David and Leigh

David and Leigh are planning a lovely church wedding in Austin, Texas next year, and they had their civil ceremony yesterday at Toronto City Hall. It was a beautiful day and you’ve never seen two people happier about getting married than David and his sweet Leigh. John and I were the witnesses, and Emma, her boyfriend Bryan, my parents, my siblings and most of my nieces and nephews (plus partners) were there too. After the ceremony we all went to the Peter Pan Bistro on Queen Street for brunch. (John and I had our first date at the same restaurant in 1980 so we thought it would be the perfect spot to celebrate).

What do people really want?

Yesterday Jennifer and I had a discussion about participating in art shows and craft sales. We agreed that neither of us could figure out in advance what people actually want or like. When you can do this, then you’re able to tailor your work to meet the demand for what’s hot at the moment visually.
Unfortunately this doesn’t always translate into positive feedback or sales, so that’s why I just follow my own personal agenda and hope that people will get me (although I must admit that I don’t get my own self most of the time).
Take this mixed media piece in my show for instance. The main reason I made it was because I wanted to use the magnifying mirror I’d found on one of my jaunts to Active Surplus with Mary. I don’t know what pleased me more, the serene way in which this work unfolded or choosing the title when I finished: Her Inner Aviary.
So far no one is as enamored of this piece as I am …i.e. it hasn’t sold yet. I really can’t say this bothers me because I have been doing well sales-wise with my show. I also feel that if my art children don’t find their real art home, they’re always welcome to come back and camp out with me—or in this case: roost.
If you haven’t seen my show: Creating from the Inside Out, it runs until November 15th at the Peel Heritage Complex in Brampton. You can click here for more details or visit www.susanwilliamson.ca to see the slide show John put together of my show.

Checking in from the digital salon

Leslie had an entry on her blog back in August called Bring back the Salon and I’ve thought about it nearly every day since. With a certain wistfulness, Leslie mentions how wonderful it would be to just lounge around—I believe she uses the word languish—just talking, reading and socializing regularly with like-minded people.
In a way, that’s what happens online. When you go to other people’s blogs you get to catch up with their news, and you’re usually stimulated, refreshed, entertained and inspired. But there’s nothing like this actually happening person-to-person. If you’ve ever watched the TV show Lie to Me, you can see how important visual and verbal queues are to communication, and how much they add to it.
Of course not all groups provide the right atmosphere. My parents belong to a book club they really enjoy, but I know other people who say all the members in their group do is to argue about the choice of books and/or what is in them—which kind of defeats the purpose of having a club, doesn’t it?
I’ve never belonged to this kind of group myself mainly because I don’t want to have to read certain books. Then again, if I got to choose all of them that might work! One month it could be science fiction, next month Wayne Dyer and the month after that, a romance—and what about the Photoshop WoW book just to drive everyone completely crazy? The problem with having a jackrabbit mind like mine is that you’re always on your own trajectory, which doesn’t necessarily intersect with anyone else’s.
I do have a fantasy of winning the lottery and buying an island in Muskoka or Georgian Bay with sunset views, fireplaces and a beautifully appointed guesthouse. I’d invite all my friends like Leslie up for weeklong salon/spa experiences and fly in interesting people to entertain them. I imagine Nick Bantock himself might even be tempted to come to if the price was right.

Creating from the Inside Out

For those of you who have been asking about my book, you can order a copy now.

I’ve called it Creating from the Inside Out: Motivational Strategies for Artists & Writers.

It’s filled with inspiring quotations, mini essays on the creative process, and black and white digital collages.
Creating from the Inside Out is 177 pages: 6.5 x 6.5" and coil bound.

Each copy is $25 (Canadian) plus postage.

To order: email me at wordandimage@hotmail.com

So how do you review your own book? If I had a promotional turn of mind I’d probably come up with a list of five good reasons why you should read it. But I have to be honest. The main reason I wrote Creating from the Inside Out was because I had to.
For years I felt like I was hovering around the edges of my own creativity. I could never seem to access it with any kind of consistency, and this frustrated me. I became convinced that if I only had more—more time, more money, more talent, more opportunities, more support from the universe, more recognition from others (etc.)—then I’d be able to enter the magic kingdom/queendom of creativity and proceed full speed ahead.
I thought to myself: if there’s a system to creativity, I’m going to find out what it is and then tell everyone else. And if it turned out there wasn’t one …well, I was going to invent my own!
But I soon discovered that you can’t control creativity. It’s huge and it’s fluid, and all you can ever hope to do—and the only thing you should do—is to align yourself with it. You’re an individual reflection of something greater than you are, and your task is to get down to the business of expressing who you really are.
This can’t be done by wishing your circumstances were different or by waiting for ideal conditions. No. You need to act—and you need to act now. I suggest you begin by examining your thinking because the way you view the creative process will influence the action you’re likely to take—or not take, as so often happens.
Let me give you an example. Time was the first topic I tackled when I started working on my book. I’d always felt that not having enough of it was responsible for holding me back. But the more I thought about this, the more I realized I spent more time being annoyed about my lack of it than actually using what I had! I also believed that unless there were several free hours available to paint or write, there was no point in starting anything.
While it’s true we don’t ask for many of the challenges life hands out to us, we have to take responsibility for them anyway—and once I recognized it was up to me to use what time I did have wisely, things really began to open up for me.
Self-motivation is crucial to anyone who wants a happier and more fulfilled life, and it’s my hope that people who read my book will be inspired to take action towards realizing their own creative dreams. Making even small changes to the way you engage in your creative process can deliver big results down the line. I firmly believe that if I can write and illustrate a book—and have a solo art show—you can achieve what you want to do as well. You probably won’t accomplish this with Zen-like serenity and immediate results because I know I didn’t. But don’t let that hold you back. Just go for it. Not tomorrow, next week or next year but right NOW!

When Destiny Calls

What I really wanted to do today was to stay in bed reminiscing about the opening of my art show on Saturday and how much fun I had. But I needed to finish writing a long freelance article I’d been assigned before indulging.
Now it’s early Monday morning and I’m sitting here at the computer grinning. Maureen, who was in charge of hanging and coordinating my show at The Whitney Gallery, told me not to be discouraged if only a few people made it to the opening because sometimes this happens.
But I wasn’t worried. One of the good things about having a large family is that you know they will always support you whether or not they’re in the mood, so at least 12 of them showed up plus a boyfriend and a fiancée, along with a ton of friends, neighbors and art buddies. Okay, so I don’t know how much a ton is, but it was a heartwarming number. Mary, Lennie, Nancy, Cori, June, Lanre, Cherri and Karen all stopped in to visit along with Bill, Andrea, Yvonne, Peter, Steve, Al, Peggy, Doug, Carolyn, Kim, Diana, Dave, Susan V and husband, Rosemary and Jeanette—if I’ve forgotten to mention you, I apologize. At one point Maureen told me that 118 people had been in to look at my work, so there were obviously lots of people I didn’t know, but I enjoyed meeting quite a few of them.
Naturally I had a great time gabbing to everyone and signing copies of my book Creating from the Inside Out. (Speaking of my book, I’ll have more to say on that subject very soon). There were several highpoints including meeting Lennie (my online pal and Photoshop guru), and being taken out to a big family dinner afterwards by my sister Pam and brother-in-law Brian.
John is putting together a slide show of the event which he plans to put on the website he’s working on for me. In the meantime, here’s a 16 x 20” mixed media canvas, When Destiny Calls, which will be heading for its new home when the show is over on November 15th.

Only ten more days…

Apparently it was Duke Ellington who said: “I don’t need time; I need a deadline.” I’ve always thought that was a great quote because there’s nothing like a deadline to sharpen your focus and concentrate your energy. But when you actually have one that’s unavoidable—like I do with my upcoming show—the gift of more time would be a spectacular bonus. (However, I also know that work will continue to expand as long as there’s space available).
What I’ve discovered over the past few months is that no matter how single-minded you are and how solid your work ethic is, three things are certain:
First—anything you do (especially if it’s important to you) is going to be way more complicated than you thought it would be.
Second—it’s also going to take you about three times longer than you planned …if you’re lucky.
Third—being in control is a complete illusion. Just when you think you’re organized and ahead of the game, something happens to turn that perception inside out.
There have been many moments when I’ve considered bailing out altogether because what I first envisioned won’t be appearing in a gallery anytime soon—if ever. This experience has turned into a finishing off of things I wanted to finish, and a saying goodbye to others.
I’m sure there are plenty of life lessons here that I could be more aware of and thoughtful about, but all I can think is: only ten more days and I’ll be free to indulge in a marathon of socializing, reading trashy novels, watching a ton of TV, and yes, doing more blogging.

The Life of Byron

I owe Carmi Cimicata a big thank you for the care package of vintage photos she mailed to me last week. Let me tell you, it acted just like catnip to my Leo senses—I think I actually meowed.
Anyway, in amongst the pictures Carmi sent me was this one of a baby with the face and posture of a grown up, and written on the back was “Byron Blackthorn Hawksridge 2nd, Aged 10 months.” Yes, I know it sounds like the name of a hero in a romance novel, and while Byron is actually the baby’s first name, I changed the other two to preserve his privacy. But his middle and last name are actually more interesting than the ones I chose for him.
The reason I want to protect his identity is because I decided to do a web search for him after talking to Mary. (Mary Ambrose—in case you don’t know it—has her private investigator’s license, a feat she accomplished while she was pregnant with her son Hayden).
Now where was I? Oh yes, so I did a search for Byron, and first found his namesake and grandfather who was born in 1835, hated his name Jedediah and changed it to Byron. To make a long story short, through an obituary, I eventually tracked down one of Byron II’s daughters in the U.S. and offered to send her the photo of her dad. She was thrilled to hear that there was a baby picture of him in existence. Between us, we figured out that the photo was probably taken in 1918 and sent to a Canadian relative by Byron’s mother in Maine. Naturally I’d like to know more about Byron (who was an engineer), but I didn’t want to seem pushy.
What was gratifying to me about this experience was not only to find out there was a real person behind one of the images I like to work with, but that I was also to be able to send Byron’s three daughters a precious memento of their dad. So thank you Carmi for this heart-warming experience. I couldn’t alter Byron’s image though. Somehow it didn’t seem right.

You are invited

I’d like to extend an invitation to all of my readers who can make it to come to the opening of my art show on Saturday, October 3rd between 2 and 4 pm at the Whitney Community Gallery in Brampton.
The gallery is part of the Peel Heritage Complex, which includes our regional archives, a museum, a 19th century jail and the Art Gallery of Peel.
My show runs from October 3rd to November 15th and will include mixed media, digital collage and assemblage. I’ve called it Creating from the Inside Out—after the title of my upcoming book—and if all goes well with the publishing end of things, I should have some copies of my book available at the opening too. The Whitney Gallery is located at 9 Wellington St. East in Brampton and you can visit Monday to Friday from 10 am to 4:30 pm; Thursday evenings from 6 to 9 pm; and Saturday and Sunday from noon to 4:30 pm.

Yes, I’m still here

I’ve had a few phone calls and emails lately asking me if I’m okay—and whether or not I’m still planning to post to my blog. Of course I am. Things just seem to have gotten away from me in the past few weeks though. I haven’t written in my journal for over a month now either.
The problem is: the longer you put off writing a blog entry, the harder it becomes to do one. Instead of it being a natural and spontaneous action, you start questioning if you actually have anything worthwhile to say. Not that I don’t have good reasons for being a blogcrastinator—writing articles, getting ready for my show, preparing my book for the printer, having the flu and so on. But thinking back, I guess the only fun thing I haven’t let slide is Photoshop. I took these two pictures of flowers on my daily walk and then combined them with a couple of textures Lennie posted to her blog on August 21st. There’s nothing like playing around with other people’s photos to get me back in the swing of things. So thanks Lennie. I owe this post to you.

Fifteen Books

Last Monday Irene was tagged by Leslie to take fifteen minutes and make up a list of fifteen books that have stayed with her—so, of course, I had to make up a list too.
But I limited mine to novels because it was just too overwhelming to make decisions otherwise.
In no particular order (and with some ganging up), here is my list:
The Emily Trilogy by Lucy Maud Montgomery
Franny and Zooey by J.D. Salinger
Trust Me and Hidden Talents by Jayne Ann Krentz
His Dark Materials Trilogy (The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife, The Amber Spyglass) by Phillip Pullman
The Chronicles of Narnia (particularly The Voyage of the Dawn Treader)
by C.S. Lewis
Inner Harbor by Nora Roberts
Gone with the Wind, Margaret Mitchell
Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman
Weaveworld by Clive Barker
The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkein
The Shining by Stephen King
The Tales of Alvin Maker by Orson Scott Card
The Complete Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
I think it’s obvious from my list that I was never an enthusiastic English literature student even though I have a B.A. in the subject. I like mystery, fantasy, science fiction, romance, the occasional horror novel and books about individualistic children finding their true path in life.
The only one I actually recall studying in university was Pride and Prejudice. But I didn’t appreciate it until I saw Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy in the 1995 TV mini series. The fact that several people phoned afterwards to say that Colin Firth looked like my husband obviously affected my judgment.
As to the other books on my list, each choice was an instinctive one. I think the books you gravitate to are like the people you hold dear. You can’t always explain the attraction, you just know it’s there, so the best thing to do is just go with the flow.

Slow Art

Because of everything else that’s going on in my life, I haven’t been able to blog as often as I’d like to for a while now. So tonight I was thinking: I wonder if I can Photoshop something in five minutes and then post it? Five minutes went by, then ten and twenty, and I finally got something that seemed okay to me a half an hour later.
Whoever my muse is, he/she just hates to be rushed. In fact he/she really just prefers to sit around ruminating and puttering (rather than actually encouraging me to finish things off).
This started me thinking about doing things slowly. I know there’s a whole slow food movement that’s really, really popular all over the world. In fact if you google slow food, you’ll get at least 300,000,000 hits.
But what about slow art? Turns out it’s popular too. There are actually people around who will spend several months working on a postage stamp sized piece of art.
“Slow is used as a term of respect for the way art is made and how it is best viewed,” says artist Deborah Barlow. And here’s another quote I love:
What we need more of is slow art: art that holds time as a vase holds water: art that grows out of modes of perception and making whose skill and doggedness make you think and feel; art that isn’t merely sensational, that doesn’t get its message across in ten seconds, that isn’t falsely iconic, that hooks onto something deep-running in our natures. In a word, art that is the very opposite of mass media. (Art critic Robert Hughes)
Cool, eh? Looks like I’ve finally found my tribe. But I think I’m going to take my time getting to know them.

Digital Coolness

For anyone who is would like to learn Photoshop, but is apprehensive about it, here’s some inspiration. Five years ago, at the age 87, fashion photographer Lillian Bassman decided to tackle the program. She spends six or seven hours a day playing in Photoshop and says it has opened up a whole new world for her.
The interesting thing is that Bassman is a Photoshop girl only—no Google or email for her. To see some of her work and to read more about her life, check out this article in the New York Times. Now here’s something else that's cool. Did you know that you can paint using your iPhone? Apparently you download this program called Brushes, a low-priced software application that has a color picker, zooming, virtually unlimited undo and redo, and a set of realistic brushes. You can also export your paintings at high resolution (up to 1920 x 2880), and turn them into QuickTime movies. See the video below.

Art Journals & Creative Healing

I buy most of my books online because there are no bookstores in my neighborhood. And of course it doesn’t hurt that Amazon and Chapters have lower prices, which means you end up getting more books in the long run. The problem is you don’t always get the chance to look at the books you want first.
Take Art Journals & Creative Healing by Susan Soneff for example. The main reason I bought it was to finish off the amount on a gift card. Once the book arrived, I took a quick look at it and then set it aside.
Why? Because it looked like heavy-duty stuff to me and I’m usually in the mood for eye candy. As someone who has struggled with depression off and on for most of her adult life, I like to avoid the negative and just peace out. But for months now, Soneff’s book has been sitting around waiting for me to notice it, so I finally took a deep breath and plunged in.
Just as I suspected, there were plenty of soul-wrenching moments inside. Women with everything from anorexia and cancer, to depression and MS share their personal stories and journal entries. While there are visually moving pages here, and plenty of creative tips, the main emphasis is on being brave enough to chronicle your journey through words and images.
Even though journaling is used in clinical and therapeutic settings, and research supports the benefits, I have to admit I’m skeptical. I say this because writing in my journal allows me to vent, but I can’t say it helps me; it simply seems to be something I’m in the habit of doing.
However, it occurred to me while I was working through Soneff’s book that I’m in a rut. Like a hamster on her wheel, I do what I do and forget to focus on choices or different perspectives. In short, I don’t go that deeply into things when I journal, although it may seem like it when I’m upset.
I’ve thought quite a bit about this book since I finished it last week. In the next couple of days, I’ll be finishing off my current journal and I’ve decided that I need to take a different approach. I’m not sure what this will be, but I think it’s time to be more honest with myself, so I’ll let you know what happens.

The Volleying Continues

Jeanne and I have been volleying in Photoshop for a couple of years now. We take turns altering a photo until we’ve reached the magic number ten, and then we start all over again.
We’ve been more off than on for months now mainly because life has been complicated for both of us. Even so, one of us always manages to pick up the ball and volley back at some point. I’m feeling pleased with myself that I managed to finish volley six of this round yesterday …only four more to go!
(I posted one and two of this round back at the end of February if you want to check them out. At this rate we should be finished by Christmas).