May you always choose to get in the game

Those are the words I used in the dedication for my first picture book, THE ELEPHANTS’ GUIDE TO HIDE-AND-SEEK. I’ve been thinking of those words because sometimes I write things I really need to hear myself. How about I even say it now…may I “always choose to get in the game.”

A photo of the dedication I wrote to my sons for my first picture book, THE ELEPHANTS’ GUIDE TO HIDE-AND-SEEK

A few weeks ago a hummingbird visited me in the forest on my walk. That’s also the day I got up the gumption to finally prep and send queries again after a bit of a hiatus from sharing my writing with anyone outside of my critique partners. Why wasn’t I sharing my work? Well, for one, my previous agent left the business last year. But I wish I understood better why I wasn’t just jumping back in. I guess, to put it plainly, sharing my work is something I struggle with. It’s something I’m working at! And it’s one of the reasons I wrote the dedication in my first book the way I did. Writers all have their own hang-ups and this is one I’m working to let go of.

But anyway, back to the hummingbird. I’m not sure how to describe how that hummingbird helped me—I mean, why is it that nature sometimes just nudges people to be their best?

But that’s what felt like happened. That little bird nudged me to a spot of calm where I could share my work kinda like I was doing nothing more than giving away dahlias from my garden in the summer. So I sent it off. And soon after, I found myself having a great conversation with my now agent, Mary Cummings of Great River Literary.

So This week I made this hummingbird collage (with cake!) to celebrate! I’m thrilled to now be collaborating with Mary. And also to have gotten over some of my own blocks so that I can be back in the game of sharing my children’s book work.

Cheers! To getting over blocks. And to exciting new creative chapters of all kinds.

Like Miss Rumphius

Last spring when I was giving away extra dahlia tubers a friend told me I reminded her of Miss Rumphius.

Best compliment ever! And coincidentally, or maybe not, that book is one of my favorite books of all time. “You must do something to make the world more beautiful,” reads a line in the book. And Miss Rumphius does.

I set aside my Very Important Work this past week to play. To work through some anxious feelings of uncertainty. I made this art piece. And it helped. But still, this is just how life is with the pandemic: lots of uncomfortable uncertainty.

My dahlia garden

Yet, I realized, here’ a certain thing: I am someone who does what I can to make the world more beautiful. I always have been. I’m certain I always will be. Maybe you are too? If so, Hi! During this very uncertain time, I’m leaning on this small certain beautiful practice of mine. And it’s helping. Maybe you can too.

Home sweet home

Also, flowers make everything better.

Dahlias in my garden

Made a dahlia collage a few days ago.

The Dahlias in my garden make me so happy!

Enjoy!

Beach or bust!

Been working at some new art samples in between summer adventures. Here’s my latest. Enjoy!

Mischief Managed

Long time no blog! Realized I’ve been posting bloggish things lately on Instagram while forgetting that I could add similar things on my happy little blog here. I’d like to be better about giving both attention so I thought I’d add some highlights from my last few months to catch up a bit. That and I have about a million works-in-progress I’m excited about. I can’t keep up with my own ideas which is a good problem I guess. Here are some sneak peeks from one of my favorite pieces I’ve been working on.

What I said about this project on Instagram is still true: sometimes overly well-behaved little kids grow up to write books full of all the mischief they never allowed themselves to partake in when they were busy being young painful perfectionists.

Hope you’ve been up to happy mischief too!

Happy New Year!

Squeezing in a quick New Year's collage in the midst of family visits, kid chaos, and all the fun this time of year can bring. My past year brimmed with adventures, delights, and people for whom I am grateful. Most notably after many years of working at it, this year I can finally say I'M GOING TO BE AN AUTHOR! How awesome is that? VERY! It's a dream come true. So grateful for all who helped me along the way.

As for the coming year I know this for sure: in addition to more adventures, delights, and good times with good people, my new year will be full of ART. How do I know this? Because it's what's calling my name and because it's what I choose. To make more art, share more art, and carve more time for creative play. MORE ART! More collage!

For 2019, may your compass also point you in the way your heart calls. May your year be full of people and projects that make you come alive. May the wind fill your sails. Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas

I hope your holiday season was filled with many sweet memories! Merry Christmas!

Candycane snail!

Making Collage

A little mashup of one-second videos taken while making a collage in my studio today:

Making collages is so fun!

A wonderfully messy thing to do

My friend stopped by to pick something up and caught a picture of me in my studio in messy collage focus mode this morning. Working on some art revisions for a WIP. I love stepping back and noticing the clutter and chaos around both me and my tunnel vision. Maybe lots of creative play looks like clutter and chaos. That’s my happy thought for the morning.

More art with kids: Class Collaboration Collages

It’s been a happy discovery of the last few years to learn that I have a quiet super power in helping kids love and make art. What a happy super power! For this today I am grateful.

These two collages are class collaborative projects I made with kids. The first collage is made from radial designs created by the 1st-3rd graders who I regularly taught art to this past fall (I went back last month to make this piece with them for their school’s auction). The second collage is made from geometric designs created by 4th-6th graders at the same school (I team taught with their regular art teacher for this project).

I love how each kid’s personality comes out a bit in their individual contribution and how all the pieces come together into a colorful and lively finished whole. I love how pulling the pieces together felt a little like pulling the kids together into creative play. But most of all I just love making art with kids.

We Can Do It Wrench

Some process photos from a collage I recently made for a local non-profit group:

It's called the WE CAN DO IT WRENCH!

I'll have prints and cards of this one up in my Etsy shop soon.

Making art with kids

I've said it before on my blog: sometimes when you are busy with the very things that are interesting to blog about, you are too busy to bother blogging. So I've had a full last few months! I have a few posts I'd like to put up soon but how about I start with sharing this collage I made with kids because it's close to my heart.

The last couple years I've been teaching art to the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd graders at a local Montessori school here in Bellingham, once a week for a few months a year. A few days ago I finished glueing together this paper quilt made from collage squares all the kids made. I've been a bit of an accidental art teacher but honestly it's become one of my favorite and most rewarding things that I do. I'm so grateful that I get to make art regularly with kids (at least during the months I'm teaching). This piece is for the school's fund-raising auction. I'm pretty psyched at how it turned out. But mostly I like that each square makes me think of each kid who made it and that makes me smile.