I have to keep my eyes and mind open. I grabbed some ice cube trays from the dumpster the other day. I am thinking they would work for paint trays.
I grabbed some slightly used sticker books that will become a drawing project as well as a decoupage project.
Then there are always goodies like rubber stamps for cards, and yarn for weaving and pom poms, rock painting and abstract art.
Not sure what's next I think I have to sit down this weekend and plan some projects for more than just next week. Gotta keep it interesting and fun and different every time. This could be fun.
I like to use recycled materials for art and so I have to keep my eyes and mind open. I grabbed some ice cube trays from the dumpster the other day. I am thinking they would work for paint trays.
I grabbed some slightly used sticker books that will become a drawing project as well as a decoupage project.
Then there are always goodies like rubber stamps for cards, and yarn for weaving and pom poms, rock painting and abstract art.
Not sure what's next I think I have to sit down this weekend and plan some projects for more than just next week. Gotta keep it interesting and fun and different every time. This could be fun.
Monday, January 18, 2016
Creativity: Its just a hobby
Like so many people who craft and have an artsy side most of my creativity is relegated to using it as a hobby.
I use some of my creativity at work. Applying it problem solving on my own or in collaboration with others, but for the most part I only really put it to use when I have "art time". Sewing, painting... These are time when I surround myself with the materials that I hope to use or transform. Sitting in the middle of my space with fabric piled here and there and paint all lined up on the shelf with brushes near by, boxes and bags and stacks and such just waiting.
But this just a hobby.
I have thought about what kind of effort it would take to change this into a "real" job.
By my calculations I would have to produce between 50-100 items and sell them every 10 days.
And while the creation is entirely possible, I need to figure out the marketing end if I am ever going to try doing this. I know people who have shops where they sell what they make and they take work from other artists. They put in the regular shop hours 6 days a week and then they still have to put in the time to make things to fill the shelves. Now one friend I know is lucky enough to have a spouse who is part of the business. He makes things as well as running the shop for her now and then. They also drag their adult daughters into things to either run the shop when they are off site selling at shows and fairs or to booth sit and sell. So really it is a 4-5 person operation and the daughters have regular jobs and the husband is retired. they work very hard for their money and it is far from a hobby for them.
For myself I still work full time, and I need the flexibility to take off on fishing trips and family visits and just enjoying this amazing place I live. I do not know if I ever could really make my creative side my primary income source. For now I think it will stay a hobby.
I use some of my creativity at work. Applying it problem solving on my own or in collaboration with others, but for the most part I only really put it to use when I have "art time". Sewing, painting... These are time when I surround myself with the materials that I hope to use or transform. Sitting in the middle of my space with fabric piled here and there and paint all lined up on the shelf with brushes near by, boxes and bags and stacks and such just waiting.
But this just a hobby.
I have thought about what kind of effort it would take to change this into a "real" job.
By my calculations I would have to produce between 50-100 items and sell them every 10 days.
And while the creation is entirely possible, I need to figure out the marketing end if I am ever going to try doing this. I know people who have shops where they sell what they make and they take work from other artists. They put in the regular shop hours 6 days a week and then they still have to put in the time to make things to fill the shelves. Now one friend I know is lucky enough to have a spouse who is part of the business. He makes things as well as running the shop for her now and then. They also drag their adult daughters into things to either run the shop when they are off site selling at shows and fairs or to booth sit and sell. So really it is a 4-5 person operation and the daughters have regular jobs and the husband is retired. they work very hard for their money and it is far from a hobby for them.
For myself I still work full time, and I need the flexibility to take off on fishing trips and family visits and just enjoying this amazing place I live. I do not know if I ever could really make my creative side my primary income source. For now I think it will stay a hobby.
Sunday, January 17, 2016
New Opportunities
I am excited. I have an opportunity to do an art lesson with students twice a week. I will be working with upper el kids on Tuesdays and lower el on Thursday. This will be fun and possibly a little messy. But now I need to pull together plans and supplies and figure out directions for either 7 year olds or 9-13 year old.
I need projects that will either dry quickly or can be taken home that day. I may have to see if there is a bulletin board I can use to post some of the projects on.
Painting, weaving, dying, cutting, pasting, gluing, stamping, drawing, sewing, tearing, All such fabulous action word that make my heart sing.
But I must not forget the words sharing, cleaning, helping, and thank you.
Where to go first?
I know I have easy access to paper, paint, glue and yarn. Time to have some fun.
I need projects that will either dry quickly or can be taken home that day. I may have to see if there is a bulletin board I can use to post some of the projects on.
Painting, weaving, dying, cutting, pasting, gluing, stamping, drawing, sewing, tearing, All such fabulous action word that make my heart sing.
But I must not forget the words sharing, cleaning, helping, and thank you.
Where to go first?
I know I have easy access to paper, paint, glue and yarn. Time to have some fun.
Thursday, January 7, 2016
Watching the passion of others
As I was sitting thinking about the guilty pleasure shows I watch on TV or netflix etc. The list seemed a mixed bag at first glance:
River monsters
Master chef Junior
Anything with David Attenborrough
Cake boss
sewing shows
quiltings shows
nature shows
Science shows
And while these are all things I like, what really drives the shows is the passion that the "stars" have for their lives.
they do what they do because they Love what they do. and the shows are just an externalization of that passion.
They would fish, bake, sew, travel... because that is what they do. And you know even if the cameras all stopped running they would still fish, bake, sew, travel...
My hope is that like all inspiring people there are sparks being ignited by that passion. When I watch those who passionately love teaching I hope that not only do they foster a love of learning but that their passion for what they do sparks other to love teaching.
And the fire is passed along from one person to another.
River monsters
Master chef Junior
Anything with David Attenborrough
Cake boss
sewing shows
quiltings shows
nature shows
Science shows
And while these are all things I like, what really drives the shows is the passion that the "stars" have for their lives.
they do what they do because they Love what they do. and the shows are just an externalization of that passion.
They would fish, bake, sew, travel... because that is what they do. And you know even if the cameras all stopped running they would still fish, bake, sew, travel...
My hope is that like all inspiring people there are sparks being ignited by that passion. When I watch those who passionately love teaching I hope that not only do they foster a love of learning but that their passion for what they do sparks other to love teaching.
And the fire is passed along from one person to another.
Sunday, January 3, 2016
Derivative Art
This is not a blog about art that is inspired by that which has gone before or about art that blatantly rips off the work of another artist. This is about art that seeks to carry on a legacy from the artist.
Art that is inspired by another often turns out as good or better works than those of the original artist, because there is still a strong spark of original creativity.
Art that is a forgery of another persons work carries nothing but the brush strokes, or glazes or ink work of the original. Tediously duplicated in a good forgery, that sadly should never take place.
But the art I mean is that where they try to duplicate the style, color, texture of the original and push it to new forms or subjects or plots. And I have found that these efforts almost always miss some essential component. Maybe it is the passion that drove the original author, painter, cartoonist, sculptor... It is a shadow of what the original author could have created. And I think many people are willing to buy that shadow, because they crave more from the original artist and like a dieter eating frozen yogurt instead of ice cream, "Its better than nothing".
Examples might be when they write an original script for a James Bond movie, that misses the silly innuendos or puts together the dialog without consideration for the long term relationship between characters. These relationships have a past present and future for the original author, but the screen writer sees things only in the moment, because they do not own that world in their head.
And I am Sorry the Star Wars the Force Awakens is another example. It was put together to make sure it hit every cliche and standard predictable plot line, but it lacked passion. it lacked the nuanced interaction between people who have a history or are creating a history. It lacked humor.
Sigh How sad!
I will keep my eyes open for original works and support the passion of the true creators.
Art that is inspired by another often turns out as good or better works than those of the original artist, because there is still a strong spark of original creativity.
Art that is a forgery of another persons work carries nothing but the brush strokes, or glazes or ink work of the original. Tediously duplicated in a good forgery, that sadly should never take place.
But the art I mean is that where they try to duplicate the style, color, texture of the original and push it to new forms or subjects or plots. And I have found that these efforts almost always miss some essential component. Maybe it is the passion that drove the original author, painter, cartoonist, sculptor... It is a shadow of what the original author could have created. And I think many people are willing to buy that shadow, because they crave more from the original artist and like a dieter eating frozen yogurt instead of ice cream, "Its better than nothing".
Examples might be when they write an original script for a James Bond movie, that misses the silly innuendos or puts together the dialog without consideration for the long term relationship between characters. These relationships have a past present and future for the original author, but the screen writer sees things only in the moment, because they do not own that world in their head.
And I am Sorry the Star Wars the Force Awakens is another example. It was put together to make sure it hit every cliche and standard predictable plot line, but it lacked passion. it lacked the nuanced interaction between people who have a history or are creating a history. It lacked humor.
Sigh How sad!
I will keep my eyes open for original works and support the passion of the true creators.
Friday, January 1, 2016
Process without Objective
I have been thinking a bit about process. I know people for whom process is everything. They draw, paint, write, do meditation, yoga, play music to be present in that moment. Achievement, goal, end game is not why they do it. Perfection or even improvement is not their focus either. It does not matter to them if the drawing ends up in the fireplace, they do not strive to play before an audience. These are processes they do to calm, center, and strengthen their connections with themselves. It is a process that does not lead them anywhere except inside themselves and inside the moment.
I have times like this as well, but I do not have a consistent process for this. When I find the time to indulge my creative self I think guilt makes me want to produce something. Finding a way to justify the time I have spent on practicing process has been important. Time as well as money are commodities I seldom just give myself permission to use freely without a goal, or objective to show for it.
I want to be selfish. I want to give myself the gift of process without an expectation of payoff. I am not sure yet how this will happen. Maybe take a class, maybe just find time alone with paper and pencil, maybe spend time sitting alone by the river. Maybe all those and more.
I hope everyone gets the chance to explore process in the coming year. And I hope they can let themselves do it without guilt.
Happy New Year.
I have times like this as well, but I do not have a consistent process for this. When I find the time to indulge my creative self I think guilt makes me want to produce something. Finding a way to justify the time I have spent on practicing process has been important. Time as well as money are commodities I seldom just give myself permission to use freely without a goal, or objective to show for it.
I want to be selfish. I want to give myself the gift of process without an expectation of payoff. I am not sure yet how this will happen. Maybe take a class, maybe just find time alone with paper and pencil, maybe spend time sitting alone by the river. Maybe all those and more.
I hope everyone gets the chance to explore process in the coming year. And I hope they can let themselves do it without guilt.
Happy New Year.
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