SUMMER FRIDAY TRAVEL JOURNAL SERIES: Another Tool For The Journaling Tool Belt

CONTINUED FROM LAST WEEK...

Last week I shared about my magical day in Morocco, a strange and wonderful interlude from my trip to Spain. I also shared the ugly collages from my journal that I made from that amazing day. I expressed my disappointment and also my cherished rule of letting go.

So like I said last week, I let it go. Or so I thought.

When I got home, I made a few different sorts of collages. I couldn't help myself. I'm crazy crafty Kjersten and sometimes I have a hard time letting go of fun crafty projects. Especially when they relate to my travel journals. (It doesn't matter if I have tons of other stuff to do. Don't visit my house. It's always a mess).

So partially out of my frustration with my Tangier collages and partly due to the fact that when I added my photos to those of my camera-happy sister I had about a million photos, I decided to make a second journal altogether. I actually do this with travel journals quite a lot, I'm a bit ashamed to say.
Anyway, I made a blurb book of our entire trip as a gift for my Grandmother. Blurb books look like traditional coffee table books, but they're your own. Blurb makes the sort of self-published books that self-publishing is good for: family albums, family histories, family recipe books etc. They print on demand and their prices are awesome. Here's the Tangier pages from my blurb book:
I felt like I was cheating on myself at first to make a photo album from my trip that wasn't handmade, ordered off the internet no less. Gasp! But I had read about blurb books from a few other blogs and decided to give it a try for the photos from my trip. What I learned: They are just one other way of making a "hand-crafted" book. One more tool for the tool-belt.

Why limit myself? I have a personal pet-peeve against using the exact same kind of album or journal for every thing you ever need an album or journal for (sorry, I know for a fact that I have a lot of beloved artist and writer friends who are stuck in their journal selection and like it that way. But I have a hard time accepting this. It makes me more playful to use different sorts of journals all the time. I'm a bit evangelical about it. I don't like the idea of getting stuck in a rut. I dare you to buy a wacky and weird different kind of journal next time you fill yours up and go to replace it with that same boring old same-old you've been using for years. I've heard all your arguments for sticking with the same kind. I still disagree. But I digress).

I love my blurb book and if you have a gazillion pictures from a trip you should buy an album from me, another crafty artist and/or etsy. But if you're looking for something you can make a small print run of (say if you want to give a travel album to everyone you traveled with and you don't want to physcially make the book that many times), I highly recommend Blurb books.

Here's my two journals from Spain displayed on my wall using plate holders (why not?). The blurb book is on the top, the Collage Journal is on the bottom and underneath is a photo of my Great Grandmother cuddling my Grandmother who was then a baby.
I've often found that I end up having two books after a trip, one for photos and one for writing/art. They feel like a team. Here's my blurb book next to my handmade journal:
Thanks Grandma Muriel! For inspiring our trip with your dream. And also for passing on that travel bug you've always had.


Oh ya. P.S.
My house is cluttered with a few different collections: handmade books, puppets, pottery and weaving. Forgive me for being a tourist; I bought a weaving in Tangier:
Isn't it beautiful?

NEXT WEEK: PLANS VS. SURPRISES; IN TRAVEL AND IN TRAVEL JOURNALS

"This COLOR Thing Rocks"

Okay I normally don't book reviews here, and I'm not going to start anything like that now. But...

I heart every book Antoinette Portis has ever made and I especially love that my son loves them and I also especially love her new book, A Penguin Story. Deep breath. There. I got that off my chest.

So when I saw a video of Antoinette Portis talking about A Penguin Story and she said the very true and true-to-my-heart words, "This COLOR thing rocks," I decided to blubber on like an idiot here and share the link to the video (Amazon won't let me embed the video here or I would) because I have a thing for color and people who are passionate about it.

If you haven't read these books, you are in for a treat:

Not A Box,
Not A Stick,
and
A Penguin Story,

They are picture books at their best. Go check them out.

ROBOTS

I've been working on sketches of the Tin-man from The Wizard Of Oz as part of my mentor program with Nevada SCBWI. I've been scouring the internet for images of robots to inspire me during my brainstorming sketches. I found some irresistible robot goodness and goofiness. Check it out:

Robot A Day: Talk about brainstorming!

Geek Crafts: Does crafty goodness get any better than geek crafts?

Mini-Me Robots: Creepy or cool, you decide

Still going (think energizer bunny with a pencil)! I'm off to draw some more.

SUMMER FRIDAY TRAVEL JOURNAL SERIES: Sometimes my favorite "rule" in journaling is that it's okay to let something go

My Grandmother had always dreamed of going to Morocco. It was a request of our trip to Spain. "Can we go to Morocco, too?"
I wanted to take her there with all my heart. But I knew the kind of travel I most enjoyed would probably not be comfortable for her in Morocco (she is in her mid-eighties!) no matter how adventurous she is.
So I spent many a long night after my son had gone to bed researching just the right way we could take her on a day trip to Morocco without it being cheesy and without it being uncomfortable.
I found a woman in Spain who owns a guesthouse near the ferry to Africa who lives and breaths all things Morocco. We stayed at her guesthouse, a magical and tranquil place called Dar Cilla, which is decorated peacefully and perfectly with Moroccan handicrafts and antiques. Even if we weren't going to spend the night in Morocco, I wanted Grandma to relish the flavor of the place.
The people at Dar Cilla arranged for a private tour for only my family. It was a beautiful and perfect day. I never imagined a day-trip tour could be so fulfilling. Our guide listened to things we cared about and walked us (or drove us) to see such things. That's how we ended up in an apothecary shop learning about spices (my husband loves to cook) and in a communal bread baking oven underground. It's also how we saw many of the sites Matisse had painted when he lived in Tangier (There are unassuming diamond shaped cobbles in the roads wherever Matisse painted). These colorful string bits are tied all around posts and doorknobs in the section of the market where thread spinners work:
We weren't pressured by any heavy duty salesmen but we didn't have to worry about the stresses of transportation and we had a guide who taught us lots of fun and interesting things. We also ate one of the best meals I've ever eaten in my life with some crazy brewed fruity juice concoction. I felt like the day was a trip on a magic carpet ride back in time to the days when silent movie stars and Parisian artists came to Tangier for the color, life and magic of the place. My Grandma beamed all day. I was thrilled that I made her dream come true.

And here's where I sigh and bring us back to journaling. My journal pages from this magical day are anything but. How frustrating.They are boring. And un-colorful. In a sense, I let them go before I even started making them. I was too busy taking in all the color and life and magic to collage about it later that day. But even though it's frustrating, it's also okay. Sometimes my favorite "rule" in journaling is to just let something go. So I didn't do it justice. Move on. At least I had that magic ride.

If I beat myself up about every time I didn't do some experience justice in my journal (travel or otherwise), it would mean I wasn't having enough magical experiences (I'd rather be having them than recording about them).

So consider this a permission slip from a journal junkie. If you are ever journaling (or blogging) and you really really wanted to capture it all, but you also really really wanted to do something else, do something else -- especially if that something is magical. Journals suck when they become dreaded obligations.

All that being said, I did bother to make some different sort of collages from my Tangier magic carpet ride when I got home. But that's another post.

TO BE CONTINUED... NEXT FRIDAY

Two Pats on The Back in One Day!

Talented Elisa of Pesky Cat Designs won a Kreativ Blogger award this week and part of the rules in winning are that you list 7 blogs that inspire you. Elisa chose my blog as one of her seven!

Here's a fun and quick story about Elisa: I love that on the day I posted my wild horses illustration, Elisa also posted a picture of a horse purse she designed. Then at the exact same time I was commenting on her blog, she was commenting on mine. We were in Cahoots.

Thanks, Elisa! And speaking of cool blogs, you should check hers out.

A Recent Blue and Dreamy Afternoon

Recently I was feeling blue for no really good reason. My son fell asleep in the car on the way home from something so I was stuck in the car. But luckily I had my journal and my sketchbook (I’ve been taking them with me if I go in the car near nap time – just in case).

I drove about 2 miles from my house to a spot that overlooks Bellingham Bay. I got out my journal thinking I’d brainstorm ways to get out of my funky mood. Instead, as I opened my journal, I was inspired to daydream.

I asked myself what I would like my life to look like a few years from now, and to dream BIG. This is nothing really new. I dream all the time. And I do dream big. But I wrote out the 5-years-from-now vision in present tense, as if it were now.

About two pages in, I stopped myself. I smirked. I realized, while all this was very cool and sounded wonderful, first off, it was not too far off from where I’m at now. I mean, if I were to ask what that version of 5-years-from-now could look like 5 years earlier, it’s my life now. I’m just a 5-year-earlier version of that supposed big dream. That was a pretty awesome and funny moment for me.

Even more awesome though: I stopped myself because I was describing my relationship with my son 5 years from now. I realized I didn’t even want or need to go there. What I realized was that I want and need to focus on now. I want to enjoy his sweet little 2-year-old self while it lasts and not worry too terribly much about his 7-year-old self lest life passes us both by.

And really, despite the fact that I think dreams are essential, I know that also, I really want and need to focus on now in all the other aspects of my life too. I think I was blue because subconsciously I had slipped out of the moment that afternoon. I looked out over the bay, then over my shoulder at my sleeping son in the back seat and slipped right back into the moment.

I’ve been working at becoming an illustrator for an embarrassing amount of time. And it’s fun. I’m so thrilled that I have the chance. Thank you Universe for my life as it is now. It’s a dream come true.

SUMMER FRIDAY SERIES: Travel Journals and The Stories they Tell

Every story is, in some way, a journey. And every journal is, in some way, a story. But unlike more polished stories, journals don't always have beginnings, middles and ends. They are messier. More organic. More like a big pile of seeds that haven't been planted. Or else like a big pile of weeds that have (or haven't) been pulled.

But travel journals are a bit more linear, no? They (at least kind-of) have a beginning, middle and an end. And like characters grow in stories, travel often changes people. You don't return home the same person you were when you left. You grow.

(At least so with journey kinds of travel. Maybe not so with lazy vacation travel -- don't get me wrong, lazy vacations are good -- just not usually adventurous).

Maybe due to my Adventure-ess spirit I can't help but often favor travel journals amongst all the different kinds of journals I have kept. I love the unknowns, the risks, the challenges, and the fun discoveries. I love creative play, discovery, and most of all, engaging in wonder. So, duh, I love travel journals.

So anyway, all this is to say that for the rest of the summer (through labor day), every Friday, I'm going to put up a blog post about travel journals. I'll be mining lots of pictures from my personal stash, but I'd love for anyone to send me pictures or links to post of your own if you have them. I think it will be a fun way to keep some focus to my blogging and a way to enliven an old regular feature (journal of the week) that I suspended recently.

And to start? Let's finish up with those collages from Spain...

For those newer to my blog, I went to Spain in February and shortly thereafter started posting pictures of the collages from my travel journal alongside pictures of the stuff that inspired me to make the collages.

Well I left off about half-way through my trip, right before I visited Bodega Tradicion, a sherry bodega with an owner who has a passion for art collecting.

The tiles behind my Grandma were painted by Picasso:

There's an intimacy to small, semi-private, art collections that's often lost at big museums. The owners of Bodega Tradicion display their art in a beautiful long private gallery. They have pieces by Velazquez, Goya and Zurbaran.
And they have delicious artisan sherry. Cheers!

My Journal is a Playground

I just filled up my beloved idea journal that I use for writing picture books:
It feels appropriate to put pictures up because of the garden on front. I've been doing a lot of work in my yard on mommy days (as opposed to artist days when my kid is at daycare) while my two-year-old plays with his bike.
You aren't still writing in a journal with lines, are you? Lines are like horizontal prison bars. What do you do when you want to write big? Or write in spirals? or write sideways. If you are an artist especially -- I dare you. Step out of the box. Buy a journal without lines next time and destroy it with your crazy handwriting (no matter if it's ugly).

It's a playground. Play.
I love having patterned paper mixed in with regular (well colorful) plain paper. I normally weave text all around the images or glue stuff down over the patterns.

These pictures were taken last year when I did a big photo blitz and took photos of lots of my personal journals to eventually post here. So the pictures above show empty pages. But I assure you the pages are not empty. They are full of crazy ugly handwriting and cross-outs. And the whole thing is all the more precious because it's where I've let myself go and allowed myself to play.

LATER UPDATE/AFTERTHOUGHT WORTH SHARING: I also should add for anyone interested, that I started calling my journal a playground after hearing George Shannon's phenomenal talk "The Journal as A Playground" several years ago. If you ever have the chance to hear George talk: do! He's an amazing speaker.

Summer Revision Smackdown

Goals help me keep my butt in chair working.

I always have a lot going on. And usually I love it all. Like right now I have some fun custom order handmade books to get done, I have a mentorship program assignment that I'm thrilled to be doing and I have a big pile of handmade books to photograph for my etsy shop. But while I love all these parts of my work, none of them is as close to my heart as my current children's book dummy work-in-progress.

So as the days turn enchantingly long, and all the summer stuff I have lined up threatens to pull me away from my w.i.p., I'm psyched that two writer friends Jolie Stekly and Holly Cupala, have thrown a June revision goal-setting and goal-meeting challenge out into the world to pull me back to what's nearest and dearest to my heart:


I'm in!

If I'm going to meet my regular deadlines and get some work done on my w.i.p., I've got to stay focused. THANK YOU for the challenge Holly and Jolie!

In figuring out goals to post, I realized that it's hard to define goals with revision. But this is so so good that this challenge is making me try. Procrastination be banished! I will have goals!

I'm going to aim for revising 2 illustration spreads (from my current dummy WIP) a week (10 total in June). My definition of success will be that both spreads are better than when the week started by a *satisfying* amount.

Satisfying =
  • If the composition needed work, satisfying would mean I’ve resolved the composition issues with thumbnails (in which case the drawing can remain rough and still be considered a satisfying revision)
  • If the drawing started rough, but the composition was solid, then satisfying would mean cleaning up and finishing the details of the drawing.

It will be fun to see how this works. I’ve never given myself deadlines with revision before. I’m excited to try it out.

What art, writing or marketing goals do you have for the month of June? Why don't you go post them over on Jolie or Holly's blogs and join in on the challenge?

The SCBWI WWA 18th annual Conference For Children's Book Writers And Illustrators.

Whew!

Okay I've been back from the SCBWI WWA Conference in Redmond for two days now. But my head is still swimming with all sorts of good stuff. And I lost a day of work yesterday due to my 2-year-old's unexplainable rash all over the back of his legs; apparently he probably got into some itchy plant over the weekend according to the Doc (I can't help but kind of love these quirks of motherhood). So I'm late to post this. But I just want to say Yay for SCBWI Western Washington! Thanks for another wonderful conference.

First off, I am lame at taking pictures. I took maybe 5 total at the conference and a few were repeats. So this is all I've got. A cheesy canned photo of some friends and the Ambassador of Children's literature himself, Mr. Jon Scieszka (rhymes with Fresca).
Highlights From The Conference:
  • Chatting and networking with so many amazing people! I got to thank Ellen Hopkins in person for the awesome conference and mentorship program in Nevada (she's a regional advisor for SCBWI there), which meant a lot to me because I'm so grateful to them for the incredible job they are doing.
  • Getting great and helpful feedback on my work through the manuscript and dummy critiques (I can't wait to get going on my dummy again).
  • George Shannon's mini session on "Writing to be heard: Sound and The Picture Book" has inspired me to go back to every picture book manuscript I have and rethink/examine the sound and rhythm in each of them to better contribute to the heart of each story. Sidenote: I finally bought, TIPPY TOE CHICK GO at the conference (one of my favorite Shannon titles I didn't already own). I think my son has only has requested it about 7 times in the last 2 days.
  • A HILARIOUS video Kim Baker made as a tribute to SCBWI. I'll post a link when it eventually is up on the internet.
  • Hearing all the amazing key-notes. Adam Rex and Jon Scieszka made me laugh so hard I wanted to cry. Ellen Hopkins' pictures of remodeling as a metaphor for revising were spot on. And I found a new hero in Grace Lin. I especially loved when Grace said, "No matter what you do in your life, no one else has done it just like you. Tell your own story."
  • During her session on what makes a great cover, Elizabeth Parisi, art director for Scholastic, showed quick mock-up covers she made for the dummies she had critiqued. It was so fun to see how she handled the different dummies!
  • I loved looking through the portfolios at the portfolio show and seeing how my fellow illustrator friends have improved their work through the years. A special congrats to my friend Jennifer Mann who won the grand prize at the portfolio show (she's an awesome illustrator and she totally deserves it).
  • And probably one of the biggest highlights for me was, no kidding, I got recognized for a picture book dummy I wrote! I was in a bit of a daze when it all happened (it was the end of a full weekend) but I think it's called a breakout writer honor. I think. [UPDATE: SEE BELOW] At the very end of the conference Joni Sensel, one of our co-regional advisors read off a short list of names. The names were given from manuscript critiquers who thought something they read by that person showed special promise. It feels so awesome to get that kind of a pat on the back! I was giddy the whole way home and drank a margarita (or two) with my hubby on Sunday night to celebrate.
  • Last but not least, I loved the carpool home with my home crew from Bellingham. It's great to meet new and exciting friends and acquaintances but it's wonderful to know that I have a supportive and talented critique group and network right in my own backyard.
Thank you so much to Joni Sensel, Laurie Thompson and Kim Baker, our co-regional advisors and assistant regional advisor, for all the hard work you put into the conference. It was a pleasure to be a part of the advisory committee this year and I look forward to more fun next year!

UPDATE: Okay, I got the official word, no official name for the honor at the end of the conference. Just a cool honor to keep us working. That it did. And it made my day! LATER UPDATE: Got word that the honor without a name now has a name: Most Promising Work-In-Progress Honor. Sweet! I suppose I can use that in query letters. One day. When the thing is ready. Motivation has stepped up a notch, for sure.

Celebrating the Wild Horses


My experience seeing the wild horses in Nevada last month lingers in my memory. I decided to take it to the illustration table.

This was a different kind of piece for me. I was aiming for a subtler approach to narrative than I usually use; one that used composition and landscape to suggest story. It was a fun experiment. I think I could have done more with the sky. Maybe this experiment will inform some future work in a fun way.

I value experiments as much as I value adventures. Experiments are adventures. Even if experimenting doesn't yield my BEST WORK EVER, it definitely loosens me up, keeps me on my toes, and keeps me playing.

I guess experiments often keep the process of making art more wild.

Like the horses.

Cleaning out my portfolio and bidding adieu to some old favorites

We're in the final countdown to the SCBWI (Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators) Western Washington 18th Annual Writing and Illustrating for Children Conference!

I'm psyched and all geared up. Or I should say I'm gearing up. As part of my prep I decided not only to update and clean out my physical portfolio but to do the same with my online portfolio.

It's always a little bittersweet to clean out my portfolio. Saying hello to new pieces is so exciting. But saying good-bye to old pieces that I still love (but perhaps have outgrown) can sometimes be hard. And then there's the doubts that inevitably creep in. What if the old pieces are better? But that is a place I cannot dwell. Sometimes the old pieces are better. Or at least still good. That being said, when my gut says it's time to move on, it probably is.

And so, I bid adieu to some old favorites by posting them on my scrappy little blog (because I can't quite let go completely).
Bunnies, you've been here a while. You've treated me well. Lots of people have enjoyed you.
Including me. But I think I'm ready to say that some of my new work is stronger. I do love that shadow piece. Maybe it can stay a little while more?
Mom and baby on a swing, I made you while my own sweet babe was about this size. Thanks for the memories.
And the self-portrait. I still love the self portrait. It looks just like I looked when I was about 8. It graced the front page of my website for an unacceptably long period of time. No matter how new pieces may tell a story better or show my technique better, I still love this self portrait.
Raccoons, raccoons. I've redone this illustration a number of times as my technique has evolved. Despite never feeling fully satisfied with this piece you always make me laugh. A lot of critiquers have named you a favorite. But I've decided the underlying drawing is something that I would and can do better now. The tent was always a little funny how it just was cut-out. I've got new ideas for a new composition. Maybe I'll redo the entire drawing and try yet again someday. But for now, it's time to let go.
And here's to the snobby dogs who turn their noses up to my scrappy little mutt relieving himself by the fire hydrant. Walk on.
Okay. I've said good-bye. Time to do some updating.

Ice Cream in Nevada

From my last post, you see that I just got back from Nevada. While I have oodles of things to share from the last few weeks (more inspiration from my recent trip to Spain, info on a cool exhibit in Seattle, and a giveaway I promise I haven't forgotten), indulge me in the moment first.
Ahhhh.

I had an awesome time in Nevada at the SCBWI conference and the beginning to the mentor program in Virginia city. And not just because of the WILD HORSES (!).

I knew my weekend in Nevada was off to a sweet start when I ate the yummy delight pictured above at Swenson's Ice Cream Parlor near the Reno airport. But the whole weekend turned out to be sweet. The conference took place here:And Here:With views like this one in the background:
Can you believe it? More like a retreat, no?

I learned a lot. Met lots of new people. Chatted kid's books with passionate people. Listened to some amazing writers and illustrators.

Like Yuyi Morales! I could listen to her speak all day for many days. Her presentations are like poetry. Plus she makes puppets. If you are an artist, go to her website and click on "Senor Tlalocan's Prayers," then enjoy.

I left the weekend with dozens of ideas for new illustration samples. I also filled up my camera collecting quirky pictures that may or may not lend to future textures in illustrations. Like this one:And this one:
Everywhere I looked I saw potential settings. Wouldn't this place be fun to illustrate in collage?
Or what about an old-looking train?
But mostly the whole town made me want to draw cowboys.
Did you know that the Virginia City High School is home of the "Muckers?"
I heart Virginia City. I'm bringing my family back when I go in October. It's a cool place. Here's the sunrise I caught on Monday morning, my last day there:Thank you so much to Suzanne Morgan Williams and Ellen Hopkins, SCBWI Nevada's Co-Regional Advisors, for putting on such a great conference!

Magic in Nevada

I just returned from the Nevada SCBWI conference. I feel like I'm floating on air. There was a surprise to my weekend that made it downright amazing.
I volunteered to drive people to the airport if needed on Sunday afternoon. Instead, the organizers asked me to help drive some of the faculty to see wild horses...

Wild horses. Wow. Unforgettable. Mountains in the background. Colts a few days old. Wow.
Look at this horse hair we found:
It was a magical time and I feel so grateful for it.

Terri Farley, author of the Phantom Stallion Series was the one who made it all possible. I read the first book in her series on the way home on the airplane. A perfect book for the end of the weekend. Thank you, Terri.

The Phoenix and The Pig

I just finished 4 new illustration samples!

The illustrations are based on a story that I adore, The Phoenix and The Pig, written by my friend Mattie Wheeler. The story is about a Phoenix who's contagious joie de vivre helps a grumpy old Pig lighten up -- in a very transformative way.

I wanted a chance to give life to someone else's characters, so I asked Mattie's permission to try with The Phoenix and The Pig.

I thought a Phoenix would be a fun thing to illustrate using my style and handmade paper because I knew I could make the phoenix's energy visual in an unusual way.

Thanks, Mattie! I had so much fun with your characters!

Small side note nuts and bolts reminder for anyone interested:

Writers of picture books do not usually choose their illustrators (nor do illustrators usually choose their writers). It's best not to submit stories with illustrations other than your own (editor's like to make the matching). This exercise was simply that: an exercise. Although I will add that I would be thrilled to illustrate a story as fabulous as Mattie's story, and I did ask to try my hand at it because I saw a very specific way my style could work with the characters.

P.S. I haven't forgotten my blog anniversary giveaway... I'll announce winners soon.

The Internet Can Be Good For You and A Cool Blog About Art Promotion

I've found an awesome blog about Art promotion (thanks to Blue Roof Designs' twitter posts). It's a blog maintained by Alyson B. Stanfield called the Art Biz Blog. No matter if you are a crafty etsy type, a writer, a painter or a potter, a lot of her advice carries over and rings true.

Since becoming a mom I've put heavy art promotion (both for my handmade books and for my illustration) on the back-burner in favor of honing my craft in regards to writing and illustrating. And boy has it been worth it! I have learned so much over the last two years! I think sometimes artists don't take enough time out to better their skills. But striking that balance between promotion and improvement is an important skill to learn too. How do you do it?

Well if you are an artist reading this blog, odds are you promote yourself (or are thinking of doing so) at least partially through the internet. I feel like I've had the "internet" discussion with so many writers and artists recently. You know the one. Why do you bother blogging? What value does facebook or twitter have to you? Isn't a webpage more work than it's worth? Aren't you just wasting time you could be using in the studio? Well, sometimes.

The studio is my #1 priority. But I guess after every one of these conversations I come back to this point: promotion is an essential part of being an artist, and having an online presence really does not take that much time. It's cheap, it's fun, you can promote yourself and learn about your craft often in the same 20 minute time frame, and I think your buyers (whoever they are) probably expect it. If you are reading this, you probably see the value in all this internet stuff. No need to further preach to the choir. But in case you're interested, in a recent podcast on the blog I recommended earlier in this post, Alyson B. Stanfield does an awesome job of summarizing the values to an artist of an online presence. It's short. It's good. Give it a listen if you have the chance.

Enough to think about. Now, I'm off to the studio to get my hands dirty!

International Fake Journal Month

Did you know April is International Fake Journal Month?

I didn't. Until a few days ago.
What is a fake journal?

Well I suppose it could be many things. Maybe a fictional journal? Pretending you are somewhere or someone you are not? Maybe a journal you don't regularly keep? You decide.

I wish I had started a fake journal this month! Next year! I pledge to do it! I have kept dozens and dozens of different kinds of journals, yet I have never kept a fake one. I want to. And I will...

Meanwhile check out Minnesota artist Roz Stendahl's work on the International fake journal month blog. It's awesome!

Church Bells, Narrow Streets and Framed Haiku

A couple of inspirations and pretty things from my trip to Spain...
From Feb 19, 2009:

Church bells in the Andalucian white hill towns:

Narrow roads (we squeezed our nine-passenger van through this street):
And the beautiful hotel we stayed at in Arcos De La Frontera, La Casa Grande. Parts of the building (like the well) date back to the renaissance. There was a roof-top terrace, Haiku poems framed on the walls, and beautiful Moroccan lamps.I also ate one of the top handful of best meals I've ever eaten at a spanish/morroccan restaurant called "La Taberna de Boabdil" that night. Good food is definitely inspirational. No?

*Update*: I realized the poem picture I took is not haiku... It's a cool poem though, no?

On Hold

Whew! I've got lots of art that I want to get done in the next few weeks. So yesterday I got brutal with prioritizing my to-do list.

In case you thought I'd just forgotten my "handmade book of the month" or my "illustration of the month" features altogether, I thought I'd officially announce that I'm putting a few regular features of my blog on hold for awhile -- to be revamped and revived in a few months.

Anyone else getting brutal with prioritizing their to-do lists lately?
Root for me, people. Besides custom orders, I've got some art samples that I'm psyched to dive into.