Creativity Creating

I was so impressed when I discovered this that I had to post it on the blog. This is a perfect example of what creativity/art combined with technology - which is an art in itself - can do for art/artists. I can't think of a better use of talent than the creation of possibilities for other talent to thrive when faced with extreme circumstances. It is a true act of giving just to imagine such an incredible device because to deny an artist the making of their own art, is like taking away their air.....

The EyeWriter - (a simplistic sketch of what is to come is below).....will enable people with ALS and others with only the use of their eyelids to create art......courtesy of F.A.T. - Free Art & Technology...

And you absolutely must check out the direct link to the EyeWriter article at F.A.T. here and view the videos and read the comments about what this will be able to do because I couldn't possibly write anything that would do it justice.....really, its amazing.....



Namaste'

Blame It On Julia

Remind me not to see another food movie for awhile. Dangerous thoughts run through my head.
If I could literally be anything in the world without considering talent or ability, I would have chosen to be a blues singer. Alas, I sound like Yoko Ono on drugs. My second fantasy would be a pastry chef in a grand restaurant, but once I realized how much I truly loved baking (and I'm really good at it), I gave it up for health reasons. I could make a cake in my sleep. Ask any of my friends about my cupcakes. Really good eating. And nice to look at because I try to put a bit of art into everything I do and, well, sometimes I get carried away. Note these:

I promised a really wonderful group of people that I would make them something sweet and what they inquired about is not easily transportable so they're getting this cheesecake.

I chose cheesecake because I've been making this for over 30 years and its something I can make without licking the bowl, without eating half the raw batter and having my insulin spike like a lie detector test on a lying thief. And I chose it because its really yummy and because it needs nothing to adorn it (except a few stars......but no sauce, no filling, nothing, just the core essence of the cheesecake). In its own true self it is perfect, like the people we care about, flawless even with cracks, a taste you want to have often, and definitely worth splurging on because when we see what true decadence is, and how easy it is to find, we want to embrace it fully. The people we meet and invest ourselves in are the true decadence in our lives, at least they are in mine, that richness that only comes with quality ingredients, understanding how to put them together, the right amount of warmth, and knowing when to open the door and let them breathe.

Really nice people. I'm quite grateful.


Namaste'

The Art of Pleasure

I finally saw the movie "Julie & Julia" in which the lives of Julia Child and modern day blogger, Julie Powell, are paralleled. See it if you haven't because it is delightful. However, I warn you, you will leave hungry and possibly wanting to cook.


There are the obvious delights: learning that Julia Child had a wonderful and warm relationship with her husband Paul, somewhat sexy also. Meryl Streep is flawless and Stanley Tucci, well, how can you not love Stanley Tucci. Amy Adams, Chris Messina and all the other actors were wonderful. But why would I mention a movie on my blog? Because it is about pleasure, it is about bliss, not just food (although the food was amazing), and pleasure is an art, perhaps the truest art of all because it is simple and it is our right as humans. And bliss is a state of being we often feel is difficult to attain. With all that spirituality, religion, and politics running around loose, sometimes we think life needs to be lofty and it really just needs to be real.


Joseph Campbell said Follow your bliss and it has been said in many ways by many people but his quote is my favorite. Really, following your bliss is following your pleasure. Doing something because you simply love it can and should be its only real reward, although following your bliss will bring you the security you need because within you there is a sense of peace not found by people who are doing things just for money and without great pleasure, and following your bliss puts you on the path you probably should have been on in the first place, before you believed everyone else about who you were.....I think I've said that before....LOL


Julia Child began as most women did, as an ordinary cook. Yet she wanted something to do other than just "be", something with purpose, with pizazz; always a happy eater she fell in love with food while living in Paris. She took cooking lessons to feed her loving husband, Paul, and to de-mystify French cooking for those of us who were "servantless". She fell in love with french cooking to the degree of an obsession and in doing so, changed the world of home cooking.


Julie Powell held a non-bliss job and decided she needed something more. Another cook looking for passion that was right there in front of her and she began her blog The Julie/Julia Project (you will need to navigate your own way through the blog but it is fabulous reading) which later became a book and then the movie. It began as a self-challenge, to cook her way through Julia Child's magnificent book (and one of the first cookbooks I read as a young woman) Mastering the Art of French Cooking in one year. And she did. Brilliantly.

If you want a taste of what it means to Follow Your Bliss, watch the movie and read the original blog by Powell. A simple dedication to something you truly love brings meaning to life. To me, that is art in its fullest form. Just being happy with who you are, what you "choose" to do, and how you pass your time, when done with gusto and fearlessness is an amazing thing.

Namaste'

New Jewelry - Check My Etsy Shop

New jewelry on Etsy.com - you can access my shop on the right side of the blog. Just click on the Etsy name.......more to come......

Namaste'

New Jewelry Coming 8/16/09

[Sorry, difficulty with editing - please read current post, thank you for your loyalty]

A hint of what's coming on Sunday, August 16, 2009 - a few new pieces from jbaxstudio

Earrings. pendants - some on rubber cord, some on silver and/or copper chains......some with bronze....all with semi precious stones......



Check back......be surprised.......

Namaste'

The Art of Living Fearlessly

A few days ago I was given a gift. This came on the heels of a conversation about being different, creative, living outside of the box, ceasing to be what is expected and choosing to be what and who one really is. It isn't always easy living outside of the box. It can be stressful, lonely, and often exhausting but it is never dull and always and without fail, it is worth the effort.


The imagination is an amazing place to live but it needs breathing room, places to fly to, journeys to take, battles to win, and it needs fearlessness. I can not think of a better way to live because for me, for many of my friends, for countless young people who are desperately trying to "fit in" and failing at it, there is a time when one recognizes that they are different, that the ordinary rules do not apply, can not apply, and should not apply. Some of us are renegades. Some of us are builders. Some of us are rule breakers. Some of us are peacemakers and healers but absolutely no one should ever have to live in a box of any sort at any time and if we do, we should be able to decorate it as we wish, call it what we want, and turn it into any object we choose because it is ours.


Published in 2006 as a children's book, Not A Box is something that you might want to read aloud to yourself slowly in a quiet room as a reminder of your long ago dreams. And if those dreams have come true, then congratulations, buy it for someone you love who might not remember how to dream, or perhaps a child who needs encouragement.


I love this gift. I cherish it and the people who gave it to me. I think it is safe to say that I am someone who does not live in a box, and for that I am utterly grateful. Life has always been an amazing journey and when I'm very old I will have great stories to tell (some of you know about the chicken accident already). I wish one of them could be as sweet as what Antoinette Portis has written in Not A Box....

NOT A BOX

Antoinette Portis

Go ahead, take a peek, you know you want to.......

Not a Box, Amazon.com

Namaste'

Art of Recycling

How cute is this.....

I fell in love with these and will make a version for my own personal use. However, if you'd like to buy one, please check Vintage Renaissance's Etsy Shop (we love supporting Etsy sellers as we are one...:)) I think it is a wonderful gift for the pet lover who has everything and it is a great use of an old item which is always good for the environment. And this brings us to a subject which is dear to me. Why must we buy everything new? The quality of old suitcases is incomparable. There is strength of build, quality materials that we no longer need to acquire and can still have a long life. This is typical of items that can be made creatively, safely without toxic paints and finishes, and can bring great joy to a loving pet and therefore great joy to your household.

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And what about recycling something current and interesting into unique furniture? Try skateboards. Try J. Ryde Visuals




Interesting recycled, functional art pieces. Think outside the box, stop living in the box, make a new box out of an old one, get back to basics and live a cleaner life.

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Check out these wonderful ideas, all of which are courtesy of and can be found on Recyclart which is a wonderful source of forward thinking ideas for existing ones. Happy shopping. You can always contact these particular vendors directly at their respective links. And for those of you who are artists, remember: these people began with an idea and followed through. I'm just sayin.......



Namaste'

Art in Everyday Objects I

The Chemex 10 Cup

I had one of these from 1972 through possibly 1985. I currently use a french press. Seeing this, however, brings back memories of a very sweet time and I'm reminded that the Chemex was invented by a scientist for his own personal use in the lab. The wooden collar seen above which was how the Chemex was marketed, was originally duct tape. God bless duct tape. Necessity definitely is the mother of invention. This is still a beautiful design and probably makes the best cup of coffee......Starbucks begone....

Photo courtesy of Swipe books on Advertising and Design

The Art of Sport

For my bicyclist friend, who epitomizes good health, good attitude, and a great passion for life, the Georg Jensen Bicycle - silver with leather or perhaps the Schwinn Paramount Series 9 MSRP.........difficult to decide. Both are incredibly beautiful and so is my friend.

Art is in everything we do, see, make, feel. And isn't the bicycle the most amazingly sleek piece of functional art? Take a look at the Georg Jensen website (link below). Why not whiz through the universe on a silver cloud? Perhaps you don't want a $5,500 bicycle, but it is beautiful nonetheless. And isn't part of our legacy the creation of the objects we once considered ordinary and mundane? You have only to visit a good museum to see the elevation of ordinary objects from other cultures and times. There has never been anything ordinary or mundane about bicycles. They have been basic to our society, basic to our childhood and have been the building blocks for incredibly rich memories. This is simply a magnificent example of raising the bar.....and, well done it is. But there is more.....

Courtesy of Georg Jensen


Not into Georg Jensen silver bikes? As elegant and well built and as popular and gorgeous in its own right is the Schwinn 2009 Paramount Series 9 MSRP. It is also as pricey. So whatever your choice, these are only two examples of sport and art coming together for absolute and true beauty. Alone, however, they are simply objects. Add the rider, the master of the craft, and the journey begins......

Courtesy of Schwinn

Namaste'

Art Smith - My Jewelry Muse

Art Smith was a very important and prominent jeweler of the 40's and 50's. Anyone who knows me well knows he is my inspiration for making jewelry. I have many favorite artists but Smith is the one whose jewelry makes my heart soar. Here is one of his most known works.


And here is the man (courtesy of http://www.modernsilver.com/)

He is an example of my belief that true talent is never one-dimensional, it never lives in only one part of us, it never betrays us, and it never leaves because good art is our best legacy.

I would encourage you to read his obituary (link below) which is incredibly rich in respect, celebrity, life and the honoring of greatness and talent. Jewelry was what he chose to do but it wasn't who he was. He was a fully realized and highly developed artist in all ways........and will always be my muse.....

Courtesy of 925-1000.com - Art Smith

Namaste'