Artist by Nature, Books by Design

Culling

Three grand essentials to happiness in this life are something to do, something to love, and something to hope for. – Joseph Addison

By Rachel on August 30, 2018

Scanning quickly, I know exactly which one I can’t use.

It’s official, the summertime waltz has languished and we find ourselves spinning into another school-year tango. Even if your life hasn’t been taken over by kids or freeloaders of various breeds and sizes, Fall tends to bring a particular kind of busyness that can be dizzying.

If we are wise – or lucky – we’ve had a few days of total nothingness to absorb all of the freedom and adventure of the past couple months and our synapses are crackling with new, transformative material. Now our phones, cameras, DropBoxes, Google Docs, and various clouds are full to the brim with images of travels, gardens, living room forts, concerts and nature walks.

Maybe we’ve posted some on social media or shared a few with less tech savvy family, but we will definitely get back to them and finally make a book or calendar or something before the holidays – just as soon as things slow down. Which of course, won’t happen. Time waits for no one.

But what if we allow ourselves a small bit of time right now?

I call it the 3 Minute Cull Storm. (Culling means to choose the best from a group.) Go through your photos at breakneck speed, deleting only the worst without hesitation. Spend less than a second on each image.

Why so fast? It’s simple. Glaring issues really stand out when you move through images quickly, Also, you won’t get sucked into the vortex of reminiscing.

What constitutes the worst? You’ll know them when you see them:

out-of-focus
blurry
poorly framed
eyes in mid-blink
unwanted backgrounds
inadvertent nostril/cheek/knee

Delete happily and get ‘um gone. You’ll never even miss them. Promise.

Don’t spend time studying shots in a series. They may need to be pared down, but save that for later. Repeat until you’ve managed to get through a single month, like all of June. Try to knock out July and August, as well.

Do 3 measly minutes even make a difference? (you scream-ask).

Yes! I’m real believer in the miracle of 3 minutes. So much can happen in 180 seconds! Your favorite song can lift your spirit. Blood can rush to your brain and refresh your mind after a 3 minute toe-touching stretch. You can begin a meditation practice with just 3 minutes. And yes, you can manage your digital life in just a few directed minutes.

Not to mention, you can actually find three spare minutes!

Look for them in the car while you’re waiting at after-school pick-up, standing in line at fill-in-the-blank store, longer trips to the bathroom at home, or while waiting to meet a client. If you borrow a few minutes from your social media or info-mining habits, you’ll uncover untold amounts of time hiding where you can find them.

Another wonder of the 3 minute cull is that you will get through between 150 and 200 images. That’s not nothing! Your sense of accomplishment will swell, and induce feelings of confidence and self control.

Your reward will be a collection of photos ready for a photo book.

Travel

“If you want to go fast go alone. If you want to go far go together.” African Proverb

By Rachel on June 20, 2018

**Pura Vida, Costa Rica 2017**, made through Blurb. Size: Standard Landscape, 10×8 in (25×20 cm); Premium Matte 100# paper; 166 Pages; 760 images.

Maybe it’s common to travel with a group of people to another country and stay in the same resort, condos, or even the same house with them, to plan most meals and activities with them, and take hundreds of pictures with them. But it’s not common to do all of that with 11 other families from your kid’s 5th grade class.

Surrounded by old and new friends and all of our kids ranging in age from six to twelve, we had a glorious time in the tropical wonderlands of Costa Rica. Playa Flamingo to be precise.

Activities were well planned and coordinated. Meals were fun and delicious. Parents took turns being strategically stationed at the main pool, the side pool, the beach, or the recreation room at any given time. The couple brave drivers who rented cars were generous with their accommodations. Not an ounce of energy was wasted judging anyone about anything, instead it was spent surrendering to the sun and waves.

Besides surfing, zip lining, horseback riding, and cruising the waters on a catamaran, we napped as needed, read, swam, drank, laughed, lounged, walked, floated, received massages and relaxed. A couple days were left empty so families could recenter, though our flock of tweens were constantly pulled towards the vortex of their collective magnetism.

At least ten cameras were at the ready at any given time of day. Every major and minor moment was captured whether we were suspend in air, riding raging waters, snuggling ever deeper into damp sand, making tamales, or building intricate sea shell fortresses. Each sunset, rainbow, pretty coffee, wire walking monkey, elaborate meal, sultry flower, and sea shell was photographed. Over a 1,000 images were floating around between all of us just begging to be bound into a book.

Beauty is in the details and photos of the details were perfect as section dividers.

Knowing that the whole process would take longer than anticipated, and that I often underestimate my time, I was excited to begin. Several steps, all simple in theory, were in order. First and foremost: collect pictures! Then decide on the final product’s size and shape, organize, cull and curate photos, create an architecture around the events, lay it all out, do a head count, print and proof it, edit and spell check, upload and order. The makings of a good time, and so I began.

Turns out people are BUSY when they are not on vacation. Some folks got photos to me within a week of being home, some a full six months later. Gentle prompting was consistent and through all known means (emails, texts, phone calls, school hallways, going to people’s houses and letting them feed me dinner). I was unwilling to let anyone off the hook, so the delay of production is decidedly on me. Honestly though, I’m glad I held out. The combination of everyone’s perspective rounded out this project in a marvelous way.

Drop Box and Google docs were the go-to file sharing methods. Both work beautifully. DropBox overwrites original photo dates when uploading, which became challenging. I was forced to let go of absolute correctness in chronology of the days we were free to roam separately. It was an exercise in acceptance that did not come without a little gnashing of teeth and pulling of hair.

Starting with a grid to lay out pages is necessary. So is letting that grid evolve.

Filtering for duplicates was its own task, as each of us had WhatsApp pictures mixed in with our camera rolls. Probably the most time consuming activity, and one of my favorites, was simply choosing the best shot of three (or eight) in a series. Looking at each photo for expressions, gestures, and background action excited my neurons. The documentarian/hoarder in me struggled to let the lesser images go because even blurry shots contained beautiful details not found anywhere else. Decision fatigue eventually set in however, and the best photos revealed themselves.

Behind the scenes proofing and head counting.

Keeping an even balance of characters throughout the book was important in my mind, so I created a grid of names and photo options (individual shots, groups of two, groups of three, ect.) to keep track of how many times a face appeared. If it sounds tedious, it was. But how else to insure I didn’t over represent my family? Or under represent my family in reaction to the paranoia of over representing them? Too much time was spent on this step probably, but no one can say I played favorites. For the families who didn’t take many pictures, or were on a shorter timeline, I gave more full page coverage. For those of us with kids who managed to be in front of every lens, I allotted a little less solo real estate.

WhatsApp screen shots revealed parental banter. So many great meals were documented.

Including several WhatsApp threads added to to the overall feeling of relaxed fun, otherwise dates, days and locations were the only verbiage.

Design time took a total of 80 hours from final photo collection to uploading the finished book file to Blurb. The choice of a heavy, uncoated stock really made the book feel un-photobook like and rather exquisite. Stock choice and removal of the Blurb logo increased the price a little, but the bulk discount more than made up for it.

I sought permission from parents to use pictures of their kids as they lost to the waves during surfing, but otherwise allowed us all the opportunity to feel unselfconscious. A link of the entire book went out to each family before they ordered, but after it was too late to make changes. Eight months after our return, we gathered at Licha’s Cantina for great Austin Mexican food and the books were distributed. As the kids dove in, parents caught up, reconnected, and tossed around ideas for our next adventure.

The book was well received. One kid even slept with it the first day. Made my heart swell.

At the writing of this post, a year has passed since I lay on sands offering a Pacific view and rolled with the waves as they drew me farther into the sea then sent me humbly back to shore; since the air, heavy with humidity, allowed neither the feeling of freshly showered or deeply dirty. The folks I traveled with are in my inner circle and wider tribe, and I, a grateful book designer.

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Memorial Gift

“When you are living the best version of yourself, you inspire others to live the best versions of themselves.” -Steve Maraboli

By Rachel on March 20, 2018

Small Square, 7×7 in, 18×18 cm 36 Pages made by Blurb

If you’ve ever worked with someone who loved their job so much that they inspired you to do better, consider yourself lucky.

These rare folks challenge us to be our best selves and do it with contagious joy. Their encouragement becomes momentum in the day. We unabashedly rely on them for energy and focus; stand dumbfounded at their motivation.

And when they suddenly drop off this mortal coil, leaving us behind in a void of loss, then what? As their partners, children, and parents begin their long journey of grief, we–their employees, employers, and coworkers–are left to shuffle in line, wonder what place we held in their lives, and how we will make up for their absence. How do we face Mondays without their spark?

When I was approached to put together a memorial book for such a person, I was at once grateful, but immediately switched to problem solving mode. The content of the book would rely on the writing of co-workers. As with most colleagues, they weren’t snapping photos all the time, and when pictures were taken, they were straightforward group shots, not carefully art directed action poses.

What an incredible influence Mr. Libbey had on those he worked with. As I read though each story, a very specific theme of admiration emerged. This man lived each day fully, in work and play.

As a text heavy project, I chose Hoefler Text because it reads well, looks classic and feels modern. Bromello Script is fun and beautiful and became the vehicle for amplifying Mr. Libbey’s many enduring qualities. From a design point of view, it was an easy choice to use the bright colors of the Hanger logo throughout the book – apropos for such a bright personality.

By the end of this project, I gained my own admiration for Mr. Libbey. I cried several times as I read through funny and touching stories and felt humbled that Books By Design, MC was hired to do this project for his family. What a loving tell of respect that his work friends traveled states away for his celebration of life party.

When facing someone else’s mortality, it is impossible not to face our own. I cannot imagine that I have been as powerful an influence as Mr. Libbey, but I can take notes from his life. I can strive to encourage those around me, to stay present, and to laugh a little more each day.

Thank you Bob Libbey – for living in such a way that your spirit touched those beyond your knowing. Rest in Peace.

Letters

“Your word travels the entirety of space and reaches my cells which are my stars then goes to yours which are my light.” – Frida Kahlo

By Rachel on February 21, 2018

From Frida to Diego, Virginia to Vita, Oscar to Alfred – some of the greatest romances in history have been spared extinction thanks to the letters they shared. Famous in one family tree and equally as valuable, another set of letters has been preserved for future branches to grow from and admire.

This project was a gift on many levels. Initiated by a client on behalf of her husband who was the sole holder of his family’s vast collection of photos, memorabilia, and letters, and who has five other siblings interested in sharing it. My client’s mother-in-law had done a wonderful job of saving, labeling and dating her collection which included the devoted correspondence of her father and mother while he was away during World War II and she a young girl.

My client took the initiative to start the process of scanning and archiving everything with Doorstep Digital. Designing the book was straightforward in nature and it was fun to utilize the large assortment of saved stamps, as well as the few photos from the time frame of the letters.

The book was produced through Shutterfly utilizing their lay-flat pages, making the finished book sturdy. It was completed and delivered in time for Christmas and received with grateful tears.

Top Left: Back Cover featuring a post card Christmas card. Top Right: First page, dating photos. Bottom: pages 4 & 5, new baby photos.

Top: Pages 8 & 9 feature letters from father at war. Bottom left: Page 12 is an example of some of the beautiful stamps from the couple’s correspondence. Bottom right: Photos sent to father with a note from him with his lovely sign off, ‘All my love to you sweetheart.’

I look forward to working over my own family’s collection of letters soon. Particularly my Grandfather’s letters to his parents when he left for the Navy, and my father’s to his parents when he followed suit. The details written in letters are often not the same shared in conversation, so I find letters to reveal much more than the stories shared through the years.

The minutiae of daily life takes on a meditative quality for both reader and author. Patience is required to collect thoughts and practice cursive, and that patience is transferred when the receiver sits with these thoughts, slowly interpreting another’s penmanship. A shared experience in different times and separate worlds, letters become lasting gestures of love and friendship.

In an attempt to temper the tyranny of time, may I offer – write a letter. Your efforts will not be lost on the receiver. Or those who find your letters generations later.

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Time

“Let us never know what old age is. Let us know the happiness time brings, not count the years.” – Ausonius

By Rachel on February 7, 2018

Chicago might just be my new favorite city, 6º temps couldn’t deter my enthusiasm

I’ve recently returned from a week in Chicago’s 20º winter, working with Doorstep Digital to scan and archive a collection of photos dating back to the late 1800’s. Our client’s father is facing serious health issues and hired us to digitize her family’s extensive collection of photos to share with him.

Scanning in and of itself can tend towards rote work, but choosing albums with the oldest images made for a wonderfully engaging experience. The rich sepia tones of these photos created from cameras in their earliest inception could hold their own in the Art Institute of Chicago’s photography collection. Their family is of German-Jewish decent and the women and men who held audience in front of the lens are thoroughly romanticized by this humble designer-turned-scan technician.

One set of eyes belonging to a young girl cast a particularly mesmerizing spell. I watched her grow from a curly haired, round faced, doll-like creature into a studious youth, on to a young bride and into motherhood. Her transformation was extraordinary. Her youthful beauty begat itself in her two daughters and as she aged into grandparenthood and even great-grandparenthood, I found myself very much smitten with her and this rare and wonderful slice of her life.

Her eyes, once framed with the supple, plump skin of childhood, now floated in the loose wrinkles of a wise woman who has bared a life rich with love, struggle, changing times, and growing family. How I wish I could hear her stories, know her details, her laugh, hold her hands.

When her youngest daughter was nineteen, she met and fell in love with a stunning young man of 22 years and soon they were married. They became adults together as their romance flourished in front of me. Photos are kept because they highlight what we want to see and remember, so I didn’t expect to see their hardships or strife, but I also didn’t expect to see this husband’s constant admiration of his wife. In every image – starting on a beach honeymoon, his body language spoke only to her, as if she were true north and he a dedicated mariner.

A testament to their love is the closeness of the family they created. We scanned through their babies, their children, their teenagers, the weddings of their young adult children, and their grandchildren. Their daughter was our client.

Time ebbs and flows according to our awareness of it. Watch a clock during dull or painful times and minutes become hours. Travel to a new country or sit with an old friend and the reverse happens. Any amount of time spent deeply engaged in a meaningful activity eventually becomes unquantifiable. Can this be true with an entire life?

What took decades to live and photograph, took just four days to scan and archive. From introduction to exit, from seed to bristlecone pine, from her eyes to mine, life plays out like waves of an ocean. Constant in it’s changing, beginnings and endings a part of the same motion. Comfort comes in the gratitude we acknowledge in any given moment.

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Poetry

“The journey is the destination” – Dan Eldon

By Rachel on January 18, 2018

Photo credit unknown, taken for a portrait at Westminster Manor, Austin

It is finished! Or… has it just begun?

You remember my nonconformist poet friend? Well, we finished his book just in time for another run at the Westminster Manor Christmas Bazaar. It is by far my favorite project to date. My ever helpful husband not only person-ed my table with me, he also traveled up to Cedar Park that morning to pick up my order from the printer. The ink was barely dry when he delivered 50 beautiful books!

What a wonderful nine months of visiting with Mr. Norris and getting to know him, his poetry, and his poetry group of 23 years. Some fine voices in that bunch and always a warm smile and attentive ears. (A bit of advice – try to keep company with those a generation or two wiser than yourself, inside and outside your own family. Oh the things we never knew!)

Mr. Norris and I met just about every week for most of that time. During the first several meetings we established the scope of his project, what we wanted it to look like, size, use of color, art for the cover. He decidedly did not want to publish or sell, but rather to give to friends and family. Oh, and he wanted a sound chip in some of the books so readers could hear the rhythm of his poem The Rap On Bob.

We discussed using different colored paper for each section of the book. At one point we thought we might have him paint the edge of the pages of the book a different color for each section. It was, to say the least, a very fun and challenging exercise in both creativity and production solutions.

At each meeting he would pass three to five poems he had either written in the last week or possibly years ago. This man is overflowing with poetry. Pretty early on we discussed the prospect of a second volume.

Taking into consideration the fact that he cannot see from his left eye, I shifted most of the formatting to the right side of the page, including only numbering odd pages which falls on the right page.

We (I say we, it was really my multi talented husband once again…) scanned his poems in hopes to keep the original 8.5”x11” formatting with Mr.Norris’s illustrations. After choosing a journal size of 7” x 9” for the book, typesetting became necessary. Also, an increased point size for text was necessary for easier reading on older eyes.

The mock up for this project was a three ring binder with plastic page protectors holding the poems. When it was time to create chapters for the book, I could easily sort the plastic pages into piles then reorder in the binder and it helped his 87 year old hands to have something thick to turn. He pretty much gave me free reign over the order poems and chapters which felt daunting at first, but also allowed me to connect more deeply with his words.

Three ring binder with plastic pages as mock up.

Finding a local printer that could print rich color on the cover plus one color page inside, and the rest black and white… on a rich cream paper… was not the easies task. I discovered some great printers in Austin though.

360 Press Solutions in Cedar Park was the final choice and I worked with a great sales rep who was communicative, calming, and delivered on time. Mr. Norris had already done his research on the sound chips and sent a link to Invite By Voice who proved to be very responsive to my needs and offered price breaks on quantity.

Figuring out how to mount the sound chip into the book without tearing the pages resulted in having one sheet of card stock inserted after the poem that was recorded. this way the sound chip could be mounted to something sturdy. I cut down some old wedding stationary cards (now with outdated addresses printed on the flap) and used them to hide the sound chip.

Push the on Bob’s name and hear him read this poem. Genius!

We used a self portrait he had painted for the cover but positioned it so that as the reader opens the book, they are opening his mind.

If these beauties become available for sale, I’ll be sure to get the word out. Until then, below the video are a few of my favorites.

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New Moment

“You always have two choices: your commitment versus your fear.” -Sammy Davis, Jr.

By Rachel on January 5, 2018

My mentor recently asked, “Are you committed?” in regards to my entrepreneurial enterprise. I had to think about that for awhile.

Am I committed? An inner voice scoffed – Of course you’re committed! The other laughed Right, and how would anyone know? A third suggested it was time to find a new path, like she’s been telling me every couple years since age 12, with vague details at best. Yet another voice indignantly screeched – Are you SERIOUSLY doing this AGAIN? What are we reading Sincero for? Why are there boxes full of other peoples family photos stacked in your studio? Why do the ideas keep coming? Why do people keep finding you? What evidence do you need?!

Right, but… can I really run a business? I’ve never doubted my creativity, but making a living with it is different. Have I been succeeding so far, or just flailing with charisma? Do I have what it takes to steer my own ship or am I better as second mate?

Another friend posted that if she could rid the world of one thing it would be fear. I don’t tend to think of myself as someone who is afraid of much, but as I spend the first week of this new year assessing the direction of my business, I can see that fear has had me sailing against the tide more than I realized.

The fear-shame cycle rages on mostly unnoticed. I’m afraid and then ashamed of that fear. Incessant internal arguments and naysaying dominate my thoughts and the constant ping, tap, thump, blat, smack, spit, scream of self doubt can be paralyzing.

Maybe if I start talking louder, I won’t hear those energy sucking voices. Or if the fears are called out, at least the shame of them will diminish and I can work around them. Since fear cannot be banished from one’s emotional landscape, it must dealt with it differently.

So, what’s to be afraid of? Pretty simple psychology stuff. Failure. Success. The unknown. Being mediocre. Criticism. Once a project is finished, then what?

As an exercise in exposing the liars in my head, I’m going to break them down a bit.

Fear of failure is easy to rationalize. If I fail at being an entrepreneur, it can only be good for my next gig as someone else’s amazing employee. The trick is to determine WHEN it’s failure. How will I know it’s time to end it or make major changes? If I set goals, SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-Bound), not just fantasy visions, I can know when it’s time to let go or do something different.

Fear of success seems counter intuitive, but after a little reading I realize that I have a stunted vision of what I want my success to look like. With success comes change, and not small ones. I have to be willing to let go of life as it is now – the good, the bad, and the ugly, and make room for life as I want it – the great, the character building, and the manageable.

Fear of the unknown kind of comes in under fear of success. Clarify my vision of success and the unknown won’t be so unfamiliar.

Fear of being mediocre plagued me as a younger woman. So much so that I filled volumes of personal journals about it and not one essay, article, blog post, or book for public consumption about anything else. Damn! Age has made me far more ok with not being a revolutionary, famous, history making genius these days. Simply being myself in the world is my main objective. There is plenty of room at the top and all through the middle for my gifts.

Fear of criticism. Yikes. This makes my stomach tight just typing it out. I love approval SO MUCH!! It’s my favorite! But… without facing criticism, I can’t improve or grow or serve my clients effectively. So, tight gut and all, it’s time to get out there and take some heat. (Shudder)

Fear of finishing projects and not knowing what comes next….hmmm. I certainly can linger in a project longer than necessary, over thinking design choices, admiring what works, debating what doesn’t. Not at the expense of clients of course, but this often leads to undercharging which undermines my financial confidence. Oy.

Once a project is done, I tend to imagine the huge, empty voids of space. Unless I go find more. Which is HUGELY uncomfortable. So uncomfortable in fact, that up to now I’ve had no real marketing plan, tribe building habits, or knowledge of where to meet other designers. What am I an introvert? Urg. Kind of. An extroverted introvert, but an introvert nonetheless.

With a more specific plan going forward and a clear message of how I can serve people, my introverted self can be encouraged to face discomfort with more confidence. It’s only the thought of meeting new people that inflames anxiety, not the actual meeting of new people.

Staying open to the endless possibilities the Universe shows me over and over helps curb latent habits of scarcity thinking. There is more than enough need for what I offer. And I can find those who are looking for me. I’ve got those boxes of photos to prove it.

Direct my own ship I must. Choose my destination I will. Time to give up on giving up.

As if on queue, a Muzak arrangement of the Rocky theme song starts playing. My son and I have watched all of the Rocky movies this holiday break. Coincidence? I think not.

Thanks for the signal – Gonna fly now.

Holiday cards

“A lovely thing about Christmas is that it’s compulsory, like a thunderstorm, and we all go through it together.” – Garrison Keillor

By Rachel on November 15, 2017

First baby Holiday ‘card’. I cut out strips of the three pictures and sent them as such. They also became gift tags on packages.

If you think this is a cheap ploy to showcase my baby’s undeniable cuteness, you are correct. If you think I still have a baby, you are off by eleven years. Sigh. Don’t blink parents….

Finishing up my archive of previous holiday cards. Maybe there are ideas to be gleamed, maybe projects to avoid.

Potato stamping cards pre-dated motherhood by 10 years.

The best part of potato stamping is the cheap tools and endless possibilities. Almost any paint will do and when you’re tired of a design you simply cut it off and create a new one. A great activity to get messy with. No cleaning as you go. If you don’t have paint on your face or in your hair by the time you’re finished, something went terribly wrong.

Simple black and white copies on card stock. Add felt if you need a reason to show off your newly pierced tongue.

Any source of cuteness is vital for a successful holiday card. What’s cuter than your kid brother from 20 plus years ago? Or your confused cat? (I know, I know, dogs! But I didn’t have dogs back in my singles days.) Add simple graphics, a trendy font, and a best attempt at broad appeal humor and wha-laa. You’ve managed to make a HUGE number of holiday cards for a MINIMUM number of dollars.

Mini books were a favorite way to share mediocre but sweet photos.

More than a few friends have received these little bookies and cards full of less than average photos. Before digital photography, much of my monthly income was spent printing photos, then scanning them back in and arranging them so that they felt purposely arty.

**Top:** Access to transparent sticker stock and a Christmas away from family was the inspiration for the top card. **Right:** Black and white photos copied onto colored stock. **Bottom:** Copies of photos folded to hold actual photos.

Pictures of a mini tree wearing purple lights and small plastic toys made for a dynamic card one year, with 4 optional front covers and a page of stickers for your cutting and sticking pleasure. The fact that an entire single-girl evening was spent poking holes thru and threading toys is testament to how much I love decorating for the holidays, at the same time, not buying new stuff.

The sticker stock was courtesy of Creative Type and Graphics as it existed in 1998. When I saw what was possible through high end digital printing, my brains caught afire with ideas for cards and books. I made up projects just to try new options.

The other two cards shown above are copied photos that serve as an envelope. The green and kraft paper project featured photos taken on a solo journey from Texas to Colorado for a cousin’s wedding. The photos inside were selfies taken with family at the wedding.

The black and white piece is little bit Dove Creek on the outside, a little bit NYC on the inside, wrapped in a strip baring either a fictional family photo or me. Once the receiver finally made it into the card, a pile of pictures I’d taken of them would fall out.

Family selfies and type set photos. We’re talking 9¢ a piece y’all.

Simple photos were (and still are) my go to card through the years. It’s an easy and inexpensive solution for sharing the unbearable cuteness of children and furry critters. I tend to personalize them one way or another – no factory graphics here. Someday I may actually pay a professional photographer. Maybe.

The poem included in the 2007 card:

And finally – the cards that never made it into the mail. Printed, produced and paid for but abandoned nonetheless:

**Left:** Shalequa inspired silliness. **Middle**: Too terrible to try. **Right:** Office Depot, you did real good, but I didn’t have time to correct ya.

The magenta cat cards with the grouchy green polaroids were made in my apartment in Brooklyn. Designed for a clear envelop to entertain the mail carriers. Out right vanity kept me from mailing the middle card. The mini cards on the far right weren’t centered once printed. A few made it into the hands of a some sweet friends but not to the wider world. Poor planning is all I can come up with.

Whew – with the past ever behind me and now documented I look forward to something unexpected for …. gulp … NEXT MONTH!! Geez – Get going!

Art Show

“What is possible in art becomes thinkable in life.” —Brian Eno

By Rachel on October 22, 2017

If you’re fortunate, you are the kind of soul with whom art has its way. You can’t stop the command of tears or physical response when faced with the really mind blowing stuff – theater – music – literature – paintings – sculpture. Or when the the highest evolution of creativity is so perfect and true that you have an out of human experience with it. Rare and beautiful moments to be sure.

In varying degrees, experiencing art is a personal passage of understanding. We may not know why we are drawn to an image, a color, a medium. We are just still before it. Or we vibrate wildly with it. Even the mediocre stuff is worth the discomfort of experiencing – it gives us the chance to be the critic. Who doesn’t need that once in awhile?

I recently saw an exhibit called Build Hope, Not Walls at Big Medium in east Austin’s Canopy development (do yourself a favor and vistit Sa-Tén for a delicious nibble when you go). The event was a fund raiser to help immigrants and refugees and each artist created a brick.

Gasping 150 times must oxygenate the blood pretty thoroughly because I left feeling elevated, energized, and very grateful on so many levels. There’s plenty of research out there siting how art affects the brain, but you don’t need to read about it – go experience some. Or better yet, make it yourself. It’s so good for our grey matter to get off it’s usual course and explore completely new and spontaneous ideas.

In the mean time, here are just a few of the bricks that helped build my hope.

Top: Jonas Criscoe, Right: Liz Hermanson, Bottom: Rehab El Sadek

Top L: Rebecca Bennett, Top R: Starkey, Bottom L: Trish Garcia, Bottom R: Sylvia Troconis

Left: Silvia Majocchi, Center: Robin Saenger, Right: Janel Jefferson

Left: Jill Thrasher, Center: Francisco Godoy, Top R: Mark Puente, Bottom R: Paul Wright

Top L: Brian Phillips, Bottom L: Jen Hassin, Center: Leslie Pierce, Top R: Catherine Hicks, Bottom R: Jamie Wade

Holiday cards

“Each person’s life is like a mandala – a vast, limitless circle. We stand in the center of our own circle, and everything we see, hear and think forms the mandala of our life.” – Pema Chodron

By Rachel on October 11, 2017

This may have been my favorite card ever. Designed to fold and create an envelope with label on one side and activity on the other, with our family photo collage card inside.

My kiddo learned how to draw paper mandalas in art class and we spent hours making them. It’s truly relaxing and strangely rejuvenating. And what do folks need more during the holidays than a chance to just be still, reflective, calm?

The instructions took a little doing to get them to both fit and be readable. Most likely no one actually created their own mandala – but the opportunity to make one now is here!

Included in the card were links to this mesmerizing Tibetan sand mandala construction and destruction as well as this mind blowing illustration of how the planets rotate the sun forming their own mandala. Scroll down about 3 images and you’ll see a ’13 Venus years, 8 Earth years’ illustration. You’ll know you’re there when your jaw is hanging open.

Minor efforts transformed our hamster into Santa and ‘lil dog into a reindeer -like beast for our address labels, little gift tags and cards my son gave to friends.

Sadly I was swayed by the Office Depot gal to print the cards 2-up (to save paper and money! Why didn’t I think of that?) instead of sticking to my original plan to print them 1-up (because they are too small to hold the 4×6″ photo prints, I DID think of that, duh!). But – ya know, perfection is for those who can’t laugh at themselves, and have bigger budgets than me I guess.

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