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)
 

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.

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.

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".

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.

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.

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.