Tales from Studio Mailbox

Big Bloody Eye

This photo pretty much sums it up right now.  We knew moving was going to prove difficult, but I wasn't quite ready for this.

I don't know what the hell has happened to America while I was away for the majority of the last decade, so instead I'm trying to think about what the hell has changed in me.   Who knows what the problem is, but I suspect it's that all my art supplies have been floating on a ship for weeks and I'm going nuts without them.

So although every day I've been faced with crap like this sign while I have four bags of luggage to move, there are also mornings where I wake up to my beautiful new city and feel pretty sure that it's just going to take a little time before things start feeling better.

For the immediate future I'm listening to a friend who advised me to give myself "permission to not be creative." 

Probably not a bad idea since a blood vessel blew in my left eye, turning it red and making me look like an escaped circus clown.  I laughed so hard when I read that a subconjunctival hemorrhage is "generally a painless and harmless condition."  I thought, "well not to my reputation it isn't!"  I've decided that when my body starts exploding, it's time to ease off a bit and take a break.

Once I can return to blogging, I'll start out by sharing some exciting news as well as some fun photos of the groove-a-licious hotel I'm staying in.  (Look closely at the rainbow photo for a sneak peek.  Notice the reflection of the frosted glass mirror in the window?  Now that's what I'm talkin' about!) 

Oh yeah, you're in for a treat... just hang in there with me and we'll get through this...

right?

*Sorry for the re-post gang, something went wrong with my link and when I went to fix it everything went crazy.  Ironic or no?

TJ's Creative Connections

I cannot describe the people and charged atmosphere of the recent Creative Connection Event in St. Paul!  I was only able to make it one day, but in that short amount of time I managed to meet some incredibly arty new friends. Have a peek at the Studio Mailbox Facebook Page if you want to see the photos of me in shock and awe when meeting all the mixed media artists I've followed for so many years from my computer screen.  I cannot explain how it felt to walk and talk among them and realize that they are real!  This must be what it's like for kids who go to Disney World and meet their favorite mascots that they've only ever known as cartoons!

  After breakfast I had a morning class with the famous Traci Bautista.  It was very interesting listening to her discuss her business and I look forward to the access we'll be getting to her instructional videos.  I'm particularly excited about one of her lessons for making .pdfs from the Mac's Pages program.  Ever since I started with my Mac, I've grumbled about not having Word.  I was surprised to learn that Traci does all her documents with Pages and that me think that if she can do it, I can do it! (And yes, she is as stylish and cool as she looks on-line.  I was loving her wild jewelry and stripey toenails! Amazing).

My afternoon consisted of two different business panels, both of which were full of information.  I got a better understanding of licencing and agents as well more ideas about publishing.

Normally at events like this you take away one or two really big things that resonate with you.  For me, this was when agent Lilla Rogers was talking about the hours of work artists need to put in before they achieve excellence.  I loved when she was discussing competition in the art world and said that the wedges aren't getting smaller, the pie is getting bigger.  She also told us that "people buy your joy, so make it your top priority!"  I could have listened to her wisdom all day.  If I understood correctly, she's either already writing or considering writing a book because she loves to help artists on their journeys.  So let's keep an eye out for that!  (And can I just say that after so many years being immersed in German, I found it really confusing to focus on discussions in English!  So forgive me if have any of this wrong!)

The icing on the cake was meeting artists such as Kelly Rae Roberts, Beth Nicholls, Liv Lane, Melody Ross, and designer Holly Becker author of both Decor8 and Haus Maus!  I was thrilled to meet some new local people who I hope to get to know better as well as the elusive Heather Valentine from The Sewing Loft (we missed each other all day and then in the last moments of the conference as we were leaving the building, we found each other! YIPPEE)...

After so many years of disconnection, it really was incredible to be included in something like this.  I feel so lucky and grateful to be off on such really great start back home in the USA...

Kelly Rae, Liv and TJ - Beth was there too, but she was operating the camera!

Photographic Mail-Art Love!

Kat Sloma from the Kat Eye View of the World hosted the amazing "Liberate Your Art Postcard Swap" which was one of the last ones I joined while still in Germany.  Although I missed the blog hop portion of the event, I still wanted to post images of the beautiful postcards I recieved and thank the talented people who created them. 

Each of these cards gave me such a smile when I was right in the middle of total chaos, which just confirms how important creativity and mail art can be.

Top Left - Bright Lights by Kris Freeman

Embrace Your Super Powers by Jenny Shih

Peacock by Claudia Wrightson, Dipity Road

Dandelions by Angie Willis, Palomachaffinch

Vespa by Kat Sloma (the hostess!) Kat Eye Studio

Stitch by Joan Jedesigns

Remember my Glueckwunsch Cards?  Well one landed in Rosie's World and she was kind enough to share it with her readers presenting her postcards pinned on a line!  Check it out. 

Here's a big shout of thanks to Kat who has been a real support and inspiration for me since she just so happens to be transitioning back into live in the US after living in Italy!  I've really enjoyed following her love of scooters while improving my photography with her tips and tricks.

Homelessness

Before we left Germany, we took our last European road trip and drove to Italy for a short vacation. 

And during those few days in Tuscany when we lost our bearings in Florence, a man in a park redirected us in the most helpful manner.

My husband had to take a phone call and while he was dealing with a work problem, my son and I tried to get a water fountain to work.  Again, this man got up from his temporary camp and demonstrated how to get the water to come up through the spigot.  Then as a last grand gesture, he gave us hand signals to wait (which was when I started to get nervous and wonder if that was when the knife was going to come out to rob us) and instead he grandly presented a balloon to our boy.

It's hard to be in transition.  We're homeless in an extremely luxurious way, such as grazing at a hotel breakfast buffet and returning to a room with made beds.  But nevertheless, it is challenging.  I'm sick of not being able to really cook, of digging through over-packed luggage trying to find things and stepping on my kid's toys which seem to be everywhere in this very small space.

I thought I was going to be able to work as usual.  That's clearly not going to happen for awhile.  I'm trying not to get crabby, and when I feel myself slipping I just think back to this man who seemed absolutely at ease in his state and pray for this kind of grace.

Back on American Soil

If all has gone as planned, then Saturday is my first full day back in the United States. 

I wasn't gone a few months or over the summer.  I was gone for more than 9 years.  Things feel exciting and also overwhelming. 

What I look forward to the most is living where I will be fully literate again.  For years I have been unable to read or write fluently in German.  This experience has changed me down to the very core of my being.  

Those of you who have been around long know that a lot of my artwork has been about exploring cultural identity.  Here is the second of two hearts I made as self portraits before leaving Europe.  This one was made from that page in the newspaper that comes out on the 4th of July and was spray painted with a big heart-shaped chocolate box and a metal braided chain.  I threw in a little touch of vintage fabric and then laced it up like a Dirndl.  It will be on exhibit in Nuremburg soon.  More on that later.

Hello America.  I've missed you and I look forward to getting to know you again!