Counting Down to Full-Time Artist Life

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Ready to dive into the creative world of community art? 

Summer is approaching fast, and with it comes the excitement of my new Kids Art Camps launching this July! These age-specific programs offer young artists from toddlers to teens the opportunity to explore different creative disciplines each day, from fiber arts to painting, all while completing meaningful projects by week's end.

The studio is buzzing with energy as registrations come in, though I'm keeping groups intimate with just 20 students per age bracket to ensure quality instruction and personal attention. These morning sessions will feature guest appearances from local creatives, enhancing the learning experience while building community connections. While navigating the challenges of offering affordable programming as a for-profit business, I'm exploring flexible payment options and potential single-day attendance for families who can't commit to a full week.

May brings other exciting developments to the studio! We're featuring our first-ever photography exhibition with Paul DeGarmo's intimate animal portraits in his "Expressions" collection. Our class schedule is packed with glass painting and popular bonsai workshops (complete with adorable tiny accessories). I'm also tackling an ambitious project – transforming a vintage 1977 cigarette vending machine into an art dispenser, though I could use some technical advice on making it operational without coins!

As I prepare for the Kentucky Rebloom Art Conference and count down my final eight weeks before transitioning to full-time artist life on June 30th, I'm filled with anticipation about future offerings like tufting classes. 

What creative activities are you planning in your community? I'd love to hear your ideas and maybe even help you brainstorm ways to promote your passion. Connect with me to share your creative journey or challenges – sometimes all it takes is a fresh perspective to bring your artistic vision to life! 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 0 (00:06):
Hello everyone, happy May.
I'm so excited to be here withyou today.
There's so much going on in mylittle community and I'm anxious
to share how I am trying to beorganized, about it and what I'm
doing to promote it, and I hopethat it inspires you to do

(00:30):
something in your world to sharewhat you do.
So I have kids art camps thatare coming up in July, and so
May is the last month that youcan sign up for those.
So I split them up between ages.
So I have toddlers they're twoto four and then I have what I

(00:52):
call like primary age, which isfive to nine.
Then I have like middle school,which is 10 to 13.
And then teenagers, 14 to 19.
And so each week in July,starting the first full week of
July as a toddler, and then theygo up, and so every day of the
week we're going to do adifferent activity based on kind

(01:16):
of like a study, so like fiberart or painting, things like
that, but then all of thecampers will work on a project
every day that will be finishedby the end of the week, and so
I'm going to include a snack,and I decided to start off this
year, since this is my first one.
They would be a couple hourslong, so just 10 to 12.

(01:37):
And then my store opensstarting the summer when I am
retired at noon.
So I'm really anxious to get tospend the morning really
focusing, working with the kids.
And there's a limit.
I only have so much space andthere's a limit of 20 students
per age group.
So I really wanted to make itfun and I wanted to make it

(02:00):
memorable and hands on and I'mreally wanting to incorporate
some maybe other communitymembers coming in and sharing
what they do creative wise.
That would help support thosedaily crafts and activities.
So that's part of the planningtoo.
So I'm trying to get all myducks in a row so I know how

(02:23):
many campers I have and then getthose people in and scheduled
and plenty of time hopefullynotice for them to plan for July
.
So I'm really excited about itand I'm really excited how
people are reacting to them andsigning up and I think that if I

(02:44):
have any spaces left after May,there could be some
opportunities to do just likeone day attending.
Maybe you couldn't attend allof the days and maybe there
would be like some days thatwould be available for you to
just come in and do the dailycraft.
So I haven't really got to seehow that will work out yet, but
it's in the back of my mind,just because there are some

(03:05):
people that maybe couldn'tattend the whole week.
And you know, I'm not anonprofit, so I don't have
anything like scholarships orthe ability to have someone
sponsor it or pay for campers,so that's the only thing I do
have.
You can split the payments up.
I do have that.
If you want to check out, likewith shop pay, you can divide

(03:27):
your payments into like everytwo weeks.
So that's a possibility, butotherwise I don't have any other
way to, you know, offer it.
I am a for profit business andand I'm living using my artwork,
and so that is what I have todo, and so hopefully people

(03:49):
understand that they seem to,but I'm anxious to see are you
offering things that thecommunity can participate in,
and how are you doing it?
How are you creating thatschedule?
What is in the back of yourmind that makes you say this is
the project that I want to offerand this is what I want to do
and this is what I want toshowcase.

(04:10):
So, and how do you advertise it.
You know I have a monthlynewsletter, so my May newsletter
went out on May 1, and therewere all kinds of things in it.
I was announcing Paul DeGarmo,our May exhibiting artist for
the month.
His reception is Saturday, sotomorrow, from three to five, we
will have light refreshmentsand he will be there to talk to

(04:34):
you about his beautiful piecesthat are on the wall.
He hung his show this week andit is so pretty, so many great
canvases.
I can't wait to have him on thepodcast.
I think he understands that itwill be very easy.
I shared with him how much Iwant him to be a guest to talk
about his process.
He chose to call it expressionsand it's all different

(04:58):
photographs that are veryintimate, very close up, of
different animals, and so it'sso cute.
And then he has two of a littlegirl and it's his daughter, who
is in her 40s now, but this isprobably when she was a toddler,
and they're super, super sweet.
So it's just neat to see themin the studio and I've never had

(05:19):
a photographer yet, so he's ourfirst one see them in the
studio and I've never had aphotographer yet, so he's our
first one and I love sharingthat his work is available for
purchase and that you can seeduring the show.
So that'll be up the entiremonth of May.
And then I have kicking off ourmonth with classes.

(05:39):
We have a glass painting classtonight with Amy, and she has
been doing great with the fusedglass classes, from the jewelry
to the sun catchers, and so Ijust am so enamored by the
painting with the glass and howthat looks.
So that's tonight.
And then Saturday, our bonsaiclass.
There's always a great responseto the bonsai classes and I

(06:05):
have the most fun mini springand summer pieces for
accessories.
Josh knows how much I lovegetting those little things to
make the bonsai trees.
The butterflies alone are thesesuper tiny little resin ones.
They're so cute.
But there's so many like littlebenches and stuff, so it's so

(06:25):
fun.
So his class is Saturday nightand then I leave for Kentucky
and then I will be gone for theRebloom Art Conference and I'm
really excited about that.
So I can't wait to share withyou, um, next week, all about
that trip and I'm also going togo see my mom and I'm just very,

(06:49):
very excited about that.
And then my friend Madeline iswatching the shop for me and
that's very kind of her thatshe's taken time to do that.
I will be closed on Sunday.
Her granddaughter graduatesfrom Ohio University, bob get,
so I won't get to have anyonethere on Sunday, but it'll be
okay.
That's just kind of the thingsI have to do to make everything

(07:11):
work, but she will be there allweek long.
We have a big activityhappening with a group coming in
and it's just so much fun tosee everything develop.
The one thing that I havepending that I'm trying to work
on is my vintage cigarettedispenser, the vending machine.

(07:31):
It's all torn apart.
I've cleaned it all.
There isn't a cash box on theright-hand side.
I think that I've found thatit's a national brand, 1977.
That's the stamp inside and I'mgoing to rewire it for the
lights.
But the coin mechanism doesn'twork because the slot that you

(07:54):
put the money in the box that itgoes down is missing.
So if you know of anybody thatknows how to restore vending
machines, I would be willing topay them for time to walk me
through how to maybe vendwithout using a coin.
I'll make it a free machinejust so you can pull the stems
out to get a piece of art out.

(08:14):
I'm good with that.
I think that would be a funexperience.
I just I don't know how to doit.
So I'm working on that project.
Everything will get wrappedwith uh, uh colors and and fun
little designs, but and we'llput new lights in it, cause that
wiring is super old, but, um,but yeah.
So I'm I'm struggling, workingon that machine and making it,

(08:38):
um, usable for for art.
I loved the automatics that wereout in Seattle and
unfortunately I can't afford oneof those.
They're gorgeous and beautifuland I love what he's doing, but
I need to restore this one thatI got that was really
inexpensive, and do the best Ican.

(09:01):
So sometimes you know you justget inspired and you have to
make it your own, and that'swhat I'm doing, I can.
So sometimes you know you justget inspired and you have to
make it your own, and that'swhat I'm doing.
But, but yeah, so what are youdoing to keep things interesting
in your neck of the woods withwhat you love to do?
I'd love to hear what you'redoing, or if you're struggling
with something and need to havea brainstorming session to talk

(09:23):
about what you can do, let's dothat.
You know you can send me amessage or you can, you know,
start a conversation, and Iwould love to talk about how,
how you can do somethingcreative to bring awareness to
the things that you're you'redoing and what you love.
So, so, yep, this is all about,I guess, how to promote some

(09:46):
activities with what you do.
But just wanted to say hello,happy May, and I'm really
looking forward to sharing allthe new things that we'll be
doing at the store.
We have tufting coming up.
I've had a lot of people ask ifthey could do that.
So I have a big frame and allthe machines to do that.
That's coming up.
Yeah, there's also somesurprises.
So I can.
A big frame and all themachines to do that.
That's coming up.
Yeah, there's also somesurprises, so I can't wait to

(10:10):
share those, but a busy monthahead.
So I am down to my last eightweeks at my full-time job and I
will be an artist and an artiststudio owner full-time June 30th
, looking forward to it.
So thanks for your timespending time with me here today
and I can't wait to hear fromyou.
So stay Brutally Made.

(10:31):
I will talk to you soon.
Bye-bye.