War

Dec 132010
 

Dragon, ©2010 Jaimee Todd

I’m declaring war on my studio. I had to; the messiness that has been slowly overtaking my workspace has started to resemble the aftermath of a hurricane. I’ve always been a little bit on the messy side but I like to think of it as organized chaos because while most outsiders would look at it as a mess, I know where everything is and where it’s supposed to go.

Lately, however, it’s gotten past the close and I was beginning to get lost in the hurricane and decided it was time to do a total purge. I started this weekend with a lot of filing and rearranging (and cursing in amazement of all the crap that I’ve accumulated over the years).  Next weekend will  involve tackling all the hidden monsters that I have mindlessly stashed in my storage closet for the two years.

Another reason why I need to clean my studio out is because I really need to carve out that calm, peaceful space that is waiting for me in the morning when I stumble out of bed and try to put in an hour or so or creative time before I have to go to the day job. I realize that mornings are the best time for me artistically and I need to make the most of them. As I mentioned in my prior post, I’m really itching to get back into painting, but being that that can be a messy process unto itself, it works a lot better when you have a clean slate to work on.

Aside from just cleaning my space, I also want to make it inviting. You would think as an artist that I would have my walls adorned with pieces, but I’m actually pretty  bad at hanging stuff up whether it’s my own art or someone else’s. When I do finally get something up, I usually find it inspiring and a nice visual break for my eyes. So with that said, I really must get cracking.

I plan on doing some before/after pictures and share with you all. In the meantime, if you have any ideas for organizing and decorating, please do share them here!

Morning

Dec 072010
 

Daybreak in Michigan.

Break

Nov 282010
 

©2010 Jaimee Todd

It wouldn’t be unreasonable to conclude that my dropping off for a week was due to a much needed break for Thanksgiving. It was nice to do a whole lot of nothing so I could recharge my batteries. Spending time with the family and unplugging from digital land (with the exception of some brief excursions with my camera) helped a lot to refocus my energies. I think it’s so important for everyone to be able to get away from their physical environment every once and a while so that they can press their own internal “reset” button.

So after in being reset mode for a week, it’s time to get back in the saddle with a lot of upcoming projects on the horizon, which include adding new items to my online store, submitting work for an upcoming show in the City, and working on new goals for the upcoming months. On top of that, I need to start painting again. I’ve been so enchanted with photography that I’ve taken a lot of focus off the paints and brush, but now I realize that I really miss that meditative (albeit sometimes obsessive) process of painting.

With that said, I hope everyone had a restful and enjoyable holiday!

Feeling Unappreciated?

Nov 192010
 

Vincent Van Gogh, Willow In Sunset

Well if you are, then think about how some other artists feel, like the ones featured in this blog post  sent to me  by Kaitlyn Cole from OnlineUniversities.com.  While reading it was comforting in the sense that some great artists were ahead of their time, it’s sad to think that they met their end (in some ways very tragically) without being able to see the fruits of their labor.

At any rate, here is the blog post “10Incredible Unappreciated Artists In Their Time” .Thanks to Kaitlyn  for sharing!

Autumn’s Garden

Nov 142010
 

©2010 Jaimee Todd

Mr. Parks

Nov 102010
 
A few days ago, I happened to notice that the building where I work in has several hand-signed prints of Gordon Parks’ photographs. It was a terrific surprise since Parks is one of my heroes. I had been in this building for a few weeks and I had always noticed the pictures  as I walked into the entrance  but I  assumed that they were just paintings.It wasn’t until I got up close that I realized that not only were they photographs, but they belonged to Gordon Parks himself!  The soaring subject matter and the placement reminded me a lot of the lush paintings of flowers and desert scenes that Georgia O’Keeffe painted. I would try and snap a picture for you guys but I’m not sure security would like that, but stay tuned…
 
I call Gordon Parks my hero not only because of his artistry with his photographs, but also for how he lived his life as a true “Renaissance Man”. I remember watching the documentary Half Past Autumn about him a few years ago on HBO and being absolutely amazed by how he lived his life on his own terms. That he was able to forge ahead and create a multi-faceted career in the face of adversity and discrimination is truly remarkable and inspiring. To boldly explore the realms of poetry, photography, musical composition, film directing, writing fiction, just to name a few, requires an incredible sense of tenacity and insatiable hunger. “I had a great sense of curiosity and a great sense of just wanting to achieve,” he once said. “I just forgot I was black and walked in and asked for a job and tried to be prepared for what I was asking for.” (New York Times, March 8, 2006)
  
As I watched that documentary, I realized that I wanted to be like Gordon Parks. I wanted to have that curiosity and appetite to explore and decide for myself what I really want to do, rather than being told what I should humbly prefer. His New York Times obituary said it best:  
 
An iconoclast, Mr. Parks fashioned a career that resisted categorization. No matter what medium he chose for his self-expression, he sought to challenge stereotypes while still communicating to a large audience. In finding early acclaim as a photographer despite a lack of professional training, he became convinced that he could accomplish whatever he set his mind to. To an astonishing extent, he proved himself right.(Andy Grundberg, March 8, 2006)
 Coming upon those photographs was a nice jolt creative espresso that was much needed. It helped me to rediscover that place in my heart that whispers to me to continually pursue my dreams. Thank you, Mr. Parks.

Some Good Advice

Nov 042010
 

Image of Good Fucking Design Advice Poster / Black

 

I have to thank Elle for telling me about this site by, excuse me, Good Fucking Design Advice Store on Big Cartel. They’re selling t-shirts that basically give some good tough advice about what it takes to cut the mustard in the design world. The advice is, shall we say, rather colorful but I think on point. Normally, I try to edit my profanity on this blog but somehow it has a place here and keeps it pretty forceful. Elle has retyped a cleaner version and shared it with me so that we can both have it to keep us motivated. Enjoy!

 

Big Sky, Big City

Oct 312010
 

©2010 Jaimee Todd

You know me and my clouds. Taken from the Brooklyn Promenade last weekend.

Internet Candy

Oct 262010
 

I love the internet. It is such a wonderful and endless source of information and I am continually on it. So much so, that I know that if I ever got a chance to land on Jeopardy, I would RACK UP from all the information that I’ve absorbed. My friends are always asking, after I forwarded them my latest exciting find, “How on earth do you find all this stuff?”

Amongst the vast resources that are out there, there are several sites that I love to frequent because they are inspirational, informative and just plain fun, especially when it come to things related to art and design. Here are some of my favorites that I am sure would rock and add to your creative world:

Design Sponge: Founded by Grace Bonney of Brooklyn, NY, this fun hangout celebrates all things lovely in the world of art and design. Her site is frequently punctuated by beautiful photographs of wonderfully decorated interiors, funky and quirky art by emerging artists and creative DIY projects. My favorite feature of her blog is the weekly “Biz Ladies” colum that offers practical, down-to-earth advice for aspiring art entrepreneurs. I’ve learned so much from this column and thanks to it, I now know about great sites like Moo (terrific for biz cards), Big Cartel and Etsy, all of which have helped to further my art business.

Moo: And speaking of Moo, I ADORE their products. I used them to generate new business cards and I must say I’m very addicted. The great thing about Moo is that you can customize your design to your heart’s content. I like to put images of my paintings on the back of each card, which is printed on lovely, hefty card stock that will make other business cards look like wussies! Moo cards are truly the way to go when you want to promote your product and I get lots of compliments on the little gems that I hand out. Now I’m geeked because they just started selling customizable stickers. All hail the Moo! But now back to business…

Art Biz Blog: This is another tremendously resourceful site that was created by Alyson Stanfield. Alyson is a former museum curator turned entrepreneur/consultant/teacher. She frequently travels around the country to conduct seminars on how you can bolster your art career through tips on marketing, networking, brainstorming, you name it. Her Art Biz Blog is an extension of that. This is such a fantastic resource for emerging and estabilshed artists and what’s especially nice about it is that has fostered a very generous community of artists that are mutually supportive and unsparing in advice and enthusiasm.

The 99 Percent: I recently discovered this site a few months ago and have been sucked in by it. Just now when I went to double-check the link of that site, I started getting engrossed in the articles. It’s truly a goldmine for the creative mind. Not only does it offer practical tips on marketing and entrepreneurial topics, but it also gives advice and no-nonsense articles about keeping the creative momentum going. One of the first articles that I read by them was entitled “99 Excuses For Not Making Ideas Happen”. I told you they were no-nonsense…

Black Art In America: This site is especially wonderful in that it’s like a homecoming for black artists who wish to share their work within a community that fosters support, education and diversity. The talented Laura James (who is a frequent and generous contributor to the site) turned me onto this networking community and it has been a wonderful experience. BAIA has a similar set-up to Facebook/Myspace (but not as life-consuming, which is a good thing) My favorite part of the site is being able to see pictures of all the incredible artwork that is shared by fellow BAIA artists, who range from the upcoming to the well-known. Being able to view the artwork of all the members also makes it a fantastic resource for art collectors.

So there you have it; some of my favorite things in internet land. I hope you enjoy the sites as much I enjoyed writing about them. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I must go and surf.

Morning Arabesque

Oct 212010
 

Morning Arabesque, ©2010 Jaimee Todd

Sorry I’ve been a little scarce with the blog postings this week, but I still have time to give you your weekly Moment of Zen! This is a pic of a one of the little handmade Moroccan bowls that sits on my dining room table. The morning light was spilling into so beautifully that I couldn’t resist!

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