Inner Space

I have been very thoughtful lately. Fall usually does that to me. It's the changing of the seasons... the transition time. Summer is a time to be external while winter is a time to be internal with fall being the transition between the two. In the fall, I usually find myself dreaming quite intense and strange dreams. It always seems as if I am processing some information from the darkest, deepest recesses of my mind that I am never fully aware of. I always want to slow down and savor the inner moments as they make me more aware of who I really am and I end up feeling more concrete in my being.



During the summer, because of the weather, it is easy to be outside of ourselves. But sometimes I think we focus so much outside of ourselves, on what others are doing, that we forget what we are doing or where we are going to begin with. We are so worried with keeping up with everyone else and not getting left behind that we forget that we are on our own journey and to enjoy that journey as we are going along. Fall and winter are good times to reflect on that journey and to reconnect if we've become out of touch with it. The dreams that occur in the fall always remind me of where I am in regards to my awareness of the journey if I am willing to pay attention to them.



This past year has been so full of external things for me that I've been feeling quite out of balance lately. It seems as if things are speeding up, going faster and faster, and I can't keep up. There are never enough hours in the day to do everything that I need to do let alone what I want to do. For a while there, I was making myself crazy trying to do it all. I finally realized that I have to start being even more selective with my choices. Luckily, I have been able to reflect on some old expectations that I've had of myself and had a change of heart. I've realized what was once right for me is no longer because I am now a different person. It's amazing because these were expectations and ideas I had struggled with for many years but once the new idea was accepted and the expectation dropped, it all seemed so simple.



Of course I am still processing these revelations and am sure they have more to teach me... if I listen...

Busy...

I haven't had the time lately to post or even to create something to post because I have been very busy taking two web design classes and organizing an art show for January 2010. The show is going to be a juried exhibition and I have been on a tight deadline to do the call for entries and figure out all of the details. So there has been lots of classes, homework, meetings and graphic design work going on here and not much to share. But I will show the basic layout of the web design that I am working on for one of my classes. Here it is...



And... Here are some pendants that I created in September before classes started...

Positive Thoughts

As I was eating my fruit bar today I saw these tiny snowflake type crystals. They reminded me of a book I had read called "The Miracle of Water" by Masaru Emoto. Dr Emoto has been doing water-crystal research for years studying the effects of words and language on water crystal formation. He has found that positive words like love, beauty, and peace create the most symmetrical and beautiful crystals while negative words create misshapen and deformed crystals. The significance of his work is tremendous because the human body is made up of approximately 70% water. Many of us have been conditioned to accept negative self talk as a necessary part of life. If negative thoughts and words can do this to water what is it doing to our bodies? How many of us have health conditions that are the result of this negative thinking? It was a good reminder to me to be mindful of the words that I am not only saying but also thinking.

I also had the thought that this fruit bar must have been made by happy people...

An Inspirational Quote

"The way of the Creative works through change and transformation, so that each thing receives its true nature and destiny and comes into permanent accord with the Great Harmony: this is what furthers and what perseveres."
~Alexander Pope

Killer Prints from Don Kilpatrick!!!

Don is a good friend of my husband Dave and me. He is a great illustrator and image maker and teaches at CCS with Dave in the Illustration Department. Over the last couple of years Don's been slowly acquiring a few letterpress presses, supplies and knowledge and is now pulling prints with them. Dave and I are lucky recipients of a few of them and I wanted to let everyone know about them as they are available for purchase in Don's Etsy shop Little Buffalo Press. Here are a few images of the prints that we got. (Please excuse my photos...they are a little washed out. My camera is dying and seemingly beyond Photoshop help.)







You can see more photos and read about these prints on his blog here and here.

Perfection and Perceptions

Today I was reflecting on my yoga practice. I was contemplating the the idea of "letting things be as they are", a phrase quoted often by my teachers, realizing how important of a lesson it is for me. It made me think of all those years I spent trying to be perfect and feeling like I was never good enough. Now I notice I am enjoying the imperfections because when a moment of perfection does occur, the perception of it seems heightened and I end up feeling truly blessed.

I Bake Therefore I Run...

Not me really but my friend Kim. Kim is one of my good friends from high school. We became friends in band through many hours of rehearsals and performances. She is one of the sweetest people in the world and I have been lucky enough to reconnect with her on Facebook! Recently she made a comment on Facebook about wishing she had a shirt that said "I bake therefore I run" with a cupcake or a piece of chocolate cake on it. I thought to myself "What a cute idea!" So I asked her if she wanted me to create one for her and she said yes! I thought it would be a great way to work on my Adobe Illustrator skills. Right now I have 3 different cupcake designs and one cake design. Eventually I would also like to add a couple of pie designs and another cake design at least. Here are the designs so far:





And the final on a shirt:

If you like them, you can find them in my CafePress shop.

Tuesdays Ten Tiny Things Challenge 2009

I have been following Funky Art Queen's blog for a while now enjoying her work, interests and sense of humor. This Tuesday she issued a challenge (which you can read about here) and it intrigued me enough that I decided to take part. So here is my Tuesdays Ten Tiny Things Challenge...



My items from left to right are:
1. Vintage enameled frog stick pin
2. Vintage enameled mouse stick pin
3. Vintage enameled caterpillar stick pin
4. Cicada shell
5. Mini Michael Graves teapot pendant necklace
6. My baby ring
7. Vintage glass Mexican man stick pin
8. Vintage glass Mexican woman stick pin
9. Shell
10. ??? -I think it's a nut or maybe a seed pod but I don't know what kind.

Here some closeups...












If anyone knows what this last item is please drop me a line-- I would love to know!

"I live in Michigan, I want to work in Michigan"

For the last few weeks I have been working on a website for a PSA that promotes the Michigan Film Incentives. The PSA itself is an amazing collaboration among many people both in front of the camera and behind and I am sure you will recognize the impact it can potentially have. It's been a great project to be a part of.

Initially it was a project that just my husband (not me) was involved with. He was asked to do the story boards for the PSA and then was also asked if he would be one of the people filmed for the spot. That was pretty exciting in itself, but when he heard that they needed a website done, he got me involved as I needed the experience and work to build my portfolio. It's been a great way to put to good work the knowledge from my classes last semester!

I have been working closely with Teresa Leming at Mid America Cine Support who has been the go to person on this project and been great! It is my first "official" website and it has been an amazing learning process. I still have a few little tweeks that I would like to make to it but please check out the site and let me know what you think.

Please support the Michigan Film Industry!

"I live in Michigan" site

Life Force and Life Lessons...

Last week my youngest brother ended up in the hospital. He has a condition called allergic gastritis and gets ulcers from it. This time he lost so much blood that he had to get 3 units of blood while he was in the hospital. He's been hospitalized for this before but it was worse this time. Luckily they cauterized the ulcer and once his blood count started going up they sent him home. He was only in for a few days but as I'm sure many will agree that even one day in the hospital is one too many. He has already had more tests, needles and drugs than I will probably ever have in my whole life. I do not envy him.

We were talking a few days ago and he mentioned how he was kind of freaked out that he has someone else in him now because of the transfusion. It's not because of the potential for disease but just because of the fact that someone else's blood is mixing with his own. He's grateful that his life was saved but it still freaks him out that some else's life force is running through his veins. Our conversation really made me think about who we are not only on a physical level but also on a spiritual level. What are we really? How much of the physical vs spiritual are we? Can we really separate the two? And if not then how much of someone else do we really take in when we receive a gift like my brother did? It also made me think of how things seem to happen for a reason and how we should always try to look for the lessons an experience in life can teach us. I am really thankful for my "little" brother. Even though he is 8 years younger than me he has already taught me many lessons in life.

This week we were able to enjoy a concert at the Ark in Ann Arbor. He and I went to see Alejandro Escovedo perform. The concert rocked and we had great time! We don't get to spend much time together so it was nice to have the opportunity. It was especially meaningful after the events of last week.

Meditation and the 'Art' of Gardening...

The weather has been so nice lately that I have been able to get out into the yard and start my gardening. It's really just yard work but calling it gardening makes it seem like less of a chore. I like to say that I am going out to meditate in nature!



There is a lot to do because I haven't been the best with keeping up with everything. I hurt my back many years ago and it has been very difficult to bend over, crouch and kneel to do what I need to do to keep the yard up. This year is different though. I started yoga about 2 1/2 months ago and I am feeling better every week. I now feel well enough to tackle many things that I have put off for years! Yeay!!!



Much has already been done but there is still lots to do! I am lucky to have my husband to help! He has been digging up the ground for me. I am hoping to have the garden about twice the size that you see already dug up. Right now it's about 6ft x 8ft.



I am planning on planting green beans, beets, grape or cherry tomatoes, peppers, Chinese turnips, and maybe carrots. I know it is late for some of these veggies but it is hard to get anything in earlier with my husband's and my schedules. So what ever comes up is great!



Some of the veggies will be planted in containers although probably not in the ones you see here. I think they have seen better days. If I can I will fix them but I am not optimistic about it.



I love being able to create not only my art but also my world or experience. I read a great book many years ago about becoming a 'Conscious Creator'... that is being conscious of all the choices we make and how they create the life that we experience. That includes the thoughts we choose to think and words we choose to say as well as the the actions we choose to take. I am choosing to take more time to do those things that make me happy. 'Meditating' in my 'Garden' is one of those things.

ARRRRGH! My first blog rant!

Ok... it's official...

I HATE CS3!!! (At least for Illustrator)

Why Oh Why do they have to mess with something good? Seriously!!! I have been using Photoshop and Illustrator now for quite a few years. I have gone through many upgrades and changes to the programs but this last version has me flabbergasted!!!

I finally upgraded to CS3 this winter just before I started my classes. It wasn't an issue then because I was mostly using Flash and Dreamweaver, which I didn't have any prior experience in, but now that I am back to doing my work mostly in Illustrator I am having conniptions! The new palettes stink! They changed the color palettes and the way the palettes work in general. I am sure it's to be able to "customize" your workspace easier but it is a bigger pain in the a*s than not with palettes that are open disappearing when you try to open other ones. Also... Where are the general default settings??? Now they have a variety of defaults (nice to have options) but they do NOT get you back to your original color palettes when you mess them up! ARRRGH!!! I am irritated mostly because now I have to spend MORE time with tutorials or with playing with the palettes and menus to understand this new interface instead of learning what new stuff the programs can do! I just don't have this kind of time!

It's just been one of those days! Lots of wasted time trying to figure out THAT which I shouldn't have to figure out AGAIN! I sure hope your day was better!

ART SALE! ART SALE! READ ALL ABOUT IT!!!

Ok... Here it is...

Earlier today I went into the basement to start cleaning it out. Because it's my studio, I want to finish it off and make it cozy to work in. Basements, being what they are, are very depressing to work in especially if they aren't finished off as I am sure some of you already know! I feel as if I am working in a dungeon and that's actually what I lovingly refer to it as. A few months ago I bought the magazine Where Women Create and was totally inspired to forge ahead with my plans for fixing up my work space. So when I went down there today to start going through stuff I was completely overwhelmed by the amount of stuff I have. There really isn't any room to move stuff around and much of it is actual artwork. I don't want to throw it away but I need the room so...

anything that is listed on my Collection Blog and labeled available is 30% off the listed price!

WOO HOO!

So... if you like my art please consider giving it a good home! Most of it is ready to hang but there is some that needs to be framed. All sales will be handled through my Etsy store as reserved listings. You will be asked to sign up for a buyers account but it is free and you can contact me through the store. So if you have any questions ask ask away!

I hope everyone is having a great day!

Glass + Silver Foil + Vintage Insect Engravings = Fabulous

I have been having fun the past few days making these beauties! Don't you just love them! I am so excited about these!



I have always been in love with vintage engravings especially the botanical and zoological engravings. I have a small collection of books filled with these illustrations that I have referenced for this project. Don't worry... they are all copyright free!



I have listed a few in my Etsy Shop already and will be adding some more over the next few days.



I also have some other design oriented pendants in the works so check back often. If you have a few moments I would love to hear what you think!

Something fun on a dreary day...

I haven't had much time since before the holidays to work on my own stuff. I took two classes this semester; Flash Animation and Intro To Web Design. I had to design two websites for my final projects and learned a ton in the process. Eventually I will have my own website up and running on my url. Between work, homework and housework I feel like I have been working myself to death! Anyways...feeling very stressed I have realized that not much fun has been happening around here lately.

This past Friday and Saturday the weather was fabulous. In the 70's and sunny! Woo Hoo! Unfortunately it didn't last and now it is in the 40's and raining. So so dreary! Feeling down and out today, I decided to play with my camera and photoshop. This photo is the result. The butterfly is stained glass and came from a friend's bridal shower. Her grandfather made a bunch of them for her shower as favors for all of the guests. I have it stuck on my dining room window where I can enjoy the sun shining on it. Now that I have created something for myself I feel much better.

Make sure to take time to have some fun and do something special for yourself, especially if you are feeling down!

Introspection

Today is the anniversary of the death of one of my artist mentor/friends. It has been several years since his death but I still think of him often...



Today, as I was driving to the chiropractor enjoying the sunshine, I suddenly became hyper-aware of where I was. I was driving by a building where one of my friend's sculptures resides and had to take a peek over at it. Up to that point I hadn't remembered the anniversary and it wasn't until that moment when I realized the significance of the day and of that moment.

It's funny how we seem to subconsciously be aware of these significant anniversaries in our lives. You never know when or how you will be reminded but it always seems to be just what you needed for that day. My friend was kind, intelligent, talented, funny and inspiring. He also suffered from depression and finally lost his battle with it. It's quite ironic that he took his life on April Fools Day... he did have a twisted sense of humor. It's also a chilling reminder to me that a few words he spoke to me almost 20 years ago became my mantra during my own battle with depression. When he took his life, I was just starting to come out of the darkest period of my depression. It was a very jarring wake up call for me.

Today I am happy to say that my depression is gone and I so appreciate being HERE and having THIS experience we call life. Remembering my friend on a beautiful sunny day reminds me of how far I have come and how thankful I am for it. I so wish that he didn't have to go through what he went through but I know we all have our own paths to walk during our journey here. Mine is definitely better for knowing him...and I have a feeling that this won't be the last time that I am reminded of what he has given me.

Sprouts...

Yeay!!! My herbs are sprouting!









I wonder how long it will take before they are mature enough to harvest? Does anyone know?

Mini Herb Garden

I just love plants. Doesn't matter what kind... flowering, non-flowering, succulent, cacti. As a result I have a small jungle in my house. My grammie and parents got me interested years ago. Grammie had lots of house plants and my parents had a large garden. The whole family was expected to plant and tend to the garden and we had many yummy meals from it. My parents have supported my continued interest in gardening and have given me all kinds of books on gardening and plants throughout the years. This year I got a mini herb garden in a box for Christmas from my mom and dad. Yeay!!! I have wanted to do an herb garden for years but never took the time. Now I can. It's perfect timing too as I am trying to cook more from scratch now.

I thought it was a pretty cool setup and wanted to share a few pics as I planted it this past week. It come with 5 different herbs: Basil, Parsley, Thyme, Chives, and Cilantro. The kit contained the seeds, the pots, stand, and soil "pucks". It was an easy project to do as everything I needed was right there. I just needed to add water!









The seeds are supposed to sprout between 10-15 days.
Oooooohhh... I can't wait!

A Portrait of Fear

Here is the piece that I did for the Fear show at the Work•Detroit Gallery. It is a mixed media collage: laser print, watercolor, pencil.

Fear Blog
The Detroiter.com
Work•Detroit

The Perfect Antidote...

for those winter blues.











The day that I made my last post, my husband brought me these tulips. There couldn't have been more perfect timing.

That's what I get for marrying my soul mate.