Studio Day

Recently I made a commitment to my spirit to spend Thursdays in my studio, creating. The first week was awesome. It took a bit of coaxing to get me into the room but once I was there, I enjoyed the creative time. I started a project that's been on my mind for 10 years! The second day was challenging. I felt a little bored, a little distracted. Still, I gave myself time to listen to music, sing and draw. The third day I spent entirely on non-art but highly creative work. I'm still deciding whether that's cheating.

It's always been in my nature to be cross-disciplinary. One of the theatre pieces I'm most proud of turned a rather academic book into a movement performance. The piece above is an exploration of an idea from a story that turned into a thought for a play and its stage design and here is explored in a visual piece.

Cross-disciplinary for me also means more radical crossings, perhaps from an art medium into a party into a blog post into an outfit into an approach to a relationship into who knows? I think it's because I'm mostly interested in the idea, the concept. Exploring that idea in many different ways helps me to understand it. It's like encountering something gorgeous and precious and wanting to see and experience it from every angle.

Right now a lot of ideas are percolating - things I really want to explore and that I might decide to create. They range from a blog exploration for 2009, to performance pieces, to online events (more on that soon), to a major business endeavour. The more I think about the studio time, the more convinced I am that our lives are our studio and what we can create is unlimited.

Why do we yearn for our art to be wanted?

I'm doing a lot of thinking this week - inspired by the naturopath, my upcoming Studio performance for Expressive Arts Therapy and my mentor, Sunny.


This week, Sunny encouraged me to consider expanding my thinking about something I'm developing into a piece that involved creating for others. At first I couldn't understand why she was suggesting it. Why would someone want that? And then this little creative spirit inside of me starting dancing and clapping and saying, "Really? Oh, yes, please. I'd love to do that for someone." And in that instant some block and lots of hurts seem to dissolve away.


As I travel the blogosphere it's clear how many people are aching for someone to see their work, their art, their creations and say, "That's magnificent. You are a such an artist. Could I buy that from you? I would so love to have that."


In my heart I think that some of it is the very human longing to be seen. Our creations are so intimately connected with ourselves that when they are witnessed and loved, we feel witnessed and loved.


What do you think motivates this yearning? I'd love to hear your thoughts.

My Name Is...

In expressive arts therapy class today we worked with spoken word. It's amazing how the simplest thing can be compelling, touching, revealing, funny. We shared stories about their names. We created word poems with the colours we felt today. We created sculptures to express concepts and ideas. We shared. Let me share with you what I wrote about my name.

My name is...

My name is Jamie. My parents each independently chose it as their favourite name for a girl, perhaps one of the only things they ever agreed on. No one else ever had my name. It was mine, mine, mine.

Except the Bionic Woman, but she was cool.

And a Barbie doll made in the 70s, but she had a dog, and I wanted a dog, so she was cool.

I guess because no one ever had my name, I didn't need a last one. I was free of my clan, not tied to men's names. I didn't change my last name when I was married. It didn't matter much because I am Jamie. I am always Jamie.

No short forms.

No nicknames.

Well, my husband calls me little acorn, but that's not connected.

I'm Jamie.

I'm Ja-mie.

That's me.

What's the story of your name? I know Jana shared her story recently.

Note: Until February 13th you can sign up for my draw for a free email tarot reading as a part of the One World, One Heart Giveway. Sign up in the comments here.

Wishcasting ~ The Performance Piece

Last Valentine's Day I launched Wishcasting, a place for the sharing and supporting of wishes. Now I'm turning that concept into a performance piece which will be shared in its early stages at my Expressive Arts Therapy studio day next Monday. During the performance, audience members will be invited to make their wish into one of these wish globes and then cast it themselves into a net (pictured above).

I'm also currently making wish globes that will become a part of the set. They are a joy to make. I keep coming up with new ideas for them - like beading on the invisible wire that suspends them. Creating these also reminds me of when I was a girl and my mom showed us how to make spectacular sparkly ornaments by simply straight-pinning sequins onto a styrofoam ball. I think if I were to do this performance on a stage with full lighting, I would revisit that craft project of my childhood.

In the meantime, it's been a joy to share the experience. Yesterday my 15-year-old niece came over to help with the creation process. Here are the 3 wish globes that she made.

I hope that one day I'll be able to share this performance with you and you'll be able to cast your wish into the net of dreams.

Note: Until February 13th you can sign up for my draw for a free email tarot reading as a part of the One World, One Heart Giveway. Sign up in the comments here.