a thankful holiday (and grateful blogger)

Brother Sun by nikaa

Okay, we all know that Thanksgiving is around the corner and we have a lot to be thankful for, right? I personally have tons to be thankful for this year, frankly every year, but especially this year. I have said to a few people just this week that for the last several years I have been in varying states of depression, ranging from mild to debilitating. Unless you read my about page you might not know this. I never talked about it out loud that much, but you probably didn’t have to hear it to know, you could probably tell my the look on my face how bad it was at any given moment. My kind was that terrible feeling of being overwhelmed and filled with anxiety, to the point of being paralyzed to act on anything. It always manifested itself in the worst way right at the beginning of each previous holiday season too, but this year is different. Now, lately and right now as I write this, I feel like I am finally coming into the light after a really long time. Consistently. Everyday. Not just a good day or two here and there and then back into the dumper. Progress. I feel better about myself in new and different ways. And I suspect that, among other things, it is from the creative things that I decided to take up, like pecking around the internet and writing about what I find (writer’s block notwithstanding), and snapping my photos of odd alluring things.

These simple but pleasurable tasks have created some powerful momentum for me, so I am giving thanks to all of you who come to visit me here. You have influenced my progress. You gently push me along my path, you encourage me and make me think, you make me laugh out loud with your comments and emails and have provided me with steam and movement and courage to dig deep and wonder what I might be capable of doing from a creative or artistic point of view. I am encouraged to let my mind go. Since I am a bit of a control freak that last part is the biggest challenge for me but I remain undaunted because deep down inside I know the best creative bits that have not yet showed themselves to me will rise to the surface. In the meantime the interaction I have going with you helps me to get there in not-so-mysterious ways.

I’ve enjoyed myself during my time off. I totally needed it, especially this week, because we are doing a rogue Thanksgiving dinner today instead of Thursday and I am doing the cooking! I come from a long line of rogues and am proud of my heritage. Anyway, I’m still slightly blocked but my outlook is positive and I’ll be back in full force after the holiday with lots of new fresh and inventive things to show you. I will also be covering the One of a Kind Show here in Chicago at the end of next week. I can’t wait! Believe you me there will lots of eye-popping goodness over there: 500 vendors with their high quality handmade goods, and an additional gallery section with larger scale works. I’ll be showing you the best of the best. Till then, I wish a lovely holiday to my friends in the states and a nice rest of the week to my friends across the globe!

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a tiny moment of venting

headache by suzi q

I just want to tell you guys that I am having the worst creative block I have ever had blogwise.  I have been writing practically nonstop since June of 2007 and I think I’ve hit a brick wall. This block is actually affecting another creative project I am doing with someone else too and it is really frustrating.

I hope you will understand and stick around if I take a day off here and there to try and kickstart myself to be motivated again. I think I need a fresh perspective and some time away from the computer to clear whatever is cluttering my mind.

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a little leaf study

Hi there lovely people. I am a little frustrated getting this post out to you right now so late, and apologetic too. My laptop seems to be on its last legs and I just can’t get it to save or publish when I need to get my articles out there! I have given up for tonight, so for now please enjoy the changing of the seasons in these photos while I get it together technology-wise. Hopefully tomorrow I will wake up and my computer will be back to its normal robust self!

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un bon weekend

I feel like it has been a while since I said “so long, I am off to Michigan for the weekend” because of all the health issues with the animals in my house this summer. I’m saying it now though. We are sneaking off for a long rejuvenating weekend, one that consists of not staring at computers till we go cross-eyed, trying to focus on the tiny screens of our cell phones or having to stop some fun or creative activity so we can hurry off to go do some errand thing that needs to get done right away. Sick of that.

I hope your weekend is a happy and relaxing one as well!

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photography shop update

dudes and dudettes, i must apologize for the lame amount of posts this week. things around here are so busy right now, partly because i volunteered to be the editor of my etsy team’s new blog. please head over there and have a look at all the wonderful work my teammates are putting out there - it is really great!

in the interim, i’ve barely had time to update my own shop, but here are a few of the new color and black and white pieces to come…

as always your feedback is welcome and appreciated!

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etsy shop update

beloved readers, you all should know by now that the focus of my attention on this blog is rarely on me, but i need to tell you all that i am just thrilled with the very positive response i’ve been getting at my etsy shop. people have been so welcoming and inclusive and my “new kid at school” jitters have melted away. my orange balloon photograph (top row, center) even made it to the front page of etsy, in a lovely treasury put together by tabitha from thepairabirds shop. thank you, tabitha!

my latest additions include new photographic images and another thing that i mentioned a while ago: digital giclee art prints created from my original photographs.

i am really happy with the way the prints turned out. they’re so vibrant, and on this gorgeous textured watercolor paper that is hefty and beautiful. besides the extensive production work i do to create these prints, i (of course) continue to take photos every day. i’m currently working on a black and white collection. and i might do some botanicals with the ttv technique. we’ll see.

it’s so much fun to create art. it recharges my batteries. i think i forgot how joyful it can make a person. and lately, it has taken me away from this place. i know i’ll get back on track blogwise, but for now i’m off now to work on expanding my collection. stay tuned!

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happy blogiversary, or it’s all about me

warning: self-centered post chock full of funny facts about me ahead!

more than a few weeks ago i was tagged by four fine bloggy friends and asked to reveal several random/quirky things about myself, as well as tell you what i sites i personally enjoy visiting. i have put this off for a while for a variety of reasons, i think mainly because i don’t think i’m very interesting. but once i realized that not being very interesting could count towards one of my revealing facts, i decided to take the plunge…

- i am a freak about spelling and typos. i frequently see misspelled signs, and tell myself (or others that are in the car with me) that “somebody paid cash money for that sign” aloud. i think my favorites signwise were the “newspapars” sign i saw in philadelphia once, and the “best tacos in tawn” here in chicago, where i reside. in grade school i got 100 on every single spelling test up until the 4th grade, when i received a 95. i was quite beside myself and indignantly went over to fellow classmate megan quinlask, who had been assigned the dubious duty of correcting the tests. when i pointed out that she had made a mistake in scoring my test, she pointed at my paper and said “you got one wrong. fourty.” fourty! fourty! i will never forget that. especially because that is how old i became this past may. stupid fourty. ruined my record.

- on my business card, i describe myself as a raconteur and bon vivant. i don’t weave tales out of the air, i tell it like it is, and usually it sounds like something someone would have made up, because sometimes nutty things happen, you know? i started describing myself this way after i heard gene rayburn introduce charles nelson reilly on the match game this way.

- this month of june that just passed marked my one year blogiversary. hurrah! i have gone through regular periods of burn out and elation writing almost every day. it has been a lot of fun and it hasn’t stopped yet, so i will continue to hunt and peck and dig up as much original content as this space can hold. i love all the friendships around the world that have come out of this website. it is a strong positive thing and it powers me through the down times when they come sweeping through around here.

- my love of reading was cultivated by my parents when i was a child, and continues to this day, although i read more online than in books these days, and i have the dry eyes to prove it. i have carefully selected the sites in my blogroll for the quality content and sparkling writing. these people have a point of view or style i thoroughly enjoy. please pay them a visit when you have time, and you won’t be disappointed!

- out of all the myriad ways to express oneself in an artistic way, i like photography the best. i have always been attracted to and inspired by slightly askew, out of focus, beautifully composed photographs, so without further ado, i am nervous and happy and pleased to announce the grand opening of my own digital photography shop on etsy! i have been working hard on this for months and months and months, shooting, editing, re-editing, trashing, researching, biting my nails, and ultimately taking the plunge. nothing would please me more if you were to head on over there and take a peek. i am starting out slowly so there are only a handful of images right now, but there are lots more to come. let me know if your philosophy about photography is similar to mine, and i hope you enjoy them if you have a look!

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you make my day award

last week i was honored with a you make my day award from belgian-born, quebec-based artist and illustrator suana verelst, for the post i wrote about her gorgeous work here. thank you suana!

now in the spirit in which it was received i am passing this award along to five cool artists who consistently make my day every time i look at their work or their blogs (this is hard because i like WAY more than five!):

michigan’s tom allen of the ant and farm report

indiana’s terry border from bent objects

maine’s jennifer judd-mcgee from swallowfield

australia’s linda kruger from yellow monday

chicago’s sandra soss from bricolage life

browse around, look and enjoy - you’ll like it!

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