every-single-day

Letting My Freak Flag Fly

Woodrow Wilson may not have had my freak flag in mind when he made this statement. He may also have wanted me to use the entire quote which is:
"You are not here merely to make a living; you are here in order to enable the world to live my amply, with greater vision, with a finer spirit of hope and achievement. You are here to enrich the world, and you impoverish yourself if you forget the errand."

Just after I quit my job, I emailed my hero, Jane Dunnewold to tell her of my hopes and intentions. In her reply she sent this quote along.
So today I made a screenprint of the later part of the quote. If I had a huge screen and space to print with I may have used the entire quote. Perhaps I will create multiple screens to get it all together. We will see.
In the meantime, I have been daydreaming about making cloth in a more expansive manner than I do right now. I daydream of multiple motifs within a single piece of cloth. I can't really describe what I am thinking. The idea is just coming along.

I chaulked and painted the stretcher bars rather than duct taped this screen. I talked about wanting to do this in this post and finally got around to trying it. I Like it but I don't know how much more convienent it will be than duct tape. I will be able to tell that when I rescreen these stretcher bars.

Dilettante, NOT!! revisited.

A few days ago I posted about journals and visual journaling because of a post I saw on both Arlee's Albedo Design site and Sharon's In a Minute Ago. I loved both posts and because I am an avid art journaler, I posted to my blog about what journaling means to me. In the meantime, Arlee had been posting to an email list we all love and sometimes hate (can you guess which one?) about the same topic. She was getting some nasty emails from this list.
She asked if I would come to her defence, but I misread what she was asking of me and thought she felt as though I were flaming her. I took my old post down.
Flaming and negativity and nastiness are not OK.
As far as I am concerned enabling artistic dabbling is what networking, blogs and the internet are all about. So Thank you Arlee for sticking with me, communicating and helping me see I wasn't flaming me you.

These days my journals are highly finished and the uninitiated might be intimidated. So I wanted to show older pages so you could see the difference. My drawing skills have improved immensely.

This is an older entry in my journal, my color skills were just beginning to coalesce. My sense of style and approach was closely related to Sabrina Ward Harrison’s Spilling Open. I would even say it was somewhat derivitive.

Because I am the type person who thinks immersion in a passion is the best way to learn, I began to search out visual journalers whose work I admired. I also began to closely examine how to make what I was seeing my own. How to incorporate intrinsically what I liked best while still maintaining a distinct sense of self.
In this way, I sought out Danny Gregory's Everyday Matters. Danny draws and notates his thoughts and ideas on each page. He keeps his books for the sake of them, they are his art.
I do not. I keep my journals as inspiration. I know that if I can rely on what I have done in the pages of my journals to inspire new works in fiber. I don't always use my journals in this way but when I need them there they are.

I also love the work of John Copeland. Click on the word 'Journals' when you get over there. His output is phenominal. He taught me about transparency.

Check out Tom Judd's Everyday. Insane. I wish I had the wherewithal to draw everyday for on hour for an entire year.

But the bottom line is that it is important to keep an artist's journal. To have a record of your thoughts, ideas and wonders. You can tape rip sheets, write, draw stick figures if you like! Just do it. You will see the benefit over time. Give yourself permission to create both medichre and awesome pages within your books. You need not show them to anyone.

Yesterday I treated myself to a journaling gift! I bought this Japanese Aquash water brush. It makes painting on the go easy!

Nuggly-Bug

Arrow is a nuggly-bug who lives for my lap. He is telling me that it would be best if I were to stay home, in this chair for the remainder of the day. Can you see his smiley lips?

Here is a arty photo of another small piece I am working on. I like it but am not in love with it. I have been OK with making mediocre stuff right now. It is very liberating. Or maybe I should say, I do love it but have not done the thing that gives it the va-va-va-voom, yet.

Working for the Man.

I have been experimenting with small pieces lately. This is in an effort to further the progression of the Man. I would love to push him away from the original inspiration painted in my journal. Make him stand apart from it, somehow.
I have been pushing myself creatively, I want my work to unmistakably say, "Melanie Testa".

Here is a detail:

Not Here

This is a thank you note for someone I work with.
Todd has helped me in so many ways over the last few years that it is time I say thank you by giving him something. I hope he likes it.
I named this piece 'Not Here' because the light blue silk chiffon layer had the words "Not Here" printed on a small section. It got obliterated in quilting the thing but the name stuck.

My Dark Studio

On the surface, things feel quite messy right now. Upon walking into my dark studio I took these photos (just me, a camera, a flash and no lights).

Although it looks like it is an utter mess, things are looking a bit better than a few days ago. JJ came over on Monday and we organized and cleaned together. JJ did micro cleaning, organizing beads and small items and I cleaned the closet. We cut two new shelves which need some L brackets or bolts to set in place.

So this is actually clean. Sort of like my whole life right now.

Last week I received an email from a woman in the Midwest, asking if I taught and lectured and if so, would I send information to that effect to her through email. I do lecture and teach but this is not reflected in my web site, yet. Soon though! I sent her the information.
Tuesday, I quit my day job, the one that pays the bills. It’s a long story, not appropriate for public display; bottom line is that I am creative enough to create a life and lifestyle for myself, and I was letting the small things get in my way.
My last day is December 22.
When I came home from work on Tuesday and opened my email, a mock up of a magazine article I am writing was in my box. This gave me a glimpse of a silver lining.
Some other good things that I can't talk about pre-Christmas time occurred too. It involves getting money for having made some things.
Last night I hung with my gal Angela, who gave me a pep talk like no other. Encouraged me to do things I would not have thought to do.
Today, I got an email from a friend saying that he would like to commission three (count them, 3) baby quilts and possibly something more. A large something more. He is also interested in my chairs...
This has been a roller coaster week.
It feels managable and easier for the support I am being given. I even feel as though I am being told that I am doing the right thing.

I WON!!!

I feel the elation of winning this morning! I won this mod dish, by signing up for Carli's newsletter at Juiceglass!

My life has been so crazy this week that this juicy surprise is a breath of fresh air!