NAEA 2015: "Make it Work!" with Tim Gunn

I'm an a big project runway fan, so when I learned that we would hear Tim Gunn speak at the National Art Educators Association, I was over the moon with excitement. 

We listened, on the edge of our seats, as he shared story after colorful story about his days as a student at the Corcoran School of Art and Design in Washington, DC  We laughed as he told more stories of how he transformed the Parsons School of Design  against resistance from faculty and students. He offered insights as to how his roll on Project Runway was never really meant to be and happened almost by accident.

I was inspired and uplifted by his words and his authentic approach to life:

Among the many lessons learned...

1) Do what you love -Through out Tim's discussion I could hear the love he has for art and design. I could hear his passion for teaching and guiding others to be fully expressed in their creativity. There was a deep passion and love there that was electric and beautiful!

2) Trusting talented individuals - There were many times along his journey where he encountered great artists and designers who took an interest in him. They challenged him to go beyond his comfort zone and try new things. He was scared and they didn't let him off the hook. He would die or get over the fear but he was encouraged to move forward and deal with the result. I could see how that approach would build certainty and confidence over time...and allow for more risk taking. 

3)  Don't take yourself too seriously. It's not brain surgery. - He is incredibly funny. We laughed so hard we were crying.  He found humor in the happy parts AND the not so happy parts of his life. He didn't let things get to him (at least not for long). That was truly inspiring.

So I will take those lessons in to the weeks that follow.

and see what new pathways open for creative expression.

Weekly Art Journal - March 22 - 28

My weekly journal page spread landed on an old page 

where I was testing a Christmas stamp in December. 

So this week will be about covering and working around the stamp 

and adding relevant images for the week.

Weekly Art Journal - March 15 -21

I returned to something I love...creating mini stories from old book pages. It's fun to pull a random page from an old book and piece together words to create a new story. I find that the story may not make sense at the time but as the week unfolds I discover their meaning.

My brother is doing such a great job of looking after my parents. This mini story reminded me of how much I appreciate what he's doing for our parents and the family. He is such a loving and generous spirit. Words can not express how much I truly love and appreciate him.

This week one of my dearest friends and her family will be moving to Southern California. Our friendship has grown over the years and I've made even more friends through her network of friends. We have grown from friends to a group of friends to family in only a few short years. 

I met with a group from a seminar I took this year. The seminar is over but we had so much fun together we committed to meeting each month for dinner to catch up, show up, tell the truth and inspire each other. This month we met for Chinese food at a local restaurant.

"Self Expression is that thing that let's you know
that people have experienced you.
It's not so much that "I did it my way". 

It's that you've been experienced by other people. 

You've touched them and they have touched you. "

~ Warner Erhard

 

Here is the starting point for my weekly journal this week. 

I start with an existing page then add just enough color and texture to inspire me. 

The butterfly wing was there already from an image transfer demonstration 

at the Juicy Soul Retreat. 

Next I add the Month, Date and Days of the week.

I found "March" in W magazine table of contents.

(Magazines and old calendars are great places to find month and days)

I also add the dates and 

let the inspiration, color and creativity flow

during the week.

Happy Journaling!

One Word Wednesday - Love

“If you judge people, you have no time to love them.” 

― Mother Teresa

Allow this word to inspire you in your journal.

Have fun with hand lettering

Photograph the word or its meaning this week.

Post your discoveries on Instagram with

#onewordwednesday

Weekly Art Journal - March 8 -14

Beginning of the week

End of the week

I want to share something with you ... 

I don't art journal all the time.

I teach classes in journaling 

I collect tons of art supplies

I have journals with blank pages

and sometimes I don't journal. 

...at least not all the time.

I share that because some of you love journaling
but don't journal as much as you like

and you might feel like something is wrong with that.

I recently noticed that my weekly art journal had 

 fallen off my priority list. 

Big time! 

I couldn't even remember where I placed my journal!

I felt guilty and I tried to make up for lost time
 by journaling all the weeks I missed

It was too much!

I was stressing myself out for no reason.

So I took a breath

Talked it over with my art sista Andrea.

and found a new way to begin again.

So today is the beginning of my weekly journaling practice.

It's simple. 

I'll created my journal layout for the week 

and I posted a photo of the same page 

at the end of the week to show the progress.

This week was amazingly inspiring. I had some amazing conversations
with people in my life. I got to support family and share my wisdom. 

I took time in my journal in little bits of time to return to 

my practice.

my meditation.

my Journal!

One Word Wednesday: Communication

“If others tell us something we make assumptions,

and if they don't tell us something we make assumptions

 to fulfill our need to know and to replace the need to communicate. 

Even if we hear something and we don't understand 

we make assumptions about what it means 

and then believe the assumptions. 

We make all sorts of assumptions

 because we don't have the courage to ask questions.” 

― Miguel Ruiz


This week's word is Communication. 
Allow this word to inspire you in your journal.
Have fun with hand lettering
Photograph the word or its meaning this week.
Post your discoveries on Instagram with
#onewordwednesday

May 2015 Juicy Soul Retreat

Thank You!

To everyone who spent the day with us creating master pieces, 

listening to the voice of our artistic muse, and 

losing our selves in the the process so we don't even notice our painty hands.

This session was exciting and joyful. 

Conversations flowed. 

Laughter filled the air.

We shared a few techniques 

we explored new tools

Gelli Plates

Acrylic inks

lettering

 Deli Paper

Stencils

This year we invited our Instagram followers to create at home along with us and post photos of their creations. It was wonderful to see everyone creating along with us. 

Thank you again 

and we look forward to more fun at our next Juicy Soul Retreat. 

Photo Transfer on Wood - September 9 2015

Photo Transfer on Wood
Sunday, September 9, 2015

TBD
A Work of Heart, San Jose, California

Workshop Schedule:

Discover how to turn your treasured images in to works of art.  Technology has made it possible for anyone to scan and print photos using a few simple office tools. In this workshop I will walk you step-by-step through the photo transfer process. You will have the opportunity to practice transferring a set of images to wood and add details that transform your image into a piece of personal art.  We will discuss: Selecting your photos for image transfer Enhancing your photos with software  Working on a large scale Most common mistakes people make when transferring images to wood Painting techniques for enhancing your images Embellishing images with fine details and ephemera

What to Bring:

• 3-5 Images (original image without a frame, less than 8x10 )

Registration:

Registration: $75