Artful Musings

Okay, so it’s once again time to observe that long held tradition of setting (and eventually breaking) New Year’s resolutions. There’s nothing like a new year and in this case a new decade to make millions of people stop, take stock and set some goals. I am no stranger to the resolution racket. I’ve made them all: exercise more, get a new job, lose weight, find a boyfriend, you name it, I’ve probably sworn to achieve it in the new year.

So why do we feel compelled to make (and break) these grand resolutions? In thinking about it, I decided to ask a few friends (via Twitter and Facebook). Here are a few common (and sometimes colorful) responses…

“Cause I can’t accept the fact that I’m unable to change.”

“I don’t make ‘em. If I did, I would probably make them on my birthday, not the new year. New Year’s is so arbitrary somehow.”

“Because I’m a masochist. Because sometimes I surprise myself and get them done. Because I love lists.”

“To break them. lol.”

“I don’t make them. I know my habits are stronger than I am.”

Ryan Mitofsky says in his post (http://bit.ly/8D3SVJ): “We reminisce over the year that has passed and our thoughts wander to what we could have done better. The “if only” statements flood the actual memories that we hold onto and the thought of change permeates our desires.” He further states, “In creating these arbitrary goals with no significance behind them there is no fuel to feed the fire of change.”

All this “make life better”, “let’s walk down a 365-day long memory lane” and “it’s a new year, time for a new beginning” aside, what if we made (and kept) silly, even nonsensical resolutions? Enter two of my favorite online mentors: @Mashable and @unmarketing. About an hour ago a blog post appeared on Mashable.com titled “A Boon to the Indecisive: A New Year’s Resolution Generator”. A short blog post for, yep, you guessed it the indecisive (not to mention the Internet-addicted).

My 1st 2010 resolution!

Of course I had to click on the bright yellow box that promised to hold the key to a complete overhaul of my life in 2010. My first New Year’s resolution: Get Jiggy Wit It.

No offense, Mr. Will Smith, but somehow I’d hoped for something a wee bit more “substantial”. I wasn’t expecting “solve world hunger” or “create world peace” or “provide healthcare for all Americans”. I’m not deluded, at least not THAT deluded. Alas, it seems the indecisive can’t be choosers. Here’s hoping 2010 is a fulfillment of your dreams, but in case it’s not, just for fun, you should give the 2010 New Year’s Resolution Generator a spin (or 2)! Happy New Year!

I know, I know. I promise to be a better blogger and then a month or two will go by without a word from me. I have the very best of intentions, especially as I write a post or add something to the site but then life creeps in, okay sometimes it blows in like a tornado. As I sit in my studio, typing on my laptop with the sound of the Seahawks vs Bears game in the background I find that I love many things: kittens, best friends, making art, meeting with friends, playing Mafia Wars on Facebook…the list goes on and on.

Do I “love” blogging? I think the simple answer is no. I’m not used to anyone (besides by best friend, Dabby) much caring about the thoughts that roll around in my head. Perhaps if I were younger I would feel differently, but each time I post I find myself asking the following questions. 1) “Did you offend anyone with this post?” and 2) “Who is going to care about what you’ve written?” I think this is why I haven’t publicized my blog. That isn’t to say it’s stopped me from blogging. I just don’t do it on a regular basis. Enough about my blogging angst let’s talk about something fun: Art & Soul!

I am SO excited to be teaching at Art & Soul Retreat. No only do I get to teach with my dear friend Stephanie I get to reconnect with friends from across the country. If you’re attending Art & Soul, please make a point to stop by our table at vendor night and say “hi”! I can’t wait to reconnect with old friends and make some great new ones as well! There are still classes available. If you live in the Pacific NW, I encourage you to check it out! Until next time (and we both know there’s no telling how long that will be) have fun and laugh often!

So, when I built this web site my intention was to keep my personal/art life separate from my working life. This site was to be for art/teaching and personal events (vacations, adorable pictures of my best friend’s kittens, you know the important stuff). My situation has changed the landscape of what I thought I wanted to do with this site. While it will still be primarily about art, teaching and personal stuff, there are so many exciting things going on in my professional life that I want to share. So, I’m breaking my “rules” and this is my first career-related post.

A few weeks ago (Memorial Day night to be exact) my best friend was surfing the web and sent me a link to a web site, ProLango, which is a behavorial coaching firm run by Paul Anderson. Paul has an interesting history (having worked at both Expedia and Microsoft) and his manner and style are open and infectious. Anyway, Paul was offering a series of free 1-hour seminars on “getting a job” in today’s market. My best friend thought I should attend one and even though I was feeling down I decided to attend.

It was a great thing I did because I left that seminar feeling energized about my search and armed with a tree-top level of new information and techniques. I’ve since enrolled in Paul’s 12-week Career Bootcamp. While not free, Paul has significantly reduced the cost of the bootcamp and I feel the rewards are well worth what I paid. In addition to meeting with Paul as a group for 1++ hours each week, bootcampers also attend three 5-hour seminars (Career 2.0, Resume 2.0, and Interviewing 2.0). Paul starts a new bootcamp every 12 weeks or so and I believe he limits the number of campers in each for a beneficial “leader to student” ratio.

As part of bootcamp we have to commit to being one of the following each week (and we can’t “go back” to an easier level once we’ve committed to a higher one): Minimalist (connect with 5 friends/former colleagues), Standard (5 strategic connections w/strangers), or Superstar (10 strategic connections w/strangers). This is how we build and refine our network and having a strong network is how we move forward in our career. Right now I’m a standard. Networking is not my favorite thing but I have the proof of its value so I’m out there connecting. It’s been good for me; to get out of the house, meet new people, and find ways make meaningful connections.

I encourage you to check out one of the free seminars if you live in metro Seattle. Paul is able to offer these seminars free of charge thanks to his partnership with thinkspace, a “virtual office” provider in Redmond. To learn more about the suite of services offered by thinkspace, visit them at: thinkspace.

Online regirtration for the fall Art & Soul retreat in Portland opened on Sunday, March 15th. The retreat runs September 30th through October 5th. There are hundreds of workshops that span the entire spectrum of art and craft.

To learn more, visit Art & Soul Retreat and select Portland workshops. Our class, Little Shop of Memories, is sure to be a fun day of creativity, learning, and sharing. We hope you’ll join us!

If you have any questions about our class, please e-mail us.

Rainey plays with her younger sister, Emma.

The last pictures posted of Rainey and Emma are from around Christmastime. My oh my, how fast they grow up. Both Rainey and Emma are getting longer and filling out nicely. They are both going through personality changes though Rainey is still a cougar and Emma a cuddlebug.

Dabby told me today that Emma can now jump from the floor to the top of Kerri’s desk – a feat she enjoyed performing last evening while Dabby was trying to get to sleep! Both kittens seem to have settled into the household and both enjoy being carried around the house like princesses – what will we do when they are full grown…

Paper or plastic: Emma's choice is obvious!

At long last, the classes for the Portland retreat were posted at Art & Soul Retreat on Sunday. There are wonderful classes available representing many different mediums and skill levels. Instructors include: Louise Duhamel, Stephanie Lee, Michael deMeng, Richard Salley, Jane Wynn, Helga Strauss, Lisa Kaus, and Dj Pettitt.

Our class, Little Shop of Memories, is a both a technique and methodology class. Students will learn techniques (wood preparation, painting, adhesive, and crackle techniques) and overall project methodology (at least the unique way we approach design). To view additional sample photos, please visit the Little Shop of Memories gallery.

Class sign-up begins on March 15th.

So, life’s been going on, but I’ve been slacking on my blogging duties. It’s not 2nd nature to me, getting on the Internet and writing about me and the goings-on in my life. This is partly because I’m a private person and partly because I haven’t made blogging a habit. I’m going to try to correct the latter, there is no hope of changing the former.

The view from the beach-access park near the house.

I kitty-sat for my good friends (sisters) Gigi and Claire over New Year’s. They rent a very lovely home on Bainbridge Island (a 35-minute ferry ride West of Seattle). It was fun being over there, as I said the home is lovely and it’s nice and quite. I cared for their two princes, Enzo and Sandy. Both cute Persians who are spoiled rotten by their mama Gigi. Sandy eats his food (actual baby food in the evening) from a spoon! Yes, I fed a kitty from a tablespoon.

Enzo is a lovebug who loves to snuggle up next to your head at night. Several nights I would wake up with his cheek pressed up next to mine. What woke me? Enzo snores, which I can’t complain about since I snore too!

Here are a few pictures from this visit…

Ferry coming over from Seattle.

Enzo rests up in the den one evening...

That old saying, if one kitten is fun surely two is even better, brings another bundle of joy into our lives. My best friend, Dabby is such a considerate mother and as Rainey got settled it became clear that she needed a playmate. While Gizmo (aka the vile one) is another cat, she is in no humor to put up with kitten shenanigans.

Emma's first official photo!

Rainey needed someone closer to her own age…enter Emma. Dabby and I made a visit to the King County Humane Society in Bellevue on December 12th. Dabby had seen a kitten, Poo Bear who was an adorable 3 month old bundle. Of course he was gone, adopted by some other loving family. While several kittens did their best to convince Dabby that they should go home with her, she wasn’t drawn to any of them.

Girls just wanna have fun!

All seemed lost (the KCHS told us that they would likely not have any more kittens for several months)…enter a vet in West Seattle.

Dabby went to check this place out on Saturday (the only day they performed adoptions) and got chosen. Emma latched onto Dabby body and spirit. She’s wormed her way into all of our hearts, including her big sister, Rainey. Here are a few pictures of the little cuddle bug…

Winter wonderland...

It does not often snow in the metro Seattle area. Sure Mts Baker and Rainier are snow covered in July, but that’s a fact of elevation, not of the typical weather in Seattle. As you might imagine, a geographic region with little annual snowfall will nearly always choose to invest in equipment other than snow plows and road sanders. That’s not to say the metro area doesn’t have these things, just not in large quantities.

So, when it does snow two things happen. One, it takes the WSDOT a bit of time to mobilize and two, people who don’t usually drive in snow and ice are suddenly thrust into the deep end (so to speak).

A view of the distant Cascade mountains and a tower crane.

Having grown up in the Midwest where snow and ice are just part of the daily routine, I know enough to stay off the roads. No heroic, white-knuckled attempts to make it to work and no raiding the grocery store for all the canned milk and bottled water my car can hold.

Case in point, Wednesday evening. We all went to bed in a dry, sane world and awoke to a “blizzard”. I say blizzard lightly because the worst hit neighborhood (mine) received 6″. I know anyone from Michigan or upstate New York is laughing themselves onto the floor right now, but remember, other than skiing, Seattleites don’t know snow.

Another view out Dabby's window....

What I realized is that I miss snow. Not enough to move home or to Michigan or upstate NY, but enough to admit that visually it makes things lovely – trees, yards, porches, roads (at least until they plow). Coming just before Christmas, is very Rockwellean.

So, for your viewing pleasure, I submit a few photos off my best friend’s back porch, which has a lovely view of downtown Redmond and the Cascades.

2009 Art & Soul Theme

Cottage Craft Productions announced the instructors for Art & Soul in Portland. I am thrilled that my good friend, Stephanie Rojas, and I will be teaching at this event again (for the first time since 2005). We are thrilled to be a part of Art & Soul along with a stellar lineup of nationally recognized instructors that includes: Stephanie Lee, Michael deMeng, Daniel Essig, Helga Strauss, and Louise Duhamel just to name a few.

Additional details of our class, Little Shop of Memories, will be forthcoming soon.

Art & Soul began in 2003 with one retreat held in Portland, OR. Today retreats are held annually in Portland, Hampton, VA, Asilomar, CA, and other destinations. To learn more about Art & Soul, visit www.artandsoulretreat.com.