Dreaming in Fassett

Posted on October 15, 2012 by Vanessa Penagos

In the words of Penelope Stamp, I don’t plan, which is also evidenced by my missing posts for the SMCSF Blog Challenge.

This past weekend included a trip with my mom and brother to celebrate my grandfather’s birthday. Normally E and I will make the usual trek to the Art Walk down in Wynwood, but there was an artful surprise in store during my Naples trip!

My mom squeezed in a quick visit to a quilt shop which is one of her vices whenever she gets a chance. While mom was clearly in her zone, and a quilting class was all a chatter in the background, I began flipping through a book on the artist Kaffe Fassett. What intrigued me most about his work was how vibrant and varied it was. As I thumbed through a few more pages, I learned he was into a variety of other mediums such as needlepoint, mosaics, and knitting to name a few. He is also known for his unique fabric designs, which are just as diverse and fun. A lot of it reminds me of a bold take on Anthropologie’s boutique designers.

Below are a sample of some of his fabric patterns:

Is it just me or are these prints begging to be made into wonderfully flowing skirts and dresses? I know we’re in the middle of fall, but in South Florida this season (sadly) doesn’t seem to exist. If only I knew how to sew! Although I wouldn’t mind learning to sew, this is a fine line because there are still many other creative projects I have still waiting to be completed. And that’s when I start to wonder if others find themselves in the same boat. Do you find yourself quickly moving from project to project without finishing one first?

Do you tend

Love and Passion and Curiosity, Oh My!

Posted on October 11, 2012 by Vanessa Penagos

Find something you are passionate about and keep tremendously interested in it

Source: blogbrunch.tumblr.com

Day 4 of the blogging challenge! Surprised to admit I was looking forward to doing this today. Although I can’t say for certain I’m entirely comfortable with writing, but maybe by the end of the challenge my viewpoint will have changed. (Fingers crossed!)

Yesterday’s post ended with a question that I know I’ve been asked by others and have asked myself countless times.

Do you love what you do?

Now, this could be entirely open to interpretation. Is it with regard to a profession or career? Or some over-arching sentiment? Maybe this question has been on my mind recently because it’s close to home for a number of reasons. For instance, my younger brother was laid off his job a few months ago and has yet to find another. Having gone through the same situation a few years back, I know all too well the blow it can do to one’s ego – especially when he (and I both) have been working since we were 16 years old. However, even while he was employed, he didn’t seem to find something he felt he could be passionate about. Please know I’m not trying to put him down in any way, simply using his situation as an example. I also don’t think everyone needs to have a passion for something. Although, I’d have to ask the question, why wouldn’t you want to find something to be passionate about? Throughout my life I’ve met individuals and wondered if someone, (anyone) is in a position where they don’t enjoy what they are doing today, tomorrow, 5 minutes from now – why would they choose to not change it? Because as most of us know, doing nothing is consciously making a decision to not change. I know it’s always easier said than done, but I’ll use my dear friend Christen as another example.

Christen was tired of the daily grind of a 9-5 job and a few months ago left her job to pursue self-employment to run her craft business, The Soft Sunlight. I’ve told her numerous times how brave I think she is for doing such a thing. And you know what? She loves being her own boss. I certainly wish her all the success in the world because she’s a gem.

So we’ve covered love and passion, but what about curiosity? During a drive earlier today I spotted a sign outside a building which read: The more you learn the less you fear. This immediately reminded me of a great post by Tobias Schneider which I think everyone should read about learning and being self-taught. In many cases when our curiosity is piqued, we can simply take it at face value or dig deeper to learn more. It’s at this point where you can use your curiosity as a first step toward becoming self-taught. That’s where the hows and whys rush in and demand answers.

The great thing about going down the beaten path of self educating yourself is you’ll likely feel a desire to do so with other aspects of your life. And who knows, maybe during your travels of self teaching, you may just find something you love to do.

For the Love of Glass Art

Posted on October 10, 2012 by Vanessa Penagos

Day 3 of SMCSF Blogging Challenge!

One of the main problems I’ve usually encountered with blogging is not really sticking to a set few topics. I suppose my thought on this is since it’s a personal blog, what’s the use when most of my ramblings tend to fall under the “Randomness” category? But let’s face it, as humans we love routine and find comfort in familiarity. Although it’s kind of boring to think that way, I should also admit that each Sunday morning I cannot wait to read the Sunday Secrets from PostSecret, so I’m certainly guilty of loving routine.

However, I’ll admit I could make an effort to organize my thoughts and create a more cohesive theme of writing. With that said, below are a few things near and dear to my heart:

Art (more of the low-brow, mixed media and street art stuff)
Types of creative outlets such as taking photos, crafting, cooking/baking
Social media, search marketing and anything new in the tech space

Art is entirely subjective, but in my world we’re all creative beings. I truly believe this. Although I won’t get into that discussion so much at this time (maybe another post to come?). I first “discovered” art during a temporary job in between high school and college at The Norton Museum where I worked in their pop-up gift shop set up for their glass art exhibition.

Sure I’d seen art before, but now I was surrounded by it 8 hours a day, talking to true art lovers and admiring works from artists I never even heard of. During this time the museum was having a glass ceiling installed, much like the Bellagio in Las Vegas and it was something they were certainly proud of. It was then when I first noticed the art of Dale Chihuly. His work was quite incredible and unlike anything I had seen before. Although my temporary job came to a close, I continued to follow his work and even contemplated taking a glass blowing workshop.

Several museums I’ve visited since my Norton days may display a piece or two of his, but it wasn’t until a recent trip to Seattle for SEOMoz’s MozCon, where I was able to enjoy an entire glasshouse and garden filled with his latest artwork. Stoked? You bet!!! It was like a playground of glass art, which probably doesn’t sound as appealing, but you get the idea.

Chihuly ceiling

Chihuly glass art boat

Chihuly Garden And the following picture I’m throwing in as a bonus since it’s the shadow of one of his chandeliers. Is it not a dead ringer for Medusa’s head?

On a more serious note, surrounded by all of his work made me think of the expertise and patience which goes into making such intricate work. I’m sure my art geek is showing but it’s entirely fascinating and admirable. Clearly, someone has to truly love doing this in order to continue making these works, right?

Which leads me to my next question – how many of us get to do what we really love? Even if we’re not in the position today to do what we love, are you making the steps towards doing so? If not, what’s preventing you from doing so? I’ll pick up on this topic and more in tomorrow’s post.

SMCSF Blogging Challenge: Let’s Do This!

Posted on October 9, 2012 by Vanessa Penagos

Well, this is somewhat embarrassing isn’t it? The SMCSF Blogging Challenge started yesterday and I’ve already missed a day. Even still, I’m taking on this challenge to help sharpen my blogging skills, which as many of us in the community seem to all agree that we could use a nice push to do more of. With that being said, I’m certainly looking forward to reading other community members’ posts and getting to know some of you a little more. (On a side note, it means I can also include some of my new film photos. Score!)

I’m going to preface this challenge by saying that for at least a few of my first few posts I will be writing them using a variation of a technique from one of my favorite books, The Artist’s Way, by Julia Cameron which involves stream of conscious writing. In her book, one of the main exercises is to write 3 pages in this style each morning (the author terms them Morning Pages) before you go about your day. The interesting part is, you don’t think about what to write. You simply put down whatever is on your mind; the good, the bad, and the ugly. It’s certainly a process that takes some getting used to, but once I had the hang of it, it was actually quite therapeutic and I found myself feeling the need to write.

Getting any and all frustrations out of my head and onto paper helped me to actually see what topics were at the forefront of my mind. Whether it was worrying about family matters or remembering how beautiful the sunset was the day before, there was always something to write about. I suppose we could all ask – doesn’t this concept also apply to our blogging?

At the very least, my Morning Pages helped me to see where most of my energy was being spent and if those areas were beneficial to my overall being. Another advantage of these daily writing sessions was that they allowed me to hash out solutions to whatever problem might be at hand. You’d be surprised how much over analyzing you do in your head and don’t think anything of it. But to see it each morning and write about the same thing day in and day out – you’re more inclined to attempt to find a solution to the problem, instead of continuing to complain.

So could writing each morning help you think more clearly? Maybe! As someone who has done so on and off for 2 years, I would recommend anyone to give it a shot! And with that I’ll end my first post to this challenge.

Thanks to Alex and the SMCSF community for putting this challenge together. As a new SMCSF Board Member, I’m excited to be joining a group of incredibly creative and collaborative group and I look forward to connecting with more of you soon!

Lastly, I’m going to borrow from Jackie Jimenez’s post and suggest all readers to check out bloggers participating in this challenge and follow the #SMCSFBlogOff Bloggers on Twitter.

Sketchbook Project | Limited Edition: Capture and Create

Posted on April 29, 2012 by Vanessa Penagos

It seems working under pressure and procrastinating are something I can unfortunately be all too good at. But all negativity aside, *drum roll* I can happily say my submission for the Sketchbook Project Limited Edition will be sent out tomorrow morning!

Materials used: 35mm photographs (Canon AE-1 Program, LC-A, and Supersampler), watercolor paint, and pen.

Sketchbook Project - Create and Capture inside cover

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Somebody that I used to know

Posted on April 26, 2012 by Vanessa Penagos

Danny Gregory's The Creative License

Ever feel like you’ve lost yourself for a bit? It seems this happens more than I’d like to admit. At times it seems easy to be inspired and creative, but on the flip side it’s just as easy (practically effortless) to feel blocked and stay there. Truth be told, I’m notorious for going through phases of inspiration and then…nothing.

Yet, I can recall being in college and working full-time but still having the drive to express myself outwardly. Whether it was art journaling, taking photos, or making jewelry, I was constantly thinking of my next project. Since those years, a lot has changed. I’ve become more career-focused and like many others in my position, pushing to do better. So, shouldn’t that be enough? We’d all like to think so, but there are those moments where it doesn’t feel that way. (insert #firstworldproblems here). But I know I’m far from alone. So what does one do to get out of such a “funk”? There are some great ideas my friend Tessa shared in her blog, How To Make Art, earlier this week. Currently, one of my favorites is to blast power pop songs like these:

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Stitched up

Posted on April 15, 2012 by Vanessa Penagos

Earlier today I was reminded of a memory I had growing up, where my mom and I were at a local craft store and bought my first ever needle and thread kit, most likely cross-stitch. Unfortunately, after days of working on the pattern, I became so frustrated with my work not being perfect that I gave up. Reliving the memory, my mom laughed and said, “Even at such a young age you were your most harsh critic.” She’s right.

Well, nearly 15 years later, I finally finished an embroidery piece!

With this finished, I can now try my hand at creating a sampler. Best of all, I stumbled upon a great resource, A Handbook of Lettering for Stitchers, an entire book in PDF format with wonderful designs! Just look at how fun some of these look!