One Story Down - Gratitude

I saw this on Pinterest and thought I join in: One Story Down photo a day challenge: 30 days of gratitude edition November 2013.

1. This Moment - Today I helped my arty friends, June Stevens and Claudia Kraus set up their stall at the local arts festival.  I'm grateful to have these arty friends as part of my local art community and to be able to help them out.  More pics tomorrow when they are up and running!

Even though Thanksgiving is an American tradition I think it's always good to take time out to be grateful and count our blessings.

Maybe you'd like to join in....

I'm Hosting BlogtoberFest 2013

I will be hosting Blogtoberfest 2013!!!

BlogtoberFest is a personal challenge to blog each day for the 31 days in October.  It can be as simple as posting a photo with no words for Wordless Wednesday or you can write about you, your family, your art/craft/writing/photography.  If you miss a day it's no big deal, I can assure you that the BlogtoberFest Police will not be coming after you as they are too busy writing their own blogs and popping over to read other people's.

This isn't a blog hop so you don't have to worry about having time to get around to visit everyone's blog and leave a comment.  It would be great if you could visit a few during the month though just to encourage everyone along and give them some support.  I will try to visit everyone but last year 333 joined, eek, so I may not get to everyone....but do look forward to reading your blog and meeting new bloggers.

This is the button and the codes can be found on the BlogtoberFest 2013 Page above.

Some ideas on what to blog about - when I was blogging regularly I used to blog according to days of the week so here are some ideas:

Monday:  Mosaic Monday - make a photomasiac to show and write about
 
Tuesday: Talkative Tuesday - tell us about yourself

Wednesday: Wordless Wednesday - post a photo and no words

Thursday:  Thankful Thursday - write about what you are thankful/grateful for, Throwback Thursday

Friday: Friends on Friday - write about another creative you admire, Flashback Friday

Saturday: Some/Six/Seven Thoughts on Saturday, Selfie Saturday

Sunday:  Sunday Snippets (started by {tinniegirl}) - My week in photos... A collection of photos from your week. No need for words. Let the pictures tell your story.

If you have any others then please let me know so I can add them to the list. More ideas on the BlogtoberFest 2013 Page above.

In 2012, Blogtoberfest was hosted by Kat McNally @ I Saw You Dancing. I am so grateful to Kat for all her hard work last year and to Cathy aka {tinniegirl} for the opportunity to babysit this gorgeous blogging festival while she takes a well-earned break.

There is also a Linky on the BlogtoberFest 2013 page so please add your name to that so we know where to find you.  Any problems you can email me at shellsinthebushATgmailDOTcom  Thank you so much for joining in, looking forward to reading your blogs!

Michelle

Article Published

A year ago I answered a Call For Articles on Facebook from Gail Stiffe at Women's Art Register - a small art magazine published in Victoria, Australia and wrote an article on Building an Artistic Community and Connections and it was published.

I chose the paintings which had meaning to my community realtions.

The ButterFlyGirl was created for the Summer 2011 Flying Lessons Group - my Fly Tribe - the group of women I met online whilst doing the Kelly Rae Roberts Flying Lessons e-course.

This was also used for the bloghop...

This is a photo of me in front of one of the paintings I created at the Flora Bowley workshop - workshops are a great way of meeting other creative people.

(I hate that pic - I think I look kinda weird - it's my eyes or something...)

And this painting was one that sold at a local community art festival.

Here's the article I wrote a year ago, my husband and son just read it for the first time on Thursday and they are like What?  What's this?  after reading the first sentence.  I based the article on my experiences and was also thinking of Kelly Rae Roberts and Flora Bowley too.


BUILDING AN ARTISTIC COMMUNITY AND CONNECTIONS


Family unsupportive of your artistic journey?  Friends don’t understand your passion for painting and creating?  It is important to find and connect with other artists who ‘get’ you so you can share your excitement with them.  There are two main ways of building your artistic community - by meeting people in real life and online through art communities and blogging.

My artistic journey started in January 2009 when I went to drawing classes at the local art shop.  I went to learn how to draw not realising that it was the beginning of building an artistic community.  It was at this first class that I met Sandra, the more classes we took together, the more art I created - pastels, watercolour, acrylics, mixed media and collage - the more we clicked with shared creative ideas.

When I first started to draw and paint I joined an online art community to upload my art to show family and friends overseas.  That community had different groups you could join so I did to show off my art.  Members in those groups provided praise and encouragement to me and I found inspiration and friendship too.

You can meet other artists at art classes and workshops as well as local community and learning centres.  Sandra asked me to be take over her group co-ordinator role at the local learning centre.  I met some wonderful people who I was able to teach, mentor and even inspire.  Are you able to organise an art class or invite an artist you admire to teach at a workshop?  Is there a community centre near you where you could invite other artists to meet and work on their art together?

There are many online art communities, I even belong to a couple on Facebook.  Joining an online art community is like going to a party.  First of all you get dressed up - most communities give you your own page where you can upload an avatar of yourself or your art to represent you, you can change the background theme and script as well as add photos of your art and write a little bit about yourself.  Then find the forum and introduce yourself - there is usually an introduction thread.  Listen to others by reading their threads and looking at their galleries.  Participate in the conversation by replying to questions, giving sincere praise and encouragement, compliments and offer helpful positive advice when asked.  Start new threads and post questions too.  Before long people will be responding to your comments and friending you.

Blogging is another way to build your artistic community and connect with others who share your interests.  A blog is a website where you can write about your art, your life - not too personal but enough so people can relate to you,  and add photos too.  Your blog can provide inspiration to others, share some of your techniques, guest writers and interviews with other artists too.  To build your community visit other people’s blogs, become one of their followers, leave positive and sincere comments of praise, encouragement and congratulations.  Read their list of blogs they read and then go visit the blogs that sound interesting to you. People will start to visit your blog, become your follower, leave comments, connect with you and may even buy your art.

This may sound like a lot work but the more you put into building your artistic community the more you will get out of it.  I personally know artists whose careers have expanded from painting and blogging to selling books, providing online courses, sold out workshops - in minutes, products - calendars, bags, statues, frames, mirrors and crockery, online shops with over 300 sales in 24 hours on Cyber Monday.

I started blogging in March 2011 and it wasn’t until a few months later when I took an online creative business course that I consciously started building my artistic community.  Looking back I’ve found that the  benefits of using the above ways to connect with like-minded people include: making new friends, receiving and giving praise, encouragement, inspiration, support and positive and helpful criticism, teaching and mentoring,  information about books, classes and workshops, confidence in myself and my art and a group of people to hold an exhibition with. 

You may have to research and shop around for the community that suits you best and remember that this will take time.  Building your artistic community will help you build your artistic career.  Looking forward to seeing you there.

Online art communities:

http://www.deviantart.com/  US based
http://community.how-to-draw-and-paint.com/  - UK based great for watercolour artists
http://thecompleteartist.ning.com/  - NZ based - great for oil painters.
http://willowing.ning.com/  -  UK based - great for learning how to draw and paint faces, mixed-media art
http://www.facebook.com/groups/171673892903764/  Magically Mixed Art Community

Different types of blog hosting websites:

http://www.blogger.com/  - this is the one I use - simple and easy http://wordpress.com/
http://www.typepad.com/

http://blogchicks.com.au/  - You will find a list of arts and crafts blogs at the Australian Women Bloggers Directory


How to find me:

http://www.shellsinthebush.com/
http://shellsinthebush.blogspot.com/
http://www.facebook.com/ShellsintheBush
http://aussiesheila.deviantart.com/
http://willowing.ning.com/profile/MichelleReynolds

Squam Fall 2012

I had an awesome time at Squam - an art workshop on Squam Lake in New Hampshire, USA.

I flew 25 hours + to feel the magic, to meet other creatives, to learn new techniques and to meet my amazing teachers - Kelly Barton and Sarah Ahearn, to be inspired, encouraged and to hike a mountain and swim in a lake.

And I bought some great weather with me too!!!

Thursday morning we woke up to a beautiful sunrise:

Kelly Barton's C'mon Let's Play class was a lot fun and it was great to create one of her girls instead of one of mine...

Friday we woke up to another beautiful sunrise (Saturday was too cloudy and Sunday  I decided to stay in bed...)

Sarah Ahearn's Paint and Pages class was great as I learnt a new technique on photo transfers that I can apply to the 1890 book I bought at the Strand Bookstore in New York City and keep it intact...

And my work - all in progress, still some to finish off when I get home...

 

The Rockywold Deephaven Camps on Squam Lake has great cabins and a beautiful environment...

A little on the history of the camp:

The Rockywold-Deephaven Camps are unique in that they have resisted change in the basic philosophies of their founders. To be sure, we are not the same as we were in 1897, when Miss Alice Mable Bacon founded Deephaven, nor as in 1901 when Mrs. Mary Alice Armstrong founded Rockywold. Both of these pioneering women adapted and changed as time went on but held strongly to their basic principles.

Two women in the late 1800's and early 1900's founded the campsite - this is totally awesome and part of the magic and why it is such a great place for women to create and the land is set aside for educational, recreational and inspirational purposes.

I did hang up my Inspirational Paper Bunting Flags that I made one weekend back in June when I had a cold...

I swam in the lake, hiked a mountain and made new friends...lots but these are all the pics I have...

Kristine, me and Finch, me and Ana...

I also met Emily Falconbridge, an Aussie living in the States, so I asked her where she was from and she said Perth so I said where in Perth and she named the suburb across the highway from mine - she's from my neighbourhood and she went to the same high school as my boys!!!

The food was great but I took no pics and my tummy was a little unhappy with the water...I also got bitten by something on Friday and have a nasty rash along my back camisole line and down my arm.

The Squam Art Fair on Saturday night was awesome too...I bought some of Sarah's prints and some of Paper Taxi's cards which are easy to travel home with...

It was awesome, I'm so grateful and feel so blessed that I had this opportunity to go to Squam.

Darlington Estate Art & Crafts Market Day

The Darlington Estate Winery in Darlington, Western Australia was buzzing today with the excitement of it's first Art & Crafts Market Day.  With over 20 stalls of beautiful creations from local artisans there was a wide variety to choose from including jewellery, clothing, scarves, hats, art, ceramics, scrapbooking products, cards and the Winery provided scrumptious food and wine. The weather today was gorgeous, bright and sunny yet not too hot - great for browsing/shopping and enjoying a meal.

Children dancing to the music.

I was particularly interested in the Metal Art by Inge - in previous posts I have written about how I was inspired to paint her African Princess and wanted to see her in person and to meet Inge and discuss having one of her metal artworks created for us.

The perfect spot of one of Inge's metal artworks...hint, hint to my hubby...

Here's my painting:

I've added sewing pattern and a wash....still a work in progress...

Congratulations to Michelle Osborne and staff at Darlington Estate Winery and to all the stall holders too for a great market day. Well done. I hope to get organised and have some of my pendants and small paintings ready to sell and have my own stall on the next market day.  :D