Staying Organized as an Artist

I thought it would be good to end this month with some tools I use to stay organized. Every January, I seem to go into hibernation to plan, organize and see what I can do differently. This year, I got started mid-December and I feel way ahead since I have been working through all the things I need to do, but didn't want to do. This includes editing photos, sales tax, updating descriptions for my art online and that kind of thing. 

Ever since I got back from Spain, I've been knee-deep in getting things done. My office and shipping area is so tidy now, I often walk past the room and stop to admire it these days. I also repainted my studio before my residency so it feels clean and fresh. My studio also has way less unnecessary things and is much less cluttered this year. It is now just a place to make art and my shipping area is at home. I am still working on it a bit, but I'll show you how nice it looks soon.

Let me tell you, it has taken me a long time to get as organized as I feel these days. Rather than go through all the trial and error I did, I thought I would share with you some tools I use to stay on top of things. A big part of organization is planning and doing small chunks at a time, to prevent being overwhelmed. I think it's really important to keep things as simple as you can. I hope the random piles are gone for good this time!

So, here are some simple ways to be organized that I've found work for me:

Day Designer  I am first and foremost a paper and pen person. I think it's because I am a visual person and want to see everything laid out, whenever I want. When I first heard about the Day Designer (somewhere on the internet), I was intrigued. After looking around their site, I felt it was EXACTLY what I needed to get my own act together. They have a fantastic blog where you can find articles like 7 Steps You Can Take to Make the Most of Each and Every Day or How to Schedule Time to Be Creative. I've been using mine for a week and I absolutely love the layout and using paper and pen to plan out what I need to do. The designer, Whitney English, includes a time schedule, to do list, what's due and more with this planner. It sells out frequently so get your hands on one before they are gone. Highly recommended! 

Evernote  For the longest time I was like "whatever, I use notes and reminders on my iPhone." The Evernote app makes it way easier than that. You can break projects down into smaller, more manageable tasks.  I am still very new to it and use the above Day Designer more for mapping everything out. 

Google Calendar  While there are a few things I would change about Google Calendar, it's my favorite digital calendar. I try to keep it updated alongside my Day Designer so that I can get reminders for the really important things. Google Calendar really helps me stay on top of future events and dates. I just can't keep it all in my head. 

Google Drive  I don't know what I would do without it. Google Drive allows me to work on any computer, anywhere. I keep all kinds of records here and it's a total lifesaver. One of my favorite ways to use it is my Workflow spreadsheet. This is where I keep track of client work (individuals and organizations) organized by due date. I can go to this sheet quickly to see who, when, where and also what I am getting paid for the commission or job.

January Cure  Apartment Therapy has been doing a January Cure to help clean and freshen up your home. I have not been following it religiously, but it has been hugely helpful and I refer back to days I missed. It's like spring cleaning in January. I really recommend checking it out. Hunkering down and donating, tossing, cleaning and organizing at the start of the year is already making such an impact on how I work. Here's the full January Cure list so you can get started at any time!

Good things come in 3's. Some other things to do:

• 3 things - try not to put more than 3 main things on your to do list. That way, anything extra you get done is a bonus!
• 3 pages a day - start your day writing 3 pages a day. Write what you did yesterday, what you want to get done today and maybe what you want for the future. By revisiting what you meant to do, you will start actually doing it. Writing one page is okay too:)

If you have any tips to share on staying organized, I'd love to hear about them in the comments below! 

FOG Design + Art Field Trip

I wanted to attend FOG Design + Art 2015 and my sister needed to be picked up from the airport in SF, so it was the perfect excuse to head up the Peninsula and kill two birds with one stone. Since art school, I have been into David Zwirner, a New York City gallery. They have shown some of my favorite artists including Mamma Andersson (currently showing), Marlene Dumas, Neo Rauch, Kerry James Marshall, Jockum Nordström, Raymond Pettibon and Luc Tuymans. How one gallery could have such taste has driven me to frequently check the site over the years and also the main reason I wanted to attend the fair. 

Fred's in Sausalito, CA

We started the day by heading out to foggy Sausalito for breakfast at Fred's. If you haven't been here yet, you're missing out. Here's how you know: the guy eating across from us ordered TWO BREAKFASTS! Yes, you heard that right. He ordered the deep friend french toast with millionaire's bacon along with a Benedict since he couldn't decide. I'll let you use your imagination on our breakfasts. You'll have to go to know just how good it is. Perfect after a hike on Mt. Tamalpais. 

Sausalito was a bit foggy and cold to stay too long, so we headed back over the Golden Gate Bridge to FOG Design + Art. I really felt like I was back in art school while at the fair. For one, absorbing high-end contemporary art in person has not been something I have been doing as much in these last few years. Two, there were many works of art from my art school textbooks. Three, they had a great bookshop, with the best art and design books. When I was in college, I would check out up to 80 art books at a time from my school library (we were allowed up to 100 for research). 

I instantly recognized this Molly Hatch plate installation from the entryway of the building. I love the way she is influenced by historical decorative arts and makes something of her own. I recently attended her spectacular online course Pattern Design: From Hand to Screen to Surface. 

Jockum Nordström and Mamma Andersson (above), Mamma Andersson below

Jockum Nordström and Mamma Andersson are a couple of my favorite artists who also happen to be a couple. This Swedish pair never cease to mesmerize me with their color palettes and narratives. I was so happy to find this wall from Crown Point Press. 

Kiki Smith from Pace Gallery

These sculptures stopped me in my tracks. The somewhat naive quality and beautiful textures were so beautiful in person and hard to capture in a photograph. When I read the label it was like, "Of course! Kiki Smith." Her creativity and inventiveness has always fascinated me. If you haven't seen her section of Our City Dreams or this episode of Art 21 with Kiki Smith, please do yourself a favor and change that. 

I've been a fan of Stefan Kurten since art school. His detailed and nostalgic works provide a world of depth and texture from another era. The gold paint in this piece added a sunsoaked vibe to the gorgeous thin layers of ink. 

Stephen Hannock, titled Paul's Rocket at First Light

I like the surprise of light in this landscape by Stephen Hannock.

Hiroshi Sugimoto photograph of a theater

The photography series of theaters by Hiroshi Sugimoto is stunning with silvery white details glowing in a dark room. These photographs almost appear as paintings. The glowing white screen, deep blackness and emptiness of the room create a mysterious setting. 

Unknown artist

This gorgeous textile made such an impact in person. Animals and trees circulate within a celestial backdrop. I searched around to find a label, but never found it. I'll update when I find out who the artist is.

Don't you love these everyday objects in ceramic by Matthias Herkel Hess?

I was immediately drawn to these objects by Matthias Herkel Hess. The milk crate and laundry basket (unseen here) were among my favorite of these usually boring everyday objects. In 2006, I created a painting installation of everyday rooms with furniture and objects, so these resonated with me. You can read more about his work in this NY Times article. 

Installation by Misha Kahn for Friedman Benda

Misha Kahn's work is fun, inventive and excessive to the point of creating a new and strange soft and textural world. Definitely a show stopper with lava rocks, inflatable sculptures, working ceiling fan and full tile floor to entice you. I love the imagination and bizarreness of this world. I thought it would be a good one to end with.

There were a lot of other great artists at FOG Design + Art: Raymond Pettibon, Paul Wackers, Lawrence Halprin and more. This field trip turned out to be awesome: breakfast, art fair, a little shopping, ice skating at Union Square, dinner and, oh yes, a pickup at the airport. The best thing about attending the fair is that I wanted to go home and make work. Lots of it. 

Until the next field trip...

UC Hastings College of Law Cabaret Event

I had the pleasure of doing a watercolor word art project for the Cabaret Event at UC Hastings College of Law last night. I have done workshops with large groups before, but I sometimes get a little nervous since there is a lot to consider. When doing workshops for up to 100 people, you need to watch your budget even more closely, create something that is easy to teach a lot of people at once and is just something that turns out really cool that they can take away. 

We'll start with a few images from Niki Baker's project. Thanks to Niki of Foreignspell for getting me involved. She had a table set up for guests to stamp their own cards with her designs. Their were lots of rubber blocks and colors to choose from. Check out her awesome hand carved greeting cards and more!

NIki Baker's designs for Foreignspell (photo by Niki Baker)

Finished greeting card from Foreignspell (photo by Niki Baker)

A happy kid stamping his card with Niki Baker (photo by Niki Baker)

Watercolor Word Art

Weeks ago, I came up with the idea of watercolor word art since New Year's had just passed and I always get super motivated in January. I don't really make resolutions myself, but I thought coming up with a word was a good starting point for the guests at this event. I precut nice quality watercolor paper in the shape so that it didn't just look like a hanging rectangle of paper. 

Materials used:

• watercolor
• paper (precut into banner shapes)
• beads (I chose natural and colored wood beads)
• twine (I chose hemp twine)

My goals for participants:

• Experience watercolor painting lesson
• Positivity from the chosen word
• Make them feel like a kid again
• Relax, have fun and take something home that was memorable to make and use

Setup went fairly quickly. Some guests were a little afraid to create something from scratch. The rest that participated seemed to have a blast. Some started very sure of what they would make, others started out timid and ended up confidently brushing the paint on. I was amazed at their creativity in the project. I can only imagine how difficult law school is and how much they have to study. Many of the participants chose words that focused on being calm and relaxed or phrases that would help motivate them to pass the bar. 

Some of my favorites that they came up with:

• Free Spirit
• Pass (the 1st time)
• Push Through
• Love
• Relax
• Reflect
• Chill
• Soar
• Freedom
• Anti-bullying
• Breathe
• Believe
• Awesome
• Jazz

And some children came to the event too. They mostly wanted to put the sign on their bedroom doors. They came up with:

• Fun here
• Their name
• Love

Yes, some chose more than one word, but I don't make strict rules about artmaking. It was funny how a few asked me if it was okay to write more than one. They don't need my permission! I loved how enthusiastic everyone was. Here's are their finished products:

Believe/Jazz. I thought it was awesome that the man on the right decided right away that he would write jazz because it's his favorite word. 

Push through

Free Spirit

Pass (the 1st time)

It was fun to watch these friends crack up while working together. They made 'soar' and 'believe'.

My favorite part was stringing up the beads for everyone. When I held their project out to them, many commented that they couldn't believe how good it looked. I really love seeing people create and be proud of their work. 

I started my day by teaching two-year-olds at the art school I teach at. It was really interesting to work with children who experiment, explore and don't have a care about the end result, but more the process. It's really inspiring to watch them work. Adults tend to be more focused on the end result and perfection. I noticed many of the guests at the Cabaret event freed up and really enjoyed the process of making their hanging banners. 

A note about UC Hastings: Everything about this event was fantastic. Everyone I interacted with from early communication with the program coordinators to the security guard at the front desk were very friendly and helpful. As I walked up to the second floor, they have original paintings and sculptures displayed (I always love finding art in unexpected places). The whole floor was decked out in lights and was festive with the Mardi Gras theme. When I arrived, the floor was filled with students eating dinner. I must note that I loved how diverse the student population was. It made an impression on me to see future lawyers coming from all backgrounds. A big thanks to the students, faculty and staff for being so helpful and appreciative of the activities. 

Linea de Costa Art Residency in Cádiz, Spain Pt. 2

I had started writing some blog posts while I was on my art residency in Spain. I ended up only publishing one of the many I had planned. I was too engrossed in the moment, whether making new work, talking with new friends, eating good tapas or quietly meandering. This series of posts will cover my time out there. There are a lot of photos and experiences to cover, so I had to split it up into easily digestible amounts. You can read the earlier posts on my first week in Cádiz, Spain and on texture and pattern inspiration. This one will focus on what a residency is.

While I was out in Spain, I kept getting questions from my friends here in the States about why I was out there in the first place. It seems that the concept of an art residency isn't much known outside of artists, and even then, not all artists know about them. Many people just thought I was going to school out there. 

Art residencies are meant as time and space for an artist to create and think about their work. Residencies are application-based, so you have to submit a portfolio or images and write a statement and bio. They usually provide housing, a studio and support for your work or a specific project. You may or may not end the residency with an art show or specific project, it depends on the program. Residencies operate worldwide and vary in their amenities. Some have kilns and printmaking equipment, others are much more simple. It just depends on what you are looking for. Residency costs vary from being all expenses paid to subsidized costs to very expensive. You have to do your research when finding one. 

Last February/March, I had a small list of residencies in mind to apply to. I was mostly interested in a couple in Barcelona, as well as one in Joshua Tree National Park and another in the Caribbean. During that time of the year, I am usually working on Valentine's Day orders, taxes and planning, so I missed the deadlines on all of these. I found one in Cádiz, Spain and was instantly mesmerized by the location after looking up photos online. I had to go to this one and this one only. Cádiz is on a narrow strip of land, almost like an island. It looks out on the open Atlantic and resides south of Portugal. 

The esplanade near the Gran Catedral. 

We Have Overcomplicated Things, paper, ink, chair, bulb, 2014.

I felt like the happiest person on earth when I was accepted to the Linea de Costa residency. It was the first residency I applied to. I received an email three weeks later stating "we find your proposal very interesting for Linea de Costa's goals." They later told me that the program is very competitive and receives many applicants. This, of course, made me feel honored and thankful to be one of the selected. The image above of my installation, We Have Overcomplicated Things, was one of the artworks I applied with. The program director really loved this one. 

One aspect of a residency is how many artists you will be there with. I have heard of some residencies hosting a single artist at a time, but I believe most are small to larger groups. Linea de Costa hosts 3 artists at a time with myself, Amy Podmore a professor of art at Williams College in Massachusetts and Juyoung Lee, a South Korean artist, there for the month of November. Both artists turned out to be amazing people. They were creative, fun and super inspiring to be around. I felt very lucky to have been there with these two. 

The view from my work desk in the studio.

The location was really something else. I looked out on this view everyday, though sometimes it was overcast and stormy. It made me feel like I was working on a boat. I can't tell you how much having the sea this close makes me happy. The apartment I was set up in was very nice, but just did not compare with this view. For more on the studio space and apartment see my first post in this series. 

If you're interested in an art residency, you can look them up on the following sites:

• Res Artis
• Alliance of Artists Communities

For some great articles on finding, preparing for and funding your residency:

• Choosing the Right Residency
• Preparing for a Residency
• Funding Your Art Residency

One of the biggest things I took away from this residency was letting go of old habits and stale ideas. There's nothing like a change of location to reinvigorate your senses. If you have any questions about residencies, feel free to ask me in the comments below. 

Stay tuned for the next post in this series!

New Year, First Post

I wrapped up last year in Joshua Tree and New Mexico. After looking back on that post, I thought about the listed goals for 2014. To my surprise, only one had not been completed (not finishing my children's book). That's alright, there's always this year. It made me think that it works to type it up like this so here it goes again.  

View from our Airbnb spot in Frigiliana, Spain. A very magical place.

There were many new things this year and I felt I really broadened my horizons, especially in the last few months of the year. I'm a perfectionist and have high expectations of myself, so it's easy to forget the things I've done and spend more time focusing on what I need to fix. When I took the time to think about it I found these highlights for 2014:

• Won 2nd place for Best Local Handmade Goods in Metro's Best of Silicon Valley 2014 in San Jose, CA.
• Opened my own web shop outside of Etsy.
• I'm selling my art on juried sites as well.
• I learned to sail, something that has been on my list since childhood.
• Participated in the SubZERO Festival and it was a huge success!
• Sold art at West Elm in Emeryville
• Found the best camping spot in Northern California with river swimming (not telling where!).
• Taught an Craft Entrepreneurship class for Etsy in Santa Cruz.
• I attempted to climb Half Dome. I actually won the lottery to hike it, but some backpackers didn't put their fire out properly and left us in the valley of Yosemite. Still, a real good time hiking to the top of Glacier Point.
• Designed a coffee bag for the Chromatic Coffee Artist Series.
• I did my first daily art project in October. Although it only lasted a little over 3 weeks, I really got a lot out of it. 
• Spent a month in Spain for an art residency. Stay tuned for more blog posts about that trip.
• First international exhibit! Showed my art at ECCO, a gorgeous marble-filled museum, where my residency was located.
• Spent another couple of weeks traveling in Spain and Morocco. That means I went to Africa! A whole new continent for me. 
• Held a studio sale before leaving for Spain. It went great! I'm low on inventory now.  
• Cooked A LOT. I was way more experimental and enthusiastic about cooking this year. 
• Donated or sold clothes, housewares, art supplies and more throughout the year. I finally feel like I only have things I love.
• Read three whole books in the month of December! Sure, they were pretty short, but pretty good nonetheless.
• Sold art online ON Christmas day. Wow, thank you sweet customer, that was unexpected.
• Redesigned my website (HA! Just did this on 12/28!).
• Started editing images of custom portraits I have done to add to my portfolio (again, did this in the last few days of the year).
• Sold out of art prints on Scoutmob (Just did this on 12/31/14!).
• Sold art online on New Year's Day. What a way to start the year.

After getting back from being away all of November and half of December, I fell right into holiday chaos. I had a few portraits to finish with Christmas deadlines. Then there were the holiday themselves. Still, I managed to stay super productive in the last few weeks of 2014 by painting, photo editing, planning, reorganizing and all around completing things I had been meaning to do.

As for 2015, I will list out some things I would like to do, since writing them down seems to help make them happen. Here we go:

• Get my finances in order.
• Make more art than I did last year. Experiment, take risks, try new things.
• Spend more time with friends and family, since I tend to isolate myself and work.
• Start working on the final draft of my children's book.
• Work on developing surface pattern design skills.
• Do things besides art: more sailing lessons, hiking, reading, survivalist backpacking (doesn't that sound fun?!).
• Be fluent in Spanish (I speak it but want to improve on it) and French (know a handful of phrases).
• Grow more food than last year.
• Do another art residency. There are two I am especially interested in applying for.
• Apply for the Half Dome permits again (fingers crossed).
• Visit Joshua Tree at the end of the year... or maybe NY? 
• Camp more, maybe even monthly (wishful thinking).

Keeping the list not all art-related this year. If you made it this far in this long and self-involved post, well, thanks for reading it. I recommend writing down what you want to get done this year. It's pretty amazing to see what you did when you look back on it.

Happy New Year.