Once upon a time I was asked to hang some art in a gallery, and that blew me away.
This past weekend, I took another baby step in that direction. I vulnerably requested access to show my art in what the owners call a “Community Living Room.” It’s a local venue in Edmond, Oklahoma called Conversations.
A friend of mine heard they were looking for local artists to display their art on consignment, and she texted me, thinking I might be interested.
I sat on that text for a few months, but after Christmas, I splurged on some art supplies needed to make three product lines for Messy Canvas. I worked over the course of 2-3 weeks on getting everything ready to present. Then last weekend I had the vulnerable meeting with Laura, a kindred spirit and fellow artist who said with great enthusiasm that she would love to display my work. Whew.
I decided to display a few of my paintings, some 5×7 #secretmessage photo art and one solitary #secretmessage art journal.
The art journal took a long time to create, but I was so pleased with it when it was done. How fun to create my own journal line. I included writing prompts, and all sorts of messy pages awaiting someone’s words. It is a goal of mine to work on the local aspect of my networking as an artist, in addition to my on-line networking. My plan over the next few months is to create additional items both for local shops and for my on-line people.
Messy Canvas #SecretMessage Journals will be $50, #secretmessage 5×7 photo art will be $6 and paintings will start at $50 (plus shipping). If you are interested in pre-ordering, send me an email at mandy.steward@gmail.com. Some pre-orders would be good incentive. Oh, but yes, I should say that I am trying to edit a book too, and there is only so much set-aside art time in my day, so maybe I’ll be running this race more like the tortoise than the hare. Hence the banner I keep waving that has big black embroidered letters that say – BABY STEPS.
One more thing…wouldn’t it be fun to have an on-line and local art journaling class? Don’t worry, I’m writing this all down on a dream list.
How’s your dream list coming?
{ 15 comments… read them below or add one }
Online class! Online class!
You are fantastic. You just are.
oh, how much I love you! So exciting seeing all these good things unfold…
Thanks for encouraging me to go into Conversations!
oh mandy!!! i LOOOOOVE everything about this! seriously…reading this post, warm waves of joy washed all over me and i’m floating away on them! i am SO excited and proud of you….i would buy everything if i could…are you doing personalized journals for the individuals who buy them? i’d totally pre-order a journal and a copy of that “you are beautiful” print (or is it a card)? and if you could make prints out of your own fabulous journal pages, i’d buy them too. (etsy has your name all over it!)
you have the most beautiful baby steps! gah! so thrilling!
regarding my dream::list, i’m still in the lifting-my-foot stage of my very first baby step in the ones i wrote about on my blog, but i am uncovering new / more / deeper things to add to it. is it ok to continually revise a dream list? i think so. it keeps it alive, doesn’t it?
i love you! what a brilliant morning already.
and YES about the online / local art class. yes.
Thanks Rain. The “you are beautiful” print is a piece of 5×7 art. The 4×4 photo is mounted on a piece of watercolor paper. It’s not a card. I’m planning to put some of these up on Etsy, within the next month, but I’m out of that photo. I’ll order you one the next time I get photos printed!
As for the journals, yes, each one is custom. And, the next one I complete I will take pictures of and share them so that you can get a better idea of what they look like.
As for art journal pages, I have it on my to do list to research printing methods, and am saving my money to explore this option further. I really want to be able to do this. Thank you for encouraging me to keep that on my dream list. and yes I CONSTANTLY revise my dream list. I don’t keep one master list either. I just makes lots of little lists along the way. It’s invigorating when I look back through them from years past and see all the things accomplished.
I love you too.
yes to an online course! and i am curious about the journals…how many pages..that sort of thing…because i would love one!
I’ll get photos the next time I make one and solidify the details better so you would know what you were getting for your money. Online course is going to stay on my dream list for the future. I can’t wait to have time to devote to it!
:::::: flings massive amounts of celebratory glitter ::::::
★ How wonderful!!!!!!
<3 You told me I could do this. I never doubt you.
So cool! Love seeing how you’re taking these vulnerable steps forward.
I vote yes for the on-line class! I did an on-line creative journaling course two years ago which was a great impetus for me to start creating again. I can only imagine what you’d come up with!
I think I would definitely love one of your journals. I don’t have time now but I will send you an email this weekend about getting one.
Congratulations!
I too have put a lot on my plate for this month and well, haven’t managed to get very far. One project down…many more to go.
Let me get another journal created so I can photograph it and then you can see if you’re interested.
How are you projects coming?
This is wonderful, Mandy! Your art is beautiful & inspirational! I’ve been discovering a rich artist community lately – arts & crafts center, finally visited & hoping to take at least one course there this year; a new shop that opened and accepts the works of art of any kind from local people; galleries that I’m finally visiting. It is wonderful to open the eyes to what surrounds in the here, now. There is a Women’s Wellness Weekend offered at a local camp, and I’m thinking of presenting about Creative Journaling, something I’ve been doing and continue to do for years. It’s somewhat of a baby-step, jump-leap!
Brianne, that’s so awesome. Commit to it! I hope it goes well for you.
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