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countdown to handmade mart

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Lordy, getting ready for my first outdoor craft show has been a lot of work. To my hubby's point, I am a little obsessive about the myriad of details that I've decided must get done. Our spare bedroom has been converted to a mock-tent/booth, signage pinned to the curtains and all. And when we set up my new EZup Craft Dome tent in the driveway, neighbors flocked over to find out what the heck we were up to.

To make things a little more challenging, I've decided to take the "brand your booth" advice I learned at the Summit of Awesome to heart. Since I'm selling accordian books that convert to wearable tutus, other dance-related prints, and my new little biz's name is TurningPointe Press, I'm going with a dance studio theme. I won't spoil the surprise here (you'll have to come visit my booth!), but think ballet bar, life-sized dancer and wooden floor to set the mood.

 

handmade mart!

Got into my first juried indie craft show, Handmade Mart in downtown Silver Spring, MD on Sunday, May 31st! Am honored to be included in what looks like an awesome line-up of talented crafters and artists. You can download the vendor map and check out the blog and vendor profiles here.

Stop by booth 36 and say hi! I'll be right across from the Pyramid Atlantic Store and Maryland Youth Ballet School (hmm, maybe that bodes well for wearble tutu book sales?!).

summit of awesome class of 2009

Met a bunch of great folks at last weekend's inaugural Summit of Awesome. Aptly named, the event brought over 200 smart, creative, generous and inspiring indie crafters from across the country together for three days of practical learning and networking.

What a great way to get introduced to the rockin' indie craft scene! I didn't know what to expect, but having my (handmade) socks knocked off was a nice outcome. The wealth of experience, biz savvy, and ingenuity gave me the jump-start I needed to give the indie craft scene a try.

Can't wait till next year's summit. In the meantime, I hope to reconnect with new friends throughout the year at local and regional craft shows.

moving parts on the move

Last fall, I approached Gretchen Schermerhorn at Pyramid Atlantic with an idea that Paul Emerson of CityDance and I had been hatching for awhile. Actually, Paul was patiently waiting for me to get the courage to put my idea out there, after an initial brainstorm in the spring of 2007.

This fund-raising project idea is a reflection of my interest in artistic collaboration, cross-pollination between the visual and performing arts, and making a difference (okay, let's be honest: I love the book arts and I'm a life-long dancer. This was really a ploy to get a bunch of folks excited and involved in my greatest passions).

The project involves ten artists, each interpreting a theme or idea from CityDance's 2008-2009 season through an artist book. We're doing an edition of 50 small books each, which we'll house in custom 2-tier lidded boxes.

To say that this project involves a lot of moving parts is an understatement. But the name, Moving Parts, is a reflection of what it takes to conceive and pull off a professional dance company's season. For a glimpse behind the scenes on that story, check out Paul's blog for CityDance.

Moving Parts is on the move. Montgomery County TV is filming our monthly progress meeting tomorrow night at Pyramid (I'll post the airing details here once I know more), and my piece for the project just got accepted into a national exhibit at 23 Sandy Gallery in June.

I hope this is just the beginning. As the project progresses, I'll profile the other artists involved and events supporting our interest in getting the word out here. In the meantime, in the words of a good friend in reaction to seeing my prototype book for the project, "heaven is a tutu!"

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back to basics with paper

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I've noticed a trend in TV ads lately: paper. It caught my attention maybe six months ago with ads from CTI, Comcast and Microsoft. Beautiful paper butterflies unfurling on flowering paper trees, hand-drawn animated collages, flat-looking paper doll cut-outs. Just now, I witnessed back-to-back UPS and AT&T ads use the same "paper" treatment.

I'm sure that I'm not only one to notice this trend, but I can't find anything specifically about it online. As a book artist, it's sure caught my attention! My guess is that it's art directors' attempts to reflect a back-to-basics mood of the American consumer. While unemployment soars, we have no stomach for glitz and slickness. Maybe we can handle beautiful, tactile, simple paper.

For a taste of what I'm noticing, check out these short clips:

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starting to dance again

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Wow, what a difference a few months makes. I was recently encouraged to apply for an emerging artist residency at Pyramid Atlantic. My first reaction what shock, then secret pleasure at even being included on the list of others invited to do so. I then moved to "dare I?" and to "well, I won't get it, but let me go through the exercise just to get my feet wet." Today, as I send in my application...I want this!

I see this as progress: from not considering myself an "emerging artist," to someone who really is. I walked away from a dance career nearly 25 years ago, and haven't starting forgiving myself for this until recently. "Dancing again" feels like forgiveness...and a reclamation of my artist self.

 

creative genius on loan

My friend Joanne brought this talk by Elizabeth Gilbert (of Eat, Pray, Love fame) to my attention. As I wade further into some projects that are asking me to be more visible with my book art, Gilbert's take on putting safe distance between ourselves and the work we "channel" is helpful. Putting my ideas out there, inviting input from experienced others, risking rejection...these necessary tasks become more palatable when I take the pressure off of myself and just show up for the work.

beautiful is just fine

At yesterday's gallery talk by photographer Barbara Southworth and watercolorist Deborah Ellis, something Barbara said really resonated with me:

It's okay to strive for beauty in one's art. "Pretty," not so much...but I see nothing wrong with accessible and beautiful. Not all art has to make us stand there and scratch our heads, wondering what it's about.

Perhaps as an emerging artist, I've felt inadequate by creating objects that I feel are "just beautiful." As if, by being pleasing to me or inspired by the person for whom I make the piece, they are somehow not art. These, I know, are the voices in my own head, not the truth.

I'm not there yet on incorporating (or even knowing) the layers of meaning and technique that become great art. Not even sure that's where I want to go with this. Then again, the surprising responses I get from people who see my work tell me it goes beyond just being another pretty face.

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learning to dance again

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Very motivated by a couple of book art projects, am devouring several texts by Keith Smith:

Non-Adhesive Binding: Books Without Paste or Glue

Bookbinding for Book Artists

Structure of the Visual Book

I remember as a young dancer, how I only really danced once I didn't have to consciously think about technique. There came a time when I just flowed and lost myself in expression and doing something beautiful. Now, as much as I yearn to be free from the concerns of technique in my book art, I'm reminded not to wish this time of wonder away.

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from skeptic to evangelist

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I started this blog less than a year ago as an experiment. I couldn't understand what all the fuss was about around blogging, facebook, youtube - and certainly not twitter. What difference would any of this make and why should I care?

Well, was I wrong.

Not only have we elected a new President - thanks largely to these social media tools - but my communications consulting practice has taken off! Suddenly, through sheer experimentation and sense of adventure, I now know more about the power of these tools to incite real change. I find myself pulled into all kinds of interesting and meaty projects that are transforming opaque, inefficient bureaucracies mired in resistance and inertia. Cool!

Come full circle yesterday. In a book arts listserv, I incited a little riot by suggesting that twitter et al. might be useful artist tools for researching topical content, running an informal survey to generate content related to a book art project, taking the pulse of a certain "target audience," or increasing awareness for one's work simply by showing up in select conversations. Several folks soooo didn't get it.

Kind of like the naysayers in my day job. I don't think this is an either/or thing - and that it's still evolving. For me, these tools are only as powerful as the choices people make to engage offline as well. Maybe that's why I cherish the book arts - and indeed, my work as an agent of change inside messy organizations. I relish the low-tech, hands-on grounding both give me in an otherwise info-saturated, too-often disconnected world.

For anyone who is interested:

How the Arts are rocking it out through Social Media

Business Week: Why Twitter Matters

update on pairings

My paste paper/sewn handmade paper Pairings have morphed into six little 3x3" drum leaf books. Am now finishing a custom clamshell box for them to live in. Next up: experimenting with titling options. The box has recessed blocks for lid and spine titles. Am eager to see if my fancy new Epson R2880 pigment printer is up to the task. Otherwise, I'll letterpress the title blocks onto some nice art paper.