See my new migration series at International Sculpture Day(s) event in Healdsburg!I’ve been invited to participate in this event at stone sculptor T Barney Gallery and Sculpture Garden the last weekend in April! April 27 & 28, Saturday and Sunday, 11am – 4pm at 4370 Pine Flat RD in Healdsburg, CA.
Eleven sculptors working in different media, to celebrate International Sculpture Day(s). The drive is beautiful, the location and gardens are spectacular, and I’ll be showcasing my sculptural work (including my new migration series!) and my shrines. Food, wine, and make-your-own-sculpture activity!
I’ve been working on my migration series with my animal artifacts and driftwood, and I LOVE them! Horses, bears, and fish. Now an otter migration is in the works, too.
You can help me spread the the word by sharing this post with people you think might be interested, and I will be eternally grateful if you do!
Otters!
I’ll also have shrines, large and small, on display.
Shrine Series: Yellow Horse ClanI need more driftwood!Sooooo many boxes…put to work!
If you’re not a supporter of homeless people, please just skip this.
I read another post on NextDoor today that broke my heart. A homeless guy’s stuff was cleared out of a land parcel with nothing on it, was give a time limit to recover his stuff (where would he put it??) and by the time he went to reclaim it, it was ALL destroyed. (He has brain trauma and struggles.)
The post was compassionate. 95% of the replies were not.
Here’s mine:
Thank you to all the folks who understand what homeless people are dealing with.
Reports indicate only about 15% of the homeless population have addiction/mental health issues. And yet we throw them ALL under the same NIMBY bus.
Teens leaving abusive homes, young people aging out of foster care, people living with abusive partners, single moms, vets with PTSD, people who have lost their jobs, are all lumped together as “losers”.
Many of us (especially renters!) are a month away from being homeless. And we comfort ourselvesd by believing this would never happen to us, and therefore it s all THEIR fault.
Our SYSTEM is at fault.
Facilities to address addiction and mental issues are far and few, and studies also show that what really helps getting people back on a better path is….being homed!
Did you know that almost every work space requires a HOME ADDRESS for hiring employees? If you don’t have a home address, you cannot get a job. (There are a few agencies that work through this. But not enough.)
Yes, they can be scary. Yes, they can be troublesome. Yes, they create a mess–because they have NOWHERE ELSE TO GO.
Please have tiny bit of compassion and donate to non-profits that do the work to address these issues. Even a small monthly donation of $5-$10 can help, if enough of us care enough to do something.
Any derogatory comments will be deleted. I don’t have any patience for people who don’t have any compassion.
I had some vaccinations, and one had side effects. Not fatal. (I’m still here!) But a major headache, body ache, and some nausea. I couldn’t sleep all night. I’d brought home a driftwood project to work on, and got some sanding done, but not much more. NOT FUN.
I read stuff in my news feed. Other, younger artists featured in our local newspaper, winning awards, having shows, selling ALL their artwork… (This has NEVER happened to me.)
A curated newsletter I subscribe to, which featured many artists I know, whose prices in a fancy catalog were double/triple/quadruple what my work sells for. (What the…? People ALWAYS complain that my prices are too high…) (sigh)
Internation Women’s Day shared the tremendous achievements of women from all cultures, races, genders, standing up bravely for others in countless ways. And I felt like a chicken for not doing the same. They risked their lives, when I’m at a point where I’m too afraid to go to a concert, or to take a walk at night alone. I’m too scared to be a hero!
But I am apparently a success at being a failure.
Two things got me out of it. One was a new puzzle I’d never tried before. Kriss Kross puzzles, which had always looked intimidating, were actually easier to solve than regular crossword puzzles (which can range from mind-numbingly easy to ridiculously-difficult without a Ph.D.) It took a few little insights to get started (find the single-word answer first!) But quickly led to better insights and good fun. (I just ordered more Kriss Kross puzzle books! Enough for MONTHS!) Soothing, calming…working on a puzzle that’s not important, and doesn’t “need” to be solved. (My husband and I got through a major spat last week by working on…a jigsaw puzzle!)
Okay, three things. Today was already better, because I got more sleep last night. (I still wake up 2-3 times a night, but that’s been my “normal” for years.)
Third…
Today I feel better because of this panel in our Press Democrat Sunday funnies:
Yup, sometimes the funnies are fundamental to our mental health…. (Also, just funny.) (As in “fun” de “mental”…)
I realized that making someone’s day better is…has always been…part of my “master plan” in life.
And I realized I’d done that! The day of my vaccinations. The day after, despite my pain. And many, many other times.
I’ve always encouraged creatives to keep the work that makes them happy in their life. It can’t be about fame or fortune, but it can help us do the other work that supports us. Why can’t I take my own advice?? (Well, sometimes I do…)
Stephan Pastis is one of my fave comics creator, and today, he made MY day better. (You can find him on http://www.GoComics.com!)
And when I share my goofs, my hard places and how I got through them, and post them here, I love it when people let me know I helped THEM, too.
The world does need more heroes. And maybe it’s okay to be a little hero.
P.S. I just realized that vaccinations not only decrease the chance of ME getting sick, I’m decreasing the chance that OTHERS will get sick, too! Another tiny hero score!
Sometimes I wonder what would have happened if I’d stuck with pottery making. But then I realize my most important creation story, and current practices, might never have happened….I’ve written quite a few articles about how to get good at something (and why NOT to give up when it feels like you can’t). I’ve tried pottery, martial arts, Tai Chi, and Thai kickboxing, and shared where I made progress (and got pretty good at it) and when I bailed (not knowing what I know now.)
The topic came up again in a Tai Chi class recently, about the power of teaching and the wisdom involved to be a great teacher.
We shared our own experience with teachers/fellow students where all we received was constant criticism, the “U R doing it wrong” approach. How unproductive (and sometimes insulting) it felt, and didn’t really encourage us to do better. Instead, it was DIS-couraging, and made some of us wonder if we were ever going to get “good” at it.
Then Arthur shared a story. As a long-time piano teacher, he’d had students who had “natural talent”–a propensity for music–and people who didn’t.
There was one student in particular he still thinks of today. And surprisingly (though not to me!), it was that student, with no “natural talent”, who took a long time to gain expertise…
But eventually surpassed the natural-talent people.
Because they didn’t give up.
They loved learning to play the piano, they retained a sense of humor about it, constantly laughing at their mistakes (and made Arthur laugh, too.) And they just kept doing it.
They eventually became his best student ever.
He also shared that although he’s an excellent pianist, he still makes mistakes!
I shared mine, about squishing and centering my first glob of clay on a wheel in a pottery class the very first day, and pulling it up into a cylinder. Perfect! (The first step for making a pot.) I exclaimed, “Oh, I’m a natural at this!”
And for the next 5 weeks of classes, I never got to the cylinder stage. Never even got the clay centered properly. It was discouraging.
I thought, “Oh, I’m not good at this”…and walked away from it forever.
Years later, I realized there’s actually a FIFTH Stage of Competence:
TEACHING!
When you become an expert, you’re in a great position to share your skills with others, and to encourage your students to keep getting better. To not give up.
A good teacher knows these stages.
They know it isn’t about doing something perfectly. (Arthur mentioned this in his story, too. HE never got “perfect”, nor did his best student.)
It’s about caring so much about it, we keep up the practice until we get pretty good at it. (It helps if it’s something we LOVE to do, too.)
Yes, we’d all like to be a “natural” about something. Heck, we could become a star faster, right?
But it’s not about being the best. It’s to do what you love because it makes you a better YOU.
So the word for today is PERSEVERANCE.  And finding the right teacher.
A great teacher knows that creating an environment where someone feels safe to persevere is highly important.
A great teacher knows that constant criticism can be overwhelming and discouraging.
A great teacher knows when to praise a student for even a tiny bit of progress.
A great teacher knows how to mix it up a bit, so it’s not simply monotonous repetition. So there’s a chance for a new perspective, for an “aha!” moment in their students.
A great teacher knows how to make sure students feel safe, supported, and heard.
A great teacher knows when it’s time to create a challenge.
I know there are some folks who enjoy a challenge, and when a teacher is being critical, nasty, downright horrible, that person can rise to the challenge. (Still requires perseverance.) If that person is you, then go for it!
But most of us already have enough stress and challenges in our life.
And the things we take up to help us stay grounded, at peace, curious, and engaged need an environment where we can trust the teacher to care. To care about their practice, their students, and the students’ outcomes.
That’s where I am today. I hope it helps you find a way forward for YOU, too!
One of my all-time favorite junk…er, TREASURE TROVE shopping site (thank you, Lee Mcaulay!)needs a new location! The property owner has raised their rent a LOT, and they have to move. I’ve found beautiful frames, beads, pottery, furniture, yard art, etc. here. This is their last month. I’ll put their website and FB page at the end of their statement. Please spread the word!
Their latest announcement:
“It is with a heavy heart that I have to make this special announcement. Sometimes good things must come to an end and with that said we will be closing the shop. The reason we are closing down the shop is due to the cost of operating a junk store, mainly the rent increase that will take place in April should we have decided to stay.
We knew going into this space it would increase so there is no surprise, but I did not anticipate the amount of time and energy it would take to build and develop a healthy customer base.
We have tried several things to increase our customer base but looking forward it would take several years of marketing to stay in our current space. Looking forward we are on the hunt for a new more affordable space for our business and are hoping one of you may have some ideas. If you do please stop by and let us know.
From here on out our shop will be open every Friday and Saturday 10-4 till the end of March so you have plenty of opportunities to get your junk shopping done. We are “not” getting out of the junk business and will always be sourcing cool junk so we will have plenty of new merchandise to choose from in the coming weeks.”
I’d never participated before, but it was only $25 to apply, so I thought, “What the heck, why not?” I filled out the online entry form, and was accepted. (FWIW, I don’t think it’s that hard to get in. The categories are big and inclusive.)
I was pretty sure I’d picked this artwork:
My Blue Bear Clan Shrine: “Follow the River, Follow Your Heart”
But when I checked the online form, I found I’d uploaded the image for this shrine:
Shrine Series: Yellow Horse Clan
Whoa! I don’t know how that happened! It’s a lot smaller, so I worried it wouldn’t have much of an impact. OTOH, price-wise, it was also less expensive!
Oh well. Too late to do anything about it. So I took this piece to the show at the Finley Community Center.
When I got there, sure enough, the BLUE BEAR shrine was on the form!
No worries, they said, we’re happy to accept this one. Because it was small and meant to sit on a surface, they put the piece in an enclosed display space in the Center’s entrace, where it sits on a shelf.
On my way out, I overheard a conversation with another artist bringing in different work than they’d entered, and that was no problem, too. Hmmmmm…….
I’d also volunteered to help with hanging the show, so I would be coming back in three hours to do that.
So I went back to my studio and worked on my Blue Bear shrine! It need a few very small adjustments, and I spent a couple hours getting that taken care of. And most of my larger shrines can be wall-hung or sit on a flat surface.
It took a few hours because that very small adjustment was more complicated than I thought, with a lot of trial-and-error in play. But I finally nailed it, and brought it with me to the venue.
They said, sure, we can take that instead.
And then I bumped the shrine against something and BROKE OFF THE FINIAL on top!
I need a stronger post!
ARGH! I said never mind, I’ll stick with the Yellow Horse Shrine.
And I ended up being glad I did.
The gallery section was not quite large enough for all the entries, and they used a rod-hanging system that lets them hang “stacked” paintings, like this:
Image from Wayfair website.
Only the paintings were stacked vertically in threes. And the paintings were a little wobbly because of the variety in frame depth (some stuck out more from the wall than others, and of course, each frame hung a bit differently.
And I realized the bigger shrine would have either hung a little wobbly, or bounced around a bit. The smaller one sat securely on said shelf.
So my initial mistake in selection, and my finial-breaking goof, were all dealt with by the smaller, better-positioned shrine.
Who knew?
I took the bear shrine back to the studio, made a sturdier post for the finial, and it’s back on display. (Yes, when hung individually, it’s stable when hung on a wall.
It got me thinking….and reminded me of what I’ve learned in life.
So many times, huge disappointments turned out, in hindsight, to be blessings in disguise.
The love of my life in high school dumped me four months into into college, and another romance ended when I found out the guy was cheating on me. Not getting accepted into that college’s art program. Getting fired from a well-paying job because I was “too grumpy”. Being unable to find a teaching job during the 1980’s, even though I even drove cross-country to find one. Being rejected from shows because my work wasn’t considered to be “real art”, or because I work in too many different media. Etc. etc. etc.
Until I look back and realized the “true love” guy was abusive. The cheater was I left behind for another guy who WAS–is!–the love of my life. (46 years together!) If I’d gotten into art school, I never would have gotten far, because I am NOT a painter. I hadn’t yet learned the hard way that we can master almost any creative skill, if we learn to persevere because we love it. The job was the wrong one for me, and my supervisor was not to be trusted. That any job that required sitting in a room every day, all day, with a schedule and an agenda, and no say, drives me crazy. That I didn’t have to be famous, or make tons of money from the work of my heart–because it helped ME be my best self.
Not always, of course. I’d never dismiss or belittle anyone else’s disappointment or sadness for the twists and turns in their life, nor for the hardships they’ve had to deal with. I know that there will be more ahead for me, too.
But this extremely brief turn-around reminded me that life holds ups and downs, bumps and waves, disappointment and tons of potential insights along the way.
Figuring how to manage them has been powerful.
And realizing what I learn from them has been powerful, too.
Sometimes life is brutal, but sometimes it’s just a (major/minor) learning experience. I hope you are in a point in your life where you can separate the big learning experiences from the true sadness/tragedies (which also take time to heal. Not fix. Just…heal.)
IT. TAKES. TIME.
And I hope you can see the big life lessons that got you to where you are today.
When I first started working with polymer clay back several decades ago, I got a lot of flack for my choice of materials.
“It’s just plastic!” was the most common comment.
A lot of art media gets the same push-back. Acrylic paint is not as “professional” as oils. Stone sculptures are “real art”, clay pots are not.
I’ve encountered people who don’t think women are real artists. (!!!! I know, right?) People who think the ONLY art is painting. The list, it is long….
Okay, most people today now welcome music, theater, etc. as art forms.
But a lot of creative work is still left behind the door.
My go-to speech is, what is the work that you do that makes you happy? That gets you to your best place? And when you share it with others, it makes other people happy, too. And the world is a better place for everyone.
It took me years to figure out how to talk about my preferred medium in a way that drew people IN instead of pushing them OUT.
I think the definition of “real art” for many people is dead white European male oil painters from the 19th century. (Sorry guys!)
But people have been doing creative work for thousands of years. New discoveries of cave art over 40,000 years old in Indonesia shows us that art has been around a looooooong time. And also all around the world. Not just in Europe and Asia.
Many people still believe there’s “real art”, and then there’s “craft”. A dear friend who was a potter cleared that up for me, too. “If I make a sculpture out of clay, it’s called ‘craft'”, she said. “But if I ship it to a foundry to have it cast in bronze, it’s now called ‘art’.” Life-changing insight for me!
A few years ago, I asked to mentor a new member of one of our county-wide open studio tours. The person was a hairdresser who also paints abstract art. Several people in our group focused on their occupation, not their art.
I shared a small version of this with her, because I wanted them to know I have a broader view, not just of their artwork, but of their profession. They agreed, and said, “Cutting hair is like sculpting! You have to know exactly where you’re going and exactly where to stop!”
Which the heart of what I want to share with you today:
We choose the kind of work that works for US!
When studio visitors are ready to engage with me, the most frequent question I get is, “Are your artifacts made of wood? Or bone?” (I don’t get offended! This means they’re ready for me to talk with them.)
I say, “My hands don’t want to carve. I tried with a piece of bone when I first started this work. It didn’t go well.”
I share the quote from my mentee/hairdresser, and add, “And as you can see, I can’t even cut my bangs evenly!” (Usually gets a giggle, especially if I really did screw it up recently….)
I tell them I realized my hands want to shape things. Clay allows me to add to the mass I’m using, or reduce it. Clay allows me to shape a figure until I get it just right. I can adding markings, or remove them.
And polymer clay techniques allow me to create a surface that looks like bone or ivory. Or soapstone, or pipestone, or serpentine.
It’s about what works for ME.
And your choice of medium should be about what works for YOU.
People who paint in oils can work and rework a section of their paintings, because it takes awhile for the oils to ‘set’. Acrylics dry faster, so you have to work faster, too. I could go on forever, but I won’t. (Please, no cheering in the background!) 😀
Every art medium has its advantages and disadvantages, its unique challenges, and its unique power of expression. Some processes need precision, others encourage exploration and random outcomes.
It goes on….but….
Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to dig deep into the “why” of your choices.
Why you choose the materials you do. Why it matters to you.
Whether it’s painting the Mona Lisa or building houses for others, turning a rock into a sculpture or turning a bowl on a pottery wheel, whether you make something we can hang on a wall or whether you make people feel better, do better, feel safer, feel happier. It can be healing, teaching, cooking, restoring/repairing, repurposing, gardening, writing poetry or writing advice columns for people who are struggling. Whether you make a living with it, or whether you just do it because it helps you deal with what you do for a living.
If it’s done with integrity, with your heart…
It’s. All. Good.
(Still don’t believe me? Watch this video on Pinterest of a guy making huge portraits of animals with…..staples!
I’d love to hear why you chose the media/materials you’ve chosen! Feel free to share in the comments!
I used to get flack about my fiber work, too. Because “quilting isn’t real art…”
Music is a powerful bridge to our souls. And the stories that go with it are memorable. In fact, we often deeply connect music with our memories.
Backstory: In 1986, when Halley’s Comet made it’s grand appearance, Jon and I lived near Boston. And we totally missed seeing it, because every night of its visit was foggy, overcast, and clouded. (Also city lights would have probably dimmed it, too.) I was heart-broken. Because it won’t be back until 2061. And I doubt I’ll be around then.
In May 1997, Comet Hale-Bopp became visible, and was one of the most memorable astronomical events for us ordinary people. We’d moved to Keene, New Hampshire, and it was an easy drive to find places where we could see it.
Our daughter was 9 and our son was 5. As we drove out to our best location, I played Mary Chapin Carpenter’s hauntingly beautiful song, “When Halley Came to Jackson”.
It still brings back so many memories from that night.
Another heart-breaker (in a good way!) is the theme song from the 1996 movie, FLY AWAY HOME: “10,000 miles” a movie about loss, grief, healing, friendship, family, and love.
Years later, we discovered Mary Gauthier’s “Mercy Now”, a version with violinist Tania Elizabeth. The violin never overshadows Mary’s voice, but adds tremendous depth and power to the song. During a period where I was slightly estranged from some of my siblings, my mother’s dementia, and the death of both parents in a year, it’s a song that brings me to tears every. Single. Time. So it brings back memories, and has become entwined with them.
What song brings YOU joy/memories/compassion? Share in the comments!
My recent post on NextDoor, a site that means well but often falls into hard places….
HEROES IN ODD PLACES II
If you’d like to hear a happy post today….
I had just left my studio at the Barracks on Finley AVE today, and when I turned right onto Wright RD, I saw four dogs running loose down the street towards Hwy. 12.
Two small cockadoodles (?), a small pug, and a larger red dog.
I pulled over, called to them. The big dog looked uneasy, turned and ran back the other way. The three little dogs didn’t even pause. They kept running towards the highway.
I tried calling Animal Control, non-emergency police, etc. but AC never picked up and the policeman may have accidentally dropped my call. I tried to keep my eye on them, and waved to let people know they needed to slow down and drive cautiously.
Then two trucks stopped! Two young guys in a red truck, and several adults/family in a big SUV. A neighbor or two down the street ran up, too. (They didn’t know who’s dogs they were.)
But within about 30 minutes, they snagged two dogs, chased another who doubled back like the red dog, and they even found the owner!
All the dogs are back home, safe and sound.
And I am amazed and delighted to see so many good people who stopped to help.
There are assholes and jerks in the world. And there are also people who care, and are there to help.
And an update: Some people commenting called me a hero. My reply to that was, I didn’t actually catch any of the dogs! I had no idea what to do because they were so far down the road. But I think because people saw me trying to do SOMETHING, and realized something was wrong, that other people jumped in.
I’ll try to keep this short. (NO CHEERING IN THE BACKGROUND!!) But I have Covid. A mild case, fortunately, but still fighting off the need to take a nap….
As an artist, the last year or so has been discouraging. Even when the pandemic isolation lifted, art sales have been slow, open studio attendance has been low, and now, with the icy burden of an art studio that can get as low as 47 degrees, I haven’t had much inspiration in me.
Then I got an email from Carolyn Edlund, current owner/manager of Artsy Shark, an online resource for all creatives. Artsy Shark sends out regular newsletters introducing and promoting the work of artists from around the world. (I was featured in 2016!)
It was an offer to apply again for another chance to be featured on their website. Woot!
Unfortunately, because of winter, Covid, douleur, lack of energy and inspiration, I’d missed the previous invites. And the deadline was THAT NIGHT.
Oh well, I thought, no worries, I’ll apply again next time. And spent my day working my way around discomfort, nausea, headaches, etc.
Then, about 45 minutes before the deadline, I ‘woke up’. WTF? I have new work. I could update my website. (A little.) I could still try, right? It wouldn’t be perfect, but it could be ‘good enough’.
And so I quickly did (some of) the work, and sent in my application, with a very lackluster “statement” asked for in the application. Mostly saying I knew my application wasn’t perfect, but the offer had definitely inspired me to get goin’ again.
Then I wrote back to Carolyn, telling her that my application was probably not gonna be that great. But that just thinking about it had got me a bit of my mojo back. And I was grateful for that.
Now comes the unexpected gift:
She wrote back! Just a few sentences, but they lifted my heart. She remembered me, she loves my work, and she’s glad the invitation inspired me to move ahead. (A little.)
Why was that such a gift?
Because she let me know she heard me. She could see me.
For years, when I wrote for an online art marketing newsletter, Fine Art Views, I noticed that when I left comments for other writers, they were rarely responded to. Same for most of their other commenters. One person would respond with “thank you” over and over and over, but that was it.
So I didn’t respond to comments, either. (Okay, it was my first time writing for someone else’s online platform, so I followed the practice of other writers.)
Until one day, I can’t remember why, but I started responding to each and every one of the commenters. (Except the really toxic ones, which I would ask my editor to remove.)
People LOVED that. They felt seen, and heard. Sometimes I was even a little envious of how profound THEIR words/insights were, but also honored they’d shared them with me.
Those interactions were powerful, meaningful.
As artists, (like all creatives!) we want to be “seen” in the world.
What we tend to forget is, the people who love our work, love our words, who collect our work (if they can afford it!), who love who we are….
They want to be “seen”, too. Not because we OWE it to them (but in a way, we do), but because we APPRECIATE them.
And now, someone had done the same for ME. At a time in my artistic journey, this year…er, LAST year 2023…where I needed it.
So thank you and a shout-out to Carolyn Edlund for the work she does for creatives. I promise the next time I see this invitation, I’ll share it with others.
Definitely visit the site and join the newsletter there, too.
And know that not only do YOU matter in the world, the people who love what you do, matter, too.
Bring it on, 2024! (Covid, get outta here!!)
p.s. I don’t expect someone like Carolyn to respond to everyone and everybody. Good lord, that would be thousands of emails! I’m just grateful she responded to me when I did not expect it. But I’m so grateful she did.
It’s amazing how a few sentences/insights can change EVERYTHING!
Yesterday, I dropped my husband off at the Pacific Coast so he could enjoy a long bike ride home. We usually take the Coleman Valley Road or the Bay Hill Road, both of which are lesser-used roads to the coast with spectacular views.
I usually drive, but that day, he said he would drive. And as we drove along a stretch of Bay Hill Road, I saw a complete north-to-south view of the hills and mountains along the Sonoma Valley, something I didn’t remember ever seeing before.
When I commented on this, I realized it’s because I’m usually the driver, and my eyes are on the road ahead of me. With only a quick glance to the side, or when we pull over to take in the view.
Jon said that’s why he wanted to drive that day: So I could enjoy that view instead.
Then he shared what a friend/fellow biker said to him awhile back:
When you’re doing a steep climb up a hill, don’t look ahead. All you’ll see is the hill you have to climb. No matter where you are, it will always be steep, and long. And maybe a little challenging, or very hard. It can feel discouraging.
Instead, look down. You’ll see the pavement rolling by, comforted by the fact that you are, indeed, making progress.
And look to the side! Enjoy the views, the flora and fauna, vistas of the rolling hills, the views of the coast, even Point Reyes! The clouds, the soaring vultures and hawks, the little California quails scrambling off the path.
I thought this was an amazing point-of-view. Literally, and metaphorically. (Thank you, Bob Stender!)
I’ve finished all the open studio tours for this year, the artist receptions at galleries, the huge project of restoring/refinishing of my enormous sterling silver collection, chains and jewelry findings that I over-oxidized over the last 20 years.
And it’s been a slooooooow year for sales, the usual for recognition/fame/fortune (as in, “not much”), etc. (I know it’s not just me, but of course, it FEELS like it’s “just me”….) And I fret when I wake up in the middle of the night, worrying about all the “what if’s”, the scary stuff, the fear our living situation could disappear almost overnight(this happened to a neighbor last year, after renting a home here for almost 15 years), the dismay when we discover we’ve lost another dear friend from “back home”, and knowing there are many, many more losses to come as we age. Even questioning whether we did the right things and made the right decisions in moving here, even raising our family…. What could we have done better? Is it too late to try harder??
Then come the moments, like this one, where I realize that everything I need in life is right here. Not in front of me, on the road uphill, but all around me.
The beautiful views of mountains, rolling hills, and sunsets. The breath-taking views of the ocean. The friends we’ve made when we started taking our dogs to a local dog park. The local friends and neighbors who have made our lives richer and more meaningful. The joy of finding new people/critters/things to love, finding purpose, finding connections.
With my creative work, I strive to remember that what I can do, is a privilege. I may not get rich from it, nor famous, and I don’t even get paid for writing anymore.
But I have a lovely space to create the work that heals my heart and soothes my scattered brain. I know the real value of the work I do, no matter how many, nor how few, appreciate it. It’s about what it means to ME, how it gets me to a better place, and how it opens my point-of-view–and my heart–to the real, deepr beauty in the world: The people who make life better for others, the folks with compassion for the less fortunate, the ones who help us heal, recover, even those who help us pass on…. The people who strive to create justice, peace, support, hope, for all of us.
I’m rambling again. I KNOW! We leave in a few hours for our flight to visit family on the East Coast tonight. I’m still not fully packed, and no matter how many lists I make, I know I’ll leave something critical behind. And though I should get packin’, a tiny part of me says, “Write this, NOW, in case your plane crashes, so people will hear this!” (Yep, that’s how my buzzy brain works.)
So if you’re feeling a little “less than” on your own life journey, remember Bob’s words:
Don’t focus on the uphill battle.
Instead, follow path of this powerful Navajo blessing prayer:
And here I am, walking back on my original post in this series….
We had to put down our 12+ years old dog Nick on the last day of August. It was really, really hard. He was such a good dog, especially after we moved into our current rental. (Yes, housing arrangements can make a difference!)
Nick was huge fan of Nora when we first brought her home. She revved him up from his sad days, after we had to put down our first dog, Tuck two years before. He was highly energized by having a young pup!
Until three days went by, and he literally showed us, “WHAT?? She’s STAYING??!!!”
He got over it, mostly. He loved to romp and play with her in the backyard, on the ocean beaches, etc. And the last two months we had him, he got to go to the dog park and make friends, too.
And though he was otherwise a “don’t bother me” dog, Nora cuddled with him on the sofa, and our bed, every single day and night.
She doesn’t know where he went, and may still wonder when he’ll be back.
And in the weeks that followed, she was more and more reactive to dogs who were even slightly assertive, nosy/butt-pokey/, trying to get her treats, etc.
One of our dog park friends is a dog trainer. They let us know that this reactive behavior could become ingrained behavior if we didn’t work on it.
We tried lots of strategies, and when Jon and I were both at the park, it seemed to go a little better. But Jon’s been swamped with work for the last three months, I’ve been taking Nora to the park alone, and things got worse.
And that’s when I started taking her earlier, before our other doggo friends and people gathered, so she could chase balls instead.
It really helped to run her little motor down. It helped that it was just her and me. She even started returning the ball without being trained, because she’d watched what other dogs do and copied them.
Then she started to run down to either of the two creeks that border the park. To drink? To dunk? Both? But she lost three balls in the creeks in two weeks. Not good.
Then she started bringing the balls back after going into the creeks. And yesterday, she came back without a ball, and when I took her across the field and told her to bring it back, she did! Yippee!
And then two of her doggy friends (and people) showed up, we had a nice chat, dogs had a good romp…
And then she started getting anxious again. So I told everyone I was going to take her across the field for some more ball chasing to calm her down.
When we got back, they’d moved further down the park, which was fine. Nora had her exercise, a little social time, and her reactivity was noted and averted.
I still hope for the day that Nora is happy to play with all her dog friends again. I miss my group, too!
But having a dog that’s troublesome makes it harder to be part of a group. In the end, I want what’s best for Nora: Dog friends, exercise, and no more ruckus amongus.
So ball dog people, I get you know. Dog friends are still important, in my book. But sometimes you have to accept what kind of dog you have, and make it all work.
There’s another allegory here with regard to our creative work.
But I’ll save that for next time! Except for this:
The creative work you do in the world is what matters to Y*O*U. Your medium, your process, your enjoyment, your purpose is what matters. Not what anyone else things about it. Keep that in your heart today.
What did I do before polymer clay work? I knit sweaters for my kids! (Cuz kid sweaters were smaller, quicker and easier than knitting for grown-ups!)
We have to do the creative work WE love, not what we think “everybody” will love.
When I first started working with polymer clay, there were plenty of people who did not think it was “real art”, nor even “real craft”. And they felt free to tell me so, too.
“It’s just plastic.” That was first and foremost. Didn’t help that when this art material, created in Europe, was then marketed in the United States as a “children’s clay” (Sculpy). It was extremely soft, and brittle. The first artifacts I made were little animal tokens for a board game (my daughter remembers it: MAX! my kiddos were into. I made a black cat and a goldfinch. And when I pulled them out of the oven, they fell over and broke. Never used that clay again.
It took an old friend in a knitting guild to bring me back to polymer clay. Connie Gray, a weaver/knitter/quilter/teacher shared how we could make our own buttons with polymer clay. (I can’t find Connie now, but this video shows how much she cared for/supported creative work for all of us.)
The buttons I made changed into animal artifact buttons, and then into small figurines that I used in jewelry, small sculptures, and shrines. And years later, when Connie mentioned that she never got “that good” as I did with my polymer work, I reminded her that her generosity with teaching others–including me!–is what set me on my artistic journey. And that exploring new media, and teaching, are also creative work.
Also my many, many articles and stories about how putting our creative work into sturdy boxes (art vs. craft, hobbies vs. professional work, etc.) can be reframed as “creative work” on every level.
Where am I going with this?
It doesn’t matter what material you work with.
It doesn’t matter how much money you make with your craft.
It doesn’t matter how good you are at it. (Though if you keep at it long enough, you’ll get better. Or at least broaden your horizons!)
It doesn’t matter what other people think of your work.
Let me repeat that last bit…
IT DOESN’T MATTER WHAT OTHER PEOPLE THINK OF YOUR WORK.
What matters is doing the work that makes YOU happy.
There’s a lot of creative work out there that I don’t collect/buy/enjoy. There’s a lot of creative work that isn’t “good enough”. There’s a lot of creative work that, frankly, makes me cringe.
So what?
I’m not on this planet to judge that.
I’m here because doing the work of my heart makes ME happy.
And when visitors come to my studio, love what they see, and then tell me they aren’t creative, I make sure to walk them gently through this.
Winchell’s early blog posts actually directed people to those awful craft items, and the sellers’s sales would rise exponentially. So much so, that Winchell realized new sellers would deliberately create wacko work, hoping she would point to them, too.
But she realized she could tell the difference, very subtle but clear, when people were really making something they loved, and when they were just hoping to ride on that train with random rotten work.
Yeah, I may not like your work. Hey, maybe I HATE it.
But I will never ever tell you that.
Because I know that everyone has a story. A history, a journey, a destination, with the work of their heart.
They are doing the work that means everything….to THEM.
And that’s all I care about.
In fact, as my own journey continues, if something is really weird? I now want to know what the story is behind it. Chances are, it’s a chance to see deeper into someone else’s goals, experience, insights that I can’t see right now.
So please please please don’t ever let someone else’s judgment take you down.
Remember that somewhere in the world, there are people who will be deeply drawn to your work, who will appreciate your journey, who will exclaim, “Me, too!” They will truly see you.
Remember that if someone more famous/wealthier-from-sales/respected insults your work, they have actually just raised you to their level. (Thanks again, Melinda LaBarge!)
Remember that there is only ONE “you” in the world.
We don’t have to be “good enough”. We are enough.
Carry Mary Oliver’s beautiful poem in your heart, always:
Tell me, what else should I have done? Doesn’t everything die at last, and too soon? Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?
(Side note: Yes, art critiques can be helpful. But critiques are what YOU ask for, not what somebody else thinks you should do. And almost all the “critiques” I’ve had over the past 35 years, even the ones I’ve been open to, have had little-to-no-value to me. In fact, what’s lifted my heart are the people in my life who have supported me walking away from unwanted, unnecessary criticism. So Go Big or Go Home!)
If you’re putting something off, do SOMETHING ELSE instead!Â
Awhile back, our daughter told us she has self-assessed with ADD. I said, “Oh, yeah, you got that from Dad.” She replied, “No, Mama, YOU have it, too.”
It felt devastating at first. I was screaming, “Nooooooooooooo!” in my head for 24 hours. Then I realized there are worse brain wirings: Narcissim, sociopathy, OCD, etc.
I also realized there’s probably nobody on the planet whose wiring is totally “normal”, whatever that is.
And when I shared that with the first visitor to my open studio event in June, they added, “We’re ALL neuro-spicy!” (I LOVE THAT!!)
My main brain issue that holds me back?
Procrastination!
Years ago, I read a terrific article in a book, Dream Big! by Lisa Hammond. Her chapter on procrastination was wonderful! (Instead of cleaning the house, she decided to start a mail-order business.) If you’re putting off something you don’t want to do, find something else that needs to be done, instead. You can read my original article on this on my old blog site at Radio Userland: Procrastination: Love It Or Leave It Til Tomorrow!
I still can’t find my copy of her book, but I just ordered a new one using Bookfinder.com, the best and fastest way to find just about any book anywhere.
Then I read a really funny article in a magazine about someone with the same issue, who made a list of all the projects (sooooo many projects) they finished while putting off that one that lay the heaviest on their schedule. I wrote an article about all the things I accomplished while procrastinated. (And now I can’t find it, probably never will. Argh!)
And because I now know about my…um…attention span disorder…I now need to constantly remind myself what works for me.
(Um…did you notice I started out with an article and immediately decided I needed to include links to MORE articles? Uh-huh….procrastination at work again!)
The other big thing that helps me get things done?
DEADLINES!
If you procrastinate, sign up for stuff you’re gonna HAVE TO DO!
You know when I clean my studio? A couple days before a studio event!
You know when I get around to finishing an art project? Or taking photos of new work? About two days before the entry deadline!
Do you know when I finally hung up a slew of artwork in our living room, in a house we’ve been renting for for over seven years now? The day before my sis and BIL came out here for a visit!
Yes, life would be calmer and more orderly if I could get my ducks in a row faster. But that’s not me.
So knowing how my brain is wired, helps.
Knowing I procrastinate, can help me get other stuff done.
And having deadlines kicks everything into high-gear to get that one thing done.
Yeah, it can get a little stressful, like me rushing to my studio to measure a piece of my work, and get a photo of it so I could apply to a gallery show.
But in the end, it’s how I roll. And the more accepting of myself, and my quirks, and the less head-banging I do, the more I can accomplish.
So when you find yourself beating yourself up for Not Doing Things Right, take a step back. Give yourself a rest (and a hug!) Think about what gets your motivated, what gets you back on track.
If any of the strategies here help, yay! I did something good today!
And if you have other suggestions that have worked for you, share ’em! Trust me, there’s someone in the world right now who is wired the same way, and who will benefit from your experience, too.
Now I gotta go to the studio to do stuff. After I finish this article, of course.
Wait, I was going to apply for that show….
I’ll use this one!Or this one??What about this one??
Years ago, I was talking with a good friend and mentioned that my older horses were weird, and they embarassed me.
My friend said, “Did you love them when you made them?”
Me: “Yep.’
Friend: “Did your customers love them?”
Me: “Yep.”
Friend: “Did they buy them?”
Me: “Yep.”
Friend: “Then there are people today who will love them, too!”
Dang. She’s right!
It was only my inner critic talkin’.
I’ve loved all my horses over time, even as they change. And thanks to Ruth Parent for her wisdom about them!
Two interesting things crossed my path today.
One, I found a downloaded packet of an article I hadn’t gotten around to reading for awhile: “Nine Ways to Tap Into Your Creativity and Tame Your Inner Critic” by Karen Lynn Ingalls. ( You can find her at: http://www.NapaValleyArtWorkshops.com) but I can’t find where to get her document….Ask her!)
It popped to the top of a pile o’documents and such I’ve been meaning to organize and stash for awhile now. Didn’t read it until after I found the second thing:
An article written by an art critic who was “doxxed” by an artist they’d heavily criticized.
The artist is well-known for his drawing portraits of people riding the subway, and then he gives his artwork to the person he’s drawn. (I found him on Instagram reels, but he might be on YouTube and other platforms, too.)
I found the videos soothing and wonderful. Every single person is astonished at his work, and grateful to receive their portrait from him.
But after the art critic wrote a bad review of his work and process, the subway artist posted his name online, and encouraged his followers to shout out the critic.
(Not naming names, you can find both of them easily by the words I’ve already used here.)
And then I read the downloaded document about taming our inner critic, and bells went off.
Backstory: One of the critic’s…criticism…was that the artwork isn’t really as ‘random’ as it looks in the videos. It looks like he simply starts drawing, and that the subject/person has no idea they’re being drawn. The critic discovered that the artist actually asks permission from the intended subject, asks them how long they’ll be on the subway, and draws accordingly. So, “fake process!” the critic shouts.
Which is weird, because I think asking for permission to sketch is actually polite and the right thing to do. And the question of how long they’ll be riding is important to know, too. Who wants to be drawing 30 seconds into a portrait and have to bail because the person got off at the next stop?
The critic also criticized the quality of the artist’s work, which, again, is weird. Because it’s simply “good enough” for me, and for the person whose portrait is drawn, and everybody involved is happy.
I’ve always thought that art critics, movie critics, etc. get pretty boring with their reviews. Look, I either like something, or love something, or I don’t. If someone writes a negative review about something I love, it doesn’t change my opinion. (Especially movies!) And the long-time critics seem to get to a point where they hate everything they’re reviewing, leaving me scratching my head about why???? After all, there’s something for everyone in the world, but not everything will be for everyone.
And then I read Ingall’s article. Hoo boy, art critics are worse than our inner critic! (Except they’re easier to ignore than the voice in our head…)
She provided several quotes about art critics. Here are my faves:
“Pay no attention to what the critics say: there has never been a statue erected to a critic.”
—Jean Sibelius
“A critic never fights the battle. They just go around shooting the wounded.”
—Tyne Daly
“Critics don’t matter. Who cares about Michelangelo’s critics?”
—Irwin Greenberg
Yes, the artist went over the line to seek revenge against the art critic. It would have been better for everyone if he’d simply ignored the critic, because the artist already has grown an audience of millions of viewers. He’s got it made. He didn’t need to seek revenge.
And if we ask for a critique, it’s for the desire to get better, for someone to see the things we can’t see…yet! Even then, we can take the insights, or leave them on the table. (I have stories, people….)
And I’m starting to think that critics, both professional and amateur, are simply people who wish they could do the work others are doing: Making. Creating. Expressing. Telling their story. Speaking their truth.
As a dear friend said years ago, “When someone tries to take you down, they’ve just elevated you to their level.” (Thank you, Melinda LaBarge!)
Ingall’s document has some good suggestions for not silencing our inner critic. After all, it’s there to keep us safe. It just gets confused about how “safe” we need to be, especially when we are doing the work we love.
It’s when it keeps us from doing the work we love that the situaton becomes toxic. When we begin to believe the work we do doesn’t matter, that we don’t matter.
Let me tell you: You DO matter. The work you love, matters.
Here’s one last quote from Salvador Dali:
Have no fear of perfection. Do your work imperfectly, you’ll never reach it!”
I may not like your creative work. But I’m not going to focus on telling you that. It’s not my place. It’s NO ONE’s place.
I’m going to focus on hearing the “WHY”. WHY do you do this work? WHY does it speak to you? WHY do you choose those tools, that medium, that subject, that process? There’s always a good story there!
And it breaks my heart when people walk away from what they love, because they believe they aren’t good enough. (I almost did, and it broke me.)
So listen to the creatives who didn’t listen to the critics.
Don’t even get angry at the critics. Maybe being critical is their superpower. (oy) And maybe learning not to listen to the critics is the most powerful thing we can do.
That’s true for me. I hope it’s true for you, too.
So both of my open studio tours this year were almost dead in the water. Not many visitors, very few sales, barely covering my participation fees.
Was this a failure? It’s tempting to frame it this way. After all, making money is nice!
But that’s not why I do this work.
Inspired by the horses painted in the Lascaux Cave in France, they represent a major turning point in my creative life. A time where I realized I have to do the work of my heart. (Or I would be a sad, resentful, broken little person in the world.) (Link goes to a 3 minute video of that moment.)
So I do the work I love, the work that has meaning for me, the work that restores me to my best self, for myself.
But it’s not just for me.
The visitors that did come, were all (almost all) totally engaged with my work, my stories, and my process. They were encouraged to browse, explore, and delve into my treasure trove of displays and materials.
And when they were ready/willing to have a conversation, they would ask me a question. That led to deeper convos, and more awe and wonder as they learned what is involved in my process.
Then we go deeper.
I ask them what their creative process is.
This is another thing I consider ‘creative work’:
Sharing the idea that all people have creative energy in them.Â
This is resulted in sooooo many powerful, helpful, healing talks.
My POV that most of us believe “real art” is the work of dead white European male painters of the 19th century. (Great artists, to be sure. But not the only artists. And the ones who were left out of the history books for ages who were women, people of color, people of other genders, people of other origins besides European, etc.)
We’ve been taught/encouraged to believe the only “real” form of art is painting. (Though some can now agree that there are also music arts, performance art, dancing, poetry, etc.)
Then we’re taught that there is an “art vs. craft” division. Nope. As a dear friend shared with me years ago, “If I make a clay pot or sculpture, it’s called ‘craft’. If I send that item to a foundery, where it’s cast in bronze, it’s considered ‘art’. What’s that about??”
I totally agree! It’s about the maker, not the method.
Once I share that anything we do/make/create that gets us back to our best self, is creative work, the healing and support for our desired begins. And when we share it with the world, not just by selling, but by letting people see it, hear it, experience it, in our studio, on social media, on stage, or sharing personally, it makes other people happy, too.
And the world is a better place for all of us.
That…is creative work.
People pause and then shyly share the work they love. Gardening. Healing. Repair and restoration. Cooking. Volunteering. Fostering (kids and animals!) Teaching. Innovation. Writing. Hair cutting/styling! Working for a better society for all. I could go on, but you get it, right?
Some people still resist, saying they’ve never settled on one way of creating. They experiment and move on, take classes but never pursue one for long. Welp, I call that “exploration” and consider that creative work, too.
I left my studio every evening, glad that I encouraged so many people to do the work that they love, that restores them to their best self, to share it in any way they can with others.
So as you explore new ideas, ventures, skills, tools, materials, etc. know that you are doing it right.
Anyone who criticizes you and/or your work is actually showing their sadness, the holes in their hearts, the resentment that they haven’t succeeded. I’ve had well-known artists who tried to take me down a peg or ten in the past. Turns out they raised me to their level.
Not everyone will love our creative work, and that’s okay. Never let that stop you from doing what you love. If one person in a million loves my work, that means….(Googling here)Â World population is 8,045,311,447 people. One in a million? That means I would still have 8,045 fans!
And the last, but most important part:
What is the story only YOU can tell?
People constantly ask if I can teach them to make my little horses, bears, artifacts, etc. No, I don’t do that. Not because I’m afraid of people copying my work, but because when we totally focus on copying/coasting on someone else’s work, we aren’t doing the work of our hearts.
We all have a story to tell, whether we choose to share it, or not.
We all have a place in the world, even when we feel like we don’t.
Fame and fortune look nice, but they aren’t necessary for being “successful”. (Look at all the famous people who are so unhappy, and all the extremely wealthy people who still want more MORE MORE. What they have is never enough. And it never ends.)
So explore, play, experiment, keep at it, get better, enjoy, relish, and share.
Yep, I’m a little late getting this out to you. But better late than never, right?
Sonoma County Art Trails starts this weekend, Saturday and Sunday, September 30-October 1, from 10-5. And next weekend, October 7 & 8, too!
We’re at 3840 Finley AVE (not the Finley Center) off Wright RD on West Hwy. 12, Buildings #32 and #33. I’m studio #77 in the Art Trails Collector’s Guide, along with Serena Hazard (#78) in Bldg. 33, and Anna Rybat (#76) in the building across the parking lot from us. (Oh, and for those of you who don’t know, I live in California.)
And as usual, I’ve procrastinated setting up because I get all my best ideas before important deadlines…. (Which is fine, I just love that I still get good ideas!) (And I hate cleaning, anyway…)
I’ve created a new series of small shrines, small migrations, and small shadowbox art. New work at all the preview galleries, too! And of course, jewelry and small single sculptures (horses, bears, otters, owls, etc.).
Below are images of new work. (Some are in preview exhibits at Sebastopol Center for the Arts, My Daughter the Framer/Corrick’s in Santa Rosa, Gallery One in Petaluma, Healdsburg Center for the Arts, and Bodega Art Gallery in Bodega (not Bodega Bay.)
Hope you can visit! I can promise that you’ll love exploring my studio. Unless you hate creative mess…..?
Me wondering when I’ll be done cleaning…er, neatening…my studio.Tiny migration! In my studio…
Red Deer Clan on display at Sebastopol Center for the ArtsRunning Horse Clan shrine on display at Gallery One in PetalumaYellow Horse Clan shrine on display at Healdsburg Center for the ArtsSmall shrine series
This Owl Clan shrine is on display at Bodega Art Gallery in Bodega (not Bodega Bay)
A very tiny migration! But as a fan said, it’s a FAMILY, so it’s an important one.Finally working on my single-box artwork!Small shrine series
We make our art for ourselves, first.
A couple years ago, I had the opportunity to share my work with a new gallery in a small town here in Sonoma County. The owner loved my work, and did a great job of displaying it.
After six months, they had me take it back. It wasn’t selling.
This is a bummer, yes. But it’s also the story of my life. And the gallery owner’s words made it clear why.
They told me, “People who think they know about art, don’t think it’s “real art”. And people who do know about art, know it’s art. They are intrigued. But it’s also unusual and it takes time for them to ‘get it’.”
I have had this experience my entire artistic life.
The smallest insights can help. In one store/gallery back in New England, my sales were strong the first year. The art gallery manager love love loved my work, and it sold steadily.
Then they left to pursue the work of THEIR heart. Another employee took over for them. They liked my work, but didn’t love it.
Sales tanked.
And eventually, I was asked to remove it.
Yes, it was hard to hear. But it also made me realize that there are many factors in what creates or diminishes our sales.
There are plenty of ‘reasons’ why my work doesn’t sell quickly.
First, there are probably more artists today than at any time in history. As people age, they often take up the work of their heart in their retirement that they set aside for decades in order to earn a living or raise a family.
As we downsize later in life, we have less room for the art we already own, let alone the space to buy more art. (Ask me how I know.) (Okay, it’s because we live in a small house now, and I have no more wall space for anything!)
My work’s foundation, polymer clay, was not considered a “real” art medium for decades. And my work still doesn’t fit into many “boxes”, which is ironic because now a major focus of my work is on small shrines, where I use….boxes.
I can only continue to make the work that makes me happy, and continue my pattern of moving into other versions of my work.
My migrations are my latest “work of my heart”.
I’m looking for the story behind my “Migrations” series, and maybe I just found it today:
We need to keep moving, to keep moving forward, even as we circle back from time to time.
It’s not about the money. It’s about the work we were born to do.
Today I got an email newsletter I subscribe to. It was an article copied with permission from another blogger. It was about creative work with an interesting point of view, and I’m all in for that.
Until the references and quotes came in, at least half a dozen, maybe more (I quit reading halfway through) because…
All of them were from men.
I’ve seen this pattern before when guys write about art and art making. Yes, there are many many famous male artists in many different fields. But this is a trigger for me, especially in these modern times.
One, because growing up, I only saw/heard of/read about male artists.
Second, because in my art history classes in college, 98% of the artists we studied were men. In Janson’s History of Art, a extremely popular art history textbook, no women artists were featured until the 1986 edition. When three…THREE…women were added. (Apparently Janson did not consider women to be ‘real artists’, and that only changed after he died, when his son took over.) Mary Cassat wasn’t mentioned for years, because she was a “domestic artist”, painting women and their children. (Um…so what is The Pieta??)
Third, as a stay-at-home mom in a new town with no friends or family present, I had very little time to make my creative work for years. And it was considered “craft” because (duh), I don’t paint. (Fortunately, I did finally find my way.) My creation story: https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=gfnnPL7LeQw
I remember years later, looking at a possible studio space to rent, where the manager and the current resident showed me the space and one asked what art I made. I told him, “I make artifacts inspired by prehistoric cave art, and use them in my fiber wall hangings and jewelry.” A few minutes later, one guy mentioned another local artist, and the other guy said, “Yeah, he’s a REAL artist!” I was so stunned, I couldn’t even speak.
And now we know that in the Ice Age period of cave art, most (perhaps all?) of the shamans/artists were…..women.
I don’t hate all men. A lot of men are great artists, philosophers, spiritualists, etc.
But I hope someday, people–especially men!–realize that there are also plenty of women artists, philosphers, spiritualists, worthy of mention and worthy of being quoted. And also plenty of talented, passionate people who identify with both/neither/the other gender.
Fercryinoutloud, how about a touch of equality, compassion, and support for our modern audience???
Sorry, but if you can’t pull up one woman worth quoting, (or at least a guy of color), I’m pretty sure you are not going to be my favorite source for wisdom and insight.
We have an elderly dog (12 years old) with health issues, and a young dog (not even 2 years old yet) with boundless energy.
My husband takes them both for walks, and sometimes the younger dog on long hikes. Because the more you wear them down, the better behaved they are. (Just like kids!)
We’ve always considered both dogs highly-reactive. Of course, they bark at other dogs walking by our yard. (They protect us from chihuahuas and pomeranians. OH, and squirrels.) And when dogs in a yard bark at them as we walk by, ours react badly, too. Our dogs won’t even walk by those houses, they’re so intimidated. Even walking by other dogs on leashes can go south, for both our dogs and those other dogs.
So imagine our surprise to finally realize that our younger dog actually love love LOVES other dogs. And our older dog is learning to be curious and receptive to doggo friendships too.
What makes the difference is all the dogs being off-leash, and having a space to run around in–the bigger, the better. Hence the dog park. It’s changed everything!
Nora tries to tease other dogs into chasing her. She LOVES to be chased, and she runs like the wind when they do. If they won’t chase her, she’s now learning to chase them.
After an hour at the dog park, they are both exhausted and happy, and so are we.
Now, a short segue: There’s a street here in Santa Rosa with a median filled with tall sycamore trees that are homes to a congregation of nesting egrets (all three kinds) and black night-crowned herons. Every year, hundreds of these birds gather, argue (noisily!) and select their nesting sites, lay their eggs, and raise chicks, until the young ‘uns are ready to fly, too.
I shared that with a friend who’s a photographer, and he explained something interesting to me.
There are bird WATCHERS, who show up with binoculars and bird guides, and gather in a group on one side of the street.
And there are bird PHOTOGRAPHERS, who show up with huge cameras, and gather in a group on the other side.
Now, I don’t know if they actually hate each other, or if some mutual friendships are actually formed. I was just surprised to learn the groups are different, and often don’t mingle.
I’m sharing this because there is a similar dynamic at the dog park.
There are groups of people and dogs I’ll call the ball dogs. The owners bring tennis balls and ball launchers (Chuckit!), and spend the entire time throwing balls for their dogs to fetch. (A few use frisbees, which are actually easier for the dogs to catch in mid-air. Pretty cool to watch!)
The other group of dogs and peeps…I guess I’ll call us “dog” dogs. These are dogs who love love love to interact with and play with other dogs.
And like the bird people, these two groups rarely mingle.
Oh, there are a couple of people who do both, or who are happy to be around both groups.
But for the most part, the ball dog people can get pretty pissy when dog dogs are running around and interfering with their ball dogs chasing balls. (Yes, I was a little oblivious at first, and got some snarky comments about our “aggressive” younger dog.)
The latest incident was when a ball dog actually started to chase Nora rather than chase a ball. The owner actually called the dog back, knelt down and held his dog to their chest, and glared at me until I apologized and walked Nora away.
I know if your dog doesn’t have another dog to play with, that training them to fetch and ball and return it is excellent exercise, and fun. And it creates a bond between dog and owner.
But I realized I’d rather Nora had dog friends. It’s made a world of difference in her anxiety/stress, the amount of exercise she gets, and it’s made her less reactive to other dogs while walking on a leash.
I’m no dog expert, but if I had to make a choice, I’d rather my dogs love to be around other dogs, who love to be around them. Dogs are essentially pack animals, which is why we become their family. We become their pack.
The downside of ball dogs for me comes from an over 40-year-old memory of visiting someone who lived on a lake in Michigan. The dog was a water dog breed–retriever? Lab? Can’t remember. The owner would throw a ball off his deck, and the dog would leap into the water to fetch it. It was very cool.
Until, after awhile, it was obvious the dog (an older dog) was exhausted and struggling, gasping for air, and struggling to get back on the dock.
But he wouldn’t…couldn’t…quit. And the dog dad kept throwing that ball.
Again…I know the dog loved it. I know the owner loved his dog. I believe the dog knew this, and knew how much the guy wanted to entertain his dog.
And yet…if someone were practically killing themselves to make me happy, I’m not sure I’d want that.
Who is the water dog/ball dog doing this for? Themselves? Or their owner?
And if he drowns, did he die from having too much fun? Or from trying to please their owner? And even if he’s not smart enough to stop when it’s too much…and he dies…
Are you really okay with that?
I know, I know, the chances of that happening are slim.
I know most dog owners want what’s best for their dog. That old dog was probably better off with lots of exercise.
I know the ball dog people are doing what works for them, and for their dog, and it’s not my business, nor under my control.
But what if, after their dog chasing balls for an hour, they simply let them go play with other dogs for ten minutes? (Some dogs don’t want to, of course, but is that because of their nature? Or their training?) You can have both!
But if I had to choose performance over fun, love, and connection, every single time…. Well, I wouldn’t.
And of course, I’m gonna switch this to doing our creative work.
I’ve volunteered for so many art orgs over the years, mentored new artists, shared my own insights about how to do shows, how to have an open studio, etc. And of course, by now, you know that I know that my advice is not for everyone, that each creative person is free to do what works for them, what resonates, and that’s okay.
But if I were making my art for fame and fortune alone, I would have given up years ago. Heck, I think “what’s the use?” almost every day. I could make more money working at Starbucks, and I’d probably get free coffee and scones to boot.
What keeps me centered and moving forward is recognizing what my artwork means to ME. When I finish a piece, how delighted I am. When I solve a problem or find a solution, how excited I am to move forward. When I have a great idea, how interesting it is to figure out how to bring it into the world.
When I encourage others to do the work of their heart, it empowers me to get back to the studio and do mine.
I do it because it makes ME happy, and when others love it, that’s icing on the cake. (When they buy it, it helps me pay for the cake.)
It’s become an important way for me to connect to other people.
So what kind of artist are YOU?
Is it about the ball?
Or is it about making YOU the best, happiest “you” you can be?
Luann Udell 