Art Goals for 2006

It's my New Year's tradition to make a list of art goals I want to achieve in the coming year. Then I "check in" with them in June to see where I am in reaching those goals and to refocuss for the remaining 6 months of the year. In early December, I then do a year in review so I can see what I managed to get done and then plan my list for the new year again.

It doesn't matter if I don't get everything on my list done. The whole point is to use it as a tool to move myself foreward as an artist. Writing things down and putting it out there into the Universe has power. I know-I have experienced it! It's also a way to make a commitment to myself that I am actively participating in my life and not just moving passively through it. I do not want to sleep walk through my life.

Okay, here are my art goals for the New Year:

-Do more artwork for book publication. (I did this last year and it was so incredibly satisfying. I would love to somehow have the opportunity to be a contributing artist for a mixed media publication again.)

-Continue working with Paper Artsy and Papier Valise doing design work. (I love working with both these companies!)

-Attend Artfest and Artfiberfest and learn some new skills.

-Created some new jewellery using the skills I learned and maybe sell some. (Selling my work is waaaay scary for me!)

-Buy myself a Rubicoil binder.

-Expand my teaching base.

-Write some more new classes.

-Maybe do an redesign on my website.

-Take a class with Lynn Perella. (This would make me HUGELY happy!)

So I am asking for and working towards these things or something better. (Why limit myself?! LOL!)

What will you choose for yourself in the new year?

Happy New Year Everyone! May it be filled with creative energy and unexpected blessings!

Xmas Miracle

So we left Thursday night. About 1/3 of the way to my inlaw's where we were spending the night, we stopped at Manning Park Lodge for a rest stop. (This is in the mountains, about 2 1/2 hours from our home. As we were getting out of the car, 4 young guys (28-ish) were just coming back to theirs and warned us about the slush and ice on the way into the lodge, since it was dark. Then they wished us Merry Xmas, told us to drive safely and piled into their car.

We had our break and got back into our car and drove out of the lodge area, passing a discarded beer box and two empty cans on the way out. Obviously they had come from the guys-they were not on the ground on the way in and we had seen them with the same blue cans when they were leaving. Fast foreward 6 minuted down the road and we see a light in the gully, about 50 feet down. We were all like "What the hell is that?!?" "Oh my god it's a CAR!!" Then we see a bunch of people frantically waving us down and we pull over. (We would have anyway!)

Before any of us can get out of the car, our son opens his car door and this guy leans in, all wild and crazy eyed and bleeding like crazy from his head and behind his ear. Turns out it's the guys we talked to in the parking lot at the lodge. They somehow went off the road, the car rolled about 5 times and came to rest about 50 feet down in the gully. Luckily the water they landed on was frozen and they all managed to get out. How they got up the embankment is beyond me!

The driver was freaking out and after I figured out everyone was still breathing and not in immediate trouble, I told them we were going back to the lodge to call for help. (There is no cell phone service in the park.) We drove back and I called for the ambulance and the police. While I was talking to the police, the driver walked up-some woman had driven him to the lodge. I am not sure if he overheard me saying they were drunk but while I was on the phone, he starts telling me they don't need an ambulance. I insisted they did and that he was bleeding too. (He insisted he wasn't bleeding!) Anyway, the police dispatcher started asking a bunch of questions I didn't have answers for so I passed the phone off to the driver and left.

I don't think he wanted anyone to show up to help because they were clearly drunk and at first I felt kind of bad telling the dispatcher they were. Then I thought about what if they had taken someone else off the road with them or what if those guy's parents had had to get a call saying they were all dead and I knew I did the right thing. It was bad enough WE had to see it. Anyway, we drove back to the accident and told the other three we had called for help and it was on the way. There were other people waiting there with them, so we carried on.

So...that was how we kicked off Xmas. I KNEW we were going to be somehow involved with an accident even before we left home. It's a miracle none of them was seriously injured or killed.

Please everyone, DON'T DRINK AND DRIVE! The life you save may be your own.

SQUEE!!

I just got an email from Leandra, owner of Paper Artsy telling me that some of my design work will be appearing in their new catalogue!! I am *SO* excited!

Paper Artsy is a great company to work with-the products are first rate and Leandra is very nice. I have to say I think designing is one of the most satisfying parts of the art I do. It's so challenging to get a parcel full of cool things and then parlay them into pieces that highlight the use of those products.

Anyway I am really happy about this and just had to share!

Mail Call!!

Have I mentioned lately how great it is being an artist because it means you get the coolest things in the mail? I have been working outside my home for the last three weeks on a contract and I have practically been running home just to see what the daily offerings from the postal carrier are. Today yielded a healthy stack-too deep in fact to fit through my piddly little mail slot, so it was sitting beside my door.

In the pile there was one sad coupon and a TV guide for my dh and the rest was MINE!! *Giggles with glee* There was a great packet of ephemera from my friend Linda, some Xmas cards from a couple of my friends, one from my godmother, (bless her heart) and best of all, MY ARTFIBERFEST CONFIRMATION!! YAY!!

So I got all my first choices for Artfiberfest. I am taking Wild and Wooly Rug Hooking on Thursday, Artfolio on Friday and Joyous Expression Flat Figures on Saturday. I am so excited since textiles were really my first real experience with art and design and it's amedium I am completely confortable working in. I first started quilting 13 years ago. I have not done anything textile based with the exception of fabric book designs for two of Jan Smiley's books in quite some time so it will be fun to dip my toes back into that pool.

I am also so excited to be travelling with two friends whom I adore. Actually, I am travelling with great friends to both Artfest and Artfiberfest this year. It's going to be so much fun and I know we will have lots of stories to tell when we get back! In the meantime, there will be much planning of what goodies we want to take and who has what and what art bits we can share with one another. There's nothing better than having good friends to share this kind of stuff with!

Anyway, that is my big news du jour. If you are thinking about whether or not you want to go to Artfiberfest, do come-it's my first year to go, but I am already having so much fun I can hardly stand it! The more, the merrier!

This is a journal I made for my new friend DJ. I sent it to her as a RAK and I think she was really surprised! I can't wait to meet her in June! 

Altered Post Card. This is a promotional postcard belonging to Sisters on Sojourn. The colours were wrong, so they decided to send them out and have them altered. This was my alteration. The town of "Barletta" in Italy reminded me of Bartlet pears. 

Altered Address books. 

Classes Galore for 2006!

Hi Everyone! If you live in the Lower Mainland of BC and are looking to take Mixed Media/Altered Art classes, I have just booked a number of classes in a variety of locations. To find out where I am offering classes and to stay up to date on where and when I will be teaching, please join my low volume email list, *Tatterededge.

Taking classes is not only a good way to learn something new or build on exsisting skills, but also to meet new people and make friends. I always really enjoy seeing how art brings people together!

*Please note that I will have to "approve" your membership. You will be approved-I just set it up this way to keep spammers OUT!

Favourite Things

It's been awhile since I shared some of my favourite art things so here's the current list:

-Charcoal pencils (great for aging things or adding that little bit of "something".)
-Twinkling H2O's (Shimmery goodness!)
-Fisker's Soft Touch Micro Tip scissors (Fiskers are the gods of scissors.)
-Crystal Lacquer (Glue with it, use it to create jewellery.)
-Basic Grey Papers (I adore this company's papers!)
-Ikea cubby draws (To store all my little art bits.)
-Bone folder (Thanks to Nadine for cluing me on on these!)
-Paper Artsy rubber stamps (YUM!!!)

There's something to be said for having good tools and things that inspire you if you are going to be "serious" about art!

The Agony of Waiting.

Have I mentioned that I am no good at waiting? Well I'm not. If there is something I am looking forward to, I just about go round the bend waiting for it. Right now there are two things that have me itching with anticipation.

First of all, I mailed something to someone who I thought could use some cheering up. It was something special I made for her and while I was working on it, I pictured her face (even though I haven't a clue what she looks like) as she was opening the parcel. I hope that it will make her day to it. I know I have several friends who surprise me with mail and there's nothing sweeter than an unexpected kindness. I am happily anticipating her surprise when she gets it.

The second thing I am excited about it Artfibrefest. Myself and several friends are going together and we sent our registrations in 2 weeks ago. I am on pins and needles waiting to hear which classes I will be taking! I am hoping with every fibre of my being that I will get to take DJ Pettit's Artfolio class. It fairly sings with beauty and I am so inspired by DJ's work. I haven't quilted in a long time, but it will be fun to go to Artfibrefest and learn some new textile and fibre techniques. It will be familiar to work with these things, but I know I will learn alot of new techniques. Oh and meet alot of new people, which is always fun!

So those are the things that are dancing on my mind right now. Nothing I can do but wait and wait and wait....

Food For Thought

So much discussion has been happening this year in my group of friends about the craziness of the holiday season and how tired we are all getting with the pressure. Pressure to cook, to clean, to shop, wrap, deliver. Pressure to write cards, to mail them, to decorate, attend a slew of parties and so on. It's a wonder that any of us survive the holidays!

I have often reminded people that the kindest thing you can do for yourself is to say no. When I say no to one thing, it allows me to say yes to something else. All of this insanity is actually a choice we are making. Don't like the stress of the holidays? Then choose something different. It's not that you have to say NO to everything! What about saying no to a couple of things you don't enjoy doing? For me, I said NO to writing Xmas cards this year. (Truth be told, I said NO to it last year too and no one died!) I keep in close contact with the people who really matter in my life so I don't feel guilty about letting this "must do" go.

A few years ago, I read something that gave me pause. It said "What would you do if this year you measured love with something other than gifts?" Imagine shifting that paradigm! That's pretty powerful!

A friend of mine was telling me the other day how stressed and out of control she was feeling about preparing for the holidays. Funnily enough I had been thinking about exchanging gifts with her only the day before, so on impulse, I said what I had been thinking. I told her that I would really like it if she NOT buy me a gift this year. I told her there really was nothing I desperately needed and I would much prefer to spend time with her instead. And guess what happened? I could hear the sigh of relief in her voice. She agreed that nurturing our friendship by spending time together was more meaningful to her than anything I could wrap. And you know what else? It felt really good to let her off the hook.

That's not to say that I don't appreciate gifts. I do. I really do. I just think that the sheer volume of what the retailers and advertisers are trying to tell us we NEED in order to have a meaningful holiday is just insane. It's a good time to take a quiet moment and to go within and think about what gifts your heart has to give. That is the true spirit of the season.

Because I Love to Share a Good Thing!

A new friend of mine, Debb Galcik (I now have FIVE friends named Deb- collect the whole set!) has a new website up and running. I wanted to let everyone know because I think her art is AMAZING! What does she do? She creates the most beautiful etched copper which she then crafts into covers for journals, booklaces and other wonderful things. You have to see them to really appreciate how gorgous they are. My personal favourites of her work are the pieces that are medical themed. I haven't seen anyone doing this before and it's brilliant. I have always had a thing for medicine and I hope to own one of these pieces soon!

If you are looking for something really cool and unique, go have a peek at The Forgotten Toybox. She is even offering free shipping on orders placed by December 31st! Happy shopping!

Encouragement

A friend of mine has been getting alot of flack from people about being an artist. It really bothers me that people do this to her. She is hugely talented and I just had to say something about it. After I did, I thought I would share what I said because it occurs to me that so many of us who make our life and living through art are often faced with others telling us what we do is a waste of time, that it's not "real work" and just generally seek to crush our spirits.
Here's what I offered her:

"As a friend pointed out to me, people have a hard time wrapping their brain around non-traditional forms of employment. All I can say is, just keep right on doing what you are doing-your art is beautiful and amazing and the world would definitely be missing out on something if you stopped. The world needs more people like you-kind, sensitive spirits bursting with creativity. So just ignore the people who seek to dimish your joy and enthusiasm. My bet is that they are jealous that you are following your bliss. They are trapped in their limited beliefs about what is possible and what brings value to the world.

I will stand for you. I believe in you and I value your talent. You are special and worthy and you can only be true to what you are called to do and be. BIG HUGS of support!! There is power and strength in being who you really are. Sometimes it roars and sometimes it whispers."

Xmas In A Box

So on Monday afternoon at about 4:30 p.m., just as it was getting dark, a UPS van pulled up and they delivered this huge box. It came from my pal Deb Trotter from Wyoming. Deb had somehow managed to get my name for a Secret Santa exchange we were signed up for AND she sent gifts just because we are friends. Have a look:

The box as it arrived.


All the art supplies that were in it!


Another shot of the gifts all over my coffee table.


"Someday Soon" an assemblage by Deb Trotter.


I think Deb put everything in there but the kitchen sink. It took me about 1/2 an hour to unwrap everything. There were art supplies galore, a beautiful assemblage piece she made, a black velvet bag with fringe and beads dangling from it, jewellery, metal goodies and on and on. It would take me forever just to list out everything that was in that box. It was totally overwhelming and unexpected and I am so thankful to Deb for spoiling me beyond rotten!

Have I mentioned lately that I have the best friends in the world? Not because they send me such lovely gifts, but because they are all sweet, thoughtful, exceptional human beings. Each one blesses my life in ways I can't even begin to describe. I think that one of the ways I measure success and wealth is by the people with whom I have deep and meaningful friendships.

At this time of year, when we become caught up in the glitz and glitter of the season, it does my heart good to stop for one moment, to become quiet and reflect on all the people who are so dear and special to me. I am mindful of all those out there who feel lonely and alone and really have no one and I am extra grateful that I am enfolded in such a warm and supportive circle of friends.

Artsy Advent Calendar

In case some of you don't know, Lisa Vollrath has created an advent calendar. If you click on each day in December, you can download a free gift in the form of graphics to use in your own art projects. The funny part is that if you try and skip ahead a day, you will be chastised by this goofy old lady! To enjoy this bit of holiday bliss, click here.