What being an artist means to me

A shared post from Pikaland: What does being an artist mean to you?

The organizer/instructor of the online class that I'm taking, Amy Ng, is very active on her blog, Pikaland, which is how I found out about the class in the first place. This week she asks readers, "What does being an artist mean to you?" and I thought I'd share my thoughts on the question here, but make sure you also read her post at the link above.

In the Pikaland post, Amy included a quote from Edgar Degas:

“Art is not what you see, but what you make others see.” ~ Edgar Degas  

Degas truly sums up my feelings about being an artist. My thought process and visual interpretation of the world are a big part of my creativity. Without the ideas or quirky observations about life my drawings, photos, and collages would not have much meaning to myself or to others, they'd just fall flat. I know that my way of thinking and observing has effected my daily life in the way that I witness particular moments happening around me and then I'm able craft them into a visual treats to share.

Feeding the body, feeding the soul

I made a deal with myself tonight that I'd write a blog post or do some work related to my illustration business before I ate dinner. This is usually my game plan on the evenings that I come home from my day job in magazine publishing and don't have any set social plans. Luckily tonight I'm making my Mom's classic pasta salad which does not need to be eaten hot, so I made it first and sat down to write this, so it will be ready for me when I'm done writing.

I always love a tasty, healthy and fresh meal to feed my body and this meal will be a soul-feeder too, I was just on a family vacation a couple of weeks ago and a recipe from Mom's collection is a comfort for the times I miss being with my family in person.

Working toward my goals and dreams is the ultimate soul-feeder, of course. I never seem to have as much time as I want for pursuing those goals but my thoughts on that lately have been to make the most of what time I do have.

My current project is the creation of original art to sell in The Nancydraws Shop... I won't give it all away but it has to do with living in New York City as an artist and appreciator of the beauty and unique situations that are part of that experience.

I began some experimental sketches and tests earlier this summer (see the image below), so far I'm happy with the way they are coming along, and feel hopeful that I'll get a good response. But the process of creating something in a new way is also important, and its helping to bring the fun back into my artistic technique. I am looking forward to seeing where that will lead me down the road.

Now, back to feeding my body, be well until my next post!

Holiday Shopping in NYC

"Holiday Shoppers," available at The Nancydraws Shop:
http://www.etsy.com/listing/61807091/christmas-card-city-shoppers

Well, its the last week before Christmas, and not even a week before Hanukkah begins. I'm sure there are still cards to write, cookies to bake, parties to attend, and gifts buy and wrap, so thanks for taking a look at my blog post today. I want to share some pictures to show what inspired a greeting card that I created last year, which is pictured above, "Holiday Shoppers."

If you spend much time in Manhattan at this time of year, you'll see people wandering around the city with all kinds of colorful and festive shopping bags. Since this week is the height of the holiday shopping season, I've taken a bunch of photos of these bags, which you'll see when you scroll down.

This illustration also reminds me of a story a friend of mine told me from when she was in high school. She went to midtown after school in December with a friend to see the store window decorations along Fifth Avenue. Both of them were raised in a blue-collar Queens neighborhood and had their backpacks with them as they walked around and enjoyed the sites. They both felt a little out of place, walking past others in fur coats, carrying their purchases from the ritzy stores along the avenue in festive shopping bags.

The friend suggested going into Saks Fifth Avenue and requested 2 shopping bags from one of the sales clerks. The two then placed their backpacks in the bags and felt better about "blending in" with the rest of the well-to-do shopping crowd. So, you never know what's in those bags you see people carrying down the street!

From My Brain to the Page!

I really love it when I have an image or an idea in my mind and I can get it exactly as I imagine it onto a piece of paper and into the world without a glitch!

Believe me, this is a rare occurrence. Usually it takes me a few drafts, centimeters from my eraser, turns with the pencil sharpener, and layers of tracing paper to get the art to look the way I want. More often than not, I either can't seem to make it as great as I imagined it in my mind's eye, so I have to compromise, or I didn't have a clear enough vision of what I wanted until I started sketching.

The drawing that inspired me to write this blog entry happened just an hour or so ago. I really am pleased and surprised with how easily it flowed from my mind to my pencil. The image has been floating around in my imagination for a few weeks and I just could not let it go until I made it real. I wish it was always that easy and quick.

Unfortunately I can't go into much detail about what the image is or what inspired it for reasons that I don't want to give away right now. I will be able to share all later in the week!