This Inspired Life

Tyler sent me this article from Powazek today: "Why Everything Sucks, Why That’s Awesome, and How It’s Changing Us". And I found it quite apropos in relation to my goal of creating something every week for a year. If I had a genie in a bottle, I'd just be a fabulous creator of everything, and I would never suck. But I don't have a genie and I haven't had thousands of hours of practicing, well, anything at all. The thing I've done the most of is writing. And I'm still at the "not suck" stage. I have a long way to go before accomplishing "master." I've always been okay with that. It's been driven into my psyche for as long as I can remember that writing is hard, and it takes a long time to be really, really good, even if you have a natural talent.

I think I have a natural talent for creating art. Still, I know I need lots of practice. TONS. Hence my goal to create every week. There's a staunch perfectionist and worrywart in me, but I have a very casual side too: someone who can simply slough off my mistakes, my faults, my inconsistencies, and hang them on my wall of class A efforts with a huge smile. I had a moment of feeling embarrassed to show my first artwork of this project, but I fought it off quickly. This is about sharing my experiences and chasing a dream, and hopefully inspiring someone else to do the same.

I decided that since I have no formal training in art (except for grade 11 and 12 art classes and whatever I've dabble in since then), I would take inspiration for some of my favourite artists to begin. For this artwork, I studied some of Michelle Moode's art, as I love her mark making and mixed media approach. She's one of my favourite artists.

I began this piece with sketching out some of my ideas with pencil. And then I just dove in, tore out a sheet of my 9x4.5 Cartiera Magnani paper, and drew some of the elements that I knew I wanted in the artwork. It started out well and I felt pleased, but once I began to colour the shapes with watercolours, I became less enthused. I have no idea how to work with watercolours, so the shapes that started out nicely became the subject of my experiments with this form of painting. Also, because of my frustration I ended up using too many colours, rather than forming a strong colour palette and sticking with it. I also felt that I was keeping the elements too constrained with the black ink, and when I ventured out I did not feel happy with the results, except for the threaded "hearts" in the centre and the typewriter ink. I like some of the elements in this piece, and I think I will take those and work on a new piece in the future. For now, I will let this one sit and breathe for a while. While not a seller, I think it has promise if I work on it. Go me.

Searching through my insanely large bookmarks folder, I came across this video by Robin King called "Ten Thousand Pictures of You" and had to share it with you. This is the kind of art that inspires me. Wow.

Although we'd love to, many of us can't afford to purchase expensive original art. Or we may have a hard time seeing the value in the price tag and thus not purchase a piece that make our hearts go a'pitter-patter. But that doesn't mean you can't have truly amazing artworks adorning your home or office. Here are a few simple techniques for acquiring great art at great prices.

1. Browse Etsy for endless original art at significantly low prices. Like Scout Girl for $65. Or Nest No. 16 watercolor painting for $78. How about Owl in Oak for $175? Or Small Town Girl, an original oil painting for $300 (shown to the right).
2. Tiny Showcase. Okay, they aren’t original pieces, but they are limited-edition prints on fine art archival paper. What's extra nice is that a portion of the profits is donated to a charity of the artist’s choosing. Awesome. (Warning: new prints are posted every Tuesday and are usually sold out within 24 hours, or less, depending on how stupendous the work is, which it often is. Sign up for the newsletter and get the skinny early on what's coming up next.)
3. Barter. It’s making a huge comeback and people are finding this "new" currency to be especially helpful during periods of low sales. When you find a piece of art you love, strike up a friendly conversation with the artist and see if they might be interested in an exchange. (I’ve done this many times at craft fairs with my photographic prints and have delightfully adopted many items I may not have paid for — stuff like jewellery, hand-knitted scarves, t-shirts, birdhouses, gardening signs, fine art prints and more.) Also, you could place an ad on Craigslist (or your local classified ad media) that you’d like to exchange art for your own art or services.
4. The Greater Victoria Art Gallery has an art rental program, so check your local art gallery for something similar. This is a fabulous and creative way for emerging artists to get their name and work out there, and you have the luxury of “owning” an original artwork for as little as $20 a month. Extra bonus: you'll have new art to enjoy more often!
5. Yard sales, junk stores, auctions and swap n’ shops. Don't be afraid to buy something because "it's not cool" any more. If you love colour-by-numbers art, then by all means buy it without abandon!

6. Found art. It's free! Found art is everywhere, you just have to be mindful and look for it when you're out and about. Old bird's nests, interesting driftwood, shells from the beach, dead branches, fossils, rocks...all beautiful art made by nature and open for you to display in a variety of ways.
7. Make your own. Use your own time to create art. Multiple benefits!
8. Frame art made by a kid -- yours, your family or a friend's. (This also makes an endearing gift for a loved one.)

When you buy local and support small businesses and artists, you help to create a healthy community and economy. A simple way to make the world a better place and get yourself some awesome art to enjoy too.

I’ve made a few collages over the years. My first was for a friend who was dying of ovarian cancer at the age of 30. I gathered up some of the photos from our times together, plus a few of her with her husband. From magazines, I snipped images of things she loved: hiking, travelling, food and wine. It was a simple gift, but every hour I spent on it saw me thinking about Andrea in an intensely loving way. Her husband told me the collage was her favourite thing to look at as she lay quietly in her bedroom.

I made my second collage when I arrived in Victoria after having relocated from Calgary. It was the same year I’d lost Andrea, and my husband and I had just gotten back from a trip to Asia, so it was heavy on the meditation, travel and outdoorsy imagery.

For my third collage, I decided to host a gathering for friends. Like scrapbooking (which costs a hell of a lot more and is way too finicky for my attention span and level of patience), collaging is a great activity to do with any kind of group. It keeps you busy and gives you a constant stream of stuff to talk about.

A friend of mine laughed at my idea of hosting a collaging party. It sounded like such a Grade Five thing to do. Scissors, glue, magazines, posterboard. “Are you missing teaching or something?” she asked. But her skepticism only lasted until we uncorked the wine. By evening’s end she was surprised by how much fun she’d had. She was also amazed at how much she had learned about herself in the process of cutting out pictures and sticking them to cardboard.

"Light Sensitive" is an annual exhibition of the work done throughout the year by Professional Photography and Written Image students of the Western Academy of Photography in Victoria, BC. This year the exhibit opens on Thursday May 6  and runs until May 12 at the Community Arts Council of Greater Victoria.

I would encourage anyone in the Victoria area to attend and support these hard-working students (and likely find some inspiring images!). As far as I know, the framed photos are for sale, plus donations are gratefully accepted. The money raised from each exhibition goes towards putting on next year's show.

The Artist's Reception takes place on Friday, May 7, from 6 to 9 pm. Appetizers and refreshments will be served, and wine will be for sale.

Gallery hours are Monday to Friday 10 am  to 5 pm and Saturday and Sunday 10 am to 4 pm. Address is G6-1001 Douglas Street.

Artist and teacher Michelle Moode, based out of Los Angeles, creates mixed-media, one-of-a-kind artworks that explore memory and its nonlinear nature. Using gouache, ink, colored pencils, thread, brewed teabags, beeswax, ephemera, and other media while she creates, she lets her mind meander through her thoughts and memories, a meditation of sorts.

Michelle Moode's memories are lovely; her artwork, inspirational. She's on a bit of a sabbatical, but you can browse through her sold work on her esty store; or visit her Millions of People Happy fan page on Facebook.

Here are a few of her pieces to inspire you. This first one is called "Cloud Points".

"Cast of Thousands"

"To Catch a Few"

"Islands Since" (This one's hanging in my studio. *love* it.)

I'm a huge advocate of DIY. Unless, of course, it's something that you really should hire a professional to do, like, um, put a new roof on your house? Design your website? Cook your meals and serve your drinks? Okay, I kid on that last one. (But gosh that would be nice.)

This Inspired Life needed some business cards, and I wanted them to be so interesting that anyone who picked one up had to keep it, and of course had to visit this site. So I figured I'd make my own, using the many art supplies and collection of collage materials I have in my studio. When someone is given a business card that has been handmade, I think they appreciate it more.

All you really need is some cardstock and a pen, although a cool set of stamps makes for an interesting effect. You can find stamps at Michaels, your local dollar store, or most art supply stores. Some cities have dedicated stamp stores - check your local directory.

Keep reading to see my first set of DIY business cards.