Creative Space...How to fit it all in???

I went from living in a house that I had my own 12' x 11' room to have my creative space/studio to living in a small NYC apartment. Now...I must try and fit all the stuff into my space that I have carved out of my bedroom. I feel lucky that I still have about a 5' x 11' space with which I am working with. But how do I cram in everything I had??? I don't, I have had to decide what my favorite things are... I love this hand and I really wanted to use it but didn't know how I was going to but then I came up with this solution. I love the look of it and it keeps my paints handy. No pun intended. LOL

Then there were my 500 pencils that I had sitting in their boxes until I received the last box. I so wanted to display them but I didn't have much wall space. In between "my bedroom" and "my creative space", I put bookcases to separate the two spaces and on the edge of the bookcases is where I decided to hang the pencils. Now as I am laying in bed I get to see the colorey goodness. :) The view above is from my bed and the view below is from my desk where my computer is.

And of course, they go all the way down to the floor.

The one wall I do have, I decided to make a visual feast of all my favorite things. I have projects that I made in classes and art from other artists that I purchased and all my Halloween stuff and that is one of my favorite holidays. I still have space to add stuff and I have ordered frames for other pieces of art that I have that I just never got around to putting up. Now is the time I decided...

I am almost done with my little space and it's turning into a cozy little spot. Now I need to get creating....but isn't what I have done to my space creating???

Next Great Artist follow-up

See prior post if you don't understand where this came from. Ok...so here is my project I did. LOL Not so hot but if I was there I would have spent alot more time and it would have been bigger. But I think I would have stayed anyways because at least I used the newspaper and it had some relevance to the task. LOL I am so gonna apply if the have a 3rd season!

Work of Art: The Next Great Artist-Episode 5

Has anyone been watching Work of Art: The Next Great Artist on Bravo? I have, and each time I watch, I automatically start thinking of what I would make and how much better it would be than some of the artists. But then I think, it must be hard, the pressure of the TV, and all these other creatives around you giving you advice of criticism so that you start to second guess yourself. It's interesting to see how the artists go through their creative process. I decided to put up or shut up and challenge myself (and anyone who wants to join me) to the challenge that they had on episode 5. Ripped from the headlines. The artists must create a piece of art that illustrates a headline which strikes a cord with them. So now I am off to read today's paper and find a headline to create a piece about. Stay tuned as I will post tomorrow the outcome.

A new direction in my art....

Whenever I go to art retreats, I try and buy one piece of art so that I can have something from a favorite teacher or artist that I get to meet at the retreat. Here is my piece from Julie Haymaker Thompson, when I went to Art & Soul Las Vegas. I almost didn't get on the plane back home because of the protractor used in the piece. The TSA agents were looking at it and then they were trying to pull it off. I told them..."don't pull to hard you'll break my piece of art!" Well they let me on the plane but that was a lesson learned...next time I would ship it home. The piece below I bought from Debbie Egizio. We were both at the Creative Connection and it was the first time I had got to meet her in person. We have been blog buddies for a long time. She is just so sweet and talented.On my trip to Art Unraveled, I bought this piece below from DJ Pettitt. I love taking her classes and have learned so much from her.

So each time I look at these I remember what I was doing, how it made me feel. It's like looking at pictures and being brought back to a certain place and time, but more often than pictures. You see, my pictures, well they pretty much stay on the computer. I used to scrapbook but I think I have completed about 6 pages out of all the stuff I had and have. How often do people bring out their photos? I'm gonna guess and say...not very often. And since I started buying art while going to art retreats I have also been buying art pieces from when I go on vacation.

This bowl I got the first time I went to Turkey with all my sisters. It sits on my coffee table and I am reminded everyday of that wonderful trip.

Below is my beaded chicken from Mexico. He's had kinda a rough time as he fell off of the shelf where I originally had him and some of his beads fell off. But even with the missing beads, he still does his job of reminding me how beautiful it was in Mexico. The artist was outside the shop making another piece so I got to see how it was done.

And....the point of all this??? I have decided to create art that will remind me of a place I have been. Something that I have seen...to remind me....of the special times and how lucky I am to see this amazing world we live in....

A Penny for Your Thoughts....

Today as I was waiting in line at Starbucks, a gentleman was walking out the door and pulled his hand out of his pocket and out fell a penny....and it sat there...many people walked in and out...and even the guy mopping the floors left it there. When I was done with my order and I was standing waiting for a table to open up, I watched it...thinking, I should pick it up. It seems that a penny is not that important to people these days. If I picked it up would I have good luck? You know the sayings; Find a penny pick it up, and all day long you will have good luck. Or maybe I would have bad luck, many times have I passed a penny and left it because it had the tail side up...you know the other side of the old superstition.

There are many phrases about pennies. I would call my friend Jen a PENNY PINCHER. LOL She is pretty thrifty. And what about the pharse "A bad penny always comes back." Is there really a BAD PENNY?? I don't think so...but who knows. I think I am going to gather all the pennies and coins I find on the ground and put them in a jar and see how much I can collect. Maybe it will pay for a nice vacation one day! Because you know...they cost a PRETTY PENNY! Or is that just being PENNY WISE and a pound foolish? Anyway you look at it, a PENNY SAVED is a penny earned... I am on a quest now to find change... Just giving you my 2 cents....

What is my true purpose in life?

Do you believe that life has a plan for you? Sometimes I think it does but that I am NOT LISTENING very well. Or maybe, you have to go thru things to get to the place where you need to be. I have been letting life lead me around because it's the easy way out...I need to take it by the horns and lead it to where I want to go! But do I really know where I want to go or do I just think that is where I want to go but when I get there it won't be what I wanted....am I talking in circles??? I ordered a book yesterday. It is called CALLINGS Finding and following an authentic life by Gregg Michael Levoy. If you click on the book it will take you to Amazon. I am going to read this in hopes of maybe somehow helping me to find my path to what I was meant to do on this earth. We shall see....I have been saying that I am going to do alot of things for the last few years for them to all get shoved to the side....What do I really want for my life????? THAT is the unanswered question and it has to do with a feeling than an thing I think....

Thankful...

I truly believe that things happen for a reason and I also believe I have a guardian angel. I was in a accident right before Christmas...I was OK, just a little banged up but my car was not. I just found out the other day that they totaled my car. I cried at first as for most of my life, my car has represented a part of my personality. I felt like I was losing that part when I lost my car. I did alot of thinking about what I really want in life. I could go out and buy a new hot rod to tool around in, but with that comes the big payment. I decided that I would be practical. Somehow, me and the word practical have not gone hand in hand in the past! But...I would like to do other things with my money then put it into a car that the minute you drive off the lot it loses 25% of its value. I want to travel....I want to try new things...so, I made the decision that I am going to get a used car, not expensive, that can take a beating because I live in NYC where people DO NOT care what the bumpers of their cars look like! It's a new me...and I am thankful that I have an opportunity to change the direction of my life... For the past few days, I have noticed a homeless persons shopping cart on the side of the road going up to the GW Bridge. And every time I see it, I say to myself...be thankful. Be thankful you have a warm place to live, a car to drive and money to spend...

I am still doing my creativity project...It has been quick projects but I am still going along....

Day 3....

Daily Creativity Project Day 3, Prompt 21 in the book. Write a 10 word love story and illustrate it;I am liking this creativity exercise. I realize that I don't have to create a masterpiece everyday, but in doing something creative everyday, it brings out more ideas for other projects. I started keeping a sketch book handy so I could draw out my ideas and write the words that I think of. I really like doing things with a play on words, or things that could be interpreted in different ways. On work days I have to do quick projects because my time is so limited at home. I have decided that I probably will have multiple projects going because it's hard to finish a project when you need drying time etc. I have one project in mind and I can't wait to see if it works! If it does then I have a plan for a series of them! Stay tuned after this weekend because that is when it should be done!

Long day...

I do like going up to Vermont for the weekend...the only part I dislike is the travel back. So tonight is a short blog on my Project 365 as we got home, I worked on the project, and it is not complete as I have to let it dry for 24 hours before I paint it. But here it is...don't laugh..LOL
The project was to work with clay. I had bought the air dry clay...oh...probably 8 months ago, LOL, to play around with it and I never did. I kinda like playing with it. Maybe I will try some more things with it. I like using the wire with it too. When this is dried I will paint it and then it will say "Grow Where you are Planted" on the 3 hearts. That is my way of saying make the best of where you are at now. Explore, dream discover....

Bring on 2011! Happy New Year

Don't you love the promise of a new year? It's a chance for a fresh start, a chance to change directions. But why is it that we wait? We wait for the beginning of the year, of a month, a week, even a day. Oh, I will do that tomorrow. Oh, I will start that next Monday, next month or next year. But every hour, every minute and every second we get a chance to make a decision about where we want our lives to go. And even though I am choosing today, January 1st, 2011 to start my new project and new direction, I have been preparing for this now for a couple of weeks. Gathering things I think I will need to start my journey. I made the decision to start at the new year because it was what I consider the perfect time to start something new, but I will remember that all it takes is a decision...a decision to make the effort and to make a choice in how I want my life to be. Because I am the only person that can make me happy and that you don't have to wait for the "perfect" time.

I am the only one who will do what is required to live the life I dream of. And what is it that I want?? I am not quite sure of that as I have yet to write it out, but I know I do want a creative life. So....in saying that, I bought a book I found at Barnes & Noble by chance..."A Daily Creativity Journal 365, Make Something Every Day and Change Your Life!"I have created a Flickr page to keep track of my progress. I decided not to follow the creative prompts in order but to bounce around so I have a greater chance of success. I bought myself a day planner to help keep me on track. This project is not my only change for the year. I want to travel, to try new things and explore the world around me and I am hoping that giving myself a visual list will make it more real for me...a list of things to do to meet my goals. You can't reach your goals unless you define what they are. And yes my sister Lynn, I said list! LOL

This is my life and I am the only one who can make me happy and I am the only one to blame if I don't get to where I want to go. So this is my year to focus on what Cindy wants. Some people might call this selfishness but I choose to call it self love. In saying that, it brings me to my theme for my creative project. Love/Hearts. Here is the first creative prompt that I chose:

And here is what I did:

I played in the snow. This was alot harder to do than it looks! LOL I kept almost falling over and then I had to deal with the neighbors dog running over trying to play with me. After I did this then I had to run upstairs to take the pic hoping the dog didn't run through it until I got my shot. Mission accomplished. My start, for this is what I plan to do this year....Love myself....take care of me...decide what I want out of life. Maybe I will inspire some of you to join my on the journey. It's gonna be a wild ride....Hold onto your hats...LOL

Back from the Creative Connection

So I am back from the Creative Connection. I learned alot while I was gone. I will definitely go next year to this event. There were many many amazing women. I felt so in awe of so many of them. The thing that I learned the most was that I just need to get back on the horse and start riding again....so I took a tumble...I gotta dust myself off and get to busy! I did learn about myself also. I learned that I have to be true to me....not to what others think I should be. I learned that there are just some people that I don't care to be around...but that is ok...it's ok not to "like" everyone. I don't have too. There are enough people in the world that I don't have to be around people that are mean and rude.

On a very very positive note, I met a long time blog friend for the first time in person and I will say she is a most amazing artist and person. A very kind a sweet person! Debbie...I am a big fan! It was worth the trip just to say hi!

Oh....and another great person I met was Karen Valentine! Love her!! I am gonna have her do some updates on my blog!

I will write more tomorrow as I must head to bed cause I have to go to the day job tomorrow....

Good Night World!

Washed Up Has Been???

That is what I feel like in some respects, harsh I know but I guess I need something like that to kick me in the butt and say...come on now, get creating!!! I am at the Creative Connection in Minneapolis, MN and I am surrounded by all sorts of amazingly creative women who are following their passion....I am awed & intimidated but excited to get going again because I see the possibilities. I am envious because they are moving forward and I am sitting still....a situation I have had a hard time getting out of....I am in the doldrums....Like Milo in the story The Phantom Tollbooth. I got here by doing nothing and not paying attention. I love this story...it is really insightful...so anyways...back to my dilemma....So there I sat in my hotel room....just getting back from a day full of meeting wonderful people from all over. I decide to go through my swag bag that we got at dinner. They have had some pretty cool stuff that they have given us. Then I saw these little things.... I was very intrigued by these itizen tackit tags and knew I had to find out more on these because they kinda went with an idea I had about making some Guerilla Art. So I decided to create a little piece of art to send out into the world and see where is goes. Not the greatest piece but still something creative of my own making.... Be original is what I wrote on it because everyday I strive to be original. I don't want to do what everyone else is doing...that is why I gave up on jewelry. I don't feel I have what it takes nor do I want too with jewelry. So I am letting that go and moving to painting or something in that area. And I will get back to blogging.... so here is the back of my little piece.

These little tags are trackers. You go to this web site and log the numbers...or you can scan it if you have an iPhone and a barcode reader app. So cool! So it is now posted on that sight and I hope whomever finds it will pass it on and so on and so forth. It will be fun to watch it travel. And here the stories...

Here is my inspiration picture that I used to paint mine. It was taken in the backroads of VT. On my painting is the Latitude and Longitude coordinates of where the picture was taken. That is something that I am going to incorporate into all my pieces now. I think it's a fun idea and it gives me a chance to take photos and create using them. Well I am off now to go place my art somewhere for someone to find....and to go meet some more amazing women....

Coming Soon!

Next month is my Birthday month and I am going to revamp my header for my blog and each month I am going to create a new header. I decided that I need to push myself into creating something....anything...so that is what I decided. I am going to act as if it's my job and my paycheck depends on it...LOL So..On Wed evening...I will be changing it up....I am considering it the beginning of a new year.

To the country we go....

So once again we are in Vermont in what Ed likes to call the country. It is very peaceful here. We haven't been here for a few weeks so there were plenty of chores to be done. To say the lawn needed to be cut was an understatement. But before Ed got the weed whacker out, I cut some of the wild flowers and put them on the table outside where we have our meals in the summer time.

Missy always loves coming here. Here she is laying in the grass before it was cut. LOL She was rolling around and loving the fresh country air. It's the only time that she gets to run free as being a city dog now means being on a leash at all times when going out.

While I was getting my photos ready for posting, I decided to try using the paint brushes in Photoshop and I realized that I could use my tablet laptop and use the pen to actually write on my photos. LOL I know...I am a little behind in learning all the stuff my computer and Photoshop can do. so many things to do....So little time.....

I have made a commitment to myself though....to make more time for art. I have been in hiding it seems....So many changes and emotions over the past couple of years....It's time to get back on the wagon and start living....

Think before your speak....

Tonight I created the journal below...does it make you wonder???I think I want to start a new movement...one that the world really needs these days.... Tonight I read a blog about someone joining the "No Phone Zone" Pledge. As I read the comments on this blog (names have been excluded to protect the innocent...or not so innocent as the case may be...LOL) A person wrote "I hate to burst your bubble....but" and went on to say a number of things... And I thought to myself, WHY, WHY did this person feel the need to say I hate to burst your bubble. To make her seem smart? In the know? Superior? I mean seriously what is the purpose of saying negative things to people on their blogs? I have never understood that. If I don't like or disagree with something, I will just move on...everyone is entitled to their own opinion and we can all just disagree to disagree. That is what makes everyone unique! They are all different. I have been thinking about this alot lately. I am as guilty as the next person of saying things that I really just didn't need to say... So from today on...I am carrying my -#?%!*+ words journal with me so that instead of me saying what I want out loud, I am going to think twice and write it down in my journal. I will not use names in this...just in case it falls into enemy hands LOL, I am just going to act like I am speaking directly to the person and write what I have to say. That way I get it out of me and I can let it go....I am calling it my unfiltered journal. Because as my co worker Kim would say, Just think what would have come out of my mouth if I didn't have a filter! LOL So who is with me??? The world will be a nicer place if we all just think about why we feel the need to say something that might be hurtful to another person....

P.S. If you ever find my unfiltered journal you had better close your eyes, cover your ears and shut your mouth...LOL

Oh...and another thing...I hate the word BUT....seriously...use this word and everything before you said BUT means nothing, zip, nada, zilch...