On a Creative Mission

Welcome to my new blog! For as long as I can remember I have been like a bowerbird...attracted to all things shiny and pretty. I just can't help myself--I don't think it's a shallow, superficial thing, it's just that I feel energized and excited by patterns, bright colors, sleek lines and shapes. When we go out to eat, my husband always teases me that I'm only there for the atmosphere, eating my surroundings while he eats the food. Whenever I have down time, the default screen saver in my mind is like a montage of designer fabric swatches, memories of beautiful places from our travels, trippy kaleidoscopic images, and ideas for craft projects, children's books, and future art exhibits. Oh and food-- I think about food probably more than I should. Basically, my head is in the clouds a lot of the time and it's time to find a way to translate my daily reveries into action.

I want to make art, and have lovely and unique ideas that give way to positive actions and the living of a life uncommon. When I had my daughter two years ago, my creativity settled into a state of dormancy while I devoted my energy to changing diapers, reading The Very Hungry Caterpillar, and basic self-preservation. I've realized though that to be a good mom and an enjoyable person to be around I need to awaken and feed that sleeping creative self. I still need to nourish my identity and my dreams. I have worked hard over the last 6 months to give my stagnant art business an overhaul in hopes of making my creative leanings an integral part of my lifestyle and an eventual career rather than a side hobby. In September I started renting studio space to give myself a fresh start and a place that is all my own, out of the MOMosphere. I set up shop (more like sweatshop) as I cranked out more jewelry for fall craft shows in 3 months than I've made over the past 5 years. I was accepted into my first juried shows, changed my business name, opened an Etsy shop for selling my wares online, a Facebook fan page, and have have more glossy business cards than I know what to do with. I just bought a jeweler's kiln for firing precious metal clay pieces too! I am also excited to have a blog, which I am planning on using as a platform for collecting and posting all things happy and inspiring- things that get my creative juices flowing, be that a poem, an image, an idea, a recipe, a photo or a video.  I will also use it as a place to share my own work, in my quest to create and inspire.

I'm a firm believer in the idea that if you surround yourself with the things that make you happy and you really devote time to knowing yourself and what your inherent talents are, and if you then commit to those talents, however trivial or random they may be...then only good can come of it. Then, when you are happy, your light and the sharing of it, can inspire others to live up to their potential, resulting in a world that is brighter and more interesting. There you have it, my cheesy but heartfelt personal manifesto. Think of this blog as a virtual artistic filing cabinet, bulletin board, or a maybe just a window into my spastic mind and the ideas that inhabit it!

The first shiny little thing I want to share is a video that a friend posted on Facebook a while back. It is by Andrea Dorfman. I really like this one and another video she made called "How to be Alone." I really admire her honesty, and how she blends video, music, poetry and illustration together. It just makes me happy, so that's why it's on my blog!