Happy New Year!

Last week, I talked about choosing a theme for your creativity in 2011 and I LOVED-LOVED-LOVED all the theme ideas that everyone shared in the comments. So smart, thoughtful, and inspiring.

If you haven’t seen them and are still looking for the perfect theme for yourself, I invite you to please take a look. You might find the perfect idea from someone else’s comment.

My theme for this year is Persistence and I think my tagline is going to be Collaborate (I’m still “honing”).

Now I want to help make it real by creating a vision board or a mind map based on my theme. Will you join me?

This can involve cutting out lots of different images from magazines that relate to your theme, but if that feels too complicated or you can’t find the right images, feel free to just get yourself lots of magic markers and let yourself doodle your way to a fun and inspiring vision board.

Here’s a mind-mapp-y visiony thing I made last year when I my theme was Break Through and my tagline was Have Faith.

I used a giant piece of paper and it took up a huge chunk of wall which I totally recommend if you have the space because it really helps make your theme a priority in your life.

The process of creating a visual expression of your theme helps you develop your ideas about what it means for you and transforms an abstraction into something more concrete. Simple imagery and symbols are a POWERFUL way to help your subconscious really internalize your theme’s message.

For instance, persistence could be expressed by an image of a river.

If I use that as my hook, I could keep exploring that angle by using blue and green markers to doodle up some rushing water swirls and shapes while also expanding on the river idea with more water images that feel persistent–maybe a gorgeous and powerful waterfall, or a picture of a mossy rock softened by a slow imperceptible drip. My tagline, Collaborate, could be expressed by images of symbiotic relationships in nature or even straightforward photos of hands or people working together.

I know all this might sound corny, but it works because our brains respond strongly to symbolism–and the more personal, the better. Remember, it doesn’t have to make sense to anyone except you!

Another Cool Way to Start Your Year Right

The lovely and smart Jennifer Hofmann from Inspired Home Office, (a very cool organizing business for us right-brain-y types) has a super cool program for starting your January off in a very supportive, un-January type way, and I wanted to tell you all about it because I’m thrilled to be involved.

She’s created a month long series of classes and programs called “A Call to Nourish“. And as part of that awesome call for sanity and self-care, I’ll be teaching a Creative Breakthroughs Collage Tele-class, and I’m so excited.

It’s truly an inspiring month of great programs run by very cool roster of powerful and creative women.

This program also includes the chance to participate in 4 of Jennifer’s Office Spa Days which are a fantastic way to get your studio or craft room organized in a sustainable fashion that makes sense to you…I’m planning on attending at least one myself–and as I look around at the chaos I call my studio, maybe make that two…

She’s offering it all at an insanely good price, so please check it out here, and if it feels right, sign yourself up for some sanity and self-care.

Your Turn

How’s your new year starting off?

Do you think you might create a vision board using your theme as your guide? Are you still trying to catch your breath from the holidays? Are you ready to organize your studio or make a date with your creativity by taking a Creative Breakthroughs Collage Class?

Please leave a comment, I’d love to hear from you!

Playing it safe, doing what you know, or simply not making anything at all–just to really seal the deal.

The thing is, do you really know when you’ve made something “bad?”

Perhaps it would be more accurate to say that what you made didn’t meet your expectations.

And perhaps it’s those expectations that need re-examining.

Are they accurate? Fair? Helpful?

Do they leave room for experimenting? Practice? Being a beginner?

What are you asking of this one moment in time? Of this particular object or artwork?

I personally have had family members retrieve work out of my garbage pile that is hanging on their walls right now–work I now actually like myself.

Things I thought were bad because they didn’t meet my expectations.

When we stop and consider what our expectations are, we become aware of their actual existence, and that can be an eye-opener.

Because usually they’re harsh and unforgiving. And usually, we mistake them for reality–for the nature of things–like the air we breathe.

And when you experience your expectations as the nature of things instead of thoughts, you’re stuck with the unhappiness they cause.

But they’re just thoughts. And while they might be compelling, they’re only permanent as long as you remain hypnotized by their stories.

This is a huge relief. Because even if you’re not sure yet how to let go of these harsh expectations, how to stop believing their lies, once you realize they aren’t the truth, they’re no longer quite so in charge as before.

Not that it’s easy. Lord knows.

And certainly, throughout it all, we all want to make work that we care about, feel proud of, think is “good.” That’s natural.

And I know that as long as I continue to make things, I’ll continue to think some of them are “bad” and you know, some of them will be.

I just won’t always be right about which ones. And neither will you.

And, just as important to realize, it works the other way too.

Something you love right now may not do it for you in the long run–may not have the staying power you…..expected.

Which almost makes it funny, really. How perverse our expectations are. How unimportant and relative. How little they have to do with our creative essence.

They simply don’t deserve the serious attention we give them.

What’s in a Name?

This summer I’ve been creating how-to videos for my 3 holiday ornament kits and I’m almost done with my latest here on the left.

(I know the holidays seem far away, but people who make their gifts need more time to plan them and get them done than people who buy their gifts.)

I love this ornament and always call it the Faberge Egg Ornament Kit in my head, but I just realized that I can’t actually name it that because well, Faberge is taken.

However, I can’t get that one out of my head, and all the new names I’ve come up with so far….stink.

This is a problem because I need to finish the how-to video by like, yesterday, and it needs a name for me to finish it.

This is where you come in.

Naming Contest!

I’m having one. Starting right now!

I’m so excited, I’ve never held a contest before.

The winner gets a single-color 3 ornament kit as the prize. (That’s a $47.00 value!)

(Or, if you like my Glitter Decoupage Kit better, you can choose one of those instead.)

All you have to do think up a fabulous name or three and leave me a comment telling me your suggestion(s).

(Or, if you’re shy about leaving comments, you can shoot me an email.)

Because I need to get this how-to video done already, the contest will only last for one week.

All suggestions must be submitted by Thursday, September 9th by 5pm!

I can’t wait to see your ideas!

P.S. I realize I wasn’t very clear–I don’ actually want to use the word “egg”  in the name here–the reason I thought of Faberge Eggs initially was  just that they are all glammed up and glittery and I made them to look like they could open which reminded me of Faberge Eggs. I was more taken with the word Faberge.

Except they don’t quite yet, because I’m still not that good at it.

So this first frame will require lots of sanding along with some wood filler to compensate as I learn to use the tools better.

But that’s what it’s all about right? You can’t expect the first one, two, three of anything you make to be perfect.

(Although I did think buying the right power tools, like a miter saw, would eliminate some problems. Turns out that it doesn’t preclude actually being good at using the tool itself. Oh, that.)

And, as is true with art supplies, I’ve been wondering how much easier it would be and how much better it might look if I were using top-of-the-line equipment instead of the cheapest ones I could find.)

And, as is true with art supplies, I’m thinking…hmm, probably a lot.

But, as is true with art supplies, sometimes you just have to buy what you can afford and make what you want to make anyway. So that’s what I’m doing.

And it’s good. I like learning new things and I like that it requires that I pay attention in new ways.

And we worked in short (20 minute-ish) chunks which made the discomfort of not-knowing-what-I’m-doing easier.

Self-Appreciations

(If you want to find time to nurture your creative soul by making things, it helps a lot to honor the process. To respect everything you ARE doing about making that happen because it’s so easy to discount your efforts or not notice them, which, well, doesn’t help your creativity at all.)

Appreciating yourself is an important part of the weekly 20 Minute Club Minutes.

Here’s mine for this week:

1. I really really appreciate that I allowed myself some much needed time off last week, along with injections of fun and frivolity. My productivity shot up as a result. (Note to self: Inject more fun and frivolity on a regular basis and justify with reminders of productivity improvement.)
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2. I appreciate that I honored my thinking/ruminating process as legitimate work for my business, even though it’s invisible and sometimes involves lying on the bed. Good ideas fulminated as a result.
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3. I appreciate that I worked through the discomfort of making these frames when most of the time I didn’t know what I was doing. (I also really appreciate my husband’s wonderful help and optimistic inventiveness as we soldiered along.)
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4. I appreciate how much I learn by continuing to engage with pieces that I’m pretty convinced are only “okay” and might never be “good”…but by resolving them, I learn so much artistically.
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5. I appreciate every time that I’m patient with myself, including be patient that I still get impatient so often.

Your Turn

Can’t wait to hear about your creative week or to read your self appreciations. And don’t forget–it’s all good to share, even the frustrations or when you’re still searching for ways of making that 20 Minutes happen.

And I’ve got lots of ideas for how to do that–so break out your calendar, we’ve got some planning to do!

Come Have a Creative Breakthrough or Three

Friday, March 19th, is the last day to sign up for my March 26th Creative Breakthroughs Collage Workshop at the fabulous early bird price. So please, if you’re thinking about coming, make sure to sign up this week so you benefit from the special discount. (And if you bring a friend, the deal is even better!)

Watch the video and get all the details here.

The Chrysalis Project

I’ve also started another group to complement The Creative Breakthroughs Workshop which I’m super excited about.

I’m calling it The Chrysalis Project and it’s a great chance to make huge headway on your creative dreams and goals by receiving one-on-one coaching–centered on your creativity–in an intimate, 6-8 person creative mastermind group.

The first session is Sunday, April 18th. Read all about it here.

Right now I’m offering these workshops from my studio, but if you live outside of the NYC Metro area, no worries–online versions of both are on the way!(I’m so excited about this, I can’t even tell you..)

If you do live in the NYC Metro area, please join my new NJ/NY Creative Breakthroughs meetup to sign up, stay updated and make friends with other arty people all seeking Creative Breakthroughs as well. So far it’s an incredibly interesting and varied group of people who’ve joined. (And my easy-going Intro Meetup is tomorrow night–not too late to sign up!)

A Show–I’m Having One!

Yes, I’m having a show of my digital collages on glass at the incredibly hip, incredibly cute Made With Love Artisan Bakery & Cafe in Jersey City.

The opening is Saturday, April 3rd from 6-8pm and YOU are cordially invited.

There will be lots of yummy organic baked treats both savory and sweet, and Charles Ramsey, a wonderful classical guitarist, will be playing as well.

Here’s a video of him playing. Wow, right?

And if you’re wondering, the parking is quite reasonable and it’s easily accessible by bus or Path train (Grove Street Stop). (If you want better directions, just send me an email and I’ll get you the details!)

I would LOVE to see you there!

In the Meantime, the Big Print Giveth

And the small print taketh away. Which is my way (well Tom Waits‘ way) of saying I’ve got to get back to the madness of sorting out my taxes.

Gah! I’ve done nothing but sweat over my bookkeeping and receipts for the last two days, but I must confess that I’ve actually had an organizational epiphany or two about how I could make this less painful next year. Who’d a thunk it? My time management guru Cairene would be so proud.

How are your taxes going? Are you done yet? Any advice for your fellow arty types who dread this kind of thing?

And remember, if you need a break from the ugliness of taxes and accounting, please come to my opening on April 3rd, and/or support your creativity by signing up  for the March 26th Creative Breakthroughs Collage Workshop by this Friday, March 19th to get the early bird pricing.

I hope to see you there!

Yes! The Telecrafting Teleseminar is next Wednesday, Dec. 16th  at 4pm. Whoa–time flies–Christmas is just around the corner! What does that mean for you?

It means that if you’d like to make a gift or two this year, and you’d like some support in the way of carving out a structured time to get it done, then you’ll need to order a Glitter Decoupage Ornament kit soon soon soon, now (ish), so I can assemble it, pack it and ship it out so you get it in time for our Dec. 16th rendezvous. I’m excited.

So, if you want to participate in the free conference call, you’ll need to order by this Saturday morning EST at the very very latest.

(Of course, you can always order the kits right up til Christmas day and make them whenever you’d like.)

Everything gets sent out priority mail, so if you live on the West Coast and you’d like to join in on the call, it might be better to order today, so I can get it out to you by Friday.

Testimonials

If you’re still on the fence, click here to read a couple-three testimonials from happy ornament kit crafters. I’ve gotten the nicest emails and Facebook & Twitter feedback–everyone seems to be having a really good time.

If you have any questions, btw, that you need answered before you can buy, feel free to contact me and I’ll get back to you asap.

Other Fun Stuff

Cool Drawing Warm Up/Loosening Up Exercise

I stumbled across this wonderful “artist warm up exercise” on Instructables.com and wanted to share. I think I’m going try this one out myself–it looks fun and is a great way to get jumpstarted. Click here to view.

“Creature Scarf” for a Kooky Kid in Your Life

The crazy scarf looked so fun and could be good for either girls or boys. If you’re not a super experienced sewer, it seems to me like you could use velcro instead of a button, but maybe all the crazy hairiness would get stuck on the velcro bit…I don’t know, check it out and see what you think. Cute and fun. Click here to view.

Sewing Tidbits in Your Future

When the weather gets cold, I always get in the mood to sew. And sewn items make great gifts.

If you’ve been thinking you’d like to sew up some zippered pouches for the holidays (to save money, reduce your stash and give something handmade and wonderful), I’m working on a good explanation for making them easily. There’s actually a very good explanation online that another sewer made that I want to share, but I’m trying to foolproof the technique a little bit to help everyone have maximum success. I hope to have that info up next week.

In the meantime, check out my pep talk and accompanying how-to video on threading your sewing machine.

In fact, if you love to sew, or would love to get better, consider joining the site/forum patternreview.com. I’m more of a “lurker” there rather than an active participant, but I love getting the discounts on patterns (with way more choices than the Big 3), have taken online classes with some great teachers (Shannon Gifford teaches there, and is an excellent sewing teacher–so generous with her time), and receive an email every day filled with pattern reviews from other sewers.

These reviews are a great way to learn about good/bad patterns, see how different people make the same pattern, and learn tons of nifty tips and tricks as people share great zipper insertion techniques, waistband workarounds, and more. It’s a big community of sewers ranging from raw beginners to seriously advanced experts. Check it out here:  http://patternreview.com

That’s It!

Have a great weekend and don’t forget to order up your Glitter Decoupage Ornament kits–Christmas is just around the corner!

Are you making any gifts this year? Please share in the comments–I’d love to hear!

I thought I’d continue to explore the nuances and perils of getting feedback (and the different ways it can manifest) because it brings up a lot of complicated feelings that can undermine our ability to protect ourselves in order to keep creating without getting discouraged.

(Or start creating again when it’s been a long time since we’d made anything.)

So today’s post is about the difficulty of getting unpleasant feedback from our families and loved ones, feeling unsupported, and what we might be able to do about that.

Feeling Exposed

The tricky thing about making anything visual is that your work process itself is visible to the people around you (as opposed to writing, for instance, where you can close your notebook or shut off your computer).

Making visual art or crafts requires you to work “publicly” and to leave on-going projects out in the open either because they have to dry or because it’s rare that you’ll finish something in one sitting.

Putting any work-in-progress away is never useful anyway, as it’s extremely helpful to walk by it, to see it in different light at various times of day, to be thinking of something else and then see it suddenly with fresh eyes as you round the corner or come in the door.

And again, this means that as you’re working, your work-in-progess (and all your trying) is exposed to everyone else’s eyes around you as well.  And their comments. Or the lack thereof.

The Tricky Part

So we can’t always always protect our work from everyone around us or just show it to the people who understand it.

And it can feel more complicated or extra hurtful if some of these people who don’t appreciate our work are really close to us.

Should we start thinking we’re not properly loved if our families don’t “get” our artwork or our artistic side, even when it feels like such an essential part of who we are?

Your family can love you to pieces and still not give you positive feedback or provide the best support for your creative pursuits. And you can feel hurt and offended. And yet, they’re your family, sharing your space, witnessing your efforts, all the while loving you the way they love you. It can feel complicated, or like the perfect-loving-supportive-family story line isn’t playing out the way it should.

A Little Story

My mother was an artist and my father was a football coach–talk about different sensibilities.

So while my dad thinks my mom is enormously talented, he certainly never had any idea what to say about her artwork except maybe “Wow”, or to offer occasional bad puns as title suggestions for her abstract paintings that he thought were fun and entertaining responses to her work. And when we were little kids, we did too. (Eight-year-olds think my dad is hilarious.)

That must have been super fun for her.

Did it mean he didn’t love her? No. Could he have tried harder? Maybe. Does he understand every part of her? No. Does your partner understand every part of you? (And while we’re at it, do you understand every part of him/her?)

I know I didn’t marry a mirror that reflects back everything I think/believe/feel (thank goodness), so sometimes it means that he’s also not the best person to ask about my artwork/creative pursuits. Sometimes my husband gives me super positive feedback, sometimes he gives me feedback that’s right but hard to hear, and sometimes I feel completely misunderstood. Ah, humanity.

If one person/one family unit could provide everything you need, why have friends?

What’s Going On

I think when we’re feeling very tender about our creativity, art-making, or talent, we really really want to be unconditionally believed in, understood and supported in perhaps all-encompassing ways by our partners/families and can feel disappointed when they don’t deliver.

I think what’s happening in those moments, is that we want them to give us what we can’t/won’t/don’t know how to give ourselves.

In this on-going process of creating our artwork (or of getting started again) it would be so enormously helpful to be on our own side, rooting for ourselves when we take creative risks, and forgiving ourselves for making things that don’t live up to our expectations. Honoring the process when we make things that are “bad” or when we plan on making things but don’t follow through the way we imagined.

Instead we’re usually relentlessly hard on ourselves. But meanwhile, we’re still looking for that assurance, that unwavering belief in our abilities, the feeling of being completely understood to help us feel less vulnerable. And often we look to our families to provide it.

And sometimes they do–which is great. But it’s also true that sometimes they don’t. And then we feel bad, or get mad, or feel alienated–you know the drill.

But what if there was another way to experience this situation?

Forgiveness

What if we released our families from the obligation of “getting” our artwork, or understanding our struggle about making things, being creative, feeling artistic? What if we forgave them for not understanding this part of us? What if we stopped asking them to give us something we don’t give ourselves?

I think when we release this expectation, we end up honoring our creative process a bit more because we’re owning it, and when we own something, our boundaries are better and it’s more difficult to feel like something essential can be taken away.

This in turn may allow you to give yourself room to sit with the public evidence of your artistic struggles, your exposed desire to create something good or beautiful, or special or significant whether or not your latest effort achieved any of these things this time around. Nothing more honorable than wanting to try that.

In my experience, any shift I make like this always changes the way I communicate about it as well, and  you may find yourself sharing or discussing your artwork in new ways with your family, which in turn may create surprising changes in the way your loved ones respond to it.

An On-going Process

Now, I know none of this is easy. It’s just something to consider. No rush. But it might be worth it, especially if you feel misunderstood or not supported.

Because really, the whole goal of any of this hard work is to help ourselves find ways to nurture our own creativity, to allow ourselves to actually enjoy the process of creating because that’s what makes us feel good and most ourselves.

And the more we embrace and believe in this part of who we are anyway, the more our families and loved ones do too.

What are your thoughts? Have you struggled with feeling unsupported as you try to incorporate more creativity into your life? What do you think of this strategy?

Hmm. As someone who has made her living designing things, I thought that I’d gotten good at asking for feedback only when I’m willing to hear whatever someone has to say. (When what you make is part of a business discussion, it can get a little callous, so it helps if you learn strategies for toughening up.)

So I clearly blew it this time, which I only  realized after I got feedback I didn’t want. AND, to make matters worse, I hid my hurt and displeasure and thanked them for their comments.

Oh brother.

And then I had a fight with my husband instead. Alas.

Because he basically said, “Who cares what they think?”

Well, it turns out I did. Too much.

Mostly, I was afraid they were right, and I was afraid about the amount of work it would take to do the things they suggested (which I felt they didn’t know how to do, or they wouldn’t have suggested it so blithely).

And rather than take those criticisms with a grain of salt, I  immediately began to question all my choices about things that I had been feeling great about and that I’m good at, and that sent me reeling.

And this is when warning bells should have gone off for me. Why was I so willing to question what I’m good at because of the remarks of two relative strangers?

It turns out that when you pour your heart into something, the tender art of sharing can feel risky no matter if it’s your artwork or a business effort.

I have been “making” my business projects just as much as I “make” any artwork or craft. It was hard to have them corrected or misunderstood in what felt like an offhand way by an expert.

Of course, this is harder when you respect the opinion of the one who is criticizing.

The Tricky Art of Receiving Feedback

As people who make things, we’re all in this situation of having a bad reaction to feedback at some time or another. Sometimes just anticipating negative reactions can stop us from taking risks or sharing our work.

For instance, when your project is “unresolved” as we like to say, or simply wet or unfinished, it must sit out somewhere in the “public area” of your household so you can look at it a while to consider what’s next, or maybe just so it can dry.

But that also means that it sits there exposed for appraisal by others as well, as your husband/partner/friends/children pass by.

It can feel like you’re exposing some elemental part of yourself, anyone can see the raw “trying” or the unmasked “doing”, that you cannot fake or dress up.

And it’s a fact of life that sometimes our spouses or families won’t “get” something we make, or they may joke about it (What IS that anyway? Hey Ma, did the dog throw up?).

Or sometimes they say nothing, which can feel worse (as our inner critic fills in the imagined blanks).

Creating anything is a form of risk-taking and most people won’t do it. When we take a risk, we usually feel pretty vulnerable. If our efforts are met with criticism or indifference, it can hurt.

Lessen the Risk

One way we can lessen the risk is to not confuse ourselves with our projects.

When I make something that sucks, didn’t turn out that well,  it doesn’t mean I don’t have talent or that I’ll never make anything wonderful. I’m not my worst project, and I’m not my best either.

At the same time, we have to trust our own opinions and commit to our own vision–even when we’re still feeling our way through a new idea or technique.

It’s important to respect other people’s opinions, just not more than our own.

Getting on Your Own Side

So I’ve been on a tear the last several months learning a tremendous amount of useful business information from a variety of experts, trying to learn and adapt and absorb as quickly as I can.

And suddenly, the other day, when I got so upset, I realized that somewhere along the way, I had relinquished my sovereignty, made my own opinion too secondary, and ended up looking for too much validation outside of me.

Why? I think it was about being afraid of doing something wrong. Of trying to avoid making any mistakes.

This is akin to wanting all our artwork to be “good”. Well, it can’t be good all the time, and if we really want to grow, it definitely won’t be good sometimes.

If we look outside of ourselves too often for permission or approval, we not only make ourselves miserable, but our actions also lose their integrity.

We might be learning something new and trying to make something “good” at the same time, but we have to balance the importance of the opinions of people we respect or experts we’re learning from with what we know/believe/want for ourselves.

So really it wasn’t what the people in the business forum said that was so bad, even if it didn’t feel so skillfully delivered.

What was unnecessarily painful was that I took it to heart and decided it was truer than anything else I believed myself.  I gave it a power it didn’t deserve, so I gave it permission to hurt me. And it did.

While it isn’t easy to “be on our own side”, what’s ironic is that when we are, it makes everything else so much easier. It’s easier to make things, it’s easier to experiment and take risks, and it’s easier to hear what other people have to say whether it’s insightful, skillfully said, or not so much.

Because when we begin to commit to ourselves, we begin to honor ourselves and our own creative process as well.

So I got to re-learn that painful lesson the other day. I’m sure I’ll have to learn it again from time to time when I forget to trust myself, but hopefully, those times won’t happen as often as I continue to practice the subtle art of being on my own side.

How about you, have you had this experience? Are you afraid to make something and “fail” somehow? Afraid that the people you love and respect won’t think you’re talented? Leave a comment or send me a note, I’d love to hear.

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Don’t confuse this with actually knowing about astrology–I can never remember the significance of this house or that, but I find it completely fascinating all the same, and I love getting my weekly reading from Rob Brezny’s Free Will Astrology, because it’s always right on, and his writing is so life-affirming and expansive.

I share this little personal factoid today because I’m thinking something is terribly “retrograde” in the stars this week (for just me or you too?), and it’s only Tuesday. Ugh.

For my subscribers that got that perplexing blog post this morning–sorry about that! I was creating a new PAGE for my kits, but somehow got confused and created a POST instead, which I deleted close to INSTANTLY when I realized my mistake, but somehow Google/Feedburner saved it all and then sent it out to you. Of course they/it did.

Which is ironic because when I do want them to send things at certain times. they won’t.

And then I had a painful (for me anyway) exchange in an online business forum which felt hard and awful but I eventually realized was a great opportunity to discuss the pros and perils of asking for and getting *FEEDBACK* here in the blog, since making things and getting feedback (requested or not) go hand-in-hand. I’ll share my wisdom, confusion, thoughts on that in my next post.

There’s more, but I won’t bore you with the details. Suffice it to say that I decided if the stars are gonna go all wonky on me, two could play that game. When the going gets tough, the tough go…to galleries! So I’m going to the Met this afternoon because I always feel incredibly soothed in that temple of art and I want a big hit of something that will nourish my soul.

My soul, however, isn’t just hungry for fine art and elevated ideas–it also enjoys a good belly laugh, so I re-watched a “music” video on YouTube called Craft Talk–so funny and silly, especially for those of us who like to make crafty things.

I thought you might also need a belly laugh as well, so I’m inserting it here–click here if you’re reading this in your email and want to watch the video. (Shout out to LiseDaddy, a friend and subscriber to this blog who showed me this video in the first place!)

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If you also find the video funny, leave me a comment about your favorite lines (one of mine is “work through the pain-workin’ through the pain”), I’d love to hear!
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My first set of holiday  kits–Patchwork Glitter Decoupage Ornaments are almost done–and I’m so excited. (When I start to see glitter on my husband’s face, I know things are reaching critical mass.)

On the left is a little glimpse of what’s in store, although it’s difficult to see the glistening crystal glitter finish on top that adds the special touch–I’m hoping the effect shows up more clearly in the upcoming how-to video as I demonstrate the before and after.

It’s basically a super high quality grown up glitter that works like magic fairy dust–transforming the decoupage from “nice” to “wow” in the final step. I think you’re going to love it.

I’ve also created 4 brand new papers to choose from, designed specifically for this technique:

• Classic Christmas (red and green);
• Winter Wonderland (blue and white–in the photo);
• Fun & Funky Holidays (multi colored brights) and
• Vintage Memories (tans, pale blues and pinks).

This technique is truly all ages and all abilities–the end result is fresh and pretty, and the technique is easy and relaxing. I’ve taught it to a lot of people, so I know it works like a charm and the fact that it’s easy, pretty and affordable has always made it super popular. This is the first time I’ve ever offered it online, so I’m interested to see what papers people like the most.

It’s also a great project for a holiday party. Decorate your own tree, give as office gifts or teacher gifts, tie them onto presents, the list is endless!

This week is video making week, so stay tuned!

Overview at the End of the Evening

My Show

Many people have asked how the opening of my latest digital collage work went at Bishop’s Stock Gallery, and I realize that I never got back! So here I am, getting back.

The Eastern Shore of Maryland is pretty rural, but they have a tight knit art scene and lots of folks showed up to take a look and support the gallery. Very nice.

I answered many questions about my process and technique, and I even met a few folks who read the Make Great Stuff blog, so that was neat surprise! (Hi there!)

Ann Coates, the gallery owner, has asked me to come back in the Spring and give a workshop on something fun to get people’s creative juices flowing. I’m cooking up some ideas so if you live in the Del-Mar-Va area and are interested, please keep your eye out!

If you’d like to see more of my digital collages, click here: http://sarahbushartworks.com/

David Dunlop: Great PBS Painting Teacher

Today, as I was eating lunch, I decided to watch a little TV to accompany my tuna salad. This is quite a rare event for me to watch TV in the afternoon, but I ended up learning a lot–not what we generally expect to say after watching TV.

I tuned into a cooking show about antipasti and learned how to make a wonderful tuna and chickpea salad (I even wrote it down), and was about to skip back down to the studio when I got hooked by the show that followed–one I’d never seen called Landscapes Through Time with David Dunlop.

It just won an emmy and I have to say, if you’ve never seen it and you’re interesting in learning more about how to paint, you should give it a look-see. He’s an excellent teacher and gives a spirited art history lesson at the same time as he explains a particular landscape painting technique.

I studied a great deal of Art History back in the day, but I learned a lot in his half hour lesson on the Hudson River School and the Luminists, and I was completely engaged by his stories and explanations. I love the way he weaves the art history into his technique demonstrations because it really deepens the experience to learn the why behind the what. It’s not cheesy like a lot of TV painting shows, and he really knows his stuff. Check out his website here.

I always love to hear from you, so leave a comment and let me know what you’re thinking about or working on.

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