Five Thoughtful Places

I was tagged by Lori Greenberg, aka The Bead Nerd as a Thinking Blog. My task is to steer you to five other blogs that make me think, bestowing them with the title, Thinking Blogger.....

1. Smashing Color. If you have not checked out this great blog by Maggie Maggio yet, get yourself over there right away. Maggie has done a wonderful service for artists in all media with the way she has dissected and reconstructed color. I thought I understood a lot about color until I started reading her blog. Tip: The tutorials start at the beginning posts.

2. Christine Kane. I love Christine's blog. She is a very wise woman with tons of insight into what it means to be a creative professional, or just a person trying to live a life that is true to your heart and spirit. Do yourself a favor, check out her blog. She will be holding one of her creativity workshops in my area....when I am away at a show.....go figure......maybe next time.

3. Polymer Clay Notes. Susan Lumoto may not be your typical Thinking Blog....but she makes my gears churn after a visit to her site. For those of us who are visually oriented, Susan's blog is a feast of inspiration, and thought provoking images. Susan regularly opens my eyes to the wonders being created all over the planet.

4. Woolgathering. I aspire to do what Elizabeth Perry does. Each day, she creates a drawing or painting in her journal, and shares the image on her blog. The most ordinary moments are observed, captured and shared. Isn't this what art is really all about??

5. QuinnCreative. I just found this blog, but I like what I have seen so far. Now she has already received a Thinking Blog award, so chances are this is not so welcome by her....but I think if you are reading my blog you will find some food for thought at her blog. Check it out.

The participation rules are simple:

1. If, and only if, you get tagged, write a post with links to 5 blogs that make you think,
2. Link to this post so that people can easily find the exact origin of the meme,
3. Optional: Proudly display the ‘Thinking Blogger Award’ with a link to the post that you wrote (here is an alternative silver version if gold doesn’t fit your blog).

Thanks Lori!

Another Blog??!!

Yes, I am starting another blog...! It is called Studio Miscellanea. This one is specific to polymer clay, and probably the occasional metal clay post. It will be tips, tricks and ideas I learn in my studio, playing with the clay that I would like to share with others. I don't expect to post as often on that blog, but I like the immediacy of this format. I can put up a tutorial without a lot of fuss and bother. The photography is not always going to be top notch. But it should be enough to get the technique or idea across.

My first post is one on doing a mokume gane variation using scrap clay. It is a great way to recycle those bits of clay from making a cane, or from cane ends, or the bits and pieces left form a project of some sort. The only consideration is if the colors can be combined in a pleasing combination.

I hope you enjoy this new blog, and pick up a few tips and tricks along the way.

Doubt Revisited

The doubt cloud has passed along with the heat and humidity of the last few days. Who knows, maybe the doubt is a by-product of all that heavy air.... But it seemed as if walking the dog had as much to do with it as anything. Fresh air, a little exercise, and the whirlpool of doubt dissapates.

It became clear that none of the things I was trying to decide about had to be decided right now. Shows, if they are worth doing, will continue on. The opportunity will come again next year and the following year. And perhaps then, things will have shifted, or not....either way, I will have a chance to decide again.

One opportunity has changing circumstances which may make participation more viable in the future. So I will reconsider that option in this new light. I could do the show this August, but in doing so I would have to work even harder and longer than it seems that I already do. And I would probably not be able to do things like a mailing prior to the show. Better to wait. Do it when I can plan ahead. When it was a planned choice rather than a reaction to an opportunity.

As I said in the prior post, doubt is inescapable. It is not a sign of weakness or inadequacy. It is our humanity. How we deal with the doubt is what can help us either move forward, or get stuck in an awful, unbearable place. Today feels a lot less stuck and murky than yesterday.

NIAI Survey on the State of the Craft Market

Head over to Karren Britto's blog, Entwinements. She has a post about a survey being done by NIAI to assess the state of the business of craft. It has a link to their survey. The more working artists who fill it out, the more data they will have, and the more accurate picture they can paint.