Day 11 Art at the Speed of Life Blog Tour and GIVEAWAY

Welcome to Day 11 of  The Art at the Speed of Life Blog Tour!!!  You've arrived in Aberdeen, NC (I know most of  you have no idea where that is so let me just say near the golf mecca of Pinehurst which is south of Raleigh)!!  If you've been following this tour, you've been treated to seeing behind the scenes look at the making of Pam Carriker's BEST SELLING new mixed media art book, "Art at the Speed of Life" .  I know I've really enjoyed reading  during  each stop how all the contributing artists  have come to connect with Pam  over the last several years,  and how different but how similar all of these artists are...everyone has one thing in common though--it's passion for what they do, which shines through in their tour posts but more importantly, it shines through with every essay and project sprinkled throughout Pam's book.  Different things motivate and inspire each and every one of us, but it's evident that the core of Pam's passion and inspiration for art is her lovely and supportive family.  

Art at the Speed of Life is a book that truly does illustrate through sensible and inspirational advice and projects how you can do it all.  DO IT ALL...you can be a Mother, Sister, Friend, Wife, have a career, a hobby--wear all of these hats AND be creative despite all the demands for our time and attention. In fact, you owe it to yourself to make that time.   There's ton of sage advice on how to fit creative time in your daily life, overcome roadblocks,  multi-task while creating,  tell your story or unload your worries, celebrate your dreams all through journaling, painting, collage, sketching, and more.  

\
I met Pam several years ago on a forum on Etsy we both frequented and we connected in a lot of ways, both emerging into our own creative skins, entering into the world of publishing and meeting several others that were like minded and supportive of each other in so many ways. In fact 8 of the artists in that core group did a collaborative project together : "Sisterhood of the Traveling Canvas"  that was published in an issue of Somerset Studios.   Even in the beginning when we all met, it was evident that Pam was destined for great things. She not only shined at everything she did, she is a born leader, teacher, mentor, and obviously an accomplished artist.   It's been fun seeing her  star rising as well as all of the other friends that we made on Etsy.  Everyone has been so brave and passionate about their artistic life, I'm forever blessed to have made the friends I have.  We've lifted each other up and believed in the power of hard work, drive, commitment, and faith in ourselves and each other.  Being a part of this book has been such an honor, I'm very proud to be a contributing artist and friend of the wonderful author--not to mention have my name next to so many artists that I admire!

Here it is......a dream come true for Pam and all of us who have contributed to her book!!  It's definitely a book I would highly recommend for those wondering how to juggle it all and be creative. Whether you are new to art or an accomplished artist yourself, there  is something in it for everyone! 

In Pam's book, she talks a lot multi tasking, doing a few journal pages while painting other projects..so I asked her to share a page of hers and I was excited to see this special page that she graciously shared which she created while working on the book right in the beginning of the whole process---capturing thoughts and check lists and creating a beautiful page in of itself while immersed in a hundred other things.  This woman can do it all, I tell you!!

For my post and project, I wanted to take some of Pam's advice and put it into practice...so here are two of my newest paintings--you are seeing them for the first time whoohooo...I've been creating a few different collections and these are 2 of 4 new pieces I have as part of my graffiti work.  To be honest, I have to multi task while creating...there is no other way I can do it because I have to work efficiently and effectively every time I pick up the brush...but there is always room for improvement and I've read through all of her advice and tips and plan to put more things into place so I can continue to juggle working full time, raising my 11 year old son (and from a far my 16 year old), being a single parent and having an art career on top of my everyday work is not easy....

"Journey" 20x24

.....but it's not impossible either.  Living Art at the Speed of Life means so many things..and to me, it says that you can make room for all the things that are important to you in your world. Family, Friends, Work, and your Creative Passion.  

"It's Not Easy Being a Queen"

As I was painting my four new paintings (2 are shown here), I used one of my journals to lay down some color and play while layers were drying...again using Pam's advice to do more than one thing at a time--it makes sense, right?  Not only that, it eliminates wasting paint or it allows you to test out stamps, techniques, or just let it all out in a journal.   The bonus is that you end up having a lot to show for your efforts (assuming you do finish what you start...not that I ever have wip gone unfinished for months at a time..haha)

"Evolve"  20 x 24

It's a proud moment when you see the fruits of your efforts come to life. Especially when  you've managed to fit it all in while doing all the other day to day tasks that demand our time.  Creating not only helps you destress and decompress from all of the craziness in the world...it helps you reach the higher potential that is inside of you.  

  I wrote two essays that were a part of Pam's book:  "Becoming and Artist as a Second Career" and "I'm Not Quitting My Day Job Yet"....<------hahaha    My advice and inspiration hopefully helps those that may have not been  born into art but have always felt the calling,  you can do it even later in life and thrive creatively even while doing something else.  It's not about giving anything up, it's about fitting it in and making it work.    But if you do decide to make it as an artist and go solo--I give some business advice gleaned from my 22 years as a business manager and most recently over the past 4 years of running my own art business on the side.   Yes, art is a passion--but it's also something I truly want to do full time so it has to be a business as much as it is a passion as I want to make sure I keep my house and am able to feed my son when I go solo full time...haha :)))    Woot woot.   

 Thank you Pam for having me play a part in your journey and your dream of writing this wonderful book. I'm so honored and humbled to have shared this experience with you :)

***

Don't be shy--stop by these blogs and see what the contributors  had to say about Art at the Speed of Life and the experience we've all had being a part of Pam journey as the blog tour continues:

• 3/1  Crescendoh - Jenny's Blog       
• 3/2  Suzi Blu                
• 3/3  Seth Apter
• 3/4  Suzan Buckner
• 3/5  Sue Pelletier
• 3/6  Sharon Tomlinson  
• 3/7  Lisa Kettell   
• 3/8  Nancy Lefko
• 3/9  Chrysti Hydeck
• 3/10 Lisa Bebi          
• 3/11 Jodi Ohl
• 3/12 Laurie Blau Marshall
• 3/13 Dawn Edmonson       
• 3/14 Paulette Insall 
• 3/15 Julie Bergman 
• 3/16 Gail Schmidt

Last but not least...here's the other great thing I wanted to share.......yes a GIVEAWAY!!!!   I have a copy of Art at the Speed of Life, by Pam Carriker  to give to one lucky winner AND...AND  a special treasure trove of goodies:  an art journaling kit chock full of papers, texture tools, images, and other art supplies for you to get started journaling...as well as a couple other surprise things from my studio (hmmm maybe a print, maybe other art supplies, maybe notecards...magnet....who knows)!!  All you have to do is to leave a comment and tell me how you create or fit in Art everyday....Art at the Speed of Life :) 
One lucky winner will receive this awesome package!!!!  Good luck, and many blessings to you and uplifting thoughts in your creative aspirations!   Drawing ends on  March 16th :)