MASS CR8IVITY DAY: New Children's Museum

Lots of fun things to see and do at the New Children's Museum today, including the participation of my friends: local artists Joe and John, Noe from Untitled Space, and Wendy with Sophie's Gallery.

 Joe Yorty is a craftsman like none other, creating nostalgic collections of work out of concrete, wood, and fabric. He rarely sells his work, but has a goldmine of ideas that are humorous, sentimental and well executed. Here we get to see his other half take part, in a collaboration with John Brady that makes you feel young again.

 Noe with Untitled Space

Noe Olivas can be described as welcoming, resourceful and humble. His collaborative nature gives an all-access peek of interests that are relatable and stimulating. Untitled Space exists within a 1967 Chevy Step-van, (currently trimmed with pom pom balls) and serves as both a living sculpture in itself, and a stationary forum for a variety of work. If you are looking for a cause deserving of a donation, this is the place and the person to gift it.

Sophie's Gallery

Before my current job, I spent 5 years working at a day program for adults with developmental disabilities called St. Madeleine Sophie's Center. They are a huge organization that serves over 500 adults in a setting which includes an organic garden, pool and art program. The Gallery Administrator Wendy (not pictured) is a brilliant light and has a great appreciation for hand crafted items, folk art and recycled creations. She has single-handedly brought the talents of the participating artists to the attention of the community for many years and gets very little recognition for it. This non-profit is lucky to have someone so invested in the growth and giftedness of each individual there.Today they brought a saori loom to encourage interaction between people of all walks of life.

The New Children's museum theme is 'think, play, create'. Young or old, it has much to offer and is definitely the perfect way to color your day.

can't live this life

bombay beach, california

I too, suffer.

Graced with Light

 Grace Cathedral is already saturated with visual gems, from the entrance doors which are a stunning golden Ghiberti replica, to a Keith Haring altarpiece inside. The Cathedral hosts EpiscoDisco and is stamped with not 1-but 2- Classical Labyrinths, one inside the other outside. My favorite small item is a stained glass cosmic window crafted by Narcissus Quagliata.
Yet, Anne Patterson's latest Installation is beyond breathtaking and a complete delight to experience in person. Striking red and blue ribbons inscribed with prayers dangle from the catacombs like veins to the heavens. I was lucky enough to be there while the boys choir practiced, and the organ pipes sent a breeze through the room which created spirit-like apparitions on the floor. A definite must-see if you are in the city anytime soon. And guess what, it's absolutely free.

Getting to know you: D.I.Y Gift Idea

This is quite possibly the easiest D.I.Y. gift idea out there. It costs very little money and requires light materials, and can be customized for many different people in your life.
The concept is sort of like the game '20 Questions' but more interactive and a great game for breaking the ice at work during team building exercises or interviews, or when having old or new friends over for dinner. It's a great way to have fun with your family and learn something about them at the same time.

 I made 4 of them for my co-workers this year, so I went with matching jars and general topics. I bought smooth mason jars from Target for only a few bucks each, but depending on the person you have in mind, you can use a recycled glass jar or colored container which are easy to find at second-hand stores.

I prefer to use clear containers and decorative paper since I think it encourages people to explore what it is. I purchased a variety of textures and colors which compliment each other, and which makes the overall look more intriguing. I picked patterns I knew my friends would enjoy, or would compliment their home. Again you can customize the jar depending on the theme by using many varieties of paper out there, or making good use of scrap-booking paper remnants you may already have.

 Once you have the paper selected, you'll want to cut small, roughly 1 inch pieces. You'll want them large enough to hold about a sentence worth of words. Then, using your imagination or, if needed, one of these websites below to help, write out a question on each piece then fold it in half. For every 3 pieces you put in, insert a blank piece. When you play the game, if someone pulls a blank paper they have to write in their own question and skip a turn. This helps extend your list of questions and build up new conversations over time.

General questions for everyone:
What if...
Random, mostly useless or fun
Life Possibilities
Getting to know you

Some ideas for co-workers or an office edition:
Starting a new business
New Hires
Ice breakers at work

Ideas for  a family-themed edition:
Home life
Exploring your Ancestors
Dinner table conversations

Idea's for a bachelorette party:
Witty and Pretty 
Engagement discussions 

New Years gift:
New Year, New You
365 Questions, one a day

Questions for the Spiritually minded friend:
Rapid Self-discovery
Improvement and growth

I hope you have fun creating these thoughtful gifts, or make one together on Christmas. It will bring much laughter and deepen the connections you have to those in your life.

Upcoming workshop

Join me for a 2-hour workshop Saturday December 7th

Create your own eco-orb using local plants and recycled glass bowls

All materials provided, you take home your design

Please register here

Girl Scouts, all grown up

Pigment, (my favorite shop in San Diego) is hosting neat little craft events that make me feel like a Girl Scout all over again. Yes, the prices are a little inflated but materials are provided and you leave with a goodie bag. The next craft camp is November 9th, book worms unite!

just because

Bhavna Mehta

 

Bhavna Mehta's work is ridiculous. Crafted by hand, elaborate, delicate and powerful. In person it is truly stunning to see what she has done with a single sheet of paper. Her art engages the weave of Woman, being a mother, student, wife, artist... 

Her cuttings share stories that are painful and playful; stories that encourage and remind us of where we have come from, and the possibility of what can be.

 More on her website here

Catzalcoatl

 Approaching the latest Y2K doomsday frenzy, I thought it appropriate to post an old blurb written on my 25th birthday, following a trip to the San Diego National History Museum to see the Pompeii exhibit.

Today I spent my quarter of a century admiring beautifully crafted, every day items like glass canisters and clay water jugs, still magnificent in their simple design after spending 1,100 years under ash. The gold jewelry fashionable and very much like bracelets today with trendy charms and heavy clasps. Pressed gold coins, weights for measure and tools, impeccably preserved and actually quite impressive for their time. 

What really made me spin was seeing the casts of these people, essentially frozen, concrete displays of death, directly before my eyes. The first, a smaller framed, lean man crouched with his knees to his chest, found alone in a corner of a gymnasium. The second, a woman laying face down with her tunic dress pulled up over her face, exposing her naked ass. She was discovered close to a boat dock where people had fled in a last minute attempt to escape. Next a man and woman together, presumably a married couple, found with the male reaching towards the woman, trying to cover her face with his handkerchief. 

A pig. 

A curled, burning dog. 

A slave found, brain exploded from the fumes, left as a useless nuisance to the fleeing families of Mount Vesuvius. Shackles still to his ankles... stretched out on the floor as if he had accepted his death with an embrace, a surrender to die in such a terrible, legendary way.

The corpses to me showed a successful tribe of people; a wellfed, progressive, fully functioning society that took pride in their lives enough to form colored glass into jewels and treasure inexpensive costume jewelry made of clay. Enough to have an "ornatrix" or an "attendant" to style their hair. blows. my. mind.

We are not far from that.

In fact, a thriving economy exists to this day living on the same threshold of this dangerous mount. It is a proven fact that a disaster this size will happen again. So much so that the Italian government has spent the last 10 years offering Forty Thousand free dollars to families who are willing to remove themselves from that living area. The strange part is, only about 2,000 people a year actually do it. The locals are so dedicated to their environment, and so devoted to the danger and appeal of the volcano, they basically worship it.

Touching, tragic, grounding, to see humans on their last breath, still bejeweled, still clutching their loves, being punished, running, knees to their face in fear, backed against a wall. Nowhere to run. No one coming on any boat to save them. No avoidance. Just life, ending.

A truly fine thing to experience on a birthday.