Sarah*n*dipitous

Incoming!

Life happens when you least expect it and you have to be prepared to handle whatever it is that comes your way. The other day, in the early before anyone in their right mind should be awake hours, my husband and I heard this strange sound outside of our bedroom window. It sounded actually like Darth Vader breathing ultra heavily into a highly amped microphone.... We jumped out of bed to see a hot air balloon flying by the window on a crash course for our trees up on the ridge. Frantically, the folks on the balloon were putting in the hot air in hopes of clearing that tree line. They did, and eventually landed in the open field, but, it got me thinking about how quickly the winds can turn and how you handle that change in direction will dictate the kind of landing.....

Who Is Eating Your Lunch

I think in no other profession is plagerism more rampant than it is in the creative arts. Part of this I suppose, is because you can't really lay claim to a particular painting technique and the whole copyright thing in an internet age is vague at best. I remember being at an art show once and a woman coming to my booth and telling me how expensive my hand made cards (with handwritten calligraphy inscriptions mind you) were.... they were $5 each. She hemmed and hawwed about the price and whether or not I would knock off a dollar or two. It was tough. How could I explain to this woman that the supplies alone were $2 (it was before I knew about wholesale pricing and was still buying everything at retail) and that the $5 barely covered my expenses let alone my time. She ended up buying a dozen of my cards. I was geeked, afterall, I had almost made the cost of the booth fee at that point so I was one step closer to being in the black. I went home thinking how guilty I felt about my pricing and then the thought came across that perhaps they were too expensive..... The very next month at an art show a few cities away, I came across a booth that was selling my cards (with the calligraphy photocopied) for $2 a piece. I can not tell you how the lump in my throat felt or the tears that were so hot in my eyes just ready to brim over and run down my cheeks but, I can tell you, it was at that moment that I reconciled in my head, one, never discount the work that I do and two, to know that there is someone out there eating your lunch when you are not aware.

Counting Flowers

One of the many reasons I adore children in general, is the fact that they actually do stop and smell the flowers.....and, while they are there, they count the petals and try to figure out exactly what holds them together, how many different shades of one color can be found on one petal and whether or not the bug in the center of that flower can fly without wings (okay, that isn't necessarily a good thing I suppose...) Creativity is all about never ceasing to ask "what if" and wondering exactly why and how something is.

Van Gogh like you've never seen it

You know, I am becoming a YouTube addict. Suzanne from PageSage sent me a link to another piece this artist had showcased on youTube. You have to watch this video...too cool.

Thank You Apple!

Apple announced the new iPod today... I just knew if I bought an iPod, they would force me to buy a new one. Darn them. Okay, I am totally Jonesing this one though- it will be mine, all mine you hear me? I cannot wait to get my hands on the new touch screen gem- how flippin' cool. You may now proceed to get on with the rest of your day. Hey Mom, I know you are reading this, guess what I want for Christmas :)

Curing the Can't

I Can't Paint. Oh, I Can't collage. I Can't just fly to Europe. I Can't learn a new language. I Can't Draw.... Blah Blah Blah. I think we tend to talk ourselves out of a lot of amazing things we CAN do if we just tried. As you know, I am a collector of people (I love their fantastic stories) and well, interesting street signs (I jump at the chance to take a "drive by" shooting (photograph) whenever it is safe to do so (I do pull over if I am driving....)

I saw this wonderful sign today and it reminded me of the amazing things people can do if they only give themselves permission to try. We have that little demon on our shoulder that rationalizes and gives us all the 1-800-justify type excuses that pave the way for us to believe something Can't be done. Man, how irritating. Can you imagine what amazing things that could be discovered, problems that could be solved, works of art that could be created, stories that could be written if folks who just go ahead and do it?

Reality Shows

You know why the big networks LOVE Reality Shows? It is because, they have an endless line of people chomping at the bit to get their 15 minutes of fame who do not require any compensation, tend to amuse the masses and entertain, and do not mind being exploited. I think Brad Paisley sums it up in his song celebrity, " Someday I am gonna be famous, do I have talent, well no. These days you don't really need it, thanks to reality shows...." When you add in the fact that you don't need to pay actors (you know the ones who belong to a union and get paid the big bucks), don't need to pay skilled writers and those creative folks with innovation running through their veins, and you still bring in booku dinero- yup, networks LOVE LOVE LOVE reality shows.

Now, let's apply this to the crafting industry in general..... this may hurt a bit but, think of it like a band-aid, if we rip it off quick, it won't hurt as much right? I have stood on my soapbox before about this- mainly because, I earn my living creating things and I teach others who want to earn money creating their own things. Nothing irritates me more than to see someone being taken advantage of. The crafting industry has taken a "Reality Show type stance" in my opinion. Rather than paying professionals for their work, they simply steal it outright, offer mere pittance for the innovation or, dangle the carrot of design team monikers in front of people who truly want to "break into the industry and be noticed" as a way to create an endless source of new material paid for in product (product that costs the manufacturers literally pennies). There are long lines of folks who do not value their own work enough to demand fair compensation, they are willing to work for free, willing to spend their time in hopes of that proverbial "15 minutes" will launch their careers.... Let me tell you right now, once you set the precedence of working for free, it is REALLY tough to turn around and say, "Hey, you have to pay me for that now...." Tsk Tsk Tsk. 

Now, I may be walking on eggshells here but, I think the "Reality Show" mentality has really kicked the industry in the tail while they were looking the other way. The quality of projects and samples reflect that old saying, "You get what you pay for". The industry as a whole has become stale and innovation and new ideas and cutting edge, pushing the envelope kind of things are few and far between. It is sad when you walk down the magazine aisle and everything looks the same- the same cards, the same wings on everything, the same gessoed over this or that, the same distressed whatever, the same cutesy patterns and such. Where is the inspiration? Why does everything seemed rehashed and a variation of what has been?

We do not need any more "Reality shows", we need "programming" that encourages us, inspires us, calls us to action, stirs the inner muse, makes us think, engages us, and ignites passion. Stuff like that has value. Afterall, going back to the television analogy, isn't this why we *PAY* for cable?

Old Trucks

I talked with a Mom today about how she felt as if she was "unable" to be creative, like a switch was turned off in her head and she just hit a brick wall. I shared with her a story I had shared with another one of my students about your creativity being like a car. Some cars are totally beautiful on the outside but, underneath the hood, they are all talk and no action. Some cars are beat up and definitely well used- they are the ones that run like a champ. Some are temperamental beasts that always need something to make them run right and others haven't seen the inside of a mechanic shop for decades. I mentioned to her that just like a car, you need to keep up with the maintenance; get the oil changed, rotate the tires, fix the little things, and most importantly, you have to fill the tank with fuel to go- you cannot get very far if you put the wrong fuel in or simply drive it to the ground until the dials say empty. Creativity is something that can't be stored forever and be expected to run at a moment's noticed, it needs to be taken on long drives, needs to see new places, and needs to see the cool things in the everyday necessary trips here and there as well. If you do not properly take care of that car, you will be left with a shell of a vehicle on cinder blocks collecting rust.