One Rare Bird

Oh Susannah (Conway)

Two weeks ago I had the great privilage of meeting the woman behind all the Unraveling I've done over the past two years. Susannah was even more brilliant and funny and oh-so real in person, and I will treasure having been in the same room as someone who has inspired so much of my journey toward self-love and creative growth. She just wrote her first book, This I Know, and if you haven't read it already, then I highly recommend you do. I've documented much of my Unraveling journey here on my blog, so if you look back at my archives you will get a small, though wildly incomplete, idea of what Susannah's book is about. She writes so beautifully and has a wonderful way of pulling you in and hugging you with her words. Below are two small portions of the excerpts Susannah read to the small crowd of 35 people intimately packed in Kelly Rae's studio in Portland two weeks ago, and it's an understatement to say Susannah stole my heart...

An Ending, A Beginning...

"There wasn't any particular moment when my healing began, but moving back to the coast gave me the head and heart space I needed. I've never regretted leaving London the way I did. It also meant I was closer to my oldest friend. There were many evenings when helping Madeleine make dinner for the kids was the most soothing balm I could have wished for, the constant noise and chatter bringing me back into my body and aware of what day it was. Children are so alive, so in the right now, like little Zen masters in Spiderman pajamas."

The Art of Belonging....

"The day of his birth is a story shared between my sister, her partner, and me, our mother waiting outside the ward, a twenty-six hour transitin from before to after, the final ten-hour stretch fueled by laughing gas for my sister and endless sandwhiches for me. As my sister drifted in and out of consciousness, I have never been more present than I was during those last few hours. I took photographs of the delivery room so she could remember the place where her son was born; I held her hand through the contractions; I stepped away to let the new father hold his son. I saw his little face come out, and watched the slippery smallness of his body carried up and over into my sister's arms. And I didn't know it at the time, but my heart opened right then in preparation for what was to come; if I'd listened closely I'd have heard the bandages rip."

Crush of the Week: Girl Crush Portland (with Lisa Golightly and The Jealous Curator)

This past Saturday I attended Girl Crush Portland with the very lovely Lisa Golightly and my all-time favorite blogger, Danielle Krysa (aka: The Jealous Curator), where I met some wonderful new friends and found some much-needed validation after the previous days’ chaos.

The morning started out with yummy coffee, pastries, and getting-to-know-you conversations that quickly turned into a beautiful three hours full of sharing our stories, empathetic head-nodding, and an exercise from The Artist's Way to help us reach deeper into our passions. I keep thinking back on the morning and am amazed at how quickly I opened up to these women I had just met. I'm not usually so quick to give it all away up front like that, and my first reaction is to feel uncomfortable with such quick vulnerability, but these women weren't just anyone. I felt like I'd known them my whole life.

After taking a mid-day break and devouring a delicious lunch, we went down to Lisa's studio where we created collage pieces on beautiful Plywerk panels. We consumed more coffee and enjoyed sweet mini cupcakes while continuing our previous conversations between bouts of quiet concentration. The time went by way too quickly and I was sad to say goodbye, but I am grateful to have been part of such an encouraging and lovely experience. Here’s a little peek into our day…

The Morning...

The Afternoon...

Crushing on "Girl Crush"

It's no secret that I've harbored a passionate crush for Danielle Krysa (aka: The Jealous Curator) for sometime now, and when I found out earlier this year that Danielle was organizing small get-together's, called Girl Crush, for artists all over the country, I knew I had to be involved. The icing on the cake - not only literally since there will be cupcakes and pastries involved - is that Danielle is bringing Girl Crush to Portland on June 9th, and two of my biggest crushes will be there: Danielle herself and Lisa Golightly (aka: Kiki & Poly). This is a chance for local artists to "to walk away from our computers, and actually meet in person for a glorious, creative, pastry-filled day. To figure out a way to break through artist blocks. To get inspired, and recharged. To celebrate being women artists… and obviously, to have a reason to eat lots of pretty little cakes & tarts in the middle of the day!" And just look at what an amazing day Danielle has planned...

ART WORKSHOP + TEA PARTY
Portland, Saturday June 9th 2012
~ 14 people {including Danielle and Lisa} for an entire Saturday of creative fun!
~ 9am tea & coffee & pastries & chatting {kind of like a "pre-tea party" party!}
~ a talk by Danielle re: women/art/insecurities/inspirations
~ a talk about insecurities/inspirations from Lisa Golightly {a working artist who also feels blocked sometimes - after all, it happens to the best of us!}
~ everyone introduces themselves/share their issues {artist blocks, too many ideas but not executing any!, etc}
~ break into groups and do 2 to 3 exercises to help with these issues {just requires a fancy notebook & pencil, which will be provided}
~ tea party lunch {catered by a local restaurant/bistro ~ sandwiches & salads, followed by lots of fancy little treats!}
~ after lunch we'll make some art with lisa, based on our morning talk, and you can take it home and hang it on your wall - something nice to look at on those days when you are feeling blocked!
~ 6pm whoever wants to go out for dinner together can… but if everyone is pooped, we'll just call it a day. sound good? YES!

And if - God forbid - you're not familiar with Lisa Golightly, here's a sneak-peek at her amazing work...

If you happen to be available on June 9th you should definitely plan on coming, and if you're not available then I strongly suggest you drop your plans! Look at how awesome Girl Crush was in San Francisco with Lisa Congdon...

I hope to see you there!

We Made the Lilacs Bloom

Alicia Bock

I recently stumbled upon Bentlily, a blog by Samantha Reynolds, where she writes a poem a day as a reminder to herself to stay present. I don't have a lot of experience with writing poetry but it's something I'm very interested in; so when I discovered Samantha's Instapoem feature where all I had to do was answer a few questions and she would create a lovely poem from my answers it was a no-brainer. Here is my poem:

It was the day we laughed so hard
we made the lilacs bloom

I was seven
it was warm

we were running like sea turtles
a game of fort building
happiness all balled up in our hearts
shooting out of us in shrieks and bellows

I'm a cheetah
she declared

and I decided I was too

a generous cheetah
with nothing to do
but chase the wind

they say it whips you in the face
but this isn’t how it works
if you run hard enough
the wind bores right into you

I don’t remember anything else
except the smell of the grass
sweet as wine

the wind carried the rest away.

Isn't it beautiful? I think it's time for me to stop sitting on the sidelines and give poetry a real try...

I'm Not As Think As You Drunk I Am

FYI: I'm not a big fan of cooking. Baking? Yes. Drinking? Yes. Cooking? No. So when I stumbled across My Drunk Kitchen I knew I'd found a girl after my own hart, Hannah Hart to be exact. She's not only hilarious, she's funny too, and she's taught me that cooking can be tolerable with the right amount of alcohol. So sit back, pull up a bottle, and follow the directions carefully. You don't want to miss this...

Episode 4: Not Easy, Bake Oven

"Hannah 'Harto' Hart is a bay area native and recent (as of January 2011) transplant to New York City. To support herself, Harto works as a proofreader for an international translation firm. In her free time, she can be found listening to music and doing sudoku in cafes. She calls this "writing". She enjoys long meandering walks, impromptu dance parties, and artisinal cheeses. Also, she's a big ol' homo."

Episode 6: Brunch

"Recently, Harto decided to make a cooking show and get drunk while doing it. 'My Drunk Kitchen' was received with mild (to moderate) attention and has encouraged aspiring alcoholics everywhere. For this she is very proud."

Episode 7: Tacos

"Currently, she stars in, films, and edits all of her own videos. Harto has also written a screenplay, some sketch comedy, and lots of terrible poetry. All of which she hopes one day to share."

Crush of the Week

There aren't many blogs I have the wherewithal to visit  on  a daily basis, so apart from my own, only a handful make the daily cut, and The Jealous Curator (aka: Danielle Krysa) is at the top of the list. I'm not sure where to begin...is it her witty commentary I love so much? Her amazing eye for art and the subsequent "soul-crushing" jealousy that ensues upon seeing it? Or is it that she is a talented artist herself? The obvious answer is: All The Above; and to top it off, she is a genuinely nice person. I think I'll start a new blog called "Jealous of Jealousy" and make it all about Danielle. Here is what she has to say for herself:

"There is one moment, in the first few seconds, when you look at a piece of art and know that you love it. It’s the moment when, if you’re an artist yourself, you look at it and feel a rush of uplifting inspiration… and total soul-crushing jealousy all at the same time. It’s when you walk away thinking, “Damn, I wish I thought of that.'"

Well Danielle, you just summed up how your work makes me feel...

{Oval Drive via Etsy}

And if that's not crush-inducing enough, Danielle was invited to curate her very first show in Washington DC a few weeks ago. She worked with the very talented Ben Skinner and the show was titled Try a Little Tenderness as Painful as it Seems - which just goes to show that Ben's work is not only fun and eye catching, but it's incredibly though-provoking and moving. I think I'm going to have to show you with my arms how much I love his work. This. Much.

Danielle and Ben, you both leave me thinking "Damn, I wish I thought of being you." xo

Crush of the Week

I am a HUGE sucker for embroidery - I love it on everything. But it wasn't until I stumbled across Australian artist Larua McKellar that my love and obsession with embroidery jumped to a feverish pitch. I love, love, love how she digitally printed these vintage images on fabric and embroidered the characters with fantastically quirky and colorful masks. I wonder if she'd be willing to spruce up some old photos of me? Swoon. Sigh. Laura McKellar you can poke me with your needle and thread any day. In fact, I hope you do.

{Artist discovery via The Jealous Curator}

Crush of the Week

A few weeks ago I stumbled across the very talented and crush-inducing awesomeness of  The 10 Cent Designer (aka: Lori Andrews). I don't know what I love more, her amazing photography skills, interior design genius, her love of food and cooking, or her I Lost My Head Again series. Though to be honest, it's not just one of these things that has me crushing big-time, she's the whole package; and if I possessed one ounce of Lori's eye for style and design I promise I wouldn't be sitting here now- I'd be off in a snowy meadow wearing scuba gear or staging ariel scenes of me and John laying lifeless on the living room floor. Swoon. 10 Cent Designer, thanks for being my Crush of the Week. It wouldn't be the same without you.

And she  looks fan-freakin-tastic in a Wonder Woman costume! Told you she was awesome.

Unhappy Hipsters: It's Lonely in the Modern World

If you're like me and enjoy the occasional, or perhaps more regular, activity of  perusing the most recent issue of the latest design magazines, then it's likely you've also felt completely inadequate and utterly defeated about your own life afterwards. The images in these magazines are at first inspiring, but around page 12 I start to spiral into a depression, and wonder, "Who are these people?"... "Who lives like that?"..."They look so rich and happy"..."What's wrong with me?" And this is where I realize I'm being completely ridiculous. Just because the images indicate otherwise, it doesn't mean the people  in those awesome houses - full of "Eames" this and "Scandinavian" that - aren't still human and trying to figure life out like the rest of us. Right?? So that's when I put down my dark-depression-waiting-to-happen and head over to Unhappy Hipsters. Thank you for restoring my adequacy, you've saved me tons in therapy.

"Wide-eyed by nature, the owls lamented that they weren’t better able to express the ocular trauma of this new turquoise monstrosity." (Photo: Jasper James; Dwell)

"The things that once so defined him — shag carpeting, Room & Board sofas, monogamy — now suffocated him." (Photo: Dean Kaufman; Dwell, September 2009)

"Believe it or not, it was one of their more successful parties." (Photo: Unknown; Dwell)

"He reassured the distraught homeowner: Though there was only one window, the twisted stack of boxes was eminently livable." (Photo: Andy Friedberg; Dwell, March 2007)

"She’d been begging her parents to swap out the gravel for a real lawn, with chairs and everything. She hadn’t counted on their literalism." (Photo: Dave Lauridsen; Dwell)

"There are certain sacrifices one has to make when choosing a designer environ. The ability to comfortably recline tops the list." (Photo: Celine Clanet; Dwell, February 2010)

"One day, after a particularly dull afternoon, she would yank hard enough on the vertical drawer to wrench it off the track, sending everything crashing to the floor—and tell her husband it was an accident. But not today." (Photo: Jack Thompson; Dwell March 2008)

"It was a tossup: Joyless in the natural world or grinning maniacally in the concrete-cased 'Happy Home' diorama?" (Photo: Crisobal Palma; Dwell)

"Must. Have. More. Paneling." (Photo: Daniel Hennessy; Dwell)

These go on and on, but you get the point. Besides, I feel MUCH better now.

A Room For Living

It's one more week until the big move and despite all the packing I still need to do, all I can think about it how I'm going to decorate the new place---with the biggest challenge being the living room. It's nearly twice as big as what we have now and I'm not quite sure what to do with it. So today I'm rounding up some inspiration via Design Sponge. The sneak peaks they do over there are just as inspiring as they are soul-crushing, and I'm definitely not too proud to rip off an idea or two---possibly more...

Jill Malek

Night Owl

Axel Eben Meyer

Kelley Lilien

Angela Niguori

Linda Ketelhut

Lynda Gardner

Erin Heath

Emerson Made

Laruen Bradshaw

Stacey Sargent

Hmmm...who do I rip off first? Decisions, decisions.