{the brand-new journal girl & the new samanthakira.com}

The last two weeks have been absolutely exhausting as I worked 7 hour days - sometimes even longer - on the things I’m finally ready to reveal to the world! It didn’t help that I was down for four days with the worst migraine I’ve ever had and was trying to work through the pain (read: tried to work and felt guilty for not getting anything done!). But in the end, I’m so happy and excited about all I’ve put together, it doesn’t matter that I’m going through computer overload! 

And isn’t that the danger of working for yourself? I’ve doodled and written in my journal over the last 2 weeks, but have barely done anything more creative - I did finish a painting (and will be posting it and prints for it tomorrow!), and am excited to have the rest of this week “off” to catch up on emails, paint, and meet up with friends.

So what’s new, then?

 
The new www.samanthakira.com!

I’ve never had a website for my work before - I’ve run off blogs for the last five years - and felt it was time to come out of my shell as a professional artist. Saying it is one thing - I see this new portfolio website as action that brings that into being. And what a coincidence that I received a letter asking me to subscribe to a magazine at the Professional Discount rate. A little yellow note that was a sign I’m on the right path.

Check out an expanded bio, a short FAQ, a selection of my best work from the past five years, and info on my workshops. There’s also one more thing over there...
 

My newest professional venture - consulting.
 

You know how you see these successful people, and they’ve all created jobs for themselves that are unique and creative and something you’d never have thought of? That things come easily and they love their jobs?

As I was thinking about my future while starting to build my new website, an idea came to me -  I love creating and editing videos and want to help others do the same (see the next bit down on this post!) - so why not? Why not help people looking to create online workshops or make videos to share their work? This is something near and dear to my heart - a side-career I’ve kept up all these years while working on art or doing part-time jobs - and I know my knowledge can help others.

So now you have someone to go to when you need help with your videos. I have several packages available, including editing services - you film everything, upload it to my private FTP server, and I’ll put it together for you!
 

And finally, the long-awaited video workshop, Through the Lens!

 
Through the Lens has been created to teach artists and crafters the basics of making your own videos. Whether you’re filming content for YouTube or your newest online class, this course will gently guide you through the process as well as sneak in little “insider” tips along the way. All you need is a computer, camera, passion, and an adventurous spirit.

This 8-week course includes:

Weekly in-depth videos
Weekly live webcasts for you to ask questions and receive instant feedback
Video assignments
Reflections & Inspiration assignments
Beautiful PDF files for each lesson

Through the Lens starts March 1st, 2011 and will run for 8-weeks. You won’t be able to take this class until August if you don’t make it to the first session, so take advantage of this course now if you want to start the year off making videos!

Visit the workshop’s main page for an FAQ, more information, and the two packages you can choose between for enrollment. I’m actually capping student capacity so I can focus on each student for the best class ever!

I was out for coffee with Dawn last week and said, “I haven’t pulled out my A game in anything I’ve done so far.” And it’s true. But I’m ready to step up, present everything, and put my whole heart and soul into it. So keep your eyes out for new series here on the blog, more prints and paintings on Etsy, more workshop offerings, and a real step into my creative life.

This is a scary thing for me - standing up for myself, going out on a limb with my new consulting business, revealing a workshop that has been more work, more fun, and is more in-depth and aligned with my soul than anything I’ve done before. So maybe a nice computer break for the next few days will be a good thing!

{an end, a beginning, and class help}

I've gotten a bunch of sign ups for my newest class, and there have been questions. XD Let me help you out!

To enroll, you need to go Artjournaling.ning.com and ask to join the Class Group.

Since I've requested you submit your username with your payment, I'll have a record of you so I can say yes! If you didn't give me a username with your payment, leave me a comment or send a message.

I'm sorry I haven't been around much! I'm a perfectionist, so in laying out the PDF file for the class, I'm printing copies, finding mistakes, and fiddling. I should probably just let it be, but some part of me enjoys creating professional-looking documents for you all! That, and I'm editing video. All the raw material's done, I just need to make it pretty!

On Monday, I allowed myself some art time outside of class and Points of Two, and finished the girl with the wings.

I'm really happy with how she came out. The mistake I made last week actually allowed me to approach her in a new way -- I was forced to think around the "mistake" I made, and ended up creating luminescent wings (by mixing Interference Violet in with the color) that shine when you walk in the room. My love of large canvases continues.

Sometimes, you just need to go and do it. Forget about fear, or not being able to fill the entire canvas -- just grab one with a coupon from Michael's and start painting. I've found focusing on smaller parts at a time helps fill the white space edge to edge.

Then, I draw a girl. The girl is always me, a reflection of how I'm feeling. What I need to do. What I'm looking to achieve. Whatever spiritual or mental problem I'm working through. These girls are me. They are you. They are every one of us who feels and lives in the moment.

Here's the board I picked up at the Habitat for Humanity resale store. I'm pretty sure these are used suspended between poles to make movable places to stand -- the other side is full of foot marks, and the edge it all marked up -- but I thought this was a perfect size to work on for a new idea I got. The top and bottom have metal edges, and I love the feel of found art.

Hard to believe, but this has about five or six layers so far. I'm trying to find a sand paper that gets through the top ones so I can show the color underneath. It's a lot of experimentation. So I'm scraping and scratching and painting wildly. I'm so excited to see how this turns out! I'm treating it as a giant journal page, so anything can happen!

{new art journaling class: true to you, organic explorations for the visual journal}

Here it is, the class I've been talking about for the last few weeks. I'm really excited to be presenting this one to you -- I've poured a LOT into it, trying to create a complete class experiance that will really get you thinking about how you approach you journal while guiding you to a more authentic creative life.

The Story Behind It

When I began journaling, I never knew what to journal about. I crawled the internet for ideas, searching through the few blogs out there devoted to visual journaling. While my early pages were cluttered with drawings and stories of what I’d done that day, I was enamored with the beauty of art journals.

But what to journal about? I could create pages I loved, but they would simply be that -- pretty pages. I saw artists with imagery, speak about Symbolic Alphabets and know what they were saying with the images, but I couldn’t figure it all out. How do you know what to journal about? And how can those pages help you find a more authentic self?

What This Class Is

One of the things I’ve noticed is that people are always searching for prompts -- they are looking for inspiration through ideas others have come up with, and journal about memories and thoughts outside what is going on in the here and now.

I have a different philosophy when it comes to journal content:

It should be authentic and true to you where you are in your life at this moment.

Journaling is about finding your deepest self, celebrating the magic of everyday moments, and bringing joy and serenity through art. It is a practice that has changed my life and how I view it -- brought me from a darker place to a girl living in the silver lining.

There is so much out there waiting for you to capture. Waiting for you to discover your own internal power and magic. This class hopes to show you all the different ways you can journal your life authentically, not looking outside for prompts, but discovery the rich material you already have. It is there, waiting to be discovered. 

examples of what you'll be learning!

What This Includes

This class is structured into 6 chapters, one for each week.

Each chapter begins with an essay, a story from my life experience that outlines the method being presented and how I’ve applied it in my life and journaling. Then, there is a discussion on how you can use the method in your life, giving you pointers on ideas and brainstorming and even resources to help you out! Finally, each chapter ends with ways you can take the idea further -- homework, if you will, that can be completed during that week or over the duration of the course.

The ultimate goal, however, is that you learn to integrate these ideas into your daily, artful life.

It doesn’t stop there! With each chapter comes a video demonstrating a related technique to use in your journal. Learn how to create a dreamy collage, or write with inks and paint, or scrapbook a bit, mixed-media style!

In addition, you’ll have me at your beck and call on the message boards, ready to take your questions and guide you through your blocks. Little essays will dot the boards as well, additions and ideas for you to think on.

All this material is provided up-front. This means you can do a chapter a week, a chapter a month, or three in one week. Fit it into your life. Perhaps chapter four speaks to you right now -- start there! These lessons can be used however you’d like.

The Lessons

Here’s what the lessons cover:

• Taking a Walk
• Reflecting on Your Day
• Chronicle Big Events
• Use Word Lists
• Playing with Song Lyrics/Poetry
• Journal Significants

All designed to help you find all that amazing material already around you every day. By journaling about those things found in the moment, you begin to discover new, hidden depths in yourself and your life.

more samples of what you'll be learning!

Who This Class is For

This is a class for those searching for an authentic journaling experience. Those looking to learn new techniques to use in their journals, new ways to work with paint and collage and those little things you collect while moving through life. It will help you find so much to journal about, you’ll never go to your journal with a blank mind again. It’s for those who want to engage in a working dialogue with their deeper selves. It is for those looking to take their journaling to a new level, one where you are the focus.

This class is a collection of what I’ve learned from myself or others, tips and techniques that have brought me to a place where I am not afraid to branch out and try something new because it is all part of me.

Won’t you join me?

This class costs $38 for access to all the materials for as long as you need to take it. You can register at any time -- early or two months after, it doesn’t matter.

This class is being hosted by the Art Journaling Ning group; you will need to create a membership over there and send me your username so I can give you access to the group. And voila!

Starting June 1st, we’ll have a ton of fun!

Art Journaling Ning Username