Art and Success Ramblings

One of the biggest things I struggle with is being "enough." This is particularly poinient in my art practice because it is very easy to want to scramble: to sell art, to sell jewelry, to submit work to shows, to go to residencies, to be productive. It is easy for me to make my successes define who I am. Unfortunately when I let those things define who I am, my glowing feelings that come out of that struggle for sucess's sake last about 1.34 seconds before I feel defeated and empty. It's not the success that's the problem. Selling art, showing, etc.-- those things are not a problem, they're part of being a professional artist. It's the struggling to achieve those things soley for the purpose of feeling sucessful. Success is important, but it will come naturally from going with my own flow in life. If I am disconnected with my natural flow I inevitably feel un-grounded and like I've been working for "the man" rather than for real experience and depth. I want my work to be about those things- real experience, personal evolution and depth- so in order for this to happen, I need to live what I want to make.

Connective Issue

OK, I know my dad's Mac should work just like ours... but it doesn't seem to so no photo today. Sorry!! I have such good imagery news to share with you, too! What a shame. I had the most lucky day!!

First of all, I'm finally over a horrid virus both Mikel and I got this week. Ick! Who gets sick in July? Due to the regeneration of normal strength and lack of exhaustion, I got the chance to go see UP at the theater (I love matinees!!) and it was so great. It was part of our wedding vows to go on many adventures together so it's a very meaningful movie to me. It made me think about kinds of adventures. I love the part when the boys says, "It's the boring stuff I remember best."

Anyway, here's the lucky part of my day: before the movie, I went to get some tea at my new favorite cafe in Montpelier when I realized there was a guy at a table furiously writing in a notebook. I thought be must be an artist or writer. Then I saw him taping the small pages to the wall of the cafe under some paintings. I got up to see what the paintings were and realized I recognized his work but I couldn't remember from where. I'm so glad I asked him because it turns out he is a painter I have been really excited about!! His name is David E. Kearns (here's his website: www.davidekearns.com). He lives in Vermont. I found his blog a while ago through some Vermont residency searching and was totally bummed when he stopped writing in it. I just can't believe my luck that I would be able to meet him!

I'm still not sure how to verbalize why I'm so drawn to his work, but I think it has to do with the difference in substance between different objects in his paintings. The paintings I saw today were mostly light washes and pastels, but there were some darker, stronger, richer parts that balanced out the lighter parts and didn't let them just fade away. Also, the freshness of brushstrokes is pretty sweet. Anway, he told me that he's having a show for a week in Johnson at the Vermont Studio Center Gallery so if you are interested (and in the area!) come see! Sorry I can't post any photos on here. His website is cool, though!

Two cool things I learned this week:
1. We have energy black holes in our bodies.
2. The largest amount of mass in our bodies is made up of connective tissue.

Time to figure out this photo business... Goodnight!

Hello from Maine

Yet another detail of sculpture...  I know it's getting old but I don't like posting without something to look at.  I'm on the road, currently in Portland, Maine, recently in the Midwest, soon to be in Vermont and then... Brooklyn, NYC!  Mikel got a rockin'  job (soon to be revealed to you all, but not yet!) so he will move down there next week.  I will be in Vermont until the end of August, setting up my show at Firehouse Gallery, doing Bikram and getting down and dirty here in Blog Land, in Etsy Land and Craft Land.  I also hope to be seeing lots of movies, (including the much anticipated magical one coming out this month) picking blackberries, sewing and reading.

By the way, in case you have noticed, my homepage (www.oknosleeping.com) is down due to various reorganizations of minds, funds, planets and dining room tables.  It is truly a time of post-molting, pre-phoenix-like-resurrection.  I'm not the phoenix, my life is.  I think the phoenix is keeping me as a pet... or maybe I'm keeping him as my keeper?  Anyway, stay tuned for some seriously good fun starting next week.

Oh, a book recommendation to anyone interested in yoga and psychology:

Yoga and the Quest for the True Self by Stephen Cope.  Don't be deterred by the New Age-y title.  It's "legit" as the kids say.  I don't know exactly who the kids are, but whoever they are, they say it.

Mini studio tip:

Take a walk.  Pick up various discarded, misunderstood treasures (you'll know when you see them-- plastic bits, metal pieces, sticks...) and bring them home for a little hot glue lovin'.  Glitter, paint, other treasures are totally invited.  This craft extravaganza could come in the form of making a trophy for trash-collecting, a shrine for all the lost souls of treasure, or a gift for your aunt.  If you have never used hot glue, beware of how addicting it is.