Feeling Supported by the Universe

A few weeks ago on the new moon and day of Thanksgiving it was my 30th birthday....I have finally made it past the rather tumultuous experiences surrounding my saturn return.  I had been anticipating and experiencing this sort-of major upheaval around my life/career and chosen path for a while.  By the time my birthday rolled around I felt a sense of gratitude and clarity about where i am now headed.

It's not always easy for us artists to take ourselves and our work seriously. ...at least it wasn't for me. I used to get very hung up on what people thought, said, or most importantly didn't say about my art....it took me almost 30 years to realize that creating something everyday is INTEGRAL to my sanity and joy because its what I came to this planet to do-regardless of what people think ...

I think one of the most important things to let go of as an artist is that lack of trust- that the world and the people in it do not or will not support your creative endeavors.  For the most part I think I have moved past this hurdle, but I still have moments of self- doubt and certainly fear...

So the other morning I was walking to the subway to go to work (i have over an hour long commute each way).  I was doing the usual bitching and moaning in my head about what a waste of time my commute is...how many things i could be crafting instead....when all of a sudden i received the most remarkable gift from the universe...

I found an enormous book with a handle attached to the spine....(it looks like  a slim briefcase) Instantly I am drawn to it and I open it up to find a TON of beautiful wallpaper samples!  In the moment I knew I was going to have to carry it to work and I was running almost late so it wasn't until later that night at home that I realized the extent of what I just found...

This book had not only HUNDREDS of wall paper samples, but most of them are handpainted!!!

What a gift from the universe and what I direct and obvious way for the world to say, stop your bitching- i support you...

Also, when I carried it around I felt like I was holding a briefcase and symbolically I was in the position of taking myself, my art, my business and work seriously 

 

Bookbinding

A little over a month ago I took a coptic stitch bookbinding class at the Etsy Labs.  That was the beginning of the end for me.  Ever since then I have been completely obsessed with making books. 

Pretty much all day long I think about paper, themes, and different things I can do to create new books.  My biggest obstacle at this point is time.  I have SO many ideas and only two hands and a full time work schedule outside of the land of my imagination....

When i'm not working as a teacher I enjoy searching for old hardcover books to recycle and transform into books and journals for others to use.  There is such a ridiculous amount of paper in this world.  Why are we still chopping up trees by the second to make more, when we could recycle what we already have?