Today’s shared story comes from Traci Penrod. After 17 years in the pharmaceutical industry Traci decided that her career just didn’t tap into her creative side enough. She enjoyed scrapbooking so much that in October of 2011, she decided to take a leap of faith and start her own company.
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The way of writing
The Japanese word for brush calligraphy – shodo – literally means ‘the way of writing’, which I think perfectly captures the essence of it.
Enter the geisha
When I went to the kimono design studio to work on my noren curtain (more on that soon), I was not expecting to have a geisha come in for a spot of shopping…
Do What You Love interview – Ali de John of The Makerie
I am thrilled to share this interview with a warm and generous soul who has inspired me for some time. A fellow retreat organiser, Ali DeJohn started The Makerie in her hometown to give people the gift of uninterrupted creative time shared with a loving community that is often hard to carve out of our everyday lives. Ali is constantly inspired by anything handmade, homemade and everything cozy. The smallest, most meaningful moments in life are the most magical to her and she feels quite lucky to live in beautiful Boulder, Colorado with her husband and two young children. Today Ali shares an insight into what makes her tick, and just how she has made it possible to do what she loves.
How organised are you?
Arriving in Tokyo back in March without much of a plan
I like to think of myself as a very organised person. I love lists, notebooks, getting things in order. But that is only one part of my personality. Another part – the bohemian wandering part – has no interest whatsoever in being organised. And that is probably how I came to write in my journal, whilst sat on a plane to Japan at the beginning of this six month trip, that “I have never felt quite so unprepared for a trip in my life as I do for this one.”
I live to make people smile with my art – Elizabeth Gonzalez shares her story
Today’s shared story comes from Elizabeth Gonzalez, from Puerto Rico.
After many years struggling about what was the right thing to do instead of asking what I would love to do, I finally found myself at peace. Now I love what I do and I do what I love. Not many years ago I realized I am an artist “deep in soul” and a creative business was the right path.
In school I was in science and math curriculums instead of art because of my grades. I thought Art was not meant for me and it was not a surprise that I earned an Industrial Engineering degree. I was hired for a regular job 6 months before graduation day. However, very soon after starting I noticed I was bored. This happened in any job I had no matter whether my work was good. Looking for professional development, I did a Master’s degree in Engineering Management and worked as a university professor.
I was already making art as a hobby and my teaching experience was good. After a few years trying to make the best of my experience as professor and part time artist I realized that what I loved about my job was more than teaching the course itself. I used every opportunity to inspire my students to do what they love, to be true to themselves, to find their passion, to be honest, to be good citizens, good parents, etc. I adapted my own style in management classes and I added five readings about life and business. By that time I was already selling my ceramic to stores.
In 2002, when I was still working as a professor, AVON Puerto Rico found my work and was interested in reproducing it. This was a dream come true. AVON chose two designs and reproduced them in resin. By my birthday they had the prototype. I was mesmerized. They sold more that they planned and later they bought nine more designs. When my mom saw my design in the front cover of the AVON catalog she said, “this is what you should do”. By that time the word ‘licensing’ was unknown for me and I was already in my forties.
In 2007, the same day the School of Management offered me a long time contract, I quit. I was ready to find my true north, my true path. The story is longer and later I had to go back to a regular job but I was always doing both things at the same time – creating ceramics and selling them to stores. This was not easy. The job contract ended and I was all by myself with my creative business.
In 2008, after a very sad experience with my mom’s death I started drawing and painting classes. I found two books about mixed media that changed my life as an artist and creative entrepreneur. It was love at first sight.
Today, I spend most of my time creating art and looking for venues to grow my earning as an artist. Reproducing, manufacturing, licensing, blogging, online teaching and other creative ventures make my life busy and enjoyable. I love creating mixed media art using collage and making journals with papers I create. This is the way I express my feelings, my desires and my purpose in life. I love and I live to make people smile with my art.
Now as a young grandma, I treasure each moment and live with passion. This is the life I’ve always imagined – doing what I love, loving what I do, embracing life as it comes day by day and inspiring others to “enjoy the ride through this amazing life”.
[Images courtesy of Elizabeth Gonzalez.]
Born in Paris, read everywhere – MOYO one week on
Going to Paris with Rachael Taylor in February was always going to be a good idea. Getting industry insight from the Indigo and Premier Vision trade shows, striking a deal with Stylesight to give our students access to some of the best trend advice in the world, taking hundreds of photos for the blog, ‘comp shopping’ in Paris’s chic stationery shops, brainstorming over café au lait in the day, and vin rouge in the evening… But in hindsight one of the best things that actually came out of that trip was a brainwave we had sat on the plane as it took off from Charles de Gaulle Airport.
New surface pattern design magazine launched! Welcome to MOYO…
Today is a special day in the design industry… it sees the launch of MOYO, the world’s first online magazine dedicated to surface pattern design! Packed with interviews, design briefs, colour challenges, art reviews, student showcases, design tips, inspiration, trends and more, this free resource will be published quarterly, and you can read and download the inaugural issue here!
Wedding preparations – special requests
We have decided to have a tiny wedding in the Spring, followed by a big party for friends a few weeks later. I enjoyed spending hours making these special requests to the bridal party, asking my favourite little people and my best friend to be part of the big day. Fingers crossed they all say yes…
Shimogamo craft fair
I came across another handmade craft fair, this time at Shimogamo Shrine. The setting was lovely but this one was smaller than the one at Kamigamo Shrine, possibly due to the threat of heavy rain, but there were some lovely stalls nonetheless…