Acceptable Reasons to Cry in Public

Ok, lets just condense the
why-i-haven’t-been-here-in-a-year-or-so  into 
“i’m erratic” and move on,
because that is much less interesting than why I am here now.

I recently funded and participated in a Kickstarter art project, Acceptable Reasons to Cry in Public, a project by “a girl in Salt Lake City“, that  is a really cool example of what I think of as Urban Art Intervention. Here’s how the Kickstarter campaign was presented:

This past summer, my best friend and I found ourselves crying in public for various reasons and in various places (multiple sidewalks, a gas station, an auto parts stores, a concrete bench outside a law building). We made total spectacles of ourselves.

People who cry in public force everyone to witness—it’s completely embarrassing and also sort of awesome. We want our essay to perform this kind of spectacle. The kind where complete strangers are pulled into another person’s intimate grief—just by sharing the public space.

So! We’re printing our essay over four 11 x 17 broadside posters and posting the edition of 350 (that’s 1400 posters!) in multiple cities—hopefully yours!

When you support the project, you’ll not only be helping out with printing costs, material costs and shipping costs—you’ll also become one of our project curators (or distributors). This means we’ll send you the broadside essay. You’ll choose 3 posters to display somewhere in public (on a top-secret designated day in November) and keep the fourth as a thank you prize.

Help us out. It’s going to be rad.

How could anyone resist that?! The hardest part was deciding where to put them up. Although part of me wanted to hang them in some really cool, trendy part of Portland or somewhere iconic, like Powell’s Bookstore, …the other part wanted them to be in my neighborhood and/or places where people might be ready to cry, because I see a lot of folks that I think might need to cry in public, and seeing this hanging up somewhere might just subliminally say, “Hey, its okay — we all do it”.

MAGDolls Hair Parlor, Portland, OR

So I chose the shop of my favorite hair genius, Michelle at MAGdolls because she gets a very diverse group of folks in her shop, some of whom seem very likely to cry in public, and if you did need to cry, Michelle’s shop would be a very safe place to do it. Although I have not yet cried there, when I’m feeling sad I like to change the shape and color of my hair.

Then I thought about the places where I have actually cried in public and I realized that it was usually in places where i felt sort of anonymous, part of a large crowd of people where i didn’t particularly stand out, places with nooks and crannies i could dip into if the crying became too much to hide. I thought of Mt. Scott Community Center where I sometimes go to swim. Although I haven’t cried there yet, it is not inconceivable that this could happen and this would be the type of place I could do it in and not feel completely exposed. Looking at the picture just now I imagined the person putting up the lost pet poster and how they were probably crying while they did it. And even though the Community Center looks pretty ritzy, it is located in a park that used to be a druggie hangout, in my neighborhood in the somewhat blighted area of outer Southeast Portland called “Felony Flats”. What my friend refers to as living in “the Deep, Deep South”. There are most likely people with all sorts of reasons to cry in public here.

On my way out of the center, contemplating the third site, I spotted a lonely looking bus stop. I have done much public crying over the years on, or waiting for, public transportation. I realized I didn’t have any tape and then I had a brilliant idea. I would go to “I’ve Been Framed”, my favorite local art store, get tape, ask them to put a poster up there (because probably artists are a large “cry-in-public” demographic) and then put the fourth poster up with tape at the bus stop. I purchased my transparent duct tape (along with a cool new sketch book and some pens!) and headed for the bus stop. Sadly, when I got there and looked in my envelope there was only the cardboard piece to prevent bending. I’m not sure what happened to the last poster. If I find it somewhere I will drive straight to that bus stop.

I’ve Been Framed Art Store, Portland, Oregon

In the meantime, if you are at a bus stop and you need to cry–go ahead, we all do it sometimes.

Doing is Important

self care doll for myself.

I’ve been learning alot in my 3D doll class. And not just about making dolls. I am learning (again…and again…and again…) that doing is important. I think alot. I have brilliant ideas (well, according to me, lol). I start alot of things. But sometimes I think just thinking about things is enough. Its the fun part and very satisfying. But I am learning (again) that doing, while it may not be the instant gratification of ideas, teaches in a whole different way. It is like the difference between a quick, delicious but unsustaining snack and a deeply satisfying meal made with love and precision and mindfulness. Snacks have their place but they are not a substitute for meals!

It also teaches me about me and fear, persistence, frustration, etc… And getting to the other side.

I have been enjoying making selfcare dolls for me and J. It ties in to the previous class on Dollmaking as a Transformative Art

self care doll made for J (in process)

. Having a visual, tangible reminder of how I want to experience life and take care of myself is helpful. I get lost in my head sometimes.

I will try to post here on a more regular basis. until next time, I hope you are happy and creating and enjoying life.

New online dollmaking class!

Pamela Hastings - Tears of the Cities

The last online class taught by Pamela Hastings was amazing (Dollmaking as a Transformative Process). I got so much from Pamela and the interactions with the other artists. Way more than I originally thought I would. It was a small, intense group and I find ideas from that class still inspiring my creative process.

This next class, Three-Dimensional Doll Design, goes more into the nuts and bolts (um, needles and threads… scissors and ?) of turning 2D ideas into 3D reality which is where I really (!) need help. I am so dyslexic when I sew. It is usually upside-down, inside-out and backwards from what I thought I was doing.

a little bit MIA lately

here as well as real life.

which is not to say that i haven’t been doing and making things. just kind of more haphazardly than i’d like.

played with painter 12 a little. I like it for the most part, the brushes are much spunkier and more realistic, but the interface feels kind of awkward to me. Maybe I’m just too used to the old one.

The Importance of Creative Community

There are forces for destruction all around us everyday: mass-produced crap, rudeness, shitty moral values, ugly buildings, toxic jobs, toxic relationships (in addition to the usual things like death, age and taxes) and for all people, everywhere, there needs to be some sort of antidote or you.will.go.crazy.

For people who consider creativity an important part of their lives, the antidote must include something that feeds it. This is where creative community comes in. People who get it…who get YOU. Who are positive forces for creation. Who can laugh at the idiosyncrasies of others, like them, who love odd things and odd people. People who share an appreciation for color, texture, shape, ideas. People to cheer you on in a world where this is rare.

Break out of your comfort zone. Feed your soul.

I do, every Sunday night, at a little community bar/restaurant, with like-minded folk and I come away feeling a little bit healed and a little bit nourished and a little more able to deal with the rest of the week and its attempts to tear me down.

And if you can’t find your community, make your community. Its important, it really is.

Artist: Pam Kravetz

I did an internet search on topsy-turvy dolls, a style of doll that’s been around for as long as I can remember. I wanted to see different ways of attaching arms and legs and generally to see how they are constructed. Well, I didn’t find any of that here at Pam Kravetz’ website, BUT I really liked these dolls and she is making them very much in the spirit of the transformative doll class i’m taking (which I am SO glad I signed up for).

Dollmaking as a Transformative Process

My birthday present to myself this year was taking the above class (sign-ups open until March 15th) from an artist who’s work I have long admired, Pamela Hastings (in conjunction with another artist, Barbara Kobe). I will share small bits and pieces here as they fit in with my larger explorations.

This is the body of a doll and some pieces I am playing with.

Online: Ruby Mag

Ruby Mag showcases international artists and photographers in an online slideshow with links to their respective websites. I especially like work by Ana Albero (Spain/Germany). &nbsp

and Ky Anderson (USA)

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Artist: Maya Bloch

Lost at E Minor is a creative website that sends a weekly newsletter that often introduces me to new artists that I really like. I thought what they said really captured my response to Maya Bloch.

“Maya Bloch’s richly textured and moody paintings really mesmerize me. It’s amazing to see those eyes glaring at you from the blobs of swirled color.”

Google Art Project

A local company, ArtMedia, emailed a link to this really cool project Google has undertaken with some major museums. I love how you can see the works zoomed close up and you can save multiple views with notes and share them. There are still a few minor glitches with the interface but overall an amazing accomplishment.

One of my favorites is this amazing beaded piece, “No Woman, No Cry” by Chris Ofili at the Tate Museum. Be sure to zoom in and to look at the night version, too.