Sweetest Valentine
Field Notes: Red Blooded from Coudal Partners on Vimeo.
Okay, I know this is selling field notes but what a way to say I love you! Why does this intrigue me? I think that it gets to the sentiment without being sentimental.
I have been thinking about launching my own greeting card design company for a thousand years (more like 10) and I worry about that fine line between cliche and talking about stuff that really moves us in an authentic way. My work tends to be obscure because I don’t know how to communicate the feelings any other way. Or am I afraid of showing you how I really feel? Oy! Probably a mix of the two. So, will greeting cards be my way of feeling out loud? I’m terrified just thinking about it.
The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore
Books Books, oh for the love of books! This had me weeping. It’s up for an academy award and it deserves it. Books have changed my life and this animation tells that tale so movingingly.
Women entrepreneurs
I have been thinking about starting my own business for a very long time. My parents were entrepreneurs. On the outside, I thought I had a different path from theirs. On the inside, I chaffed at being tied down to any one company. My recent all time record for staying in one job was 6 years at a small Kansas university. Everyone around me there had unbelievable careers – 40 years, 30 years – even 10 sounded like a lot to me.
8 years ago, I thought, okay now it’s time to leap. I moved to Kansas from New York City with my husband at the time. My goal was to start a greeting card business. The midwest would be a less expensive place to live, he would work as a professor and I would make art all day. I spent the first year in heaven preparing for the annual Stationery Show in NY. I made tons of art for cards and packed it all up and sat in my booth at the show for 4 days trying to get noticed. I was told my work was too edgy by Hallmark but Recycled Greetings thought I had potential and tried to help me give my punchlines more mass appeal. The art director loved my work but could not convince his boss to take the next step.
Life then took a series of left turns – my husband and I bought a house, I took a job at the university to help with the mortgage, the job took on a life of its own and last but not least, the marriage ended. Needless to say, the dream was sitting on the back burner with barely a flame to keep it cooking throughout all these changes.
So now, after pulling up roots in Kansas and moving back to New York to figure out my next steps, I have turned up the flame on my business again. I watched this inspiring video today about women entrepenuers. Small businesses are the backbone of the new economy. Go women!
hanukkah.08
Okay, it’s the last day of Hanukkah and my last drawing for this holiday. Thank you all for viewing my experiment in visualizing what it means to me. I found myself drawn to the daily renewal of light and hope. During my recent stay in New York, I discovered a wonderful Jewish renewal community called Romemu that inspired and allowed me to integrate eastern and western spiritual ideas into a more satisfying whole. I’m not sure where this all leads but it has been a wonderful week watching myself as I used humor and mystery to find a balance within.
