What Would Happen If I Published Everyday?

What would happen if I published a blog post every single day?

I have not regularly published a blog in a long time but it is something I’d like to get back into the habit of. Really what I’d like to get into the habit of is publishing content, any content, on a regular basis. I’d like to do that because I am discovering a bit of regret from not properly documenting the recent years of my life.

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ZAF622 Interview #3 Lorri Acott-Fowler

In November of 2005 I began interviewing artists local to Fort Collins, Colorado and publishing those interviews in a webzine called ZAF622. I've decided to archive them here in my personal blog in order to preserve them long term. 

Interview #3 Artist: Lorri Acott-Fowler

Sometimes the clay breaks in the kiln, coffee is spilt on the sketch pad, film is ruined during development, or the interviewer’s tape recorder fails to record. As much as we try to control every aspect of a given project setbacks will happen. Everyone I asked advised me to just move on through it. This is my attempt to finally do just that.

I sat down with Lori in December of 2005 for this article. I had met her a year earlier on the 2004 MOCA Studio Tour. From that meeting I thought of her as the artist who sculpted the horses. The long legged horses that seemed to put her on the map. But as I talked to her I learned that her artistic depth reached much farther than horses. We talked for a little over an hour about art and life. I was pretty excited in the moment because it seemed like it was a good interview with a lot of good material. It was not until I got home and started to write the article that I realized my trusty tape recorder had malfunctioned. So now I am left with a few notes and the memory of our conversation to rely on. Here goes.

Like many artist Lorri lives a full life. She has a family and a career on her plate as well as her art. Her home is a statement on how they all fit together. The front yard of her house is graced by a large horse sculptor. Walking into the front door is walking into a small gallery displaying her work. Some old some new. And tucked back in what could be the dining room is her studio. And even though Lorri’s art takes up a lot of room in her home she said that her family supports her in her work. In fact her daughter is quite proud to have a mom who is an artist. Lorri knows that one day though her work will outgrow her house and will require a separate studio but for now it works out fine to be able to work in her home with her family around her.

Horses are just a small part of Lorri’s work. She also creates beautiful figures that have depth and meaning to her. It seems that every piece of Lorri’s work tells a story of her life. Stories of a journey and of self discover that she must tell.

Lorri lives and works in Fort Collins but her art is beginning to have an international impact. In 2004 she met a sculptor from Zimbabwe, Collen Nyanhongo, and the two formed a friendship that grew into an artistic partnership. In 2005 the two taught workshops together and started to notice a similarities in each others sculptures. Many of their works appear to by done by the same sculpture but in a different material. They have titled this “Unexpected Agreements” and it will be featured in a joint exhibition this summer at The Museum of Contemporary Art in Fort Collins.

Lorri also works at developing the art community. She has been a participant in MOCA’s studio tour and also demonstrated how her horses are made in the September/October 2005 issue of Pottery Making Illustrated.

After talking to Lorri I got a sense that she is just getting warmed up and has a big future as an artist ahead of her. Be sure to explore her website to see more of her amazing work. And take the time to visit MOCA this summer to experience Lorri’s work first hand.

ZAF622 Interview #2 Lisa Cameron Russell

In November of 2005 I began interviewing artists local to Fort Collins, Colorado and publishing those interviews in a webzine called ZAF622. I've decided to archive them here in my personal blog in order to preserve them long term. 

Interview #2 Artist: Lisa Cameron Russell

Are you an artist full time?

Yes, this is my day job. I do try and get graphic jobs to supplement my fine art work. I am also working on a job right now of illustrating a children’s book.

Will that involve a lot of illustrations?

Yes. I have to do character development and then the illustrations for the book. But the challenge is it will take about six months to do. So right now I am trying to crank out as much art as I can to keep the galleries supplied while I am working on these other projects.

You seem to be an artist that works in a lot of mediums.

Trying to get jobs basically.

Do any mediums come naturally to you?

Not really. Clay does have more freedom than paint does though.

Why is that?

I am not sure how to explain that. I think it is because I do portraits and things like that so people expect it to come out like the previous ones.

Do you ever get commissions for ceramics?

Well I had one last year but it is mostly the paintings that I get commissioned for.

How much commission work do you get?

Well mostly I am cranking out work for the galleries. I don’t think I’ve had any commissions this year. Mostly it has been “jobs” like graphics and stuff. I used to get like one portrait a year which I was happy to get. Actually I used to do more commissioned work that I do now. And I’ve done projects such as murals.

Do you want more commissions?

Well they’re fun but there are draw backs to them because of the certain amount of expectations to them. Now that I think about it, it is actually more fun not to do commissions. I used to like them and wanted them because it felt like “yeah” I got some jobs. But it turns out they are too much like jobs versus just making something and have someone like it.

So what does your work day look like?

My work day? [laughs] It changes everyday. It’s kinda weird. It freaks my husband out. He like “what are you doing today?” I have projects I am working on and I am on the board of Arts Alive so there are board meetings to go to and things like that. So it can seem like a chaotic mess of meetings and stuff that I have to fill in time with actually making stuff. Like just the other day I was flipping through my day timer and I had like two weeks without an appointment. Another artist commented on how I had no appointments and I had to laugh because that was my art time. My work time.

Do you work everyday?

Yes I do work everyday. Though I did take a trip to the Bahamas a couple of months ago.

When you have an idea for something what do you do with it? Do you keep it in your head, do you sketch it out?

I keep them sitting in here. [pointing to her head] I have sketched out some ideas to keep them straight so I know what was done and what I needed to do. I really don’t have the time to sketch it out. I really just want to crank it out.

Do you have any mentors or role models?

Well my mom is an art teacher. So that helped because I always had access to art materials and things like that. U of W had really excellent professors which would be kinda role models for me. They were really good. I really lucked out I think. But I had one TA that really taught me not to freak about doing it and to just do it.

Ever been blocked or had time when you couldn’t “just do it?”

Well when I was involved with a women’s network it was a time when I was really thinking about how can I make this work. Maybe if I go network with these business women I can learn things about business that will help me. And I got bogged down. That was like 5 years ago. Then I found Toastmasters and Toastmasters really helped me and enormous amount. I didn’t even know what Toastmasters was but it helped me to speak and to speak clearly and confidently. Which was huge for me. Its really a great thing for artists to do.

How do you feel about the business side of art?

It’s stressful and I have to spend a lot of time at it.

Does it help to be around other artists?

Yes it can be invigorating.

Do you ever experience burn out?

No, not yet. The more I do the more I want to do. I do sometimes feel like I am going to kill myself trying to get all this out but I mean life is so short.

How do you gauge success?

Well I feel successful because I have all sorts of jobs going on but its not financial. I just really want to be having fun. So that is success for me.

Check out Lisa’s website here.

ZAF622 Interview #1 Josh Fletcher

In November of 2005 I began interviewing artists local to Fort Collins, Colorado and publishing them in a webzine called ZAF622. I've decided to archive them here in my personal blog in order to preserve them long term.  Interview #1 Photographer: Josh Fletcher I first saw Josh’s photographs about two years ago hanging in a local coffee shop and they instantly made an impression on me. He used rich colors and simple objects to create solid photographs. Since then Josh has developed his photography through his travels and his adventures around the world. I sat down with him to hear what he had to say. When did you start taking pictures? Well my dad gave me my first camera when I was 18, when I graduated high school and that is when I first started taking photos. Then when I went on a trip to Nepal and India, that’s when I really started to get into photography. I think God has just given me the ability to see different aspects of His creation and I like to pull that out visually and especially with photography which I feel has kind a been thrown in my lap. He is saying what are you going to do with it now? I took some photography classes 4 years ago just for the fun of it because I was wanting to paint from my photos. But I ended up really enjoying the connections you make with people through photography. That is something I just really enjoy. So you took photography classes just to be able to paint from your photos? As a reference? Yeah. I was always painting from other people’s photography. But I ended up getting really into photography and opportunities came up. Internships and people in my life. Other photographers I was able to connect with. I’ve always been interested in history and old things because there is a story behind them. I feel photography has a depth. It can bring out the history of somebody, the history of what’s happened and make it more relevant to people. Do you shoot film or digital? Pretty much all digital now. What is your favorite kind of picture to take? I’d say people. Definitely people. Primarily I just like being able to get involved in what people are doing and bring out what they are doing, tell their story. You usually meet the people you take pictures of? I do. I like to do that. I like to interact with them. Ask them what their story is. I like to take photos of just the life of what their doing, instead of trying to create it.  Honestly I really don’t know where this is all going. I think God opens up many opportunities in your lifetime. There are always different directions you can go and areas of strength that you have. And I think everyone has that creative part. No matter who you are you have some aspect of creativity in you. How do most people react to the camera? Depends on where you are. Like in Africa they love the camera. But here in America people are very shy. People in Africa really don’t want to know how you’re going to use the photo. But people here will be asking, “uh why are you taking my picture?” Where in Africa where you? Sierra Leone, next to Liberia in West Africa. For how long? Seven months, most of the time on a ship with Mercyships, and a lot of time in the villages too. And because of the ship it was a lot like living in America in Africa. Ever not want to take pictures? Yea. There are definitely moments where I am sick of it or I don’t really feel like this is what I am supposed to be doing.. I’ve had that. Or just kind of get tired of… well, the responsibilities of life take over and I drown in that and that can make it hard to be creative. But over all I am really inspired by a lot of things. What do you do when life is pushing out creativity? The main thing is to just keep working and don’t stop. It’s easy to throw in the towel sometimes. You feel like giving up or this is wrong. Like just the other day I had a shoot and my camera went down and there is a whole section of the shoot I missed. But its ok. Do you give up or do you keep shooting? Because creativity stops if you stop. So I feel if you keep pushing through, even when it feels hard or you feel its not working or your like you don’t have any creativity by trying to create your creativity comes out again. So that is what I have experienced. But it is not always easy. Not for any artist to continue creating. Ever surprised by your photos? Yes, but if your ready to create at any moment that is when things happen. Especially with photography, its all about moments. Is it ever hard to let go of a shot? Oh yes. You can really love a subject and want to capture it but it did not work out. And facing up to, “I messed up.” Which is not an easy thing to say. Do you notice missed moments? Yes. That is horrible. If you don’t have your camera and something really cool is happening. That is like argg! Do you do a lot of editing? Yes, lots of it. 20% of my time is taking the picture and the rest is spent editing and color correcting. For editing I use photo mechanic because it is extremely fast and works well for editing large volumes of photos and for renaming them. Then moving into Photoshop to color correct. I am kind of a perfectionist which can be good and can be bad too. How much of what you shoot do you keep? 10% to 15% of what I shoot is what I keep. Its pretty typical to throw away 90% of what I shoot. Painters go through a similar struggle. When you see a finished painting you don’t see the 5 layers of paint under it. No photographer or artist wants to show their bad side. There’s a lot of bad photos I’ve taken.  Do you have dark room experience? Yes, that is what both of my first schools of photography were. The first school I did was just 3 months of dark room. I think half of the art is on the computer or in the darkroom. Its knowing how to take a photo then knowing what to do with it. Do you have any photographers you admire? Really just the guys that I’ve known along the way. Older guys that have been doing it for 20 or 30 years. Do you have support from family and friends? Yes. They’ve actually been extremely supportive always. Especially my parents. They’ve always been there to really support me. What do you do to pay the bills? I work with another guy and we have two teams and we shoot weddings. And I am working with a small publishing company in town, taking pictures of their art pieces. They have about 4500 paintings from the 1800s till now that need to be archived and digitized. What is the plan for the future? I’ve got about 100 pieces published and I want to put together a portfolio and start getting my work out there. Artists can have a short focus, me too. Its easy t o think “today” and not think what are my long term goals, what am I striving towards with photography, with my art. That can be hard as an artist because it is so hard to make a living just as an artist. Where have you been published? I’ve done magazine covers, book covers, billboards, a lot of publications for the hospital ship I worked on, a few web sites and different things like that. Newspapers. Any advice to a beginning photographer? Be patient. Learn what a good picture looks like before you try and take a good picture. It helps to work through other people’s work, especially people who have been doing it awhile. And learn from them. And there is a lot to learn. Are you comfortable calling yourself an artist? I don’t know how to answer that one. I don’t know if I am an artist or just somebody that tries to capture what is already there. I don’t even feel like I am a good photographer at all. I just feel like I’ve been able to capture certain places because I’ve been able to be there at the right time. Josh’s work can be seen on his web site: www.fletchphotography.com

Nostalgia Is A Disease

As I wrote in my last post I am going through this process of reaching the goal of owning less than 100 items. In order to do this I am going through every single thing I own one by one and deciding if it is essential to my life. Does it make the cut?

Over the years I’ve hung on to things that pertain to events and people from my life. Because of this boxes of dead weight have been tucked away in the attic for years without a thought. But when I open them and start to go through the stuff that is in them a strange feeling washes over me. That feeling is nostalgia.

The word nostalgia comes from combing the Greek words for “homecoming” and “pain.” And it was used to describe a medical condition of soldiers in the late 1600′s through World War Two. Now we do not think of it as a disease or medical condition. These days it is more of an emotion and it has more of a positive vibe to it in today’s culture.

But I believe that it is indeed a disease in the way that it is something you don’t want.

At it’s core nostalgia is a longing or desire for the past. I’ve hung onto items such as ticket stubs from past concerts because of the memories associated with them. (And in the case of ticket stubs there is the proof that I was there.) Holding the Lollapalooza ticket stub brings back all the memories from the concert. But do I need a ticket stub to do that?

Thinking Long Term

I have decided to let go of all my ticket stubs even though they are attached to some great memories. I am doing this because I know that realistically what would happen if I keep them is that they would go back in the box and spend decades tucked away in the dark corners of wherever I call home. Then one day after I am gone someone else will be going through my stuff and will unceremoniously throw them away.

Now I can take a moment or two and dwell in the nostalgia of the stub before letting it go. I can even take the time to write down my thoughts and memories from the event to truly archive the moment in time. Because memories are all we really are.

This Moment

Part of reducing the amount of material items I own is about living in this moment. This one right here. Not in the past and not in the future but increasing my awareness of where I am right now.

Nostalgia is living in the past. A place I can never return to so desiring to is a complete waste of time.

Wasting time is wasting life.

A Free Life

Over the past year or so I have been working on lightening my load by going through everything I own and deciding what is essential and what is dead weight. Four decades as a middle class American produces a lot of dead weight pretty much by default so this is turning out to be quite the daunting task. My goal is to own less than 100 items.

Part of what makes this such a chore is disposing of the unwanted in the best way possible. It would be tempting to just throw everything away but I feel that would be irresponsible of me and also less profitable. Granted there are many items where that is really the only option.

Even this is a lot of work I can tell you that it is paying off and I am already starting to see the benefit of owning less stuff. Which motivates me to continue. But it is taking too long so I have set the goal of being done with this project by December 31, 2012. By then I should be able to make a simple list of the less than 100 items I own solely.

I say it that way because being married and sharing a household presents some items that sort of fall out of the category. Dishes and silverware for example.

The digital age is helping this though. I was able to take my 300+ CDs I owned and upload the music to various internet based services and then sell the discs. I’ve also being the same with photographs and documents that can be digitized and saved electronically. It is nice to have this option but I am not attached to these digital copies so even if they are lost I’ll be happy to let them go.

I am learning the owning less stuff equals more freedom. I spend less money because I am not buying new stuff. I have more time because there is less stuff to maintain and to clean. Not being attached to my possessions means I do not have to worry about losing them through theft, fire, or age.

Going through this process is changing my view on life and my place in the world for the better. I am very much looking forward to this process being over and curious to find out what ends up on my <100 list. And will it end there.

Sayulita Mexico Churro Makers

Ever had a churro? Some folks think of them as Spanish doughnuts because they are similar in the fact that they are fried dough covered in sugar and cinnamon. But they are not shaped like a doughnut.
Here in the states I've found most churros to be straight and long. But in Mexico we came across them being made on the street out of the back of a pick-up and they came out kind of in swirls.
Also here in the states we tend to think of doughnut type foods to be for breakfast. That is not the case in Mexico. Doughnuts are for anytime of day and can be had anywhere. Many times while relaxing on the beach vendors would come by with trays of freshly baked doughnuts. The random food vendors where the highlight of our recent Mexico trip.
This video is of the churro makers in action in Sayulita Mexico: