Whirl Wind Week

WOW! It's been a long and busy week here! First off, last night was my interview with Peter Kim (seen here with cameraman Gallant in my studio) for The Express. We started with footage taken in my studio, along with an interview.

I was amused by the reaction the guys had to my studio. They had never seen anything quite like it and Peter said he could see why I would find it easy to be creative in here. I guess when you shoot on location, you just never know what you're going to see when you get there. It's kind of enlightening to see your life through someone else's eyes.

Anyway, after the footage in the studio, we jumped into our cars and drove into Vancouver to the Grind. Peter interviewed me outside first at one of the tables and people driving by were openly staring. Then when we went inside, Gallent filme as dwe swapped ATCs and chatted and it was amusing watching people staring but not staring.

I don't know how people who do TV for a living ever get used to the fishbowl feeling. I really enjoy talking on camera and sharing whatever art I am talking about but it's so different when you are not in the controlled, insular environment of the studio. If nothing else, it provided a unique people watching opportunity for me. I am sure they were wondering what all the fuss was about!

I want to say a HUGE thanks to Penelope Harris, Nancy Sherman, (who got some camera time too!), Jennifer Conway, Angela Fan and Tammy and Joy Hamm for coming out to trade and be on tv with me!! You ladies are the best!

Peter said that this story will air some time next week and he will email to let me know, so stay tuned!

Backtracking a bit, Penn and I went to Word on the Street on Sunday, down in front of the Vancouver library. (Which is not only a beautiful, but interesting piece of architecture.) We walked many, many laps around the building checking out all kinds of books and collecting the freebies our purchased book bags entitled us to. It ended up we got so mush free stuff we had to go back to where I'd parked and offload. I swear those bags weighed a good 50lbs. each!

When I got home, I dumped 2 bag's worth of stuff out onto my bed and my son and I divided up the spoils. It was like the literary version of Hallowe'en trick or treating. FUN! I've always wanted to go to this event, but in past years was teaching Sundays. It was great to be able to finally get there! In addition to all the wonderful swag we got, we were also able to pop by and support our friend Alyx who was doing a reading and representing On-Spec Magazine.

And lastly, Saturday night was my 20th High School Reunion. They held it at a pub and this picture about says it all-crowded, too loud to talk and everyone more interested in partying than in catching up. *SO* not my scene so I cut out early.

The funny thing was that what little conversation wasn't
"How the hell are ya?" but "WHO the hell are ya?" Most folks didn't recognize people unless they were in their own little cliques. Add to that that there were people there who left in grade 10 or so, who didn't actually grad from my school and there were alot of unfamiliar faces!

Well, to my credit, I went, I saw, I likely won't do it again. I doubt there will be anymore-after your 20th, who cares? Seriously, I am not as jaded as I sound, it's just that going to one of these things is awkward and not much really changes in 20 years.

Today I am going to ease into the day with a nice long walk with my puppy around the lake a couple of times, followed by some chai from Starbucks. I have some design work for Hannah Grey to get to and then I am meeting up with my best friend to catch up in the afternoon. Somewhere in there, I plan to grab a nap. It's just been go, go, go, but I love that every day is something new.

Speaking of new, over at Artsmiths, our latest Artist of the Month has been posted. You can learn more about the eclectic, free-spirited Sarah Fishburn this month and if you want to catch up on past AOM features, just click on the archives!

Who's That Girl?

Guess what?! I am going to be on TV again!! On Tuesday, a reporter and cameraman (or woman!) are coming to my house to film in my studio! Isn't that cool? I can't say much about it for now, but it is art related.

Needless to say, I am madly tidying up the studio. It's not a huge mess, but I couldn't see the top of my desk for all the projects I have been working on lately. Excavation anyone?

I am exceptionally glad I just happened to spend last Saturday at the salon. Was that good timing or what?! Now I just need to figure out what to wear!

I will share more info when I can. In the meantime, pop on over to Artsmiths where this month, we are talking about the mentors in our lives. (Artistic or otherwise.)

Productive Studio Time

Copyright Tattered Edge 2008

It's been a busy last few days working on designs for Hannah Grey. They sent me a whole box of wonderful art bits and I had so much fun opening the box when it arrived. It was like Xmas in July!

Copyright Tattered Edge 2008

If you go visit the Hannah Grey blog you will find my latest creations for them there, along with a supply list and detailed instructions so you can grab some creative inspiration for yourself! There are a ton of free project ideas so be sure and check it out.



Also there have been a raft of new posts over at Artsmiths-lots of interesting sharing and a give-away happening, so do stop by and see for yourself! I will be taking my turn posting over there next week.



Just out of curiosity, is there anything any of you out there want to see me post about? Don't be shy! I'd love to hear what you think!



Okay, back to work for me! *waves*

Worth It's Weight In Gold

This morning, I needed to get out of the studio for awhile, so I made my way over to the local book store to see what was new. My bookstore has a very sad art/hobby section, but occasionally I do find something worth buying.

Today it was the Savvy Crafter's Guide to Success* by Sandra McCall. The cover price is $21.99 CDN and after thumbing through it and seeing the names of two friends (I love when that happens!) and fellow Artsmiths, Sarah Fishburn and Sylvia Luna between the pages, I had to have it.

I am about half way through and I can tell you whether you are considering going into art as a business or are already doing so, this book is jam packed with tons of helpful information and inspiration to help you make your dreams come true.

This book covers everything from choosing a name for your business, to setting up a workspace, to marketing tips, to teaching information, to branding, to doing shows as a vendor or exhibitor, to heading off burn out and so much more! Honestly, I wish this book had been around 7 years ago when I was first starting out. It's a well spring of information.

I want to take a moment to say don't let the word "crafter" in the title put you off. I know lots of people turn their noses up at the idea of being called a crafter, but in this book Sandra uses the words "crafter" and "artist" interchangeably and without judgement. I remember a conversation at Artfest one year about what we choose to call ourselves as makers of things. It was interesting to note that most people felt hesitant to be called an artist or a crafter for one reason or another. How funny and quirky we are!

Anyway, I am incredibly impressed with this book and if you are going to even *think* about starting an art based business, this is a definite must have. It will save you alot of the guess work and points out some of the simplest and often overlooked aspects of building a business. I am sure you will turn to it time and again as an indispensable reference tool. My copy is already covered in Post-it Notes and flagged pages and it's only been in my possession for all of 2 1/2 hours!

*I'm not sure why the covers are copletely different. The copy I bought looks like the one pictured here on my blog. It's the same book though, as far as I know.

Who's That Girl?

Copyright Tattered Edge 2008

I just thought I would do a quick post to let you know that yours truly is being featured as Artist of the Month over on the Artsmiths' blog.

If you have missed any of the previously featured artists, you can play catch up by clicking on the Artist of the Month Archives link on the left hand side bar. Past AOMs have included Angela Cartwright, Mary Beth Shaw, Pilar Pollock, Silvia Luna and Tiffini Elektra X. Lots of good reading and some wonderful insight about what makes those ladies tick! (Thanks to Deb Trotter's amazing interview skills!)

Also, I just wanted to say THANK YOU to everyone who has taken the time to email and comment about the fist ever tutorial/video I did. I enjoyed creating it and I will certainly be making more, as time allows. I already know what the next one will be about, so keep watching to see what's next!

Here, There & Everywhere

Bloggity, blog, blog, blog! I feel like I have been posting all over the place in the last week and indeed, I have! In the interest of "keepin' it fresh", I want to remind you about two other sites where I post.

First off, there is ARTSMITHS, which is a wonderful group I belong to with an amazing group of incredibly talented and kind hearted women. Right now, you can learn more about one of them, by checking out our Artist of the Month interview. This month's shining star Tiffini Elektra X. For those of you who don't know Tiffini (or TEX as we like to call her), my first experience with her was an amazing one. You can read all about it here. Deb, who does all our Artist of the Months interviews came up with some wonderful questions that will give you some great insight into Tiffini's work.

We are also in the midst of a group challenge called ONE WORD. Each artist is creating a piece of art based on one word that describes them. To see which word they chose and the art that resulted, visit the Artsmiths blog and click on the "challenge" listing of our archives. New art will be uploaded as it is completed.

The other blog that I am posting at right now, is Hannah Grey's Diary. As the design team completes work, the projects are uploaded to the blog with instructions and links to the products in the Hannah Grey shop. There is quite a bit of new stuff to look at and lots of inspiration, for FREE, so be sure and check it out! I've got 3 designs uploaded so far (including the one pictured above) and more in the works. Each of the projects is categorized as mixed media, paper arts, jewellery, assemblage, collage, etc. so it's easy to find the eyecandy you're looking for.

I just wanted to also take a moment to say THANK YOU to everyone for their kind words about the clip. I loved doing it-it was fun and it always makes me incredibly happy to share what I love (art) with whomever wants to learn about it. It was especially nice to be able to share the experience with my son, who went with me. I think it gave him a better idea of why I love what I do so much.

Introducing Artsmiths!

I wanted to let you all know that the Professional Artists networking group I belong to has recently undergone some retooling. We not only have a new name and a new logo, but also a brand new blog that is more user friendly than the previous incarnation.

We are all very excited about the changes we've made and would like to invite you to come check us out. You can visit by simply clicking on the button shown above. You'll want to bookmark Artsmiths, as there will be lots of wonderful posts about art, techniques, and much more coming your way. Don't forget to check out our current Artist of the Month, the eclectic and mysterious, Sylvia Luna!

See you there!!