An In-Depth - Somewhat - Tour of My Studio {...which means a partial tour of my home...}
My friend Jeanne Oliver recently invited me to participate in her once-a-month “Artist’s Studios Tour”. I quickly jotted down the date, and made a mental note.
There was my first mistake. ha. Mental notes don’t do me much good these days, because apparently “menopause brain” is a thing. But I did manage to move the big, ugly portable studio lights out of my main studio space, and straighten up a little bit.
So consider this your invitation to join Jeanne and I both, over on her blog, where you will find an over ten minute long, hopefully quite encouraging, tour of my creative spaces. These areas are where all my good juju happens. You’ll hear all the many ways my Preacher has come alongside me, as I chase beauty…(because the deep, dark secret is he is a beauty-chaser himself. Give him an afternoon with a beautiful landscape and his Nikon, and he is a happy, happy man. Preachers are just artists masquerading as ministers. It takes the soul of an artist and the heart of a writer to see the wonder in the Gospel, to remain untouched by cynics, and to pen messages every single week.)
some of the various pochades, easels, etc that I take with me when I paint out-and-about
And while you are over on Jeanne’s website, do join her “Creative Network” (it’s free!) where you will find dozens (and dozens) of gorgeous art classes (three of them are by yours truly - just do a quick search on the site for my name)…
…and the BEST selection - a curated selection - of FREE instructional videos that you will find, anywhere.
I’ve been part of this network since it began. Jeanne just keeps getting better. She keeps on showing me what is possible. I love that, in a friend. I love that in an art instructor.
Enjoy! Here is the link, once more.
And, if you can, please join me over on my instagram where I’m most active, in terms of social media, and leave me any thoughts, questions, observations, or comments you may have about my spaces. I’ve figured out many low cost/no cost solutions to the problems we artists bump up against on a regular basis. I’m happy to share my tricks and tips with you.
excited to show you this piece of vintage furniture that The Preacher turned into my packing/shipping station…
Jeanne Oliver’s Creatively Made Business
September and October were travel months for me. Early September, my daughter Sarah (@sarahdhowe) and I had the opportunity to fly to Castle Rock, Colorado and take Jeanne Oliver’s 4th live business workshop (and future E-COURSE), “Creatively Made Business”.
…thank you, Suzanne Fernald
Every single detail, from the first evening’s welcome reception to the final evening of “Goodbye” was intentional, personal, beautiful. Simply being there was this deeply layered, rich learning experience. Had my friend Jeanne not taught for three straight days (which she did), just watching how she shows up in the world was to learn so, so much. Putting myself in front of her has changed everything in my creative business. Sarah was blown away.
Shared with permission - thank you, Judith Thibault
The question all the participants had to deeply visit was this:
How do I want my life to look and feel?
We were challenged to filter every business decision through that filter.
Yes, we were also given a crash course in SEO, analytics, and even the Enneagram (Kathi Graves is an accomplished artist and the most outstanding teacher of the enneagram that I have ever heard), we were also lavished with inspiration, and given practical advice and exercises to work through once we all got home and back to our studios/offices/creative businesses.
(This is my own iPhone shot…)
Anyone lucky enough to attend a workshop at Jeanne’s home studio is someone who gets a front row seat to events done with such excellence, you have to have been there to wrap your mind around it.
Jeanne’s beautiful fireside room and dining room. Women were photographing every corner of her home.
I will be processing everything I heard (Sarah too) for months to come, which is why I am so glad to let you know that Jeanne has opened registration for a brand new, in-depth e-course “Creatively Made Business”. This course will be a six month long, take-you-by-the-hand, build your business learning experience.
I’m all in. Sarah and I both are all in. If you have a creative business and want to join us, head over to www.jeanneoliver.com
If all this wasn’t enough…truly, equally special was the chance to stay in the home of a new friend I met last year in Italy…Jodi. (not pictured in this post) She’s a flight attendant, and she took time out of her busy life to host my daughter and I - make us amazing gumbo, and serve us generous portions of chocolate cake. ::wink wink:: Her whole home was a peaceful, beautiful, colorful, artful place to land. Sarah and I both hope to reciprocate her kindness - and we also hope to hang out with Jodi again one day. Her hospitality was a huge gift to my heart….she lavished us with love, laughter, the presence of Jesus, yogurt and berries, flowers, small gifts, and just this open-handed open-hearted sense of friendship. I couldn’t believe the blessing she was. Thank you, Jodi. Sarah and I honestly love you.
And thank you Jeanne, for such a full, inspiring, rich workshop. Thank you for your friendship. Thank you for that dinner that last night, and all the things you spoke into me. Thank you for the way you seemed to value and honor the gift of an original piece of my son-in-law Jonathan Howe’s original art.
I want to go on in my own business to experience a fraction of the success of yours, I want to honor you and give you some credit, I want to do big things that make you as proud to be my friend as I am proud to be yours. Sarah and I honestly love you.
On another note, in my next blog post, I am crafting some words to describe what was my next trip. A trip to have a sweet guest-artist, teaching experience with Laura McCollough and her retreats called “Art and Faith Creative”. Just look below, to see where I flew exactly one month later, after Colorado.
Hello, autumn in New England! Hello, Woodstock, Vermont! Hello, Woodstock Inn. Laura knows how to pick her venues! ::all the heart eyes::
I can’t wait to share more about the days The Preacher and I spent with a soulful, funny, spiritual group of women in Woodstock Vermont. When you allow art and faith in Jesus Christ to intersect - when you gather under the banner and the artful intention of His name made much of….that is a recipe for deep soul care and breakthroughs in an artist’s creative practice. More in my next blog post!
The Breathtaking Woodstock Inn, in Woodstock Vermont! You totally gotta google it! It’s incredible!