No Big Deal

"Queen Nefer-Cindy" Self portrait sculpture
made from life-size plaster casting, found object
paint brushes, paint tubes, gold leaf.

Normally I don’t make any New Year’s resolutions because I can’t keep them for longer than about 10 days. I’m usually rejuvenated in the Fall and somehow have always considered my “New Year” to be in September. Weird huh? Maybe not so weird when I think about it, because my birthday is in September. Hmm, birth, rebirth, New Year? In thinking about how I see the coming New Year, three words did pop into my head this morning that I’m going to try and live by in 2012, No-Big-Deal. I’m going to try and not make such a big deal about things.  Try and not turn into (more of) a curmudgeon or not let my spirit get older. OK, I admit this was after I had a total moment of “road anger” on New Year’s Day after some guy driving behind us LAID HIS HORN ON me as the light turned green because I was WAITING FOR A PEDISTRIAN TO SLOWLY CROSS THE ICY STREET in the cross walk! This really set me off and as I calmed down I thought to myself I am NOT going to throw my car in reverse at a HIGH RATE OF SPEED or to have negative energy set the direction of my New Year! Truth be it known, Daddy-O (who was riding with me) and I both were ready to kick this young punk's ass in the grocery store (liquor store) parking lot where both cars were heading. Then we saw that he was about 90 years old and felt sorry for the old, cranky, fat fart. He was in more of a hurry than we were to get our New Year’s beverages! 

I’ve had a couple of e-mails from artist friends who want to make more art in the coming New Year. They asked me how to get back into the swing of more art making, or what do I do to re-inspire myself. I wish it were a bit more magical for me but before I start any creative project, my house needs to be in order. My studio needs to be de-cluttered, or “first things first” as I like to say. It’s different for everybody but I would also recommend, surrounding yourself with all things artful, be kind to your process, let yourself up, kick the critic out of the room and be physically and mentally fit. Three books in my library that I also like to refer to are Creative Time and Space, Creative Awakenings, and Drawing Lab. Here is also a link for ten ways to stimulate your creative juices and generate fresh inspiration - Ten Tips to Inspire Creativity. I have a handful of REALLY COOL projects I'm working on that I'll be able to share in the coming weeks. We are taking today to "get our house in order" before the post Holiday, work week of real life turns us into our mere mortal selves at the stroke of midnight tonight! Happy New Year dear Blog friends, I appreciate your faithful reading.

My Mom sent this photo of me when I was about two. This is how I want to picture myself in 2012 -HOLD ON!

Cindy Lou Who

Going with the flow is way harder for me than I care to admit. After reading Tracey’s Blog post this morning I was thinking maybe I have control issues? Her post is exactly why clay and I are no longer going steady. Clay and I are currently legally separated. I have certain expectations, schedules and rules and unfortunately they spill into my art making. Her post also reminded me of when she wrote about a comment Chuck Close had made about inspiration. I wasn’t aware of the quote so I Googled it and found it here. I thought for sure his statement would be validating my finicky artist ways… According to Chuck I’m a real amateur! Saying "Amateurs look for inspiration; the rest of just get up and go to work. Baa humbug! I don't believe it -I WON'T! I’m aware of “most” of my issues, and as for the rest I’m sure Daddy-O could fill you in but my issue this week is coming off a break, my inspiration has momentarily left the room (or studio)… But of course my inspiration has left the room because now that I have time I have no real inspirational spark. I had plenty of inspiration last week when we had a house full and then my installation was cancelled and production plans got all goofed up. I’m not sure if it’s lack of motivation or it’s the lack of inspiration that creates the lack of motivation. Anyhoo, I’m enacting a couple of my rules, first to “do at least something productive every day” and second “contribute to my art every day.” Trying to be a responsible, motivated, effective time manager, self-employed artist who wishes to continue as such; I've knocked off

several business housekeeping to-do’s on a list by my computer, ran household errands, shopped, wrapped and boxed our out of state Christmas gifts and I just cleaned out the refrigerator. While this is abiding by my Cindy-Lou-Who rules it doesn’t make me very happy. In fact, when I’m not creating I can get pretty Grinchy –even while I have Christmas music playing!

In The Groove

The other day I had one of those great artmaking days. I kept thinking “Stella found her groove” as the shop tunes were perfect and I was happily working -though when I googled it I found out the movie was actually called “How Stella Got Her Groove Back.” I didn’t see the movie, but as time seemed to stand still, I really felt I was in the art groove. I LOVE those days –I wish I knew what can flip that switch because the day before I just was not feeling the love –then ZAP,

creative inspiration rained down and showered me with golden rays of creating energy! When I’m not feeling very inspired I know enough to just keep moving forward by printing tags, make deliveries, do administrative type of paperwork, clean-up the shop, replenish supplies etc. It helps to move forward or the dry spells can turn into more of a funk –which is not good for a full-time working artist.

The inspiration zap might not be as mysterious as I’d like to think. When I was trying to figure out what may

have triggered it (because then I could bottle it and save it for the next dry spell) I realized it might be as simple as a few of these things –good music, money, aesthetics and productivity -though I think it takes a unique combination of all four to flip the switch. When I make money I can buy more material and have WAY more options. When I see artful or thoughtful design and hear great music I’m easily inspired to create. When I have a productive and meaningful day I feel satisfied. At the start of my groove day I delivered a commission piece and the client was thrilled. Not only did I have money in hand but another order for a future wall sculpture. I went to see my buddy Peter at SteelFab to order some steel and talk about a new piece I need cut out and being around all that industrial steel can really

get me fired up. Everyone there (all guys –I liked being the only flame chic there...) were so helpful it gave me even more ideas for three other pieces I want to make! Their multiple gigantic shop areas are hubs of productive activity. I use SteelFab to help me cut the larger works because they have this enormous plasma bed cutter that works from an auto-cad program. I draw my designs out and their tech guy converts them to a DXF file and shazam! Most of the work I do on the big bed cutter is a

bout ¼” steel plate, too thick for my machine. Lighter gauge stuff I can cut at my shop/studio with my hand held plasma cutter. The max I can cut is about 18 gauge because I like smooth, fast cuts.

My artmaking groove produced a new sculpture that I’m in love with and was inspired by some tiny spore type mushrooms I saw. I’d been germinating (no pun intended) this idea and design for a while and then the design and fabrication all came to me in one fail swoop! I also had another idea for a free standing sculpture that is called “Creative Sentinel” based on my experience that happened the other day. When creativity hits I thought of the sculpture as a lightening rod harnessing and capturing that ZAP, then spreading it’s power to awaiting artists. The spore sculpture (I don’t have a better name for it yet) is about 6’ tall and

“Sentinel” stands over 7’ tall. I’m going to create a feature clay piece that will be suspended from the center steel circle on “Creative Sentinel” –it just hasn’t hit me what that will be yet…