some pondering on how things connect . . .

As some of you may know I have started another 'blog' called 'daily dress inspirations' (ddi).  for the past few weeks every day I have posted an image with a good intention and/or quote, and I am loving the entire process.

It has become almost selfish; a morning ritual, a 'meditation' of sorts.  As I am going through my morning routine ~ girls to school, dog walked,  to-do lists and accessing the pending day,  I take a moment to quiet myself and listen to what kind of good intention I need and that is the intention I put out there. I then find an image and a quote and post them.

dressmat

This blog started, as many of my projects/ideas do, from my need to learn about something. This time I needed to figure out FB groups for one of my social media clients, and for me, the best way to learn is by doing. So I created a FB group in which its members would get  a daily post, and I have always thought that my dresstags were a perfect vehicle for a daily message.

Now I didn't want to be exclusive to those not on Facebook so I started posting the same dress/quote of the 'ddi' blog.  So that is the story behind the starting of the ddi blog, which I am sharing here today because there is a story behind today's posting, that I want to share.

Haney, can't hear you

It is nothing major but I thought, interesting. It highlights an 'inter-connective'ness of things.

dailydress for Lisa
Barthelson birthday

This morning, working Scruffy (my early bird dog) I was pondering the day and stressing about my pending gallery show, this October at Fountain Street Fine Art.  The opportunity of exhibiting it awesome and this space is beautiful.  Also I have asked a wonderful artist, Anne Gilson Haney to exhibit with me (LOVE her work!! I  own 2 of her pieces!!).  So this is all good! However I am not sure if I will be ready!!!

Lisa during her artist talk

Some may know, I am in the process of getting divorced (yes, I am still  not officially divorced) And with this new state of affairs I have needed to get back out in the paycheck world to support me and two teen-age girl$$$.  So I am juggling 4-5 hourly jobs, mothering two amazing girls, and making a home for the three of us.  This is all good ?!?! :) 

but I have not had time for my art.  My studio has become a storage unit for the overflow of stuff when moving from a house to an apartment.  So when thinking about my up-coming show I have can freak out!!

the daily dress journal began as
a flat moleskin plain book

However I am blessed with amazing and supportive friends. This week I sat down with awesome artist, Lisa Barthelson, and she talked with me about my show.  

She just had a beautiful exhibit last month at FSFA, and offered to give me some guidance.  I laid out the 'work' that I have been able to to do between the hustle and bustle of my current life and she saw a show?!?! One that is based on the work I am doing NOW; similiar to my daily dress journal that I  did in 2011 when I was substituting at Dana Hall and working to keep a marriage together.  The daily dress journal was based on my daily activities - using receipts, wrappers and whatnots that caught my attention during the course of the day.

the journal once I filled each page

I have been playing with this idea myself, it makes sense! And I love the work of artists who have documented their daily lives: Danica Phelp and Kate Bingaman-Burt and her Obsessive Consumption series. Yet I had y doubt, yet with Lisa's encouragement and in her presence, I felt inspired and capable.

daily dress #16

However a day or so later (yesterday) I was back to discouraged and confused, in comes another dear friend.  and as good friends do she gave me another perspective; she suggested seeing if I could move my show to a later date, when I may be more prepared and better able to produce work that won't raise the authenticity critic?!? A novel thought?! One, that in my busy, what-is-next mode, I hadn't considered.  I am not one to pass on any opportunity but maybe this is the time?!?!?

So this morning, during my rainy walk with my boy, I was working through all these possibilities and knowing I was heading to another job at 10 this morning.  As my head whirled I thought about my daily dress inspirations ~ another task that I have added to my day, and one that does even pay?!?!? But as I said above it is helpful to me.  So I stopped and meditated on what aspiration I needed today and what came was 'clarity'.

Clarity in the decision to do the show or not.

Clarity about what I will show if I do exhibit!!

Clarity on how I spend my time.

Yes clarity was what I needed today.

So my wet dog and I came home and  I looked up clarity quotes. There are many out there.  

But the one that struck me as so totally appropriate is by Melody Beattie:

Live your life from your heart. 

Share from your heart. 

And your story will touch 

and heal people's souls.

And this is the reason for this entire blog post - how interconnected things can be. Here I needed clarity about my show and decided that clarity would be my daily intention.  

While looking for a 'clarity' quote I find this one that speaks so profoundly to me about my art work and the issues that I am struggling with about my show!! 

My art is my life! My art is my heart. My art is sharing, sharing my vision of the world.  I love to highlight the simple beauty in our everyday.  I have always been drawn to the beauty is what many people cast aside ( I had a business for 7 years using used bottle caps to make jewelry).

Yesterday I read an article about age and artist and saw this quote by Faith Ringgold:

 from ART news: ‘You Become Better with Age’ by Hilarie M. Sheets

“Being an artist is a way of life,” says 82-year-old Faith Ringgold...“It’s not about ‘I’m going to major in this and get my degree, and then I’ll go to work, and then I’ll retire.’ It is something one has a passion for, does, and then becomes—and can do it literally until they pass away. ..."

 I could not agree more - art is my life, my passion. So that is my story that I will share in October, my current story, my daily story. Now how it will present itself . . .well, stay tuned.