we're all mad here!

Art Journaling Exposed

I'm on holiday with Jules & Mom in Paris, but wanted to take a quick minute to share some news about a new emag from Cloth Paper Scissors. I wrote an eyecandy bursting segment for them, and I couldn't be more pleased with the result. I took my Dye Works book from Mixed and Stitched and turned it into an incredible quote journal. You can get a detailed peek at ALL the pages inside along with my tips for adding embellishments to YOUR amazing art.

- here's a bit more from Jenn Mason -

Art Journaling Exposed Weekend Blog Hop!

Celebrate the launch of Art Journaling Exposed with us this weekend by following the blogs of its contributors and featured artists! These remarkable women will be giving you a closer look at the eMag-- the projects, articles, and videos--and offering you their first-hand reviews of this unique multimedia experience.

In alphabetical order:

Julie Fei-Fan Balzer
http://balzerdesigns.typepad.com/
Traci Bautista
http://kollaj.typepad.com/
Jane Davenport
http://www.janedavenport.com/
Dea Fisher
http://thestarbook.wordpress.com/
Jacqueline Newbold
http://djnewbold.blogspot.com/
Joanne Sharpe
http://joannezsharpe.blogspot.com/
Melanie Testa
http://melanietesta.com/blog/
Diana Trout
http://dianatrout.blogspot.com/

Early reviews for Art Journaling Exposed have been phenomenal, and one reader wrote to us saying, “This was amazing!!!!! I have NEVER enjoyed a magazine like I enjoyed this one. Just do more! Don't stop with this one! PLEASE!!!!!”

We hope you enjoy learning more about the eMag straight from the mouths of some of the most influential instructors and designers in the art journaling world. We can’t wait to hear what YOU think!

To purchase the eMag for your desktop computer, visit InterweavStore.com: PC download or MAC download.

an irrational fear of success

I just love when life gifts you exactly what you need at the EXACT right moment!

Mine came today in the form of an email from tiny buddha about the Fear of Success. I have been spending a lot of time talking about this to my art girl circle, because it's a fear that runs so deep inside me. I could never really find the exact right words to describe my feelings, but Lori came so very close today :

"Success in any pursuit requires responsibility. At one point, I decided this was one thing I didn’t want. I didn’t want people to depend on me. I didn’t want to create conditions in my life that I needed to maintain with consistency, both in effort and earning.

I wanted the freedom to drop everything in a heartbeat so that I never had to feel trapped. This felt safe to me. If I never chose to rise too high, I’d never have to fall too far if I messed up; I’d never had to worry about disappointing anyone ..."

All these bolded purple parts are EXACTLY the feelings I have bouncing around inside my noodle when I wonder about being successful. Acknowleding a fear of success ... a fear that must seem so silly to most of you ... is really hard for me because everyone around me is so eager and excited for me to become successful. I'm sure in part because they think that's what I must really want too. It's a confusing feeling especially when you really look at your dreams and goals.

All of these steps I've been taking - publishing, writing, blogging, etc. all propell you on a course directly towards SUCCESS. I think that's part of this hiatus I've been taking from writing/blogging/FB. I just needed to hibernate for awhile in preperation for all this growing! All this though about the fear of success brings to mind a poem by Marianne Williamson:

Our Deepest Fear

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.

It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, handsome, talented and fabulous?

Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God.

Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do.

We were born to make manifest the glory of God within us. It is not just in some; it is in everyone.

And, as we let our own light shine, we consciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our fear, our presence automatically liberates others.

I don't know about you, but I find myself truly inspired to shine my light as bright as possible without fear of success nor of failing when I read this poem. In the spirit of letting my light shine {and with a lot of reassurance from Larry}, I pulled on my big girl panties and entered Cloth Paper Scissors 2012 Artisan Search - Art Journaling & Bookmaking. I have been doing a ton of journaling lately, and am really excited to see if I can make the top 5 finalists! I know that if I can get my journals in their hot little hands I stand an honest chance of winning! 

I'm also writing an article for an upcoming issue of Sarah Fishburn & Angela Cartwright's Pasticcio Quartz zine, and it's something new and exciting for me. I recently started rolling my hair up in "rag" style rollers {really they are cloth with a foam & wire inside}, and I fell in love with Vera Neumann headkerchiefs over on Etsy! I love the Rat Rod look, and think it would be really fun to have a nice selection of vintage headkerchiefs to wrap around my rollered-up head when I have to leave home to run errands. I don't mind wearing them around the house, but I get a little funny about running around town .

a peek at what's to come:

+ Larry and I did a lot of talking about drinking during activities - he had a really insightful moment that I'm really looking forward to sharing with all of you tomorrow!

+ tomorrow is "what are U up to?" Wednesday's again finally!

NOW GO MAKE ART!

i am a forest stream

i am a forest stream
born in the cold tippy top
of a faraway mountain
only to end in the mouth
of some tumultuous ocean
born again as snow
on another mountain
far away ... ever changing
and becoming i am nothing
and yet i can be anything

 

i am a bringer of life
i nurture those around me
i make music with my soul
i glitter like diamonds
under the gaze of the sun
and shimmer like silver
as i dance with the moon
i do all this day after day
even as i evaporate into nothing
only mist and memory

 

i weep at the twists
and turns along my journey
i laugh as I tumble
over stones and obstacles
i give my gifts never asking
for anything in return
nothing but your touch
and tender loving care

 

i am a forest stream
always flowing somewhere
new every moment of my day
i can become anything
or nothing more than me

 

getting away from it all

This past weekend, Larry & I snuck away for a rare weekend alone. I found this fabulous little cottage in the woods online for us, and it was a truly magical place! I got to do lots of sitting by the fire, drawing ... thinking ... journaling ... listening to the magical quiet of Le Pin Cottage. I really needed this time away to re-center myself, and brainstorm how to get back into writing after taking this hiatus.

I've been doing a lot of thinking lately about what I want to get out of my day to day life, and how I want to spend so much more time reconnecting with my art girls. All of this deep thinking started when I hired Laura Bray last year as my art coach to help get me through the process of writing Mixed and Stitched. One of the first things she did was challenge me to really stop and think about how I was utilizing my time, and what my fall back crutches are in times of stress. 

For me, that means procrastination ... avoiding ... getting sucked into the computer ... and isolation from friends. All terrible terrible habits that I'm trying to break out of! I've started writing letters to friends again ... gotten back into some fabulous exchanges on Flickr ... started a journal of goals & dreams {SO important if you want to achieve them!} ... planted an herb garden {you will get a fun little project tutorial about this tomorrow} ... started repainting the rooms in our house. All things that I WANT to spend more time on lately, and put off to write my book.

I'm not the only one who's been thinking deep thoughts about life either:
my beautiful friend Kolleen had the most awesome FB update the other day:

"the grass is greener where you water it"

Really makes you stop, think, and nod in agreement, huh!? Are you watering your own grass or just wishing it was greener? What is keeping you from making your own grass greener? Do you even know? Maybe what you need to do is really stop and think about what it will take to make YOUR grass the greener one!

Another wonderful friend of mine, Melody has decided to take a 90 day break from FB and technology to focus on making art, soul searching, and deep writing. I would love for you to hop over to her blog, and read more about it. I really like that she's brave enough to give this a try! I know that when I spend too much time getting sucked into FB, I don't get the things done that I wanted to for the day. When I feel super stressed out I know it's time to step away from the internet, and focus on the causes of my stress.

What are the monsters that go BUMP! in your head? Melody talks about her worry of being forgotten if she stays away from FB for too long ... I think many of us artists are afraid of being forgotten or passed by if we take time for ourselves to water our gardens so to speak. I know I've worried about it way too much in the past. So much so, that I was accepting every opportunity out there whether or not I could really fit it in to my schedule. That was another one of the things Laura and Melody helped me with ... learning that it's not only okay, but extremely healthy to say no. So, I started only accepting opportunities that fell in with my goals & dreams. Really hard to do because again, as artists we're always worried about being missed or missing out.

What I found when I unplugged and stepped away a little bit is that I need mail art & love to keep going. That I need to tend to my messy nest to feel happy and fulfilled. How sharing my problems with close friends helps me to feel strong enough to conquer them. How important it is to stay connected to my art girls ... because they are the fuel of my artistic fire. Most of all that it's okay to take time away to recharge, refocus, and get back on track.

There's lots of thoughts banging around upstairs, and you'll be reading lots more of them ... cause I like sharing with all of you, and hearing your thoughts on schtuff :) 

NOW GO MAKE ART!