Thursday at ArtFest: Nested Visions

I started this year's ArtFest experience with another mouthwatering breakfast at James House, "my" bed and breakfast here in Port Townsend (was that poached fruit in yogurt and berry sauce? with an individual quiche in a light-as-air pastry shell? Eeek!).

Then I moved on to a class called "Nested Visions" with mother-in-law/daughter-in-law art teaching team Marylin and Tracie Lyn Huskamp - two teachers who really need their own comedy show. Once again, I was blown away by how warm, relaxed and personable the teachers at ArtFest are . . . generally, the teachers who work the mixed media art retreat circuit are positive, supportive, and talented, but there is something about ArtFest (salt air?) that really seems to bring out the best in the instructors . . .

I didn't get a great shot of Marylin or Tracie Lyn, but I did get some good shots of my nests, made with horsehair, twigs, dog hair (brought by another participant), assorted foliage, and glue. Want details on how to make your own? I understand the ladies have a book coming out this fall called "Nature Inspired" that will give all the details . . . You know Ms. Crafty Manners doesn't like it when I kiss and tell on the blog.*

Don't they look real?!

I haven't had a chance to fully glue down the assemblage compositions yet, but am very excited about the juxtaposition of indoors/outdoors, security envelope window/house window, branch/bone, topo map/stamps . . . different ways we view the world, different ways we find security, different ways we navigate . . .


And this one is a heart and a feather and a nest perched on the cover of a dictionary . . . along with a little text. Who is it that weighs your heart against a feather to see which is lighter? The Egyptian god Ma'at? I'm definitely feeling a bit of weight lift . . .

*Note: While Ms. Crafty Manners is a big fan of sharing information and offering up free info on how to make things, she is not so keen on me sharing things taught by others as part of how they make their living . . . One of the ways that artists survive is by sharing their knowledge and receiving some kind of compensation for it. When I've paid for a class from a professional artist or crafter, I don't want to re-share information on a technique they've developed in such a way that it can be published or redistributed without their permission. Like, say, on a blog. I did find some cool things, though, when I entered "make bird nest" into Google search . . . including this quickie tutorial on making nests with plaster and hay and another set of tutorials on making a birds nest with bark-covered wire.

Wonderful Wheat-Free Weekend: A Creative Life Primer

On a wing of inspiration from CraftyPod, I just signed up for Creative Every Day 2008. Not that I necessarily needed another commitment (save perhaps of the psychiatric type) for the coming year - particularly after my Blogolutions. But something about Creative Every Day's philosophy resonated with me - and seemed so in alignment with my own ideas about creativity, my desire to live a creative life, and my mission to support the creative spark in others, that well, I couldn't resist being a joiner and signing up.

Besides, I clearly don't have enough blogs that I'm reading on a semi-daily basis.

Yup, the ennui is gone, the fog has lifted, the gloom has run its course. I'm back to my usual over-stimulated self, delighted and inspired by everything from a mote of dust to these mind-blowing birds by Ann Wood. Or this daft and dear bird with a thread nest over at WhileSheNaps. Or Tamara Mogendorff's nifty little birds with houses. Or food.

I just finished reading Gluten-Free Girl by Shauna James Ahern. Her foodie blog, a delight no matter what you eat, is here. And guess what? I found the book totally inspiring!

Like the vast majority of women born in the latter 20th century, I have a love/hate relationship with my body and its essential building blocks, FOOD and EXERCISE. I was a bookwormish kid in a family that leaned towards the large and struggled with weight. My early childhood is filled with memories of my mother's homemade chocolate meringue pie and grilled cheese sandwiches; my middle years dominated by microwave pastries eaten during Dukes of Hazard and chewy European breads; my later teen years a blur of Italian food and family conversations about restaurants, food, and diets.

In addition to a medley of body-image madness, I started getting chronic headaches as a teenager. Over the next 10-15 years, I tried everything to get rid of them: wearing glasses (even though I have 20/20 vision), regular massage, vitamins, hot/cold compress, steam, chiropractic, doing yoga, drinking more water. Finally, after years of snorting behind my hand at people who claimed to have "food sensitivities," I got tested. And then I stopped eating wheat. And then my headaches decreased. DRAMATICALLY.

On the one hand, it was a relief. Finally! I knew, at least in part, what was causing the headaches! I could stop most of them! On the other hand, it was one more way to make food the enemy. Food - which I loved, with whom I was having an illicit tastebud affair - could not only make me fat, it could make me sick. Now, I was "depriving" myself not only of "fattening food" because I had an unrealistic idea of what my body should look like and a fear of obesity, I was "depriving" myself of some of my favorite foods: pastas, quick breads, cookies, pastries. Foods I had only recently learned to cook.

A few of you may have followed along this little rant only to wonder, "Ok, but isn't this a blog about creativity? Hello?"

And that's exactly my point! Stay with me a few moments longer, oh gentle reader . . .

My attitude toward food at that point in my life - and frankly, for most of my life - has been antithetical to a creative life. Creativity is about making connections across boundaries, seeing possibilities within constraints. It requires not only cognitive skills - like having and evaluating ideas - it requires affective skills. Emotional skills like being open to novelty, curious, playful, or tolerant of ambiguity*. You know, all those things that allow us to be excited by and engaged in life rather than totally terrified by it all day long?

And Shauna, when she got her diagnoses - not just as "wheat sensitive" but "gluten intolerant" meaning that grains like wheat, barley, spelt, rye and their derivatives were off her list because her body produced gut-destroying antibodies in their presence - what did she do? She got totally excited about all the foods she could eat!

With curiosity and open-minded abandon, she ran headlong into the possibilities. She experimented. She tried new foods. She created, within the constraints her body required for health and pushing the edges, just as a painter creates within the constraints of the canvas and the pigments, always pushing them to do more.

I sometimes feel that if I could consistently cultivate this attitude towards food, I could unlock the whole secret of a creative life.

Baby steps. So, today, I made biscuits. Without wheat.


*for those of you who are curious about the cognitive/thinking skills theory of creativity (and the complementary affective/feeling skills theory), Creative Leadership: Skills That Drive Change by Dr.'s Puccio, Murdock, and Mance is a great primer (though spendy, as it's a textbook)

Nest Head

I've certainly had days like this. Fortunately, today was not one of them. The ennui is fading, and I'm starting to feel energized again! I'm not teaching at all during January - I've got too much work scheduled for the Other Part of my Brain - so the drawing a day (along with some classes I'll be taking) will serve as my creative accountability.

And, I've got a few cool links to share!

For you Portland folks, the main library downtown is featuring a mail art show! I didn't pull it together to participate (it wasn't juried, making it a great opportunity for the entire community to participate), but am excited to visit - Diane over at DIY Alert talked about it on her Cool Places Alert blog this week, and gave some great links to learn more about mail art.

I'm also very excited about the up and coming jewelry exhibits at The Museum of Contemporary Craft here in Portland - Touching Warms the Art and Framing: The Art of Jewelry. Both look like they're set to open January 19th, but get this - visitors get to touch and even try on the jewelry created for the Touching Warms the Art exhibit - I cannot tell you how much this thrills me. I am thinking about becoming a member of the museum just so that I can crash the pre-opening gala! (Although it's not really crashing if I'm a member and have an invite, is it?) It also looks like the jewelry is made from a lot of found, recycled, and non-precious materials - something that appeals to me. I'm going to be reworking my Toolbox Jewels class into Junk Drawer Jewels - incorporating more different types of found objects into the workshop.
And last but not least, my friend Mark Silver of Heart of Business publishes an e-newsletter that is full of wonderful information for the spiritually-minded entrepreneur, folks who want to "make a difference and a profit." His newsletter this week was about creativity - and he hit on a really important point: it takes quiet time in order to turn around and have productive time. You have to allow yourself times to be fallow or to simply be quiet and reflective in order to be creative. If you want to read the whole article, go here.

And perhaps that is part of the purpose of post-holiday ennui: my mind forcing me to rest, to contemplate . . .

A Little Holiday Cheer

This weekend, the Sweetie surprised me and put together the tree! I was looking forward to decorating it, but not assembling it. The Sweetie read my mind and got the whole thing in ready-to-decorate mode which utterly refreshed my holiday spirit! I went crazy putting on little bird ornaments . . .

Sweet little felt ones from Tanya Harvey . . .

And some glass ones, too, with actual tail feathers! I had a few cast resin bird ornaments that I'd gotten on sale at Fred Meyer last year after the holidays. Finally, there were some carved and painted wood bird ornaments that I'd picked up at various import stores and on my travels. It's as close as I've ever gotten to having a real "theme tree" like you see in magazines.

Of course, there were a few exceptions - a few non-bird ornaments. After all, it's important to be well-rounded. Celebrate Diversity. Have a tree that doesn't look exactly like it came out of a magazine, but that looks like real people decorated it.
So we threw in a few extras for good measure.

Han Solo.


And Optimus Prime.

What can I say? We're Geeks.

Holiday Flights of Fancy

The Holidays! Weeee! Haven't been home this week, so still haven't taken my-fake-tree-in-a-box out of its box. But I'm still feeling a bit giddy . . . what's been exciting and delighting me this holiday decorating season?

My new wreath from Bodywreath . . . lovely holiday linens that I got on after-holiday sale last year and am just now getting to use . . . a marvelous tea towel that I found at a grocery store yesterday with bright green dingle-balls on it . . . and collecting and making birdie ornaments for my tree.

The tree may not actually go up until the 23rd, but hey, I've been gathering some of the coolest bird ornaments ever . . . and been keeping my eyes open for more. I won't be able to get any of these - Aux petits oiseaux made these for holiday trades that I was too late to participate in - but you have to check them out for their shear cuteness . . . is it too late for me to buy some felt? UPDATE: Here's the link to the family fun site where Aux Petits Oiseaux found the inspiration for her ornaments . . . warning: they may want you to download flash to see it!

And I did get a few of these from Tanya Harvey at the Audubon Society's annual Wild Arts Festival - dear me, the roundness and the attention to detail! She knows her bird species . . . searching the site is like a lesson in ornithology . . .

Birds and Brainy Sea Creatures

First, check out this time-honored crafty tutorial from Sister Diane at DIY Alert - it will take you back to childhood, and it will delight your feathered friends!

Next, see how the octopi are taking over crafty blogs all over the country, starting with this post over at Futuregirl.

Studio Day

Ah, the glory of (almost) an entire day spent in the studio . . . I really need that kind of concentrated art time . . . Today, I experimented with printing plates made from pieces of foam rug gripper and friendly foam and even foam weather stripping. In other words, if it's even vaguely foamy, I'm experimenting with making a stamp/printing plate from it and printing it on fabric.

The Artmaking as Playful Prayer class finished on Monday, and I've got a Memory Jewelry class that starts tomorrow. And I've been cleaning up from the Secret Society Sale last Sunday, and prepping for the Dinnergrrls Holiday Bazaar this coming Sunday . . . It's a miracle I got in the studio for any personal work! But I need that time . . . especially after a Playful Prayer class ends. I need time to digest what's happened. Time to incubate. I got some really wonderful and thoughtful feedback about the class, about creating more meaningful transition times. And I've been digesting that, considering different ways that I might meet that need without sacrificing the structural looseness. All while I print little houses and little birds with nests on fabric. So soothing.

And yesterday's teaser? Old appliqued quilt blocks (from yet another quilt that is not to be) that I'm turning into pillows to sell at the Dinnergrrl's Holiday Bazaar this weekend . . .

Birds, Shopping, Hats, Bridges and Other Wonderful Things

I love birds. I love shopping. And, I love hats.

It is no surprise, then, that I was inspired and delighted by this picture of Gretchin in her chicken hat from Liv and Lotus.

I saw the hen hats, the tea cozies and the Lumpies at the Trillium Artisans sale . . . and somehow I managed to resist buying one of each. Perhaps it has something to do with the big box of felted recycled sweaters in my sewing room . . . or the fact that I made a tea cozy a few years ago . . . or the recycled sweater hats I bought from Sweaterheads last year when I made the Sweetie wander at Saturday Market with me in the freezing cold! Those are all really good excuses, but really, can a girl have too many things made by local craftistas out of recycled sweaters? Of course not! Perhaps I do need a Lumpie . . .

What I did buy at the Trillium Artisans Sale was a Johnny Pillow from crazycoconut. It has a lovely silkscreened picture of the local St. Johns bridge on it - and really, besides a hat that looks like a chicken, what could be better than a beautiful bridge that you can hug?!



And I've tried taking pictures of the St. Johns bridge, and they just didn't do it justice . . . somehow crazycoconut managed to capture its cathedral-like elegance and its total approachability . . . . on a pillow.

Wow.
I have loved bridges for as long as I can remember . . . I loved the idea of crossing over, of being suspended . . . of seeing the water rushing below. And if it was a suspension bridge or a covered bridge, even better - you were contained, but still totally out in the open . . . that was the best. No wonder I moved to a city divided by a river . . . a city with so many bridges.

But now I have to go put on a bumblebee costume and attend the grand re-opening of diy lounge at collage.

The inspiration for this . . .

I've been thinking about doing this for a very long time. I love the idea of sharing what's going on in the world of my artmaking and creative life, and connecting to a whole community of other making-type people. But sometimes things just have to incubate. Stay warm in the shell before they break out. Now, I've finished grad school, and I'm moved into my new studio, and I've had a month off to start really making things again, and it's just time to come out my shell.

I went with a friend last night to watch the Vaux's swifts gather at sunset at the Chapman School chimney here in Portland. There were these wonderful gentle pulses - thousands of birds swooping in towards the chimney (where they all nest), then dispersing, then swooping in, a few spiraling funneling into the chimney, the rest dispersing out . . . So cool, and it went on for 45 minutes, like the chimney was gently breathing the swifts in and out, sucking a few more in with each breath. I've been doing so many things with images of birds lately that it really resonated with me . . . birds are all about freedom and home . . . lovely contradictions. I made this shrine, which I call "Stirred," from an actual barn swallow nest that a friend saved for me . . . I love how the little bird has two mugs of coffee (hard to tell they're mugs in the picture, and they could be tea, but let's say for the sake of argument that they're Stumptown coffee). It says so much to me about what I want home to be. And then I start thinking that I really don't want to analyze it that much! Anyway - if you want to see it in person, it'll be on display at the 100th Monkey Studio here in Portland as part of their October "Transitions" show. It's my first show in a very long time - I love that feeling of momentum.