A Funny Thing about Inspiration

 

Where have I been? Wrestling with the muse in the studio, my friends. (And setting up newsletter templates for FASA.)

With the deadlines for two shows just over the horizon, I've been working diligently on the design table. Funny thing happens; for two days I cut and laid out fabrics working with the idea of making another medium sized Sirena (mermaid) piece, intended for my exhibit in Rockport. (Coastal town, right, makes sense?) Finally I realized she just was not swimming into the picture -- two small a background perhaps, too strident a color palette. So now what?

Looking around the studio, my eye fell on my "in table" and the bright Mexican embroidered  tablecloth so generously given to me by Donna LoMonoco. A couple of little voices spoke up: "You've been working on the wrong side of the beach. We creatures are ready to dive in." And so they did: two slightly  scary Sea Harpies and a Sun Dog. (I know sun dogs are the little circles of light that come through the tree leaves, but this one is winged and has a rather forked tail.)The piece came together pretty fast after that. And so I seem to have added a new category to the angels, saints and sinners who show up in my work. (They are definitely on the sinner side of things, not really evil, but ready to cause a bit of trouble.)

The lesson, for me, is to know when to quit. And to know where to go for inspiration when I need it. Mexican and other folk art always inspires my eye and my hand. These figures don't look like the animals on the tablecloth, but they share a their shapeliness and quirky form. They are members of the same family, I think.

Sewing is next -- I've this piece and a Stella Maris ready for stitching. I will post after pictures closer to the exhibit dates -- but meanwhile, if you live in the Corpus Christi or Rockport area, I hope you'll put the opening reception on your calendar: Saturday, August 9,  5-7 p.m. at the Rockport Center for the Arts. I'll also be teaching a half-day version of my Field Guide to Color workshop for the Fiber Artists Society of the Art Center of Corpus Christi in Calallen, another small coastal town close to Corpus. That one is 9-1 also on Saturday, and for registration info, call Paula Gron at 361-985-1137.

ATCs in the Mail

 

For those commentors who were the first to add their suggestions to the post about little changes and keeping things fresh, the ATCs are almost to the mail box. I'm waiting on addresses for a couple of you. But here's a preview and a little sharing with the others who added after number 5. It's fun to read comments, and I always enjoy the conversation.

On other studio fronts: I presided over my last meeting of Fiber Artists of San Antonio (not the last I'll attend, the last as President - presiding is the operative term). It's been a great ride  (hey, take a look at the great story about  the Runway Show on May 3) and all of the boardmembers, committee chairs and members who were active, engaged and participating have enriched my life immeasureably. As we become more connected internationally and nationally through avenues like this blog, like video conferencing, some experts point out that we (the big we) are becoming more isolated from civic participation, the in-person volunteering, politicing, even soft ball teams are losing membership in many communities.

I like both kinds of communication: the internet connects me with  those who inspire from afar. The local fiber artist group inspires me in a whole other sense, toward the do-able, the in-person contribution, the personally present. And of course, I come down on the side of  active communication and active creativity over the passive partaking of hours and hours of video, gaming, music etc. that increasing fills the space inside our heads. 

Update: After Photos

Here it is. Six photos worth a thousand words. (See post before last for the BEFORE pics.)

 

 You can see examples of the kinds of projects we'll be tackling in this weekend's Text on the Surface Workshop.

Note: I had a note that the comment section of my blog was acting up earlier. If you had trouble posting, sorry. I think its fixed now.  

Change is Good for the Brain

 

Travel is always a good stretch, especially in a foreign language, but darn, I just don't see Italy in the picture this summer! 

Promise. The studio pics are coming. But there is still one dreadful corner of the studio to attack tomorrow. I spent today on non-cleaning tasks, and a little R & R in the virtual world led me to this great article in the New York Times: Can You Become A Creature of New Habits, by writer Janet Rae-Dupree. The story is rich and full of food for thought. But it did reinforce my sense that changing my space around, no matter how time consuming it may seem, does add a little pizazz to the thinking skills. Keep those same photos and inspirational notes on the same bulletin board for too long, I forget to see them.

Here's a couple of my favorite grafs (she's quoting Ryan, author of a book titled This Year I will... and her business partner Markova ):

Ms. Ryan and Ms. Markova have found what they call three zones of existence: comfort, stretch and stress. Comfort is the realm of existing habit. Stress occurs when a challenge is so far beyond current experience as to be overwhelming. It’s that stretch zone in the middle — activities that feel a bit awkward and unfamiliar — where true change occurs.

“Getting into the stretch zone is good for you,” Ms. Ryan says in “This Year I Will... .” “It helps keep your brain healthy. It turns out that unless we continue to learn new things, which challenges our brains to create new pathways, they literally begin to atrophy, which may result in dementia, Alzheimer’s and other brain diseases. Continuously stretching ourselves will even help us lose weight, according to one study. Researchers who asked folks to do something different every day — listen to a new radio station, for instance — found that they lost and kept off weight. No one is sure why, but scientists speculate that getting out of routines makes us more aware in general.”

 I think that's the situation I'm seeking right now with a teacher, a workshop, perhaps travel, maybe just a self-directed course of study in a different field or different focus. Sure, I plan to keep the main thing the main thing (my fiber art work and teaching), but I know I make better and more interesting art and am a better and more interesting teacher when I'm building new brain pathways.

What are your favorite ways to stretch? Anything new on your horizon that you'd like to share?

Just to keep it interesting, I'll send a small art prize to the first 5 readers who comment! 

Getting on Top of the Studio: Organization for Organizationally Challenged

  

Or is the studio on top of me. Feels that way right now. Those of you who have attended one of my workshops may be under the mistaken assumption that I am a neat and well-organized artist.

Oh, how wrong.

One of the unexpected benefits of teaching in my studio is that I am forced to clean, tidy and organize at least once a month. Pride and necessity coalesce to motivate me before the participants arrive. Truth is, I work with piles of stuff, large piles, scary piles. When I am in the art-making mode, I just can't be neat and tidy. All those mountains of material must magically return to their bottles before anyone else can fit in the space, as large as it is. Having a large studio has been a mixed blessing -- I have room to continue working without cleaning as I go. Great for flow. Not so great for organization. This is not a plea to the universe for downsizing, BTW. I LOVE my studio. But it does look like Vesuvius after the erruption at times (like now).

What does work:

Keeping items in like categories, no matter their end results or techniques. ie all the batik materials together. All the scissors together. All the textile paints together. If I get too fussy about my sorting, I'll spend all my time trying to keep it together. Big lumps of categories work best for me, no alphabetized sortings of dye colors -- though I do write the colors large on the lids, so I don't spend all my time squinting.

The art drawer cabinet is filled with "roughly" sorted colors of smallish pieces of fabric. So if I need a green I know where to go. If I need all the green, I can dump the drawer out on the design table. I don't spend time folding or neatening up these drawers, they are the surprise grab bags of the studio. Larger pieces of fabric are folded (sometimes) and stored in large plastic bins by type -- silks and silky stuff here, florals there, dyed pieces in progress in another,  white linens in yet another, clothing to cut up in another. These are a bit unwieldy, but the best system I've found so far. When the lids are down and the bins stacked, the studio returns to visual calm.

I'm lucky, since the space was once a full kitchen, bath and studio apartment to have lots of shelves and drawers for supplies like scissors, dye and paints. The quality of these fixtures is lousy -- drawers are falling apart, hinges are dodgy, and someday I'll have to do a remodel, but for now, it works well enough. 

Moving things around as a motivational factor. I don't like things to stay the same forever spacially. I like my desk in different places, the design tables moved around and reconfigures. Some stuff is too heavy to move, but it works for me to rearrange as part of the neatening it all up process. 

Paper work also tends to pile up, no matter what "system" I try. A few methods have stuck, but maintanence still takes me longer than I wish it would, and when I'm busy with a production deadline, my "inbox" becomes a nightmare. Here's my paper system for now:

Open file box with hanging folders for my 43 folders. Also three hanging folders  for "Read and Review," "Errands," "Dreams and Goals." Anything dated (deadlines, maps, supply lists, appointment papers, etc) goes into the proper day or month folder. And, even if I get behind on sorting -- my May  folder items are still waiting to go into the proper days -- this system has been a godsend, saving me hours and hours of looking for lost stuff.

Three small file cabinets that fit under the bar for a.) business paperwork, including workshops and exhibits, b.) household bills and important papers, c.) everything else in alphabetical order,  also modeled on David Allen's  Getting Things Done.

In the virtual world, I aim for INBOX Zero. That keeps me relatively mindful of what's coming in and going out via email and gets me to tend to little wiggly stuff as it happens.  Not that I always achieve it -- but the days are over of finding myself with 478 items in my inbox. I also keep my calendar (one calendar only) on my computer (ical) and copy email dates, appointments, deadlines into it, printing it out about once every two weeks so I also have a hard copy. I now have an iphone and that has helped enormously, because I can carry synced versions of my calendar, my contacts and email along with me.

PS. This whole thing depends on a BIG inbox (a card table actually) where papers, supplies, art etc. coming into the studio lands until I take time to sort it out. At least if it lands in one place, I have a halfway decent chance at finding it if I need something BEFORE I get it back in its home.

Having so nicely listed my  ideal, it's time to tackle the actuality.  Time  to put on HGTV, read a few inspirational organization blogs*, have my Diet Rite cola iced up and ready to go, sset a timer for 1 hour increments (as a reward for each hour of cleaning, I spend 15 minutes doing something more fun) and visualize how nice it will be to have everything back in its place. As additional motivation, I will post some follow-up AFTER photos.

And, if you have any suggestions that might help me tame the beast, please post a comment.  I'd also like to hear how other artist's organize materials and supplies. What works for paper, doesn't always transfer to stuff -- and what works for linear thinkers, doesn't always work for us spacial/visual thinkers.

*No time to list more of these now, but I'll add them to tomorrow's AFTER post. 

Up on the Majestic Mountain

 

 

Just a quick note until I get my long-promised e-newsletter together this week. The beautiful Majestic Ranch Arts Foundation will host a weekly fiber arts class this summer -- hopefully continuing throughout the year. I'll be there for the first six weeks, then Lisa Kerpoe , with her incredible eye for color and art cloth, will teach the second of two sessions.

The Majestic Ranch is located at the top of a spectacular hilltop about 5  miles from El Cielo (as the crow flies!), on State Highway 46 between Boerne and Hwy. 16 to Pipe Creek and Bandera. It's a pretty convenient location for those living in Boerne, Kerrville,  Bandera, Helotes -- and for those in the city who would like a little country respite each week. For more information, click through on the links above. I hope some of you will be able to take advantage of this wonderful setting and the studio fun with fiber.  

Teaching and Learning

 

This piece of art cloth was made in Kerr Grabowski's Deconstructed Screenprinting weekend workshop. 

 

The pondering that is going on in my morning pages today goes something like this: Who am I learning from? What do I want to learn? What is mastery? Where do I need to stretch, how do I need to polish?

As an artist, especially if one is past the earliest stages of one's education, this can be a tricky place to land. While I relish the role of teacher, I have a longing for the path of the learner, the student. I haven't taken a formal class longer than a weekend workshop for several years now -- the workshops provide great infusions of new techniques and new energy but I seem to have a need for something more sustained ... I enjoyed and profited from the 28-day Artist Breakthrough Program offered by Alyson Stanfield, but this longing is for  something directly related to my work as an artist.

Where will it show up? Who do I need to be learning from? What would take me to the next level in my work, without just being a "technique  of the momemt." I suspect it might take me deeper into the world of precision, or sewing, or traditional quilting. I'd like something demanding and stretching, something that challenges but contributes validly to my path and work. It will take a bit more meandering, I think ,for me to answer this question.

Meanwhile, I challenge you to the same inquiry. What would you like to end the summer with that you don't know now? Is it  a new skill or a new work habit? Is it more precision or more determination? Is it fluency of idea or better drawing skills? Do you really need a new technique -- or do you need to spend more time in your studio or at your desk? If you could pick any (teaching) artist alive to apprentice with this summer, whom would it be? Can you create a virtual version or that apprenticeship by setting your own learning goals for the next three months? Cobble together a plan that includes self-study, time with books, a couple of short-term workshops or classes, a once-a-week drawing salon, a monthly gallery crawl or museum day?

P.S. If you think a weekend at El Cielo might answer one of these questions for you, check out the schedule on the workshop page -- next weekend's Text on the Surface still has a couple of openings! 

Changing the Channel

 

Destination: Fulton Beach Road, Lamar, Austwell and Aransas Pass National Wildlife Refuge. Accomplishment: Changing the channel, celebrating my 60th, breathing in and breathing out.

 

I'll post details later when I have more time, but for now, here's a little picture tour of the tour (and a shocking picture of me with red hair.) This little trip to the coast was part biz, part party, mostly just r & r of the best kind -- agenda-proof, timeless wandering, emersion into the natural world from early morning storms to sunsets reflected in the choppy bay waves.

The cabins where we stayed were perfect: The Habitat Bed and Breakfast,  rather rustic, but wonderfully situated about a i/2 mile from the bay and sitting next to a small fresh water lake.

 

 

10 Ways to Unstick when You're Stuck

 

There is that moment after a big push for one reason or another -- in my case the work to prepare for the Fiesta Arts Fair sale -- when one sits, finally, and says, "well, now WHAT?" Although my calendar is filled with deadlines and commitments, most of them are out there on the summer sky horizon.

I've had to carefully consider what comes next, and for two days I have pretty much stuck myself on the couch in front of the laptop, Stumbling Upon, and/or the TV, stuck on HGTV and Bravo reruns (I think they are called encore performances, now). I really feel like a slug! 

Here are my top ten ways to get myself in motion, get myself into clarity about the next move -- recorded here as reminder and inspiration, primarily just for me. If you have other suggestions, please leave me a comment.

1. Well, silly. Just MOVE. Turn on some music and dance, dance, dance for at least 20 minutes. I try to make time for this every morning. Sometimes, when a major deadline hits, I skip out, get out of the habit and have to restrike the commitment. This morning, we turned on and tuned in to the fabulous soundtrack to Julie Taymore's Across the Universe.
2. Clean up. The studio is half-way back to normal state of semi-chaos. The best way for me to tackle what looks like a major ransacking by Mongol hoards is to, yes, put on the music, loud, set a timer for 2 hours and intensely rattle up the space. To make it more fun, I move some of the furniture or rehang the art as well. Makes it seem more creative than just the clutter cleanup.
3. Journal. I am writing Morning Pages, ala Julia Cameron, again. I circle in and out of this practise, and have for more than 15 years. When I don't quite know what to do next, I see what floats out early in the morning.
4. Walk. Today I am going to walk in the city, along the Riverwalk. Probably the first time for a long city walk since I moved out here to the country three years ago. And then tomorrow, I am going to walk at Lake Medina in the neighborhood where I lived for 3 months between the city and this new house and studio. Literally walking back into my past sometimes helps me remember more clearly where I am headed.
5. Make a list. Make lots of lists. Here are some starters: Things I am grateful for. Things I have accomplished in my life. Things I still want to do. Things I have learned about life. Things I don't want to forget. Places I have been. Places I want to go. People I love. People I have learned from. What I need to get done today.
6. Pay the bills. Balance the checkbook. Put some money away and maybe even spend something on a small luxury. Well, lets be honest, nothing motivates sometimes like realizing that if I want to go to Europe (or Rockport) I better get the trip fund started again.
7. Speaking of which: Plan a trip. Maybe something small, someplace close. Or maybe a dream trip that seems doable only in your dreams. But with the internet, it is instantly possible to start the research and planning process. Just google your dream destination or dream vacation activity and see what comes up!
8. Had to sneak in another -my numbering was flubbed: Cook. Cook something different. Try something challenging and exotic. I am making risotto tonight. Food is edible art and it disappears by the end of the evening. No commitment. No marketing (they either eat it or the dog does). And it can get the juices and sensory connections back in sync.
   
9.  Revisit your inspirations. Is there someone you need to call who always gets the juices flowing? Perhaps there is a teacher or mentor who has a class or workshop coming up. Do you need to get out the art books or take a trip to the museum to revisit and inspiring image?
   
10. Listen to your heart. Your gut. Your feet.  Your soles/your soul. A different voice in the wilderness of you, other than that noisy brain (specifically that judging left side of the brain that is yammering on about how big a slob you are, how maybe that last success wasn't quite successful enough, ouch). What about listening in to something a bit larger and beyond? Use Tarot or i ching or tea leaves to connect to the unconscious side of things. Examine the  day for happenings synchronistic. Meditate for 20 minutes llying lat on the floor paying attention only to breath. Find a mantra. In the words of Tim Gunn, "Make it work."

Coincidentally and synchronistically, Alyson B. Stanfield has a podcast that lists her 10 ways to get motivated and to get out of a slump. I think her Monday newsletter included the same info, but I didn't have time to read it this week. She includes some additional good ideas -- and frames some of the same ones in some different ways.

The Blog Tour: Alyson B. Stanfield says...

 

Today I’m hosting Alyson B. Stanfield, author of I’d Rather Be in the Studio! The Artist’s No-Excuse Guide to Self-Promotion. Alyson is here as part of the blog tour to help promote the book and is also giving away a free copy. She’s given me the opportunity to ask a question related to the book, so here goes . . .

A: Susie, thanks for inviting me to El Cielo! I would so love to be there in person. I know you live in a beautiful area.

S: Thanks Alyson,  the next time you get to Texas, I hope you'll stop by in person!

I've been reading your blog and taking classes with you for a couple of years now, and I know the importance of "branding" for an artist -- but what if I essentially have two businesses, one about making and selling art and one focused on teaching, both in my studio, and increasingly, in other venues. As an artist who teaches (both in other places and regularly in my own studio with retreat formats) I wonder if I should have a separate blog, website and newsletter for the teaching/coaching side of my business, or do I keep it all together. Which is less confusing?

A: Susie, you’re quite right to be concerned about confusing people. When people visit a website and they’re confused, they leave. If confusion is your primary concern, I wouldn’t worry too much about having them combined as long as what you teach can be seen in the work that you do. In other words, that the teaching is an extension of your art.
If you teach one thing, but your work looks quite different from the thing you teach, there will be a disconnect. I don’t see that as a problem for you at all, but it could be at some point.
There might also be a need to separate the two if in the future you seek high-end galleries and museums. Having your teaching with your art (especially if it overpowers the art itself) could be a deterrent to curators and gallerists. But I don’t believe it is when you’re marketing to the general public. Having said that, you can always tailor your blog, newsletter or site to ensure that the art doesn’t get lost in the teaching.

Thanks for the advice! I'm getting ready to add the WORKSHOP link to my website, so this is timely information. Alyson's book is a wonderful addition to your artist's tool. If you'd like to win a book, click here for instructions. Visit this site, read the instructions, and enter. Your odds are good as she’s giving away a free copy on most of the blog tour stops. You can increase your odds by visiting the other blog tour stops and entering on those sites as well.

And speaking of workshops -- the next one up in a couple of weeks here at El Cielo: "Words on the Surface," a hands-on extravaganza of all things typed and written as elements for your art cloth, art quilt or mixed media work . We'll be making sun prints with Setacolor, experimenting with different ways to do photo transfers, adding text with batik scrafitto and a myriad of other fun techniques. On Friday evening, May 9, early arrivals will have have the chance to do some creative writing with some new exercises. For more information, check out the Coming Up: Workshops page.

 

Reminder: Art Biz Coach is Coming Tomorrow

 

The photos above show my "booth" just before the Fiesta Arts Fair at Southwest School of Art and Craft opened for business. I think I had the best spot in the entire fair -- shade, historical ambiance, music, margaritas within a shout, lots of traffic, memories (I was once actually married right here in this very courtyard) and friends happily tripping through opening Fiesta weekend.

Just a reminder -- while I take my breath, count my blessings and get it together for a full report on the Fiesta Arts Fair.
 Art Biz Coach Alyson Stanfield is stopping by tomorrow on her Blog Tour to promote her new and VERY helpful book: I'd Rather Be in the Studio.

 In case I don't get back to this space later this afternoon, I wanted to make sure you all knew about the tour, and tomorrow will check out her answer to my art business question: Should I have a separate (from my new Gallery website), dedicated website for my teaching and workshops? (And what do you think, loyal readers? Would a separate site make sense? Should I beef up the link on my blog site or develop a separate set of pages within the new Gallery site -- www.susiemonday.com)

Tomorrow, you will also find out how to win a free copy of Alyson's book, and find some links to some of my favorites of the many  blogs, podcasts and other resources that she offers through her on-line teaching and coaching.

Here's the view during the Fair, in a rare quietish moment! Thanks to all of you who stopped in the browse, to Jennifer who took some great professional photos for me, to all of you who purchased aart work rom me or from another artist -- the most direct way to support the arts -- feed an artist! We know you have many choices about how to spend your time, money and energy. Buying art, while certainly not a survival necessity, is, I think,  both a financial and spiritual investment in the future of the planet.
 

Round Up

 

A wide assortment of odds and ends have landed in my inbox the past couple of weeks -- worth sharing but without much of a common thread to tie the ends up neatly.

From Leslie Jennison:
"There is a great article in the Wall Street Journal weekend edition 
about the burgeoning quilt-making industry which features Caryl Bryer 
Fallert.  It is of interest because the article brings up the 
economic strength of the industry."

 From Martha Grant:
"I thought you'd like to see my finished altar from your workshop! I'm happy with the way it turned out. You can put it on your blog, if it'll fit. I'm benefitting from learning the assembly process for this, because it's factoring into my genealogy series for the New Braunfel's (Art League Gallery) show. (Which is taking on a life of its own.)"

 

Many of you have already seen this quilting video, sent to me by Diana Kellerman. The quilt world seems to be getting a great  deal of media attention right now!

 "If you missed the CBSNews program Sunday Morning  on March 16 we would like to share the 7 minute video with you here. The Sunday Morning  program highlighted the quilting industry and International Quilt Festival in Houston, Texas with a spotlight on all time favorite quilter, Ricky Tims." (The annoying commercial at the start is pretty short.)

Since I've been working on my website, several people have sent me links to other artists who have their work on iweb created sites. Here's Alicia Merritt's, some incredibly beautiful work.

And, finally, although sans photos since once again I got too wrapped up to take any pictures, a short report from the weekend workshop. I really enjoyed the "words" part of the event, although I think we could have worked another hour -- hard to do though when you start after work! The eight women writers who attended were involved and inspiring in their work. Five of them came out to the studio on Saturday for the visual arts part of the workshop, learning techniques for adding words and images from the night before. Again, lack of time was the only challenge. If I try this one again, it probably needs at least another hour.
 
 
..

Word Play for Artful Cloth

 

Last minute warning: This  Saturday brings a new and different workshop to El Cielo, one involving writing and art making. The seesaw of words and images is one that I teeter along with all the time (that's one reason I keep this blog, to keep my hand in on the adjectives).

First, on Friday evening participants will meet at Gemini INK near downtown San Antonio (right around the corner from my old neighborhood in King William) for a writing workshop I'll conduct. Each person is bringing personal photos to work with during the writing exercises. Then we'll meet the next day out here at El Cielo from 10 to 4, take what's been written and turn it into a fiber art work. Some of the techniques explored will include sun printing (weather permitting), stamping and stenciling, thermofax screenprinting, and printing on fabric with inkjet and transfer methods. 

I've got room for a couple or so more participants, so if this sounds good, call Gemini Ink to register --

Gemini Ink
513 S. Presa
San Antonio, TX 78205
210.734.9673
Toll free: 877.734.9673
Fax: 210.737.0688

It's a little different structure: the workshop at Gemini Ink is $75 payable to Gemini Ink. The workshop at El Cielo is $70 plus a $15 supply fee payable to me. If you'd like to just come to the fiber arts portion, that's an option, too. Just email me at susiemonday@gmail.com for details and directions.

Bring to the Friday evening workshop at Gemini Ink four or five photos of people, places, and experiences that are important to your life: images from childhood, a memorable vacation, vintage photos of ancestors, your quinceañera or bat mitzvah, anything that moves you. You’ll translate the photos into powerful moodscapes, capturing even intangibles that don’t show up in the pictures. Next morning, pack a sack lunch and come out to El Cielo Studio near Bandera. There you’ll combine your photos and your writing with textile dyes, paints, photo transfers and other surface design techniques to create your own unique fiber art piece ready for hanging. Fee to Gemini Ink: $65/member; $75/non-member. NOTE: Saturday, April 12 fiber art workshop at El Cielo Studio is a separate fee payable to Susie, 10 am – 4 pm, is $70 & $15 supply kit.

She Steps

 

A breakthrough in the studio yesterday -- that big blue quilt background that has been plaguing me finally had a visitor. I started my morning with dance as usual, and during the floor time and its final short meditation, I used Eric Maisel's 6 breath centering sequence (See Coaching the Artist Within for more information.):

"1.Come to a complete stop.

2. Empty yourself of expectations.

3. Name your work.

4. Trust your resources.

5. Embrace the present moment.

6. Return with strength."

This meditation, which one does with first person affirmations timed with in and out breaths "(I am completely) (stopping)" is becoming a practice for me. I haven't been successful at sticking with meditation techniques that ask for 20 or 30 minutes a day: I'd rather be dancing, which is for me a moving meditation about being present in my body. Maisel's 6-breath focusing technique, more cerebral and left-brained bridging) is do-able for me, and seems to be giving me what I need as I move through my day. I can call on this technique whenever -- not just at a specified "meditation" time, or when I have a spare 20 minutes (hah!).

Yesterday, I knew I needed something specific to work with when I finished the meditation, so I had Linda trace my body on some large brown paper to use for pattern cutting. Then I headed to the studio, spread out the pieced blue background, dumped out some fabrics I had already auditioned during a previous visit to this work, and started fusing and cutting.

The women who inhabit my art quilts don't come to me full blown; they really do appear in the making, somehow communicating their insights and stories as I move through the design process. I've never been one of those artists who had a preset mental image or a schematic or detailed sketch or the final project, though I do sometimes use sketching as one of the stops on the journey. My starting place is generally with color or a color scheme, and with shapes and iconic doodles that are part of my tool box, those things that have come to my work over and over and have become part of my "style."

 

By the time I left the studio last night (for a really fun evening watching a DVD of Fat Actress) this new woman had found her place, stepping from one reality into the Cosmic swirls, juggling stories and moon spheres, leaving her watery scales to become part of the stars. As I worked I realised that Jill Bolte Taylor's story had worked its way into the piece, and that this was about that step from left to right brain. I'm not going to include a photo yet, I may want to enter this in one of those prestigious exhibits that don't allow prepublication, but I'll stick in a detail to give you a taste.

New Web Site -- in Progress

 

Help! I earnestly request that my  subscribers and readers click this link

NEW GALLERY WEB SITE 

and give me feedback, suggestions, corrections, ideas for what's missing, and any other critique you'd like to contribute to my new gallery site-in-progress. Since I am designing the site with iweb and publishing it on .mac, I particularly want to know how it works on PC platforms and on browsers other than Firefox. I won't switch my public domain, www.susiemonday.com until I've done a bit more work, but it's ready for some outside eyes.

There is still an enormous amount to do to get the site where I want it to be, but with this much done and published, I feel like I have met my Artist Breakthrough Program goal of developing the site by April 1. With your help, I can take the next steps to  fatten it out with more content, better edited photos, and additional pages during the next 3 weeks leading up to my sale at Fiesta Arts Fair, April 19-20.

A few specific questions:

Do the live hyperLINKS need to be a more distinct color?

Is it too weird to have the tense go from third to first person (home page to gallery pages)? And if so, which should it be ?

Should I have a more formal bio/resume page?

Should I have more or fewer pictures on each of the galleries? Should I subdivide more or combine them? Do I include prices? Size? Media? More description for each photo on the gallery page and then NOT include it on the slideshow?

What other pages do you think I should include?

Does the design and format look enough like my blog to have a consistent style? Any suggestions on visual "branding"?

Any other ideas? Really, I need them. If you don't want to leave a personal comment, email me by sending a message to susiemonday@gmail.com (you do have my new email, right?). 

I'd Rather Be in the Studio

 

No kidding.

Wouldn't we all? The teetertotter between marketing and making is yet another of those dicotomies, those dualities, that I am working to embrace.

One of the best resources I have found is Alyson Stanfield -- Art Biz Coach, extraordinare. As

I mentioned a few weeks ago, I signed up for her first Artist Breakthrough Program. The results were both helpful and surprising. I intended to work on a plan for launching a coaching aspect to my work -- mainly because I know that I am called to mentoring other people's journeys to their deepest creative work. In working through the process with 11 other wonderful artists (see links to their sites at the end of this post), my first breakthrough was that I was nuts to try and start ANOTHER "business," which even a deep calling becomes when one decides to market it or make it part of one's profession. I do have my hands full. Instead, with the rest of the 28-day program, I focused on putting together a do-able promotion plan for the exhibits and shows that I am committed to the rest of the year: Fiesta Arts Fair on April 19-20, a group show at the New Braunfels Art League Gallery in August, a solo show at the Rockport Art, also in August, and a presence in the regional quilt shows in the Dallas area, September through December at the Arlington Art Museum. This blog will play a part in keeping my focus on making the most of these opportunities, and I hope all of you that are reading will help me stay on track! My goal is to show exceptional work, to invite friends and interested audiences, to sell work and find opportunities for commissions. All of these exhibitions mean that I must be both in the studio, and on my best business behavior -- with organization, optimism and confidence -- and good promotional materials, as well. As much as we artists would like to live in our little bubble studios, those of us who must pay for groceries, shelter and the ever-rising gasoline bill, have to face the entrepreneurial realities of the marketplace.

The ABP is just the latest of the courses and resources that I've had from my connection to Alyson's web-based work, and everyone of them has been helpful -- her's is one of the blogs that I read every week; I play her podcasts on my iphone; I  refer to her materials, and now, I dip into her book -- I'd Rather Be in the Studio -- for answers to specific marketing and business  questions. And I'm scheduled for a virtual book tour when Alyson stops by this blog on April 22. I am in great company I realize, now that the blog tour has begun. The first stop was with Cynthis Morris, a wonderfully inspirational coach and writer; today's stop was at Christine Hellmuth's blog. I can't wait to read who's next, and I encourage all of you to follow along. Here's the blurb from Alyson's promotion:

I’d Rather Be in the Studio! The Artist’s No-Excuse Guide to Self-Promotion is for artists of all kinds. Painters, sculptors, ceramist, jewelers, photographers, and others will benefit from the easy-to-follow self-promotion practices in this book.

Author and art-marketing consultant Alyson B. Stanfield, of ArtBizCoach.com, focuses on sharing the artwork directly with potential buyers through electronic and traditional communication outlets—in a manner that is comfortable, not artificial. Artists match Internet marketing strategies with sincere personal skills to take charge of their art careers.

The book includes online worksheets and downloads.

Meanwhile, what's up for MY promotional materials?  A new website for my gallery/art work home-away-from-home  is coming soon. This blog, at least for the foreseeable future, will stay on Squarespace, but I hope to move my gallery site to .mac within the next couple of weeks, with new images, updated navigation, a more professional appearance and an easier interface that will help me keep it updated!

P.S. Here is a list and links to 5 of the artists who were partners in the Artist Breakthrough Program (in no particular order, the others will be in the next post):

Patricia Scarborough, painter 

Lyn Bishop, digital fine art 

William H. Miller, fellow Texan (Houston), photographer, digitalist, painter 

Lynne Oakes, painter and teacher 

Karine Swenson, painter, abstracts, lives in the desert 

Mavis Penney, painter, photographer, lives in Labrador

Be sure to click the links to these artist's blogs (those who have them) -- a wonderful way to catch a glimpse of the creative life in a wide world of media, locations and situations -- like studio open house visits without the travel.  

Creativity and the Brain

 

 

From the realm of opinion, not science--my take on creativity and our right/left brain duality.

First, we need both kinds of "processing" to be grounded in this material world. As artists  (or anyone with a dedication to living as a maker, no matter the field of study) we transform spiritual, emotional energy into the material world. We communicate between. Given the way our 21st Century Western culture  runs, yes, we sometimes forget to spend enough time in the right-brained energy of flow. We all know it -- that sense of timelessness and non-thought that sometimes kicks in when we are focused, flowing and non-judgmental about the work on the table, the easel, the sewing  machine. But, especially once one makes the leap into "art as a business," allowing the flow can be frightfully under appreciated -- hey, we got stuff to make, stuff to sell, stuff to teach and talk about. We move over to Mr/s Leftie and forget the source.

How about giving that creative flow it's due today. If not today, then sometime this week. Turn off the chatter, find the right  music to help the flow. Put all expectations aside, drop everything and go with the flo3w.

And as you do (and I do), then step outside of the duality that right vs. left brain can (falsely?) promote. We do need BOTH. Process without product can keep an artist a dilettante, preventing one from finding and exploring deepest meaning and tackling the tough stuff both in and outside of one's work. Plus, you'll never get anything done. Product ion without process makes it easy to get lost in the doing, avoiding the being that actually results from this more determined left-brained exploration.

I've been reading and enjoying Coaching the Artist Within by Eric Maisel. He has this to say about dualistic thinking:

"When a person opts for the fully creative life, then she must do what is required of her to combat the powerful anticreating forces aligned against her. These forces arise from within her own being, from her cultture and just from being alive on this planet. One of the most important things that she must do is refuse to take sides with dualities like process and product, simplicity and complexity, discipine and flexibility, and so on, dualities that are integral parts of the creative process. Rather, she must accept both parts of each pair and come to a real understanding of the value of each, the place of each in the creative process. Then she can become a holistic creator, someone who has learned not to arbitraily and defensively exclude options." 

 So, just as water and stone might seem at odds, the universe would be profoundly unbalanced with only one or the other.

Nirvana and the Brain

I don't have much time to comment on this TED Talk, but, for now, just watch. I'll write a post later with some of my thoughts about this and how it relates to creativity.

ReThreads: How to make your own altered jacket!

 

Jean Jackets pinned to an art quilt -- no other model around today! 

 

Here's the quickie HOW-TO for my method of artful recycling:

Purchase, swap or otherwise acquire a jean jacket or vest. I like the darker denim best, it seems to show off the frivolous fabrics well. Selecting for color and textural interest, a narrative tale of your own telling or any other criteria you like, select three to four coordinating embellishment fabrics. (Everything I use on these, except the fusible is reclaimed from thrift store and flea market finds) Some of what I use: embroidered and/or painted Indian sari cloth, Guatemalan skirt or shirt fabric, embroidery from Mexican dresses, commercial fabrics, etc., bark cloth, patchwork quilt top scraps, crocheted lace and commercial lace and trim, interesting vintage buttons, metal milagros.

Trace patterns of each part of the jacket that you wish to embellish, using tracing paper or even the release paper from fusible web (WonderUnder for example). I usually trace off the yokes, the panels above the pocket, sometimes the panels down the front, and the large back panel, cutting my patterns up to  but not over the double stitched seams. Iron fusible to the back of selected fabrics and cut out using the pattern as your guide. Iron to fuse, then machine quilt the pieces using free motion zig-zag stitch around the edges and straight stitch for embellishing textures, lines and emphasis. I usually use coordinating colored thread as my topstitch and denim colored thread on the bobbin.  

After the machine work is done, I usually spend a few hours adding hand stitching, buttons, sewing over the seams with embroidery floss or craft threads (most often while watching Project Runway or Top Chef). I add a ReThreads label, signing and dating my work, and its ready for the sales rack or runway.  

If you'd like a complete step by step design and construction 'HOW TO" course, consider signing up for my soon-to-come e-workshop including all instructions in detail -- supplies, design tips, construction tips and more. If you'll leave a comment or email me at susiemonday@gmail.com, I'll put you on the list for the course notification.

And meanwhile, here's a book that might help

ABOUT THIS JACKET:

I've been a bit stalled out on the Sirena series, although there is a mammoth pile of fabric on the design table, but with theFiesta Arts Fair coming up in just a bit over a month, April 19-20, and the Fiber Artists of San Antonio art-to-wear runway show on May 3, I've got plenty of smaller projects yipping for attention. Here's the first of this year's ReThreads, my occasional interlude into altered, recycled jean jackets and other thrift store finds. I only make a few of these each year -- but they are a great way to use all the amazing fabrics I've gathered and hoarded for just such frivolity and fashion. If you'd like to make your own, keep reading, the instructions for my method are at the bottom of this post.

Meanwhile if you're within reach, the Fiesta Arts Fair is one of my favorite Fiesta San Antonio extravaganzas. I'll be setting up the market stall in the second courtyard, near the food booths in the Convent Garden and on the way to the Children's Art Garden. This family-friendly arts and crafts market features some fabulous artists, artisans and craftsmen from around the country and I'm honored to have been selected for this year's group - the jury process is one that keeps the standards high and make the mix an interesting one of locals and national artists. There's also wall-to-wall entertainment and the usual Fiesta food-on-a-stick. 

 And, meanwhile, I'm making two or three other one-of-a-kind jackets for the FASA runway show -- only 60 tickets of 370 are left, so if you haven't bought yours yet, surf over to Fiber Artists of San Antonio where you can purchase one spot or a table full (12 NOT 10 AS THE WEBSITE SAYS),  $40 per ticket. The staged and choreographed show includes a seated luncheon, and, best of all, most of the fashionable art on the runway is available for sale in a post-show sales room. We also have a silent auction (I'm looking for some donations!) and a raffle of some incredible wearable work donated by members.

Update on 2008-03-19 23:05 by Susie Monday

Suzanne Cooke sent me her altar, dedicated to the Lunar Rabbit. I love it's three-deminsionality and the beautiful luminous moon. Sue said that the tassles appeared in her stash, they had been purchased at FASA's Cobweb Sale last year.

Altars for Archetypes

 

Julia stitches on her altar. 

 

Some powerful images were birthed at the weekend retreat. I have had promises from all to send me pictures of the finished altars, but these in-progress shots should give you an idea of day 2 in the studio. Day 1 was devoted to a series of exercises, and one of my favorites was this one from a book by Evelyn Virshup, Right Brain People in a Left Brain World (actually I found it quoted in a section of Eric Maisel's Creativity for Life).

 I reccommend you try  part one of this exercise before reading part 2 (at the bottom of the photos).

Part 1:

"Create two animals on one piece of paper. They don't have to look like anything you've ever seen.Take about 10 minutes to do the drawing. 

 

Julia's altar. 

    

Martha and Sue, in progress. 

 

 

Margaret, above, Pat and Julia, at work. 

 Part 2:

"Describe the animals. Write down three adjectives that describe them.  Note the animals' expressions. Can you make up something the animals might want to say to each other? Can you write free verse or fantasy about what the animals say or do?

"The second animal often has qualities that contrast to those of the first animal. The exercise generally reveals polarities, contrasts or conflicts within a person; it will show different, sometimes opposing facets of personality...Observe and learn from the fantasy animals you've created."