Day of Gratitude -- You Made A Difference!

A creative jump-start exercise from artist Sandhi Schimmel Gold. 

Bored? Write.

• Get started with this exercise...in which you simply write a paragraph about 5 individuals who arrived at an important juncture in your life; or made an impression, gave you inspiration, power, championed your abilities, handed you special knowledge, gave guidance, got you through a difficult period or something else. 
• Something that helped form who you are now. 
• You may have already thanked them, but here's another way to let people know their life has meaning, and may have touched another so profoundly...and inspire others to do the same. 

An "It's A Wonderful Life" Exercise without angels.

Do not include ANY family members or spouses. That's too easy.
You'd be surprised, once you get started how more people/influencers will pop into mind.

Steps: 
1. Person's first initial ONLY.
2. What challenges you were facing at the moment.
3. The circumstances for your meeting or why something changed about your circumstances.
4. What the person did in 4 sentences ONLY that made an impact so strong that you changed you in a positive way forever.

By the time you're done, your day will be brightened!

Mine are below. See my comments on the bottom. 

1. J
2. Starting a new job/career that I was afraid I was unqualified to do.
3. Visited his office space, housed in my new workplace.
4. He was an extraordinary person who once had everything but lost it. He found himself in a position to solve a problem by using a few connections and a simple idea that became a world-wide movement. His personal sacrifice and unwavering commitment to the poor and hungry slowly wormed it's way into my psyche. I learned about and embraced compassion for my fellow man that has changed me forever.

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1. S
2. She was my boss when I was assigned a new role.
3. I was assigned a project that was way beyond anything I'd ever done in any capacity.
4. She saw something in me that gave her the confidence to assign projects that were not only out of my comfort zone, but beyond my experience. She listened patiently and was able to sift through my protestations. She gave me one quick tip and permission to pursue my ideas. She checked in with me only enough to allow me to blossom and complete a very successful project that gave me confidence to try new things.

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1. L
2. Lovelorn and lost.
3. We had mutual friends and developed a close friendship.
4. I was going through a very tough time personal/relationship-wise and she was always there, at the end of the phone or the end of her driveway to help. She not only eased my loneliness, she gave me encouragement. When I met someone very special, but geographically undesirable, she discouraged my interest in pursuing more. Her advice? "God sent you an angel" meaning this person's only purpose in my life was only to let me know that I was desirable, and ready to move on and not settle for less than what I deserved.

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1. L
2. Developing a career.
3. She was my new boss.
4. She was funny and talented but also very aloof, selfish and lazy. In this way, she gave me the lion's share of work, but took credit for it whenever she could. Her advice to me when I didn't know what to do was "Figure it out" as she walked away. Thanks to her, oddly enough, I did figure it out...over and over and over...and I finally got recognized for the creative work I was doing!

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1. B
2. We worked our regular jobs together, were both entrepreneurs, separately, on the side, and shared ideas.
3. When I was fired from a job, we were able to put into action a plan for a future business we discussed over drinks, writing ideas on cocktail napkins. His creative thinking and my creative doing paired with hilarious brainstorming sessions turned into a lucrative business [for a time]. He has two attributes that gave me the freedom to create: bravery and playfulness. Although our business ended years ago, he continues to buoy me up, poke my brain and make me laugh. 

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As I started thinking about this, and who I would choose, a common thread appeared  in my mind. The people who have made the most impact are those that allowed me to create, to think outside the box, to express myself, who don't judge, who care about others. 

If it wasn't for the people above, maybe I wouldn't have made some major changes and shifts in my life. Maybe I wouldn't have had confidence or courage to do my own thing, my own way. 

What's most important to you?

So it's no surprise that I became an artist after all. Creative freedom is everything to me. And social justice. And love. 

I can't wait to read yours!

Sandhi

us creative types on reality shows

I like watching a few "reality" shows - but only the kind where there is some sort of actual talent involved. OMG, where do some of these people get their egos?

Project Runway, Top Chef, Work of Art, Chopped, Face-Off, Cupcake Wars, Sweet Genius...that sort of thing. Watching the contestants struggle with each challenge looks like fun, and also looks a little like torture. Seeing how each contestant interprets the mystery "ingredient" is where the creativity comes in.

It's the "confessional" on-camera talk that really gets me. It's the part of each of these shows that is designed to lure you in; make you love or hate the contestant, or feel sorry for them, or realize how talented they think they are. So many of them are obnoxiously over-confident.

One universally disliked reality show contestant recently delivered a line that was so telling - I can only paraphrase, but when told he was overly self-assured, he explained "there's a difference between arrogance and confidence. There is nothing wrong with being confident when you know you have "it" - arrogance is confidence with the lack of talent."

These shows suck us in with on-camera confessionals - even the best of shows want us to root for or against certain contestants. Think of kids that are adored beyond reason on Idol...the terror-in-high-heels on Top Model...and there's always some pompous ass on any cooking show.

And then there's the meek & modest, quiet, hard-working types that put their heads down and do their jobs. The loud ones that think volume and "personality" make up for talent. And of course, throw in a few visionary but self-doubting contestants. Stir. 


How come artisans who are potentially and equally talented have such a huge range of confidence? Were they born that way? Did someone overindulge them, or is it all an act? Assuming they can all design, cook, paint, sculpt or bake...where does the self-esteem come from...or why is it lacking?

Given any group of us creative types... assuming they all have the capabilities to compete on the show - with the same challenge in front of them - you'll hear these sorts of "confessions."

1. I'm the best one here, no one has the skills I have.
2. I am better than _____,  I went to the "real" school: CIA, Parsons, FIT, the Cordon Bleu
3. I don't know how to approach this challenge.
4. This isn't my aesthetic or I don't use this product or I don't model in the nude and I don't feel comfortable not expressing "who I am" as a: designer, chef, artist...
5. OMG, we're gonna lose - my partner is: taking too much time, is questioning my design, doesn't know how to surge, is not talented, too young, too old, too slow, doesn't speak English...
6. I wish ______ would just shut up!
7. I've never done this before
8. I'm running out of time
9. I am going to take a risk by going big or going home [bye-bye, no one wants a jalapeno popper cupcake]
10. Why won't the other contestants help me by telling me where the sugar is, how to use this sewing machine, etc.
11. Why is contestant _________ here if they don't know how to sew, cook, make pastry, walk the runway, use make-up?
12. I use my sexuality to win everything. 
13. I'm more than a pretty face [or body]
14. I'm screwed, I picked the wrong: ingredient, fabric, material, theme...
15. I cut myself, I sewed my finger, I dropped the pan, I burnt the mystery ingredient...[tears]
16. I am having a hard time doing this because I: miss my kids [tears], husband [tears], lover [photo shown of gay or lesbian lover], I've never been under pressure to perform
17. I am a self-taught and I'm just as good as the contestant that went to: art school, design school, culinary school...etc. 
18. I'm self taught and I've never seen this kind of: fish, fabric or other ingredient before
19. I really hate contestant _____ he/she really gets under my skin
20. I am going to destroy the competition by trash-talking, bullying, teasing my fellow contestants.
21. I'm too good for this, I am leaving - the judges don't appreciate my skills
22. It's not cheating if I used a: glue gun, overhead projector, pre-made product...
23. I am going to sabatoge _________'s project
24. I'm going to win this to prove to my parents that I made the right decision by going to _____ school/profession
25. I'm doing this because if I win I will prove to my daughters that you can do anything you want to in this life [so, if you lose that means your daughters can't?]
26. I'm doing this because I have/had a life threatening illness
27. I'm doing this because I want to use the money to: help others, put my kids through college, visit my parent is far-away land, open my own: restaurant, bakery, gallery, store... [like 10K after taxes will do that]

Given any group of us creative types, you'll get the garden variety of hair styles, piercings and pork-pie hats.

I'm sure the producers have a list of "types" they need for the casting call: one pretty, one old, one scary, one loathsome asshat, one super talent, one self-taught weirdo, one club kid, one country girl, one with a strange accent, one sexy, one with a lot of tattoos, and one just for cannon fodder [goes home first week].

You'll get egotistical, arrogant, confident, neurotic, terrified, audacious, pushy, nasty, catty, timid, doubtful, poised, hesitant, shameless, modest, disorganized, confused, annoyed, petty, sensitive, gifted, skilled, clumsy, inept, imaginative, incompetent... personalities

And within many of us creative types, you'll find all of the above within us. One moment confident, another moment - your sensitivity finds you crashing through the floor. Maybe the judges are too mean, maybe they don't understand you, maybe they're stupid.

Some people just seem to be born with talent. What makes us creative is not our personalities, our clothes or how we wear our hair. How we express our creativity is the fun part.

You'll find a great chef or artist or designer can be just as neurotic as the people who have no talent, but eat their food, wear their clothes or hang their art on their walls.

My Grandmother & Needlepoint &...

When I was a little girl, my Grandmother taught me many things. She didn't live with us, but she did visit quite a bit.

She was born in Hungary. When she was a child, she lived on a farm. When she was an adult, she lived in the city - but never forgot.

She was an extremely proud person and very religious. She prayed every morning and every evening.

She taught me how to cook - by intuition, by feel. No cookbooks, no thermometers, no measuring cups or spoons. Everything was delicious. I still cook the same way - and hardly ever use a recipe. I guess when you learn to cook the way I did, you learn to rely on your own senses- sight, smell, taste, you can just tell. You feel your way.

She also taught us to garden. Each of us kids had a garden patch in the backyard. We had to grow our own vegetables. I grew the easy stuff - potatoes, carrots, marigolds to keep the rabbits away from the carrots, pole beans, radishes. We also had baby chickens, but that didn't really work out.

And, she taught me how to make jewelry - how to bead, to glue, to design. No patterns, just by feel. Yes, I can re-string your pearls.

And, she taught me how to sew. Wait - not with a machine - everything by hand. How to hem, how to darn socks, how to embroider, do crewel work, crochet, knit, cross stitch and needlepoint. Yes, I can sew a button on that will never fall off.

Didn't know how to do something? Figure it out. Feel your way.

I created a needlepoint "sampler" when my niece was born. I drew on needlepoint canvas and stitched. Once again, just used my senses.

People stopped me everywhere I went [I worked on it on the bus, at the laundromat, on breaks] and wanted to know if I would make one for them!

I went to a needlepoint store in Beverly Hills [I lived in West Hollywood at the time]. I asked them how to "design" needlepoint - and how to paint canvas. They taught me... in a couple of minutes - on my part by glancing around and the canvas and yarn - and telling me how to "stitch paint." Okay - here it is. Needlepoint is a grid. You design something, you put it behind the grid [canvas], draw on it with a sharpie. Paint with acrylics. Each intersection is a stitch, so you must paint with the grid. People pay a lot for stitch-painted needlepoint! It is also really hard on your eyes... depending on the size of the stitches.

Anyway - I started painting - and selling my designs. I couldn't keep up with my orders, I couldn't hire people to help... so I stopped. These days, when I see those gorgeous stitch-painted canvases in needlepoint shops I get nostalgic... but I digress.

This morning, when my google alerts for "mosaic portraits" led me to a beaded portrait of Heath Ledger as the Joker - I realized many of these projects I see are the same as needlepoint, just using beads or push pins, or sticky notes or gum balls. Or, a mosaic portrait of Jay-Z using swarovski crystals, or all the photo mosaics all a grid - and tile companies use computer programs to create a amazing patterns in glass tiles are on a grid... when I created my bathroom floor, I hand fit and hand cut thousands of tiles - no grid.

Obviously, all of this made me think - my art now is no longer on a grid and there is no computer. It is different - it's organic.

It is by feel. I use my senses. I respond to different images, I feel my way around a variety of colors to create a piece that will express my feelings at the moment. I touch every single piece of paper many times - to choose it, to cut it, cut it again, fit it, glue it. The entire process is a sensory explosion. The sound of the paper cutter when I am chopping up my raw materials, listening to music or the radio, smelling paint or glue...

Because I make art based on my senses, what I feel - I don't like suggestions...Hey, you should do dogs [!] hey, you should do a portrait Johnny Mathis or Johnny Depp or Johnny Appleseed [!]... I really want to do what I want to do, that's the work that turns out best.

I have to thank my Grandmother for teaching me how to use my senses - to feel my way. I use my hands as a response to inspiration of one kind or another - to create something entirely new.

That said, I'm going to embark on a experimental week - no faces this week - stay tuned to view new stuff -

Check out my new work and updated web site here. Sign up for my newsletter and don't forget to follow me on Twitter!

Creativity and Inspiration and Work

The last two posts have been about the links and patterns in my thoughts and memories that lead to inspiration and my best work.

I listened to a teleconference about time management yesterday - I got a few good nuggets out of it. And, since I have had three conversations lately with friends struggling with their creativity and how to use it, I thought about a few things that have helped me stay focused on my work. Maybe I can share a little with you.

How to approach art as work:

First and foremost - if you're an artist - it's your job. You must get up and go to work every day. Don't wait to be inspired. Just do something. In the middle of the process, even if it seems like drudgery - keep going - something will spark. Think of it this way - if you were a lawyer, or an accountant or a bus driver - you don't wait until you "feel like it" to do your work; your JOB is the same way. Otherwise, it is an avocation, not a vocation... ask yourself if it's a hobby or how you want to make a living.

This notion that you must be dead first to make it as an artist is ridiculous. Why bother? We can all name some artists, crafts people, writers, etc. that have made it big in their lifetime. Aspire to be one of those. Someone's gonna make it - why not me? Why not you? As the old adage goes - "there's always room at the top."

Not everything you create will be genius to you. Every artist produces duds. But, your dud might be just the thing for someone else - it might speak to them - so don't judge, just produce your best work!

If you're a writer - you don't have to write the next great American novel - if you're worried you won't be able to back it up with the next novel... how many people freeze if they can't do the best? Gee - have you seen a movie lately? Someone is buying up that crap.
Can't paint the Mona Lisa? Gee - have you seen a shark in a tank of formaldehyde? That "art" sold for millions?! Can you explain the popularity of Thomas Kincad or Ed Hardy?
Worried your next dress design won't make the cover of Vogue? Gee - a lot of people shop at Kohls.
What I am saying is - the world of "art" runs the gamut from Renoir to Velvet Paintings...from "War & Peace" to "I Love New York." Know where you want to be in that continuum.

Set goals. Read or listen to the greatest business people, every motivational speaker on earth and they will all tell you the same thing. Set goals. Write them down. Write down the steps that will take you toward fulfilling those goals [they're called objectives] and do them. You can listen to "the Secret" all day long - and it won't make anything happen by magic - you have to move your ass - you have to work on achieving your objectives to make your goals.

Stay focused. If you are an artist, building your business is a brick-by-brick process. Don't take on projects that are not in your goals - and don't get distracted.

Everyone will have great ideas for you. I can't tell you how many people have told me to paint dogs. I don't want to paint dogs- the thought of it gives me hives. Do what is true to you - but do remember this - you have a product. Whether it is a painting, a screenplay, a dress you designed or any other "thing," you have to take that product to market. Someone has to desire it. You need to sell it - so you can be true to yourself, as long as you know your customer base wants what you're making.

You will hit low points. You will feel like a failure. You can stay depressed and go nowhere, or you can use your time to dust off and move forward. If you want something enough that you can see it, taste it, smell it - if you can picture it, you can do it. Take a Psycho-Cybernetics course if you need a workshop that will help you reach goals. Listen to Zig Ziglar or any other speaker. None of them will tell you how to build your business, really - but they will tell you to set goals.

It's great to be creative. It's not great to wait until you feel creative to do something.

My favorite place for inspiration is the library. I'm lucky that I'm interested in so many things. I know exactly what stacks to hit - grab a bunch of books. I always find a jumping off place. The best thing is - the library is free.

For me - creating every day is part of who I am. No matter what I am painting, I look at it this way - I'M PAINTING!
As much as I want to keep working on the series I've started, I do have moments when I stray... I just finished a portrait last night that is very different than the others I've done lately - it was like a little break.

And, I like it. Someone else will like it, too.

Lastly - it might just be up to you to sell your work. Until someone else becomes your biggest cheerleader, it's gotta be you. There is nothing wrong with marketing yourself. If you don't believe, who will?

Go to the library and get "The War of Art," [not the Art of War] and read it or listen to it. It will help you figure out a way to make your art your job.

NOW GET TO WORK!