Real life vs Creative life

if you've been following me for a bit, you might have noticed that i've been struggling lately. like more than normal. energy levels have been low and creativity has been sparse. I had chalked it up to a busy work schedule with lots of travel, but it turns out that i have been fighting Mono.. seems like something i should have had in high school or college, but no- it waited until 36 to come along and kick my ass. i'm kind of proud that i didn't miss 2-3 weeks of work due to it, like some folks do, but i chalk that up to pure stubbornness, not any kind of easy infection. The doc says that mono in adults, especially ones that get strep throat once and ear infections twice during the span, can take 6-8 weeks to get over it and i should be feeling better in the next week or so.. bleh!

its a relief to know why i have been so tired and achy, and generally just lacking the ability to do much. all that combined with a wicked deficiency of vitamins, i'm actually doing better than one would expect. I seem to be the fail at taking care of myself, even though i've been eating healthier. It all goes back to that being done with adulting thing. :)

All that aside, i did get 11 pairs of earrings made this week at Open Studio Night, although the phone died before i could get a photo. I'll update once i get one taken.

Here's a kitten photo to be a place holder. :)Willow has laser eyes, shadow is between them and zelda is like "mom- stahp!!!"

Creative Life 2016 - Week 11

I'm starting off week 11 with positivity. I am reinforcing my affirmations, trying really hard to show myself kindness, and remembering that I cannot give from an empty bowl.

Part of what makes my art so important, at least to me, is the amount of myself that I put into each piece. It is my way of making my story immortal. However, if i'm all used up, i'll have nothing to give to my work, and it shows. People respond so much stronger to the work that was made with passion and imbued with love and light.

I dove off into the amazing and terrifying world 24 karat gold. I made granules for a granulation project that has been stewing since my class on the 5th. I'm excited about the potential.

Check out this lovely fungi. The whole stump was covered in this beautiful colorful shelf fungus. I took a little mold of those tiny bits and am looking forward to reproducing it in bronze or copper. When i grew White Oysters a couple of months ago, a few of them dried out while i was traveling for work and are these hardened, compacted versions of themselves. I think i should be able to get a good mold from them, so positive outcome from a negative thing (they were very tasty and had a lot more to give, but mushrooms must not be allowed to go dry... )

Creative Life - Travel photos

Since i've been traveling so much, i have been able to explore new and interesting places. Here's some shots from my trip to Denver. After i finished my job, i had a whole afternoon to explore. I went up to a panoramic overlook (and Dinosaur Ridge, but the museum was closed due to the docent not showing up for work) and got some great shots of the mountains. Then i drove downtown and had lunch at Palettes at the Denver Museum of Art, then wandered the museum for a coupe of hours (while taking calls for work- i made sure to leave the galleries before taking calls- even if there was no one else in there, it felt weird talking on the phone while looking at the art)

Creative Life 2016- week 10

well.. i've missed a few weeks. i was in Denver the last week of February and i was in Nashville last week. In between all my travel, i've been fighting off a sinus infection that reminds me it's there by sending me to bed at 4 in the afternoon. Not exactly the most conducive atmosphere for creativity.

I took a granulation class at the Metal Museum this past Saturday with Doug Harling. When i'd signed up for the class back in January, i had no idea how badly i would need it. It was the first time i'd been at the torch in almost 3 weeks. And this technique is all about patience-  something that i have been in very short supply of recently, so that was good. It's funny how i can pull patience up when i need it for something like this, but still have none for my daily life.

We worked in Fine Silver, but i'm already itching to try it in gold. This is a way that i could make my gold go further and is much less wasteful than casting.