On location.

When I was growing up in Alabama, I spent many nights in grand homes in the city of Mobile, in Gulf Shores, or on Mobile Bay that were thoughtfully decorated.  There is something about the culture of the south that focuses on beautifying.  Southerners make sure their clothes, homes, faces, and feet are pretty at all times.  My mother spent hours of her time browsing antique stores and purchasing oriental rugs to fill our living room floor and artwork to adorn the walls of our den.  Most women also did not leave home without their makeup and hair done.  This is the environment I was raised in.

These bookshelves are a perfect place for a 4" paper cut at my friend's home in Auburn, Alabama. Melissa even bought one of my favorite Beth Bundy Designs, the doug fir cone.

So, when I started thinking about going "home" for spring break I began thinking about all of the manicured homes that I would be visiting and envisioning my paper cuts adorning their walls, bookshelves, and mantels.  I lugged a carry on full of only my artwork and frames and began by asking one of my college friends if I could place my art in her home.  Lucky me, her living room could be on the pages of Pottery Barn it is so perfectly put together (and she has three sons, ages 4-8!).  Another one of my best friends just cleaned her home to put it on the market so it was also staged and ready for a raid of Beth Bundy Designs!  

A lavender lion looks perfect in the beautiful baby room at Barcley's house in Birmingham, Alabama.

I will be continuing to visit homes in Birmingham, New Orleans, Mobile, Tallahassee, Panama City Beach and Georgia over the next couple of weeks, which gives me quite an array of locations to infest.  It is a good thing that I grew up in the south where people know how to take such good care of themselves and their homes!  My artwork approves.

Why I'm always thinking about design thinking.

Ever since I experienced design thinking for the first time at the Educator's Bootcamp at the Stanford University d.school, I just haven't been able to stop thinking about this format for creative problem solving.*  Every meeting I go to I want to jump out of my chair and say, "there is a better way to tackle this!"  I overhear conversations about the world we live in and think, "if only we could get a group of creatives together to talk to others and look at this problem in a different way!"  And when I enter a classroom, my focus has become not only on the product but also on what students will learn as human beings throughout the process.  So, as I think back to this past weekend, I am filled to the brim with possibility.

Students at Concordia University synthesize their findings during the "define" stage of the design thinking process.

I spent Saturday leading a design thinking workshop for students who are in leadership positions on their college campus.  They are challenged to "design ways in which to understand and teach the community about the essence of their university".  As they described why they were spending their Saturday with us, I could see pride and frustration in their faces.  They want so badly to share their experiences and those of others  and make a change that will benefit their school that they care deeply about.  One student even confronted us as we discussed the plan for the day.  "Why does it matter?  Who is going to listen to us anyway?  Will something really come of this work that we are doing?" he questioned.  Our hope is that as we guide them through the process and they will see that they do have the power to share their voices and make a positive difference in the lives of others.

Saturday was tiring and I was glad to have Sunday to reenergize.  I spent the majority of the day gathering my thoughts around a passion project that I would like to work on for the coming year to apply for the Adobe Creative Residency.  Once again, I came back to design thinking.   I know I want to write and illustrate a children's book with paper cut illustrations and I know I want to teach others about design thinking, so why not combine those two ideas!?  So my passion project is to design and illustrate an interactive children's book that teaches others the power and life skills of the design thinking process.  I'm not sure exactly what it will look like yet but I do know that it would be full of colorful layered paper cuts and challenge people to think about how they can problem solve in creative ways.  

My three year old son interacts with layered paper cuts by mixing and matching designs and colored faces.

Rules help to create a successful brainstorm session.

This weekend reminded me of why I always have this process on my mind.  It gives us all a voice.  It teaches us valuable life skills such as how to communicate effectively and share stories with others.  It reminds us of our creative and fun sides and helps us to see those sides of others.  And it challenges us to look at problems as opportunities that can be solved if we bring our creative minds and come together to share and build ideas.  It reminds us that we are all human with needs and there are innovative ways to meet the needs of each and every one of us.

* I would like to give a nod to my sister, Maryanna Rogers, who convinced me to attend the d.school almost 5 years ago.  Thanks for changing my life, sisterita!  

Getting shop ready!

Managing this website has been fun.  I actually enjoy writing about my creative journey, choosing colors and playing around with image and text design.  Squarespace is an easy platform for novices like me but sometimes you need to call in the pros.  And luckily, I have been granted some money from the Regional Arts and Culture Council to do just that.

I found Outlaw Creative on the Squarespace website.  They have a list of specialists and Sasha's company jumped out at me for the simplicity of her websites and the educational aspect of her business.  She provides not only the services to create a great website but also helps clients manage their own websites through video tutorials and design sessions.  We chatted about what would be the most beneficial area of my website to work on with my grant money and decided to focus on the shop.  So, I am gearing up to sell my work online!  

Currently I am scanning and editing the photos of my artwork to put in the shop.  I had no idea how much work it took to simply put your products on a website to sell!  I have to figure out how to do this because I am going to be the one managing the shop and the original pieces that will be selling, so things will constantly be changing.  First, I tried to photograph my artwork in a light box.  The photos turned out okay but it is difficult to get the lighting to show the correct colors of the artwork.  Aaron, the professional photographer I worked with at the beginning of the month, suggested that I scan my artwork instead.  So, yesterday, I tried it.  I spent the entire day working on scanning and editing the images.  Some colors were easier to match than others (that bright pink would not get bright enough!) but I used several tips that Aaron gave me when editing and I think they look pretty good.

Keep an eye out for the opening of my store in April!  I'm excited to finally be able to sell work to customers from near and far!  

It's time to present.

Ever since I was a small child I have dreamed about being "an artist."  After many adult years of learning and practicing new skills and filling sketchbooks full of ideas, I feel like I have finally settled into a craft that I am enjoying and I have made a body of work that I can now take to the next level.  It's time for me to present my art to the world.  That is thrilling yet intimidating.  I've spent the past two weeks learning how to share my work digitally and on-site.  I've gained insight into the real world of an artist, which has always looked so appealing from the outside.

A functioning website is mandatory in the art world today, so I was elated to find out in December that I received a professional development grant from the Regional Arts and Culture Council to have my artwork photographed.  I spent 2.5 hours in a photographers studio while Aaron Johanson photographed my work.  It was humbling and enlightening to prep my work and then see the layered paper shine on the camera and then Aaron's computer screen.  He worked his magic with the lens, lighting and editing skills and made my work really look rich and interesting.  It's not an easy task to capture the details and feel of artwork, especially ones that are as small and intricate as my 4" squares.  Following my photo session with Aaron, I excitedly shared his shots with my Facebook page and on my website and Instagram.  It was fun to share my work digitally, now I needed to prep a real life display.

Every year Da Vinci Middle School hosts an art fair. It usually happens right before the winter holidays but this year they pushed it to February.  I felt honored to be chosen as one of the artists to sell my work at the fair this year and while preparing my artwork also became preoccupied with how I was going to exhibit my work.  I bought small shelves, and several frames for buyers to choose from, and even made a laser engraved sign with my logo and business name.  I was happy with what I organized and then I arrived to see vendors who are seasonal pros at booth displays and was instantly embarrassed by my novice attempt.  I was still happy with what I had but realize there is so much more work to do.

I am realizing that being an artist is not just about creating the work.  There is a lot of unpaid time and money invested to bring forth not only the craft, but also the vision.  I spoke with several artists this past weekend at the art fair that just scrape by.  I overheard one artist say that she was tired of feeling like she had to work 12-15 hour days just to be an artist.  You have to promote your work in several ways just to be able to sell a few pieces.  The presentation of your work and yourself is key in being a success and those things all take an enormous amount of energy.

I guess I am finally getting a real taste at what it feels like to be an artist and I am feeling overwhelmed.  I thought teaching was stressful and tiring.  I am starting to wonder if making a career of being an artist is just as exhausting.  

It's like Christmas.

I picked up an order from Bart at the laser cutting service today.  I can barely stand the drive from NE Davis Street to my home with the ziploc bags of squares sitting in the passenger seat of my 1999 Toyota Tacoma.  At every red light I find myself taking a whiff of the burnt paper cuts while I dig through and  glance at the colors and designs together in my 15 second break.  This time I was testing new designs and brightly colored paper, some with holes and some without,  and even tried to cut a few more wooden samples that unfortunately caught on fire because the wood was too airy.  That's what the testing phase is all about, I guess.

Looking at what I've got!

After the long drive in 5 o'clock traffic, I run through the door and take my new gifts straight upstairs to my studio table.  I hear my son and husband walk through the back door and shout downstairs a "Hey!" as I spread out the 200+ 4" squares.  I layer and mix and move them around.  I punch out the small negative space shapes that are still hanging on and pile them into my scrap bowl.  I look at my new treasures and smile as I think about how I am going to connect and present them to the world.  

It reminds of creating a Christmas list and hoping that the next gift will be the one that you really wanted.   But better.   This is not only a gift that I receive but also a gift that I will give.  

Over 100 squares put together to form 47 finished layered squares. I will choose some to make a large composition and some will be matted as singles. Which would you like to see as a separate?