My Secret Self, and Grandmother Ocean, hand sculpted, slab built clay wal sculptpure, drying by Tammy Vitale

My Secret Self is supposed to be  You Are Who? but she had other ideas so I’ms going to assume there’s another iteration of this particular idea in the making.  Probably several as this isn’t exactly what I had in mind (which may excplain the name change).  You can’t see it on Grandmother Ocean but the turtle has words in it.  A nod to Leah of Kat’s Paws and the great stamp roller invetion.

Speaking of Leah, today is the last day of AEM, Art Everyday Month.  I will sorely miss the encouragement to make that one piece of art, no matter what it is, everyday to have it here to present and know that others will browse through and enjoy it.  Thanks, Leah!  for a very productive and happy month.  And to the rest of you whose work I’ve seen – thanks for the inspiration!  And to those of you with whom I have communicated – I hope we can stay in touch!  If you want to see the month of everyone’s works that participated, go to Leah’s site and browse through the list of AEM participants on the left.  You will find it time well spent!

And here’s today’s AEM, with another nod to the Jackson Pollock site that has the play board.  That thing is mesmerizing.  This is called Alice in the Garden and there are 7 butterflies and 2 hats…see if you can find them all.

Today is packing day for Saturday’s show – round up everything, get it priced, see what I actually have to put out, find a way to get all the screens and goods into my car along with a hand cart for taking it all into the venue.  Have I ever mentioned how heavy bins of ceramic are?  Well, they are.  You go in at the crack of dawn, throw everything up, stay there and smile and sell and converse all day, then pack it all up and go home.  It is exhausting and exhilerating all at once.  And will be the last show for a long time (probably til next fall except for a few small ones that Calvert Artists Guild puts on, which is only a few pieces and shared gallery sitting).

One of the AEM participants posted this blog yesterday.  I thought I’d pass it along (and I’d pass along her name and blog but I can’t remember it…sorry – if you see this, leave a comment – I’ll be happy to post it all up tomorrow.  Getting Your Work Out There is a pretty good list for starting artists who don’t have a clue how to begin their approach.  But I will add this caveat.  I know an artist who did exactly everything they say don’t do:  cold calls, product in hand to gallery and shop owners.  And she succeeded magnificently (and that is probably an understatement.).  She is in Femail Creations, and on-line and retail magazine and got there by continuing to call and talk to the principals, even though the guidelines say very clearly "don’t call."  She broke all the rules and managed to be successful at it.  So remember, rules are guidelines.  And, She who makes the rules, wins.  Make your own rules.

thought for the day:  Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which [s]he has overcome while trying to succeed.  Booker T. Washington, quoted in Insight of the Day, a small gem that arrives daily in my email inbox.