Creative Collaboration

I sent a heart seed to Dawn at Wild Yarn. Just by some wonderful synchronicity I must have sent the perfect heart for her because she strung it onto a necklace. The heart seeds have holes in them to prevent them from exploding in the kiln - but they are not designed to be beads. However, that may become the next evolution of them - hmmm? - just imagining........ Dawn's necklace is lovely. You can go see it by clicking here.

On this morning.....

I heart blogging

This is my second Blogiversary!

In honor of the occasion I'd like to send my creative heart seeds out into the world. Many of you already have one - either from the writer's spa or I've been able to send a few of you a heart already. Yet, I know there are many of you I'd still like to send a creative heart seed so if you'd like one, send me a note to:

February 27, 2008 I'm deleting this email address from this post.......sorry to whomever comes along to read this and becomes confused.

When I started this blog two years ago it was something I'd thought about for a little while. The momentum of the new year inspired me to jump right into it finally. Within a very short time I had joined Leah - who was then known as Kat to participate in the "blogging the artist's way" Leah has a new journey to embark upon. She is encouraging blogging about Creative Every Day in 2008.
Click here to learn more about it. I've signed up. It's a low pressure challenge but one where we will have an opportunity to infuse daily creativity into our lives. You don't have to have a blog to do it either.

Anniversaries, Birthdays, January 1 seems to gravitate toward questions of where am I going and what does it all mean. I have no idea if I will keep up this blog through the next year - or if I'll start a new blog. I feel like something new is just around the next corner.........

but for now my philosophy is little by little. Right now I'm blogging on this blog. So stay tuned...

And how will you do a little bit of creativity today?

CREATIVE BLESSINGS! 2008 CREATE!
NOW HEART!

Change of plan.....

OK....I know it isn't anything close to the snow the Eastern US is getting but it has messed up my plans to go into Albuquerque today. This storm arrived a half a day earlier than expected. Luckily the fridge and the pantry have food, but I may have to get a little creative in what I choose to put together for dinner tonight.
On the positive side I have a chance to write those Holiday cards I've been putting off......and how can this kind of weather not inspire the process. And my creative brain has been kicked into gear overnight by this lovely bead and storywoman .....so me thinks my hands may be in clay later today exploring. The stores will wait...... and it will be a funner day. I know you are thinking what kind of word is funner?.......but this change of plan will be just that....... funner.

Gifts abundant

Here I am standing in front of my work at the reception last Friday. It was a very good birthday. I feel a new journey beginning for me. Though I miss my mom, and grief is there sometimes, I also recognize that a whole new path is opening up ahead for me. I don't know where it will take me exactly but I feel like I have found a whole new freedom and that I must share the gifts.

Speaking of gifts - Look the rainbows came!
I first noticed them on my birthday. We have a water prism. It hangs in a south facing window. When the sun moves low into the southern sky it shines through the water prism and the rainbows dance! We purchased this water prism from a Placitas artist couple last May and I've been waiting through the summer for the fall sun to find it.

More about sharing gifts. I sent Tinker a creative heart seed. I used the opportunity to also send Tinker a daily lump for 2006. I sent her this daily lump. It was inspired by one of her posts from that time period last year.

She wrote a wonderful heart story.... Go read it here.


I'm currently making more creative heart seeds. One may be coming to you soon! My plan is to send them out......okay now I must go get my hands into the clay.....have a great day....... may you find gifts abundant.

Welcome to the Luna Project

I'm in a wonderful show right now at the Harwood Art Center. 11 other women artists are in the group and we are showing some of our work from the past 2 years. We called it the Luna Project after the moon because "Like the moon, artists wax and wane. Our group encourages each other to begin again and keep making art."

My work was all created in 2007. This is what my artist statement says......

Since the Luna Project was inspired by the moon, I had the idea to make circular relief sculptures using clay. In its unfired workable state, clay contains water, and therefore, it can be shaped just like the moon shapes the earth's tides.

I've had a few years of significant transitions and these pieces arose out of a desire to give myself visual self-care reminders. They are like slogan mandalas for the wall. They ask questions such as - what are you cultivating in your life? What are you doing to relax and sink deeper into your being? Are you taking small little by little steps? Are you fostering faith and expressing your creativity? Are you asking for help?

I left the clay unglazed for simplicity. I did not want to hide the texture, mica, and color of this New Mexico low-fire clay. I consider myself an explorer of the creative process. I work not only in clay but sometimes in words, collage, craft, and mixed media. These pieces are one small part of a larger desire to live a creative life and to inspire myself on that path. I share them in hopes that they will in some small way inspire others to follow their creative path.

Here is an up close look at my pieces.............

Cultivate

Bliss

Decide

Serenity Prayer

Sing

Guides

In flux.....

This is my kiln. I fired it yesterday. To get a photo of my reflection in the side of it I had to squat down - hold my camera out with one hand - wave with my other hand - and turn off the flash when I snapped the shot. The photo is blurry. It's in flux. But then the clay in that kiln is at one thousand ninety four degrees Fahrenheit and it's in a state of flux too.

Come to think of it my sacred life seems to be in a state of flux. I'm grateful for the fullness of this online community. My sacred life isn't static right now but it almost has too much going on at the moment to find my way around to visit my online companions or document on my blog my wonderful sacred life. And that is a wonderful problem to have - such creative sacred abundance online and offline.

I'll return again another day to share with you what was in the kiln......until then I hope whether you feel stagnant or scattered or peaceful or in flux you can find at the center of the center of yourself the root that is your sacred life.

Creative Heart Seeds

I have a bucket full of creative heart seeds and I'm heading up to Taos. Tomorrow I'm going to a Writer's Spa. My husband is taking care of the kitties and holding down the home front. It's a big step for me and I'm a bit nervous. I am also very excited. I'm going on a personal vacation and I'm declaring I like to write so much that I'm making my vacation a writing retreat. I hope to find some inspiration to start myself on a new path.

I've had the thought to make creativity seeds out of clay for a long time. One day it finally began to come together when I realized I'd like to make the seed shape into a heart shape. I still think of them as seeds. They are a metaphorical object. A little object to remind you to follow your creative heart, to nourish it, to plant your ideas and allow them to grow. I know we all have in us the potential to create. This first batch of seeds will be my offering to the other participants at the writer's spa. I just got them out of the kiln this morning. FYI - they are made from a New Mexico clay called storyteller (seems appropriate for a creative seed and a bunch of writers huh?) I know already what I'll do next when I make more.....and I definitely plan to make more and start giving them away soon ....so stay tuned for more info on that.

I'll be gone a week so I wish for everyone who comes here to visit a creative, inspirational, and restful week. Many blessings......

sneak peek

Here's a little sneak peek at one of my plates. My art group talked me into showing with them in September. I was prepared to drop out fearing I wouldn't have the work finished. So far I only have two plates or mandalas(another word for what they are). Actually, they aren't finished because I was going to glaze them. But now after showing them to my group and discussing it I may just leave them unglazed. If anything I'll add a touch of color to them some other way - acrylics, metallic powder?
I have one more to be fired. I may make more ????? The goal for the show was to have 12. I know already that to achieve that goal I'd have to sacrifice other things in my life and I'm unwilling to do that. Yet what I have is two.
The group was very supportive. They said why don't you show those two (and reminded me to be open to the possibility I could still make more). They even had very good reasons for why it would be alright to show them as they were - unglazed. I said okay in a very unsure of myself way. But I have been settling into the idea of it. More and more I like the idea of leaving the clay - just as it is - it has mica in it so it sparkles and glaze would begin to mask it.

This turn got me thinking about being closed. I had worked myself into a place where I was allowing fear - mostly my fear of creating close me off. I was blinded and could not see what I already had created by all the ideas of what I thought it all should be. Oh those shoulds are a killer.

Which leads me to another thought - one which coincides with Freedom from Self Improvement - I'm inspired to live a life that isn't about shoulds. Too often I feel I should be doing something other than what I am doing. What a joy killer. It's time to stop "shoulding" on myself. Perhaps, before September I'll make more pieces - who knows what might happen when one removes all the shoulds.........

cheering section

These stars are marking my morning and evening meditation sessions. It's just a way to stay connected to how consistent I am. 4 days of consistency- my goal is ultimately to be a lifetime meditator with consistency. My short term goal with the stars on the calendar is to get to 40 days.






Guess what else I did today? I got out the clay. Yes, after months and months of nothing - I got it out. I began my project for my art group. I intend to have work for that show in September. It feels good just to get back on my creative clay path. I'll show some pictures later as I complete some work.
These are small steps but they are huge to me. I just had to cheer for myself a little bit here. Hip hip hooray! What action have you taken that you'd like to cheer about? A wahoo goes out to you too!