Artists Passion

This is just an idea I’ve been kicking around. Here are five interesting items I’ve found in the art world in the last few days. Every week, I plan to feature five more, from projects to artists to interesting art spaces. Rather than things I see in my day-to-day life, these will be things I see in the virtual world.

Oklahoma’s Charles Wilson

Charles Wilson is the topic of a recent Tulsa, OK blog post. The blog focuses on Oklahoma life, and Wilson, as one of Oklahoma’s native sons, is a perfect fit. The post gives a brief description of Wilson’s career and provides some context as to why his work is important in Oklahoma and beyond.

Tom Toles illustrated the sexist backlash against Hillary

The Washington Post cartoon shows the double standard stacked against Ms. Clinton in pretty straightforward way.

Pat Oliphant shows a more conservative view of her chances and leadership abilities.

Another comic in the Post shows an entirely different view Hillary’s now famous emotional reaction.

Summer Minor gives instructions on how to make paper

In a post geared towards home schooling moms, Minor gives a how-to and a brief history on making paper.

Shopdropping

Web Urbanist provides an explanation of the urban trend of shopdropping along with a guide to who’s doing it and a breakdown of their projects, complete with pictures. The most interesting to me was a project by Zoe Saldana, where she takes cheap clothes by Wal Mart and recreates them by hand, using the same fabrics, notions and stitches, then puts the tags from the originals on them and returns the homemade clothing to the store.

Here’s what I have planned for this year:

Interviews with comic book artists.

I’m going to a few conventions this year, and I plan to take advantage of my press passes. I’ll be talking to comic artists, set designers, and the regular artist and author folks who come out.

Fashion designer posts.

I’m going to interview more fashion designers for posts this year. I have a few under my belt already, and I will be working on more as time goes by.

Posts on premium artist supplies.

From hand-dyed yarns, to hand-made canvases, to hand-woven fabrics, I plan on writing a special series of posts dedicated to getting info on the best artist and crafting supplies out there.

Posts on special-effects and professional makeup artistry.

From makeup for model shoots to monster magic, I’m going to highlight artists who are living out their dreams.

Regional hotspots.

This is where I’ll showcase the best of the best in different cities around the country.

The best on the web.

The best of artist and art-related Web sites.

General 451 mishmash.

I always keep my eyes on the 451 network for tidbits of information that interest me. I usually end up finding crafting challenges and recipes. You may have noticed italicized sections at the end of my posts where I add extra info I find, like a link to a recipe for Italian bread lasagna or get political and link to a post about gay rights. This will continue; it’s just a way for me to add a little bit of news from the network, since I browse through the new posts every day. Since there’s usually a couple of new posts every hour, there’s a lot to read through.

This is all in addition to highlighting artists, giving basic advice and keeping people up-to-date on my own progress.

I’ve been more than super-busy the last few weeks.

I’ve been working about 40 hours a week at my job at a bookstore for the semester break. I’m processing internet orders for textbooks for the upcoming semester, and next week I’ll be working even more, starting tomorrow.

I’ve been trying to catch up to my future classmates in a graduate class I’m taking. I have to learn web design and HTML; the class deals with multimedia journalism, i.e. making Web sites, writing television packages, writing online and print articles, and tying everything together. I bought a book and am taking baby steps; I’m unsure as to whether or not I’ll catch up sufficiently before the class starts, though. I’m nervous about it.

I spent five or six days from the last two weeks with my family. We did the whole “Christmas” thing, and then my aunt and uncle came to visit from Michigan. I’m am definitely family-stressed out.

I spend two or three days doing things with friends. We saw Sweeney Todd on Christmas day, and I went to a Christmas party that involved me getting presents and playing Nintendo (yay).

Sweeney Todd= Merry Christmas!

I worked like crazy to finish up making and wrapping holiday gifts, and what I didn’t get done I made up for with store-bought gifts. Next year, I hope to do a better job on keeping on-task. Television helped me complete the gifts that did get wrapped and given away, although I’m not sure I’d ever want to watch so much Tila Tequila again.

I also bought the Dexter DVD and watched the entire first season in two days. Way to spend some quality time right there. I plan to start in on the Heroes DVD soon, even though I’ve seen the entire series so far.

For next year, I have some plans. They include starting an office hours tradition for writing, attending FX 2008 (for comic book artists and some actors/ creators/ designers I want to interview) and Megacon (for more of the same) and seeing the movie Juno. I’m also toying around with starting my own Web site and Etsy shop. I just hope 2008 is as fantastic as 2007 was.

To say the holidays can be stressful is an understatement.

To the hobby artist or professional crafter, they can be a nightmare.

Some people work full time, have kids and a social life, and create art in the spare time, because it completes them.

Some people mass-produce crafts, on their own or with small staffs, to meet quotas for the stores selling their art. Much of the time, they’re also trying to juggle their family and social life at the same time.

With pressure mounting, artistic endeavors can fall behind. Projects sit half-finished on easels, pottery wheels collect dust.

Creating eases stress and keeps the mind active. Making art is a great way to take a breather and protect the soul.

On days you can’t dedicate the time to finish a full project, stop the rat race you’re caught in for a half hour or an hour. Work on a painting, sculpt something small and fun, or write a bit in your journal. Even if you’re behind, it’s important to stop the stress before it reaches your breaking point.

If the muse refuses to come, or you just can’t dedicate the time for what you want to do, go for a short walk outside or read something you find uplifting. Look at your favorite masterworks. Even better yet, flip through a magazine or pictures you find inspiring and file them for later.

Taking a hot bubble bath with a glass of bubbly and a good book or lighting a few candles and relaxing for a few minutes can also help.

Remember, when you’re stressed, the rest of your life can fall apart, which can lead to a block. It’s easier to keep creating when you don’t break the flow.

When I get stressed, I eat more sweets, can live for days off of Cherry Coke, and am lucky if I get a shower scheduled in every day. Everything suffers until I sort myself out.

If you guys have any tips on staying de-stressed for the season, let me, and the other readers, know what they are!

At the worst, mindless internet distractions might help a bit with the holiday frazzle. Check out the PacMan Christmas tree. Or, veg out in front of the new Deelishis video.

Imagine it. A television landscape full of reruns, reality TV, and bland news programs.

With most of the jokesters, creators, and snarksters on strike, this may be what TV looks like at this time next year.

In the movie realm, we may have low-budget indie type creations in about two years.

American Gladiators, American Idol, Big Brother.

No Heroes. No Ugly Betty. And, no Pushing Daisies, which is by far the most innovative and artistic television show I’ve ever seen.

If you’ve never seen Pushing Daisies, check out Pushing Daisies, the blog, which has write-ups of each episode.

The show centers around a pie maker who can raise the dead, for a minute at a time. If he goes over a minute, someone else dies in the deceased’s place. The show has lush photography, musical numbers, quirky characters, and superb writing.

But, who wants a masterpiece when they can watch female mud wrestling or a bunch of hopefuls compete to win some sort of nationwide singing title?

While TV will suffer, movies might get better. I’m very excited about the upcoming release of Sweeney Todd, but I love indie films more than most mainstream releases. If more indie writers got into the business of film writing, I would probably be happy with their diverse view of the world more than I am with explosions, bland sexual encounters, sappy romances, and trite, generic animation.

Many people probably believe the studios will eventually give into the writers and the world will be fine again. But, with the internet, hundreds of cable news channels, and video games taking up so much time, I have a feeling the average Joe out there isn’t too worried about the face of the nation without the striking writers. This is a horrible time for such a union, because they don’t hold as much power as they did before the cyber boom.

I know, I know, it’s all very depressing. Quick! Look! It’s a cat in a Christmas Tree!

The available days to send out holiday cards are dwindling. Christmas is 13 days away; if you haven’t finished making those cards and gifts yet, you’re behind. Fortunately, there are some quick and easy card and gift ideas out there for those of us who procrastinate.

At Getting Crafty, there’s a whole slew of ideas to work from. The idea: use brads, fabric, stitching, and papers to make the best card out there.

And, at Bead Arts, they link to a pretty great beaded gift card project.

I have a couple of ideas to expand upon these cards. I love decoupaging; just take some varnish or glue (ask about supplies at your local craft store) and use it to attach magazines or personal art to card stock before applying the brads and other extras that will give your cards a touch of glitz.

Even better yet, create a beaded and wearable work of art, then string a necklace or bracelet through the card and wire it down. Or, attach a pair of earrings as a glittery decoration and gift. Think about how happy the recipient will be, expecting a simple card and discovering their own, personalized gift.

Some other ideas:

Instead of cards, send out a small booklet of your work. Other people send out boring holiday newsletters, why not send out something chronicling your best projects?

Use spare fabric to make your cards. I know a few fashion designers, and they always have yards of scrap fabric lying around, taking up room.

And, even though it’s a little late, next year consider making this Advent calendar. It wins on every level; it’s bright, whimsical, and super-creative.

Just make sure to mail everything out before your time runs out.

‘Twas the third night of Chanukah and all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.

Okay, my cats were probably stirring last night, just without me.

I was volunteering my time to an arts and crafts booth at a local holiday event. Not the selling variety of arts and crafts booth, but the children-do variety. I helped a bunch of children glue foam leaves to paper plates for three hours, scarfed down a cold hotdog and a flat soda, and wished the line for Santa wasn’t so long, so I could take a picture with him for my mom.

Why, in the name of all that is good and pure in the world, why would I subject myself to babysitting somewhere around 500 kids wielding bottles of glue and tiny red berries made out of what looked like lint?

The answer: I’m selfish.

The building we were in for the event was set up like a castle. Bubble “snow” fell from the ceiling. There were costumed characters, a small train set up for young passengers, games all over the place, and a store set up with toys and trinkets usually overpriced in the stores at the perfect prices for the little ones to buy with their allowance. In addition to the arts and crafts area I was in, there was a coloring book station, a scrapbooking station, and a cookie decorating station. The food was served in a huge, fairy tale ballroom where The Polar Express was playing on theater-sized screens. Everywhere I looked, faces were filled with wonder.

I highly recommend for everyone reading this to volunteer somewhere this holiday season. It’s a much better high than overeating or unwrapping an iPod. I always try to volunteer at an event with children, because they get the most out of the holidays. They still believe in the magic of the holidays, whether it be Christmas, Chanukah, Kwanza, or the secular Santa Day.

Unfortunately, I never did get that picture with Santa.

Here are some more holiday themed posts: with Chanukah almost half over, Christmas is just 18 days away. For the most part, my own Christmas-type presents are wrapped and ready to go. And, Cyndi at Bead Arts has listed some sites with suggestions for gifts that sparkle with creativity.

NaNoWriMo crashed and burned for me this year. While I typed out a few of my best writing scenes, they were few and far between. It’s too bad I don’t have a version of this graphic on fire or in ashes; that’s how bad it got this year.

Sometimes creativity is like slogging through quicksand. We can’t get out of the hole we’re in, and when we try, we just keep sinking deeper.

Sometimes anything looks better than the project we’re currently working on. Why not do the dishes? Clean out the kitty litter box? Or, even better, take a nap?

I’ve had paintings languish on an easel at my mother’s house until she’s threatened to reuse the canvas for one of her paintings. If creating is so much fun, why can it be so hard?

There’s tons of psychological mumbo-jumbo to explain why we procrastinate, but the truth is, everyone does it now and again. And, the why isn’t as important as the how. How we can climb out of the quicksand hole we’re in. Here are five hows to get you through.

1. Start a routine.
Routine is the natural enemy of procrastination. Set up a routine schedule and stick to it, even if you have to strap yourself to your chair and stare at a blank canvas/ sheet of paper. Theoretically, you’ll get so bored eventually you’ll start working. This is best implemented in a location without a lot of distractions. For example, strapped into your chair you’d have no problem trolling the internet for hours, if your laptop was in front of you.

2. Make a to-do list.
This one usually saves me. I love checking items off of a list; it makes me feel industrious. Of course, you have to write the list in order to check things off, which can lead to procrastination about the list itself.

3. Work in smaller time increments.
If you have problems getting started for an hour of work, take the time down to 30 minutes. If you’re still procrastinating at 30, move the time down to 15. Even five minutes of work is better than no minutes of work. Set a timer and keep going if inspiration hits and you can’t tear yourself away from your chair.

4. Check your muse.
Do your best ideas come to you on the can? Do they come after watching your favorite horror movie or reading your favorite book? As a writer, it can be strange thinking that part of my job was reading books, magazines, and newspapers. But, it’s true. Allow yourself to do the most important part of your job, sowing inspiration.

5. Take a break.
Procrastination might be a sign you’re burning yourself out, which is the kiss of death to whatever you’re working on. Depending on what you’re doing, take a day or two off. It might give you the rest you need to start up again, this time gung-ho and ready for action.

For me, NaNoWriMo failed this year because I had too much going on in my schedule. I was happy when I could type out an entire scene; all of my writing began to suffer because of the pressure I was under from all sides. Now that school’s winding down, I’m back at the game, better than ever.

I wonder if JM would consider me a writer’s block whiner… Or, I guess, an artist’s block whiner.

I’ve already written that many choices are available for artists wishing to sell their wares, and the best way to go about choosing is doing a little research.

However, even after the research, the choices can be confusing. What really is the best way to sell art?

Galleries
When looking at a gallery for wall or floor space, it’s a good idea to see what kind of art they already have. Then, check the prices of the pieces, the fees they charge for their space, and how much they’ve earned in sales for a specific time period (the month, the quarter, or the year) to decide whether or not you want to show there.

Coffee Shops
Coffee shops and cafes are good places to start out, but art galleries will have the manpower, money, knowledge and drive to really promote your art.

Art Fairs
Arts and crafts fairs are also a good place to get started; you only have to commit to a day or two of selling, and you’ll be in charge of selling your own work, which will give you more control. There is usually a one-time fee, and most of the time you don’t have to give organizers a percentage of sales, so you might come out better than you would at a gallery or even a coffee shop, depending on how much you sell. Plus, there’s instant gratification; your work won’t be sitting around for months before someone buys.

The Internet
Thanks to Myspace, Etsy, personal Web sites, Ebay, and social networking, it’s become easier than ever to sell works of art and find a community to share with. With a personal Web site, you can build your own space, start your own store, and promote any events you decide to join. With Etsy and Ebay, you can start your own store and market your art to millions of viewers. With Myspace and social networking sites, you can build your own portfolio, list events, and link to your stores. The biggest cost to you will be your time, although Ebay and Etsy charge small fees for posting items.

I hope this all was at least a bit helpful.

In a totally unrelated strain, many of you probably know I have a weakness for sweets. And, I keep ending up back at Elementary Chef, where there are now going to be 12 cookie recipes up for Christmas. The first up is Peanut Buttercup Cookies. I’m already making up my shopping list. It’s either going to be a very good holiday, or a very naughty holiday depending on how you look at it.

It’s a little late, but I’m a big believer that we should be thankful for everything in our lives all the time. So, here we go!

1. My mother.
I’m thankful every holiday season she’s still around, and I’m especially thankful for all of the paintings that end up on my walls.

2. Web Urbanist.
I love the urban art and legends I have at my fingertips because of this site.

3. Sugar ‘n Cream and Peaches and Cream yarn.
These 100 percent cotton yarns are my material of choice for all of my knitting creations. Even blankets, towels, and stuffed animals come out perfect when I use pure cotton.

4. Bamboo knitting needles.
I started knitting on aluminum needles. They would soon have dark pits and gouges in the metal. The colored coating would flake off, and the feeling of the metal grating on metal would set my teeth to grinding. Bamboo works a lot better for me. The needles don’t make my teeth grind when they rub together, and the thinner ones eventually bend to fit in my hand better.

5. Play Doh.
This is probably my favorite children’s toy. It is also the bane of mothers everywhere who have to pick the tiny Play Doh bits out of their carpeting.

5. Squid knitting patterns.
I found the pattern I use on Etsy, and I’ve modified it a few times to come out better.

6. Etsy.
I love the patterns. I love the finished products. Finally, a place I can find hand-printed greeting cards, home-made stuffed animals, carefully crafted jewelry, and so much more.

7. Crafting Out Loud.
It’s my local craft fair. It moves from place to place, but it’s a great place to buy more hand-crafted items for holidays, birthdays, and every day in between. Type in “craft fair” and your city to find a craft fair of your very own!

8. Crafty Chica.
She’s witty, outspoken, crafty, and colorful. I love reading Crafty Chica from my RSS feed. She’s everything I’d eventually like to be: a keen professional who crafts, manages a household, and covers everything that crosses her path in bright colors. I’m thinking of making shadow boxes as one of my next projects. Even though I don’t think I have a drop of Latin genes in my gene pool, I’ve always been attracted to the bright beautiful colors and interesting themes in Latin culture and artwork. I love pretty much everything she does, and she has her own video series online for crafting!

9. Paper Magazine.
I love fashion, especially when it isn’t homogenized mainstream fashion. I also love drag queens. Paper gives me walloping doses of both as it covers the newest trends. I like to think of a lot of its coverage as guerrilla fashion.

10. Mac cosmetics.
Mac looks are a work of art. I also consider it the number one makeup line for drag queens, which is another reason for me to wear it. It’s also a great line to wear for artistic photo shoots and fashion shows, thanks to the large variety in products and the high quality of products. Although, Sephora can be a better place to shop, just because of the large variety of products and brands available. Plus, the staff on hand is an invaluable resource if you’re not sure what you should buy.

My friend Adam Sageser is a Jim Henson fan to the nth degree. His apartment is filled with muppet paraphernalia; he isn’t above showing the muppet movies at parties. Muppets Take Manhattan, anyone?

He is truly a kid at heart. A kid who is slowly realizing his dreams to become a professional puppeteer and break free of the daily grind in Tampa, where artistic ability and vision are routinely ignored.

In addition to his full-time day job, Adam works on his honing his puppet skills with his troupe on their current project, Tableau Vivant Nouveau. The high point of his career so far: his troupe was noticed by Jim Henson’s daughter at a recent show. He has high hopes that soon they will have their own permanent studio space and some grant money to keep them going.

Here is Adam’s intro to his show at a recent art festival at Silver Meteor Gallery in Ybor City:

Tableau Vivant Nouveau isn’t an average puppet show, filled with sock puppets or the muppet-type creations I watched as a kid. Instead, there is a deep artistic vision embedded in the work. The entire performance only lasts a few minutes and integrates puppetry, dance, painting, and music into a cohesive and moving multi-form presentation:

I’ll be sure to keep tabs on Adam in the future and see how far the troupe rises. With the nod from the Henson Company, their hard work seems to be paying off.

And, in my ongoing quest to find pumpkin foods (although, it’s quickly becoming a search for pumpkin sweets) I found these at Elementary Chef.

What better topic is there for a 20-something-year-old semi-professional blogger to write about than her mother?

Or, in my mother’s case, her art.

My mother has always been an artist on the verge of making a living from it. Or, at least, on the verge of making a little spending cash.

She’s had quite a few setbacks along the way. She’s had long periods where she’s picked up nary a paintbrush. Where she hasn’t been able to afford canvases or the expensive oil paints she uses. Still, she’s never given up on her passion. In this, she’s probably been the best role model I’ve ever had.

I don’t think she’s ever lived up to her true potential. All of her paintings are based off of other paintings or photos, while I prefer works of art based in fantasy. Like I’ve written before, the one time she let her art really shine, she quit because she was disturbed at what she found.

Of course, I’m biased, but not in the way most people would expect. I see my mother’s work the same way I see my own writing. I’m so accustomed to it, I often see little problems to pick at. And, as with my own writing, I lose sight of the big picture because of these trouble spots.

When a stranger sees her work, her/his eyes usually light. They see a woman who paints with a skill most people either don’t possess or don’t nurture. When I see a bird out of proportion to a tree or a misshapen palm frond, it bothers me. I envy those who see the beauty over flaws.

But, I’m a picker. My mother will always be my mother, and I will always cart her art around to promote it when I can, and her paintings will always grace my walls.

It was a cold night in Florida.

Or at least it was for sick, little, old me, stuck sitting in a plastic chair outside, behind a table covered in my mother’s paintings and my yarn creations.

Inside the coffee shop, just a few feet away, were warm men and women listening to bands and enjoying hot, steamy drinks. I, on the other hand, was working. I was promoting art.

Promotion and marketing are the worst parts of being an artist. They make up the job part of transitioning art from a hobby to a business. What makes the transition even worse is that the art half of the brain (the one artists use) is much different than the logical half of the brain (the one number crunchers use).

Fortunately, it’s easy to get started in this whole art “business.” No one expects a hobbyist to become an international star in just a few steps. It will take years, if it ever happens.

The first step involves a little research and a little traveling. Find community events and locations that support the arts and offer free venues for promotion. In the area of Florida I live, there are a few coffee and tea houses willing to let artists hang their wares for a small percentage of sales. There are also festivals where artists can set up booths for free or a small fee, usually between $20 and $50.

That’s all it really takes, plus the willingness to sit out in the cold with a tepid cup of liquid chocolate, watching people ignore you as they walk back and forth into a packed
coffee shop.

I’m not the only poor, sick, hapless writer out there. Gillian Polack’s sick too, except she has wonderful recipes. And, speaking of food, at Watching Rachel Ray, they’ve got pumpkin recipes. I’m always looking for more ways to cook pumpkins and squash; now I can play some more with my horribly inadequate kitchen.

I’ve been fighting sickness the past few days, and I was very busy AND sick today, so I didn’t have a chance to post anything exciting. However, I will be posting tomorrow. Until then, I hope you enjoy this article I worked on for The Tampa Tribune.

When I was younger, my mother went to Mackinac Island to sell her paintings. Her and my father would drive the pieces of art she worked so hard to produce to an art gallery there, where her paintings would sell. Or not.

Orianna Kurrus is currently going through a crisis. She feels her cutesy wootsy paintings aren’t her thing any more. She wants to branch out to more meaningful pieces to reflect her Jewish faith, but she still finds herself going for the “cute” factor when she paints.

And, I’m stuck on my word count for NaNoWriMo once again. I always hit a wall; I find anything else to do beside write down the ideas in my head. I come to the same problem every year; this is my third year of falling behind and beating myself up over it.

Mass producing squiddies is so much easier.

The problem with art, as I see it, is at some point a decision has to be made. Is art going to be a job or a hobby? I’m trying to make the transition to “job.” I think I’m making great strides when it comes to my nonfiction work, but I’d really like to get a few novels out there before I die. Stories others will read and reread and enjoy, because they’re entertaining and informative in a different way than “this is what happened today.”

Thus, writing turns from a fun thing I do to enjoy myself into a chore. When I’m writing, it’s different. I get in the groove and remember why I write. When I’m not writing, I’m dreading writing. I’m making up excuses not to write. Excuses like “I’ll write in a few minutes. Right now, I really have to check my Myspace.” Or, “Right after I finish this chapter, I’ll write a few pages.” Or, even better yet, “I need a nap.” I’d rather do anything than write when I have to, even if it involves lying in bed with my eyes closed and a cat clawing at me so he can get comfortable.

Since I’m getting so far behind, I was hoping I could get a few suggestions on what to do to make myself work. I’ve tried setting timers, I’ve tried setting word counts every day, I’ve even tried going on the “I can drink a Diet Coke every time I sit down to write” diet, and all it did was make me sick. What can I do to get myself producing that artistic content and rid myself of excuses?