Me and Tink

Sometimes a piece will make itself. I’ll get an idea and bam, it all falls together seamlessly. No laboring. No redoing. No tinkering.

But at other times, ugh, work, rework, think about it, and tinker with it.

Usually I’ll do the required dance to bring the piece to fruition. Tinker here. Tweak there. And then, wah-lah, it’s done.

Other times I have to call it quits on the idea. And that’s okay. Frustrating, but part of the process.

Currently, I have been tinkering on a piece for almost a year. A year! Not consistently, but it sits in my studio and I often ponder how I can see it through to completion.

See it completed I do. Knowing how to accomplish that, I don’t.

Maybe now would be the times to wish for a deadline.  Possibly that would force me to figure it out.  Or call it quits.

No, I don't think so.  There is something about this installation that I feel the need to see.  So I’ll keep tweaking here and there and eventually I’ll figure out what to do.

Tweaking, tinkering, all the same, methinks.

If only I had her wings too. :)

May your day be a magical one!

Thinking about Absolutes and Wondering Which Camp You Are In



Image from the Internet



There aren’t many absolutes in my world.

No blacks or whites.

Too many wonderful middle greys in between to put me squarely in one camp or the other.

But a week ago today I found myself rethinking this philosophy. Maybe I do have some absolutes after all.

My step-son, Brian Radatz of The Ride Factory in Ybor City, won best in his class in a prestigious motorcycle show.

His class was Radical. Even if you aren’t a motorcycle enthusiast it is easy to imagine this would be a large and difficult class to win.

Yet win he did. On his very first time out of the gate.

Hmm, why did this Cinderella story come true for Brian? And why am I blogging about it on an art blog?

Because, you see, motorcycle shows are no different than art shows, it is just the objects that are different.

No matter what the object is, no matter where the object is made, say in a house or in a garage. Objects they are. Make we do.

And when we choose to put these objects up for review by our peers, we are allowing them to say which object they think is the best.

Judges are just like the rest of us; each of us has a preference. Some of us prefer fine craftsmanship.  Every piece meticulously crafted and put together. While others’ prefer a message.  Something that speaks to our heart and soul. And sometimes it’s a combination of the two, though it is my belief that we lean closer to one way or the other. Content or Craftsmanship.

Which makes it our camp.

I’m not saying either one is better, just that we have our tendencies, and it’s good to know our preference so we can fine tune that part of our work.

Brian’s bike was in no way better built than the other motorcycles. Not high tech either. But he had a concept and he followed that concept all the way through. And the judges saw what he was doing and liked it.  (And I am thrilled they did!)

The stars aligned for Brian this time.

I hope he understands that the next time the judges might walk right past him with nary a look. And I hope too that he doesn’t take it personally. He can’t, because it isn’t personal. It’s not about his work so much as it is about the judges’ opinion.

He needs to have clarity in his vision and follow it through, no matter what anybody else says.

And that goes for any type of show we enter.

So, no matter what you make, and no matter what camp you are in, I hope you knock ‘em dead the next time you show. And if not, well, we all know that you did your best.

Happy creating to you!

What is it You Want?

In It’s a Wonderful Life, George asks Mary, “What is it you want, Mary? What do you want?”

The question bears repeating in real life as well.

What is it you want?

As I have mentioned in previous posts, I love having targets to shoot at. But sometimes I loose site of those targets and things get a bit muddled up.

What to do, what to do?

Get back on track by identifying what my target is. Often times this requires some fine tuning and/or adjusting as life changes. But that’s okay, because I am reaffirming the target(s) at the same time.

But what if you don’t know what you want?

According to Jennifer Grisham of Everyday Bright, “One of the most undervalued commodities in our society is clarity.”

Really? Interesting thought. And one well worth the trouble of fixing. Because as we have discussed before, you can’t aim at something if you don't have a target.  Which means lots of bullets could be flying about willy-nilly and accomplishing very little.

Just putting pen to paper is a huge step towards identifying and understanding what you want. But if you need more help, I’d highly recommend Jen’s blog post on the subject as she has some great tips to share.

Until the next time, may you have creativity and clarity in your day!

Do You Consider Yourself a Lucky Person?

If yes, why?

I understand some things are about luck, like say, winning the lottery. But if one hadn’t bought the ticket in the first place, then they never would have won. It took their effort, the buying of the ticket which enabled them to win.

So is it luck? Or applied effort?

My belief falls in the latter group.

Wise words from the drink coaster I use every day, “Luck is good planning carefully executed”

Yep, that’s what I believe.

Luck looks like luck to outsiders, but the one doing all the work to put themselves in the right spot at the right moment didn’t get there by chance. It was lots of prep work prior to the moment when the stars aligned in their favor.

Luck? Nah.

Tenacity, perseverance, and hard work, all wrapped up in one.

May you too have some luck come your way. And you know the kind of luck I’m talkin’ about.

Have a great weekend!

P.S. This isn't a plug for the lottery; I never buy tickets myself, so I shall never be in the running for that windfall.

I AM…… SURPRISED

Somebody asked me recently if I had seen the new Dr. Pepper commercial with the t-shirts. Nope, I hadn’t, but I should have asked them more questions.

Like “what did the shirts look like?”

Because, much to my surprise while I was watching TV yesterday I saw the new commercial.  Guess what? The people in the new Dr. Pepper commercial are wearing t-shirts that say, “I’m a Pepper.”

And even more surprising, the slogan was used previously in a commercial from the 1970’s. 1970’s????

Where have I been? Obviously not watching TV commercials.

Nope, my "I AM" concept didn’t stem from that commercial, but rather my Mirror, Mirror piece.  And both are completely different in concept, even if they look similar.  Which sounds a little like being a twin to me. Still, though,it's a bit disheartening to see something you have nurtured show up in somebody elses portfolio too.

But alas, that's life, yes?  I'm just gonna chalk this up to one of lifes' crazy coincidences.

Until the next time, may your days be creative and original!

What About You? Do You Want One?

I’ve been getting inquires about the “I AM” t-shirts.

Yes, you can still get 1. Or 2 or more or…..

Just give me a shout via my blog or website and for $5.00 plus S & H you too can share your thoughts with the world.

$5.00, what a deal, yes? The concept is to have as many people wearing them as possible, not to make a profit.

I’ll do “sightings” and post pictures at a later date. Hopefully people will show up en masse to continue the installation.

But alone or en masse, I look forward to seeing you soon!

And, I AM gonna take your picture, if I do. :)

May your day be creative a one!

Show and tell Sunday- I AM....... Eternally Grateful

At a time when the news is negative day in and day out, it is refreshing to know that we can forgo the doubts and fears, even if for only one night, to see the hope, beauty, and promise that shines brightly within each of us.

I AM……. eternally grateful to each and every person that participated in the I AM_______ installation I did for First Night. It wouldn’t have been the same without you.

A sincere thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Here are the remaining pictures that I was able to capture before my camera battery died.

Thanks again!

Until the next time, may your day be a creative one!

I AM.....Doing it Again

Here are some more participants of my "I AM" installation at First Night 2012 in St. Pete.

Thanks to all of you for participating!

  

 

     

 



and a personal favorite.

Stay tuned, more still to come.

Have a great day!

I AM...Posting a Baker's Dozen

Here are some of the wonderful "I AM" participants from the First Night show in St. Pete.

Thanks to all of you for participating! Without you the show wouldn't have been the same.

I'll be posting more throughout the week.

Thanks again to all participants!

And thanks for stopping in!

I AM ...Going to Take a Nap Today



I am very happy to say that the First Night show was a huge success.

We started handing out t-shirts at 5:00pm and didn’t stop until midnight when we watched the beautiful fireworks display courtesy of First Night St. Pete. After that we broke down the show and made it home shortly after 3:00am.

Up at 7:00 and I’m already dreaming about a nap. :)

I am honored that so many people were moved by my installation, some to the point of tears. Very gratifying to know that something I make can resonate so powerfully with another person. The best part about this crazy life called art. Thank you to each of you who participated!

I took photos of as many people and their “I AM” shirts as possible before my camera battery died. Many that I didn’t get to take have promised to send me pictures. I’ll post them all during the upcoming week.

For now, here are a few-



I AM going to kick cancer's butt
(I hope you do!!!)

 Happy New Year to you, my friends!