Lisa Call

Unpacked - For Now

The studio/bedroom/computer room

My studio is set up! I even have an 8 foot by 8 foot flannel covered design wall with Markings #21 ready to go (it was folded up with lots of pins in a box until yesterday).

The entire house is pretty much unpacked. At least for now. In about a month I will be taking everything back down and moving to an apartment as the builder I hired adds the addition (on top - decided going back would hurt my tree). I hope to be back in the completed house, with a nice big studio, by christmas. It’s definitely an exciting, action packed year around here.

The studio/bedroom/computer room

Good thing I don’t have many clothes or there’d be no room for art.

Making Art

And even more exciting - I’m making art! It feels great. It’s been months since I spent any serious time in my studio and I’m loving it. I feel like a real person again. Or maybe I just feel like an artist again.

Yesterday I sat down and was ready to get to sewing when I realized I didn’t have some very important things - like rotary cutters, scissors, seam ripper, etc. The simple basic things I used every day. It took me 2 hours of hunting in my garage to find the box with these items. It was all in a slide projector box, labeled on every side as "Easter". Clever of me to hide it like that to make unpacking more fun.

Here’s what I’m working on:

Markings #21 In Progress

After a few hours of sewing today this is the result:

Markings #21 With Some Progress (the left 2 panels have been sewn together)

The Newsletter Will Happen

I think I will make 3 or 4 ACEOs with my scraps from this piece to offer in my studio newsletter, which I plan to email by this weekend. That’s a bit later than I hoped but I’m still working on it. Last week I got a bit side tracked with life but I’m back to really focusing on the art this week and am making some great progress.

We’re home! Yesterday was a long day with movers and packing and cleaning but I’ve turned over the keys to the old house and said goodbye. It feels great to be in our new place. The yard isn’t much as the house has been a rental for the past 10 years but the place has huge potential.

Many have asked me how I can fit 4000 sq ft of stuff into 900 sq ft. So far the answer is "not so well" but give me a few weeks and I’ll have it whipped into shape.

This is my bedroom and computer room.

 
Yes - it’s also my studio. All 3 crammed into 10′x12′. Not quite the same as the dedicated 600 sq ft studio I just left. Still, I intend to make amazing art in this space and I have plans in the future for a larger studio, just not exactly sure how that will play out yet.

There is currently no where to sit or walk in the living room/office but we’ll figure out something. I have storage space in my studio/bedroom for all of my artwork (rolled up on the couch) but in the meantime my cat is taking care of them. [those are older traditional quilts on top - not my artwork - cats stay off the artwork]

 
A view of the dining room/music room. An upright player piano takes up a lot of space (as does my rolltop desk which can’t decide if it’s in the living room or the dining room).

 
Standing on the piano bench affords us a view of the kitchen/laundry room. Yes indeed the washing machine sits right next to my stove. I can do some serious multitasking with this set up.

 
The true state of that dining room/music room. There won’t be much eating in there for a while.

 
There is no basement but fortunately there is a largish 1 car garage so it’s the house annex and part of the laundry room as the dryer lives out here.

 
And then there is the stuff that didn’t fit in either place. Hm… Garage sale anyone?

 
I’m too exhausted to unpack today so I’m just relaxing. Almost. Tomorrow I’m leaving town for a week long visit to Montana with my family. We will be burying my father’s ashes (he passed away last fall). I’m really looking forward to seeing the family and more of Montana. My sister and I will be spending the first 3 nights of our trip visiting hot springs with our kids. My only plans - sleep, relax, eat, relax, read, relax, get massage, relax, etc.

I’ll deal with the organization when I return. I will also send out my June newsletter when I return, in early July. Didn’t quite make that goal. Moving is a LOT of work!

 
The last post on the design principles from my kids’ Expeditionary Learning school and how they relate to being an artist. You can view all of the design principles posts here.

Design Principle #10: Service and Compassion

We are crew, not passengers, and are strengthened by acts of consequential service to others. One of a school’s primary functions is to prepare its students with the attitudes and skills to learn from and be of service to others.

My kids don’t have classes. They have crews and are crew members and have crew leaders instead of teachers. Using that wording really puts them in the mindset that they are participating and are a vital part of their education and not just there for the ride. The kids truly are responsible for their own learning and are expected to be an active part of the educational experience.

In addition to being a valuable contributing member of the school, the kids are required to do 30-50 hours of community service each year, depending on their grade level. I love that they are being taught that helping others is an integral part of being a member of society, not just something we might want to do once we retire.

Personal Responsibility

I love the line "we are crew, not passengers"and think it speaks to the difference between success and wondering why things never quite work out. Our lives are what we make of them. If we just sit back and think we are owed a great art career (or wonderful family or whatever it is we want) and then do nothing to take responsibility for making that happen, I think it’s pretty rare for things to just magically turn out okay.

When we realize that we have the power to create our own dreams by taking action, then I think we get what we desire.

Taking personal responsibility for all of our life, both the successes and the failures, is a huge step forward in building the life we want. Realizing that if we put off making art every day and at the end of the week we come up with nothing, we only have ourselves to blame for it. We decided that surfing the internet was more important, noone made us read that one last blog post and then, oops, time to cook dinner. Oh well, I’ll make art tomorrow.

We pick our priorities, we chose our actions, we chose out thoughts. Best to pick actions and thoughts that support our dreams, and prioritize our lives to fit our goals. It certainly is more likely to bring what we want than blaming our failures on someone else. (says the person who did a lot of goofing off today, which was really really nice, but I’m not seeing any new art on the walls in the studio - oops!) Tomorrow…

The House

Above is a photo of the back side of the house I will purchase on wednesday. I don’t have any good pictures of the front because there was a big heating repair van in the driveway today while I was taking pictures, so that will have to wait. The house was build in 1955. It’s only 900 sq ft with no basement. Three bedrooms, 1 bathroom, living room, kitchen and 1 car garage. Very simple, plain and very functional. I’m really excited.

I’m leaving behind 4000 sq ft, 4 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, a study, a studio, kitchen, family room, living room, dining room, huge entry way, laundry room, and large unfinished basement. Oh yes and a 3 car garage.

I’ve done some serious decluttering to get my life to fit into less than 1/4th of the space I’m in now and it feels great. It all sounds rather noble I suppose, and people think I’m crazy but the plan is to put an addition on the back of the house and build my dream studio and dream kitchen. So the work I did fixing up my current house will go to good use as I work with contractors to turn this cute little house into a home I plan on staying in for a long long time.

The only condition is the tree out back has to stay so it’s going to be interesting.

The tree is a crabapple tree. I joked with my real estate agent that she had to find me a big pink tree at my new house, as the neighborhood where I am buying is filled with huge gorgeous crabapple trees and it’s just stunning in the spring. She exceeded expectations and the house has 2, this one in back that spans the entire width of the 50 foot lot (I’ll have to cut a few of the lower branches) and a huge one in front also.

I can’t wait to see it next spring.

Back to packing!

Structures #3    ©2003    28" x 26"

 
Some more thoughts on the design principles from my kids’ Expeditionary Learning school and how they relate to being an artist.

[All my posts on design principles.]

Design Principle #8: The Natural World

A direct and respectful relationship with the natural world refreshes the human spirit and reveals the important lessons of recurring cycles and cause and effect. Students learn to become stewards of the earth and of the generations to come.

Inspiration

My work is heavily informed by the southwestern landscape, from canyon walls and the desert to the green forest trees and the rocky mountains. I grew up backpacking, camping and hiking in northern New Mexico, the most beautiful place on earth. After living in California, Wisconsin, New York and Virginia I decided I needed to permanently settle in the southwest as it feels like home.

Spending time in nature is an essential part of my being an artist. Looking at pictures for inspiration is nice but nothing beats being in the wilderness with no one around for miles to soak in the beauty, serenity and magic. Standing on the top of a 14,000 ft peak looking out across the top of Colorado is incredible and getting back on top of our high peaks is a goal for this year. I also want to get back to the desert as the sheer canyon walls give me goosebumps. The cracks in the rock, the color changes across the surface - amazing!

 
Nothing beats experiencing nature to rejuvenate the human spirit. When things aren’t going perfectly or when things are are a little crazy, I find that taking the time to reconnect with nature is a great way to regain balance. With the house sales and impending move, the past few months have been a bit off kilter. I think a day in the mountains hiking is exactly what I need to reconnect with myself. This weekend I will definitely find a bit of time to get outdoors.

Move Update

The sellers and I have come to an agreement for me to purchase their home. I close on both the house I’m selling and the house I’m buying on wednesday! I’m so excited. A new beginning. A new house. And for my kids, the same school, moving closer to their friends. It’s exactly what we need for the next stage of our life.

More details later on the new house and how my studio will fit into the home.

Happy friday everyone.

 
Detail of Structures #3

 
Ten days ago I mentioned I had 2 full priced offers on my house (24 hours after the house went on the market). A few other buyers joined the fun and they started bidding up the price of the house. I accepted the best offer on June 6th that was 9% above my asking price and they waived inspection (because I already pre-inspected the house and gave them the full report).

Only issue was we have to close on June 25th to work around everyone’s schedule. So we quickly switched gears to looking at houses and on June 7th I made an offer on a house in the location I was interested and they accepted.

Yesterday we inspected and found some issues and I’m going to bring in a few other folks for further inspections and then see if I can negotiate with the owners. I’ll post more about the house and my studio plans after everything is finalized.

If all goes well I will be moved in just 11 days! Hence the lack of posts recently. Wow - do I ever have a ton of things to do.

Tomorrow is the last day of my moving sale so if there is a piece you were thinking about let me know. I never got the chance to make a list of my available work so if there is a piece in particular that you were interested just ask. Thanks to those of you that have bought work. It’s much appreciated.

I currently have 2 full priced offers for my house, both from well qualified buyers, both received about 24 hours after my house went on the market, in what is supposedly is a very depressed buyers market.

Many people are amazed I pulled this off. How can I have people bidding up the price of my house in this economic climate? Here’s how I did it (and how I plan on achieving the dream of becoming a self supporting artist).

1. Listen to the Experts

I told my real estate agent what I wanted - to sell my house quickly and for a fair price although money was not as important as this being an effortless process. I told her my house was to sell in 2 weeks or less after it went on the market. Her advice was to fix everything, stage the house and to price it low (but not too low).

I pre-inspected my house and fixed everything, basically if it seemed worn or broken I made it like new again. Then I staged the house. Although I didn’t do it her way - I fired her stager, who wanted to turn my house into something it isn’t. It didn’t fit my vision or values. So I staged it my way - I’ve never staged a house before but how hard is it to toss out half my stuff and hang a few curtains? I then priced the house at the low end of what houses similar to mine were selling.

Her advice was absolutely accurate. Experts are experts for a reason. They are good to listen to but it’s never worth sacrificing ones values to do what they say. I was able to follow my agent’s advice and still feel good about my choices.

As I’ve been working on setting up my art business I’ve been looking to the experts, like Alyson Stanfield, to find out how to go about making this dream a reality. These types of people have a lot of good advice that is worth listening to.

2. Start with Quality

My house is an amazing house. It’s in one of the best neighborhoods in Parker because it’s not a cookie cutter neighborhood. We have large lots (I’m on a cul-de-sac). Plus my house is just fabulously beautiful with a perfect floor plan. I knew all those things when I bought the house, which is partly why I bought it, so it would be easier to sell later.

I know my textile paintings are extremely high quality. I’ve spent years perfecting my technique and my artistic vision. I know what I’m selling is superior quality, which makes it much easier to sell. I truly believe in the value of my art.

3. Visualize Success

Every day I said my house would sell in 2 weeks or less. I journaled about it. I constantly told my agent this would happen. I joked about it. I thought about it. I became very very clear as to exactly what I wanted and I visualized what that might look and feel like.

I am doing the same for my art business. I’m getting very clear as to what I want and I am thinking about how that feels and what it looks like. I talk about it often and journal about it. I keep the dream alive every day.

4. Take Action

All the thinking in the world wasn’t going to get my house on the market. I held a picture in my mind of what my house would look like when it sold quickly and I took action on making my house look exactly like my vision every single day for 2 months.

It was a huge amount of work but with my Getting Things Done lists and focused concentrated effort I was able to pull it all together. I coordinated dozens of contractors giving me estimates and 7 or 8 coming and doing the work in addition to doing a lot of the work myself. It made my head spin some days but I kept the vision of my house clear in my mind and just kept on working.

I know this is exactly the type of effort I need to get my art business off the ground. It’s hard work, fortunately it’s all work I enjoy (way more than having my hardwood floors refinished) so I’m really looking forward to it. I have a clear vision in my mind what my life will be like after I quit the day job and I’m doing everything I can to make it reality.

Doing things gets things done.

Moving Sale Update

I’ve been intending to create a list of all of my available artwork so I can post what’s part of my moving sale so you don’t have to guess in case you are interested in a piece. My plan is to do this on friday. Tomorrow I am going to go find a house to buy so I have somewhere to live after I sell this one.

Structures #21    ©2003    12" x 12"

 
Post #4 on my thoughts on the design principles from my kids’ Expeditionary Learning school and how they relate to being an artist. [All my posts on design principles.]

Design Principle #6: Collaboration and Competition

Teach so as to join individual and group development so that the value of friendship, trust, and group endeavor is made manifest. Encourage students to compete, not against each other, but with their own personal best and with rigorous standards of excellence.

The Power of the Group

In a previous post on the design principles I mentioned I belong to several artist groups. I feel the most successful groups are ones that operate on the above principle. We come together in friendship and trust looking to support each other. All individual and group successes are celebrated.

I’m a believer in the power of group energy. I think this type of collaborative and supportive artist group can propel all members forward. The energy that is created when a group of like minded individuals get together can be incredible. I always look at the artists in my online support group, The Fiber Connection, and can see the results of such group support.

I’ve recently started working with a small mastermind group from the Artist Breakthrough Program I took with Alyson Stanfield last month. Each evening we email the other members a list of our goals for the upcoming day will be and a report on how we did on the current day’s goals. Having the group energy and the accountability to stay on track have been huge. Although the last month I focused on my house instead of my art, I know this group was a significant contributing factor to keeping me on task.

I highly recommend both Alyson’s program (next one starts in August) and finding a small mastermind group to share your daily goals and successes.

Becoming My Best

I am constantly thinking about how I can improve my art and my art business. Being in competition with oneself is a healthy way to achieve one’s personal best. I track my goals, my time spent in my studio and my accomplishments and I think a lot about how to make improvements in all areas. I have extremely high expectations for myself and by checking in to see how I’m doing every once in a while I find I can keep improving and tweaking what works and what doesn’t.

While I do look to other artists to see how they are doing I try not to compare myself to them. I might not always succeed but I’ve found that over time I am much less concerned with how other’s are doing. I rarely feel a need to bring out the yardstick to see who might have more shows or sales or better art. Competing only against myself is enough. It’s healthier and my life is calmer when I’m not getting caught up in how I’m doing compared to everyone else.

I can’t claim this is easy, not comparing (and then feeling either inferior or superior) but it’s something I have been putting energy into. Staying focused on the present moment and not getting caught up in the past or stressed out over the future is a huge help.

Moving Update

My house went on the market today and I had a second showing this afternoon. I hear they loved it and will be presenting me an offer in the morning. All the hard work has paid off. Woohoo. On thursday I will start looking for a house to purchase as it looks like I’ll be moving soon!

I have to admit it’s been a challenge to sit here the last hour and write this post as I’m much more tempted to search real estate ads to find the perfect home. Then I remind myself I have a real estate agent that is getting paid plenty to find the homes for me. So I’m working on relaxing and knowing she will do a fabulous job and the right house will soon be mine.

Structures #21 - Moving Sale

A study in working small, something that is I find a challenge but enjoy doing the more I experiment with it. This piece is also available as part of my moving sale. Originally priced at $225, it is $135 until June 15.

If you are interested in purchasing Structures #21, or any of my available artwork please email me.

Detail of Structures #21:

Structures #43    ©2005    21" x 22"

 
Post #3 on my thoughts on the design principles from my kids’ Expeditionary Learning school and how they relate to being an artist. [All my posts on design principles.]

Design Principle #4: Empathy and Caring

Learning is fostered best in small groups where there is trust, sustained caring and mutual respect among all members of the learning community. Keep schools and learning groups small. Be sure there is a caring adult looking after the progress of each child. Arrange for the older students to mentor the younger ones.

As this principle states my kids school is very small with only ~300 kids in grades K-12. All of them in a single building, high schoolers with first graders. The classrooms are paired up, older with younger grades, and once a week they get together for a "crew buddy" activity. It’s a wonderful experience for both the younger and the older kids.

Mentoring

I was fortunate to have some supportive mentors when I first started out making art. Having someone to ask questions, bounce ideas off of, and give suggestions is helpful in developing as an artist. Now I have a desire to share that with others to help them in a similar way I was helped. One of the goals of my blog is to do exactly that. I share my experiences and hope that others can gain from it.

The past year I’ve wanted to do something more tangible and specific along these lines. So I’ve started thinking about developing a mentoring program of some type. It’s something I want to do sometime this year, after I move and after I finish my website and after I get my book done. So I’m thinking end of fall or early winter having it in place. I have a bunch of ideas floating around in my head as to what this might look like, so watch this space in a few months as things become more concrete and I announce my plans.

Design Principle #5: Success and Failure

All students must be assured a fair measure of success in learning in order to nurture the confidence and capacity to take risks and rise to increasingly difficult challenges. But it is also important to experience failure, to overcome negative inclinations, to prevail against adversity and to learn to turn disabilities into opportunities.

I have had some really wonderful successes in my art career and I’ve had some set backs. While it’s easy to proceed in the face of resounding success it’s a lot harder to keep going when rejected or things don’t pane out as planned. I believe that successful people are those that respond well to failure. They learn to just keep on going as they have a strong belief in themselves and in what they want to do. They know they will eventually succeed and so they just keep moving forward, changing direction when one avenue fails and trying a different approach.

In fact I think this is the notable difference between those we view as very accomplished and those that never get far. Very few people never meet with failure or rejection, really probably no one. The questions is - what do you do when things don’t go well? Do you give up or do you continue to pursue your dream?

Moving Update

Yesterday was the last day of contractors in the house. It’s almost finished! Although I had hoped today would be a studio day I’ll be putting back the last of my furniture, washing windows, touching up a bit of paint, doing a bit of yard work, hanging the last few curtains. And of course putting some of my art back on the walls.

At 9am tomorrow morning I’ll have my first showing even though the house doesn’t officially go on the market until Tuesday. If you want to buy a gorgeous house in Parker Colorado let me know. It has an awesome studio.

Structures #43 - Moving Sale

I made Structures #43 a few years ago as a color study. This is the first of the thin line pieces that uses a different color family for the lines than for the ground. As I was just playing around I wasn’t getting too caught up in perfection. As a result I love the free flowing feeling of this piece that sometimes I fail to capture in my work if I get too analytical. I can tell when I into that right brain grove of making art as everything flows and it’s effortless. This piece is also available as part of my moving sale. Originally priced at $750, it is $450 until June 15.

If you are interested in purchasing Structures #43, or any of my available artwork please email me.

Detail of Structures #43:

Structures #18    ©2003    8" x 9"

 
More thoughts on the design principles from my kids’ Expeditionary Learning school and how they relate to being an artist.

Design Principle #2: The Having of Wonderful Ideas

Teach so as to build on children’s curiosity about the world by creating learning situations that provide matter to think about, time to experiment, and time to make sense of what is observed. Foster a community where students’ and adults’ ideas are respected.

Who doesn’t want to have wonderful ideas? And even better having those ideas respected. Did I mention I love my kids’ school? The kids are treated with respect and the teachers listen to their ideas. What an excellent way to build self-esteem.

Wonderful Ideas and Art

That design principle touches on a lot of points that I think are vital to making art.

1. Matter to Think About: ie Ideas. Art is all about ideas. Without an idea I don’t think an artist can start making a piece of art. Artists need a stockpile of ideas to inspire their work. They need to constantly feed their imagination and keep inspired. I find that the more I create the more ideas I generate.
2. Time to Experiment: Not every idea is fully developed and ready to turn into a masterpiece. I find that I need some time playing around and trying out different variations to flesh out some of my ideas. Playing around with materials with no set purpose in mind is another way to generate great ideas.
3. Time to Make Sense of what is Observed: After creating artwork I spend a fairly good chunk of time sitting back and looking at it. Thinking about what works, what doesn’t, where I want to go next, what I can improve upon, what I can do more of, what I can do less of, etc. I take notes in my sketchbook to keep track of these ideas.
4. A Community where Ideas are Respected: Putting ones artwork out into the world can be a scary thing. It’s hard not to take it personally when our art, which is a reflection of our ideas, is not accepted. Having a safe community that an artist can share their work is powerful. I’ve been a member of artist communities, both in real life and online, for dozens of years. The support and friendship are invaluable to building ones confidence in ones art (and ideas).

Design Principle #3: The Responsibility for Learning

Learning is both a personal, individually specific process of discovery and a social activity. Each of us learns within and for ourselves and as a part of a group. Every aspect of a school must encourage children, young people, and adults to become increasingly responsible for directing their own personal and collective learning.

As artists there are many things we need to learn. From mastering our craft to marketing our art. There are uncountable sources for learning anything we want to learn. Taking responsibility for that learning is instrumental to our success. If I want to sell my art I have to learn to market my art. No one owes it to me to teach me these things or do these things for me. I need to go out there and learn how to do it. I spent years perfecting my craftsmanship and my art is impeccably made and I’m proud of it. It’s now time to take responsibility for my art business education also.

Structures #18 - Moving Sale

Structures #18 is one of the first pieces in the Structures series with thin lines. It’s also available as part of my moving sale. Originally priced at $150, it is $90 until June 15.

If you are interested in purchasing Structures #18, or any of my available artwork please email me.

Detail of Structures #18:

Today I cleaned out my studio in preparation for new carpet on Wednesday. Moving all of my fabric and tables and supplies out of this room took quite a while.

Then came the fun. I ripped out the carpet myself, with help from my son and cats. Six years ago when I got my kids their first cats my daughter picked out a declawed cat from the animal shelter. I never declaw my cats so this was a new thing for me. Unfortunately, Dorothy had very bad litter box manners. As in, she preferred my studio floor to the litter box.

I read later this is a very common behavior for declawed cats and it’s not surprising her previous owners gave her away. Sadly, this cat disappeared one night after about 7 months at my house. My daughter was crushed. I can’t say I was quite as sad. My daughters current cat has claws and doesn’t have this feature - yay.

I am sealing the cement floor so the odor will finally go away. This little issue in my studio hasn’t been much fun the last 6 years. I dumped huge amounts of Natures Miracle on the carpet and it wasn’t noticeable most of the time, just the hot humid days, which we don’t have very often in Colorado. Now it’s time to seal the cement so the problem is gone for good.

 
With no studio to work in for the next few days I will be completely focused on house stuff. The painting is done. This week is carpet and final landscaping and home repair details. One more week and the house will be on the market.