New Directions

I'm always looking to expand my art and grow in new directions, and my work recently has done just that. A couple of months ago, I was pondering new ways to bring in some income with my art. I have had the experience again and again, whether at conferences, at retreats, or at my gallery, of people saying how much they love my art but not buying it. Wall art can be a hard sell. Jewelry, on the other hand, seems to be a perpetual bestseller, so I wondered if I could adapt my art with out losing the integrity. I wanted the pieces to be authentic to me in every way without them becoming kitschy little things that get knocked out quickly just to make a buck. So, I devised a way to basically make miniature, wearable pieces. Each of the above pieces is approximately an inch and a half - the rectangular pieces are slightly narrower and longer. Each is an original work of art on paper using colored pencil or ink, adhered to a small piece of masonite, and covered in epoxy resin. My idea is to sell them in my studio and at the conferences and retreats I attend. Because they are original works, I plan on having a price point around $50. I also plan on making jewelry from reproductions - quality prints of some of my work. Each of those will be original as well (I'm not looking to duplicate designs), but at a lower price point around $30.

I've also taken a new direction with my wall art. I've been revisiting the work of Lee Bontecou. I first became aware of Bontecou 6 or 7 years ago after a major retrospective of hers toured the country in 2004. I came across her long after the retrospective was over, but I got to see quite a few of her pieces at the Carnegie International in Pittsburgh in 2005. I immediately felt a kinship to her work - both her drawings and her sculptures. I was able to track down a copy of the book from the retrospective, and I marvel every time I look at it. Most recently, I took a shine to her drawings on black paper using colored pencil. I have always been fascinated by drawing on colored paper, especially black, but I have never really explored it. But I have been experimenting over the last week or so, and have developed a few images that I am happy with. The piece below is still in progress, but represents one of my efforts. Unfortunately, it is on construction paper, so if I continue with this line of inquiry, I'll need to invest in quality, black paper.

Here's to new directions

Join the Fun: Pay It Forward 2012

Do you like to receive cool handmade gifts?  Do you like to give handmade gifts and bring joy through those gifts?  Do you want to join a project and BRING JOY EXPONENTIALLY through handmade gifts?

PAY IT FORWARD 2012

Good friend, fellow visual journalist, and awesome book artist Erin of art-is-try participated in a Facebook Pay It Forward project last year, and wanted to bring the fun out of Facebook. I hope that you will participate. It's a small commitment of time and resources.

Here's her adaptation of the project, to be carried through, by threes, via the blog world.

the fun begins

1

If you would like to participate, please leave a comment below.

The first three people to respond and show commitment

to the project will receive a handmade gift from me!!!

2

Post this project on your own blog--feel free to cut n' paste.

Gather three new participants and be willing / prepared

to follow through with the "Pay It Forward" part!!!

Please link back to this original post:

("JOIN THE FUN!  Pay It Foward 2012")

and I, in turn, will include a link to your post

so that we can follow the project from its origin.

3

I will give you a (small, simple, heartfelt) handmade gift.

Make sure to email me your full name and address.

In turn, give (small, simple, heartfelt) handmade gifts

to your participants, and let the joy grow exponentially!!!

(please only enter under one blog... give more than you receive!)

******
My participants and their "Pay It Forward" blog links:

D&C Designs
Michelle H. Harrell
 Sara Gant

I've got my three! If you are interested in participating but missed the cut-off, click on one of the above links and sign up under them (or if they are full, click on their links etc etc etc until you find one)!

Challenge #33: Attributes

What are your key attributes and characteristics? How do you give visual representation to the attributes and the characteristics that are most important to you?

We can communicate our thoughts, our feelings, our being not only through our words, but through the images that we use. The images that we return to again and again begin to take on symbolic meaning for us. In order to develop meaningful and authentic symbols, we must begin to understand our own characteristics and attributes. Companies attempt to communicate a deliberate message or a particular feeling with their logos, ads, and websites, and many of their symbols have been reworked and redesigned over the years to covey new and different directions.

Begin to look at your own attributes and characteristics that signify important aspects of who you are and that communicate important ideas about you. Imagine that you are the product. How do you want to be represented? What do you want to communicate? What defines your personality? Are you strong or creative or clever or shy? How would you symbolize that?

Challenge #32: Visions of Myself

Do you see yourself living your dream or living a life of want, longing, and regret?

A synonym of the word “dream” is “vision”. Often our vision of ourselves can directly affect whether or not we achieve our dreams. We have a clear picture in our minds of ourselves, but unfortunately that picture is often distorted by self talk, doubts, fears, and personal mythologies. Interrogate these visions of yourself to see if they hold up to scrutiny. Stop getting in your own way, and start visualizing yourself living the life you dream about.

How do you see yourself? What can you do to see yourself in a more honest and authentic light? How could a clearer, truer vision of yourself help move you toward that dream?

Direction of Intention

 

Over the years I have noticed a pattern in my life - periods of intense energy, activity, and focus followed by periods of exhaustion, stagnation, and confusion. This is a cycle that seems to pass at pretty regular intervals, and I must say that I am in the latter part of the cycle now. I have been intensely busy since last spring devoting energy to many new opportunities and filling my time with travel to new places and making new art. Now I am in a lull. The activity has subsided, I don’t need to exert so much energy. I look at my calendar and see that it is pretty wide open. I’m still making new art, but a feeling of exhaustion and stagnation has crept over me. Perhaps it’s the time of the year. As one year ends and a new one begins, I become very reflective and try to make some sense of the past year and try to set a course for the new one.

This year, however, I feel exceptionally exhausted. And it seems that with great frequency, I reflect on how tired I am both physically and mentally. I think that I am just tired of being tired. That’s it - I am tired of being tired - tired of being grumpy - tired of feeling like I’m not living - tired of waiting. I am tired of waiting for the right time, the right opportunity, the right situation, the right circumstance. Perhaps I am not where I want to be, but how can I begin to live that life now at this very moment and begin a substantial movement to that place I want to be?

I am ready for a change - something new - growth in a new direction. I am ready to take the next step. I’m just not certain how to take it. I know what I wish for my life. I can envision it, but there seems to be so many obstacles that are standing in my way. The only step that I can see now that is not a drastic, quit-my-job-that-pays-the-bills-and-hope-for-the-best kind of change, but small changes where I reach out more - to do little things that can begin to shift the momentum in the direction I want to go. I want to do as Patti Digh suggests in Creativity is A Verb, and focus on the direction of my intention. I can sit around and wallow and moan about how tired I am and about how I’m not living the life I envision, and sing the whole woe-is-me song. Or I can start to do something about it now. I can literally and metaphorically get off of my lazy ass and do something that points me in the direction I need to go. In order to create the world that I envision, I need to “get busy living or get busy dying.” (I love the movie Shawshank Redemption).

I have begun a journey - a journey that I plan on sharing with anyone willing to tag along. As part of that, I have a few projects in the works - ways to open myself, reach out, and allow my voice to ring out. I'll be sharing those later as I wrap them up. I hope that you will tag along.

Challenge #31: Dreams and Nightmares

What do you fear most about trying to achieve your dreams?

Along with dreams come nightmares. These may be nightmares that we have while sleeping, or the worst case scenarios that we experience when we are awake. For many of us, it is impossible to imagine our dreams without imagining the nightmare. We think of all the reasons why it won’t and can’t work out. We balk at the fear, trip ourselves up, and hold ourselves back. Acknowledge your dreams and nightmares, and shine light into your darkness. Don’t let the possible nightmares squelch your dreams. Confront the negativity as a means to overcome it and move beyond it.

What are your dreams? What are the corresponding nightmares? What are your worst case scenarios? How can you overcome your nightmares?

Challenge #30: Daydreams

What thoughts, ideas, and scenarios flash through your mind throughout the day?

Our thoughts can very easily float away from us during the day. We may be sitting in a meeting, and our minds may wander because the meeting doesn’t hold our attention. We may daydream as we drive to work or to the store, or we may just sit and think allowing thoughts and ideas to come and go at will. Pay attention to these times, and record and embrace these meanderings of the mind that we call daydreams. They seem like whims, but they are peeks and glimpses into what we want and need the most. Pay attention to the fleeting thoughts that pop up throughout your day and document them so that you don’t forget.

Where does your mind go when it isn’t actively engaged? What are your daydreams? Do they hold clues about your bigger dreams and hopes?

Art Unraveled 2012

Journal Page by Dave

The Journal Fodder Junkies will be returning to Phoenix in 2012 for Art Unraveled where we will be teaching two all-day workshops. The dates for Art Unraveled are July 30-August 7, and we will be teaching August 1 and 2.

Wednesday, August 1, 9:00 AM - 4:30 PM
Personal Histories and Mythologies
We have all have our stories. As we deal with our present, we are consistently rewriting our pasts, whether romanticizing or demonizing ourselves. Like it or not, we are defined by the events that have transpired during our lives. This is a process we all engage in to face our uncertain futures. We continually edit the scripts and dialogues running through our heads to reinforce the myths and the stories we construct to define and articulate our lives.

What is your story? What is your history? What are the mysteries of your life? What are the stories that you have told yourself over and over to the point that you believe them and accept them?


This mixed-media workshop focuses on the personal and private use of the visual journal as a powerful tool for self-reflection and self-discovery. Learn to mix a variety of art techniques and media with personal ephemera and reflective writing to explore the stories that you tell about yourself and investigate the mysteries of your life. Bring images, memorabilia, and other ephemera that will help tell the story of YOU. Rose tinted glasses optional.

Thursday, August 2, 9:00 AM - 4:30 PM
Transitional Spaces
Are you looking to transform your artwork or your visual journal from a static surface to a dynamic, interactive space? Are you looking for ways to create richly layered spaces within and between your pieces?

This mixed-media workshop delves into creating this layered and nuanced interaction within and between works whether they are pages in a journal or stand alone pieces. Discover ways to give your artistic endeavors an extra kick as you explore how to incorporate transitional spaces that bring surprise, interactivity, connection, and hybridity to your art. Learn about windows, doorways, pockets, secret passages, and more as you consider and reconsider how spaces and pages interact and create a dialogue. Make artwork that opens up, flips out, and unfolds into other realms.

Although it is more than 7 months away, registration is open now. We're hoping to pack both of our workshops, and we hope to see you there. Please check out the Art Unraveled website for more information on workshops and registration.

Challenge #29: Dream Journal

What are you dreaming about?

We all have dreams, actual night visions that dance through our sleeping minds, as well as our hopes and aspirations. Document both kinds of dreams. Keep your journal or, at least, some paper next to your bed, and when you wake throughout the night or first thing in the morning, jot down your dreams before you forget them. Elaborate on these visions, and reflect on their contents and meanings. Keep pen and paper close at hand during the day and write down your dreams, your hopes, and your aspirations. Reflect on these thoughts and musings. This type of documentation becomes fertile soil for your intentions.

What are you dreaming about at night when you sleep? What are the details and the nuances of the dreams? Do you have reoccurring dreams? What are you dreaming about when you are awake? What are those aspirations? What do you dream about and hope for?

Challenge #28: Just Let Go

How can you step out of your scripts and just let go?

We encounter many things in life that make us stand still - a lost love or a broken heart, getting laid off or being skipped over for a promotion, or falling victim to bad advice or broken promises. We can’t control these situations, but we can control how we react to them. We run these things through our minds over and over as fears of inferiority and inadequacy invade our thoughts. We struggle with thoughts of how we don’t measure up to the abilities or achievements of others getting caught up in our scripts and self-talk. Don’t give in and allow the doubt to take over your decision making. Let go of your hesitation, and understand that you can do anything that you dedicate your energy to fulfilling.

Do you constantly compare yourself to others? Do you still hold on to the idea that ‘perfect’ exists? Do you always seem to find a way to talk yourself out of the things you want most? What scripts or self-talk do you most want to let go of? Can you find ways of letting go?