Women, Art, Life: Weaving It All Together

AEM30 and final

  This is the full picture of yesterday's commission totem.  I just retook it.  Then I discovered that the title had a dash in it and I had been looking in a non-dash section;  apparently I am not completely consistant in titling totems.  Some are totem - (name) and some are totem (name).  So now I have two full pictures and you have one here.

I did not think I would get here today but it seemed a shame to miss the last day, so I pushed it a bit and here I am finishing the month and tying up loose ends.  Another loose end is the final picture of the mask Leaf Lady.  Two follow (front and side) =  not good photos.  Too much yellow which I can't get rid of without washing the photo out a bit.  Lighting is terrible in the studio all of a sudden but here she is for now.

 

and last but not least, my offering for this last day of AEM:  Totem:  All of Me, approximately 30" tall (didn't measure her before I packed her away for loading into Heron's Way Gallery or Leonardtown Galleria tomorrow), one of a kind designed and shard pieces mounted on wood, by Tammy Vitale, $125.00

Art Every Day Month has been spectacular this year:  much new work, many new blog friends, much amazement at all the talent out there and eternal gratefulness that there are folks likeLeah who generously provide a space for all of it.

 

    thought for the day:  When we work only to do, we most often find ourselves helplessly doing again without having placed the first doing in any context...Good work and goo deducatgion are achieved by visitation and then absence, appearance and disappearance....the hours become ripe with happening only when we are attentive, patient, and present.  David Whyte, Crossing the Unknown Sea:  Work as a Pilgrimage of Identity

AEM28

I can't find the photos of the commission I was going to use today  (except for this one detail photo, so I'll offer that and perhaps tomorrow I will have 5 minutes between all the things I have scheduled myself for to find the rest of them) and I'm whipped from a 10 hour day where I made 20 christmas wreaths (and no, I didn't take a photo of them either).  So until I get the fire built and sleep some, y'all are just going to have to take my word that I was indeed creative today, no photo notwithstanding.

thought for the day  whatever creative powers we have in our work are intimately connected to our ability to remember who we are amides the traumas and losses of existence...there are tremendous forces at work upon us, trying to make us like everyone else, and therefore we must remember something intensely personal about the way we were made for this world in order to keep our integraity...One of the distinguishing features of any courageous human being is the ability to remian unuterably themselves in the midst of conforming pressures.  David Whyte Crossing the Unknow Sea:  Work as a Pilgrimage of Identity.

(Here's the top part of the commission totem)

Happy Thanksgiving! and AEM 27

    These Thanksgiving centerpieces are my offering for AEM 27 and also for my celebration for the day (see the candles?  only I can't light them because these are gifts and I have to wait for the giftees to get here.  Key lime scented candles.  yum.)

I am a most thankful person for the blogging community where I find myself.  My days are brighter, my world bigger and I am happier for all of you.  Thank for being in my community!

thought for the day:  Listen/with the night falling we are saying thank you/we are stopping on the bridges to bow from the railings/we are running out of the glass rooms/with our mouths full of food to look at the sky/and say thank you/we are standing by the water looking out/to different directions

W.S. Merwin, Earth Prayers ed by Elizabeth roberts and Elias Amidon

We return thanks to our mother, the earth, which sustains us.  We return thanks to the rivers and streams, which supply us with water.  We return thanks to all herbs, which furnish medicines for the cure of our diseases.  We return thanks to the corn, and to her sisters, the beans and squashes, which give us life.  We return thanks to the winde, which, moving the air, has banished diseases.  We return thanks to the moon and stars, which have given to us their light when the sun was gone.  We return thanks to the sun, that he has looked upon the earth with a beneficent eye.  Iroquois prayer (adapted).

AEM25 and celebration 7

    Herons, wall plaques, approximately 18"t x 9.5 " wide.  One of a kind, hand sculpted by Tammy Vitale.  $110 each, 2 for $195

I have no idea why these pieces didn't turn out the same color when they were taken in the same place under the same lighting conditions, but there you are,  they didn't  I think the 2nd one is closer to the actual color although if you split the two colors you'll be right on.  I bought this wonderful cube thing for photos and it's such a pain to use I don't, so my photos still aren't as perfect as they probably should be. 

What do you think - take care of every little detail the best you can and move on?  Or recognize that presentation is everything and get a bit more particular about it all?

Here's a great freebie I have to pass along to you today: Peace by Piece eBook from Artella which "guides you through several collage projects, each designed to bring you closer to your true self and your powerful ability for manifesting your dreams." Artella years ago was the first magazine (Artella Magazine you have never seen a magazine as beautiful and eclectic as this magazine - especially if you like to collage, or even if you don't - no advertising, just art and words and occasional visits by Artella's found Marney and some of her friends, like SARK as well as interviews with artists)to publish not one but several of my art pieces and poetry (I even won their poetry contest one quarter!).  I was in their Shoppes for years (Sell your work in the Shoppes of Artella ) and their book recommendation section is where I found one of my all time favorites This Time I Dance by Tama Kieves.  I've taken several Artella e-courses, too, and keep copies of them around to redo in my spare time.  I love the folks at Artellaland - they are friendly and have come to feel like family.  So I'm happy to give them kudos, pass along their freebie (there are more to choose from but only 1 to a customer:  Artella Maes NEW Altered Ancestors eBook: 58 pages of ideas and techniques fo using vintage photos in your artwork; ExerSIGHS eBook: guided exercises and inspiration for triggering that next creative rpoject and breaking down block for good; and Simple Seasonal Salutations eBook featuring 10 beautiful handmade cards and how-to instructions) and participate in their affiliate program. The great news is that you can become a part of the Artella family, too and possibly earn a few extra dollars - who can't use a few extra dollars right now?!

Celebration:  a great kiln not quite full load of work that is finished up and ready to go, including 2 commission.s  But you'll have to wait to see them.  And I have no picture for today's celebration because today I am a lazy slug and I'm going to finish this and go read my book, Edgar Sawtelle, which I have been too sleepy to read and it's a good book and deserves some attention.

thought for the day:  Like most of the creatures of creation, we humans go through a periodic molt, except that our molt is an invisible one and because of the lonely invisibility of the transformation, necessitates a particular form of courage, a courage we are never sure we have in our possession.  Shedding the carapace we have been building so assiduously on the surface, we must by definition give up exactly what we thought was necessary to protect us from further harm.   David Whyte, Crossing the Unknown Sea:  Work as a Pilgrimage of Identity

AEM 24 and Celebration 6

      Leaf Lady Mask, commission, about 18" tall, glazed, in the kiln ready to cook, one of a kind, wall hanging, by Tammy Vitale $125

You can see that I did not fill up my kiln.  I did glaze and most of it was very flat things so it isn't as if it didn't take me 3 hours to glaze everything...it's just when I got it all in the kiln there was plenty of room for more.  But I decided not to wait.  I have a list of things I need to accomplish in my days off, including exercising and holiday shopping (if I can get that crossed off completely - and I'm almost there - it will be a great load off my mind).

Today celebration is joyfulness in my yard.  So I am posting pictures of all the stuff I've hung and placed in my yard (well, actually, not all the stuff - but a lot of it) over the years.  Mostly because there just isn't enough space for everything in the studio.  I'm giving you a good many of the chimes which I love having outside and since I made lots and not many sold, I have plenty to hang out (there are still some in the studio.  I shall liberate them into the yard at some point this year).  They also prove to disbelievers that clay can stay out in all weather as long as it's been fired to cone.  But before I fill up the page with photos, let me say that this morning jaunt was influenced by this lovely post over at AEMer Dragon Fly Reflections.  And here's a fun Myers-'Briggs analyzer for your blog at AveryFineLine. I found it on Christine Kane's blog.  My blog is ENTP (although I, myself, test asINFP - although my I introvert was very close to the E extrovert line so perhaps I switch to some kind of public personna when I'm here chatting).  Here's what it says:

ENTP - The Visionaries

The charming and trend savvy type. They are especially attuned to the big picture and anticipate trends. They often have sophisticated language skills and come across as witty and social. At the end of the day, however, they are pragmatic decision makers and have a good analytical abilitity.

They enjoy work that lets them use their cleverness, great communication skills and knack for new exciting ventures. They have to look out not to become quitters, since they easily get bored when the creative exciting start-up phase is over.

***

This fits.  I have to wonder what they say about INFPs.  Anyhoo, this is all Greek to you if you don't know about Myers-Briggs so go check that out.  It's fascinating.

Here are the promised yard pictures for my 6th day of celebration.  The celebration crew joined me for the first picture - I started out just to celebrate the pansies which bloom all winter long, bless them, then realized I also wanted to celebrate the chimes over the pansies and, well, the rest is history.  Enjoy!

 

   

   

 

I better quit while I'm ahead - I'm getting warning messages about aborting scriptis and I don't know what that means.  So you didn't get all the pictures.  Hope you enjoy the ones here.

thought for the day:  Nature heals (written by anyone who has spent anytime at all in nature)

AEM23

    Prose Tile:  Live Well, 6" x 4", hand made one of a kind ceramic wall plaque by Tammy Vitale, $22

So this is my offering for AEM23 - another prose tile.  I never did make it into the studio except for about 1/2 hour of starting to put things away.  It's cold.  And dark (even with lights) and I just wasn't inclined.  Today Husband will be in the garage working on his bike so I have no excuse for not getting in the studio and glazing.  Although, actually, I can think of three or twenty reasons why I should just stay upstairs and laze about.  Onward - I have a reprieve and can actually get things I need done before I have to deliver them.  And not run into the time wall.  Really.

I was reading Alyson Stanfield's Art Biz Blog this morning and they were talking about thank-yous.  And a commenter left a link to Simplecard.com.  So I got sidetracked and made up 3 card packages (25 for $29, no charge for uploading, envelopes and shipping included).  But first I went to VistaPrint to see how their cards measured up (cheaper but only if you've already uploaded the images you want, and I hadn't).  and I got sidetracked again getting a bunch of their free stuff:  large postcards, small postcards, a calendar with my work on it, business cards since I'm almost already out...$9 something.  then back to Simplecards.  Yesterday my excuse for not going into the studio was doing my holiday shopping on line.  Definitely cranked it out.  Feel very good about that.  Know what I need to go into stores for and my budget for it.  Since I'm going to be working long hours between now and then I wanted to get that out of the way and I did - productive procrastination.

Today, my 5th day of celebration,  I am celebrating Christine Kane (I am not grateful that I can only get to her blog sideways - my computer refuses to go directly to it unless I go through someone else's link...generously she tried to help me figure out why, but we came up with nothing.  Christine does a great retreat in Asheville NC several times a year - if you can gift yourself with this - and she does offer one scholarship - do it).  And I'm going to paste one of her articles here that goes with yesterday's prose tile:  when you talk to yourself, be nice.  Because that particular phrase seems to have struck a nerve with folks, and Christine's article is pertinent.  So here it is

Who Do You Think You Are?

You've heard it.

I've heard it.

We can even laugh about it because it's so common.

I'm talking about the snarky voice in your head that mouths off whenever you think about being a little bolder, or a little decadent, or more self-nurturing.

It's the voice that says, "Who do you think you are?"

I'm embarrassed to admit this, but mine shows up as a group of high school girls.

Their eyes are lined with thick black pencil. They wear concert t-shirts. Their hair is burnt from too many home perms. One of them steps forward and says, with her hands on her hips, "Who do you think you are?" And then she turns to the others and says, "Who does she think she is?" Then they all take an aggressive step forward. (Welcome to an average day at my old high school!)

My friend Joy told me that "Who do you think you are?" jumps in whenever she imagines hanging out on the sofa reading magazines.

A few years ago, I saw Oprah speak. She said that every time she wanted to achieve more, the first voice she heard was "Who do you think you are?"

Every woman I know has her own version of this voice waiting in the wings.

In other words: Stay down, play small, shut up, and don't embarrass yourself. Don't even bother because you won't make it, you don't deserve it, and everyone knows it, and they'll all laugh at you when you fail.

So, next time that voice jumps up in your head, here's what you do:

Answer it.

Really. Who do you think you are?

-------------

One time, I was telling a mentor about some fears coming up around a choice I was making.

I said, "...and all the voices in my head are saying, 'Who do you think you are?'"

And he looked at me and said, "Well? Who do you think you are?"

I smiled and continued with my story.

He cut in.

"No. Stop. I really want to know. Who do you think you are? Tell me right now."

In a very tiny voice, I told him.

Then he made me say it again in a bigger, stronger voice. And again after that.

He said, "There. Now you have an answer for your voices."

Now I do this exercise every time those voices arise.

Here's a tip:

When you answer that question, use language that speaks the truth of your strengths and values

In other words, make it authentic.

It's tempting to recite something that sounds "lofty" or "holy." I know you know what I mean. "I am a divine being, living in divine perfection with power and grace..and blah blah blah...abundance and light."

Okay, fine.

True as that may be, if that language doesn't resonate with you, you'll never feel any bolder, and those high school girls with the black eye pencil will put their cigarettes out on your shoe.

The Co-op of Lack

My theory is that "Who do you think you are?" is actually a Co-op.

It's a collective body of voices saying, "Agree with us in the lack that we see! Agree with us that there are no other options! Agree with us that no one has any power over life conditions!"

It's actually pretty convenient.

It's convenient to have this world-view because it gives you permission to stay stuck. It never requires that you do anything about it because after all, you're dealing with a whole world-view!

Think about it.

When you say, "I no longer want to work with this abusive client," you're also saying, "AND, I believe there are multitudes of others out there for me."

When you say, "I'm gonna nap right now, and I will be more productive and happier because of it," you're also saying, "AND, I believe that there's more than enough time for me to get my to-do's done."

Get it?

Essentially, you're telling the Co-op that you've decided to create a whole new world-view!

Extra Credit Bonus Tip

Let's be honest.

Most likely there are occasions when you've been the one saying, "Who does she think she is?" (Even if it's only in your head.)

Don't be ashamed. It simply means that you have more opportunities to shift those old lack mindsets. Usually those mindsets are saying: "I'm feeling small and poor, so she should be small and poor too." We've all caught ourselves doing this.

Even if it's uncomfortable, you can choose to bless or praise anyone who seems to be taking bigger strides in her life. Then remind yourself again who you think you are, and join her!

---

Performer, songwriter, and creativity consultant Christine Kane publishes her 'LiveCreative' weekly ezine with more than 4,000 subscribers. If you want to be the artist of your life and create authentic and lasting success, you can sign up for a FRE*E subscription to LiveCreative at www.christinekane.com.

thought for the day:  Besides writing practice [my method] includes days of walking, days when I never think of my writing.  But deep in my belly, my inner compass is focusing due north, preparing.  I use daydreaming, travel, meditation - always I'm hungry, waiting for the time I am ripe, feeding that place in me that wants to speak.  I keep her silent until she glows red with anticipation and can't wait to discover herself on the page - then I charge like a wild animal onto the paper and pour it out.  Natalie Goldberg, Thunkder and Lightning:  Cracking Open the Writer's Craft

Aem22

  Prose Tile:  Be Nice, 4" x 6" one of a kind wall plaque, $22 by Tammy Vitale

My real creation today is the woodpile that will fill the woodstove which is the object of my celebration day 4 (see photo below).  And if I get really enthusiastic, perhaps a leave free yard (but then maybe I'll wait and do that tomorrow).  I thought I had to have work ready to go to Heron's Way for the holiday season, but they aren't switching out until next weekend - BIG reprieve.  I can go hang out in the studio, make 2 more heron plaques and a gift Daughter requested, have a very full kiln load (very good for conserving power) and still have plenty of time.  So much time maybe I can loaf around some (and then find myself up against the calendar again - no, I'll go finish up work and start drying it today).

So me and the gang are celebrating the wood stove because it is very cold outside right now.  And my house is toasty warm.  Just ask the dogs who thing the wood stove was made especially for them to, literally, belly up to.  I like that my sleeping room and office both stay cooler (distance from stove room). 

Crayoning is becoming the rage out there.  Linda over at Vulture Peak Muse (for some reason I can't get her blog to give me the specific post I want, so you'll just have to browse) has some lovely crayoning up and Jana over at Jana's Journeys  downloaded The Gift and colored it herself.  HealingMagicHands over at The Havens gave me a shout out for my poetry post and then pulled out some of her old poetry and shared (oh, go read - it's wonderful).  Isn't is grand how we influence each other's creativity?! (Healing Magic Hangs inspires me to have a beautiful yard, Jana's lovely yarn work is providing me with the perfect gift for a new baby girl and Linda and I are finding a great deal of synchronicity in our current paths - we're new to each other's blog world thanks to AEM but sure to be in touch for a long time).

Life is good.  And warm. 

thought for the day:  Friendship awakens affection.  the heart learns a new art of feeling.  such friendship is neighter cereral nor abstract  in Celtic tradition, the anam cara was not merely a metaphor or ideal.  It was a soul-bond that existed as a recognized and admired social construct.  John O'Donohue, Anam Cara

AEM21

  For the 3rd day of 37 days of celebration with a candle (and the celebration crew) I have chosen to celebrate the picture Son just finished and emailed to me.  Son is in recovery from drug and alcohol addiction and in a very good place, finally has his feet under him.  It has been a long time since he has sent along one of his pictures.  I love this.  I love that he's doing it.  So that's today's celebration.

For AEM21, I'm going to switch it up to...a poem!  While putting this picture into my scrapbook (that's over 10 years old with dribs and drabs of all kinds of stuff in it), I ran across some journal pages from 2000 with the scrap of a poem.  I don't write much poetry anymore but 1996 - 2000 , especially 1996 - 98, I wrote a lot (and from that culled my published book of poetry, Shift).Because I'm tired and don't want to color or make jewelry, I decided to finish up the poem.

DREAM

The sister I never had

approaches with stones in her hand -

a gift that I dream, perhaps

or not; but the stones stay

black as rats' eyes and twice

as stubborn, whispering secret

stories of some forgotten past.

In the tropics, trees fall crashing.

The stones rattle like hail on tin

roof.  I open my eyes to day breaking,

feed the stones to hungry eagles,

whistle against the coming storm as

flamingos flap their salmon wings

against the violet morning sky.

Here's an AEM offering from Husband, who does this most mornings (well, it used to be most mornings but 3 days a week I'm up and out before he's stirring these days):  fixes me breakfast with veggie bacon and sausages (which we share).  And does his drawing for the day.

thought for the day:  As we commit to our real dreams, we commit to ourselves.  As we commit to ourselves, we also commit to trusting the power that created us.  We are then aligning ourselves not with false gods but the the true power of the universe...Julia Cameron, Walking in This World

AEM20

  Here's my offering for AEM20 (which I also happen to wearing today).  (and I just realized I have two AEM18s, so I had to get in here and put the actual "20" on today's...I'll just leave two 18s.  What's a bit of confusion).  Happy me, the jewelry I've put upyesterday and today is for me, not for sale.  This is Ocean Jasper; the earring and accent green beads are African glass).  I love Ocean Jasper - just look at all the colors - I wish I could get a better close up - I'm starting to think my lens is off kilter with what it focuses on - the top beads are nice and clear while the focal bead is a bit blurry.  New camera.  I need a new camera (but only for close ups).

So today I am celebrating beads (day 2 of celebrating with Sue at Artful Adventures, traveling the Life is a Verb project).  I would like to point out that my celebrations are in no particular order, therefore my family may also show up at some point, but it's not like I don't celebrate them (we just celebrated with candles last Sunday, actually).  Anyhoo, here are today's celebration picture, starting with  a closeup  of my "celebration gang" because they're so fun to celebrate with, moving on to beads in general (ok, my bead station is a mess.  I know that), and finishing with my very own hand made glass beads.  They are hardly the lovelies that I made into a necklace yesterday, but you have to start somewhere.  I am working on finding a kiln that can fuse/slump glass and also act as an annealor for larger beads.  I figure whatever beads I create will cost about $100 a piece (well, really, hopefully, eventually I'll get the hang and they won't net out to that much.  But I do understand the artist's "Oh I can do that!" and spending thousands when you could go buy more than enough to make you happy forever from someone who is actually good at it.  But where's the fun and stretching in that, right?!)

 

All of these are happily pasted into my journal and years from now daughter or son will note my small celebrations and wonder why they weren't first (just kidding.  They know they're first).

thought for the day:  Commit to something you love and you will find that the needed supplies come to hand.  ..Our creative energy triggers a creative response...It may well be that the "self" in self-expression is not only the voice of our finite, individual self but also the voice of the Self, that larger and higher force of which we are both subject and substance.  When we express our creativity, we are a conduit for the Great Creator to explore, express, and expand its divine nature and our own.  We are like songbirds.  When one of us gives voice to our true nature, it is contagious and others soon give tongue as well  There is an infallibility to the law that as we each seek to express what we are longing to say [create], there is always someone or something that is longing to hear [or see] precisely what we have expressed.  Julia Cameron, Walking in This World

AEM18

Yummy beads I bought day before yesterday even though I still have some not made.  The round glass beads are locally hand made by Sue Page of Steffie Beads (Steffie is her daughter who isn't making beads right now, but Sue still sells under that name at The Bead Boutique - the best place in the DC area to buy beads - better than Bedazzled!).  Sue is the patient lady who is trying to help me learn how to make glass beads.  Take my work:  it ain't as easy as she makes it look!

So my offering for AEM 18 is the new necklace and earring set I made from some of these.

Then, thanks to another Sue of Artful Adventures I have embarked on 37 days of celebration (with candles!).  Sue is reading Life is a Verb by Patty Digh (and our lovely Leah, host of AEM has some of her artwork in that book!) and has decided to invite others to join her in one of the actions - celebrating with candles life's small events.  Now, I've read the book but skipped over the action parts and know that this is the perfect invitation for where I find mindself.  Thus I pulled out a scrapbook I've been keeping on and off since 1997 (!) and marked 37 pages and will take a picture each day and put it in the scrapbook.  So here are the pictures since I discovered if I took the picture so you could see the candle light, you couldn't see my "celebration companions."  So I took a picture each way.

 

That's the Artful Adventures website behind my companions.

thought for the day:   Great change doesn't come with official endorsement. It just never has. Gauguin, Picasso, Van Gogh, and Uccello (and all those revolutionary women artists whose names we sadly don't know) all changed the face of art, for example, and all were ridiculed.  Change occurs at the edges, without permisson.  Patti Digh, Life is a Verg:  37 Day to Wake Up, Be Mindful, and Live Intentionally