making messes

This is the cluttered area I call my art studio. I've been in it alot more lately. I promise, somewhere in there, art is being made! :) It feels good. Will post pics as I complete things.

xoxo!

all signs point to....

lighting the way
Originally uploaded by k.tucker artworks

Things have been going surprisingly well lately in my world. And it's all because I'm feeling MUCH better since starting the new med (which I hate saying I'm taking a medication, but whatever, I'm happy with the results & it's giving me my life back).

And that is exactly the thing...I'm getting my life back people! So I don't laze around the house, wanting to do things but not having the energy/mental motivation to do them, I'm actually doing & planning & enjoying! Everything from housework to errands to yardwork to socializing is appealing yet again & I'm kicking some serious ass in the process. I even went for a powerwalk workout at Memorial Park last Sunday...and am psyched to return to a regular exercise routine.

It didn't kick in soon enough to make more of an effort at Unravelling which is unfortunate, but luckily the ladies are still kicking around Flickr, so hopefully they will motivate me to keep taking pictures of myself & my world (pic above is for our "light" challenge). But it did kick in just in time for my writing class which has been going pretty good. I definitely need the weekly assignments & deadlines to keep me on track & am alittle sad that after this weekend, I'll be heading into my final week of class there. But I will just have to self-motivate myself to continue on with the routine of writing...improving...and then submitting things for publication (gasp!).

Because I've been focusing my extra time on the writing, I haven't been doing much (i.e. any) art, BUT I feel the juices flowing and have finally gotten my art area ready to dive back in. I have a new inspiration from an unlikely source...I was looking at some Austrailian souveniers someone had (small adorned boomerangs etc) & at first glance I was like "ehh, kinda hokey" but upon really looking at them & then researching Aboriginal artwork, I'm now soooo fascinated and inspired, especially by the more contemporary stuff.

And then of course there's the news of opening myself back up to dating. I'm putting myself out there & looking forward to the opportunity to meet & spend time with new people (of the male variety) which I've been fortunate enough to have been able to do already. That alone has me spinning a bit in la-la land at the moment, yet staying grounded & present & in the moment which is a refreshing change (for me). Part of me is sad to let go of something I was holding onto for a very long time, but a bigger part of me knows that it's better for me to make room for ME and let fate take my hand to things even beyond my projection.

It just feels good. All of it. I think I can safely say that I'm back & I want to stay here forever! I hope to hold onto this gratitude, knowing what the other side is like...having truly experienced what it's like not to live & to watch life pass you by like those film clips where you're standing still & everything around you is sped up.

It probably sounds like I'm all cool & collected & lackadaisical about this after droning on & on about how horrible & miserable it's all been for me the last 2 years. Funny thing is, I'm finding I'm having to sort of relearn things in a weird way--like what to do with myself when I have energy or how to embrace high-fiving myself without waiting for the other shoe to drop. Truth be told, I'm f*cking bouncing off the ceilings, skipping thru the halls, kartwheeling across the yard, and farting rainbows (as my English BFF says), so yeah, life is good, life is going, life is back!!!

xoxo!

be still

be still, assemblage by me

It's not unreturned love, from a certain someone, that hurts, Katherine. It's just that sometimes the "thing" you're focusing on, keeps you from feeling all the love that others are sending you.

Especially me, me, me - The Universe

PS: In other words, Katherine, the more it seems that "love" hurts, the more you can be sure it's something else.

I thought today's Notes from the Universe was ironic given yesterday's blog post. Thanks Universe!

Also, now that I'm organized in my little art-making area & enjoying the unclutteredness of my house overall, I'm starting to look forward to using my Thanksgiving 4-day weekend time off to start diving back into making some art. Could mean the clutter & chaos come back out yet again, but I'd like to try to manage it better this time around, see if I can't keep it from taking over the entire house for a change. We shall see...

Funnily enough, I've been daydreaming about these little mini-collage/vision/inspiration cards that I ran across at record the day and I'm itching to figure out how I can incorporate something similar either into my artwork or just my daily creativity. Again, we shall see...

xoxo!

clearing the clutter

I wish I had befores, but here are the afters of my little art studio re-org space. It's the first room you enter when you come thru the front door & having it so cluttered & junky was not a comforting or welcoming way to enter my home.

I'm hoping I can keep it kept nice & neat even when I'm knee deep in creating and making stuff. It's just so nice to be free of the visual chaos all over the house (well my dining room still has some things scattered on the table that need sifting through). As so often happens when I embark on any of my annual cleaning sprees (no I'm not a very devote housekeeper--I mean I try to clean more regularly, but I'm very lazy about it), I get that sense of accomplishment and wish it was enough to remind me not to let things get junky as the days go on & the projects get started, etc, etc. Sorta like exercising: when you do it, you're glad you did & can't believe you left so much time pass where you didn't...it's a theme in my life: cleaning, exercising, eating right. Don't get me started...

I must remind myself that the creativity flows more freely when I'm not having to function over & around & underneath piles. But I also have to give myself a break & know that when the creativity is flowing, shit starts flying around & piling up & getting crazy because I can't break the cycle to pick up after myself every other minute while I'm making art. And that's just part of the process...for me anyway.

xoxo!

Re-Org '09 and avant garden

"avant garden" mixed media assemblage (sold), by me

Thought I'd start posting some of the close-ups from the pieces from the show. I've been pretty knackered ever since...guess the CFS is acting up after that week of high adrenaline of getting it all together.

Since then & thanks to the generosity of my mother, I have been focusing my efforts on Re-Org '09. I got some new shelves from Ikea for the studio space to a) provide more work room and b) more storage capacity. I spent an evening assembling the darn things. Then another night clearing out the studio space so the shelves could go in. Another night starting the migration of the now-wayward other furniture items into other areas & uses around the house, plus re-migrating art things back into it's new space. And now with the weekend, I'm really diving into the studio itself to get it all organized & all the bits collected from around the house. It's going well, but I've hit a bit of a wall since I've been up since 4:00 doing it.

I wish I would have taken a "before" shot of the studio space, but alas, I was so eager to make it all better that I forgot to snap one (i will post "afters" since I promised mom I'd show her how it turned out). Needless to say, I know what the difference is & that's really all that matters. Plus who would have thought that organizing my studio space would mean that my utility room got a much-needed revamp, I will be able to eat on my dining table again, and that I repurposed other furniture items into much more functional roles in other rooms?!

It's a really good feeling, even though I'm not 100% complete yet, to get this massive undertaking underway & reclaim a clutter-free (or mostly anyway) house! Yay me & thanks mom!!!

xoxo!

above assemblage constructed using: thrift store frame, spoon, wire, tin & found bits of random hardware assembled to look like flowers, wax, bits of vintage paper & modern cardstock.