What Makes For A Really Great Day?

What makes for a really great day? It must have really been a great day since it is now 9:00 pm on Thursday and I actually feel like writing a post for this neglected blog.  I will probably finish this 36 hours later but it is a start and my tenses may be all over the place. I will try to stay present as much as possible but will most likely end up present imperfect.

Copyright 2013 Marilyn Grad

Back to the question at blog. Waking up is ALWAYS a grand start and finding your groove. It also helps that as the day progresses you somehow manage to laugh and work through the stress and nonsense, and keep matters in perspective. I managed much to my relief. 

Copyright 2013 Marilyn Grad

What made this day feel so great was knowing I had the next two days off and they were going to be filled with some celebrations in art and yoga. Soul food. My plans for the evening included attending a collaborative performance of music and video by friend and coworker, photographer John Atwood at Intuit.

Several hours before that performance, I had the joy and pleasure of selling three bracelets to another co-worker's mother who lives in Austria and was visiting briefly. She had noticed the bracelets I was wearing the day before and wanted some so I brought some in the next day (today-Friday). The few English words she spoke outnumbered my German, but our nonverbal exchange was beautiful and fun. By the time this posts she will have already returned home having worn one of my bracelets on the flight and the others are now probably seeing the sights of Austria. I wish I was a bracelet.

On my way to Intuit, I spontaneously and unexpectedly discovered A Brave New Art World, in the River North Art Gallery district.  I entered participating galleries, saw performance artists and tasted new local beverages that are presently (told you my tenses were going to be all over the place) making their way into the marketplace.

The best was meeting, talking and laughing with contemporary asian art gallery owner Andrew Bae. We had an interesting conversation about the globalization of art. He catered his event with Cuban cuisine which I found hilarious. What can I say? He did too!

If you are still with me and following this (thank you and bless you), what is and was truly great about this day is and was that I was nurtured by my passions and interests with some unexpected surprises along the way. I was happy. Obstacles are getting out of my way. I began to feel roots taking place in Chicago after 30 years here. (Will see how long that lasts.) This and that makes for a great day! Thanks Ganesha. Here's looking to a successful future tense.

Copyright 2013 Marilyn Grad



Enlightenment From The Kitchen Sink

 

I am a visual person. I like to do visualizations. I even create a vision board every year. When negative, overly sensitive, self-doubt, shame and jealous thoughts possess my mind, far too frequently for my taste and vision, and impair my creative side, I have tools and techniques to get me through them. But sometimes those are not enough or seem to be doing the trick. 

Recently I was given that something else, a visual gift which required me to seek outside professional help. Would you like to see what all the dark thoughts and goings on inside my head would look like without doing a brain scan? Me too. Yes, it is a pre-existing condition of mine so thank goodness I have insurance. I was not declined. 

  

The gift: It's all here in its all its murky, smelly black and white and silver glory. All that was required of me was to look down at my kitchen sink, wait and watch things clear out. No words necessary.

 

What a visualization!! and a process. After clearing away the muck resulting from black acrylic paint building up and clogging the sink, it finally opened up with the help of something stronger- a plumber and a mental purge. 

Motivated By Words and Numbers, Artistically Speaking

"To be beautiful means to be yourself. You don't need to be accepted by others.

You need to accept yourself."

Thich Nhat Hanh

I love this quote. I love the art I now make. And I do accept myself-my strengths, insecurities and shortcomings. Truly, I do. However, where Thich Nhat Hanh and I diverge is the second sentence of this quote. I do need to be accepted by others when it comes my art.  Seeing my LIKE numbers go up on virtual social media sites, getting into brick and mortar locations and under some tarp (aka outdoor shows & a tent!) would be a beautiful thing.  Especially financially. It weighs on me. There goes that comparison to others thang.  And like the lottery, I am very aware that I have to keep playing and applying myself to increase the odds in order to fulfill those goals and objectives.

THE NUMBERS: Forget Facebook at the moment. What is now triggering the numbers game is my recent sign up to the See.Me site, formerly Artists Wanted. It is a wonderful site of over 615,000 artists (an intimate gathering), from all over the world and all mediums, who can connect, share and support one another, and are all eligible to compete for cash, grants, and the opportunity show in New York. I really like this site and the international support I am starting to receive in less than three weeks is gaining some momentum. Now that does feel good.

THE WORDS: Last Monday (January 21) and for 6 consecutive days, I have watched,  listened and transcribed the words of artist Wayne White, from an Independent Lens documentary entitled Beauty is Embarressing  that aired on our local PBS station. There was much to be learned and be inspired from this 90 minute film and who knows when it will air again. Love him!!!  Here is a brief introduction:

"Art makes no sense as far as a career. I just want to do it for myself. I am just as insecure as anybody in alot of ways. There has to be this other kind of faith in yourself. I always take this big cosmic view: You're only going to live maybe 80-90  years, if you're lucky, and that's it, that's all you get, so why not?"

 Wayne White 

"If you always do what interests you, at least one person is pleased."

Katherine Hepburn

Making An Artistic Statement in 2013: Mine

Twelve days into 2013,  I'm ready to make THE statement about my art. It's time to get the words rolling, honor my blogging vows and start fulfilling goals that did not happen in 2012. How I am ever reminded that it is a process. There is also an inspirational video that takes a no holds bar approach especially when to comes to the green stuff$$.

 

MARILYN GRAD

ARTIST STATEMENT

Marilyn Grad’s Mixed Media Creations is an eclectic body of work, all original, all individually handpainted, and one-of-a- kind or limited edition.  My philosophy and approach to art is simple: it is enriching, healing, sacred and essential in life.  I am currently embarking on a new direction with my art: one that is soulful, insightful, personally fulfilling and incorporates a few of my many passions. A self taught artist, you will see my personality and humor authentically reflected in my creations, which is comprised of wall art, wood bangles and wood boxes. They are unique, colorful, inspirational, spiritual, whim(sical), functional, decorative, and wearable.

I have affection and feel a strong connection to Asian and Indian art and culture; iconic symbolism and representation such as the Buddha and the Hindu deities; Eastern religion and philosophy (Buddhism and Hinduism) and use these in my inspirational and Geisha paintings.  As a yoga student and practitioner, the yogic teachings also have an influential role in these pieces, my life, and most definitely my creative process. All together, it leads to living a more beautiful, calm and healthy lifestyle both on and off the canvas.

Wood is the foundation material I like to use in most of the pieces. It provides me with appreciated support, strength and durability and doesn’t break should you accidently drop it. Other materials I presently use include acrylics, texture paint, gem stones, crystals, natural stones, resin deities, glass tiles, found and recycled objects, canvas, and clay. Every piece is finished with a non-toxic polyurethane varnish.

Thank you for taking the time to read this Artist Statement. I now invite you to look, feel, and connect with my art in your own unique way.

Visit my website at http://www.marilyngrad.com

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I had A LOT of doubts and blocks about my artistic future in 2012.  I have my itch back now. This video has corrected the errors of my mindset- easier said than done. I apologize for the overpowering size of this video. I just copied and pasted the code and whoa. This message is huge!  I love how my art is incorporated (thanks blogger) in the video. I like seeing my work in New York. I nice goal and vision for 2013!! Click on the center of the image to start the video.