Let Yourself Fly!

Let Yourself Fly!, a photo by dphock on Flickr.

Last weekend I went to the local Citrus Fair (and yes, there is a competition for big items made out of citrus fruit but that is a post for another day) and took this photo. Such serendipity to catch these riders with arms outstretched!

It's a Fashion Accessory

The Pack Leader can't come to the blog right now.  She and that girl with the long hair went out (and the girl was wearing those muddy boots that smell like horses, yum!) and left me here with this stupid thing on my head.

It all started at Christmastime.  Even though I'm still youthful and active, my doctor told my mom that the reason I was limping from time to time was that active, athletic dogs like me can have arthritic changes starting in their knees.  I was doing fine, with the occasional special treat and rest on my comfy bed next to the fireplace.  But then at Christmas, my pack treated me to two nights at the doggie spa.  And THAT would have been fab, but for a mouthy, uncouth bully dog in an adjoining area.  He provoked me so that I had to tell him a thing or two, which involved a whole lot of barking and some jumping and lunging at the gates to scare him good.  Turns out that did in the ligament in my knee, so I had surgery to stabilize my knee last week.

I came home with this lovely blue wrapping (which beautifully matched my collar, I might add.).

It was kind of comfy, actually.  But once the vet took that wrapping off, boy, does my leg ITCH!  I can't wait to get at it for some serious nibbly scratching and licking.   So now I have this thing on my head. I'm not sure if I'll have to wear it forever, or what.  But dang, I can't reach my leg to give that incision a good clean-and-scratch.

 I heard the vet tell the Pack Leader about something she can slip into my treats to make me drowsy and relaxed.  All I know is that after I had the last treat, all I wanted to do was look at all these COLORs.  I can stand there all afternoon.  Psychedelic, dude.

I'm going to nap now.  And I'll be dreaming of racing around the backyard to get those irritating birds off of the lawn.

Inviting Happiness

 Some years ago, our household went through a very dark and gloomy time.  Miss C was suffering from severe, daily migraines, and probably as the result of feeling sick all of the time, plunged into a period of deep depression.  Not surprisingly, it's really hard to be centered and happy when one's child is sick and miserable.  During that time, I struggled a lot to avoid sliding into the black hole with her, and one of the things I did was read some books about happiness.  Gretchen Ruben's book The Happiness Project was just out then, and I started following her website and others of a similar vein.

And during that time, I started some things that have worked really well for me... And have helped our family, too.  They are not new or original, but I thought I'd share them here because, well, it's always good to remember that happiness is a matter of outlook, really.

1.  Keep a gratitude journal.  Every day, make a list of 5 things you're grateful for. Oprah is right.  This is a lovely thing.

2.  Consciously notice nice moments.  Make it a point to recognize one thing that brings you pleasure.  The graceful slope of that hill  in the distance.  The song you like, playing when you walk into the coffee shop.  That patch of sunlight on the corner of the couch.  And you know, the more you notice, the more you notice.

3.  At the end of the day, write down 3 good things that happened or you noticed.  We do this at the dinner table every night, share our 3 good things.  It started out feeling corny and forced but now it's automatic and it's often hard to stop at just three.  We have learned a lot about each other, too, discovering what each other's daily good things are.

4.  Here's one I've never read in any book but I think it's really useful: in the evening, write down (or share) one thing you're looking forward to tomorrow. You could do this in those moments before you fall asleep, just thinking about what you are looking forward to in the next day. Again, it can be small.  That first cup of coffee early in the morning.  Using your favorite pen at work.  Getting to listen to NPR in the car on your way somewhere.  If you can't think of anything you're looking forward to, then plan something-- a quick phone call to a friend, a mid-afternoon trip to Starbucks for a latter, etc.  

If you have any rituals or "tricks" for being mindfully happy, I'd love to know what they are! 

 

Twelve by Twelve turns 20! (by 12, that is)

 I am a bit late (sigh, no surprise there) to tell you that on Sunday, we revealed our first set of the new challenges over on the Twelve by Twelve blog.  After four years of making 12 inch square quilts, we decided to shift the format to a vertical rectangle, so our new size for the upcoming year is 12x20 inches.  The theme, in fitting with our transition to something new and exciting, was "Metamorphosis."  You can go here to see the amazing pieces everyone did, and how differently we interpreted the challenge theme.

My piece was based on my thinking about how many of us art quilters evolved from making very traditional pieced quilts. So I made "Remodelled Log Cabin" about that process... traditional blocks and fabrics morphing into something loose, unstructured, fused, and whimsical.  I had fun making this!  There are more detail shots of this on the Twelve by Twelve blog.

Go see what the others have done.  I am always delighted by the work of my friends the Twelves, but this time I'm awed and even more impressed.  What a wonderful gift it is, to have friends with whom to share a passion! 

The New and Improved Art Quilting Studio

I have to confess that when Art Quilt Studios came out originally, I wasn't crazy about it.  I WANTED to like it.  I'm not sure if I saw all of those first issues, but I generally came away thinking that the publication's idea of art quilting was anything that had stitching on it, and that the editors had called upon their stable of collage artists, painters, and mixed media artists, given them bits of fabric and thread, and then published everything they made as "art."  And not that it wasn't cool and fun in a spontaneous sort of way ... but I was disappointed that the magazine didn't seem to have much range, or feature any of the beautiful, complex, art quilts that so many talented artists have been making for years.

So when I heard that the magazine had been revamped and was starting up again, I was eager to find a new issue.  I think I missed the first new issue, but I did stumble onto a Winter, 2012 issue recently.  The magazine will be issued twice a year, by the way -- in June and December.  You might be able to find the Winter issue still on magazine stands.  And I really, really liked this issue.  It looks like the editors figured out that their magazine needed more range of actual art quilters, and they really did put together a magazine that has a great and interesting assortment of art and articles.

There's great stuff in here, including:
     * an article by my friend Terri Stegmiller on getting a "painterly" look with fabric collage;
     * a piece by one of my favorite quilt artists, Valerie Goodwin, about using maps to inspire art quilts; 
     * a terrific piece by artist Eleanor McCain on pattern, proceses, and color relationships;
     * a profile of artist Mary Elmusa by Rice Freeman-Zachary;
     * a colorful piece on the "grout quilting" small quilts of Robin Ferrier;
     * an interview with British artist Bethann Ash;
and more.

Oh,and it has that wonderful, nice paper and rich feeling that Stampington uses in all of its publications. 

I really enjoyed looking at this magazine, and found a lot of inspiration and interest there.  I'm glad to see it back and improved, and I'm looking forward to future issues.

Google Reader, MY Way

I'm continuing in my mission to organize, and today I made a change that will be a happy improvement. I love it when a small thing can be a big, happy improvement.

I use Google Reader to read the blogs I follow. I know there are other blog aggregators out there, but I've gotten used to Google Reader and now especially love how it integrates to Flipboard so I can read my favorite blogs on my Ipad as if I'm flipping through magazine pages. All along, my blogs have been listed in Google Reader in alphabetical order. So, even though they are organized neatly by title, they are a big jumble in terms of content. I follow, from time to time, a variety of blogs -- art and food and home dec and quilting and drawing and special needs issues and parenting and political commentary and reading and just fun stuff. I've often wished I could sort the blogs by topic, so when I'm in the mood to cruise the home dec blogs, say, they'd all be together.

Well, turns out it's no big mystery. I queried Mr. Google himself and learned that Google Reader lets you create different folders and sort the blogs on your list into them -- so you can have daily reads in one folder, less frequent things in another. And you can do what I did, which was create separate folders by topic, and sort the blogs into the appropriate folders. So now my blogs are sorted, into folders like "Quilt Art" and "Photography" and "Books and Reading" and more.

We'll see how it all works once I check it on Flipboard, but I'm quite pleased. Who knew it was so easy?!

One Word

One Word Project from Christine Sneddon on Vimeo.

One of the websites I visit frequently for inspiration and general pleasure is The Shutter Sisters.  It was started by several women obsessed by photography, and it features wonderful images, thoughtful words, and a mindful view of the world around us that I really appreciate.  There's a flickr group, and other great related sites to explore.  But one of my favorites is their "One Word Project", where they offer weekly prompts for photography that could really serve for any creative expression.

Chris Sneddon, one of the founding Shutter Sisters, put together a lovely video of photos that various members have taken to illustrate their chosen word for the month.  It's lovely, and inspirational, and it does remind you -- well, me, anyway-- that the power of stating an intention is a powerful thing.

So enjoy, and if you like what you see, pop on over to the site or the flickr group for more beautiful photos.  And happy weekend!

Out of the Inbox

What's that, you ask?  Look closely.  It's my email inbox and it's EMPTY.

I don't think that has happened since I first set up my computer ages ago.  But it's the result of the organizing flurry I'm in these days.  I was largely motivated to search for an email strategy to help Roger, after I set up a new computer for him this past weekend and transferred over his files and installed programs and got it all up and running for him.  He's never found a good email management strategy, and as a result tends to keep everything. I mean, EVERYthing.  (I think I deleted over 500 Land's End ad emails.)  I've tended to file emails away in a file system that makes sense to me -- but still, I'd keep emails in my inbox as a reminder to DO something with them... and then they'd scroll off the screen as new emails came in, and next thing you know, I'd lost track of something.  Out of sight, out of mind, you know.

But somewhere recently I came across a reference to Inbox Zero.  It's a basic strategy developed by a guy named Merlin Mann, and it's about thinking of your email inbox as mail that needs to be PROCESSED, not mail that needs to be handled/answered right away.  It's brilliant.

You can read about it here in a series of articles, and you can watch Merlin's really great video explanation .  It's well worth the time, I assure you.  And it really does make you think about the difference between using your time the way YOU want to, and letting whatever lands in your email inbox control (or derail) your day.  So basically the idea is this:  to set up a few folders for sorting mail, with each folder named by the action required, which will be a VERB.  "Reply."  "Delegate."  "Defer." "Schedule."  That sort of thing.  Then you get stuff out of your inbox by deleting the stuff you don't need and putting the stuff that needs handling in one of the processing boxes. 

And then, you turn to those processing files as you have time.  "Reply" is probably the one that you'll do that same day.  The goal is not to have those files become enduring repositories for dead email either -- they're to remind you what needs doing so you can do it as soon as you can, but without taking time away from the immediate things or the other non-email things you need to do.

I'm feeling rather proud of myself.  From there, I went on to figure out (finally) how to sync all of my mail and my calendar and my to do list between my PC and my Ipad and my Iphone.  So even though I've still got piles of paper on my desk and an overflowing basket of laundry that needs folding, I'm feeling like one little corner of my world is a bit more organized today.

And that makes me happy.

Blogging: A conversation, or an announcement?

Someone on the QuiltArt list  recently asked about how to generate traffic to a blog.  I posted a response, and I thought I'd post it here because I'm interested what other people think.  Am I naive to think about blogging as part of conversation?  Or is that just me, liking blogs because I *feel* like I'm participating in a conversation when really what I'm mainly doing is reading someone else's half of the conversation?  I'd be interested to know what you think.

So here's my comment to the list:

In my view, blogging is all about networking.

I’ve been blogging for over seven years, and I run the Artful Quilters Blog ring, a ring that connects blogs about art and contemporary quilting.  Over that time and through my observation of a lot of blogs, I have a couple of thoughts about the world of blogging and how artists use them.  The main thing, to me, is that the appeal of most blogs is that they set up a sense of a relationship between the blogger and the reader.  That’s why a lot of people prefer reading blogs to trolling through visual websites – it’s far more personally, usually, and there’s a sense of communication with the blogger that’s akin to reading a letter from a friend.  And it’s that relationship aspect, however “virtual” or distant, that in my mind is at the heart of being really successful with a blog.  You have to think of it as a two-way communication, and your part of the communication isn’t just posting entries on a blog.  It’s about responding to comments that are made.  It’s about having some interest about who is reading your blog – not just in terms of statistics, but about who the individuals are.  It’s about taking the time to notice who comments and go look at their blogs and leave a comment there.  In my view, for all that blog readers want to read and experience your creative world vicariously, they want to see themselves in a conversation with you, even if you as the blogger are doing the bulk of the talking.  I’m not saying that a blogger has to strike up a personal, direct friendship with every reader.  But I think readers can spot quickly someone who is blogging as a marketing tool (however nicely done) and someone who is blogging to share and participate in conversations about the corner of the art world she occupies.  I suspect (this is pure hypothesis) that if for every blog entry you posted, you took the time to either reply to a comment from a previous commenter, or go leave a comment on someone else’s blog, you’d slowly build the reputation as a blogger who isn’t just advertising and marketing in a pretty way, but who is interested in engaging in a conversation. 

There’s a difference in tone that, to my mind, is instantly detectable, between a blogger who blogs only to talk about herself and market herself, and a blogger who blogs to generate conversation and some level of communication flow.  I think it’s the latter type of blog that over the long run generates a bigger and more loyal following.

And here’s my other observation.  A lot of blog readers are people who have blogs themselves.  If they’re reading your blog, they’re also likely to be reading other blogs.  So being part of the blogging community can enhance interest in your blog.  Someone might see your comment on another blog and be intrigued enough to click on your name and find yours.  People will list your blog as one they read – and one way a lot of people end up getting to new blogs is by following the links from a blogger they trust.  Participation in a blog ring can help a lot too, because a reader who finds one blog on the ring can click and get to blogs on the same topic they hadn’t discovered.  You can find out about the Artful Quilters blog ring here, by the way: 

 http://goingtopieces.blogspot.com/2012/01/seven-years-of-artful-quilt-blog.html

There’s a SAQA members’ ring.  There’s a quilting teacher ring.  All of those will add your blog to wider community and help people find you. 

So my main advice for how to get more people to read your blog?  Get out there and read other blogs.  Comment on other blogs.  And respond to those who comment on yours.  Think of it as a networking process.

---

Seven Years of Artful Quilt Blog Ringing!

I owe a lot to the Artful Quilters Blog Ring.  Back in January, 2005 -- yikes, SEVEN years ago now -- I'd just started blogging and was hunting around for other quilt-related blogs.  I founds scads of knitting blogs, thanks to a blog ring box I found somewhere along the way ... I learned immediately how finding one blog I liked allowed me to click a button and find a host of others.  There wasn't anything like that for art and contemporary quilting back then -- so, I jumped in and set up the Artful Quilters Blog Ring.  Over the last seven years, we've grown to over 150 blogs!  (When I think about it, enthusiasm, impulse, and naive ignorance have taken me to rather exciting places!)

Through the ring, I've made some wonderful friends.  I've learned great techniques, and I've gotten more inspiration than I'll ever be able to use up in my lifetime.  When I thought I'd enjoy a quilt challenge or two, I emailed some of the AQ bloggers, and we formed our Twelve by Twelve challenge group.  I'd never have predicted that that would lead to a book, international exhibits, and amazing travel opportunities. 

If you have a blog and are not on the ring, you are welcome to join!  Here is the information:

Artful Quilters Web Ring
This web ring is for quilt artists and contemporary quilt makers to share their blogs, exchange thoughts about the process of art quilting, and share other bits of life that swirl around (and get in the way of) quilt making.

Do you want to join us?  Here are the ring guidelines:

1. The ring is intended for blogs that focus primarily on art and contemporary quilting.  While we enjoy traditional quilts, this ring is not for blogs about traditional quilting.  Your blog can be about other things, too; it's fun to read about what else you are doing in your life.  But if a reader finds your blog and can't tell that you make art or contemporary quilts, then this is not the ring for you.  As a rough guideline, your blog should have some quilt-related content once a month or more.  
2. The blog needs to be regularly updated. Any blogs not updated at least once a month will be moved to the queue. If you have not updated in over three months your site will be moved to the inactive list. You are welcome to re-join the ring if /when you start posting again. I understand that real life can and does get in the way of blogging, so there is no judgment implied if your blog is moved.  It's just that people stop using the ring if they repeatedly travel to blogs with stale entries.
3. You must include the ring code on the face page of your blog, so that visitors can surf to the blogs of other members more easily. After all, that's the whole point of this ring. At a minimum, the ring code must include a link to the ring's home and the Next and Previous links. Anyone who has not added the code to their site within two weeks of application will be removed from the ring. If you have trouble finding the current ring code, email me at dphock(at)comcast(dot)net and I will help you.
4. This is NOT a commercial site.  This ring is not for commercial sites, general quilt-gallery websites, or other non-blog websites. If your blog is merely a listing of items for sale or advertisement for your shop, this blog ring is not for you. You are welcome to sell things on/through your blog, but for this ring, I ask that your blog have content which is largely non-commercial.
5. You must have at least 5 entries on a new blog (some of which must be about art or contemporary quilting) in order to join. 

To submit your blog to the ring, click HERE.