Monday, April 30, 2012

Artist Interview: Brittany Sherrard



Name: Brittany Sherrard
Name of Business: Brittany’s Buttons
Creative Influence: fashion magazines, pop culture, all things vintage
Preferred Medium of Creativity: Crochet mostly but I also sew a lot
Brief Bio;
I grew up in the great state of Iowa.  As a kid I was always wanting my make my own things but didn’t have any one in my life that could help me tap into my creativeness until I was in high school.  I had a great teacher that taught me how to sew and a friends mom taught me how to crochet.  I loved both right away  and spent all my spare time either making afghans or quilts. As my skills got better I started making my own clothes and making hats for my friends in college.  After graduation I found myself unemployed and decided to list some of my hats I had been working on in my Etsy shop and ended up selling 600 hats in about 5 months.  This success came upon me so quickly that I almost had a hard time dealing with it.  I was working 18 hours a day 7 days a week to keep up with demand and still couldn’t get all the hats out on time.  I upset a few of my customers along the way and learned a lot about myself, where my priorities were and how I work under stress.  Since this my sales have dropped quite a bit and I have gotten a full time job.  I miss my shop being my fulltime job but I know that God will always allow crafts to be part of my life.  

Links:


One of my first early creative memories is trying to make clothes for my barbie dolls.  My mom sewed just enough to have a few pieces of fabric scraps that I took and would hand sew little dresses.  The dolls ended up looking like cavemen but I was really proud of myself.

I found my creative voice when I was in high school through a teacher I had that really encouraged me to work hard to improve my skills and grow as a seamstress.  I feel like I have recently found it again through all the encouragement of people at my church. 


 In my first couple of years in college my creativeness took somewhat of a hiatus. Since I have started crocheting and sewing again I have been almost exclusively making things for babies and children whereas when I was younger I only wanted to make things for myself.  I have gotten a lot less selfish with my talents over the years.
The reality of unemployment brought me back to being creative.  I had to find a way to make money and pay my bills.  Thankfully God saw it fit at the time to use my talent in crochet to make my dream of selling my stuff come true.  
God has definitely guided me through a lot of ups and downs in my ‘business’.  All good things come from Him and this definitely has been a good thing and a blessing in my life.  


 I would like to think that Creativity and my faith have always been fused but I know that probably isn’t true.  I am a total sinner and have been a bad business woman at times and put myself ahead of my customers.  I think when I realized that it isn’t about me and what I want is when they fused. 

What are you working on currently?
Right now I am working on a line of dresses for little girls.  I hope to have some photos up on my facebook page soon.

Music brings me into a place of worship.  I love to listen to worship music when I am working.  I also listen to a lot of sermons while I am crocheting.

 CLICK HERE to purchase the e-book of this Interview series for $4.99

Self Portrait




These days I have been outdoors as much as possible soaking in the spring time and shaking off the winter doldrums.  I am finding that I am just not one who enjoys the cold winter months.  I had all of these childhood romantic feelings about it when we first moved in Germany in 2010 and was quickly awakened to the reality of how depressing it can be... at least for me.  Enter 2012 and living in Colorado and this feeling has definitely been cemented for me.

Find more of my work CLICK HERE

Thursday, April 26, 2012

Catherine Just: Soul*Full Photographer


Listen to internet radio with Radio Enso on Blog Talk Radio

I had the privilege of connecting with Catherine through e-courses offered by Kelly Rae Roberts.  I truly believe you will fall in love with her and the work she does.

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Amazing to Others



Thanks to Willo Toons for sharing this video in an ecourse I am taking.

The One Thing That is Essential to Your Peace


You are looking at a list of all the details that go into running your business. 

 Your eyes SUDDENLY fall on this ONE THING that must be changed IMMEDIATELY - 

What IS that one thing?

Find more of my work CLICK HERE

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Moment by Moment


Life is a great mystery to be lived moment by moment,
not a problem to be solved once and for all.
-
Jackson Kiddard

Monday, April 23, 2012

She is Finding Her Voice One Experience at a Time





These are my latest offerings from a series I started a little over a month ago titled "She Speaks."  You can see the original girl over HERE

This is a series that is incredibly personal to me.  I have all of my life struggled with being heard.  In my family of origin and in my marriage.  Many times I have thought it easier to just let my voice be muted, go along to get along.  But over the past three years I have done an incredible amount of soul work through art and, simply put, that notion is no longer an option.

Find more of my work CLICK HERE

Passion



Isabel Allende! Love her work? Love her talk on passion.

Friday, April 20, 2012

I am Thinking Life Needs to Have a Little Magic



Find more of my work CLICK HERE

Courage


“All you need is confidence in yourself. There is no living thing that is not afraid when it faces danger. The true courage is in facing danger when you are afraid, and that kind of courage you have in plenty.”
-
L. Frank Baum

Thursday, April 19, 2012

Listen



Came across Dylan Barmmer via Suzi Blu's YouTube channel. I don't know what to make of him yet...

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

What Idea are You Holding Back?


What idea are you afraid to share with the world because you do not think it is good enough?  Is there someone in your tribe that you can/should share it with who will give you honest LOVING feedback?

Find more of my work CLICK HERE

Art Saves



I added this book to my wish list this week. Cover to cover offerings from many artists that I admire. While you know by now if you have been following me and my work that I am a "Jesus" girl, I do absolutely believe that art indeed was a tool to save me from a pit of financial and emotional despair over the last few years.

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Creativity and Play



Tim Brown challenges us to make play a MANDATORY part of our creative spark.

Monday, April 16, 2012

Scenes From a Coffee Shoppe







Every Saturday morning since the beginning of the year I have had this ritual where I take my girl to a drama class where she is learning scenes from the movie Mary Poppins and then I scoot down the road to sit in a coffee shop.  This has been such a soulful Saturday morning ritual.  I am sad to say this routine will end this week with the final class and official production taking the stage.  

I have taken my copy of Inner Excavation every week along with my lessons from the Hello Soul Hello Business e-course I am currently a part of.  But those first few minutes with my coffee cup and the comfy chair have been just what I need.  If any of you have followed my blogging excursions through the years you know that I have experienced large amounts of solitude in my life.  I am yet again in one of those settings and I am becoming weary.  The e-courses and the artist books have helped me stay connected to the realities that life occurs in seasons and soon I will be on the other side of this.  So in one sense I am sad about this little oasis ending but in another sense it marks the calendar as just a few more weeks until we can move close to friends and connection.

Find more of my work CLICK HERE

Decision Making


Remember, a real decision is measured by the fact that you’ve taken new action.
If there’s no action, you haven’t truly decided.
-
Tony Robbins

Friday, April 13, 2012

When's the Last Time You Felt the Giddiness of Childhood


Find more of my work CLICK HERE

How to Become Beautiful


The most beautiful people we have known are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss, and have found their way out of the depths. These persons have an appreciation, a sensitivity, and an understanding of life that fills them with compassion, gentleness, and a deep loving concern.
Beautiful people do not just happen.
-
Elizabeth Kubler Ross

Thursday, April 12, 2012

Creative Chemistry



Another incredibly interesting e-course I came across recently that offers lifetime access to the tutorials.

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Remember the Cassette Tape?



WKE Entertainment has an interesting YouTube channel where they feature a series called "Don't Move Here." This video is part of the series and spotlights the cassette tape following that is still around - pretty cool, Right?

What is Paradise to you?

Get real quiet. soft. 
Gentle with your soul.

Now
Think about this word:

Paradise
Paradise
Paradise

Say it in your mind.
Say it aloud softly.
Breathe out slowly.

Now take a few minutes and write what Paradise in your life looks like.  
How can you bring more Paradise into your life?

Find more of my work CLICK HERE

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

What's Killing Creativity?


Humorous and engaging video that challenges us to look at how educational structures can undermine creativity.

Monday, April 9, 2012

When You Are Trying to Figure out What is Going on Inside: Just Write



I stand...
taller
stronger
wrapped in prayer
dressed in substance

I stand...
heart filled
at peace
in tune with my life
aligned
present

I stand...
waiting
striving
gentle
Like leaves on trees
floating to the ground
bowed in adoration
for who I am seeing

I stand...
as me. 

Find more of my work CLICK HERE

The Value of Dancing


While I dance I cannot judge, I cannot hate, I cannot separate myself from life.
I can only be joyful & whole. That is why I dance.
-
Hans Bos

Wednesday, April 4, 2012

The Artist Way

Jamie Ridler offers such beautiful and powerful tools to creatives all over the world.  She also creates a podcast that highlights some of the A-listers in the creative world.  So how AWESOME IS THIS that she recently interviewed Julia Cameron of The Artist Way...

CLICK HERE to listen to the podcast

Monday, April 2, 2012

Clear your Head Take a Walk Breathe in More Life





This is one of the exercises offered in Liz Lamoreaus's book Inner Excavation  where you simply take a walk and record what you see.  In light of our soon departure from Colorado in the next few months I definitely wanted to make a point of doing this. I feel heartsick sometimes about how much I DID NOT document during my 7 months in Germany.  Particularly this one little road that my daughter and I walked almost daily.  We would stop and bleat at the sheep.  We would walk to the pond and feed the ducks.  There was this little ice cream shack that we would sit and have a treat from  - none of these things have a photograph for me to look back on.

So when I tell people how remote the space was we lived in, I do not think I can ever really truly show them.  So THIS TIME I have proof.  Yes we live in a town with a marshal's office.


Find more of my work CLICK HERE

Artist Interview: Rustic Carvings


Name: Christine
Name of Business: Rustic Carvings
Creative Influences: My mom, husband, and the world in general
Preferred Medium of Creativity: Wood and Paint



Brief Bio:
My name is Christine. I’m the one behind the computer, and in the garage, errr...workshop, making the items you can see displayed via Rustic Carvings. I'm happily married to a wonderfully brilliant man, and we have 5 dogs. When we aren't working, we're probably vacuuming. Or, we’re caring for the first addition of our two-legged brood, who was born this last December.  I never knew I could love a little boy so much!  He’s already been on wood “shopping trips” with Mom and Dad, learning the trade.  I’m a CPA.  (I know, weird, right?)  You wouldn’t expect a CPA to be making and selling artwork, huh?  Well, I needed a change of pace, and that’s when I found myself carving, cutting, sanding, designing… 

Links:
Etsy
Website/Blog
Twitter   
Facebook   

What is one of your earliest creative memories?
The earliest of my creative memories probably dates back to childhood.  My mom was always super-creative.  We used to get those ceramic ornaments at the art store, and paint them at home each Christmas.  Or, do you remember Shrinky Dinks?  We’d color those.  We made art all the time – my artwork ever gracing the refrigerator.  Then, an endless line of art projects and crafts came during Girl Scouts, where my Mom was a co-leader of the troop.

   
How did you find your creative voice?
Honestly?  I don’t think I have yet.  I tend to make things that I feel in my heart should be made, or I think is cool, and go from there.  Some of them take off, some of them don’t really leave our home.  It’s ever evolving as I learn more and find interest in new things.  My creative voice even changes based on life experience or the time I have on my hands.  So, I guess I have found it, it’s just evolutionary.
    Did your creative habits make a smooth transition into your adult life?  What did the evolution look like?
    My creative habits took a huge downturn for about 10-15 years.  I was a manager at a local mid-sized public accounting firm, preparing and reviewing tax returns.  So, yeah, that tax season?  It’s as busy as you’ve heard.  Which, was pretty much how my whole year ended up being….busy...  Trouble was, I ended up feeling so tired by the end of the day, when I finally got home, so my creativity took a back burner to yoga and general rest and relaxation.  
      If you had a creative hiatus, what event/circumstance brought you back to your creative lifestyle?
      When I decided to leave my corporate job, I had no other plan for life, no other job lined up for the future.  It was a huge, and terrifying step for me.  Out of boredom, I started drawing again one day, and found myself playing the piano again the next.  It was so much like finding myself.  Two months later, I started Rustic Carvings.  I guess the creativity was tired of being on the back burner.   
       

        How has GOD been a part of your creative process/lifestyle?
        God has always been the center of my life.  I grew up in one of those families that was “always” at church….working this event, selling these tickets, making something for the craft or bake fair…running the craft or bake fair…  It’s just how it was.  Church was more our primary home than it was our second home, even.  It revolved around doing things for other people, helping out, and generally being charitable with our time.  When I was working my corporate gig, I failed to do any of that anymore.  So, when the creative bug did hit me again, the first thing I created was my “Louise” Reclaimed Wood Cross, with the idea of making something great out of wood, that wouldn’t have otherwise been used, and giving it back to God.  

          Is there a particular moment where your creativity became infused into a spiritual practice?
          I believe God gives us certain talents and we’re to use them to the best of our abilities.  So, I think anytime I do anything creative – whether it’s with wood, paint, or even when I’m in my garden, it’s a very spiritual time for me.  I lose myself in the paint, in the sawdust, and in the dirt.  When I’m done, I feel I’ve accomplished so much more than creating something…I’ve fed my soul too.

           CLICK HERE to purchase the e-book of this Interview series for $4.99