Ok, I have been doing some thinking about what my art means to me and how do I extend this into the art world….tonight it came to me. It came to me from the many emails and comments you all post. Not sure what will become of this but I immediately woke up at 2:28 am to write this blog post and get my ideas down. Most Monday's I do a LIVE show for work. It is free through Ustream and has become a way for Monday's to be fun again. The response has been great and has grown. I know my teaching style is rather unorthodox and of course I try to be as professional as possible but…………..this is where the thinking has come in and you guys have inspired me.
March is going to be about taking some leaps and growing some wings on the way down. Leaping is scary and I have wonderful friends who I know will be at the ready with a parachute if need be. Ok, stick with me. Through my teachings every Monday I could never understand why people tune in. I mean,, I am usually unprepared, do not have a completed project ready nor step-by-step instructions. (ok, seriously not selling myself well here). Why tune in other than to see me crack a joke or two or make an utter fool out of myself? Yet I get email after email and projects that are shared with me where you guys say I inspired you in some little way to create something, or try a new technique,or try your own handwriting, etc. Those emails and feedback mean the world tonight.
For example, Jean M. just emailed this yesterday and took her precious time to share her beautiful project with me.
"Thought I’d share a canvas I created for St. Patty’s Day. I haven’t done a canvas in a while and it felt good to be creating…….Thanks for all your inspiration!" ~Jean
and I received this email from Renee which further inspired my thoughts here:
"Thank you so much for today again. I have had one of the best days!! You always inspire me. I have been working on an a page in my art journal today with you, need to finish it off and I will share it with you. All because of today’s class. My journal has been one of those things I say I am going to get to, but every Tuesday we have class with you, I seem to get it done! I just wanted to let you know, because even when you think you had a bad start to the show, you really didn’t because we all have loads of fun! It is such a great bunch of ladies!" ~Renee A.
Then today this message from Eddyth to start my day:
"I was telling someone about you and how you inspired me to make an art journal and they wanted to know where to watch you. …Tracy, you are such a dear to take the time out for me and all the others that you do. You are truly a blessing."
What is is that reaches everyone? What is my mission statement? Who am I? Man those are some tough questions! This is who I am. I am a Artist who loves to create, teach and inspire. I deplore Monday's yet for 1 hour every Monday evening I am "forced" to create and entertain and what comes from that hour is pure inspiration. It is a wonderful group of like-minded artist souls that gathers who push one another to create and share their ideas….and I listen to those ideas.
You know what else there is about me…..I have a quick wit & sarcastic sense of humor, I enjoy a cocktail every now and again (love to draw them), love my PJ's and LOVE to share inspiration. I am human………..I feel uninspired, down, sad, mad, happy, elated, and don't mind sharing that with you all. My art often reflects it. What I know for sure is that every Monday after I am put in that creative chamber and am "forced" to create……what I create makes me feel great. What WE create and share makes me feel great. And better yet, when I get emails saying I made a difference and inspired another I feel complete. I saw this quote the other day and it hit home for me:
"When you teach what you love and share what you know you open Eyes, Minds, Hearts and souls to be unexplore worlds"
So where am I headed with all this……………….creating with Tracy Weinzapfel Studios on my own twstudios Ustream channel (if we figure out Skype conferencing that may be a future option). There will be on-line classes, gatherings, kits available but just TIME…the TIME we need to create and force our creativity a bit. It will be ME! Think of it as the Tracy Network (similar to the Oprah network). Ok, maybe that is a bit much but you get the idea! We can wear PJ's, say cheers, sip on a cup of tea and creatively release. We can have fun and take that time that WE need to force our rears to do something creative for us. Whether you join us LIVE or on the recording it will be a place to be inspired. Starting in March I have my "Do Something Creative Every Day" Kit and that is not too late to order…CLICK for details as kits are shipping now!
What I need of you is to cheer me on as I take this leap and let me know if you are IN………..let's start simple……..how about "Liking" my Tracy Weinzapfel Studios Page on Facebook where you will see up-dates and we ALL can l SHARE our projects. Just CLICK to LIKE Please drop me a message and let me know you what insires you. Now remember that this whole growing the wings thing on the way down has me scared out of my MIND! I am Fan #1 and expect this to be a party of one but I am putting myself out there………..
So as I leap I thank the wise words of a fellow artist and now friend of mine…..Catherine Scanlon:
"Is it time to take a risk? Time to get on the road that's not known or even well travelled. It's thick with brambles and over-grown. It's scary — just like for many people. But they do it. It's not comfortable, but us creative types — we're used to putting it out there and getting judged, criticised and the jealousy. We can take it — I CAN TAKE IT, because I'm tough. Well, not really. I may have a hard coating but I'm really a bowl of mush on the inside, ha ha."
If you have not been to Catherine's Blog I recommend it. I am thankful our paths crossed and I hope she know how her words inspired me and spoke directly to me.
So stay tuned……..It is now 3 am and I need to get sleep but I feel those wings growing stronger. I would LOVE to hear your thoughts, comments and feedback either HERE or via EMAIL.
"Living at risk is jumping off the cliff and building your wings on the way down." ~Ray Bradbury