WOW, what a week!

Goodness, it's been quite a week.  You may recall my recent resolutions about intention and motivation  - I can't keep doing the same things and expect different results coupled with staying awake and aware of things that, for better or for worse, catch my attention and pique my curiosity.  This week, it's been everything from getting back into my yoga practice to cleaning up one of the front door hinges, switching the cushions around on the sofa to attending a couple of events at the Asheville version of Hatch.  I've been following my nose and my heart, seeing where my eye sticks and my mind wanders and it probably has something to do with spring cleaning, but it's been very satisfying to address all those little nit-picky annoying things around the house.

Business is good!  Working on orders, checking in with my local gallery, writing more orders and, while waiting for pmc components to fire and then tumble, I fired my little pinch pots with their mason stain washes ... the results are not quite what I had in mind.

They're not intended for food and I don't want to use glazes but, in the past, I've had good results with acrylics ... so later this month, when orders are out the door, I'll pull out my paint box and see what happens. 

Then there's the healthy stuff ... making up a big batch of super yummy veggie juice and morning yoga.  Okay, so let's just say that the yoga thing is a challenge ... oof - after the first day, those sore 'wings' from repeated chaturanga's.  I am weak as a kitten and facing a long road back to the strength and flexibility of last year - a good road, but a long one. 

But the biggest out there happening for the week was attending a couple of events from the Hatch Festival.  I knew all this was going on, but in typical KVK fashion, figured it didn't apply to me or wouldn't be anything I might be interested in.  A feature article in Thursday's paper changed my mind - almost.  It took getting out my little pendulum and giving it a swing to sway me into mobilizing my backside.

Thursday was a panel discussion called "Maximizing Digital Marketing for Creative People" ... two hours, five bucks, what the heck.  So I got on my 'artist garb' and headed downtown, did lots of observing, asked a fair number of questions and picked up a couple of techie tid-bits.  I now have a 'QR' code for my website.  I had seen these little barcode looking thingies, but had no idea what they were.  Got home, googled "QR generator", et voila, here's the QR code for my website. 

So the thing is, if you have one of those smart phones, you can scan this code and it will link you directly to my website ... who knew?  Of course, I don't have one of those phones - my cell phone is about 7 years old and doesn't do anything but make phone calls.  But if you did, well here you go.

I redesigned my business card and included my new little gizmo.  Also turns out the tech guys on the panel think 'apps' are going to be the next big thing for individuals and creative types - linking all your web presence into one of those smart phone applications.  That one's going to be a good ways down the road for this little luddite.

 Here's the info side of the new business card ...

Then on Saturday, Dave talked me into venturing out rather than staying hunkered down and working for the duration.  One thing lead to another and I ended up donning more artsy garb and attending my second Hatch event - their fashion show.  Turns out the best part of the fashion show was before the show.  I was early (I'm always early) so I decided to check out the new Grove Arcade location of Niche, a boutique that carries lines like Blue Fish and Cynthia Ashby.  I've been following the shop on-line for years, so it was fun to finally see it in person.  Ah, but then there was the serendipitous part ...  in the spirit of putting myself out there and stretching my boundaries, I kind of horned in on a conversation between the owner, Colleen, and a woman that was wearing some seriously cool and obviously artisan made clothing.  Turns out the nattily dressed woman was the designer/maker and I had read an article about her in a local women's mag - Valerie Hoh.  Here's the article. 

This is the back of the dress she was wearing ...

And the bag she was carrying ...

Also turns out she's a potter and is interested in metal clay and, after her friend arrived, we kept on chatting, watched the fashion show and continued chatting over iced beverages at a little cafe.  We're planning on doing some metal clay tutorials and trading and who knows what else.

Wow, am I ever glad I ventured out into the world.  With such amazing results I guess I'll  keep following that ever-wandering gaze of mine.   

Ah yes, onward!

blessings - kvk

audacious

 ... that's the word that came to me during this morning's mediation and my word for the day.  So I'm rolling it over in my mind, looking up the definition, seeing how it feels.

au-da-cious / [aw-dey-shuhs] / adjective

1.extremely bold or daring; recklessly brave; fearless

2.extremely original; without restriction to prior ideas; highly inventive

3.recklessly bold in defiance of convention, propriety, law, or the like; insolent; brazen

4.lively; unrestrained

I'm rather liking #2 and #4.  Audacious, maybe it should be my word for awhile, maybe I should make it my mantra.  

I have enormous admiration for people and work that I consider audacious, what I perceive to be the underlying confidence and strength.  There's that Geothe quote ...   "Boldness has genius, power and magic in it." ... that I should staple to my forehead.  It's so much easier to be tentative, cautious, safe.  Suffice it to say, I do not consider myself audacious ... not yet.  For years I've said what I want to be when I grow up is eccentric.  Now I'm thinking that being audaciously eccentric would be even more better ... or is that redundant?  I don't know, whatever it is, it's not plain, it's not safe, it's not the status quo.

I've always been one to ease into the cold water,  tiptoe out to the end of the diving board and peek over.  Daily, I'm pushing myself towards the precipice for I know deep down ('cause I've experienced it many times), that when I leap the net will indeed appear ... it always has and it always will.  This is my grail quest but it's not a fairy tale or a purely abstract concept.  It's quite real ... I can almost touch it, very nearly taste it.  It's that itchy skin thing again.  My skin's been feeling very small lately.  Surely it's the force of nature, spring growth and rebirth, renewal and upward momentum.

The bud bursts forth in an explosion of audacious color and texture.  Actually, that should be about me ... my new work burst forth in an explosion of audacious color and texture.  Oohh, I rather like that as well.

As for new work, I've just bisque fired some prototypes of the vessels that will accompany the Talismans For Fellow Travelers Elements series.  The texture is very much there, color will come as a wash of mason stains (I haven't taken the time to mix up clay and stain for the inlays).  These little cylinders were built with clay thrown on the concrete slab in my yard - I think these stained will be lovely.  The front cylinder is about 2" across and 1 1/4" deep.  Not sure what I'll be lashing through the holes, maybe a leather cover, maybe decorative doodahs, maybe ... oh I'll just have to see what hits me.

  

And the full assortment of test pieces.  I just can't resist little pinch pot bowls - the largest is about 3" across.  They're quite thin and very light.  Next will be taller and more slender cylinders that will have stoppers - to hold the finished Talismans.

But it's time to get back to the wholesale orders and put experimentation aside for a couple of days.  This will be me, the audacious and delightfully eccentric artist going back to work. 

blessings - kvk

p.s.  blogger is doing something annoying with my spacing.  I did not write one huge paragraph - it wasn't me, really, it's the bloody program.
Ah well, not the end of the world, just accept my apologies for the block o'text.  I'll try to fix it later.

p.p.s.  so I centered the text ... maybe that's not so hard on the eyes ... sheesh