A whole bunch of random and a side of clutter

Catching Up...

Ahhhh. I have so much life to share

 art and small children and hopes and decluttering my life and being creative.

We are finally all healthy.

And my baby is finally sleeping. {crying.}

And I'm so deliriously tired that I'm

 {finally} perfectly okay with it.

I am sleeping and I feel like a new woman.

Like I can climb mountains and leap tall buildings.

Or at least walk upright without passing out.

My heart is full of thanks.

I feel like we're turning a corner

and I don't wanna get too excited,

but it's exciting.

In my art world I did something huge.

Okay, 2 huge somethings.

I taught art to grown-ups.

And the gremlins came out with a vengeance.

I was so nervous. I felt beyond inadequate.

And it was better than wonderful.

and I met these really, really great women.

like, people I would want to be friends with.

I was completely blessed by it.

And it was just another reminder

that when I walk through my fears

and climb my mountains

there are big rewards.

always.

and of course I forgot my camera.

{doh.}

so my other big art dream mountain climbing news is this:

Artehouse prints gorgeous vintage posters and signs
on wood and sells them to retailers.
They contacted me about licensing my mixed media collage.
I'm serious. I'm not kidding. or lying.
I'm trying not to freak out or get too excited.
I'm holding my breathe and hoping that everything will work out.
 I signed a contract and sent them my images.
They are not up on the website yet,
but I will definitely let you know when they are.
{This is where I remind myself to breathe.}

 

On the homefront,
 being at home with 2 littles...
is getting better.
so much better.
I'm trying to schedule out our day & stick to it.
And work on fun projects.
This deserves a whole post.

Thanks for hanging in there with my constant "this is really hard" whining
I just kind of feel like I'd be lying if I said everything is all roses when life is simply hard.
And of course, there are blessings in the hard.
but all this to say, we're finding our way.
With a lot of prayer & help.

Things I love right now:

The first Pinterest project that I've actually really made from here.
http://sewingin-nomansland.blogspot.com/2010/10/rocket-man-little-boys-space-party.html
It took about 15 minutes & has given about 15 hours of play time.
So fun.

I'm trying to live by this mantra.
Which explains the back of my car.
Now the challenge is delivering them to GoodWill
without bringing any more c$%p home.
Not easy.

Completely inspired by this post:
40 bags in 40 days
I'm gonna try it.
I think I can. I think I can.

This article from Jeff Goins about
Why My Clutter is Killing My Creativity

This post on marriage.

The post I've wanted to write for 2 years,

but haven't been able to.
She says it so well.
I have so many paintings in my heart and head
 I want to make about marriage.
No time right now, so I have to jot them
down in my sketch book.
I've been art journaling.

It's worth at least a million dollars in therapy.
seriously therapuetic.
And that's an entire post too.
I love Julie  and Tammy and Rachel
This is a great post for getting started.

This sweet banner.

Easy love notes.

This Scarybravewonderful Life

Courage is a funny thing.

One day it's there.

The next, it disappears.

One thing I know is that I have to keep using it.  

every day. to live this scarybrave life.

like exercise, I'm never done.

I'll never get to the "there" place

when I can say

oh look. I used up all my courage.

and now I'm this new person.

No, it lives in big and small choices I make every single day.

And all of those baby steps glued together =

this scarybravewonderful life.

are you following me here?

Teaching art to grown ups was one of those

humongous scary mountains for me.

And one day last summer while Auntie Babe was here

I had this huge spurt of courage.

An "I can conquer the world and leap

tall buildings in a single bound" attitude.

So I filled out about 7 teaching applications for local venues

and sent them off.

Done.

Fast forward to fall.

I find out that my proposal for my mixed media angel class was accepted at

our community college's enrichment program.

Yay me!

oh sh*&.

what have I done?

Ummm, I was just kidding!

It was a joke.

Okay.

I can do this.

I think I can.

I think I can.

I think I can.

It's in February, which is forever away.

So no problem, right?

I'll be some kind of expert by then.

Fast forward to Saturday.

I was so nervous.

And I showed up with all of my stuff.

And it was fun.

so fun.

really fun.

I met 5 great women.

We sat around and chatted and made angels and

they were wonderful and full of grace for me.

I'm so thankful for each one of them.

Of course I took not one picture.

But I get to go back next Saturday.

And finish.

And I climbed my big, huge mountain.

And I made it.

baby steps.

every day.

What baby steps are you taking today?

God-sized plans for me and you

It’s so true.

Noah, Mary, Paul.

They were real people.

With real dreams.

And I’m sure their dreams didn’t include:

Building an ark.

Giving birth to God.

Leading Gentiles to faith in Jesus.

But God had bigger plans for them.

God had God-sized plans for them.

My dreams and prayers are usually along the lines of:

Give me sleep. Please.

Help us pay our bills.

Make art.

Keep us safe.

Keep us healthy.

Teach me how to be married.

Teach me how to be a good momma.

And when I’m really dreaming big:

Please give us a long vacation.

And a 3 car garage.

Oh, and help me read my Bible.

I don’t know,

but I think God might have bigger plans.

God-sized plans for me.

And for you, too.

Now to Him who is able to do

exceedingly abundantly

above all that we ask or think,

according to the power that works in us,

Ephesians 3:20

Becoming a Business Owner. Part 2: The Stories We Tell Ourselves

 

Don't let the title mislead you.

This isn't a how-to.

It's just my thought and feelings
 and fears and process.

I want to share with you this journey.

I also want to help you, anyone, who is doing the same thing.

And continue on this journey with you.

It's really weird.

I so hesitate to write about the business side of things

because the gremlins come out in full force.

I feel realy embarassed.

"Who do you think you are?!?"

You're no business owner.

You just like to paint.

But I am writing and publishing and putting this outthere
because I am convinced that we believe the stories

we tell ourselves over and over every single day.

Whether we are concious of them or not.

So I have to become aware of my thoughts

and grab and put them in the Lord's hands.

These are the verses that I keep coming back to:

If any of you lacks wisdom, ask.

and

not by might not by power, but by the spirit of God.

and

apart from me you can do nothing.

and

we take every thought captive

Dear Lord,

I have no idea what I'm doing.

Please help me and lead me a guide and

take me where you want me to go.

Please provide for us.

Amen.

How about you...

Do you struggle to see yourself as something new?

anything new?

an artist?

a runner?

a photographer?

a business owner?

What is it for you?

The best way out is always through: Lessons from a Bear Hunt

We love this book.

Over and over and over again.

There's profound wisdom that lies hidden in it's pages.

Listen carefully:

Can't go over it.

Can't go under it.

We have to go through it.

The best way out is always through.
Robert Frost

I am an expert procrastinator.

Expert avoider of all things not-so-fun.

Show me something I don't want to do

and I'll show you 1,037 other things that must be done instead.

This was my mantra in college.

Mostly for writing papers.

I finally came to the conclusion (my senior year)

that the only way to finish a

paper/project/whatever

was to start.

Brilliant.

I know.

Can't go over it.
Can't go under it.
We have to go through it.

And I haven't been challenged

in the way that this artistic journey

challenges me since college.

Little mountains to climb, everywhere I turn:
taking decent photos of artwork
learning photoshop
learning blogger
learning etsy
packaging
publishing
marketing
shipping
printing
taxes
sales
mountains everywhere.

 And I have to climb each and every one in order
to do what I really want to do :
Stay home (part time) with my babies & paint.

And they are a gift
(these ugly mountains)

because every single time I come through

even the smallest of challenges

I'm so stinkin' proud of myself.

I did that. I can do the next thing.

yay me.
The best way out is always through.

Robert Frost
So what is your mountain today?

What do you need to get through to get where you want to go?

Becoming a business owner? Part 1

Such a fun weekend with my baby

doing nothing at all.

And everything important.

Taking it easy.

Spending time together.

Reading lots of books.

Mowing the lawn.

Having lots of picnics.

Riding on lawn mowers

in Home Depot.

Does it get any better?

I can almost taste summer.

Working part time again.

Sipping coffee.

Staying in jammies.

Going out to breakfast with Papa.

Taking naps.

Playing with friends.

Being home.

I ache to be home.
With my babies.
I know it's where I need to be.
For a very long time.
Like, for the next 25 years, minimum.

And painting.
 I know I need to be painting.
so I've come to the realization
that I need ot start taking this fun
thing that I love so much,
this art thing,
seriously.

Start taking myself a little
more seriously.
as an artist.
as a business owner.

weird to say. scary to think.
even more scary to act on and announce.
 but I know where I need to be.
It's here. At home,
making a home
for my little guys.

So it's not about me and my art any more.
It's not about my fears and my doubts
It's about my boys and my husband and my family.
It's about living the life I want to live.
Not really sure how it's all gonna work.
But I know I have to try.

One World One Heart 2011

One World, One Heart 2011

Hi, I'm Erin. Welcome to my blog.

I'm a mixed media collage artist by night.

My blog is an extention of my artistic journey
with a little bit of real life thrown in.

I love to create. I love texture, color, detail,

 learning new techniques, connecting with other artists,

discovering my artistic style, the roller coaster of this artistic journey.

I love how my art parallels my life, my heart,

my story andreveals stuff that I don't know about myself.

As I take risks with my art,
 I find myself able to take risks in other areas in my life.

As I learn and grow through my creations,
 I find myself wanting to learn and grow in other areas.

As I find freedom in taking my art a new direction,
I find my freedom in life, in my relationships.

 And when I'm unable to create I get grouchy,
 feel stifled and totally out of balance.

Other things you might want to know about me:

I live in San Marcos, California (just north of San Diego)
I am married to a very good guy & we have a two and a half year old.
I'm 5 months pregnant.
I teach kindergarten. Best job in the world, besides being a mama.
I love God. Lots. I honestly don't know how I'd do this life without him.
I lived & taught in Hong Kong for 2 years. I loved every minute of it.

I love to travel. Any time, anywhere.
I teach Sunday School to 2 year olds.
It's kinda hilarious, and really fun.
I love Young Life.
I was a Young Life kid & a leader for 14 years.
I'm stuckon this color palette right now. Love it.

I have no training in art. I'm totally self-taught.
All through my 20s I totally thought I missed the art boat.
I didn't start experimenting with mixed media
 until 3 years ago, when I was pregnant with our son.
I love Henri Nouwen, Richard Foster, John Piper, & Philip Yancey.
I dream of living on a farm, except in my dream
someone else is doing all that farm work.
I just get fresh eggs every morning.
I love coffee. The toughest part of being pregnant
 is limiting my coffee intake.
I dream of riding down the Grand Canyon on a mule
with my family & going on a safari in Africa.

I love jeopardy & alex trebeck.
I am working on "surrender" in all areas of my life.
I am learning daily that dreams really do come true.
Sound cheesy, but I don't care, it's totally true for me.
All of my art dreams are coming true. Every day.
And I find myself having to dream bigger dreams.
 It's scary and exhilerating and wonderful and scary.
do i dare disturb the universe?
yep, i think i might actually dare.

Lastly... my giveaways!

I will pick 3 winners.
I'll give you a choice of any of the following 6 prints in this post.
 On February 17th, when One World, One Heart ends
I'll pick a winner & send you the goods.

Thank you so much for stopping by.

Thank you for comments. They mean the world to me.

I can't wait to meet you & visit you in your corner of the world.

Big news in my art world...

I won a commission of 12 paintings for Sharp Hospital.

I really can't believe it. I've been working so hard on completing it,

that I kind of forgot what a big deal it is for me.

Here was the first commission I won this summer.

12 big mixed media collage paintings
And they're big.

Really big.

Like 3 feet x 3 feet big.

This is the biggest painting
I've ever created.

And I love it.

I've been waiting and waiting until I finished them all
to post because I hate showing unfinished work.
I know what the finished piece looks like in my brain,
but no one else does.
So it feels a little naked.

But finishing 12 enormous paintings
takes longer than one thinks it would.
It feels like it's taking me forever.
Step by step.

So here you have it.
Here are my works in progress.

I used my photos from the
Washington coast at
Artfest last spring.

And it just reminds me

that one thing leads to another.

you know?

every single experience,

the good and the bad,

contributes to our story.

and are a piece of who we are.

and one thing leads us to the next thing.

which enables us to do the next thing.

one small act of courage

gives us courage

to move forward and

take the next risk,

which leads to the next thing...

starting a blog,

opening an etsy shop.

signing up for a booth at an art fair.

creating a proposal to teach.
all of it counts.

I'm finally digging up my last bit of energy
to finish this project
and deliver it
and move on.