Expansion and Integrity
Structures #15
©2005
12" x 13"
Private Collection
My Intention
Expand: to open up, to increase in extent or scope
Expansion: the act or process of expanding
Integrity: firm adherence to a code of especially moral or artistic values: incorruptibility
I set my intention for the year by selecting these words to guide me.
Expansion
I am focused on growing by leaps and bounds in 2009. I chose the word expansion over expand as it’s the process of expansion that excites me. The end result will be great but I’m going to love getting there as much as being there.
What does it take to grow my art business? What structures, routines, and systems will I need to succeed? What goals do I need to set? What habits do I need to form? I love thinking about the process and then executing on it.
This isn’t just about my art career it’s about internal things also like expanding my acceptance and understanding of others. About deepening my relationships, expanding my view of the world, etc. The list is endless.
And of course building a great big new studio to make more big art. That’s the easiest and obvious expansion at the moment.
Integrity
When I settled on the word expansion it felt incomplete to me. I wanted to qualify it. I wanted to say "Yes – I want to expand but I want to recognize and honor my values – to be authentic." Not just to clarify the expansion but also because exploring and defining exactly what I want is an ongoing process.
While I have a good idea of who and am and what I want and how I want to say it, I’ll be doing quite a bit of marketing of my artwork this year. So to that end it is vital I am very clear on the message I want to send.
I wrestled a bit with the word integrity as the definitions sound very moral preachy, but that’s not how I think of the word. I think of it more as just being authentic and not being easily swayed by things you don’t agree with.
I considered authentic but it doesn’t sound as good with the word expansion. So I read more about integrity on wikipedia and felt it really was the right word. And it sounds great with expansion. Given my current studio construction I also like the connotation to the integrity of expanding a physical structure.
My intention is to identify my values and honor them, as well as expand beyond my wildest dreams.
Courage
I won’t be abandoning my word for 2008, Courage, as it will take much courage to proceed with some of the plans I have for the year. Expanding and living bigger is scary. Courage is about feeling the fear and doing it anyway. I got a lot of practice with that in 2008 and expect it will come in very handy again this year.
My Studio Newsletter
Yesterday I emailed my 4th studio newsletter for 2008, making my goal of 4 in 2008. It was my first year for newsletters and it feels great to have met that goal. If you aren’t a subscriber and are interested you can read it and subscribe here: Lisa’s December Studio Newsletter.
Structures #15
I wanted to include an image with this post so strolling through my folders I hit upon this small hand embroidered textile painting. I rarely hand stitch my textiles and to date this is the only one of the Structures series where I’ve done this.
Now that I see this I’m getting ideas for incorporating some stitching with my thinner lines. Hm…. Maybe time to explore and see if this idea pans out. Expanding the series in a new way. Cool!
Happy New Year Everyone!
Posted by Lisa in: Being an Artist
Tagged: courage, expansion, integrity, intention, newsletter, structures
This is really great piece. Have you done many with the handstitching on top — makes for a complex rich statement. I know stitching is a bitch, I always want to add it, but run out of time (since I operate deadline imposed) but when I do get time, it hurts my hands.
Hi Lisa,
To me the hand-stitched pieces are a step above visually — it becomes an additional transparent layer that drops below or above the rest of the work depending on your color choice. How it plays out in #15 is just wonderful (and also in the one I have from you!). More work, yes, but it isn’t just “extra” it really makes the piece into something different. Look forward to seeing what you turn out in this area!
I so agree with Gregory; hand stitching adds yet another layer and the possibilities with hand stitching is to a certain extend greater than with machine stitching because you get the interrupted lines and you can have a great variety of sizes of the individual stitches. It also adds more texture. It’s funny right now I can’t think of any artist who combines hand- and machine stitching. Anyway; can’t wait to see if you expand in this direction and what you come up with.
Great post Lisa. Your 2009 sounds exciting already. I love the hand work. Will stay tuned to see what you decide to do with that idea.
Happy New Year!
Loved reading about why you chose the words you did. And , like the others, really like how the hand stitching works over your other layers. Look forward to seeing if this pops up again in future work.
Best wishes,
Rhiannon
Well chosen word for the year… and you are already well on the way on several fronts. Fun to watch… I’m envious because these years of growth and expansion are the best!
Happy New Year Lisa!
I like seeing how your work is growing and changing. (Not that I thought it needed to change, but I’m forever interested in the creative process.)
Thanks for sharing about your words for the year. I’ll be posting about mine in the next day or so. I’ve got them narrowed down; I, too, need more than one.
Here’s to the best year ever!
great post–i love the images i get with both expansion and integrity! you go, girl!
I like seeing how your work is growing and changing. (Not that I thought it needed to change
Happy New Year and a very big THANK YOU for being so honest and earnest in living your life.
I find it a sad commentary that “integrity” would have any kind of negative connotation. I’m glad you overcame that thought. I couldn’t help but link “integrity” with your remodel. If the actual building process is not done with integrity, that studio and all the rest is going to have one structural problem after another. If you do not construct your art with integrity, it will not stand the test of time, it may even fall apart. If you don’t live your life with integrity especially as you are beginning your expansion, it falls apart as well in ways you might not even notice for awhile. Nothing preachy about that, just fact.
So let’s hear it for integrity!