100 Books Project :: Canada
Book fairy photo walk
This just about made my heart melt. Book #33, sent out into the world by Book Fairy Extraordinaire Heather Plett in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Another quick note from Heather:
"The bench where the book was left is located at The Forks, where the Red River and the Assiniboine River meet – where fur traders built the original fort that later becamse the city of Winnipeg."
100 Books Project :: San Francisco
[Book #29 and Book #30 :: Sent to Kate Swoboda, who shared them in San Francisco.]
The divine Kate Swoboda of Kate Courageous and The Courageous Traveler accepted Book Fairy duty for #29 and #30, and what a thorough job she did! The first book was left at Yerba Buena Gardens:
Before I received a lovely package from her that included photographs and videos of her Book Fairy adventures, I received this email:
"Hi! My name is Noah… I'm actually from Toronto. I'm visiting family near San Francisco and today found your book in Yerba Buena Gardens in downtown SF. I just wanted to say thank you! 
I was a little nervous to open a brown paper bag left in a public space, but it was a really nice surprise. I cant wait to get through the book!"
Still no word from whoever stumbled upon Book #30, which was left at the cable car turnaround at Market & Powell in downtown San Francisco, but I love seeing all the hustle & bustle going on around the book Kate left there:
The Spark of an Idea
[Before the crowds arrived, Saturday night at the CORE show.]
If you saw me walking along Montana Avenue in Santa Monica about eighteen months ago, you would not have seen me stop to take a closer look at a dress form that caught my eye as I made my way up the street. You would not have had any inkling that, once the dress form entered my consciousness, it sparked an idea. Nothing would have seemed out of the ordinary; you would never have guessed that the flame of a new creative direction was lit in that moment. You would have simply seen me walking.
The idea that was sparked that day came to me in the form of a question: What would it be like to work on a mannequin? Less than 24 hours and one google search later, a mannequin was on its way to me even though I had no earthly idea what I was going to do with it once it arrived at my doorstep. That is how I tend to operate. My strength is not in detailed, involved planning or thinking and figuring things out ahead of time. I tend to dive in and ask questions later. Sometimes this works well, other times not so much, but I've never tried to change this approach. I've learned to accept the ups and downs that come with it.
This particularly diving in scenario has most certainly been a steady series of ups. More than I could have ever imagined.
As I stood in Anne Carmack's studio a few minutes before the CORE show was set to officially begin this past Saturday, I couldn't help but marvel at how one inexplicable idea to work on the surface of a mannequin led to that moment, a moment when I was standing in a beautiful studio surrounded by the creations of more than a dozen other artists who heeded a call to try their hand at working on the same form. There was beauty and color and sparkling lights, friends from all over, and stories of struggles, frustrations and breakthroughs. And nestled in the cracks of every tiny detail that made the show come to life was one simple truth: All it takes is an idea, and a willingness to pursue that idea. Because once that idea is given fuel, it has greater potential than I can imagine.
I decided to work on a mannequin, and this led to discussions about that process with Marisa and Anne, among others. And Anne decided to put out a siren call to a long list of artists, asking them to give it a shot too. And many of them responded, and they responded with passion, devotion and honesty. And then Saturday night, we stood amongst a crowd of female forms adorned with feathers, zippers, fabric, butterflies, rulers, charms, trinkets, tissue paper flowers, and a deep pink cape-let with a foxtail. And crowds of people wandered in between these creations, a peeked inside, looked them up and down, examined their details and, I'd bet my life on this – went home inspired.
[To see the form I created for CORE, click here. More pictures can be found here, here and here!]
One Word: Inspired
It’s this weekend.
And while I’ve only been privy to a small sneak preview of the creations, I can tell you the entire experience of watching the amazing Anne Carmack gather this incredible group of artists to work on such a unique, troublesome, frustrating, beautiful, confounding, exquisite surface has been a sight to behold.
Make your way to downtown Los Angeles this Saturday and behold the wonder.
Mark your calendar for a unique and inspiring show organized by the astounding creative force behind Folk & Fable and The Lovers, Dreamers and Me – Anne Carmack. Here are the deets:
Saturday, November 7, 2009
6:00 – 10:00pm
822 Wall Street, 2nd Floor, Downtown Los Angeles
KCRW’s Anne Litt will also be on hand to keep the music flowing.
CORE: The Art & Design of the Torso will be a beautiful gallery space filled with the creations of more than a dozen artists. The medium: A mannequin. The meaning: The piece of the body that holds so many of the most important places: the heart, the gut (home of our instincts), the spine. It’s us – at our core.
The artists who will be exhibiting their variation on the theme of CORE:
Marisa Haedike
Liz Kalloch
Kelly Barton
Mati McDonough
Pixie Campbell
Sarah Ahearn
Outi Harma
Linda Esterley
Karin Collins
Carla Terwilleger
Jessica Seaton
Alyssa Nicol
Chanin McClurkin
Anne Carmack
Yours Truly!
Five Things
1. Beautiful Indian textiles can be had at Tilonia.
2. I'm not just posting about this because I'm referenced, I really love Carolyn Rubenstein's list of 10 Sources of Inspiration.
3. Paper Moon Gallery is kooky!
4. Jefferson Hayman's Photography makes me feel like I've traveled back in time.
5. The Creative Entrepreneur: Hello Gorgeous Genius!
Kindred Spirits
[Marianne & me :: Taken in Paekakariki, New Zealand last March]
"Despite current ads and slogans, the world doesn't change one person at a time. It changes when networks of relationships form among people who share a common cause and vision of what's possible. This is good news for those of us intent on creating a positive future. Rather than worry about critical mass, our work is to foster critical connections. We don't need to convince large numbers of people to change; instead, we need to connect with kindred spirits. Through these relationships, we will develop the new knowledge, practices, courage and commitment that lead to broad-based change."
~Margaret Wheatley
Filtering
[Taken in Tokyo earlier this year.]
This is a typical Tokyo view, where each of the signs stacked vertically is for a different shop or business. Views like this are everywhere throughout the city; they go on for miles, as far as the eye can see. As sprawling as Tokyo is, I always get the feeling that their main goal as a society is to utilize every inch of space available. Tokyo feels endless, whether looking down a single street like the one pictured above or seeing it from the top of one of its many skyscrapers. It goes on and on. But it feels orderly, and there is beauty all around, from the manhole covers to the department store windows.
I think it says a lot about a city, community and a person to see how they utilize their space – whether physical, emotional or temporal. Are there empty spaces that invite quiet reflection? Does it feel organized or haphazard? Energetic and lively or tense and abrasive?
Life, finally, feels like it has slowed down to a more manageable pace. Our house is cleared out of guests and roommates, all my major projects for the year are complete, and even though I know the holidays will bring their own brand of busy-ness, I can look at my time between now and the end of the year and see…emptiness. A wide open expanse. Nothingness.
Just as I've purged piles of material objects out of my house and studio since September, it is now time to pay attention to the nagging questions, the thorns, the irritations, the issues I haven't dealt with and the reflections on what felt right this year, what felt comfortable, and what no longer fits. My studio has been pared down to just the essentials – and I even sold my car, a daring maneuver in Los Angeles – and it is time to go through the same exercise within my heart and mind.
"Look within!… The secret is inside you." ~Hui-neng
Haven
[Taken in Bournemouth, UK :: February 2008]
Conversation between my husband and I, this morning in our kitchen:
Him: "We can make as much noise as we want!"
Me: "And I can run around naked!"
It was tempting to share just that and let everyone wonder what we were talking about. I even contemplated opening it up to interpretation, asking readers to take a stab at what event, interest or circumstance they thought might have inspired such an exchange. But instead, I'll share this story…
During the year of my divorce I was slightly homeless. I lived in five different places in one year – my house, my Swirly studio, a room in a friend's house, an apartment on a Montecito estate, and then finally, in my own cozy cottage behind the Santa Barbara Mission. In the midst of all this relocating, I also spent many nights with friends and experienced a period of time that taught me the art of receiving. Despite the fact that much of my world was crumbling, I felt supported, cared for and loved. After the worst of the storm, I told myself that if and when I had the opportunity to give back to those I loved – particularly in terms of providing a safe haven – I would do so.
Fast forward to today, when the conversation above took place. Because today is the first day our home is officially empty, and that is a statement I have not been able to make in five months. And I don't mean we've had a lot of house guests over the past five months, I mean we've had a lot of house guests as well as dear friends living with us. And a wedding reception! From the beginning of June until today, this house has been a haven for friends and family from all over the world, reaching such a fever pitch that I have actually had to tell a number of my dearest friends that we could not accommodate them.
Don't misunderstand me – my intention behind this story is not to complain. I am just sharing one specific facet of our life that has been an exercise in compassion, generosity, patience, mindfulness, setting boundaries, knowing my limits, and savoring joyous abundance. And recognizing that while I made a commitment to myself many years ago to create a home that would hold those I love with comfort and quiet, I need to find more pathways that will enable me to do this without inspiring my husband and I to move into a one-bedroom condo in Greenland where no one will want to visit.
It is that saying: Be careful what you wish for. The good news is that I have learned all too well the truth of that phrase, and I have developed a greater awareness of what wishes, intentions and personal commitments can create. Quite simply, they can create exactly what is envisioned. They can come true; they can become real.
So my vision today is to be in this home with my husband. Period. To run around naked with music blaring because I can. The time will come soon enough when we will feel ready to open our doors again, but for now, we're wrapping our arms around each other and curling up in the silence, letting this be a safe haven for our need for solitude, for space, for being.
Here & There
[Abandoned building :: Taken in Madison, Wisconsin in 2007]
I'm out & about in Blogland today:
* A new entry is up at This Ordinary Day.
* I'm Catalyst #86 over at Creative Therapy!
* A tiny interview is up in The Wish Studio.
Happy Monday!
