Gratitude Cards

For my sister’s recent birthday, I made her a set of 26 gratitude cards. 

The idea is that she will send a card to a friend every other week for a year to express gratitude.  

Additionally, I made her a journal so that she can keep track of each of the cards, to whom they were sent, and the reason she sent the card.  Just to make it easier, I put stamps on all of the envelopes.

The best thing is that she really liked the cards!  I even got compliments from her art students to whom she showed her birthday present.  That makes me feel proud of my work.   I hope you have made some art lately that makes you feel proud.

- christina

Create Peace

My artist friend, whom I often teach classes with, has started a new art project called #CreatePeaceBirds.  She designed and created more than 30 birds using hand dyed fabric and pages from her journals. 

She is giving the birds to friends and asking them to leave the piece in a public place.  The bird has a tag that asks the finder to post on social media using #CreatePeaceBirds.  So far she has only had a few posts, but I think the reason is that her friends are hesitant to let go of their birds!

I plan to release by bird (number 28) at a restaurant.  After dinner, I want to leave the bird in my chair to be found by a waiter or by the next restaurant patron.  I hope my bird finds many homes.

This type of art project, which I think of as a kind of guerrilla art, is so interesting to me.  It is similar to the 1,000 Journals Project by Someguy.  I love the concept of releasing art into the world and being able to track it as it grows and passes through people’s hands.  What would other people contribute?  How could I still stay attached to the art through the use of the internet and social media?  I am mulling over this idea, thinking about what message I want to send out into the world.  What do you think?  What type of piece could I create?  How could I allow others to contribute thoughts or build upon the piece that I started?  Let me know what you think.

- christina

Art in Junior High

My friend is the art teacher at the junior high in my school district.  We talk a lot about the importance of art for young people and how to help them enjoy art as a creator and an observer.

When my son took my friend’s art class, he made one piece that he still loves 5 years later.

My son's favorite art piece. 

Here is the technique and some samples from a recent 7th grade class.

The lines create quadrants to help
the students copy the image with precision.

M&M's is an excellent choice!

This is an art piece that I would like to create myself, but I haven’t decided which box or wrapper I would use.  A fiber-rich cereal box just doesn’t seem like the right choice.  Maybe a wine bottle label!  Oh yeah, now we’re talking.  Which box, wrapper, or label would you choose?

- christina

Blackout Poetry

I only recently discovered blackout poetry when I bought the book Steal Like an Artist by Austin Kleon.  He posts his blackout poems on Twitter as do other people (#blackoutpoetry).  I decided to try it myself using book pages and here are the results.

This poem was created by my son's girlfriend.

This was a challenging and fun exercise in creativity.  For me it was much easier (and less intimidating) than writing a poem from scratch. There is more blackout poetry in my future.

- christina

A Few Random Pieces

Here are some photos of pieces I have made throughout the last few months.  I know that I need to spend more time making art, but carving out the time is a challenge.  You probably face the same challenge.

Good luck to all of us in finding time to make art!
- christina

I made a small wall hanging to
help market a friend's creativity class.

I wanted to make a piece using the face stencil in the
center. Drawing the rings with crayons was very relaxing.

I made this page in my traveling art
journal after a rough week at work.

My sister requested "Birthday Girl" pins to give to her
painting students. You will notice 2 "Birthday Guys" in the bunch as well.
A friend helped me made these since I was short on time.

A drawing using NuPastels from my class in the fall.

I had the urge to make an art doll.  She is
about 6 inches tall and her name is Gladys.

A Good Book

I love to read, especially non-fiction.  I just finished the book Quiet by Susan Cain.  It was my selection for a book club in which I participate.  We focus on non-fiction books that help us understand the world and our place in it.  My kind of book club!

Quiet is subtitled The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking.  The author posits that American culture idealizes extroversion to the point that introverts are left feeling inadequate and inferior.  How can you tell if you are an introvert or an extrovert?  One way is to take the Myers Briggs personality test (free versions can be found here and here).  Another way is to ask yourself how you feel when faced with the prospect of going to a party where you don’t know any of the people.  Are you excited (extrovert) or anxious (introvert)?  Although introverts can be good at socializing, they find it exhausting and they need some quiet, alone time to recharge. 

I recently developed another method for differentiating between an extrovert and an introvert.  I call it “the waiter test.”  I have a friend who is an extreme extrovert and whenever we go to a restaurant he befriends the waiter.  Don’t get me wrong, I am always friendly to waiters but this is almost a courtship.  By the time we leave the restaurant, my friend knows the waiter’s relationship status, hometown, favorite pastime, location of the closest living relative, favorite vacation spot, and plans for the upcoming weekend.  On one occasion we left with an invitation to the waiter’s cousin’s christening and gift suggestions.

From the book, I learned many interesting ways that introverts differ from extroverts.

Introverts:

• ·      Take time to think before they act
• ·      Work more slowly and deliberately
• ·      Stay on task longer and give up less easily
• ·      Tend to be more creative because they are less prone to distraction
• ·      Are more sensitive to stimulation
• ·      Are less driven by rewards
• ·      Are relatively immune to the lures of wealth and fame
• ·      Exercise less, but suffer fewer injuries
• ·      Are usually less successful in elementary school, but more successful in high school and college

I am definitely an introvert but I can act like an extrovert in certain situations, a concept that is thoroughly explained in the book.  I can’t pass the waiter test, though.  I have tried.  Recently I put all my effort into befriending a waitress and I got as far as learning that she had once lived in the same town where I went to high school.  The friendship wasn’t sustainable, though, and we parted without sharing favorite recipes or the names of our most beloved pets. 

Obviously I have more work to do if I am going to live up to the American extroverted ideal.  Room for growth is a good thing, though.  Waiters of the Midwest beware, because I want to be your friend!

- christina

FYI:  Susan Cain, the author of Quiet, has a Ted Talk about the power of introverts.

Word for 2015

I don’t like to make New Year’s resolutions.  Instead, I prefer to select a word for the year.  Selecting the right word is more difficult than you might imagine.  This word will guide my actions and decisions throughout the year so the nuance of the word is important.  After talking to my sister for about 3 hours and looking at the definitions of many words, I finally selected my word for 2015.

nurture

I wanted a word that expressed my desire to look outward more than inward.  Sometimes I spend too much time analyzing myself and I would like to focus more on my connection to other people.  I would like to be more thoughtful and more giving.  The word “nurture” expresses my desire to “encourage the growth and development of” my friends, my friendships, and also myself. 

 

flickr.com/dorkymum

Please take a moment to comment on this post and share your word for the year.  I would love to know what you have chosen to guide you through 2015.  Happy New Year, everyone.

- christina

By the way, my word for 2014 was stretch. I am happy to say that I was very successful in stretching myself last year in multiple ways – professionally, artistically, and relationshiply (I made that last word up).