{a whole bunch of little things...}

Phew! Working on the netbook is the most frustrating thing of my day thus far. It takes FOREVER for things to load...it took 15 minutes to start up properly! But until my tech support arrives, I'm without my lovely, pretty desktop. *pets silent machine* I did take over one of my monitors so I can at least post; the tiny screen may be great for writing and surfing the net on the go, but the entry box for Squarespace on it is MAYBE three lines long...*sigh*

So, some quick updates and eye-candy are in order! 

First! I made a little vid with the netbook. I don't have my editing software on here, but wanted to play with a camera angle so....here you go! 

(I actually posted it on Saturday...after waiting an hour and a half for it to save!)

Second! 

I've put two original paintings up on Etsy. I've been prompted, seperatly, by two friends to do this, so I'm closing my eyes and putting it out there and am forgetting about it. I'm trying to value myself and my artwork more and this is one way of doing that. 

(roadblocks & strengths on Etsy)

(when our hearts are full on Etsy)

Third! I've been using my Tumblr as a photoblog, since it's super easy to snap and post from my cell phone (whereas Squarespace doesn't have an Android app yet!). I try to post once a day, something I'm working on or the view of my desk...stuff like that! 

Here's the address again: Journal Girl Loves...

I'm kinda taking this time without the constant hum of my desktop running in the background to stay off the internet and really create. I grabbed a good book from the used bookstore, have my sliding door open, and just got a box of goodies -- a nice, big order from the Shoppe at Stampington. So this girl will be off creating and playing and relaxing. I call this Creative Rejuvination and often come back from such breaks with tons of new ideas and stuff to share with you! 

I'll be back tomorrow with snapshots! For today, enjoy some yummy trims. Mmmm! 

PS. If you need something from me, please send an email! I don't have my pretty organized mail program right now, so I will admit I'm behind on things! Don't feel like you're being a pest -- I appreciate the help so I can help you!

{when our hearts are full, indeed!}

"when our hearts are full"

12"x10" mixed-media on canvas

My latest painting, three weeks in the making. I've already bought more canvases to keep going. This was a hard one to share, as I always want to live up to the compliments I've been given on past work. O.o

I just adore her. I gave her pink hair, which seems to be a trend of some kind with my work as of late.

What I can't believe is that I doodled this one while watching TV the other night! Who would have thought I'd be able to play around with a pencil in my journal and draw things that actually please me?

Not me!

So keep working, darlings! Six years ago, I was a college student majoring in TV production. And now, I'm living the artful life! It just takes determination, love, joy, and a spirit of adventure. You can do it! Promise!

And now, I'm going to take my own advice and get off the computer and get creating!

{experimenting with new materials!}

A BUNCH of new stuff I'm experimenting with!

1. Puffy Paint. I was wandering through Wal-Mart the other day, and saw the little bottles of puffy paint. I thought, "Why not play with these?" as they're only $1 each. Grabbed a black and white and have been doodling around things with 'em since. Near everything I've touched since then has gotten the puffy paint treatment.

2. Gems and Rhinestones. I finished reading the Crafty Chica's first book, Waking Up in the Land of Glitter last week, and had a sudden hankering to grab some gems and glue 'em down. What fun they are!

3. GLITTER. See above. Also, there's this invention called a Glue Pen; holy CRAP do I love this thing! I have the Martha Stewart ballpoint one, and daaaamnn. I'm gathering coupons to get the other tips at Michael's later this week!

4. Fiber Paste. I think I've posted about this before, but I decided to try it out on paper. It's SO COOL. Feels like (and acts like) rough watercolor paper.

What new things have you tried? Once you throw the "rules" out the window, there really are amazing new discoveries out there for your favorite craft products.

{amazement}

(that is equal to $124)

I made my first donation from the recently-sold paintings tonight. When I read that last bit in yellow, I was covered in goosebumps and started to cry. The fact that I was able to send this amount to them, and use my art to do so...you have no idea how wonderful and validated and humbled I feel right now. Many, MANY thanks to Emily, Andrea, Larissa, & Carol for their kindness and support!

There are still a few paintings left! I'll keep everything up until early next week.

{show them what you're worth}

At times, I forget how solitary art-creating can be.

Push aside interacting online or showing your work to others, or even being published --all you create comes from you, a stillness within, and comes out in your own secret alphabet on paper or canvas or fabric. You are the only one who sees all you’ve created, can see the struggle hidden beneath the layers of a painting or the pain in the swirled doodles running off the edge of a journal page. No one else pages through your journals the way you do, reading the words seen and unseen.

Simply put, the outside world has no idea what you go through to create.

A few days ago, I was feeling the pressure of getting a few projects finished. I’ve improved a bit when it comes to deadlines, finishing bits up at least a day or two before they’re due, but this is the result of putting incredible pressure on myself to finish, and finish early so you’re sending in quality -- not rushed -- work. I’d been sick for about a week, starting off with a horrible flare-up of my fibromyalgia (to the point I couldn’t get out of my bed without crying from the pain) and ending with a stomach bug that kept me up for 36 hours straight. All in all, I could only think of all the things I should be doing, while trying to remind myself to forget that incorrigible word.

Recovery takes longer when you have fibromyalgia. What takes you a day takes me a few, and on that day at the beginning of the week, I was really feeling everything fall on my shoulders.

And so, when talking to my mother, I said:

“I don’t understand why you don’t see what I’m doing as work.”

A bit of back-story: I work my ass off. There’s a lot more to living as an artist full-time than just making paintings and having no set work schedule. There’s administrative things. Posts and social media to keep up on. Images to snap and crop and fix up. Clients to speak to. Money and accounts to balance. Emails to answer (you’ll be happy to know I’ve instituted an ‘answer when you read it’ policy when it comes to comments and notes). Packages to mail.

And this all happens in a small area at the back of my apartment, away from others. Remember how I said art-making is solitary?

She responded with something that really got me thinking:

“That’s because we never see any of the money.”

I know we don’t do this for the money, that art is a way for us to express ourselves, deal with the difficulties of our lives, even works as a meditative state for many of us. But that’s inside our world. Outside, the world still measures worth by how profitable it is, even if that statements a bit backwards and capitalist.

But her statement got me thinking about a few things. First, the solitary nature of art-creating. How many of you share all you create with your families? Do they understand when you’ve been re-tweeted or linked to by someone well-known, or that you’ve won a workshop or print from someone they’ve never heard of? How many of us have taken the time to really explain what our world consists of -- and what is valuable to us, as artists?

We should invite our families into our studios and show them what we’re doing. Explain to them how important this is to you -- let them see the joy it brings. Bring them into the fold when it comes to swaps or projects you’re working on, and try to impart the significance of what you’re doing. Let them share the victories and comfort you when things don’t go so well.

For example, whenever I’m working on a painting or piece for a project, I show it to my family and close friends and ask for their honest opinions of what I’m creating. It doesn’t matter that, maybe, my style isn’t their favorite kind of art, or if they even like art. What matters is they get to see something as I work on it, the steps in-between, and offer constructive criticism that might actually help me improve my art.

Most of my funds come through Paypal, and if you’re not reading my emails, you won’t see any activity. When I do get paid for articles or interviews, I jump up and down and show it off -- let my family and friends see the little steps of success I’ve made, and that helps them to appreciate what I work on. But what about the other stuff? Maybe I should take them out to dinner, or offer to pay for movie tickets once and awhile. I don’t make a huge amount of money with what I do, but I think it is important to show others my world in terms they can understand.

The second part was actually a realization prompted by a combination of my mother’s comment and Dawn Sokol’s treasured friendship. It is the value of your work.

I love my (mostly) weekly coffee dates with Dawn. We talk about what we’re working on, what we’ve seen, share our art and lives. She gets things in a way my family doesn’t (which is why what I’ve written above is so important).

She also is a great voice of reason and reality.

She has said, “Kira, I think you’re undervaluing yourself.”

How many of us do this? How many of us look at the work we’re creating and compare it to others’ and figure it isn’t worth much? I think there’s a difference between being humble and having a low self-esteem, and it’s so hard to find that balance in the art world.

When I priced my paintings for the Charity Sale to help Japan (which is still running, if you’re looking for a way to donate to the Red Cross & get a painting to boot!), I actually had to message my friend Nolwenn and said, “Can you go look at the prices I’ve picked and make sure I’m not undervaluing myself?”

Sometimes we need others to show us how much we’re worth. I may think listing a painting for $105 is silly, but I sold that painting within 24 hours of putting up the charity sale. We need others to be there to knock us on the head when we’re not at our best, to be an outside source looking at our creations. All I can see are flaws. All others can see is perfection.

By the way, when I told my mother I sold that painting, she went, “You could have gotten $105 for that?”

I think that was a big message to her as to how far I’ve come.

So show your family and friends what you’re really worth. Take the time to share your world and art and thoughts. Let your kids create alongside you. Turn off the TV for a half-hour to babble on about your latest blog post or amazing email.

By sharing your world, it’ll grow and blossom in ways you never imagined.

{artful charity, Q&A, & more!}

All right, darlings, we have a lot of ground to cover today!

First order of business…

me & meg at Ritsurin Park in Takamatsu, Japan. 2005.

I have this box in the corner of my studio space. It’s full of paintings I created between 2008 - 2010. I used to worry about not having enough pieces finished to have some sort of portfolio, and now look how many canvases I have!

The other night, I had a thought. It went something like this.

“I really want to help Japan, but have no money to give.”

“You should find the funds somewhere.”

“What about that box of paintings? Chrysti did charity work with paintings on Facebook, didn’t she?”

“OMG, I could sell the paintings and raise funds!”

(I would love to tell you there was only one speaker there, but I think we all know, at least at this point, that I’m the type of girl who has conversations with herself. ;) )

I’ve created an album on my Facebook Page and filled it with a bunch of paintings. There are pieces ranging from $10 to $150, and 70% of all the funds raised will be donated to the Red Cross. See? I can just text them a bunch of times — except I’ve read that the donations from cell phones don’t ACTUALLY get there until, and here’s the kicker, the bills are paid.

Yeah. Headdesk, anyone?

So I’ll be donating directly with the funds raised by painting sales.

I see it as a win-win-win situation: I gain more room in the studio & actually do something to help in the wake of all that’s happening, you donate money, and you get a painting to hang in your home. Oh, and add another win to that because the people in Japan affected by everything will also get some help! Win-win-win-win.

You’ve gotta like those odds!

Check out the album over on Facebook and see if there’s anything you like. Because the pieces are all kinds of sizes, I’m calculating postage after purchase so I can put in exact details to give you the best price. I can also take the paintings off the frames for a few of them, and send them rolled along with the disassembled frame. Your choice.

—

Next! I’ve started using my Tumblr account again, if only to spout random inspiration and photos at you, as well as answer questions. Here’s what I’ve answered this week:


Sure could use some advice as to how to let go of my expectation of the project and just create.

How do you pick a subject to start a journal page, and how do you determine what materials to use to create that page?

What is your favorite pen and why? ^^

Do you always make your own journals? If so, what kind of paper is your favorite? And, if you buy them, what kind is your favorite and why?

Do you have a question? Head on over and ask it. I’ll get to it ASAP!

—

The Button Journal workshop’s open and has it’s first few students. I’m getting GREAT feedback on the process, and hope you’ll come join us.

Won’t you? For $20, it’s a steal!

—

And last but not least, Nolwenn, a dear friend and one of my blog’s sponsors has opened her Etsy shop! Go over and take a look at her darling paintings! 

{a new journal-makin' mini-workshop!}

I've gotten requests to share my newest journal-binding creating, the soft, fabric-covered yet amazingly sturdy button journals I began creating last October.

So, in-between projects & deadlines, I created this little mini-workshop to walk you through the process. Hey -- instead of me typing all this, why don't you take a look?

I really, really am in love with these journals. I've made two already and just can't get over how much I love 'em! It's rare that I use the same kind of journal twice...maybe I've found my Journal Match Made in Heaven?

Head on over to the Shoppe to grab your log-in. You'll get an email 24-48 after signing up (I don't "work" on the weekends, so if you sign up then, you'll get your log-in on Monday).

And this is my first little class of the year -- and I'm rolling out a new feature: DVDs

Yep! You can sign up, get access to the web classroom, AND get a DVD and printed workbook sent to your house. How awesome is THAT?

Anyway, I'm gonna stop blabbing and leave you with pretty pictures!

(ps. workshop ticket holders will get an email today about snail mail addresses!)

 

{it's time to start investing in yourself just as you invest in the outside world}

It is sunny and warm here, today.

I have projects to work on, but my body has decided it'd like to continue its vacation, and has lorded a wave of exhaustion over me.

And I want to fight the flow.

"I have videos to film and finish!" I say.

"But you haven't worked on your painting. Or blogged much. Or made a tangled mess in your journal!" my body responds. "Sit down and rest and do these things instead."

"But deadlines!" I sputter.

"You will reach them. You need to relax, darling. Take it easy. Stop pushing so hard."

I understand the wisdom in those words -- how can I not, if I was the one to speak them? -- yet want to push further, do more. Stay up late painting and spend hours on end creating. I want to be normal. Healthy and able to sleep only four hours a night so I have more time to create. I want to bring all my ideas into the world and do it now. 

How can we do it, though? All of us, collectively. How do we carve out this time so we don't have to live in our heads anymore? Surround ourselves with the very things our minds have dreamed up? 

We get up.

Stand, right now, and find your journal, canvas, beads, or threads. Hold them in your hands, slide your fingers over them. Close your eyes. Let the texture transport you. Imagine all you can create with them, all that's inside, bursting to get out. Take five minutes and show your supplies a little love! You can do that, can't you? Even in your cube at work, or just before dinner is finished, or between children running -- you can take five minutes and do something, anything.

The goal is not to finish, but to get started.

Because once you start something, the universe comes to help. It's like contributing to your retirement account -- you put in 5 minutes, and the universe will match that. And it just keeps growing and growing.

I recently decided I'm going to put $10 a month into a retirement account. Invest it. Let it go and grow. Why can't we, as grown-ups, see that our souls need the same type of care? All the money in the world won't satisfy you in the same way as a happy soul.

Invest 5 minutes today. And tomorrow. And soon, you'll notice you can do 10 minutes without the world falling on your head. Then 20. Then, who knows? The universe loves you and may add more -- you give it 5, it'll give 10. Give it 10, you'll get 20.

Small steps. You can do it.

I believe in you. Remember that, when you're creating. I believe in you and your talent and your creative soul. I give you the gift of validation -- what you're doing is not a waste of time, or silly, or ugly. It is a beautiful singing song that floats into the sky and makes birds smile.