As of late, I've had quite a few people ask me who I use for online printing and I've been at a loss because I don't do the same type of printing that a visual artist might require. On Tuesday night, at Shout: Kiss My Art, a local artist gave me her card. It has four color images on both sides and also functions as her business card. I asked her who she uses and if she's satisfied with her service. She said, "I use nextdayflyers.com. They are cheap, good and fairly fast." Of course, do your own research and be an informed buyer, but this is one place you might want to check out if you're in the market for new postcards.
Use another vendor that you absolutely love? Then say so in a reply to this post and help out a fellow artist's search for a new printer!
Until next time,
keep creating!
-Mel.
Showing posts with label artist. Show all posts
Showing posts with label artist. Show all posts
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Support Votre Vray Artists!!!
If you see an article to an artist you're interested in, go to their site. Buy their work. Become their best advocate and post comments here....but DON'T STOP there!
If you're a friend or family member of a Votre Vray creative woman, please read the articles and see the work of the other artists. We're not competitors here. You can love the work of several artists, even in the same medium, and not be disloyal to the one artist you came to see because you already knew her or her work.
Votre Vray can only be a success if you reach out to each other, tell everyone you know about the artists here, and about my work to be an arts advocate. Kudos are great, but in the words of Carla Sanders, the sincerest form of appreciation is when someone pulls out their checkbook.
Also, if you are interested in buying work or seeing more work from any of these artists, please visit their links directly. I don't make a single red cent in promoting anyone here. The artist make the money when you visit them and buy from them directly.
Thank you again for your patronage, and please:
1. Tell 10 people today about Votre Vray
2. Subscribe to this blog
3. If you want art, buy something from one of the wonderful women who've been profiled here, or whose links appear on this page.
4. Create your own art for your own pleasure, or to share, and join the Votre Vray family!
5. Put a link to Votre Vray on your blog or website.
Keep creating!
-Mel.
If you're a friend or family member of a Votre Vray creative woman, please read the articles and see the work of the other artists. We're not competitors here. You can love the work of several artists, even in the same medium, and not be disloyal to the one artist you came to see because you already knew her or her work.
Votre Vray can only be a success if you reach out to each other, tell everyone you know about the artists here, and about my work to be an arts advocate. Kudos are great, but in the words of Carla Sanders, the sincerest form of appreciation is when someone pulls out their checkbook.
Also, if you are interested in buying work or seeing more work from any of these artists, please visit their links directly. I don't make a single red cent in promoting anyone here. The artist make the money when you visit them and buy from them directly.
Thank you again for your patronage, and please:
1. Tell 10 people today about Votre Vray
2. Subscribe to this blog
3. If you want art, buy something from one of the wonderful women who've been profiled here, or whose links appear on this page.
4. Create your own art for your own pleasure, or to share, and join the Votre Vray family!
5. Put a link to Votre Vray on your blog or website.
Keep creating!
-Mel.
Monday, July 21, 2008
Why Votre Vray Creative Women Entire Artist Interviews and Images Do Not Appear Here
I, Mel., would like all participating Votre Vray artists and visitors to the blog to know that only artists or businesses profiled that do NOT have a full website available at this time will have images in this blog. Once all interviewees have been profiled, if time permits and there is no conflict with the publication, images will be added to profiles that already have working business web addresses. Please note any image in this blog or any part of interviews that appear here cannot reappear as is in the Votre Vray book, as the book contents must be unique. The same artists may appear in the play or the book, but additional information from the interviews would be used for that purpose.
If you have been interviewed and you do not see a link to your site, or information about you at this time, please be patient. I have about 80 interviews in queue as of this morning, and I'm trying to close on a house, find a new home, prepare for the Upstate Women's Show, conduct more interviews, and move my office before August 7th.
Thank you for your understanding in this matter, and best wishes in all of your creative endeavors. Remember, it is my mission to promote your work as well as create a play and a book that will benefit us both. Please be patient as I strive for the highest quality work possible.
If you have been interviewed and you do not see a link to your site, or information about you at this time, please be patient. I have about 80 interviews in queue as of this morning, and I'm trying to close on a house, find a new home, prepare for the Upstate Women's Show, conduct more interviews, and move my office before August 7th.
Thank you for your understanding in this matter, and best wishes in all of your creative endeavors. Remember, it is my mission to promote your work as well as create a play and a book that will benefit us both. Please be patient as I strive for the highest quality work possible.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Mel headed to Recording Studio
Now hear this, Mel Edwards, Renaissance woman is finally going to the recording studio!
That's right folks, the week of August 4th I'll be at a local recording studio making my first cd of poems, stories, and some content from the opening of the Votre Vray play. I have more material than can possibly fit on one cd, and I won't know until I'm in-process what will work together and what will need to be cut away before the final version is put out there, but that's what creation is all about for me -- trying, re-doing, and re-tooling again and again until I say, "Okay, that's enough for this piece. Time to let it go," even if the piece doesn't match some preconceived ideal.
The good news is most of the pieces will be available for sale within a few days from iTales.com where, like iTunes, you can pay per download to get the exact content that you want. This will make my work more immediately accessible for those who are interested in hearing my work but can't get to one of my gigs.
To learn more about me and my work, please visit my website: www.meledwards.com
Until next time,
(you know what I'm going to say....)
Keep Creating!
-Mel.
That's right folks, the week of August 4th I'll be at a local recording studio making my first cd of poems, stories, and some content from the opening of the Votre Vray play. I have more material than can possibly fit on one cd, and I won't know until I'm in-process what will work together and what will need to be cut away before the final version is put out there, but that's what creation is all about for me -- trying, re-doing, and re-tooling again and again until I say, "Okay, that's enough for this piece. Time to let it go," even if the piece doesn't match some preconceived ideal.
The good news is most of the pieces will be available for sale within a few days from iTales.com where, like iTunes, you can pay per download to get the exact content that you want. This will make my work more immediately accessible for those who are interested in hearing my work but can't get to one of my gigs.
To learn more about me and my work, please visit my website: www.meledwards.com
Until next time,
(you know what I'm going to say....)
Keep Creating!
-Mel.
Nicole B. Schmidt is Green Over Art!
Partial interview of Nicole B. Schmidt of http://www.nicolebcreative.com/ for the Votre Vray Creative Women project.
One of the key questions the Votre Vray project asks every interviewee is how they feel about being called an artist. Some embrace the concept, and others balk at nuances the term brings up for them. Nicole B. Schmidt is one of the later.
"I have two conflicting ideas when I think of the term ‘artist,’” says Nicole. “The first is the stereotype of the flighty, all over the place but not necessarily responsible type. The second is of someone who has the innate ability to be creative, outside the parameters of society or original intention.” Nicole then goes on to state she’s not sure she’s earned the right for the second definition yet but she’s working on it by getting away from traditional 2D and formulas such as copying the masters. For her, “It is more about the experience than the end product, let it evolve, go through the process instead of dictating to the piece, ‘You will be…’”
I asked if her new creative direction causes her to fear putting herself out there. “Oh yeah! The new direction of my work is more commercial and there is still an elitist view of who has made it in the world of art,” much like A-list stars in Hollywood. “You need to be in the scene to make it big, if you don’t fit that image, you won’t make it.”
Does she want to be “part of the scene”? Nicole laughs and says, “I want to make a sellable product. Every piece is not a child of yours. It is your work that will replenish itself. Let go of what you’ve made (sell it) and create anew.”
And create, Nicole does. When she was little her mother had to create a rotation system of the pieces on display on the fridge, keep it up a week, and replace with her latest work. She went on to take AP art classes in high school and some of her paintings are still in her parent’s home.
What does she advise to new artists? “Find yourself in your art. If you’re in it for money, find your direction, find what you really love – a subject or a medium – and see how far you can push yourself in that.”
What is Nicole’s latest artistic aim? “I am working on creating a line of art that is completely eco-friends – renewable materials, looking at dyes and milk paints – and making it affordable for younger people who want to feel good about purchasing something beautiful that is also a green product. I will be successful it I can create a modest living making art that others can enjoy too.”
I’m willing to bet Nicole will do just that.
One of the key questions the Votre Vray project asks every interviewee is how they feel about being called an artist. Some embrace the concept, and others balk at nuances the term brings up for them. Nicole B. Schmidt is one of the later.
"I have two conflicting ideas when I think of the term ‘artist,’” says Nicole. “The first is the stereotype of the flighty, all over the place but not necessarily responsible type. The second is of someone who has the innate ability to be creative, outside the parameters of society or original intention.” Nicole then goes on to state she’s not sure she’s earned the right for the second definition yet but she’s working on it by getting away from traditional 2D and formulas such as copying the masters. For her, “It is more about the experience than the end product, let it evolve, go through the process instead of dictating to the piece, ‘You will be…’”
I asked if her new creative direction causes her to fear putting herself out there. “Oh yeah! The new direction of my work is more commercial and there is still an elitist view of who has made it in the world of art,” much like A-list stars in Hollywood. “You need to be in the scene to make it big, if you don’t fit that image, you won’t make it.”
Does she want to be “part of the scene”? Nicole laughs and says, “I want to make a sellable product. Every piece is not a child of yours. It is your work that will replenish itself. Let go of what you’ve made (sell it) and create anew.”
And create, Nicole does. When she was little her mother had to create a rotation system of the pieces on display on the fridge, keep it up a week, and replace with her latest work. She went on to take AP art classes in high school and some of her paintings are still in her parent’s home.
What does she advise to new artists? “Find yourself in your art. If you’re in it for money, find your direction, find what you really love – a subject or a medium – and see how far you can push yourself in that.”
What is Nicole’s latest artistic aim? “I am working on creating a line of art that is completely eco-friends – renewable materials, looking at dyes and milk paints – and making it affordable for younger people who want to feel good about purchasing something beautiful that is also a green product. I will be successful it I can create a modest living making art that others can enjoy too.”
I’m willing to bet Nicole will do just that.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Divine Answer to Artist’s Dream!
Profile of: Connie Logan, www.cplogan.com
based upon interview by Mel. Edwards, for the Votre Vray project
If you live in Greensboro, NC, you might know the matriarch of painters, Connie Logan. Founder of Artstock, a local art tour now in its 11th year (with tours taking place in October), mother of three, and painting teacher of several local artists, Logan is a powerhouse not to be equaled.
Some may find it cliché, but Logan credits G-d where credit is due, including, telling her “Now is not your time,” when she first began to ask, “When do I get to do what I want?” when she ached to create instead of sitting on floor playing Legos with her sons.
1987, she took her sons to a Lenten service where the priest told the congregation, “If you want to identify with Christ in a small way, give something up for Lent.” She gave up television, and while she sat in a room apart from her then-husband, so he could watch TV, she prayed for strength and asked what to do with herself. She distinctly heard G-d say that her time had come. So she began painting two hours a day, and hasn’t looked back since.
She advises, “If you’re going to be a writer, write. If you’re going to be a painter, paint. Build a body of work.” By 1993 she had done just that, and while living in Budapest, due to her husband’s job, she not only flourished in her creation of works that honored her new home, but she gained a rare opportunity to have a showing at the Budapest National Opera House! “People came in tuxes, and I hired a quartet to play on the marble landing, with a gilded entrance. I had 35 pieces in that show.” It was a defining moment that changed her life.
When she returned to the States, her marriage ended and against the advice of “everyone” especially those who said she “couldn’t” do it, she had a studio built in her own back yard. She gave the workers all her savings and said, “This if for labor, and this is my credit card to (this building company) and when that maxes out, I have one to this building company.” In the end it took four credit cards and plenty of negotiating rates, and transferring balances, to created a studio $40,000. Due to her savvy, Logan paid no interest and the debt was gone within a year.
Although she continually teaches and encourages others, she also keeps balance by painting (or doing art- related tasks) daily. Logan states, “Follow your passion, what you truly believe in, even if you’re not good at it. You just require the desire.” She says she’s worked with several painters and taught them the techniques, the concrete side of painting, and their passion and commitment has carried them forward until they became good at it. Logan says painting gives her a stronger sense of self, and she believes everyone wants to know their purpose in life. Painting helps her identify with the Creator, as creating any art can do.
Logan is no longer scared to put herself and her work out there, and that she “really can’t” envision herself doing anything else. “This IS what I envisioned,” she states, adding, “Money isn’t what is going to motivate an artist. Self-fulfillment is.” She should know, as do her sons, and her students.
based upon interview by Mel. Edwards, for the Votre Vray project
If you live in Greensboro, NC, you might know the matriarch of painters, Connie Logan. Founder of Artstock, a local art tour now in its 11th year (with tours taking place in October), mother of three, and painting teacher of several local artists, Logan is a powerhouse not to be equaled.
Some may find it cliché, but Logan credits G-d where credit is due, including, telling her “Now is not your time,” when she first began to ask, “When do I get to do what I want?” when she ached to create instead of sitting on floor playing Legos with her sons.
1987, she took her sons to a Lenten service where the priest told the congregation, “If you want to identify with Christ in a small way, give something up for Lent.” She gave up television, and while she sat in a room apart from her then-husband, so he could watch TV, she prayed for strength and asked what to do with herself. She distinctly heard G-d say that her time had come. So she began painting two hours a day, and hasn’t looked back since.
She advises, “If you’re going to be a writer, write. If you’re going to be a painter, paint. Build a body of work.” By 1993 she had done just that, and while living in Budapest, due to her husband’s job, she not only flourished in her creation of works that honored her new home, but she gained a rare opportunity to have a showing at the Budapest National Opera House! “People came in tuxes, and I hired a quartet to play on the marble landing, with a gilded entrance. I had 35 pieces in that show.” It was a defining moment that changed her life.
When she returned to the States, her marriage ended and against the advice of “everyone” especially those who said she “couldn’t” do it, she had a studio built in her own back yard. She gave the workers all her savings and said, “This if for labor, and this is my credit card to (this building company) and when that maxes out, I have one to this building company.” In the end it took four credit cards and plenty of negotiating rates, and transferring balances, to created a studio $40,000. Due to her savvy, Logan paid no interest and the debt was gone within a year.
Although she continually teaches and encourages others, she also keeps balance by painting (or doing art- related tasks) daily. Logan states, “Follow your passion, what you truly believe in, even if you’re not good at it. You just require the desire.” She says she’s worked with several painters and taught them the techniques, the concrete side of painting, and their passion and commitment has carried them forward until they became good at it. Logan says painting gives her a stronger sense of self, and she believes everyone wants to know their purpose in life. Painting helps her identify with the Creator, as creating any art can do.
Logan is no longer scared to put herself and her work out there, and that she “really can’t” envision herself doing anything else. “This IS what I envisioned,” she states, adding, “Money isn’t what is going to motivate an artist. Self-fulfillment is.” She should know, as do her sons, and her students.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Telling the Truth ...One Artist's Perspective
The main focus of Votre Vray is for each person to find his or her creative truth, and to USE IT to be the best person you can be and live the life you were created for. Sian Lindemann gets that, so much so that she wrote her own version of what truth meant in her work here:
Go to www.thenationalnetworker.com
Lindemann says, "This month's article in Arts and Entertainment Department is a pretty radical turn from the content I normally write....but its powerful...and revealing about my nature as an artist, and as a human being...
Enjoy.
Sian Lindemann"
I certainly did enjoy it and learned a bit about Sian and her work.
Sian will be interviewed for the Votre Vray project later this month. Until then, check out this artist, her website and Keep Creating!
-Mel.
Go to www.thenationalnetworker.com
Lindemann says, "This month's article in Arts and Entertainment Department is a pretty radical turn from the content I normally write....but its powerful...and revealing about my nature as an artist, and as a human being...
Enjoy.
Sian Lindemann"
I certainly did enjoy it and learned a bit about Sian and her work.
Sian will be interviewed for the Votre Vray project later this month. Until then, check out this artist, her website and Keep Creating!
-Mel.
Friday, July 11, 2008
30 Fabulous, Funny and Talented Women Artists' Interviews Coming!
Woo Hoo! I've had the incredible pleasure to meet and interview thirty women artists already -- with specialties ranging from the folk tradition, to multi-degree holding visual, performance and wordsmith artists with every modality that one might imagine. This time next week I hope to have most (if not all) of their introductory profiles here.
Until then, spread the word about the Votre Vray project. Invite friends, women you admire, and past enemies too ('cause it's not too late to fix our karma).
Subscribe to the blog, and place a link to this blog on your website. The bigger buzz we create with the project the quicker several things can happen:
1. Participants get recognition for their work from new audiences.
2. Participants get a shot at making new artist friends.
3. Votre Vray can become a published book.
4. Mel can visit your town to do the one-woman Votre Vray: Your Truth is Your Way, Women Artists production.
Oh! Catch this! Britt Menzies, creator of Stinky Kids, (a.k.a. Miss-I-Love-You [her husband says she tells this to every women artist she meets on her creative path]) has volunteered to either be by my side when the book gets published and I have a book signing and/or be on hand opening night of the Votre Vray play! How cool is that?
Love Britt's idea? Well, so do I! If you're one of the women who participate in the interview process, you too can join us for both events. In fact, if you want to have me come to your community and do a special presentation of the play, let me know, and I'll be happy to see what we can work out.
Remember, Votre Vray is not just about us as individuals finding our paths and learning who we are through our creative selves, but also concerned with spreading the words: Support Women Artists who follow their truth! That means you, girl!
Please, dear friends of women artists, do the following this weekend:
1. Tell ten friends about Votre Vray
2. Subscribe to the blog -- 'cause 30 artist profiles will be going up in the next week and you don't want to miss it!
3. Start planning to have Mel. come to your town to do the Votre Vray play.
4. Plan on showcasing your talents at a Votre Vray event or sending treats/information for goodie bags to be given to play attendees. (...and go to StinkyKids.com and tell Britt you love her and her idea!)
Until next time,
KEEP CREATING!
-Mel.
Until then, spread the word about the Votre Vray project. Invite friends, women you admire, and past enemies too ('cause it's not too late to fix our karma).
Subscribe to the blog, and place a link to this blog on your website. The bigger buzz we create with the project the quicker several things can happen:
1. Participants get recognition for their work from new audiences.
2. Participants get a shot at making new artist friends.
3. Votre Vray can become a published book.
4. Mel can visit your town to do the one-woman Votre Vray: Your Truth is Your Way, Women Artists production.
Oh! Catch this! Britt Menzies, creator of Stinky Kids, (a.k.a. Miss-I-Love-You [her husband says she tells this to every women artist she meets on her creative path]) has volunteered to either be by my side when the book gets published and I have a book signing and/or be on hand opening night of the Votre Vray play! How cool is that?
Love Britt's idea? Well, so do I! If you're one of the women who participate in the interview process, you too can join us for both events. In fact, if you want to have me come to your community and do a special presentation of the play, let me know, and I'll be happy to see what we can work out.
Remember, Votre Vray is not just about us as individuals finding our paths and learning who we are through our creative selves, but also concerned with spreading the words: Support Women Artists who follow their truth! That means you, girl!
Please, dear friends of women artists, do the following this weekend:
1. Tell ten friends about Votre Vray
2. Subscribe to the blog -- 'cause 30 artist profiles will be going up in the next week and you don't want to miss it!
3. Start planning to have Mel. come to your town to do the Votre Vray play.
4. Plan on showcasing your talents at a Votre Vray event or sending treats/information for goodie bags to be given to play attendees. (...and go to StinkyKids.com and tell Britt you love her and her idea!)
Until next time,
KEEP CREATING!
-Mel.
Tuesday, July 01, 2008
Four Women Artists Worth Knowing
Hello, and Happy July!
Most of us get a three day weekend coming up, and since you have time to sit back and relax a bit, why not meet an artist?
The Votre Vray interviews are moving along fast and furiously, with about 30 slated to be completed by July 11th.
Here are links to a few of the fabulous women I've had the pleasure of speaking with in the past week:
Carla Sanders is an artist who focuses upon shamanic and erotic sculpture, painting and silver work. You can't be more pro-feminine than this! Visit her at: www.CarlaSanders.com
Janet Perry, master needleworker and author who has her own designs (and promotes needlework of others through her shop as well) in spite of the fact she is battling MS.
Janet can be reached at: http://www.napaneedlepoint.com/
Violette, a sassy, spunky, Canadian folk artist with a genuine love of color and glitter. See her art, van, and watch a video
of her house (as was featured on the TV show Weird Homes). Violette's site is: www.violette.ca
Tisha DeShields, wanted to have a legacy all mothers could pass on to their children filled with memories and love, so she created belly castings that can be decorated and personalized for each child. You've got to see: www.OriginalBellyWorks.com
Keep posted as the first wave of artist profiles pop up as the holiday weekend nears, and continue through July 18th.
Until next time, keep creating!
Most of us get a three day weekend coming up, and since you have time to sit back and relax a bit, why not meet an artist?
The Votre Vray interviews are moving along fast and furiously, with about 30 slated to be completed by July 11th.
Here are links to a few of the fabulous women I've had the pleasure of speaking with in the past week:
Carla Sanders is an artist who focuses upon shamanic and erotic sculpture, painting and silver work. You can't be more pro-feminine than this! Visit her at: www.CarlaSanders.com
Janet Perry, master needleworker and author who has her own designs (and promotes needlework of others through her shop as well) in spite of the fact she is battling MS.
Janet can be reached at: http://www.napaneedlepoint.com/
Violette, a sassy, spunky, Canadian folk artist with a genuine love of color and glitter. See her art, van, and watch a video
of her house (as was featured on the TV show Weird Homes). Violette's site is: www.violette.ca
Tisha DeShields, wanted to have a legacy all mothers could pass on to their children filled with memories and love, so she created belly castings that can be decorated and personalized for each child. You've got to see: www.OriginalBellyWorks.com
Keep posted as the first wave of artist profiles pop up as the holiday weekend nears, and continue through July 18th.
Until next time, keep creating!
Friday, June 27, 2008
Ann McCauley on DIY Knitty Gritty Saturday!
Ann of www.annmccauleyknits.com will be on air in the Knitty Gritty episode entitled Delightful Details which is 6/28 on DIY network at 5:30 am EDT.
Don't miss it!
Don't miss it!
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Mel Edwards' Votre Vray - Where I've Been, and Where We're Going
Since I've begun the interview process (thank you, Ladies!) many people have been asking about what my artistic focus is and what I intend to do with the interviews. Because this project is multi-faceted, so is my answer. Let's begin with the questions I ask those I interview.
1. How do you feel when someone calls you an artist?
For a long time, I have had difficulty with the term artist, mostly because the images I associate with the term do not match my self image. Do I create? Absolutely! What is my modality of choice? I'm a word wrangler with a theatre bent. My earliest memories were of standing on the hassock in the middle of the living room belting out nonsense words to entertain my mother. So, when someone says, after a performance, "You're such an artist. You have a gift. You're so talented. I could never..." I tend to bristle. Sometimes I'm bold enough to ask, "Is brushing your hair a talent?" When they look at me like I've lost my mind, I explain that for me, telling a story or creating print media is an extension of the way I think. My mother says, "It just flows out of you." My father calls me a wordsmith. I say, I'm a woman who loves words and showbiz. If that means artist to you, then feel free to call me an artist.
2. When you create a show or a story how is that emotionally empowering for you?
Storytelling isn't the same as theatre. I get to interact with the audience as I lay out the bones of a story. It is incredible to be able to stand up, say what I came to say and interact with those I'm sharing with. Nothing is more validating for me.
3. Who in your life or what in your life encouraged you to keep going forward in your path to be a creator of your own work?
I have a master's degree in storytelling, but that didn't empower me or encourage me, except it did motivate me to get the damned thesis done and graduate before I lost my mind. I would say those who have been my friends have always let me be me, even if my best pal of 35+ years rolls her eyes each time I start a new project, she still says, "Of course!" when I describe what I'm going to do and why.
That's not to say my folks didn't want me to be happy with a teaching career. They did. They wanted me to have more of a regular income than an artist has, but in the end, the sadness in my heart because I had no time to create and live my dreams cost me more than any low-paying performance gig could have.
4. Is it still scary for you -- ever, often, always -- to put yourself out there?
You mean, do I sweat, get weak in the knees and all that? Sure, sometimes. It depends upon the audience and the personal connection to the work I'm sharing. This Votre Vray project, even though I'll be sharing stories of dozens and dozens of women, will be my most personal project yet. If someone I've never met hates it, it will be their problem. If one of the women I profile hates her section of the story, I'll feel badly because my whole goal is to make her look and feel good about who she is and what she has accomplished.
5. Can you envision yourself doing anything else with your life?
That's one of my biggest problems. I can so easily teach or work at an editing desk or do something else related to words that when I worry about my financial future, I tend to grab at the first opportunity that comes my way. I have to learn to honor my own voice, my truth, enough that I can say, "No thank you. That is not what I do anymore," and mean it. Even if I fear being divorced, hungry and homeless. I just have to truth if I follow my truth, I will find my way. Each time I have done so, it works.
6. What is the best advice you have been given or can give in regards to following a creative path?
Do whatever it takes to find your truth, and don't be a weenie about it like I was. I quit my degree program in theatre in 1990 and have paid dearly to get back in that direction. I've wasted a good portion of my lifetime doing what other people thought was a wise career move, and even if I am National Board of Professional Teaching Standards certified to teach English, I'm not going to do it if it costs me my creative spark. I love kids, and love to teach, but I will do it on my terms. Otherwise, it simply isn't worth it to me anymore.
Goals of Votre Vray:
1. That by September 2008, I'll have stories completed of over 100 women artists following their dreams.
2. By October 2008, I'll have created my one-woman show of these stories to take on the road. A percentage of box office receipts will go directly to offering small scholarships to women who want to take classes or workshops in the artistic modality of their choice.
3. The stories of these 100+ women will be published in a book, hopefully with at least one image page of their work per participant, and at least will have contact information or web links to them and their work.
4. To build a strong web community where artists can come for news about others in their field and find inspiration to do their work.
5. To help artists find their truth, and with that, their way in life.
Whew! That's a tall order, but that's what this gal is all about (even if I'm only 5' tall)!
Until next time, keep creating!
1. How do you feel when someone calls you an artist?
For a long time, I have had difficulty with the term artist, mostly because the images I associate with the term do not match my self image. Do I create? Absolutely! What is my modality of choice? I'm a word wrangler with a theatre bent. My earliest memories were of standing on the hassock in the middle of the living room belting out nonsense words to entertain my mother. So, when someone says, after a performance, "You're such an artist. You have a gift. You're so talented. I could never..." I tend to bristle. Sometimes I'm bold enough to ask, "Is brushing your hair a talent?" When they look at me like I've lost my mind, I explain that for me, telling a story or creating print media is an extension of the way I think. My mother says, "It just flows out of you." My father calls me a wordsmith. I say, I'm a woman who loves words and showbiz. If that means artist to you, then feel free to call me an artist.
2. When you create a show or a story how is that emotionally empowering for you?
Storytelling isn't the same as theatre. I get to interact with the audience as I lay out the bones of a story. It is incredible to be able to stand up, say what I came to say and interact with those I'm sharing with. Nothing is more validating for me.
3. Who in your life or what in your life encouraged you to keep going forward in your path to be a creator of your own work?
I have a master's degree in storytelling, but that didn't empower me or encourage me, except it did motivate me to get the damned thesis done and graduate before I lost my mind. I would say those who have been my friends have always let me be me, even if my best pal of 35+ years rolls her eyes each time I start a new project, she still says, "Of course!" when I describe what I'm going to do and why.
That's not to say my folks didn't want me to be happy with a teaching career. They did. They wanted me to have more of a regular income than an artist has, but in the end, the sadness in my heart because I had no time to create and live my dreams cost me more than any low-paying performance gig could have.
4. Is it still scary for you -- ever, often, always -- to put yourself out there?
You mean, do I sweat, get weak in the knees and all that? Sure, sometimes. It depends upon the audience and the personal connection to the work I'm sharing. This Votre Vray project, even though I'll be sharing stories of dozens and dozens of women, will be my most personal project yet. If someone I've never met hates it, it will be their problem. If one of the women I profile hates her section of the story, I'll feel badly because my whole goal is to make her look and feel good about who she is and what she has accomplished.
5. Can you envision yourself doing anything else with your life?
That's one of my biggest problems. I can so easily teach or work at an editing desk or do something else related to words that when I worry about my financial future, I tend to grab at the first opportunity that comes my way. I have to learn to honor my own voice, my truth, enough that I can say, "No thank you. That is not what I do anymore," and mean it. Even if I fear being divorced, hungry and homeless. I just have to truth if I follow my truth, I will find my way. Each time I have done so, it works.
6. What is the best advice you have been given or can give in regards to following a creative path?
Do whatever it takes to find your truth, and don't be a weenie about it like I was. I quit my degree program in theatre in 1990 and have paid dearly to get back in that direction. I've wasted a good portion of my lifetime doing what other people thought was a wise career move, and even if I am National Board of Professional Teaching Standards certified to teach English, I'm not going to do it if it costs me my creative spark. I love kids, and love to teach, but I will do it on my terms. Otherwise, it simply isn't worth it to me anymore.
Goals of Votre Vray:
1. That by September 2008, I'll have stories completed of over 100 women artists following their dreams.
2. By October 2008, I'll have created my one-woman show of these stories to take on the road. A percentage of box office receipts will go directly to offering small scholarships to women who want to take classes or workshops in the artistic modality of their choice.
3. The stories of these 100+ women will be published in a book, hopefully with at least one image page of their work per participant, and at least will have contact information or web links to them and their work.
4. To build a strong web community where artists can come for news about others in their field and find inspiration to do their work.
5. To help artists find their truth, and with that, their way in life.
Whew! That's a tall order, but that's what this gal is all about (even if I'm only 5' tall)!
Until next time, keep creating!
Janice Johnson Smith – An Artist Who Rocks
Today I had the opportunity to interview Indiana artist, Janice Johnson Smith.
Website: http://www.janicerocks.com/
Artistic Focus: Drawing and Painting
Mel: How do you feel when someone calls you an artist?
Janice: Well…um…good. It feels right. It fits me, but it isn’t like most things you do. No one calls a restaurant owner a restaurant. They say you have a business. Art is a business too.
Mel: When you create a drawing or painting how is that emotionally empowering for you?Janice: Art connects head, to heart, to hand, to paper, to eyes and back to head and heart again. Because you begin with the artist and then the work is viewed, enjoyed and interpreted.
Mel: Who in your life or what in your life encouraged you to keep going forward in your path to be a creator of your own work?
Janice: I was active in art as a young girl and a bit in college, and every now and then since. My husband all along said, “Do it.” About give years ago of friend of mine encouraged me to paint something for her. Then another friend did, and she said, “I love it!” The support has been there all along, to pushing me to create, to “I love it.”Now I get my support through a networking group. I met a house designer who installed my work in a home. It has been great.
Mel: Is it still scary for you -- ever, often, always -- to put yourself out there?
Janice: You know what? I’ve moved past some of that. There always is scrutiny when you’re showing your work to others, but it depends upon the context. It is normal to feel a little sting if someone hates your work, but I wouldn’t do it if I didn’t believe in it.
Mel: Can you envision yourself doing anything else with your life?
Janice: Possibly, but not full-time.
Mel: What is the best advice you have been given or can give in regards to following a creative path?
Janice: The Best Advice Given? Stay inspired. Best Advice I Can Give? Follow it to the end. Just do it, and see. Don’t be afraid to experiment.
What is coming up for Janice?
She’s helping coordinate a First Friday art event through www.SmallerIndiana.com called the Elegant Funk group art show; slated for August 1st in Indianapolis. Admission is free with complimentary food and wine tasting. A cash bar will also be present.
http://www.smallerindiana.com/events/event/show?id=1736855:Event:94524
Website: http://www.janicerocks.com/
Artistic Focus: Drawing and Painting
Mel: How do you feel when someone calls you an artist?
Janice: Well…um…good. It feels right. It fits me, but it isn’t like most things you do. No one calls a restaurant owner a restaurant. They say you have a business. Art is a business too.
Mel: When you create a drawing or painting how is that emotionally empowering for you?Janice: Art connects head, to heart, to hand, to paper, to eyes and back to head and heart again. Because you begin with the artist and then the work is viewed, enjoyed and interpreted.
Mel: Who in your life or what in your life encouraged you to keep going forward in your path to be a creator of your own work?
Janice: I was active in art as a young girl and a bit in college, and every now and then since. My husband all along said, “Do it.” About give years ago of friend of mine encouraged me to paint something for her. Then another friend did, and she said, “I love it!” The support has been there all along, to pushing me to create, to “I love it.”Now I get my support through a networking group. I met a house designer who installed my work in a home. It has been great.
Mel: Is it still scary for you -- ever, often, always -- to put yourself out there?
Janice: You know what? I’ve moved past some of that. There always is scrutiny when you’re showing your work to others, but it depends upon the context. It is normal to feel a little sting if someone hates your work, but I wouldn’t do it if I didn’t believe in it.
Mel: Can you envision yourself doing anything else with your life?
Janice: Possibly, but not full-time.
Mel: What is the best advice you have been given or can give in regards to following a creative path?
Janice: The Best Advice Given? Stay inspired. Best Advice I Can Give? Follow it to the end. Just do it, and see. Don’t be afraid to experiment.
What is coming up for Janice?
She’s helping coordinate a First Friday art event through www.SmallerIndiana.com called the Elegant Funk group art show; slated for August 1st in Indianapolis. Admission is free with complimentary food and wine tasting. A cash bar will also be present.
http://www.smallerindiana.com/events/event/show?id=1736855:Event:94524
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