EmKay Arts is on Facebook!

I just added a Facebook profile page for EmKay Arts and I find it interesting that given the selections available to choose from, EmKay Arts is listed under the "Arts/Entertainment/Nightlight" theme. Not that these three areas are unrelated, I just find it interesting that my art business can be linked to a person's nightlife.

Arts:
Yes, EmKay Arts is art related through and through. Art has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember, as it is ingrained so much in my soul that it will be with me until the day I move on to the next worldly journey. I've dabbled in many mediums, spent many hours in classrooms and studios, and have had several nights of insomnia while my brain cannot seem to shut off the blur of color combinations, potential patterns, and insightful inspirations. My experiments in various art forms have led me to textile designing and I absolutely love the never-ending possibilities that await my explorations.

I never get tired of the thrill the dyed results.

Entertainment:
Well, not that I can't find my quilting a form of entertainment for the person looking or using it but I find it thoroughly entertaining to design the quilt, dye the fabrics, cut and piece the quilt top, and then quilt stitch the project to completion. In examining the idea of "entertainment" I dye silk scarves that can make evening outfit to dinner, theater, or even to an art exhibit opening, hopefully mine someday, fun and unique.

This cotton circle scarf is a nice way to jazz up a plain sweater.

Nightlife:
And speaking of evening attire, yes, the nightlife can be adorned by silk scarves, but perhaps some might use the silk accessories in the bedroom. This won't be addressed here but feel free to let your wild adult imagination take you on a 10-minute daydream adventure.

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Pretty in pink.

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Blue is always delightful.

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Or perhaps a black silk scarf is best.

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Has it been 10 minutes yet? More than 10 minutes? Good for you. Anyway, if you're on Facebook, come on by and visit my page. "Like" it if you will, I certainly do.

A Creative Life

The path to a creative life isn’t as easy or seamless as one might think. Okay, there was a moment where I thought if I could just win the lottery, inspiration came at a snap of a finger, and everyone loved my work then all would be great but that daydream could be filed away under “Never Going to Happen”. Responsibilities such as earning a bill-paying paycheck and keeping an orderly house as well as necessities like sleeping and exercising, which are not optional as my insomnia and body aches might like to disagree, tend to interfere at the most crucial creative times.

Who will help me bag up all these leaves?

When the moment of creative inspiration hits and I’m not fortunate to be in my home studio, I am grateful to have my artist journal in my possession. Yes, this might weigh down my purse and gradually move my spine out of alignment, but I’ll deal with that every time I stretch after my exercising. This is a needed item in my possession just like my wallet and when I’m without it, it feels as if I’m missing a part of me.

No small purses for me.

When I’m working in my journal, the world around me disappears and nothing exists except what is brewing in my mind and how I’m going to interpret it first into a drawing concept and then to an actual tangible object. I love my journals not just because of all my thoughts, inspirations, and ideas captured but mainly because I made the journals.

Just a few more pages and this one will be full.

My first concentration was bookmaking and while I honed my skills with binding and book design I also began to quilt. Eventually these two adventures combined and then diverted but being a “surface designer” is something I can be proud of in both arenas. I then developed a particular need for the kind of papers I desired in my journals. I needed graph paper along with my blank pages. I thought long and hard, oh say about 1 minute, whether to include lined paper sheets for writing and decided a blank page gave me more freedom of my ramblings and I’ve never looked back.

There’s a vibe of exciting possibility on every page.

So this creative life of mine isn’t well defined, presented on a silver platter with collegiate degrees, or a cookie cutter resembling anyone else I know. It is as unique as I am and I plan to utilize this to the best of my ability.

The path of possibilities can be a fun one.

It’s been over a year since I last wrote here and although I feel bad about loosing my way for a bit, I’m excited to be here again to re-establish my creative blog. I just started an online course, “Flying Lessons: Tips + Tricks to Help Your Creative Biz Soar” by Kelly Rae Roberts and after the first week of five I’m thrilled to be back to Artistic Thoughts and Creations and let this be an rebirth of an extension of my art discovery.

My journey of art discovery has not been an easy one. I was easily distracted as I began to collect drawing pencils, charcoal and crayon bits, photography developing tools, ceramic/pottery tools, fabric stashes for quilting, hoarding paper for bookmaking, jewelry beading, fabric dyes and chemicals, and yes, even the fun scrapbooking toys, and in my little studio, a small open space den in my house, I was lost amid all the creative implements pleading for my attention. I felt like I had some sort of creative ADHD where as soon as a project was just about to be completed, I move on to an entirely new project and medium. I was lost in a sea of limitless artistic creativity.

I knew I couldn’t do this forever, believe me, I tried to somehow tie every niche together into some sculptural entity to prove I could utilize everything in my studio but it didn’t work. I needed focus. I needed a concentration. I needed help. I knew I wanted to live a creative life and through a moment of clarity, to be further detailed in another post, and Kelly Rae’s help, I’m happy to say I am on the path to a happier creative life.

Hanging on a line, waiting for a sign, smelling the scent of August pine

It’s a lovely afternoon in mid-August and my pugs are enjoying moving from sun to shade as we sit outside enjoying the breeze and the chirping crickets around us. My view of the backyard is blocked by my canvases – that is, my virgin white sheets of fabric hanging on a makeshift clothesline that have a long journey ahead of them. Will they be wall hangings? Quilts? Bookcloth? Or, abandoned good intentions on my storage shelf? I hope not the last one as I have next to me my art journal where I have some sketches and ideas ready to bring to fruition for these lovelies swinging in the summer breeze. The fabric, cotton, silk, rayon, and linen are washed (primed), and ready for some dye (paint), imagination (a haphazard plan), and some practiced skill (uninterrupted work time).

Today is an awkward day as I took today off, and all this week, to be home for the pugs as we have our bathrooms remodeled. It’s an awkward day because the workers didn’t show up as one of them had an emergency plumbing problem. I am known for my anxiety (worse than the pugs for whom I took a few vacation days for to spend some time with them), so how can I create my art, even think about projects when I’m worried when (and now “if”) the doorbell will ring to announce the beginning of the construction workday? It’s an awkward limbo status not knowing how to accommodate the workers and my studio time and I want to say today is a wasted day as I didn’t create but instead I managed to do prep work. This kind of busy work can be done anytime, usually in-between layers of paint or when I have artist’s block (just like writer’s block but with a paintbrush in my hand and my brow furrowed in agonizing creative pain).

I did mention it was a lovely afternoon outside and so with that I am grateful I am not at work answering phone calls and e-mails and being a problem solver. Wait, I’m still needed as a problem solver with my fabric projects. I think I’ll make some coffee, iced of course, and lament on my next step with or without the contractors coming tomorrow.

And no apologies for the title of this post, I didn't have my breakfast toast, I'll blame it on the rhyming ghost.

For inspiration

**Megan is out attending the Surface Design Association Conference**

The Art of Disappearing
by Naomi Shihab Nye

When they say Don’t I know you?
say no.

When they invite you to the party
remember what parties are like
before answering.

Someone telling you in a loud voice
they once wrote a poem.

Greasy sausage balls on a paper plate.
Then reply.

If they say We should get together
say why?

It’s not that you don’t love them anymore.
You’re trying to remember something
too important to forget.

Trees. The monastery bell at twilight.
Tell them you have a new project.
It will never be finished.

When someone recognizes you in a grocery store
nod briefly and become a cabbage.

When someone you haven’t seen in ten years
appears at the door,
don’t start singing him all your new songs.
You will never catch up.

Walk around feeling like a leaf.
Know you could tumble any second.
Then decide what to do with your time.

It may seem I'm a bit busy.... but then boredom scares me

I didn’t manage a post last week due to my flower and herb garden-planting extravaganza. I took vacation from work to concentrate on putting in my garden since I don’t usually manage to finish this task until July comes around. But this year is different and I wanted a fully planted garden before June (and well, I got about 98% done). The Surface Design Association Conference is next week and the following week will be in a soy wax workshop by Jane Dunnewold, which I am very excited to attend not only to learn the soy wax techniques but to also be taught again by Jane who is a great teacher and has inspired me on my artistic textiles journey. So June will revolve around studio art and I can now look out and see my flowers blooming as colorful inspiration.

The pressure is on. There are so many things needing attention to in the next few weeks that I’m afraid I will not be able to give my full devotion to everything needing my attention. This is my life as an artist working a full-time job to pay the credit card bills full of purchased art materials.

On a side note: Over the past few days I’ve been working on a few items - even one that had to wait when we had to seek shelter in the basement for a tornado which thankfully didn’t hit my area. One of the thoughts running through my head during this was, will the paint I just mixed on a palette make a mess if the tornado hits us? And then through such an event when life could have been unexpectedly gone down another path, I am grateful for the road I am on as I chose it and I maintain it as hectic as it may be sometimes.

Creating

I had a photography instructor who corrected the workshop into rethinking what we do when we click that button on the camera. It’s common language to say you’re “taking” a picture but in the artistic world, Doug Beasley introduced an idea to “create” a picture instead. Now it took me a while to understand this new photography terminology but I used it today for the first time and it not only sounded good (try it, “I created a picture today” or “Can I create your picture”) but it was good to my art soul.

A simple walk to work turned into a moment where I stopped and saw beauty and decided to create a picture. It only took a moment out of my daily auto pilot walk from my car to my office building, a moment that slipped me out of the weekday dull routine, a moment to take time out and create something. And it made my day all the better knowing I used my creativity today,


“Taking” a picture conjures up thoughts of stealing, impolite and rude behaviors, and even possession of the objects in the viewfinder. But when a photographer “creates” a picture, the artist brings something new into this world for others to enjoy. So let the “creating” begin and let it be inspiring.

Something Better to Come

It’s been a gray week where a thunderstorm came on Monday morning during my commute to work. The drive may have been difficult but I had the courage to face it even though I wanted to stay in bed for a few more hours. As hard as some challenges are, something better will come and in the instance of that thunderstorm, I didn’t need to water my flowers that day. But then my request to spend a few more hours in bed came unexpectedly yesterday while a migraine decided to ruin my day.

I might not always recognize it but something better does come along and when I’m faced with a dilemma in my studio, I need to take this possibility into consideration. For example, I have this (cotton) book cloth I’ve been working on and it’s not cooperating with me, it’s not making me happy.


But if I were to halt every project when I’m not happy, then I have a very big problem. I feel the alterations with the paints have obscured the interesting dyed visuals. I feel I’ll need to make some additions specific to the length/width of the cover when the book has been bound.

Here’s another part of the same fabric without paint.


However, halfway through that last sentence, a brainstorm hit and I have a new idea to experiment with on my next project. Something better will come and it was just a matter of writing out the problem. And this is one of the reasons why I have this online journal; sometimes I just need to get a different perspective and a resolution to my block will turn up.

Waiting for the good things to happen

I’m going to share one of my favorite quotes:

When one door closes, another opens; but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the one which has opened for us.
~Alexander Graham Bell

This quote currently resides in my wallet on a little piece of newspaper I carefully ripped out years ago and it reassures my optimism and confidence in times where I feel nothing good can come in my life. When I registered for a summer conference in February, I was disappointed that I was unable to register for a post-conference workshop with the instructor who taught me surface design. Downhearted and mad at myself that I didn’t register earlier, I changed my plans for that week I had already had vacation time and instead planned on working independently in my studio. A whole week dedicated to the studio! One door closed, one door open.

And then I get an e-mail from the conference saying an opening for the class became available and I snatched that empty spot quickly! So, one door closed but it reopened to my fortunate surprise.

The Art Muse

Didn’t I just step on my soapbox and encourage patience? Well why can’t my creativity take a moment to consider a little restraint? There are times when my mind floods with ideas, projects, and inspirations and all I can do is stare into the distance and absorb everything. I try to jot down all these ideas and for the most part I capture the main ideas but I feel my muse teases me by doing this. And of course I can’t find the time to do everything, but hey, at least my muse isn’t ignoring me. I’m glad I have my artist journal with me…. most of the time.

The weekend is here and it’s time to get some work done from all the ideas I’ve collected. Keep me going my wonderful muse.

A Plea for Patience

In a fleeting moment, life can change for the absolute best or the horrendous worst and through our everyday motions I feel we need to learn patience for life. In every aspect of what we do every day, how we move through our tasks as well as the impact of our actions on other people, we need to demonstrate tolerance, be responsible, and show respect. I don’t want this post to stray too far from my art so I will say my studio definitely knows this patience concept: it’s always there when I need time to be with my creative self. And although I might feel bad about neglecting my projects for so long, I move past my guilt and begin working. I respect my art but I definitely need to be more responsible in getting in the studio more often than I currently practice. I mentioned before a topic of deadlines and I feel if achieving the goal was meant to be, then great but facing a deadline should also be a reflection of how I am as an artist and how I can juggle multiple facets of my life – and I also need to be responsible to my life outside of art.

In our time obsessed and demanding culture, it’s not easy to have patience; some may settle for the mediocre that falls into our lap because it was the easy way or we try so hard to obtain things that we forget to enjoy or explore the necessary experiences along the way. The saying goes: good things come to those who wait… but I’d like to say the best achievements come to those who work diligently. I know this seems vague and it’s meant to be so the though process can take its time to make your own personal meaning and connection. Life should not be seen as a hassle but rather an experience to build upon each day. We demand drive-through conveniences but what we need to demand is time to be human and be a part of society.

My plea for patience stems from a tragedy outside my immediate world and it made me focus on how life is so fragile. My best words of advice, or encouragement, are:
· be the best person you can be,
· continue on your journey with awareness of everything surrounding you,
· and of course practice patience every day because it’s not just a virtue, it’s a necessity in this frenzied world.

Changes

Whenever I heard the word “changes,” the mental jukebox turns on and David Bowie begins to sing:
Strange fascination, fascinating me
Changes are taking the pace I'm going through
Ch-ch-ch-ch-Changes
(Turn and face the strain)
Ch-ch-Changes

Changes are rampant in my world and seem to trip me up when I’m unable to adapt. But what’s worse is when I know change is coming and I completely forget to prepare. Yesterday I received an e-mail from the Textile Center advertising their world’s largest textile garage sale and they only accept donations yesterday and today. Well, I knew it was in April yet I completely forgot and spent yesterday evening fast and furiously going through my fabric stash and marking them for sale. Now that I make my own fabrics, I don’t use mass manufactured textiles anymore.

Ch-ch-ch-ch-Changes

It’s good to have change and I now have access to the storage area where my fabric was collecting dust and I get a tax deduction at the same time. I began collecting mass manufactured fabric with good intention on making quilts but I couldn’t make them because I was artistically blocked for some reason and I now know why: my heart and soul didn’t like the fabric I had in my collection. My apologies to the designers but I felt the fabric had no life to them in my hands. I certainly hope the fabric finds its way to a loving home and into a wonderful art project or quilt.

I, on the other hand, will be making an art quilt this summer with my fabrics. I just hope I correctly washed out the excess dyes or it will be an interesting quilt indeed and of course I’ll say I planned the blending of dyes to happen!

Sometimes life throws you a twist and you somehow end up on your butt bruised and bewildered. It's been a hard week which has greatly affected my ability to create art. I may be on my butt but as long as I'm here, I might as well get my sketch pad and start doodling on the floor.

In other words, I'm down but not out. I refuse to let obstacles hinder my creativity.

Rainy Reds

Untitled, a photo by Megan Kamrath on Flickr.

Vintage Fabric

Everyday Creativity

I recently took an assessment online and the result wasn’t startling although how I got there from the very business orientated questions was surprising. According to the assessment, my career alignment is creativity where innovation and creativity spark my passion in the workplace. And it also identified that I am usually seen as quiet and reserved in style but can be talkative when I’m discussing a topic or concern I am passionate about.

My non-art day job is currently filled with innovative possibilities keeping the spark going each day but the creativity part is a stretch involving resourceful ways in the business sense to resolve problems. I highly value my creative skills, which is why I try to utilize them every day whether it’s doodling in my artist journal or preferably working on a project in my studio.

And this is why I post the Monday Moments as I feel it is a small representation of what I view through my eyes. Perhaps I should begin a 365-day photo project on this blog. Creativity is important for everyone even those not working in an artistic career field as I feel it can help to solve problems from an out-side-of-the-box perspective. So let’s all go to a museum this weekend to break out of the normal and look at the world from a different perspective on the walls.

Monday Moment

Deadlines

Deadlines
Sometimes it feels like the only way I will get a project completed is if I'm working against a deadline. Otherwise my projects have the tendency to start and become abandoned due to picking up other projects. My stress increases as I notice the piling up of abandoned projects cluttering my studio and I feel I’m not a working artist anymore but rather a procreating artist.

One of my friends gave me a suggestion when I told her about my frustration over incomplete projects and she told me to get into the studio every day even if it means neglecting household chores. As much as I'd like to forget I have dirty dishes crusting up in the sink or the presence of my vacuum needing to get those cobwebs down, I cannot disregard my home. Hiring a cleaning service is not an option either as it's my responsibility to respect my dusty home.

Speaking of responsibility and the idea of this post, deadlines, I need to be accountable for my artistic progress even if it means losing a few hours of sleep. I have access to competition listings/call for entries yet every time I look at them, I freeze resulting in stalling my art down to a halt. With admission of my fear of deadline now out, it is my intention to create a deadline each week and this deadlines must be a completed project of some kind, something tangible, something I can be proud of to say, "Why yes, I did make this!"

I should not be afraid of deadlines as I need to embrace them for the creative productivity will be the result. Instead of working against a deadline, I need to work with it and I know I will be a happier artist (still stressed but happy to be productive).

Monday Moment

Recognizing Passion

Over the years I’ve experienced many highs and lows in my art process and through the numerous lows, I still find the passion to get out of my frustrating artistic sinkhole and find my art nirvana. The passion is found in the journey, the discoveries, and even the eye-opening tribulations which then influence me to another path and another way out of a dead-end project.

I was at a conference the other day and the key-note speaker suggested we can’t plan our destination because we need to experience each step in life to find where we are supposed to go to find our success. One door will open another and though artists often find themselves opening a door just to see a brick wall, it’s what some call a “character builder” but I see it as an opportunity to explore elsewhere.

At first glance, I thought it was odd to capture a series of pepper photos but Edward Weston followed his passion, perhaps after visiting a farmers market and coming across a table of odd looking vegetables, and discovered the possibilities. Weston found the inner excitement and explored the lines and shapes we take for granted each day though his camera lens. Artists need to be constantly exploring the joys as well as miseries of creative discovery and I keep a journal for all of my passionate musings (and unfortunate failings).

What about the suffering artist? I’ve had many tribulations over the years that allowed me to understand my limitations for example I know I cannot draw. My crude scratchings don’t even look like they were done deliberately messy and lacking all sense of proportion and I’m fine with that as I am focused on my talents and leave the drawing abilities to others who deserve my amazement. My greatest tribulation I have yet to conquer is time management as this stress not only affects my output but also my emotional well-being in finishing a project.

So whether an artist seeks a workshop to find or maintain the artistic passion, it’s well deserved for the creative soul. Even if the artist takes a few vacation days from a non-artsy job, it is the desire of every artist, including myself, to refresh the stale enthusiasm of her art. I didn't know it was such a cliched saying but back in high school my health teacher stressed this thought and it's been stuck in my head ever since then to guide me in life:
Success is a journey, not a destination.

Here is another favorite quote I keep in my purse:
When one door closes another door opens; but we so often look so long and so regretfully upon the close door, that we do not see the ones which open for us. ~ Alexander Graham Bell.