The Gift of a Residency

That’s what I did this weekend; I gave myself the gift of a residency.

Nope, I didn’t apply for anything, or get any funding.  I gave this time to myself.

I am fortunate enough to have carte blanche access to a condo in Daytona Beach, Florida that over looks the Intercoastal Waterway.  For a salt loving, ocean loving person this is pure heaven.

But I seldom go.

It’s too difficult most of the time to just go.  Life gets in the way.

But this past weekend I did it.  And, boy am I glad I did.

I wasn’t making work, rather working on the business of art.

Not as much fun as making art, but very enlightening and worth the effort.  We artists really need to know the why’s of doing this crazy thing called art.

I won’t be so bold as to say I did all that I set out to do, but I accomplished a lot and I hope to do it again in the future.  It is a necessary part of being an artist.

My only wish would be to have the opportunity to do it with like minded artists, too.  This past weekend was for solitude, but having a sisterhood from afar to share ideas with, well, that would be fantastic.  And I hope someday that wish comes true.

But now it is Monday.  I am refreshed and ready to face the world.

I hope you are too.

May you have a creative day!

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!

Who're You Calling Weird?

Have you seen this Scientific American article floating around on Facebook?

The Unleashed Mind: Why Creative People Are Eccentric 

"Highly creative people often seem weirder than the rest of us. Now researchers know why."

It's quite interesting, check it out.

Here's a Cliff Notes excerpt:

Too Much Information

We are all equipped with mental filters that hide most of the processing that goes on in our brains behind the scenes…and thanks to these filters, most information never reaches our conscious awareness.

Creative people, however, seem to have reduced functioning in the filters. Therefore, much more information reaches their consciousness and “is associated with offbeat thoughts."


If I am able to be more consciously aware due to reduced functioning of a pesky filter, then A-O-K.

Bring it on, I am completely happy being weird!

May you too have a weird and wonderful day!

Clowning Around and Thinking Out Loud in the Bag

I have been teaching myself to sew this summer. Yep, for more than a few years I have used the sewing machine as my main tool, yet I officially don’t know how to sew.

I can get the job done, mind you, my work just hasn’t been about the sewing. To me, using the sewing machine is akin to using welding torches, (which I do know how to use); the end result is the same, it’s the materials and the tools used to attach two parts together that are different. But connecting together they both do.

So I bought a book about sewing and started the lessons. It has been an interesting journey so far. Obviously, some things worked out better than others, but each one has taught me something, and that is always a good thing.

About the time I started my lessons I received my dresses back from the Cloth Paper Scissors Artisan Search which now hang in my studio. After looking at them for a while I was inspired to try one of the projects in the book with the paper fabric that I used for the CPS dresses.

Below are a few of the bags I have made. Not sure where they’ll go from here but I have been enjoying the process. It has been a labor of fun, with a touch of aggravation thrown in. =D

And now I shall put the fabrics and sewing machine away for the weekend, very appropriate for the Labor Day Weekend, me thinks.

Wherever you are and whatever you do, I hope you have a fantastic and safe Labor Day Weekend!


Kim Radatz©



Clowning Around Red, Kim Radatz©

 

Clowning Around Blue, Kim Radatz©



Thinking Out Loud, Kim Radatz©



I Quit

Yep, I know I am supposed to persevere through all challenges as happiness comes at the end of great challenges. Right?

Well, sometimes.

And at other times things are just an uphill battle.

Which has been the case this past week with the new series I am working on.

So, today I shall follow my own advice from the Cloth Paper Scissors interview:

What do you do when a piece isn’t working out the way you want it to?

"Keep forging ahead. Making a piece requires and open dialog with the materials. It’s not just about me; I am a partner in this dance called art. I have to listen to what is working and if its not, adjust accordingly. If a piece continues to be a struggle I move on to another piece."

Which is exactly what I am doing today, moving on from this new series. I will return to it eventually but we need a break from each other right now.

Happily I already have a new piece started in my head. Time to get out the tools and bring it to fruition. I’ll keep you posted.

Until then, may you have a creative day!

Some Days Are More Challenging Than Others

“Happiness comes when you overcome the most impossible challenge.”

In the whole scheme of life, the challenge I am facing with this new series I am working on is nothing. But, oh how I wish it would ease up a bit. I have been inside out and upside down and everywhere in-between with no resolution on the work.

So, when I brewed my tea this morning and read the inspirational message that came with the tea bag, I felt the universe was trying to tell me something. And I will heed the advice. Struggle through the piece. It’ll all work out in the end. Hopefully it’ll happen soon!

In case you aren’t familiar with Yogi Teas, and I wasn’t until very recently, each tea bag comes complete with delicious tea and an inspirational message. As some of you know, I just love inspirational messages! Makes me want to run out and buy more boxes just for the messages. But, I won’t, it’s back to work for me, I will resolve this piece!

I’ll let you know if and when it works out.

Until then, may your day be a productive one!

Show and Tell Sundays- Games People Play

Tonight I’ll be packing up work to be delivered tomorrow to Salt Creek Artworks in St. Pete. Set up begins in the morning. Let the games begin.

I’m bringing Wishful Thinking and 5 or 6 Skins. The final count will be determined once I start hanging. I’d always rather edit out than run home to finish work in a hurry.

Speaking of being in a hurry, this past week I was rushing around my studio trying to get some extra work done and tore the paper on a piece in progress. I tried to repair it, but things only got worse and the piece was ruined. You can see the big tear on his right hand.  Ah well, that’s what I get for rushing. I quickly began a replacement piece.

I’ve included an image of the first one with the mistake and the beginnings of the second piece with just the pencil drawing. It’s actually further along now, but I shall share images of all of them this week once they are hung.

Off to start my day. Whatever you do today, may it be fantastic!

Games People Play, 60" x 26"
Kim Radatz

Show and Tell Sundays-Biting Off More Than I Can Chew

Most of the work that I have accomplished in my studio as of late has been on the computer, except for the odd times here and there when I can work on my behemoth skin, I’m Dancing As Fast As I Can. I think I bit off more that I can chew with that one. And I wonder why I felt the need to make it big. But big it is. It just seemed to call for it and I obliged my inner artist on that one. So I am plodding along slowly and soon it’ll be time to add the stitching. Because it is big, fitting into my sewing machine will be interesting indeed. I’ll keep you posted on how it goes. For now I am feeling the need to work on some embroidery hoops as I can work through ideas much quicker with those. And immediate gratification is a good thing sometimes too!

On that happy note I bid you farewell. I hope you have a fantastic day.

I’m Dancing As Fast As I Can
54” x 100”
Kim Radatz