The 5,4,3,2,1 of My Creative Process

I saw this profile series first on Mollie Johanson's blog Wild Olive.  Its a simple set of 5 questions about yourself and your craft, started by the super creative people at Craftzine.  I thought I would add my own 5,4,3,2,1 to the fun and so here goes...

One Product You Are Particularly Proud Of
The Magic Dinosaur painting that I did with my 3 year old son.  I could never sell the original, I love it so.  To me it completely embodies his playful spirit, the innocence of childhood, and the simple beauty that can be created when you let go of your expectations and free yourself. 

Two Mistakes You Made In the Past
1.  Putting too much pressure on myself to be an instant success as an artist selling on Etsy.  I  started to feel like it was a reflection of my talent as an artist when months would go by with no sales.  I wanted to give up and forget that I even tried.  I was painting and creating constantly worried whether it would sell, and it was just totally wrong for me and my creative process.  Lesson learned: create only from your heart and never your head.

2.  Not understanding what a non-juried "art/craft" show could be like before I bought a table space for an event.  Oh man!  Nothing prepares you for trying to sell your handmade wares that you slaved and sweated over and poured your heart into positioned in between wholesale sellers (you know those people selling off-brand purses and hawking low-priced cologne).  It was a very disheartening weekend of sitting alone in my booth full of my creativity, while customers shopped for deals on either side of me.  Lesson learned: Do Your Research!  Just because it says it's an arts and crafts show, does not mean that only artist and crafters will be there.

Three Things That Make Your Work Unique
1.  Pairing bright bold colors with Natural ones.  I just adore the juxtaposition of a totally unnatural color, like neon pink or bright teal with a dark natural green or a mustard yellow.

2.  Mixing the textures of sewing, fabric, paper, and paint to create my paintings.  I love the soft and hard mediums working together to make something really beautiful and interesting.

3.  Not being afraid to try something new in my mixed media: I love grabbing bits of whatever I can find around me when I paint to add into the composition.  You never know what you might find hiding in the paint layers.

Four Tools You Love to Use
1. Brightly colored oil sticks - these suckers will draw in wet paint!

2. Hand Carved Stamps to build a background

3. Vintage Papers and Photos - I stock up on old books at library book sales, shop flea markets, and raid my relatives' attics at any opportunity to find vintage materials

4. Distress Ink Pads - love this product! I want to own every color they sell.  Right now I have the linen, aged photo, and lipstick colors and I use them on everything to create depth and make something new look vintage.

Five Inspirations
1.  My Son!  I love to watch him draw and paint.  His freedom and playfulness with what he creates inspires to me no end to be more like that in my own process.

2.  Art Books.  I am obsessed with collecting art books of all kinds.  Modern, classic, abstract, photography, painting, paper arts, sculpture, you name it I have some of it on my shelf.  When I am needing a creative idea, I look through one of my books and get inspired by the master works of others before me. 

3.  My Artistic Peers - There was a reason why famous painters from the same era's all came from the same school's of art.  Nothing is more inspiring and motivating then surrounding yourself with your contemporaries and influencing each others work.  Nowadays there is the internet to connect with people from all over the world and build a support network of emerging artists and crafters and letting their talents push my boundaries and bring new ideas.

4.  Music - I love to play music when I create and different kinds of music creates different feelings and ideas as I paint.  I love how my process changes when I am listening some old-school Tori Amos vs when I'm grooving to Jazz.  No matter what I am listening to, I always have more ideas with tunes going in the background.

5.  Nature - God's incredible creation all around us gives me boundless inspiration and ideas.  From mimicking a shape, texture, or color palette, the natural world never ceases to be the creative master at producing unexpected and original ideas.

There you have it, my 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, Things About Me! Try it yourself.  Now it's your turn! Do you own 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 post to your blog or social networks site, and leave a link to it here in the comments.  I can't wait to learn about your creative process!

XO, HARMONY

Reflection and Projection

 Wow what a weekend!  I was able to sell all the medium sized Limited Edition Bird Print Journals that I had made.  This was a HUGE blessing!  I put lots of love and blessings into the books I make and hope that all that wonderful positive energy can be received by their new owners.  So on this wave of excitement, I would like to see if there are some more creative people out there searching for an outlet for their thoughts and ideas. You see, I currently have 15, YES 15!!, small sized journals from the Bird Print Series and the Houses series.  I would LOVE to find homes for them as well and so decided that I would extend a special sale just for those journals that would start now and end next week.  That's one week to pick up a very special travel sized art journal at an amazing price.  Instead of a %, I just went ahead and changed the price for the books to $10, YES 10!!, just for this week.

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE ON SALE JOURNALS

Painting used for the 

"There Goes the Neighborhood" 

Journals (on sale this week)

I've been feeling really overwhelmed recently by the amount of work I still have to get done before the craft shows this fall vs the amount of work I actually get done each day.  The imbalance is insurmountable (one of my favorite words). :)   I have been doing really well at not freaking out.  I still have just over 7 weeks left to work.  The thing that troubles me is that I think I am going to have to create a work schedule to keep myself on track.  This was something that Kelly Rae suggested as part of her incredible ecourse that I took a few months back.  Her example and explanation of how it could be done, while gearing up for a craft show, was inspiring and very enticing.  However, scheduling myself and creating checklists have always been uncomfortable for me.  Its totally against my nature to be motivated by my 1-5 things needing to be done today.  I love spontaneity and unknown, when things get too planned out, I tend to back out.  I have lots of friends who are this type of person (the scheduling, listing, planning, type of gal).  I can think of one in particular that is a master at it, and it is incredible to witness how productive and focused she can be everyday.  I wish I could have more ease about that kind of lifestyle, but it is a struggle for me every time.  

I will have to force myself to stick to a schedule, talk myself into moving to step # 2 instead of detouring to some crazy new idea that just popped into my head, and I will definitely abandon my schedule over and over only to sheepishly pick it back up when I realize that I am wasting time.  I know this about myself.  I've had 31 years of experience in trying to be more organized in times when it is needed (ie: academics, work life, baby sleep training, etc) but always end up falling back into a casual "go with the flow" attitude and behavior.  I will keep trying though, if nothing else, it helps to give me a ballpark idea of how much I need to get done, even if I dont get them done "on time" according to the schedule.  

"Finding Balance" Cover Art done by me for an Art Journal

print available here

So without further adieu, here is my 
"TENTATIVE" Art Production Schedule.  
(the word tentative makes me feel much better) :)

WEEK 1

1. Finish art block sets (5) - print artwork, cut papers, attach, cover with 3 coats poly

2. Make Art Necklaces (20) - print images, attach to glass, cut out, adhere to settings, attach bails and chains

3. Get (10) Journals done - print covers, attach to cut cardboard, gather papers, bind

WEEK 2

1. Make Art Journal Necklaces (30) - cut, sand, stain wood for covers, attach cover art, apply resin coating, assemble papers, bind, attach chain

2. Finish out finished paintings (6) - cut, sand, stain trim wood, attach to edges, check all collage/mixed media elements that they are fastened securely (secure any bowed papers/elements), add varnish coat, attach hardware to backs for hanging 

3. Get (10) Journals done - print covers, attach to cut cardboard, gather papers, bind

WEEK 3

1. Catch up on any/all list items from Week 1 & 2 that I inevitably did not yet complete .

WEEK 4

1. Make pinback button sets (30), make magnet button sets (20), make freebie buttons (250)

2. Create Art 2011 Calendar and have printed

3. Make painting for bookmark freebies, stamp logo on them, and cut out (200)

4. Make "trash art" wall hangings with Izzy (3) and finish out the ones we already started (3)

WEEK 5

1. Make rest of Journals needed (20 or so)

2. Catch up on items from Week 4

WEEK 6

1. Finish making art card sets (50)

2. Finish out all art journal ornaments (30) - cut cardboard covers, cut inner papers, print instructions, assemble book and bind, attach canvas squares with front image, embellish with ribbons and trims, make loop to hang from.

3. Make collage panels (30)

WEEK 7

1. Update all signage, prices, labels, etc..

2. Purchase shelving for tables, purchase dress form for jewelry, pegboard for collage panels to hang on (and hooks),  and all the other tiny things I cant thing of right now.

3. Print out all art prints, sign and date them, put in sleeves (100 various sizes and images)

4. Set up Mock booth

5. Assemble boxes for all items, label, make box with tools and supplies for show, gather all things needed for collecting $, get cash for change

6. Freak out a bit, because I have abandoned my schedule weeks ago and now my list for this week has 13 items on it ;)

Then LET THE CRAFT SHOWS BEGIN...

my booth banner

Have I overwhelmed you yet? I am already exhausted just typing it all out.  I am really really excited about all this though.  I have spent years jealously eying all the amazing art and craft booths at these same shows, wishing I could be one of the incredible artists behind the tables, displaying my handiwork, inspiring people, and making $ from the hard work that they alone had done.  It is one of those dreams that I always wanted to do in my life, and I am overjoyed to be inundated with work in preparation for it.

I'll let you know how I'm doing in my progress over the next 2 months.  It'll will be fun to see how jacked up I can make this schedule over that amount of time.  I'm off to start #1 of Week 1.  Wish me luck and send me prayers ;)

 

My First Rejection Letter...I'm Legit!

"We regret to inform you that we were unable to include you in the 2010 show...Please understand the selection process becomes more difficult as the number and quality of applicants increases.This letter should not be seen as a reflection of your talent bust as a reflection of the level of intense competition this year...we encourage you to apply for next year."

I had no idea that rejection letters could be so supportive and somewhat life affirming! 

They said it would come. Its part of the journey of becoming a selling artist. Just one of those predestined bumps in the road that you prepare yourself for beforehand. Over the last few weeks, I've been sending in applications for the local Fall Arts/crafts Festivals for later this year. Expecting that I would not get into all of them,  I applied to this one, and this one, and this one, and this one.


I've been reading and soaking up all the amazing information in this book, The Handmade Marketplace.  It has a WEALTH of information for people like me with creative biz aspirations.  The book really outlines the process of applying for, getting into, and running a booth at an art/craft show.  It also talks very frankly about the fact that everyone WILL get rejected in the beginning, learn from it and move on.


My rejection letter came yesterday.  I was actually expecting this one.  This is the festival that I applied to on a whim, because it's the biggest most prestigious show in my area.  It was a good exercise to go through the application process. I did have to fake a booth set up pic for them, since I hadnt even done the first festival yet!  They may have not thought that was the best representation for their show - the obvious inept one table set up.  I cringe at this picture now that I have actually done a real tent set up.  No wonder they thew my app out!  Anyway, I am crossing my fingers and saying my prayers for the other applications that are out there right now, being judges and scrutinized.  As much as I expected to NOT get into this last festival, I REALLY WANT to get into the others.  They are a better mix of arts and crafts and more casual, more suited for my style, my artwork, and my level of expertise in festival booth running.

I should know by the end of June, so send some positive thoughts my way!!

lessons learned, lessons to come...

ok so, first time doing a craft fair come and gone.  it was so much work to put everything together for this show, which was then compounded with the hours needed to set up, man the booth, break down, etc over the weekend.  Needless to say, i am exhausted.  All I want to do is sleep and catch up from the last two weeks of late night painting and early morning book assembling, but being a mom of a two year old comes first and so hello 8am wake ups and refusing to take a nap marathon play day.  This has given me lots of time today to reflect on the experience this craft fair.  I have been trying really hard to dwell in the positive.  There is a great potential to slip into the latter, as the festival was terribly run, poorly advertised, and the other vendors that I was told were all arts and crafts - turned out to be about 60% wholesale sellers of crappy manufactured items like knock-off purses and perfumes - it looked more like a county fair or street sale than an arts and crafts show.  Over the two days that I was there, we saw about 100 people come out - this after we were told from the promoter that 8-10,000 were expected.  Things didnt start out well for me either, I was running late for my Saturday 7AM set up, thankful we had prepped the tent, tables, and shelves the night before on site, then arrive to find my tent had bucked under the weight of the rain from the night before, bending one leg until the metal tore and rusted (can things really rust in under 12hrs?), the tables were turned over and muddy, and the shelves were swollen with water and coming apart (they were really cheap shelves).  My 6 hours of sleep was starting to make it all unbearable and I fought back tears as my sister, lovely German friend and I scrambled to repair, clean, and assemble everything before the festival opened to the public @ 9a.  The redeeming factor in all of this was that many of my wonderful Gainesville friends came out to the fairgrounds just to see me and give support.  It was a huge part of healing my disappointment over the weekend, and helped me see that I gained more than I lost. 

What I lost was just $, sleep, and time.  What I gained was valuable insight into what it takes to run a craft booth, set up in time, engage customers (the few I saw), fix issues on site, and improvise in meager conditions.  I did make a few sales, which was inspiring and exhilarating.  I have sold my journals before, but usually online or to friends, and it was a real treat to have a stranger love my work and want a piece of it to inspire them at home.  I met several wonderful people and had meaningful conversations about art, creativity, and the healing nature of freeing yourself from that inner voice that stifles our ability to experience true joyfulness in creating something from the thoughts we hold within.  So I really really want to thank those people who know me that came out to support me, those who just met me for the first time and encouraged me by loving my work, and most of to my family (and those who are like family) who stood beside me and lent a hand into the late nights getting my books finished, showed up to help me set up, run my booth, and break everything back down at the end of the day.  You all are so dear to me and I couldnt have done this without you.

Oh and one more thing, I signed up for a eclass given by this wonderful artist Kelly Rae Roberts.  She is a fellow creative, a well recognized, selling, and established mixed media artist, painter, and author.  She is offering a 5 week experience to gain all her tricks of the trade, inspiration, and community to help fellow crafters and artists wanting to make their work into a business find their wings.  It is a perfect fit for me in my creative process right now, and I am super excited about what I can discover along the way.  Here is her website for more info if you are curious.  Kelly Rae Roberts

Anyway, be well and may you find blessing and inspiration in your day!

My First Craft Festival!!!

I cant believe that the fest is only a week away.  Even though I know this wont be a HUGE turnout type event, I still feel obsessed with getting everything perfect for the show.  In addition to all the things I still need to get done before the set up next friday, I decided to turn an application in for the Gainesville Downtown Fall Fest just for kicks.  (Pretty sure I wont be accepted, but on the 1% chance that I do, I wanted to try).  This process took up a HUGE chunk of time this week, getting journals finished, setting up a mock display for pics, writing artist statement, blah blah.  So now I am on my last weekend (the time when I get the most help with my son and I am free to work all day) and I have so many things I want to get done that I dont know where to start.  Send the facebook invite out...yes, that is a good place to start.  Then on to more painting and creating, but first a cross city errand run (why do i always need to go to two places on opposite sides of town?)  Anyway,  so many good pieces were made last week, and I am excited to see what more I can get to this week before my set up on Friday.  Hope to see you there!  I am so excited!!

DONT FORGET:  Gainesville Family Festival @ Alachua County Fairgrounds May 22-23