because you get these gorgeous and lovely birthday wishes from your artists! Lilla is so lucky – Julia
Macrina Busato
Ann Boyajian
Adolie Day
Silvia Dekker
Carolyn Gavin
Amy Blay
Helen Dardik
Jessica Allen:
Bonnie Dain
Suzy Ultman
Sarajo Frieden
Talitha Shipman
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Trina writes:
“Front Row Society in collaboration with Anthropologie are holding a competition. The brief was to design a scarf 200cm x 65cm based on one of the four elements and the winning three will be produced and sold in the UK branches of Anthropologie and online this autumn.
You can view all the entrants here.
I don’t think I’ve ever designed anything so big before! Here are some close ups too. I chose Earth as it’s definitely the element I most connect with. I called mine “Gone to Earth” – partly after the animals that live and seek refuge underground, the idea of returning to nature and after one of my most favourite films with that name by Powell and Pressburger.”
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Wow. My sublimely talented artist, Trina Dalziel, painted this based on the photos I shot (below) and posted on Facebook. Love this so much.
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My good friend, Joslyn, is running an amazing experiment which is a lot of fun for everyone involved. – Julia
Joslyn writes:
“I have been brewing an idea for a way to crowd-fund the raincoat I splurged on in Seattle. I’m excited to officially launch Creative Truth or Dare. This has been one of the most fun and also frustrating projects so far. Frustrating only because I overestimated my ability to code buttons on a homemade website.
Creative Truth or Dare. Here’s how it works:
You pick whether you want a TRUTH or a DARE.
You give me $5 to help with a very good cause (my fashion rehabilitation).
I will send you an assignment. If you pick TRUTH, the assignment will be of a more introspective nature, and will possibly be something you can journal about or just think about while you are taking a walk. It may not involve sharing with anyone else. So this is a good option if you are scared or just a major introvert, which is totally valid and I can absolutely relate.
If you are braver, and pick DARE, you’ll get a creative assignment that will ask you to do something possibly more extroverted or at least more hands-on. Be aware that my definition of “creative” is very loose.
If you want to get an idea of some of the TRUTH and DARE assignments so far, check out the voluntary SHARE page on the site.
Ready to play? Click here.
Oh and by the way, I cannot emphasize enough the personal nature of this project. There is no robot at work, but just little old me on the other end of your button-press, getting an email from PayPal and then coming up with a customized assignment directly for you. So, sometimes it takes me a few hours to think of the perfect thing. Don’t be alarmed if you don’t get an instant reply. I will get back to you. I would not smite you!
Here are some of the results of the dare:
Jordan’s assignment:
“Write a haiku and send it in a telegram to an older person in your life who you really love.”
Jordan sent this to his mom.
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I love this piece. Simple and pretty storytelling. – Ashley
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Today’s garden haul.
We made dahlia and zinnia cutting beds this year.
Enjoy the color.
–Lilla
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This is a wonderful piece that I enjoyed a great deal, by Whitney Smith, a potter, from Oakland, California.
love your customer, even when you don’t
“I worked a few jobs in high school that required constant interaction with the public, and I learned– as did my supervisors– that customer service was not my forte. People would get on my nerves with their foolish expectation that I should serve them quickly and politely. I would shake with indignation if a customer gave me attitude. Of course I was young and untrained, and I had little idea what the word “customer service” meant, only that it sounded like somebody else’s job.
I thought being an artist and escaping into my studio every day was a great way to avoid having too many encounters with the general public. I have learned over the past 14 years that the best way to guarantee that you will be interacting with the public all the time is to be an artist who actually sells their work directly to people who want it.
The great thing about being totally wrong is that I’ve been given the opportunity to learn to be a person who can gracefully manage all kinds of encounters with clients and give great customer service. It’s been a long learning curve, because inside I still have a piece of that teenager that gets very upset when people complain, or want something from me that I’m not prepared to give. I’ve alienated customers with snappy responses, defensiveness, and irritable behavior. I’ve learned that just makes me feel just as bad as the customer does, while not solving the problem I’ve been presented with.”
Read the rest here:
this artist’s life: love your customer, even when you don’t
Wednesday: New Work by John Coulter for Seattle Met: Shorter Sale
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My friend, Chantal, is involved with this wonderful organization.
From the Haiti Projects, Inc. website:
“Handmade items are made by the women of Fond des Blancs, Haiti. Proceeds from the sale go directly back to these women and their community. The Sewing Cooperative was started in 1996 to provide women with the work they need to earn a living. Today eighty women are employed at the cooperative. Washing, is still done by hand and so is ironing with charcoal irons. In spite of difficult circumstances, women at the cooperative use their embroidery skills to produce heirloom-quality items of great beauty.
The Sewing Cooperative is a program of Haiti Projects, Inc., a non-profit, charitable corporation registered in Massachusetts. It operates in Fonds des Blancs, Haiti, a poor, mountainous area 75 miles west of Port au Prince. Most of the inhabitants of Fonds des Blancs live with their impoverished children on less than one US dollar a day. Haiti Projects’ mission is to fight poverty by creating the means through which people can help themselves.
100% of the proceeds from sales goes back to the women at the cooperative who, thanks to you, are able to feed their children and send them to school.”
“Empower a women, raise a family and lift a village.”
Available for purchase here.
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Here’s a tabletop I did a while back. I was inspired to layer vintage linens and really plop in lots of colors and textures. Check out the Xenia Taler tile on the right! Some orchids, Vietnamese coasters of dragons, straw mats, glass glasses, metal silverware…I think I have all 5 feng shui elements. Do I? Hope you like it!
Wednesday: Suzy Ultman – a wee bit of press
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