Art Studio Porn

A lustful, rainbow of color is splashed in different areas of my special room.  It is guarded with locked doors for privacy but allows voyeurs to look in with a wall full of windows.  My warm, brown wood floors get wet and wiped down with a messy towel.

Get your mind out of the gutter!  This is the place I currently call my artist home – my Art Room.  This is the place where I go to get away from the world to be quiet, to listen and to create. It is my special place….......

..........but sometimes Thing 1 and Thing 2 find their way in to interrupt my flow.

 

Sometimes I like the company.  Creating things can get lonely! The Art Room, which it is lovingly called, is a space I had to fight for.  I wrestled it from the hands of every family member and I have to defend it daily.  I often let visitors in to keep me company and to encourage creativity instead of TV/Computer time.  Having my family around adds a burst of energy.  I accept that not much work will be done in these times.

But for the times I do really focus, I try to start with the meditation table in the corner that is shielded by a colorful fabric screen I glued and sewed together from old fabric.  The Art Room is office, yoga space, art studio, welcome area, mini gallery, teaching space and sewing room all in one.  The screen helps me to hide the invading spaces when they are not being used.  It blocks them off to quiet the chaos.

I am currently working on adding to both of my portfolios – which I keep separate because of the subject matter. I am also working on another set of book illustrations for an author and I think it will be very fun.  I enjoy getting to the final product, but I often don’t like what I’ve done until I separate myself from it for a little while.  It helps me to dabble in multiple projects at times because it distracts my judging ego, helps me shift focus and give me inspiration.  

I love my studio, but I would love to have a space that is wide open with large windows.    I would love to have a place to do really large works and real walls instead of a screen.  I would love to have a futon to welcome guests and allow me a place to camp out or just daydream.  But it’s coming.  All in time.  It simply begins with a thought.

But for now I am so grateful to have a space to call my own (even if Thing 1 and Thing 2 slide in to keep me company...I'm glad to see them coming). 

Until next time, I hope that this blog finds you creatively turned on, happy and whole.

Blessings,

TeMika

Life Lists - Preparing to Kick the Bucket

It finally clicked recently that I ain't getting any younger.  Even worse, I'm realizing that I won't live forever, so I have officially started my bucket list.  I have been coming across information recently on how to create an effective bucket list.  For highly creative, idealistic people like me, it is important to have lists to keep me on track.  But what is even more important is attaching a TIME FRAME to get it done,  otherwise, it never will come into existence.

The C4 Atlanta Blogathon (#C4Atlanta) has prompted me to come up with 5 GOALS to achieve within the next 30 years (Just 5?  Really???).  I won't bore you with my list, but just as an example, I would like to own a motorcycle, an RV and/or a boat.  I guess I am feeling fernweh today (that's your vocabulary word for the day).  The thought of these modes of transportation make me feel free when I see myself using them.  Wide Open Space.  Wind blowing through my hair.  Warm weather.  Free.  That's how I want to feel.

The next task was to come up with 5 goals to accomplish in the next 5 years.  So I had a few repeated items, but that was ok because I really started to see what was important to me.  Setting a timeframe for accomplishment allowed me to see that, yeah I really do want to travel to Australia, but do I really have to do it soon?  Is it really important for me to live by the beach right now?  And if it is, then I better get to work!  I don't have a magic genie in my back pocket and if I want it then I need to make it happen.  You get where I'm going with this?

 Lastly, the prompt asked me to set 5 goals to accomplish in the next 12 months.  Gosh!  Put the pressure on, why don't cha!?!  Twelve months! That means by March 4, 2015 I will have to have become a Motocycle-Riding, Veggie-Loving-Yogi-Art Entrepreneur who is preparing to travel to CUBA!  See what I mean about creative and idealistic? But what the hell, stranger things have happened and the joy is in the journey.

I found this prompt very valuable because as I evaluate what is most important for me as an individual I realize I have to, in this life, do three things:

1.       Define what I value and want in life and go after it

2.       Realize my word must be law...If I want it, I have to get it.  If I say I am going to do it, then I need to start today...no excuses

3.        Keep living, enjoy the process and live like today is my last

So I ask YOU fellow creatives, Have you started your Bucket List?  What is really important for you to do in this lifetime and is there something you can do today to make it happen?

Until next time, I wish you peace, love and creativity!

TeMika

www.temikatheartist.com

I am in the process of connecting all of my online sources.  If you are looking for me I want you to find me easily.  Please check out the newly published site at www.temikatheartist.com

Sincerely,

TeMika

The Panamanian Carnival season is coming soon! Share a cross-cultural children's story with your children or in your local school.

"Dancing with El Diablo" is written in Spanish and English

Digitally Available on your Mobile Device!!!! Only $3.99!!! Check it out and Pass it on!

Dancing with El Diablo by TeMika Grooms Jarrett | Make Your Own Book

Ask the editor: Do publishers have rules about POV?

http://www.alanrinzler.com/blog/2009/05/26/ask-the-editor-do-publishers-have-rules-about-pov/

Great article on Point of View

Caldecott Winners Commentary - 100 picture books by summer's end

A question was posed to an audience I was a part of recently to find out if we were aware of some of the industry award recipients and the origin of the awards title. Unfortunately, I didn't know enough to answer the questions asked. So I decided to do some research.

My library made it easy for me. So I'm challenging myself, by the end of the summer, to have read 100 picture books. Most of these will be Caldecott, Newberry and Coretta Scott King Award winners. That will give me a good start on developing my sense of quality.

Well, I've already did 3 for today:

"Flotsam" by auth./ill., David Wiesner (Caldecott 2007) - I will comment on this in a sec....

The Man Who Walked Between the Towers" by auth./ill., Mordicai (Caldecott 2004)

"Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus" by auth./ill. Mo Willems (Caldecott Honor 2003) -(I've previously read this one)

I just want to comment real quickly on "Flotsam". I can so see why this book won an award. When I first opened it, I didn't realize it until about the 2nd or 3rd page that I was just reading pictures (Like I did when I was two!). So I thought, "Ok, the words are coming soon....". But they never came. And thank goodness! The pictures were SOOOOOO strong, that words were unnecessary. At that moment, I understood what one of the speakers at the conference meant when she said that the pictures must hold the readers attention enough where words are not needed. The words are important, but IN A PICTURE BOOK, the pictures should be able to tell the story. This book sucessfully did that.

It was a joy to read it with my eyes. :)

Oh Portobelo....I miss it

OK, so for some reason I am going through Portobelo withdrawls again. I could understand why I was last year after I returned but I guess with it almost being a year later it's on my mind heavily again. I just went online and looked at some sites that had pictures of the children there and saw some familiar faces.....I think I miss them the most....(though I also think about Dona Sesi's recipes and the advise she gave me at least once a week when I cook for mi familia.)

The book is complete, though we ran into some snags with production. No biggie....we'll be back on track soon. So I'll let you know how it progresses. I'm looking forward to getting the children their copy so they can actually see what they helped produce.

Patience patience patience.