"I Will Not Hate" 24 x 3 acrylic on Canvas by Tammy Vitale $195
The Internet is the friend of all creatives whether you create alone or in groups. There is so much really wonderful encouragement out there!
This week I had the honor of being interviewed by Ann Gorman at Where People Create. Are you curious about the spaces folks create in? Ann shares lots and lots (including my currently gloriously messy and very active spaces – stuff is everywhere. For me that is a most excellent indication that I am in the flow!)
Then I did some of my own interviewing with Effie Wild, founder and mother hen over at Wild Precious….it’s not only about art (although it is about that and wonderfully so), it’s about a safe gathering place for women to meet and talk. We don’t do that enough these days – and we wind up feeling isolated and alone as a result of that (or maybe that’s just me). You need your Tribe around you. Effie has created a marvelous gathering place for the Tribe!
On your gathering place, you say: I felt incredibly tender as I embarked on my artsy journey, so I did it all on the down low with an assumed name so I could sign up for various workshops and classes without anyone knowing who the hell I was, really.
In the process I discovered who the hell I was, really. Funny, that.
What advice, born of this experience, do you have for others who are feeling blocked or maybe just out of sorts, who are thinking about art, afraid they can’t do it, afraid they’re not good enough? Afraid of participating in anything that might put their work in front of anyone else?
I’d advise anyone who has a bee in their bonnet to try something new to just do it. Even if they have to do it under an assumed name. It is important for us all to remember that it is often audacity and not talent that gets artists somewhere, and the audacity to go with the desire to try something new that often leads us to finding our bliss and living out of our passions. Of all the lessons I learned from The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron, the idea that audacity is so powerful has been the key for me. Think you can’t draw but want to? Take a class. Intimidated by the thought of writing a novel but have a story to tell? Start with a paragraph. Want to try art journaling but you’re terrified? Plug “art journal” into a search bar and link hop for a few hours. Youtube is especially awesome for tutorial videos on art journaling!
The only difference between those that do and those who do not is that those that do *start*. So, start!
You say: We art here [at Wild.Precious]. A lot. We also write, photojaunt, explore our spirituality as it informs our creativity, and yes. We also verb nouns, but that’s a story for another day! Wild Precious Studio is an on line art journaling and mixed media art community for Spiritual Creatives.
You seem to be creating an art community around yourself. How did that start, how is it progressing, and where do you see it going?
I’m creating an art community around the concept that for some people, creativity is an intensely spiritual act. I came up with the idea during an art journaling session in which I found myself asking “Wouldn’t it be neat if I gathered a tribe of other people who are also spiritual creatives?” The answer was ‘yes, it would be awesome!’. So, I did it.
The vision I have for Wild Precious Studio is that it will be a sanctuary for those for whom making art is less about a pretty end result and more about passionate self-exploration and expression. We currently have over 200 members who are undertaking massively spiritual projects, such as The Artist’s Way, The Truth Project, and The Red Tent – all gathering places for women within our community to share their experience and wisdom and explore their own authentic creative and spiritual selves. It is progressing beautifully in the sense that we are less about numbers and more about quality of interaction. Our membership is involved and participants often connect outside of the studio as well as forging friendships within the safety of our sanctuary walls. I see the Studio being around for a long time to come, and I hope to teach classes in the future that will assist women in attaining a sense of personal sovereignty and empowerment through mixed media arts and art journaling.
If someone wanted to follow in your footsteps, how would you suggest they begin?
Start blogging your passion, and read and comment on blogs that reflect that passion as well. This will help you to gather in your ‘tribe’. Everyone has something to offer the world, and once you know what it is, you can confidently begin to build your readership. As you do so, you may need to create special space to accommodate the kind of interaction you want to be having with your tribe. I chose NING as my platform, but there are other ways. A simple blog is enough to start with.
Who would you like to invite to come play with you?
I would love to invite other spiritual creatives to come play with me in the Studio. I love to interact with people for whom arting is a spiritual act that helps them to maintain a connection with the divine as they understand the divine.
Do you have a favorite art journaling tip you’d like to share? Or a favorite site (besides Wild.Precious).
My favourite website is http://willowing.ning.com/. It is also a mixed media arts community run by a beautiful artist by the name of Tamara Laporte. If you’re new to mixed media, drawing, or art journaling, Willowing is a perfect place to start. Look for Tamara’s “Art, Heart and Healing” course, which is free and covers a lot of the basics of artful healing with mixed media.
Can you share some of your favorite inspirational books with us? Favorite creative folks?
I love The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron. It is the singular most powerful program I’ve ever undertaken as an artist. My favourite creative folks are: Pam Carriker, Kelly Kilmer, Tamara LaPorte, and Milliande – all mixed media artists, all art journalists, and all fabulous.
Anything else you’d like to add (and I do mean *anything*! – this is your platform).
“You don’t need to be an expert to begin.” This simple sentence will get you started, and once started, you’ll be unstoppable!
I can’t leave this post without honoring the people of Japan (A Letter from Sendaiand Human Spirit Rises to Meet Japanese Tsunami) and asking you to pray or send white light or hold them in your hearts, as is your practice. Daughter came up with an awesome idea for her school kids (she’s a teacher): a 1000 crane project…Cranes to be made by the kids and sold for $1, with the proceeds going to support Japan’s devastated areas. Here’s Wikipedia on the concept of 1000 cranes: anyone who folds a thousand origami cranes will be granted a wish by a crane, such as long life or recovery from illness or injury. The crane in Japan is one of the mystical or holy creatures (others include the dragon and the tortoise), and is said to live for a thousand years. In Japan, it is commonly said that folding 1000 paper origami cranes makes a person’s wish come true.
To me, this is wylde spirituality at its best. I am proud of my Daughter always, and beyond delighted at her creativity and compassion here. Maybe you could join her from where ever you are?!
Or, if you’d like to donate to the cost of the supplies, I”ll see that it gets to her. She teaches at a Title 1 school, William Paca, “in the shadow of the Redskins’ Stadium” as she likes to say (as she notes how much money is given to professional sports in tax breaks, while she pays for supplies for her kids). No 5013C here, just a teacher with a great idea! If you leave your address, I’ll send you a personal thank you!
Wonderful post! I love the 1000 crane project idea! I am going to print off and send to our local schools to see if they can run with it too! I live in a very small community but every little helps. I will blog it to and link back. We may not get a 1000 cranes all in one place but every single one counts no matter where eh?!
So much beautiful information in this post, Tammy! Your interview with Effie is a reminder that we CAN! do whatever is in our hearts. Effie’s creation, Wild Precious, is a truly unique oasis of art and mutual soul support, and it began with a tiny seed of an idea inside a person who said I CAN! If that’s not the purpose of vision, then I don’t know what is!
Your daughter’s 1000 Cranes project is heart and soul inspiring! Involving her students will do much more than help in this one crisis. It will provide each student with direct experience in banding together with love and support as their common purpose. Something the world truly needs is a youth educated in the language of love and giving. Congratulations to your daughter, and to you for raising her!! XOXO
3 Comments
Rona – an on-line friend’s daughter has 100 cranes she had already made that she is donating
to the project!
Every little bit does help! I will let daughter know her idea is going viral.
Wonderful post! I love the 1000 crane project idea! I am going to print off and send to our local schools to see if they can run with it too! I live in a very small community but every little helps. I will blog it to and link back. We may not get a 1000 cranes all in one place but every single one counts no matter where eh?!
So much beautiful information in this post, Tammy! Your interview with Effie is a reminder that we CAN! do whatever is in our hearts. Effie’s creation, Wild Precious, is a truly unique oasis of art and mutual soul support, and it began with a tiny seed of an idea inside a person who said I CAN! If that’s not the purpose of vision, then I don’t know what is!
Your daughter’s 1000 Cranes project is heart and soul inspiring! Involving her students will do much more than help in this one crisis. It will provide each student with direct experience in banding together with love and support as their common purpose. Something the world truly needs is a youth educated in the language of love and giving. Congratulations to your daughter, and to you for raising her!! XOXO