The Snowflakes Journey

Lost in time

well, it has been a while... please forgive my misspellings and bad grammar as i am in the middle of cooking dinner and just had to get some thoughts down on paper....i am rushed...
holy bipolar...psychology is a strange subject of study...all of these disorders and where do you draw a line between having one and not... i mean dont we all have tendencies...what classifies a tendencies and what classifies a disorder...i have been busy and somewhat out of whack...a stage that most artists go through i suspect...

it seems i get lost in time these days... i wonder if im not alone...i see days go by and i realize i have accomplished nothing... but what is accomplishment...

i once wrote a short story with illustrations to accompany about a snowflakes journey... hence the name of the blog... it was a snowflake that embarked on a journey from high on a mountain top and it was swept away with a gust of wind...in short... the snowflake encountered many others but none like herself...and grew lonely and tired of looking for he happiness...the snowflake without ever finding someone like herself finally landed once again... this time on the shoulder of a human BEING...she melted and dripped slowly into the earth to start a new cycle of life....she didnt die per say...but she continued starting a new chapter. ..but it was too late to learn the lesson of the previous chapter...which was...its not the destination its the journey...

i must be babbling and not making sense...but im 30 years old and a waitress...i told myself when i was 15 and my mom was 30ish and a waitress that i would never follow in her footsteps...its not what i yearned for... i yearned for art...making art.... creativity...teaching others the act of self expression...and inspiration...

is there something wrong with being a 30 year old waitress?...certainly not...

before enlightenment...chop wood carry water...after enlightenment...chop wood carry water

its not the destination or accomplishments in life... its not what your doing its how your doing it...but dont forget to do what you love...

i need new

                                 

...holy camoly, it is definitely spring even though its blustery cold outside. i can tell because im crawling out of my skin. i have set up a lovely little art studio for myself here in the house to work. and i can barely stay in the room. i want to go out and get my hair cut short and buy frilly things instead. i get into these phases. and its very impulsive i have to watch myself. i usually regret decisions that i make when im in this stage.

and how about something new on etsy already. ive hit a road block it seems. im still selling. i had 3 sales this week. but i need new stuff. i just cant sit still long enough. to create anything. im going to try hard today and tomorrow im off of work otherwise.

i need to sit and get some lesson plans laid out for this summer as well for my classes at the art alliance, so i can place an order for supplies. i am so excited to be working with the kids this summer. i miss working with acrp summer treatment program back home.

im adding a new creative artist to my etsy friends section. her name is Emily Meyer. she enjoys  making jewelry, knitting, and photography. I cant wait till she offers some of her photos on her site. ERMoriginals

well i supose this procrastination has gone on long enough. i have got some work to do. ciao

a normal life

 

 

ahhhhh yes i do feel like im back to normal for a while. the show was a very good experience. i did not sell a lot (some), however now i know. what to expect and what i need for future shows. and im already growing excited about the one in may.

a few other projects brewing to keep me busy.

lesson plans, im teaching quite a few classes this summer at the pennsylvania art alliance in statecollege pa. pretty much everyday from 9-4. all kids...yeah...im very excited as most of my teaching experience is with at risk youth and children with behavioral issues. this summer my class size is very small and it will be a much more focused group

i also have my group printmaking project with azuregrackle (jenn) involving the periodic table

i would like to submit a piece or 2 to the local recycling show with the theme of roots this year.

and then its the show in boalsburg pa over memorial day already.

so ill be keeping busy for sure...all while trying to keep my shifts up as usual at the restaurant.

i have started listing some other items in my shop in addition to prints. i have a few place-mats and notecard sets on there now. i feel better about just listing prints for some reason. i feel like the focus is good. but i make other things for the shows. so i figure i might as well list them.

i am anxious to start batiking and sewing. 2 of my newer ventures. but i must remember my strengths.

i gave my poor dog a haircut yesterday...he looks ridiculous. im afraid to take him out in public.

Cargo is 13 years old. hes a golden retriever german shepherd mix. his hair grows long and thick and red. it mangles easily and sheds much. he was a mess. so i started with a fresh canvas for him to grow it all back...but now he looks like a rodent. all wrinkly and old. no more fluffy puppies and hes white not red anymore.

before

after

 

poor fella. im a terrible doggie mom:( he even looks angry doesnt he?

Dande

                            

today is a working day as far as art goes...i have been productive. mostly silk-screen play. not a strength of mine but fun when i need a change of pace. today a 4 color one. "Dande" time consuming. delicate results. i like the product. 5 days and counting. im running out of time and so much to complete. im glad im sharing a booth. there is less pressure to have full presentation together. it will be good practice

Its raining today

                                           
raining for days....

just a short post today as i am going crazy to try and prepare for a show next weekend. i did promise details so here they are. it is in Harrisburg and i have no idea what to expect. i have never attended... it is sort of a trial run show for me just to get the experience of what its like... im sharing a space with my friend staci from etsy.com. i dont know if it will be more crafts less art...more art less crafts...or a nice mix of both... i dont expect friends or family to attend but maybe there are  blog readers who live in that area and might not know about it ( far fetched i know).

Central Dauphin High School

437 Piketown Rd

Harrisburg, PA
march 31
9-5

the show we have here at the middle school in boalsburg pa is huge  attendance  so im hoping for he best just to hand out some cards if nothing else.

also in the news...i have joined a collaborative print project that im very excited about...it involves a little science and has potential (i think) for major exhibit...but that is up to the artist who does the organizing i suppose...she is a very talented print maker who also sales on etsy.com... i will be posting a link with more info about her and her site in my etsy friends section when i have more time.

one last announcement...anyone who subscribes to hi-def cable can now watch northern exposure reruns...only one of the greatest shows about life philosophy and art ever....

well thanks again for the read and i would love to hear from ya any time:)

...argh Charlie Brown would say...

well frustration has set in. i feel like i have been doing this so much this week that i dont even know what im doing anymore. everything looks the same nothing looks quality. i just clicked on my etsy site and was tempted to take everything off of there. i had this problem in art school. i went to school for four solid years and i came home with no artwork. can you believe. none. i would always throw everything away a month after i would finish. i would just decide it wasnt good enough and that i didnt like it. maybe ill work in a different medium today.

i just dont know what to do when this happens. i wonder if anyone can relate. most artists i know have kept everything they have not sold literally since highschool art. what is that? who does that? whay cant i?

well ill post it anyway my new experiment the smart series. its a series of prints on retired text books and ephemera. this is pythagorean the bird in his smarty pants crown. he was printed on a geometry book page and stitched to a larger watercolor sheet for framing. i do love the zig zag stitching the machine puts the neatest little holes in the paper all nice and evenly spaced apart. appealing to my OCD eyes. my tendencies toward graphic design hinder my art. i have trouble being free with it. im too machined and graphic. well back to the drawing board

                        

I wanted to apologize for my absence. It has been a busy week. I am on my vacation from work, and trying to keep busy every hour of the day. I struggle many times. I went through a very strong creative phase in my life from 1996- 1999. (College Years). Starting in 1999 I hit somewhat of a dry spell for creativity. If I had to guess I would say it is (mostly due to some traumatic events in my life that made me begin to question who I was)  Anywhoo.

It is just now that I feel the juices starting to flow again...Just getting started, I have a very long way to go. I am out of practice and need to start attending some local drawing classes. I'm looking forward to the journey. Hence The Snowflake's Journey.

So I have been working on a few new things. One print that I have carved 3 times over before coming up with a composition that I am pleased with. I am always surprised when the print comes out in reverse. It looks so different from the carving. I should sketch and plan more. Its not in my nature though. I'm one to just grab a block and sketch a few lines before carving. I usually pay for my impatience though. I have these images in my head and it takes soooooo much time to get them out. Sometimes I wish I could just plug my head into the printer and hit print.

                                                      

                                          Blue Bird signed original lino-cut

So I'm plugging away, trying to put out some work for an art and craft show in Harrisburg, Pa. Details will follow in a later post. I'm sharing a booth with my dear friend Staci, whom I have to thank again for getting me into all of this art making.

I have officially passed 15 prints sold on Etsy. I didn't think that would ever happen. But I'm excited as my business seems to grow. I enjoy packing up my little prints with a tiny notes and sending them off. I have been putting the money back into more supplies so far. I am looking into charities though. Possibly a new one each month that a dollar from every print can go to. I have a friend from school,Chandler Griffin, film and photo extrordinaire. He does a lot of work in Africa. The Arnold & Friends Fund, TAAFF (www.TAAFF.org),     an organization focusing on the needs of marginalized children around     the world.
Maybe ill make him my first ORG.

                                                   

                                                       Falling Sprig original signed lino-cut

I am also very excited about a new series I'm calling the "Smart Series"... this will be a series of my prints had printed and pulled on the pages of old retired text books. the prints will then be sewn onto larger accent sheets for proper matting and framing. The prints themselves will each relate to the book pages through subject matter or form.

I am super excited about combining stitchery with my prints. It has been something I have thought about for sometime, not knowing for sure if i can pull it  off.  Wish me luck!!!

Also still playing with photo emulsion silk screen... I'm just not sure if it is for me... It's not organic enough.

domestic vs. artistic

the past 2 days have been difficult for me creatively. im not sure why this happens sometimes. it simply does. sometimes im in a much more domestic mode. cooking and cleaning finding comfort in my humble abode.

i wish my computer was wireless. i think being creative outside of my home would be a benefit at times. taking me out of domestic mode. but i love my trusty mac. wireless or not.

3 more days of work and i have 6 days of vacation time. i hope to use this time to really put out some work. i am preparing for 2 art and craft festivals coming up...(too soon.) its also my sweetie's birthday. 30, i cant believe him and i will be thirty this year. i dont think either of us is where we thought we would be at thirty. though i suppose not many people are. however,i am excited about my recent decision to be an artist when i grow up. even though its scary at times. i think to myself what the heck was i waiting for.

sometimes i think we are very much influenced by our surroundings. people and things. i have recently redone my creative space here at home and i find its more conducive to creativity. but also a good friend of mine staci  has been a huge help in spurring my creative juices just by talking about process and getting together to try new projects.

speaking of new projects i have a new favorite magazine (craft)  go out and get it folks crazy good stuff. more on the indy side of crafting but very cool.

When I Grow Up

i have come to to conclusion that everyone should work in the restaurant industry at some point in their lives. just not as long as i have. it changes who you are. for me in some ways good. but also many ways bad. i started in the industry over 12 years ago and each year losing more and more of my vision of who i wanted to be & instead settling with who i was becoming. there is definitely something to say about acceptance of a situation. we all need that sometimes. sometimes thats what we need to make our changes. i grow very sad and depressed though when i think of myself and all of the talented artists i work with who want nothing more than to do what they love. (which is not serving a prefect medium rare steak up on a platter to some guy who has more money than you. which in his mind equates the fact that his worthiness on this earth ranks much higher than yours) talk about delusion.

well guess what everyone. i have decided we can do what ever we want. we just have to choose to do so. there is something very empowering in the thought that we can  really really really be whomever we want to be. yes i know some of us seem bound by finance or family. but  really ? just excuses. you and i can do what ever we want. i have also decided that its never too late. not 30, 40, 50, never. change requires sacrifice and hard work.& most of all discipline. happiness requires presence even during your sacrifice hard work and discipline...(and about that steak guy)...gosh darn it...Dr Wayne Dyer would say:
                                "Learn to live free of the good opinion of other people"

well back to the intended topic art process and creativity. today im mailing a blossom print to Florida. then starting a new carving. of some stylistic retro looking wild flowers. on linoleum. i cant wait to get the proper wood carving tools to start some wood pieces. i guess the practice on linoleum is good. i think wood can be somewhat uncontrollable at times. i think as an artist you need to be flexible. not my strong point as im coming from a graphic design background. and i dont think i have found a style yet. its hard with so many outside influences and inspirations to really find your own. anyway i should get a few hours of that in. and then its off to the daily grind of hospitality once again.

good luck being who you want to be today everyone. and remember change is slow.
 

In The Beginning

                               

                                    
in the beginning. well this is something very new for me. im not one to journal. but i have felt an overwhelming need lately to reach out to others. and join in on some sort of creative community. this is a blog. in it contains my artistic musings. photos. prints. and everyday encounters as i embark on a journey known as the creative process.

in this blog you will notice little attention is paid to spelling. caps or punctuation of any kind as i like to write in a rhythm separated only by dots.

i have recently joined an on-line creative community in selling my art. www.sweetanniejeanne.etsy.com  this is also a very new experience for me as i have never imagined myself creating art that people want to buy. keep. or cherish

                                 

blossom print inspired by japanese soup bowls (2 color linocut on japanese rice paper)

 

it dumbfounds me each time i sell a piece and come closer to a dream i have had since a child of becoming a self sustaining artist. though i have a long way to go. sometimes the journey is more important than the destination.

i suppose that is it for blog #1. since i have no idea how to do this yet. im sure this page will be a mess till i learn the ins and outs of links. photos. postings and what not.

so long for now and stop back soon.