My Creative Friend | Sandy

My creative friend Sandy is a Cape Codder who happened upon my booth at a craft fair last year, and we've stayed connected by following each other's blogs ever since.  Sandy documents her creations through her blog The Old Bag - she quilts, she knits, and finds crafty ways to transform antique treasures.

Sandy at Waterfire

What does art making mean to you? 

I grew up in a creative home with both of my parents being very artistic people.  For me it's such an important part of who I am and what I love to do.  The art of creating and getting such self satisfaction from being able to make it yourself or your interpretation of someone else's idea.  Hopefully I passed the creative passion along to my daughter by showing her the how much gratification can come from being creative.  

How do you make time for your creative practice? 

Some days it's easier than others.  Creating is a form of relaxation for me so I will squeeze it in just about every day.  It could be only for 15 minutes or a couple of hours. One project I almost always have going is knitting a pair of socks.  It's an easy travel project and something you can work on almost anywhere.  Basically I will take whatever time I can find to either work on a project or to sometimes just spend time in my craft room.  

When you work, do you love the process or the result? Why?

I am learning to love the process.  In the past I have an idea and can't wait to finish so I can move onto the next. I realized I was missing out on such a great experience by being so impatient.  This is still in the works, but I am trying to enjoy the whole experience.  As I learn to do this especially in quilting I find that I am more relaxed and more precise in my technique.  Also I am finding a lot more satisfaction in the finished project by enjoying the process more.

Where do you get your support?

My family and friends are a tremendous source of support and encouragement.  My husband is always willing to help out with ideas or making something to help me with one of my crazy ideas. 

Have you ever been in a creative rut?  How did you get out?

Absolutely!  Going thru some pattern books, magazines or even browsing online till that project just jumps out at you and you can't wait to pick up the knitting needles, sewing machine or whatever to begin the next project.  Sometimes just going to local quilt shop is so inspiring to view the quilts other's have done. I'll stop in and see what's in the works, talk the women that work there and that will usually get the ideas jumping around in my head. Whatever it takes to get the ball rolling again.

Thanks for sharing, Sandy!  Keep up with all of Sandy's projects by following her blog, The Old Bag.

**My Creative Friend is a series of blog posts featuring the creative practices of creative women in my life, (usually) posted on the last weekend of each month. By sharing our processes, my hope is that we can all learn, grow, and be inspired in our own work. If you're interested in being featured, please contact me!**

My Creative Friend | Danielle

I first met my creative friend Danielle through What It Takes, a program organized by The Hive Archive, a feminist arts collective in Providence.  What It Takes is for creative people who want to learn about how to make their art into a sustainable living - all of that sometimes scary, sometimes annoying, and sometimes really fun business-y stuff.  I learned that Danielle is a jewelry designer, and it's been so inspiring to see her business, DaVine Jewlery blossom over the past year!

Danielle & her fiance at the Providence Art Festival

Tell us about your medium and how you got started with it.
My love of jewelry started when I was a little girl - I used to love playing with and looking through my mother's and my grandmother's jewelry. When my grandmother gave me one of her old jewelry boxes filled with items she no longer wore I was so thrilled! I used to proudly wear my own jewelry creations to school growing up, starting with beaded stuff and evolving to wire work as I got older. When I first decided to go to the Rhode Island School of Design I thought I was going to major in sculpture, but quickly realized when I took an elective Jewelry & Metalsmithing class my freshman year that that was where I belonged - creating tiny pieces of art that people can wear!

How do you sum up your creative style?

I'd say my creative style is very earthy, and ranges from sopisticated to lovely and sometimes cute. I find a great majority of my inspiration from nature and other artworks that also were inspired by the natural. I love natural forms, patterns, and textures, and I incorporate a lot of them in my work - I'm always on the lookout for any sort of plant materials, shells, stones, etc. to add to my Inspiration Collection.

When you work, do you love the process or the result?  Why?

I actually love both! The process is wonderful - with jewelry there can be a lot of repetitive work that many people would find boring, but I find it meditative and relaxing. I love working on a small scale, dealing with precision and intricacies. I also thoroughly enjoy exploring new techniques, finding inspiration in new places, and trying different things - this keeps me excited about my work. The satisfaction of the process leading to a great result always feels good. I'll often find myself looking at an especially labor-intensive piece thinking "Wow, I can't believe I made this". I love almost everything I make, and I love it when other people enjoy my pieces enough to want to wear them too.

What is you favorite thing you've created and why?

That would be a necklace I made to commemorate the birth of a longtime friend's daughter. She wanted something special, and decided she wanted to use a flower and stone from her daughter's birthmonth. I created a tiny waterlily pendant with a delicate ruby set in the center for her. I was very happy with how it came out (so much so I almost wanted to keep it for myself!), but the fact that it was such a sentimental piece made it that much more special.

Where do you get support?

I am very lucky and get lots of support from my family and loved ones. My parents were always extremely supportive of my creative endeavors growing up. My mom kept us busy with fun craft projects on rainy days, and they encouraged me to take any classes or workshops that I wanted. Even when I decided I wanted to go to art school they never once tried to discourage or dissuade me - if they had any fears of me not being able to make a living and ending up a starving artist I never knew it! Nowadays my parents and sister are there when I do shows and very helpful in promoting me when I'm feeling shy. My sweet fiance never complains about all of the house and yardwork piling up these days, instead he does more house and yardwork so that I can spend more of my time outside of my day job in the studio. 

What is your creative ambition?

My biggest ambition is to be able to quit my day job and create my jewelry full-time - one I share with many other artists out there! I'd like to be able to have a studio/space large enough that I could have a little shop-front and maybe lead workshops and classes in the back. Sharing and teaching my passion and knowledge for creating is something that I've always wanted to be able to do.

How do you make time for your creative practice?

Dividing my time up between my day job and my jewelry, while still having time for the other things I like to do can be quite a balancing act at times. I try to reserve as much weekend as time as I can to spend in the studio because during the week I'm usually pretty tired out from working all day. I sometimes have to force myself into the studio at those times when I have things I need to complete, but once I'm there I'm usually glad I did that instead of lazing around on the couch. 

Thanks for sharing, Danielle!  To see more from DaVine jewlery, check out Danielle's Etsy Shop, Flickr photos, and follow her on Facebook!

**My Creative Friend is a series of blog posts featuring the creative practices of creative women in my life, (usually) posted on the last weekend of each month. By sharing our processes, my hope is that we can all learn, grow, and be inspired in our own work. If you're interested in being featured, please contact me!**

My Creative Friend | Priscilla

My creative friend Priscilla is the studio manager at New Urban Arts.  Whenever I'm sewing with my students, Priscilla pops over to see what we're working on, and we've talked a bit about how she likes to quilt, too.  Priscilla studied textiles at the Rhode Island School of Design, and has worked with many professional artists to further her skills.  Her work is so beautiful, and I am so excited to learn more about the thinking behind it!

Priscilla, on left, at New Urban Arts

What is your medium, and how did you get started with it?

Lately my creative medium has been hand and machine sewing old fabrics. That entails quilting, making stuffed objects, or mending clothes. I like painting a lot and I think that will always be part of my creative practice, too. I really enjoy making patterns that are repeating especially for home spaces. I worked for a wallpaper company for a year called Studio Printworks and my favorite assignments were putting drawings (mine or other artists) in repeat. Patterns can create a new rhythm and feeling in a space and depending on the design make a room livelier or calm it down. Recently with the hand stitching and quilting I’ve been focusing on geometric shapes. I feel like I’m still just learning with quilting, so right now I’m most comfortable with geometric designs. In general I like things that are related to being or feeling at home, which is why I guess I like decorative arts and creating things for interior spaces. 

How did/do you learn and improve your creative skills?

I was pretty exclusively interested in just drawing and painting until around my junior year of high school. Then one summer at New Urban Arts I learned how to use a sewing machine for the first time Tamara Kaplan was my mentor and the sewing pusher. She helped me and a small group of us sew our first tote bags that summer. It was awesome. It was also an addictive, meditative activity which is what I liked about it. For me it went from a one time workshop to a fanatical interest in fabric construction. It was also really good for me to do something creative that wasn’t drawing exercises. That space is where I started to try new mediums. Sometimes failing with it, but I got to explore more materials and techniques in art making. Also, attempting new techniques is pretty meditative and I like having to focus and pay attention to what I’m doing because I’m trying to learn how to do that something well.

When I think about how I improved my creative skills I owe a lot to Cindy Treen. She is an amazing textile artist and mentor who has spoiled me. Cindy is very bright, and is basically a black belt with needle and thread. Follow her. There is so much I learned from her in her studio over these years I think I owe her some kind of tuition. We met when I was 15 or 16. My friend and I walked into her studio and Diane Horton’s shop called Cloth one day afterschool and we awkwardly blurted out, “Can we do an internship here, like starting now?” We weren’t looking for internships or work either, but just had some kind of impulse. Diane and Cindy were pretty sweet and let us. I watched them be amazing business women with amazing creative skills. So that was a huge influence on my work ethic, creative practice and also shaped what I did at school and the internships and work I sought out afterwards.

How do you make time for your creative practice?

I don’t know, but I try to make it important by putting it in my schedule each week. I do best when I do not multitask, but I still try and multitask and it gets me into trouble. I like having a good chunk of time to quilt or knit or whatever, so for those things I try and schedule a day of just making stuff. I like working on a project and not having email or phone access, too. I get distracted and if I really have to get something done working all day and just listening to podcasts has been helpful. I’m also more productive when my space and things are organized. It makes everything even thinking easier. I like instant things too, so if I really don’t have time to take a day to just quilt or whatever I like doing things like mending clothes or some small activity to keep me happy. Craft clubs and knitting circles are also how I make time for my practice. It helps to do things with friends and in groups, too.

What creative projects are on the horizon for you?

I’m working on a quilt right now for a friend. I’m making it with her father’s old blue jeans and their family's many bandanas. He was a quahog fisherman from Warren, RI and it’s a tribute to him sort of quilt. The friend gave me a lot of creative control, so I’m extra excited about how it’s coming along. It’s going at a snails pace, but it’s also my first solo quilt project, so I get me some slack. Then, I think for this summer I want to make two more quilts. Hand stitched, too. With my own scrap fabrics. I’ve wanted to do this for a while, so that is what I will be up to.

Have you ever been in a creative rut?  How did you get out?

Yes. Travel. Going to a new place and getting out of the same routine helps a lot.  Learning something new helps. It’s like your stiff in the neck and need to exercise your creative muscles to get going again. We’re like athletes. I went to Alabama for an internship and learned how to stitch and embroider at Alabama Chanin. That was a time that just sucked out the rut and made me really excited about handmade apparel design. Also, Alabama was cool. Working at New Urban Arts is amazing for curing creative ruts, too.

What was a successful creative moment that you've had?

I spent one summer in Santiago Atilan, Guatemala working with a nonprofit  called the Cojolya Association of Maya Women Weavers that supports Mayan women weavers. They do traditional back strap weaving in this area. It is a skill that younger Mayan women are not continuing as much as they once did because of how the market is today, and because there are more opportunities for women in terms of career and higher education and those things are good. The Association is really important for preserving the tradition and supporting those who are continuing to weave and whose livelihood depends on the goods they sell. The shop sells hand woven textiles by these women, which allows them to continue their traditional craft and support their families. The Association offers a way for these skilled artists to make a living wage. It’s pretty amazing. I went with my friend Kathryn Maresca who was also at RISD studying textiles. We just went because we wanted to design and learn traditional back strap weaving. Learning it was slow, and the whole summer was slow too because the pace there was radically different from what we were used to in our design world. It was great being able to sit with the weavers though and talk with them about what they were making, and being able to work that closely with someone to make the product was very impactful for me. I got to create two new bags for their permanent line which was satisfying and also what made it so successful for me.

What is your creative ambition?

I am influenced by native cultures and traditional textile skills, so my creative ambition would be continue to learn traditional textile techniques in weaving, stitching and knitting and create pieces with that at the root of it. I would like to follow their methods of traditional craftsmanship and continue to design things that are slow process art making. I like the connection to handmade pieces a person can have and lately I have became more concerned with the craftsmanship, community involvement, and sustainability of a material piece. I love organic and recycled materials constructed with care by artists who live and work in their communities. Artistic traditions have resonance in the places we live and work it’s important to nurture them.

Thanks for sharing, Priscilla!  You can learn more about Priscilla's work by emailing her.   





**My Creative Friend is a series of blog posts featuring the creative practices of creative women in my life, (usually) posted on the last weekend of each month. By sharing our processes, my hope is that we can all learn, grow, and be inspired in our own work. If you're interested in being featured, please contact me!**

My Creative Friend | Erica

My creative friend Erica is my buddy from college.  We sang in an a cappella group together, The Higher Keys, and it was only after graduating that we realized that we had another common creative interest: sewing!  Outside of teaching high school level history and Chinese, Erica sews and knits, and keeps a blog called Ars Longa Vita Brevis. I'm thrilled to have her share a bit about her creative practice here. 

Some Higher Keys at Erica's Wedding - she's the one in white!

Hi Erica!  Tell us about your creative medium and how you got started with it. 

I don’t really have a creative medium – I like to make stuff. The habit runs in my family. As a child, my grandmother taught me how to embroider, first with printed cross stitch, and then counted cross stitch. I think I was drawn to it because I’m not very good at sitting still. I like to be busy and productive all the time. So, at times and places when I was supposed to be quiet, I could (and still do) take out my embroidery. My grandmother also taught me to knit when I was small, but I didn’t really get into it until college, which is when I started to take it more seriously. After college, I got a sewing machine and decided I wanted to learn to sew, and in the past few months I’ve started learning to make baskets. My other grandmother makes Nantucket baskets and she teaches classes, so I decided I’d better learn to do that, too!

How did/do you learn and improve your creative skills?

I am lucky to have lots of people I can ask for help! My two grandmothers are a great resource for me, but I have also taken a lot of inspiration and instruction from the internet. There are loads of great sewing tutorials out there, and you can find directions for almost anything. Every new project requires a new skill, so the more I create, the more I can widen my skill base.

How do you make time for your creative practice?

I do a lot of stuff in front of the TV. In the evenings, when I get home from work, I like to sit on the couch, turn on the TV, and work on a project. I find it very relaxing. On the weekends, I try to make time to sew one afternoon, or in the time between getting home from work and dinner. Basically, I squeeze it in whenever I can! I often head over to my grandmother’s house on Sunday afternoons for some basket work as well.

What does art making mean to you?

In my day job, I’m a history teacher. I’ve always been fascinated by the way that people used to live. For me, handcrafts are a connection to an earlier time and an earlier way of life. When I make things, I am part of a lineage of women (and men) who have created things throughout time. My reasons for creating are different from theirs, but the process is the same. I guess it makes me feel connected to my own family’s past, because my family has been such an important part of teaching me to create, and to the world’s history. That sounds really corny when I actually write it down, but it’s true!

What is your creative ambition?

To use creativity to make the world better. I have found that a small gesture often means a lot, and a handmade gift, no matter how small, can make somebody feel really special. For that same reason, this year I have been making handmade items to give to charity. I like the idea that I can put a smile on the face of someone half a world away because of something I created. Even if I’ll never see the smile, it’s still worth it.

Are you an artist? Crafter?  What's the right word and why?

I think this is a really interesting question. I think I’m a crafter because 1) I generally make things with a purpose, things that are useful. I hope the things I create will be beautiful, but I rarely make things that are JUST beautiful. 2) I tend to follow directions rather than coming up with my own ideas. However, I’m trying to change that, and as I get more confident in my own ideas I am taking inspiration from different places and trying to come up with some new and different things. I hope eventually I will be able to contribute some crafty and/or artistic ideas to the world!

Thanks for sharing, Erica!  Check out Erica's blog: Ars Longa Vita Brevis.

**My Creative Friend is a series of blog posts featuring the creative practices of creative women in my life, posted on the last weekend of each month. By sharing our processes, my hope is that we can all learn, grow, and be inspired in our own work. If you're interested in being featured, please contact me!**

My Creative Friend | Deb

My Creative Friend, Deb, works in the office down the hall from mine. We check in with each other during lunch every now and then - chatting about life, books, and creativity. I love how when I see her, the first thing she'll ask me is, "So, how's quilting?" She knows what's really important to me. Deb has her own creative life on the side as a ceramics arts, and I'm so excited to learn more about her creative practice here.

Deb

Hi, Deb! Tell us about your creative medium and how you got started with it.

I started throwing pots shortly after I graduated college and moved to New York. I had a 9 to 5 job at the time and had recently gone through a break up, so I had time on my hands. I’d always found something compelling about ceramics so decided to give it a try. My first class was kind of a dud - the instructor seemed like a talented artist but not much of a teacher - but shortly thereafter I discovered a wonderful little studio near my office, Mud, Sweat, & Tears, where I started taking more classes and got the hang of it. I’ve been hooked ever since.

What does art making mean to you?
I once saw a professional potter’s bio that read, her “pots reside in kitchens, on tables, and in cupboards across the nation.” And I love that image! I’m a fairly practical person, so I think it’s no coincidence that my creative medium is to craft functional pieces that can be integrated into people’s day-to-day lives. I give away most of my pots as gifts, and I love to think of my loved-ones drinking their morning coffee out of one of my mugs or eating cereal out of one of my bowls. I also sometimes make Jewish ritual objects like Shabbat candles, Kiddush cups, or mezuzot, and I feel so honored to think of my sister’s family, for example, using my candlesticks to light Shabbos candles. It’s almost like I’m there with them.

Candlesticks/kiddish cup

How did/do you learn and improve your creative skills?
My first three years of working with clay I just took class after class after class. (I think I took Advanced Beginner three times?) My studio in NY had a very methodical way of teaching ceramics and structured syllabi, so I just worked my way through all the projects. And after a while, I felt ready to work on my own projects without the structure of a class to guide me. (And then my friends started to get married so I had lots of wedding presents to make.) Lately, though, my friends seem to have taken a break from the nuptials, and I’ve had more time to devote to developing new skills and exploring new projects. I devoted February, for example, to teapots. It was the first time I spent awhile with just one form for the sake of exploring that particular form, and it’s been a lot of fun. I looked at lots of teapots on Etsy, and I’ve been trying to experiment with shapes and spouts and lids. I’ve been learning a lot. I’m also trying to push myself to pay more attention to texture and glazing.

Carved Bowl

Where do you get support?

I find a ton of support from the other potters and the teachers at the studio. I’m always asking for advice on glaze combinations or soliciting feedback on my handles. It’s fun and inspiring to see what everyone else is making; I learn a lot from just watching other people make their pots. I’m always peeking onto everyone else’s shelves to see what they’re up to. John, the studio co-owner & teacher, is great for bouncing ideas around, too. You can come in and say, “John! I have this idea!” And he’ll talk it out with you so you can make it happen. Every now and then I fantasize about having my own wheel & studio, but then I realize I’d be lonely. What fun would it be to unload a kiln if you didn’t get to ooh & ahh at everyone’s pots together?

Tea Pot & Cups

When you work, do you love the process or the result?  Why?

This is a tough one! I love both, but I think pottery’s helped me become more process-oriented. One of my first pottery teachers, Bob, said, “You can’t have ownership of the pot you produce. You only have ownership of your skills to make it again.” You can spend weeks making an incredible pot, only to see it crack in the kiln or get pushed off a shelf or the glaze get all wacky. There are dozens of factors out of your control that can interfere with your pot. So if you don’t enjoy the process - or you’re not open to the surprises that the process may bring you - you’re likely to be disappointed.

That being said, it’s so exciting when a beautiful pot comes out of the kiln! And the excitement goes both ways - maybe a pot came out JUST as you intended, or maybe the glaze did something funky and wonderful that you didn’t anticipate. There’s a special feeling of driving home from the studio with some pretty finished pots in my passenger seat, but I’m not sure how to name it. Pride? Satisfaction? Joy? All of the above?  

Colander

How do you make time for your creative practice?
I’m not always successful at this, but I try to make it to the studio twice a week. I find it’s hard to make good progress on a project if I go in less frequently. In some ways it’s limiting that the studio is only open 3 days per week, but in other ways that’s motivating because I need to plan ahead, and I’m less likely to procrastinate or be lazy on the nights I’m scheduled to be there.

What is your creative ambition?
There are so many pots to make! I want to make lots and lots of pots. Big ones, small ones, colorful ones, simple ones. I want to get a lot more creative with glazing and texture. I want to make my own stamps and experiment with carving. I want to try different types of firing - wood firing, raku. One day it might be fun to help teach a beginning pottery class. I don’t really have ambitions of selling my work, but I do harbor a fantasy that my very favorite bakery in Brooklyn that makes the most delicious muffins in the world would maybe sell my pots in the cupboard where they usually sell antiques.

Thanks so much for sharing, Deb!  If you're in the Providence area and interested in throwing some pots, check out the fabulous Dew Claw Studios - it's full of great folks and they offer a lot of classes & workshops. You might even run into Deb there!


**My Creative Friend is a series of blog posts featuring the creative practices of creative women in my life, posted on the last weekend of each month. By sharing our processes, my hope is that we can all learn, grow, and be inspired in our own work. If you're interested in being featured, please contact me!**

My Creative Friend: Emmy

My creative friend, Emmy, is an Artist Mentor Fellow at New Urban Arts, which means that she is there to support all of us Artist Mentors as we are thinking about being art educators and developing our own creative practices. Emmy and I have had many long talks, and I always walk away having had an epiphany. She'll scoff at that - because I know she thinks I give her too much credit - but it's true. If it weren't for Emmy, I wouldn't be where I am today. She has helped me understand many things about myself by doing the "Emmy thing" - listening carefully and patiently, and repeating back to me what I said in different or maybe clearer words. I love her, she's magic.

Since she's an Artist Mentor Fellow, every time we get together we tend to talk mostly about me and my work. But I'm always curious about her creative practice, and how she creates such beautiful and varied work. I'm so excited to get a window into that today, as I feature her as February's My Creative Friend!

{ emmy with stinkeye the cat }

Hi Emmy! Tell us about your creative medium and how you got started with it.

I think it was 8th grade when I shifted from wanting to "make stuff" to wanting to "make art." A friend brought me to an Eva Hesse exhibition and was I simply blown away. Something about the materiality, the drama without explicit narrative, and how she does minimalism with feeling. "I didn't know Art could do that!" I thought, and I went back to those galleries over and over again.

I work in with different mediums depending on the project, and I enjoy process oriented work especially when it is grounded in craft traditions. Recurring touchstones for me are translucency, conceptual work, balancing both humor and brutality, and engaging with ideas around loss, language, and socialness. Right now, I am making prints, maps, documentary drawings, and both functional, and semi functional objects. I also collect and keep track of many many things like these grocery carts outside my house, I also collect words, notes off of the ground, dead bees, feathers etc. I also still just like "making stuff."

{ emmy bright, a few blank books }

How did/do you learn and improve your creative skills? Where do you get your support?

My projects teach me new skills! Every project I take on, I never feel "prepared" or completely sure about them. I am usually afraid and not-knowing and excited; that's why I have to do them. And sometimes, when I do feel "sure", I have faked myself out because then things start falling apart, I realize there is always, always much to learn. And so, in the making, whether I'm confident or unsure, I am always in the position of measuring up, reaching out over ledges, standing on the top of my ladder, learning, and developing my skills, my bravery, and my soft spots.

And in that process, I depend on help and teaching from my friends, teachers, and colleagues. This year, at least four friends have been steadfast counselors in Photoshop. Others have helped me through new approaches to screen printing, through various snafus, and in thinking through design dilemmas.

Then there are these essential places: like New Urban Arts where I work, and like Penland School of Crafts where I get to study sometimes. These places believe, fundamentally, in people's best potential as makers and as humans. As institutions, they embody and foster optimism and humanity. This kind of culture allows people, allows me, to come up that much taller.

{ emmy bright, tangle, handmade paper & thread }

How do you make time for your creative practice?
For me, it's less about "making time" and more about remembering what I value, and what I need, in order to make my sense in and of the world.

I remember a slide talk with Laura Letinsky, a Chicago photographer who I love. At the time, she had shifted to doing these large-scale portraits of empty dinner tables and kitchens a day (or week?) after the dinner party was over. Leftover fragments of figs are limp in coffee saucers, cheese rinds totter off of the edges of cutting boards, and red wine stains ring rumpled tablecloths. She made this body of work in the years following the birth of her first baby. Her life had suddenly shifted to being at home, and her art work also became about the domestic sphere. She explained "I had to change my work to fit my life, or else I would have had to stop making work." Not only was her work about domesticity, it was also a profound longing and loneliness.

Another artist I love, Kiki Smith, talks about making things as a kind of proof of her existence, making a mark as a way of being in the world. Lynda Barry told a friend of mine about making work as a way of letting certain parts of yourself or your past, or your imaginary, live. And they are only living when you are working. I believe in both of these things too.

I try to tune my practice and my life to support one another. Sometimes the balance is off, and I become too lonely or disconnected from just-me-in-my-studio. Sometimes I am too much in the world, in collaborations, being in relationships with my teaching, and in the community, and I loose track of my ideas, intuitions, and projects. Sometimes I can find ways to blend art work with community work, or personal practice with a contract job. It’s not always so dichotomous. Overtime, I've made both radical and subtle changes to how I work and live. It remains a process.

{ emmy bright, petite objects, 2008, collograph print }

What creative projects are on the horizon for you?
I am honored, psyched, and a little freaked to be designing and printing 3 different posters in March, each for groups of amazing people and organizations! I'm also helping Delia Kovak with part of her curatorial project for the Crossing Currents: Feminism Now! exhibition. And then Jori Ketten and I are leading a workshop at the John Nicholas Brown Center for the Public Humanities on March 21st about documentation work as part of research, reflection, storytelling, and arts practices.

I’ll continue to scribble notes, drawings, and diagrams as much as possible. Another friend has promised me a chunk of copper and an etching lesson. And if all goes well, I might bind some books out of scraps as well. Part of my creative practice is having many many projects going on at the same time!

Thanks so much for sharing, Emmy! I am continually in awe of all you do, and grateful for how you inspire and encourage me.

To learn more about Emmy or see more of her work, visit her website.

**My Creative Friend is a series of blog posts featuring the creative practices of creative women in my life, posted on the last weekend of each month. By sharing our processes, my hope is that we can all learn, grow, and be inspired in our own work. If you're interested in being featured, please contact me!**