Art for Auction

AIGA Colorado’s Heart Art is an historic event that mixes a vibrant theme with a lavish silent art auction to raise essential funds that support Project Angel Heart. The event usually coincides with St. Valentine’s Day.

My piece, along with those of other premier artists, will be auctioned at the 18th Annual AIGA Colorado Heart Art charity event. All proceeds from the evening will benefit AIGA Colorado and Project Angel Heart, delivering more than 400,000 meals this year alone to homebound individuals living with HIV/AIDS, cancer and other life threatening illnesses.

A Feast For The Senses, the theme for Heart Art 2012, will take place Thursday, February 9th, 2012 from 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. at ARTWORK NETWORK, 878 Santa Fe Drive in Denver, Colorado.

Be sure to purchase tickets to attend this foodie-art event that will be structured as a dinner service. It’s one part auction of original art, one part showcasing of creative cuisine, one part evening of romance and a giant heaping of giving to a worthy cause. Mix well and serve. Check out Heart Art Denver for ticket information.

Back to School

I’ve been set up with my computer at the dining room table the last few months. This is where I’ve been doing my job searching, freelance design, and internet browsing for the last several months. But I’ve been wanting a space that was more dedicated to getting work done and perhaps keep me away from the computer when I didn’t need to be on it.

So I set up a space for myself in our guest bedroom so that I could focus on my classwork. I’ve spent today playing catch up from last week’s Hello Soul. Hello Business course work and hope to be right on track with the rest of the class by tomorrow.

 

We’re encouraged to keep a journal through this learning process and I wanted one dedicated specifically to this class. I choose a vintage scrapbook that I bought at a thrift store over 5 years ago. The paper is nice and thick so I can write with sharpies and not have to worry about them seeping through to the other side.

 

I actually enjoyed setting up a little desk space for myself and picking a few of my favorite ideas to keep close. I used the table I take with me to craft markets and covered it with a vintage sheet. I just love the flowers on it and how it compliments the teal walls in this room!

The mug is one of my favorites. I love that it’s so big and green on the inside! But it slipped out of my hands and chipped in two places on the lip. I’ve refused to get rid of it and continue to drink coffee and tea out of it.  In hopes of transitioning it out of the kitchen but still keeping it close by I’m now using it to keep my sharpies close at hand.

 

 

I’ve moved the “It is not enough to put your heart” print next to my computer to remind me of all the things it requires to be successful. And of course, I had to put a wedding photo close by. In addition to the frames, I put the new plant we just purchased yesterday to remind me of growth. I love the illustration on the purple candle, it has smelled so good in this room today since I’ve had it burning all afternoon. The best part is once the candle is finished, the glass can be cleaned out and used as a drinking glass.

Putting this space together for myself sort of reminded me of getting ready for a new school year. It’s like getting ready for a fresh start and I’m ready to hit the books!

Hello Opportunity

It’s been incredibly helpful for me to be open and honest on this blog over the last month. I’m thankful for the encouragement that I’ve received from my readers and friends alike. As painful as it can be to be honest sometimes, I also know it can be rewarding. I’d like to think there are others reading my words and thankful I chose to share.

The days I struggle are really more about figuring out what to do with my life. I know that I have talent. And most days I believe in my creative gift. It’s just that sometimes I wish I could have turned out more like everyone else and ignore the voice in my head that says “do what you love.”

Lately, “do what you love” has become a more prominent dream in my head.

But dreams are hard. I think it’s incredibly thrilling and terrifying to think that before the age of 30 I could be declaring myself a full-time artist. “Who does that? Who do you think you are?” are questions that my inner critic constantly ask. I have been trying my best to fight back with “Why not me?”

And that is why, I’ve taken a BIG, GIANT step, said yes to myself, and signed up for Hello Soul. Hello Business.

I saw the ads for this e-course when it was first released and thought it looked promising but the price and the fact that I wasn’t sure I was there yet stopped me from signing up.

Thanks in part to the owner of Hello Bluebird and an honest conversation with my husband, I’ve decided I am there now. This is the time for me to take the leap and make a go at my business. This is why the universe keeps laying me off: I’m not meant to be in an office.

Confessions of a Thrift-a-holic

After finding the blue travel cosmetic case, I’ve had my eye out for more travel cases. I know, what would a girl do with more than one? Well, they make great travel craft totes and supply carriers for craft markets. Currently, I have to empty the blue one out every time I do something different.

 

My lastest find at Goodwill isn’t exactly a cosmetic case, but I couldn’t resist the bold floral pattern on this mini suitcase. It’s propped in my studio now as eye candy, but who knows perhaps on my next over night trip, I’ll take this pretty suitcase along.

It’s said that the more you go thrifting, the more likely you are to “find a find.” And it’s true. But I think I may be going too much, it’s lost of bit of the thrill and I don’t get quite the same “high” when I find a find-although I think I’ve gotten better at saying no to everything that catches my eye.

My husband has been joking about sending me to Thrifters Anonymous and I think I’m ready to admit: I have a problem.

So starting today, no thrift stores for 2 weeks.

Ebb and Flow

I went into my studio today, hoping to pick up on my creative energy from yesterday. Instead, I stalled out. I attempted to start a new piece but nothing was working. I tried to remember Sarah Ahearn’s words on creativity and ebb and flow:

“sometimes it’s just like that. on some days, it comes a lot easier.  what i’ve learned is to just go with the flow. creativity ebbs and flows and ebbs and flows.  i used to worry worry worry about this pattern, more specifically the ebb part, but these days it’s one of the things i’ve just learned to just let go of.”

Apparently, the ebb had won today. And the ebb called me to the floor. I laid down and spent some time staring at the ceiling, decided the studio was a bust today and went back upstairs.

It’s hard not to let my feelings of continued unemployment creep into my creative time.

Just as there is an ebb and flow to creativity, there is also an ebb and flow to the hopelessness I feel about finding a job. The longer I am unemployed, the more I wonder what I’m supposed to be doing. It’s a grand idea to think I’m supposed to be an artist. The problem is that, at this point, being an artist doesn’t pay the bills.

And of course, declaring myself an artist makes me extremely vulnerable. It’s hard not to feel like I’m setting myself up for failure.

From Jennifer Louden’s blog:
Art is where we expose ourselves, because in addition to being human, we really have no choice but to accept failure. And it’s failure (or the potential for failure) that creates art. When we talk about emulating the bodhisattva, we accept the risk that maybe we won’t touch anyone, won’t shed any light, won’t make a difference.

The only way to do art, real art, is to embrace that risk. To do less is to hide.

Finally, a Word for It

On the recommendation of a friend, I’ve been reading “The War of Art” by Steven Pressfield. This book is a great resource for any type of creative or anybody who wishes to achieve a higher level goal. The main focus of his book is the idea of RESISTANCE.

“There’s a secret that real writers know that wannabe writers don’t, and the secret is this: It’s not the writing part that’s hard. What’s hard is sitting down to write. What keeps us from sitting down is Resistance.”

This was something I could completely relate to and it feels good to finally have a name for it. Resistance is the reason going into my studio is the last thing on my list. Resistance is the reason I’m afraid to create and use my collection of supplies-also because I’ve associated a quality of preciousness to all of these supplies. Resistance is responsible for all of that fear I feel in creating.

But what I’ve also come to notice, and what this book points out, is that the more I go down to my studio and MAKE MYSELF SIT DOWN the more I keep doing it.

“The Muse takes note of our dedication. She approves. We have earned her favor in her sight. When we sit down and work, we become like a magnetized rod that attracts iron filings. Ideas come.”

I always get really excited when I complete a project, make significant process or conquer a design challange. But my excitement takes over and rather than riding my delight on to the next project or phase, I become so submerged by the sense of completion, I stop. I’ve attained my short term gratification and Resistance is happy to make me stop right there.

Needless to say, Resistance has been my word lately.

Right now the rest of my week is open so I’m trying my best to move studio time to the top of my to-do list rather than the bottom.

Connecting the Inspiration

I finally finished the piece of artwork that has been sitting in my studio since November.

I started 3 pieces all at once and had an idea for it, but as will happen often, I changed my mind halfway through. In this case I changed my mind, but I didn’t know what I wanted to do instead. So it sat.

This week I had the right inspiration to finish.

If you follow me on facebook, you saw I posted a clip from the movie “It’s Kind of a Funny Story” because I really love this illustration style.

On a trip to Target this week, I was in the greeting card section and got pulled in by their Valentine’s Day cards. On an end cap there was a display with large 8 x 8 inch cards and they were all done in a collaged, layered style. The added detail I loved the most was the sewing. I took pictures with my phone, but I don’t have a smart phone so I can’t share the photos here. If you’d like to see what inspired me, be sure to check out the cards next time you’re at Target.

And that brings me to the studio today when everything clicked together.

I’m really excited about how this piece finished up! Now after several “home” themed pieces, I’m ready to move onto another theme.

New Art Supply: Copic Markers

After reading about Copic Markers in Journal Spilling and then on Pam Garrison’s blog, I knew that I needed to acquire some for my collection. The problem is that these markets are not cheap. On Dickblick.com, they retail for $5.24 a piece.

While on a trip to Michael’s with a friend, I was standing in line with her and looked over to see a Copic Marker display with a buy one get one half off sign. The display had been picked over pretty good, but I found 4 markers in my favorite colors to begin my collection. The icing on the cake: I had a gift card that covered the exact amount!

I enjoy how the markers write and the soft color they create. I’m going to enjoy playing with these markers more.

Journaling and Reorganizing

I’ve been ever so slowly making my way through the book Journal Spilling, a book I purchased almost 2 years ago. The book talked about the benefits of working with watercolors, and I realized, “Wait! I have brand new, unopened watercolors.” I went out and bought a plastic palette and I’m learning how un-messy watercolors can be…and really loving it!

It was fun to spend several hours in my studio going back and forth between journaling-I did have to wait for the watercolors to dry-and reorganizing my studio. For months my picture rail had become a half-hazard collection of nothing overly inspiring. To encourage me in the studio I framed a Curly Girl calendar page , added picture of my mom when she was 26, my favorite flea market find from Amsterdam and a new framed print of my own. The window also has a new home, which I’m using as a place to display inspiring quotes.

In my cleaning, I found my favorite t-shirt which I taken down to my studio months ago. I had finally given up on wearing it and had decided to frame it in an embroidery hoop. The problem was I had misplaced it. I was thrilled to find it at long last and put it up on my studio wall.

It is so nice to walk into my studio now and know that half of it is clean. Another good day and I’ll be all tided up again.

Being Brave

I debated about sharing my last post and allowing myself to be so openly vulnerable. Ultimately, I decided to share my true, honest feelings because I remembered that the blogs that I enjoy reading the most are the ones that revealed the messy, honest stories of life.

And, I remembered, how at 17, when I discovered Sabrina Ward Harrison‘s book Spilling Open, I was so grateful that her visual journals had been published and to read about another woman’s insecurities.

So I chose to be brave and share my struggle with purpose and enough. It was actually this sharing, letting others know and finding out that I am not alone ( I enjoyed the link left in the comments section about Preventing Goal Burn Out.) in those thoughts that helped me move past them. Sharing on my blog got me to work through the feelings I was having and get them out of my head. Now there is room for better things.

Sharing also prompted others to speak up. One friend shared that she viewed me as such a successful and accomplished person, while another told me I had “a drive that keeps you pursuing your dreams and that doesn’t come along very often.” It can be eye opening to compare the way we view ourselves against the way the world views us. We are truly our own worst critic. So why then, do we chose to listen to that one voice (our own), over all of the others?

Here’s to a year of remembering the successful driven person I am capable of being. Thank you to everyone for their continued support, appraisal and love.

I beat the resistance and spent some much needed and enjoyed time in my studio yesterday. I’ll be sharing my accomplishments soon.