THOUGHTS on the MIKONE VINTAGE MARKET

It's been about 11 days since I showed as a vendor at the Mikone Market, and I think I have finally recovered from the low level exhaustion I encountered as I prepped for the show.
The bliss joy, however have not subsided and I am still floating on cloud nine thinking of the wonderfulness of it all.

Joining the market was a total whim.  It was a "leap across the canyon of blind faith" moment.  It was the "I have no idea what I 'm getting myself into here" feeling and saying "Who cares, I'm doing it anyway".

I threw all caution to the wind and jumped, blind, both feet forward, hoping for the best.
And it was the best.

I asked myself about half way through the preparation, what exactly I was hoping to accomplish by attending.  I'm a graphic and visual artist and illustrator.  I have no passion for vintage item reclamation (although I think it's a totally rad passion to have) and I have NO CLUE about refinishing furniture with specialty paints and waxes (although I would LOVE TO LEARN, ahem, Lisa).

But, I am a girl who has a solid romance with creative vulnerability, and a deep love for making art.  I'm also pretty much my own worst enemy when it comes to taking a chance on myself.  I mean, I am really damn good at talking myself into the notion of having all conditions be PERFECT before I fly, so taking this leap off the canyon when not a single thing was known or understood beforehand, was absolutely exhilarating and necessary.
And very frightening.
And so completely awesome.
I had no idea what to expect or what to bring, for that matter.  I had a nasty voice in my head telling me no one would give two snits about my work.  I had a full, full schedule on top of my market prep schedule and six weeks to get it all together.

SO, I decided that:
a good night's sleep was currently irrelevant;
I was gonna just "bring it" and "wing it" (somewhat like "fake it till you make it");
ANY VOICE which wanted to bring me down could suck it (to speak bluntly);
and  schedule, medule...I WAS GOING TO GET THIS DONE.

And. I. Did.

So.  What did I want to get out of this experience?  I wanted to gain experience.  I wanted to understand how to do this.  How to get better next time.  What to do more of and what to eliminate completely. And I wanted to connect with people.
Connection with real humans in real time is what makes art so rad.  I heard so many stories about owls and what they mean to people.  I heard countless people talk to me about their dream of being an artist, and I was able to inspire and encourage their vision.  People loved the scripted words.  They felt empowered by them and connected to an idea that when you see art that says you are awesome or that you can trust yourself, then maybe, just maybe it's actually true.
My heart grew ten-fold that day just in the connections alone!
And, people loved the work.   They bought my stuff and wanted to buy the original pieces.  They asked about commissions and adored the customizable baby prints.  They loved the work.
Which, of course is pretty rad too.

Oh, there's so much more about that day that is forever tucked into my secret heart where all the beautiful stuff goes.  The entire vibe.  The gorgeous displays, the furniture, the women who are making beautiful things and sharing them with the community. The entire MAKER community!  This sweet little market draws in all sorts of intelligent and creative folks who are just so supportive and I LOVED seeing women support women who are juggling busy lives, but who are also following passions.
It was like a moment in time where all the magic from this corner of the Universe was channelled into this sweet little spot for six hours and connected us all in a creative pursuit to beautify the world.

How awesome.

Huge thanks to Kiona who is the lovely maven of the Market.  You are so completely awesome in a million ways! Huge thanks to my family, my husband, mama and kids for helping me and supporting me through the prep and big day.  Huge hugs and kissses to old friends and new that stopped in to say hi, or texted their love or bought an item or two.  You all are just so wonderful and I am infinitely blessed to have you bodacious souls surrounding me with your light.

Phew.  I love you all.  And, life?  I REALLY love you too.

Full hearts & a head full of inspiration.

Oh man!  The market is come and gone and I've caught up on my rest. 

I am fullof inspiration & the drive to Make! Create! Paint! 

But alas, my house and studio are directing my energy otherwise. 

Time to Clean! Purge! Organize! so I can get back to making. 

Thanks to everyone who stopped by my booth Saturday and to all my helpers & supporters. I have a few more posts coming along regarding the whole experience, but first, I must clean up my space!

Happy Wednesday friends. 

Peace & creativity to all. 

MANIFESTO of AWESOME

This sweet little quote came from a Chinese fortune cookie that I got last weekend.  It is the perfect set of words to describe my journey as an artist and as a human.  For years and years I believed the story of our culture that artists cannot make money and art is not a career path.  To me that story is a sad and frustrating one.  It led me to think that being an artist was IMPOSSIBLE.  I have ALWAYS been an artist.  It has always been my secret desire, but with this mindset, I denied my guiding intuition and chose wrong paths.  MY STORY then, became as sad and frustrating as the story of our culture which seeks to keep free spirited creative people trapped in an idea that doesn't belong to them.

However, sad stories are just one part of the equation, because the awesome thing is that I WOKE UP! with a great and tremendous start three years ago and declared that art WAS my journey.  I  then set out to make the IMPOSSIBLE POSSIBLE & haven't looked back since. 

MY STORY has evolved into A MANIFESTO OF AWESOME and that's what I want to share with the world.

HOW TO FOLLOW YOUR DREAMS EVEN WHEN YOU DON'T BELIEVE IT IS POSSIBLE

NUMBER ONE: it is NEVER TOO LATE to pursue your passion!  Creativity is our BIRTHRIGHT & we are ALL ARTISTS in OUR OWN WAY.  Find YOUR WAY and work HARD to make it happen.  It is true that sometimes we mistakenly follow the wrong path because we believe in the status quo.  THAT'S OK, as long as you eventually find your WAY BACK to the journey of your soul.  I KNOW that following your heart and walking the path of your soul SOMETIMES REQUIRES being torn into a million little pieces.  THAT IS MORE AWESOME THAN YOU REALIZE.  YES! It is going to hurt terribly (it will!), BUT! you will re-emerge into YOUR STORY much like a strong & resilient PHOENIX from the ashes of its old life, READY TO TAKE CHARGE!  I believe that once we are taking charge of our journey we are learning how to help the journey of other people.  IT IS OUR DUTY TO SHARE WHAT WE KNOW.  Everyone is fighting a battle and WE CAN help one or two of those humans SIMPLY BY BEING HONEST about where we have been.  I believe that  we get stronger each day that we live our TRUTH, BUT!! we will still make stupid mistakes, say dumb things to people that we LOVE, or sabotage our own efforts with negative mind loops that NEVER HELP US GET BETTER. DON'T BEAT YOURSELF UP!  It happens! Go cry it OUT and then get some sleep.  Tomorrow IS A NEW DAY FULL OF BEAUTIFUL POSSIBILITY. So, apologize, brush off the dust, and KEEP GOING.  I BELIEVE that DONE is better than PERFECT.  I KNOW THAT YOU MUST make something OR DO SOMETHING EVERYDAY to move closer to your goals and dream.  Even if you only spend five minutes a day in between your DAY JOB and making all the meals and folding all the laundry, and wiping the noses and driving the kids to sports/music class, SPEND FIVE MINUTES doing something THAT WILL GET YOU FIVE MINUTES CLOSER TO YOUR DREAM. Seriously, DO THAT! And DO NOT quit your day job YET! It probably sucks really BAD and most days you FEEL EMPTY inside having to return your tired and battered heart back to those stuffy and pretentious walls, BUT REMEMBER, IT IS TO YOUR ADVANTAGE to have MONEY TO FUND YOUR DREAM.  Plus, you have to eat, so get REAL. And get over yourself.  You have it pretty good, despite what your negative loop wants you to believe. I BELIEVE IN YOU. I THINK YOU ARE AWESOME AND I KNOW THAT YOU GOT THIS! Now, go on and start MAKING IT HAPPEN.  I DID and I love my life.

Oh, it's a work in progress, and I want to tidy up the words a bit, but I have plans to make this MANIFESTO OF AWESOME into word art, much like this one here.  Any interest in that?  Would you buy it and hang it in your house or gift it to someone AWESOME who could use some encouragement?  We could all use a little encouragement, no matter what our pursuits are!
Have a fantastic day and go spend FIVE MINUTES doing something to bring you five minutes closer to your dream life.