Art Junk Girl~

A summer "artjunk" Survey!~I need feedback!

polka-dot artjunk mosaic~, originally uploaded by artjunkgirl.

Have a great day my friends. I'm going to announce a giveaway soon, so stay tuned...still putting it together. I'd like some feedback on what you'd like to see/hear more about this summer as my time will be somewhat limited. You can pick one or two or none. I tend to be all over the place and I need you all to focus me!! Please respond in the comments or email me, artjunkgrl@yahoo.com.

1. Art Journals, making, completing, prompts, supplies, etc. (I may be able to work on a few "tip-in" pages if you would like to send me a loose page and collage bits).

2. Inchies. We want to see more inchies. (I have a bunch I haven't posted). I still make them. yeah.

3. Your life. We want to see more about your everyday boring life...not as much art junk.

4. Your junk. We love seein' your junk. Show us more, we know you have a secret stash of goodies. You haven't even shown us your teacups yet...

5. Art Studio-We want to see your art studio already. Are you done yet?

6. Blogtalkradio- we'd like to hear you interview more art peeps.

Ok, I think that's it. Boy did I get a wild hair today! I guess I'm feeling the need for some direction here. If I don't have alot of interest, I may go on a summer respite. Let me know your thoughts. It's hard to know with blogging because sometimes it feels like there is no one out there. Well, that's not completely true. I know you all are out there, but I think some feedback would be helpful from you...I'm just tossing these things around as I'm doing my (late) spring cleaning. I'm almost done cleaning out my clothes closet. I am hanging on to this one pair of skinney jeans. I don't care what oprah says. I'm not getting rid of it. So I digress, as I throw out the rest of the old, it's time to bring in some new. Wow, I've gotten alot of cleaning done since my computer crashed! Another reason to think about focussing my time online...but then I don't want to blog less if there is an interest in my sharing...cause I like to share and inspire others. And the whole polka-dot thing...we can have fun with that.. .maybe even a swap. Ok, I better get back to cleaning. I'm sorry to be so mish-mosh today. Anyhoo...I promise, double promise pics of my studio soon. I still don't have my computer back from the shop, so I've been lazy about loading pictures on the family computer.
talk soon, I hope. xo lia

~under construction~

blog breaks, bed rest & a few new creative battles....

Dear Friends, (this is gonna be a long one.....)
A funny thing happened on the way to taking a little blog break... you see, I just wanted to take a break, ok? just a little break... to re-group, get some of my art projects organized and just have an online "breather" in general. Well, actually, a few things happened. Let me splain....it's never a short story with me...especially when it's been "long time, no talk".
Well, first of all...I got hit with a "forced break". A time out that I didn't want. I guess all the running around I'd been doing the last two months wore me down and I came down with a bad case of strep throat. I am now on my second batch of antibiotics and very, very slowly recovering. I've had 2 tests for mono. Both negative. Thank goodness. I have not been a happy camper. I guess my body did know that I had to take a break, but I guess I did it a little late, then ka-bloom. I've pretty much been on bed rest and of no use to anyone for more than 10 days now. This has been especially hard for me because, well, a) I normally hit the ground running and I wanna do stuff b) I have kids and people who look at me expecting caregiving and simply don't understand that Moms, do, infact, get sick. We are also suseptible to the common cold. Yes, we are. Don't look at me that way. Get your own cereal for crying out loud! Make yourself a dang quesadilla...

Let's just say, I've slept loads. The hubs has picked up alot of slack for me. The counter tops, I"m sure, will need MAJOR toothbrush scrub down, ie. crumb patrol, it's not clean 'til it squeeks kind of cleaning, when I get better. Things are "picked up", I occasionally wake up out of my antibiotic stooper and "reboot" the laundry....then that is "all she wrote for the day".. but they are doing a good job, yes. They love me, they want me to get better. Ok, so I digressed a bit here...
So,...where was I? Oh, yeah...since I've been "on the mend"...I've had a lot of time to think about junk....especially art junk. Since I haven't been in the throws of doing much art lately (which is unusual since that's my mojo everyday), I've had time to think about "it". I've basically looked around at the big huge "mess" I've created in my life. I've had some time to let some "doubt" creep in....some of that, "am I on the right path here?" kind of stuff...."am I too old for crayons?"....kind of stuff....that kind of, "pack up your mess and go get a 'real job' kind of voices"...yes, this is what glue stick and gesso withdrawal can do to a girl.....I didn't know that even silly little 'ole me was suseptible to "those" voices. After all, I'm just following my bliss out here is suburbia, minding my own glue stick. writing about how happy squares make me. I'm not busting my butt making a living with my art. So, what's my point....well, my point is, I'm making a hell of a mess of my house in the meantime and I don't have alot to show for it...other than a load of squares.. Anyhow. What I'm saying is...A while back when I was in the throws of my square bliss, I was wondering why I had hung up all my art junk years back and why I waited so long...and then I remembered...funny, how we forget. I remembered why. I remember why I had put it all the shelf. I remember WHY I had put it all away. It was because of one little four letter word....and that is, the MESS.

Yes, it was the mess. I was sick of my crafty mess. I remember it distinctly. The looks of disapproval I would get from friends and family members.....the frustration I would have in projects left undone....the fact the I couldn't find things. The guilt I had about allowing myself to devote myself to create pursuits and be a "good mom" at the same time. I remember now.

Then, I read a book that opened my heart and made me remember how much I loved color and art and how happy it made me feel and I got the mess out again....and it's been out for the past 2 years. It's been a great two years and me and you and the blog that's morphed from I don't know where and the great friends I've made online, and the awesome flickr groups and artists and swaps I've been in have all been the most fantastic ride I could EVER have imagined. It's like the universe just opened up for me. I can't even begin to mention how many people have embraced and supported me creatively from the day one of this new quest.....but NO one told me about this unwelcome party crasher....the one that comes in and tells you to put away your mess again and that you are silly and don't belong doing this anymore.
My closest art friend tells me that this means I'm just going through a "growth" phase. I'm thinking it's a "bla-bla-bla.....I don't wanna say it....block". But, whatever it is....I know I made one decision after days of wrestling with these thoughts back and forth in my mind, I'm in. I'm gonna go the distance. I'm gonna keep on keepin' on and I'm gonna EmBRACE MY MESS!!!!!

"I am an Artist.....I am here to live out loud..."
~Emile Zola

I've also looked back on how much art and creativity has given me: peace, joy, excitement, ideas, seeing the world in a new way, inspiration, amazement, it's a whole wonderful amazing world to live in!
REally, it is....and I don't want stop collecting all it's colors, words, and images and storing them into my collages. I'm not putting away my crayons just yet...
Thanks for listening friends.

Bloglines, and Blogs, and Bears, Oh My!

To my dear Bloglines subscribers...I tried to publish my 1" Postcard Gallery Blog on a feed and I somehow merged it with my main blog. I suppose it may take a day for bloglines to update properly. I love bloglines because I can now check on/read more blogs than before but I think I got a little ahead of myself trying to manage more than one art junk blog feed. Ok, I'll go back to my room now. talk soon. xo Lia

Update: 11:42 eastern time. It appears that Art Junk Girl's Blogline is now fixed. Back to regularly scheduled blog reading....Blog on your merry way now and sorry for the interruption. I do appreciate my faithful readers and I hope to keep bringing you uninterrupted blogging without bloopers, new banners and senseless babbling (but then again, maybe that's what you like best about me..lol). Blog on my friends... xo Lia