gratitude

Day after thanksgiving and I am still stuffed!!

Pat and I decided to stay home and enjoy a quiet turkey day. Just the two of us. We went for a long walk, wrestled a turkey breast into the oven, and watched Charlie Brown.

Although part of me was a bit envious of all my friends with their driveways full of cars and thirty people sitting around the table... it was fantastic to play some records, drink some wine and enjoy some quality time with my husband. Our lives have been so busy and it was nice to simply hang out. No agenda (except eating) and no place to be. We turned the phone off, turned John Denver up and relaxed.

Also, I finally got to use the china that was passed down to me! It was my great grandmothers which she purchased in the 1920's. They are wonderful with little red fruit and tree branches. The back of the china has a stamp that says "oven safe" but nothing about microwaves or dishwashers. That is because the china was around before the microwave was invented! So cool. It is so neat to have a tiny bit of my mother's history. 

This year has been such a whirlwind and there is so much to be thankful for. I love our home, our family and the life we have made together. My mother told me she was "so happy that I lived such a creative and busy life" and I have to agree. To always be moving towards art, culture and love has made me so grateful and so aware of how lucky I am. Hope you all had a fantastic holiday. Thanks for looking. Love, Ms. Kate.

and the winner is.....

I won! I won! I won! It has been such a stressful month! I have been preparing like mad to get ready for the RAW semi finals show and it paid off! Holy crap! I am so happy.

This competition forced me to push myself artistically and emotionally in a way I have never experienced. I learned a lot about my creative process and how to fight the urge to give up. In the beginning, there were many nights when I wanted to throw up my hands. I had been working so hard, with each piece taking over 40 hours to create and I wasn't sure if I wanted to be judged. I didn't think I  was secure enough to compete with other amazingly talented people. I wasn't sure if putting myself out there was worth it.

This show was a huge investment of time and energy and there were days when I wanted to sleep so badly and thought about quitting.  I am not one to just quit but I was in a place of mental exhaustion and with school taking a back seat, I was investing all the energy I had into this competition. Finally, I stopped thinking about the competition... about being critiqued, and decided to focus on creating pieces that I could sell and that I was proud of. I forced myself to stop trying to figure out what the judges would like and began focusing on what I loved to make.

I have pushed myself at work and I have pushed myself in school but I had never pushed for my art. Designing has always been a hobby and I have never consumed caffeine in the middle of the night with the intention to just be creative. To look into myself and my creative process was an all consuming experience. Taking the time and not just squeezing my hobby into my busy schedule was stressful (the rest of my life was literally put on hold) and mind blowing because I could focus on MY art.

I am so glad that people appreciated my work enough to vote for me and the judges were able to see a potential I was unaware I possessed. I am so grateful to all my family and friends that came out and supported me and my designs. The competition was insanely tough and I am over the moon with relief and gratitude.

my "display" with my super fine models.

blue stickers = votes (which counted for 50%, the judges vote was the other 50)

My brother and I trying to teach my mom "duck face" while we waited for results.

This year has been amazing and the Raw show was the icing on the cake. I am so happy at the progress I have made. I am ready for things to calm down now and look forward to a quiet winter with my family. Thanks for looking and supporting me on this journey. Love, Ms. Kate

Gone Til November

November...can you believe it?? Where has the time gone? There is so much to do before it snows. I have all these plans for "winterizing" my gardens and the house but who knows if it will get done. There are just not enough hours in the day. We have been so busy!

We recently put a new roof on our house (just in time for Hurricane Sandy) and are in the process of painting it. Since the rain has been so screwy we have been painting the house in patches....one side looks amazing and the other well....not so much.

The house would be finished if I wasn't distracted by other things. What are those other things you ask?

Well, you may remember when I participated in a RAW art show? The show was amazing and I was so happy to be a part of such a creative group. The night was perfect and after it ended I thought life would fall back into the normal routine.....

A few weeks later the, RAW held a competition on their website. Basically, people could go to the web and vote for their favorite local RAW artists in a variety of categories. I didn't write about this or promote myself because I seriously thought I didn't stand a chance. There are so, so, so many amazingly talented people that I didn't think I should try. Turns out, I won a spot in the competition anyway!!! I couldn't believe it!! I still can't. I am so flattered that people believe in my art enough to take the time to go online and vote. It has been a very humbling experience.

So now I have to compete in a Semi Finals competition. I am not a competitive person and the idea of a competition has been overwhelming. I have to create three new pieces, hire models, make a "visual aid" about my art and then invite all the people I know to come out and support me.

I am really sensitive to the idea of people judging my art. It is a little unnerving to think about and I am trying to keep a clear head. I am very amazed that people believed in me enough to help me win a spot in the semi finals and it will be interesting to see how this whole thing plays out.

Like I have said, I am not one to put myself out there and promote my stuff so the idea of competing may give me a mini heart attack. I am trying to breathe and realize that no amount of judging should steer me from what I love to do. Plus, there will be a lot of people there which is great publicity. Either way, I have come so far this year!!

Almost a year to the day a family member guilt tripped me into buying business cards for myself. This "tough love" was just the boost I needed to get me started and on the path to where I am today. Thank you to everyone that has helped me on this journey. Without the support I wouldn't be here. Love to all. Thanks for looking. Love, Ms. Kate.