Well-Being vs. Happiness

I was running in the rain today with my trusty sidekick Lucky and somehow started thinking about the H word. Everybody seems to be transfixed on being "happy" but I have to say when I check in with myself to see how it's going and I ask myself if I'm happy, I falter a bit. Well sure I'm happy-- I mean I should be-I'm healthy, I have all kinds of great people in my life and I'm doing what I love--but somehow happy isn't the word I'd use. It seems to require a bubbly-ness that takes alot of energy to sustain...I'd say what I feel is more subtle, more enduring...maybe it's well-being...?

One of my favorite writers is Eckhart Tolle and he said once that if you're aware and living in the present moment, you're either in a state of acceptance, enjoyment, or enthusiasm. Sometimes, like when I don't hear back from potential clients or things don't happen the way I think they "should", I'm doing my best to be in that state of acceptance. In fact, I'm kindof struggling to get there. But I'm realizing now that accepting that state is a sort of well-being...a sort of peace. When I was running in the rain today, I accepted the fact that it was raining. And then after accepting it, it started raining harder. I accepted that. My dog and I were soaking wet, but before the end of the run, I was actually enjoying the rain (not sure my dog was:)

I hope you're able to find acceptance and that feeling of well-being in whatever stage you're in right now, in whatever's happening to you at the moment. And if not, well, accept that too. It will change, you'll see.

Getting Taken (Almost)

I should have known first by the fact that I couldn't find their seller name in Etsy anywhere. But the email came from Etsy and had the seller's name in the message so I thought it was okay, a little odd but okay. They said they wanted to purchase one of my large pieces but that they needed to first make sure I was an "honest and trustworthy" person. Then they said they had their own shipping co. so they would include some extra $$ on the check for shipping and would have the piece picked up from my house. They were sending me a cashier's check that I would need to cash immediately and then pay the excess to their shipper. Fast forward 3 days--the cashier's check arrives at my door via FedEx however the sum on the check is about 4 times what my artwork price is....I should have stopped there I know but I went to my bank, cashed it and was on my way to wire the overage when I thought I'd stop in at a local gallery that carries my work. Started chatting with the girl who works there about my weird sale and she said that had happened to them too---very similar circumstances. After that, I made a beeline back home and called the bank that the check had been drawn from (I did think to scan the check in before I cashed it.) There the woman told me that no account under that name existed and that the check would indeed bounce. Lesson learned!

I feel a bit stupid that I fell for this at all but so glad it didn't go further...I hope this helps any other internet sellers out there. Remember: a cashier's check still takes at least one day to clear and CAN be fraudulent so check it out first.

The "Reveal" Lamps

Had to show you 2 more new lovebird lamps that I've just completed...and as for where the inspiration came for these? I don't really know, all I know is that I wanted these lamps to each have a small "reveal". With the polka dot lamp, when the light is off you just see white dots on black background but when the light turns on, TADA--there are small stars that appear behind some of the dots. With the curly leaf lamp, I made 2 layers of leaves-smaller ones that are made from sheet music and larger light brown ones that cover the others. You can see the outline of the smaller leaves but they really show up when the light is on. Click on this link to see more photos or info on them in my Etsy shop.

Where I Get Inspiration (plus a new lamp)

Striped Lamp with Lovebirds

(in my Etsy shop)

Happy Friday! Thought maybe you'd like to see where I get some of my inspiration for my pieces, other than old carnivals. I live in Kansas really near the state line for Missouri and close to downtown. However, getting out to the country isn't very far away--in fact, scenes like these of old weathered barns are about a 10 minute drive from my house. I never really thought before about how they inspire and inform the way I create because they feel so familiar to me that they've just become a part of me you know? I guess I realized after watching this video from Kaffe Fassett that I'm pulling from all the patterns and textures around me every day. Try to notice at least a few things in your world each day that inform the way you create. What do you find around you that inspires?

(barn photo credit-Renate Smalley)

Aloneness 101

Hey there all you work-from-homers, how's it going out there? Are you relishing the solitude of your life? Or, like me, do you sometimes feel like you wish there was someone around....someone you could ask an opinion of, like "Should this be blue or red?" or "Was this email I just got a bit passive aggressive or am I being paranoid?"

I'm writing this because I realize that now more than ever there are SO many people who don't leave their homes to go to work--some, like me, might have had a job in the past and were used to seeing people on a regular basis. Others may not know any different but I just wonder: Do you get lonely working from home or do you not?

If you're like me, the answer is yes, you do get lonely occasionally (or more than occasionally). Don't get me wrong, I love what I do and feel so lucky to be able to do it but I do miss that casual back-and-forth synergy that can happen when you work around other creatives.

I can tell you some things that have helped me in case you're feeling this way:

1. Build a community--large or small--of friends who you meet with (in person) on a pretty regular basis. I have a small group of 3 other artists who, like me, used to work at Hallmark so we have that shared experience even though we worked there at different times. Sometimes we'll even plan workdays (I call them WTF days-meaning Working Together is Fun:). Everybody brings whatever they're working on and we each take a room in the house to work independently for awhile but we can come together and ask opinions if we need to. We don't do this nearly enough but it really helps me feel connected to something.

2. When you can't do face-to-face, do email chats. We will send jpegs of whatever projects we're working on to each other to get opinions via email when we can't get together. If the project is really complex, we may need to chat on the phone about it too.

3. Get out once in awhile. For me, when the walls start closing in I get out...literally. Even if the weather is really cold or rainy, I put on the coat and boots and get outside with my dog to remind myself how big this world is and how many other things there are outside my little world. This usually helps me to calm down if I'm upset about anything and also gain a better perspective on things.

4. Be with it. By this I mean, stop fighting the solitude and learn to embrace it. That means that when those voices in your head appear and tell you that what you're working on is awful, instead of trying to quell it you just say "Hmm, there's that voice again...how silly of me" or "Wow, SOMEone's being negative today"-- something that will make light of it and not make you feel worse. We all have those voices when we create-you just have to cajole them into being your pals instead of your enemies. That's the only way they get quiet for me.

5. MOVE. I know that alot of you have kids and can't always work out during the day but any chance you get, and I mean even for 15 minutes-take it. Move in a different way and cadence-whether it's running up and down your stairs in short bursts, doing 20 jumping jacks or going for a quick jog around the block, I am a big proponent of exercise. I think it rearranges the molecules. I work out six days a week and if I ever miss it, I feel different for the day (and not in a good way.)

That's all for now. I hope this little bit of advice has helped if any of you are going through some of the same things that I am. Please let me know how you deal with loneliness if you have different ways than mine--I am always looking to learn! Have a great day.

xo-Tammy

New Black and White Lovebird Lamp

I've been making some new lamps lately with a more graphic yet still romantic feel. I love limited color palettes so I've decided to do a few lamps that are black and white only. The clay lovebirds in the nest made of weathered wire, old sheet music, and torn bits of canvas are pale yellow. The shade is made from layers of black and white tissue paper and it is rimmed with black fringe. The light is 5 watts, which gives a soft subtle glow and is suspended by a 15-foot electric cord with weathered brass chain. This is a OOAK piece. Please click on this link for more info or to purchase in my Etsy shop!

and now for something different: Burlesque Bar Towels

Recently I got to participate in a show with several other artists around the theme of burlesque and body art. It was a blast and the KCSOB(Kansas City Society of Burlesque) performed. In honor of my hometown burlesque troupe, I created this set of bar towels featuring each of the members. I designed a "brand" of liquor for each performer and hand printed them on high quality white cotton towels. The towels are printed with archival inks and can also be printed on archival paper if you wish!

Click on this link to see them in my Etsy shop.

Crescendoh interview

That Jenny Doh. She amazes me...she never seems to lose her fascination and enthusiasm for artists and bringing people together around creativity. Although I've never met her in person or even talked to her on the phone, I feel her positive presence every time I get an email from her. She must have a life full of good karma and wonderful friends! I was fortunate enough to be interviewed on her wonderful blog Crescendoh. Take a peek here to see the full article:

http://blog.crescendoh.com/crescendo/2011/02/legato-tammy-smith.html

Etsy shop reopened!

Well, today we dug out of our deep snowdrifts after the biggest blizzard in years. Sounds like most of us in the U.S. were affected in some way. We were lucky and didn't lose power but I know quite a few did. The snow was sure beautiful though.

I decided to take advantage of this snowed-in time to finally reopen my Etsy shop! Below are some of my new mixed media prints that are in my shop. They come in two sizes: 5"x5" and 12"x12". They'll bring a fun, whimsical look to either your childrens' rooms or your own room. Each of them is made using a multi-step process. First I cut each of the words from a linoleum block, print them and combine them with the rest of my hand drawn illustrations. Then they are printed with archival inks on heavy duty canvas before being mounted on another 2" deep gallery canvas that has been handpainted and distressed. Finally they are finished with tinted wax encaustic for that vintagey circus poster look. Click on the following link to visit my shop:http://www.etsy.com/shop/homemadecircus

Happy Holidays!

Merry Merry Happy Happy to everyone! Thanks so much for all your support, great comments and inspiration this year. More artwork and ideas to come in 2011--stay tuned for some new and different things!

xoxo-Tammy

Inspiring and Practical Advice for Artists

Last night I heard this incredible speaker and I wrote down some notes from that in hope that what inspired me will inspire you also. I hope I haven't misrepresented anything that he has said. I thought it was very valuable for artists in any discipline. Take a moment and see if it speaks to you.

(And I know this may seem ironic that I'm posting this after my previous post about a holiday sale of my art, but I like to think that some of my pieces are made purely for self-expression. If the piece speaks to someone and is purchased by them, that's icing on the cake.)

Andrew Simonet-TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 30, NERMAN MUSEUM

Andrew is co-director of Headling Dance Company, Philadelphia, PA

Thanks for doing what you do. This culture needs you. 99% of what is out there today visually in the form of imagery is there to sell something. You are putting out the 1% that is not. The general opinion

out there is that there is the top layer of artists/performers who make scads of money and enjoy great acclaim, to the rest it’s just a hobby. Just because you don’t achieve that overwhelming acclaim or notoriety you wanted doesn’t mean that you failed. You can’t always say what has been accomplished. Andrew thinks his real mission is telling this message, speading these words to other artists.


Artists’ lives can be burdensome and relentless. Your goal should be to build a life that is balanced, sustainable and productive.

Things that stop artists are 1) workaholism 2)perfectionism/competitiveness and 3)poverty.

1) Workaholism-Plan downtime. You need it. All artists work too hard and are too hard on themselves (i.e. I’d be more successful if I only worked harder.)

2) Perfectionism/Competitiveness-Get used to “good enough”. Why are other things in our lives good enough, but not our work? On competing with other artists, repeat this mantra-“The success of other artists is good for me.” Repeat as necessary until you mean it.

3) Poverty-Figure out the amount of money you need to live on for one year without financial panic. Figure in time/money for vacation, insurance, savings.

Mission- Be rooted in why you’re doing it-people love to connect to your mission. Some may envy that you have a mission as they’re still trying to figure it out or don’t feel connected to theirs. The world really wants you to stay close to that mission.

Represent yourself well. We need to be able to talk about and write about our work well.

Don’t shortchange your skills. Conceiving, planning, putting together and delivering a project on time takes skills that are considered management level skills in the outside world.

Partner with people who get your work. Talk to them, have coffee with them, they can move your work forward.

Placemaking-People need a HERE. Be where you are locally and share, be interested and open to other artistic work outside of your discipline. It’s important to have a local presence as well as getting out globally with your work---what you do globally brings others back to your locality, and what you do locally opens others’ minds to what can be done globally.

Community is important. It’s a loop—give---get---give---get. Figure out something that connects people.

Keep making work that is visionary, dangerous, and interesting.

New Pieces And a Holiday Thank You Sale!

11"x14"version of The Moving Target w/6v motor

Escape Artist Dog- 6"h x 8"w-customized for your dog

Tattoo Artist Cat- 8"h x 6"w-available as is or customized for your cat

example of custom Circus Dog piece

The holiday season is just around the corner and as a big thank you for your support throughout the year I am offering 10% off (plus free shipping on anything below $600.00) on any pieces on the "Available" page of my website until Dec.19th. As you can see above, I've made a smaller limited edition version of my large "Moving Target" piece plus I'm taking orders for custom "Circus Animal" pieces made to look like your dog or cat.

The Details:

Find something you would like to purchase on my site by clicking on this link- Artwork-Available. Send me an email with the title of the piece and I will send you a revised invoice via Paypal.

Pieces must be purchased by Dec.19th to ensure delivery by Dec.24th. Custom pieces must be ordered by Dec.11. I will also give 10% of the sale price of each piece to a local charity for anything collected up to Dec.22nd.

The Cyclone completed plus 4 new pieces

Here is the completed Cyclone piece from my previous post plus 4 of my new pieces that I'll be showing this starting this Friday, Nov. 5-Nov.30 at the Hilliard Gallery-1820 McGee-KCMO.

The Juggler-She was trying to keep all the balls in the air. This piece is about trying to juggle it all in life. It is a working dexterity game. It contains 5 metal balls which fit into the round holes over the woman's head. This piece is constructed of wood, tissue paper, handprinted fabric, painted metal, and wax encaustic. It measures 8"w x 10"h.

Conundrum-Sometimes I can't keep my mind from wandering. I wanted to make a piece that depicted a person's thoughts shooting around their head and pinging off of one thing or another, winding around Wonder and Imagination, occasionally getting stalled on Doubt or Skepticism but ultimately landing somewhere between a Bad or a Brilliant idea. This piece is a working pinball game with a ball shooter, faucet handles as spinners and curved metal scoops that provide ball stops. It's 16"w x 20"h.

Bed of Nails-He was on pins and needles.This piece is constructed of clay, found wood, nails, handprinted fabric, and acrylic paint. It measures 12"w x 6"h.

World's Tallest Man-He was above it all. This piece is constructed of clay, acrylic paint, found wood, wire, and handprinted fabric. It's 6"w x 12"h.

Evolution of a "Cyclone"

I'm getting ready for another gallery show--this time I'm really excited to be doing a duo show around the theme of amusement park rides and games with an amazing oil painter named Peter Cole. I would link here to his blog or site but I don't think he has one so I'll post photos later. I thought I'd try something new and show a bit of the process of making my pieces. This piece is a bit different from some of my previous ones--(as most of them are I guess). This one is a large clay sculpt of a woman who is literally a wreck and I named her The Cyclone after the famous roller coaster at Coney Island. Here she is in transition-the first step of sculpting her took about 2 hours total. The background is on the back of an old plywood and formica tabletop that has been in my basement for years. I drew rough outlines of carnival rides and tents on the background with oil pastels, then melted wax encaustic over the entire thing (the woman included.) I have colored her face with acrylic paints and soft pastel crayons. The roller coaster in her hair is made of wire and she sits on a found wood base. The pics here show the beginning mound of clay to her semi-finished state but I'll have some better photos of the finished piece in the next few days.

You can do anything

If you haven't seen this video yet, take a minute and watch.

It'll make you feel like a million!

Leaping To Conclusions vs. Reigning In Your Thoughts-a redux

This is a redux of the carousel pictured below in the August 2 post. I didn't like the feel of the glass dome (too cake platey) over the carousel so I lost that and tried to build more meaning into the piece. The blue horse has "Leaping To Conclusions" written on his side. He's suspended from a tattered circus tent that is supported by wire trees. The carousel below moves via a 6v motor hidden underneath the round base. The horses in the carousel represent thoughts that have been reigned in and keep churning around and around. Click on the video below to see it in action.

Big ol Chunk of new Work2-The Animals

More new pieces, continuing on the circus freak train.This time though the freaks are domestic animals-dogs and cats. They are 6 "x 8" in size and are limited editions, signed and numbered. I am thinking of doing more of these later in the year so let me know if you like them! They are made from clay, wire and painted metal on the sides of the frame. They will be priced at $175.00 each.

BOCONW-(big ol chunk of new work)

Well I'm almost done with a whole new group of work and I have all the photos on facebook (link to the right) but I'll post a bunch here also since I know everyone doesn't subscribe. I've been doing a series of "circus freaks" except these have their own individual twists. In The Transparent Man and Woman shown below, their tattoos appear from the inside out, revealing their deepest thoughts and feelings (can you imagine?) I've also included The Disappearing Lady, who "always feels as if something is missing" and The Escapologist, who "lives in a prison of his own making." They will be for sale at the upcoming Plaza Art Fair on Sept. 24-26 here in KC or afterwards on my website.

More Pics of New Pieces

Here are 2 more of my newest pieces, now all packed and ready for Uptown Art Fair next weekend in Minneapolis. Ashley's Gallopers (shown at the top) is another electric piece that contains a moving carousel under a glass cloche. Then there's the Firecracker, a rework of an older roller coaster piece of mine that I've added a 12v light to along with some graphics and a stage. The carousel piece is approx. 10"h x 12"w. The Firecracker piece is approx. 14"h x 10"w.