over-over-overdue

Like the title says, over-over-overdue!

I'm taking my national board exams tomorrow. I already completed 4 of them (clinical exam, jurisprudence, local anesthesia and CDCA/NERB). Once I complete tomorrows 350 question grueling exam, I will be OFFICIALLY DONE with my understudies to become a dental hygienist. After that, alls I need is a license to practice! Which means...


I SHALL RETURN VALIANTLY TO THE WORLD OF ARTS, CRAFTS, FREE-TIME AND GENERAL RELAXATION! HUZZAH!

LOOK! Here I am contemplating things! Like, what kind of art project will I start on Wednesday? Do these glasses magically transport me to 1980 when I'm asleep? And, if I hold this pose long enough, will people think that I'm actually contemplating something?

my first real craft show!

I had a great time at my first real craft show! I brought along 40 wine bags, 4 tie-purses, some poof ball flowers and vases that I made for the wedding, and two small paintings which you might remember: abcdef fail and anxiety.

A lot of people made me feel so great: Compliments on how clever my ideas really made me smile. It was wonderful to hear people admiring my sewing and my bags. AAAAAAAAND (drum-roll PLZ....) I SOLD 4 BAGS! I'm so glad I made more bags and spent time preparing as much as I could. I did learn a couple of things from my craft show experience.

• I need sign. I picked up foam-core to make one the other night, and I decided that it wouldn't look professional enough, so I didn't bother making one. I need to make one like I made for Bamboula. One that says something like CRAFTS MADE FROM TIES! or CREATIONS FROM TIES! or something like that.
• I wonder if I'm not being confident enough. I was so happy to talk to visitors at the table, that I didn't really "sell myself" like other people were. Is that a key to success?
• It would have been nice to have someone there for a couple minutes so I could have left to use the bathroom, or to walk around to see other peoples things. At one point, I had to pee so bad that I left a note that said BE BACK IN A MINUTE! and asked the couple next to me if they wouldn't mind keeping an eye out for me. 

All in all it was a great day for a great cause. I hope I can do more fairs in the future, and maybe with some luck, I can have some more success!

100.

Blogs are interesting things. It allows you (and by you I mean me. And you too, I guess) to go back and peruse the thoughts recorded in digital time, while contemplating how it relates to you in the future. And by the future, I mean now. I can already tell, this post is going to be complicated, so I'm getting another cup of coffee.

My goal of this blog was to "find the special little things in life that inspire me to create and contemplate, whist maintaining my "responsibilities" (like work, relationships, exercise, showering... )". It metastasized into something much different, very quickly: It became a chronicle of projects, detailing processes and outcomes instead of the feelings and inspiration behind it.

So after 100 posts, how do I feel? If I had to choose one word, it'd be confused. While the blog didn't exactly stick to the original plan, I kind of like the way it chronicles projects a little more. Do I wish I included more daily inspirations? Yes, and I'll try to work on that more in the future. Although sometimes when it comes to a project, it's create for the sake of creating.

There are so many things that I like to do, but it seems impossible to "choose a path" like some people have suggested. Is it going to be wine bags all the way? Will I try my hand at fine art and exhibiting more? Or am I more poised to be a home do-it-yourselfer? I don't think I'll ever have one solid path, to be honest. Maybe my natural path is an ebb-n-flow like the ocean tide instead of a straight one way road.

Here's to 100 posts, and a good journey so far. Self discovery is tough shit, but it really helps to put my thoughts down. And it doesn't hurt to add MS Paint, if you ask me. :D

glasstacular!

Recently, a dear friend of mine asked me this: Would I be interested in making a stained glass window as a present for her sister's wedding? I promptly answered no. HAH! Fooled you. Of course I said yes, could you ever believe I turned that down? Silly goose.

My first task was to take measurements. There are four windows in their main living area, which let in a beautiful amount of light to the open space. After talking with the two nearly-weds, it was decided that two hanging panels would be created for the inner-most windows. I settled on the measurement of 11x20 per panel, and will eventually create a 1-1/2" frame, making the total dimension 14x23.

 When designing something that is obviously not for yourself, there are a couple of things to keep in mind. Firstly, like I already stated, you are not designing it for yourself: Your likes and dislikes may come into play and influence the final piece, but it should not dictate the design. It was really important for me to ask them what they would like... and of course what they would not like. You don't want to spend all your time and effort making a giant peacock out of glass and find out that they hate birds. Then your friend who asked you to do this is no longer your friend because you asked her to pay for the failure peacock glass and she said no. And the couple is obligated to hang the glass, which eventually causes them to fight to the point where they divorce.  The glass gets sold at an auction for $5.00, and you're living in van down by the river, warning others about peacocks and glass. FAILURE. After conferring with them, they did both point out something I found interesting: The painting hanging across the room that the both admired: It was a copy of Gustav Klimt's The Kiss. They also mentioned that besides neutral colors, they both liked pops of color, like blue and red.  It's an awesome coincidence that both colors appear in the painting, and I drew further ideas from that as well.

My next task was to design the actual window itself. Well... windows, since there are two panels. I decided to study the painting, just concentrating on the lines and shapes.  I came up with a geometric, mirror-image non-representational design that I hope they'll really like.  I will try to morphs the design a little along the way while I'm working on it. I'd like to see some more lines and circles appear so the two panels look slightly different.  (I'd share the design, but I want it to be a surprise!)

I also made a test selection of Spectrum glass colors for the panels, all inspired by The Kiss. Tomorrow I'll be prepared for my shopping adventure, since I'll be driving to Warner Stained Glass up in Allentown, PA to pick out the colors.  If you haven't been there, it's quite a sight to see, and they have a remarkably HUGE selection.  Here's to new projects, and I'll keep you updated along the journey!

Zoe Strauss: Ten Years

Yesterday I was lucky enough to accompany my two great friends (who you may remember from earlier blog adventures ) to the Philadelphia Museum of Art to view "Zoe Strauss: Ten Years". After circling the museum for what seemed like forever trying to find a parking spot through the waves of visitors (good for the museum but unfortunate for my road rage) I finally headed in, skipping the admissions line because they were nice enough to grab a ticket for me. It was an amazing show, but left me feeling utterly… I dunno… uncomfortable.

New York Times reporter Karen Rosenberg shared her thoughts on exhibition: But where the article shines in its description of Strauss' past I-95 exhibitions and her ability to capture the essence and grittiness of the moment, it fails to convey the feeling that one gets viewing her photographs within the confines of the museum. Rosenberg notes that: "This [exhibition] feels a bit overloaded, if deliberately so, with 170 prints and 3 slide shows arrayed in a space much smaller than the football-field-size site under the highway." I do in fact believe that large number of prints was a deliberate move, forcing the viewer to acknowledge the daily blight that surrounds our so-called "comfort zones".

But what makes the room feel overcrowded is not the work itself, but the massive amounts of viewers that have paid admission to view these scenes of life captured in neighborhoods that lie far from the PMA. You wouldn’t be able to pay these people to take a tour of Camden, Biloxi, or Hunting Park, let alone meet the people that are the subjects of the photographs. Strauss has raised my consciousness through this juxtaposition, making the safe world of the PMA feel utterly uncomfortable, and making me yearn to view the photographs under I-95. I haven’t felt that moved by an exhibition in years, and for that she deserves a whole-hearted WELL DONE. 

Clearly, I need to plan an outing to view her Billboard Project around the city. I think seeing the photographs, larger than life in Philadelphia's neighborhoods, will have me appreciating her work more than I do now.

6 years.

I've been at my job for six years today. SIX. YEARS. Say whaaaaaaaaaaa...?

It's not a total shock. I think. Maybe it is. I've been expecting this day to come for awhile... but not really expecting. Confused yet? I am. To commemorate this lackluster momentous day, I posted a little blurb on FB stating: "I made it to 6 years at this same job. Exciting, yet very depressing at the same time." My cousin replied: "either way you look at it, it's an accomplishment in and of itself. now, go buy yourself a present. xo" (Believe me, I'll be buying myself a present in the form of an ice cream sandwich after the gym tonight. Again, exiting and yet very depressing.)

And a former teacher-slash-wise woman-slash-mentor of the ages said this: "Try going to the American Craft Council Show in Baltimore the end of February. Talk to some of the artists. They are making a living doing what you love. Tick tock!! Life is short. Start to show your work in a gallery. Isaac would be proud."

Touché, touché, touché. Kick in the pants received, and greatly appreciated. I immediately booked a hotel room, purchased a three day pass to the event, and requested a 1/2 day of work that Friday. I'll have my business cards by then, my Etsy site up and running, and plenty of samples to bring with me. I think it's high-time I start taking bigger risks to achieve my goals.  Let's do this.

adventures in wonderland.

 Lou and I took an impromptu exploratory journey around some neighboring towns this past Saturday.  It was amazingly refreshing to get out of the grind of being placing and doing things... weekends always fill up so fast on that stuff.  We winged it and let our instincts direct us on where to go and what to do.  In Narberth, we found a lovely shop called Sweet Mabel, skipped around the train station, and found a cute little pastry place for a mid-morning nosh.  Next, we went hiking in (or near) Smedley near Swarthmore College.  In our attempts to find the college campus, we ran into a local Community Arts Center which unfortunately was closed, but we saw some awesome stuff on the grounds of the center!  I can't wait to go back and check out the gallery!  Then, we were off to the town of Swarthmore, where we explored the campus, and I put on an extra 2 lbs. by eating a bacon egg n' cheese sammy covered in hot sauce on a poppy bagel at a local cafe.  OMNOMNOM.  We closed the adventure by stopping at Produce Junction.  Loading up on veggies is always a nice way to complete the day, don't you think?