Getting in the loop with other artists

So I have a spot at the Ballston Arts and Crafts Market.

This makes me inordinately happy.

Happy like a small child with a great,big lollipop. No, a small child with a great, big, rainbow colored lollipop... with sprinkles. Why is this such a great, big deal to me? I think it is because it will be the first time in a long while that I will be working side by side with other serious artists and crafters. The kind of energy that is produced by this kind of connection cannot be underestimated. It will open up new dialogues for me about how to develop my work, and my skills. It will really get my juices flowing.

Lately to a large extent, I have been working in a vacuum. This is not an ideal situation for any artist - especially me. I miss my college studio days, and my time working in studios in London, when I was surrounded by other artists and designers bouncing ideas off each other and providing a context for our work.

I miss those rigorous critiques, when we would painfully analyze each other's work and bring different (sometimes worrying) perspectives to it.

Many artists and designers miss the studio atmosphere when they leave college, and they seek to reproduce that atmosphere in their work situations. One of the toughest parts of moving from London to Virginia for me was the loss of my community of creative friends. There are many things I love about Virginia, but it just doesn't match London for me in terms of providing a stimulating Arts environment.

Of course, I've also been busy growing my young family, so I really have not put enough energy or time into finding or becoming a part of the professional arts scene here, my priorities and lifestyle have changed. But I do miss the friction a good critique produces. I miss connecting with other professional artists, designers and crafters.

So being a part of The Ballston Arts and Crafts Market is a step in the right direction for me. Ready or not, here I come.

Multipotentiality and me, and the kids

Well I have found out what I am - a multipotentialite. Yep, apparently that's me.

I stumbled across this when looking at the Puttylike website, which is a lifestyle design site for multipotentialites.

"What is this 'multipotentiality'?" I hear you say (by the way, it's a bugger of a long word to keep retyping, so I'm going to try avoiding it as much as possible). Emily Wapnick, the founder of Puttylike, defines a multipotentialite as -

"a person who has many different interests and creative pursuits in life. Multipotentialites have no "one true calling" the way specialists do" -2012 Puttylike

She goes on to discuss the way we pursue many goals at the same time, and thrive on discovery, and learning new things constantly.

An important aspect of this is the way many Multipotentialites bring their many interests together in unexpected and creative ways leading to groundbreaking outcomes.

I'm not going to ramble on about this much more. The website puttylike.com does a much better job of explaining the terminology, and is an addictively interesting read.

Anyway, spurred on by a forum on the site, I have been thinking about how having two children has affected the way I function as a multipotentialite.

Let me start by saying that my children are the most wonderful part of my life, and I love them more than anything in this world.

This does not mean, however, that I haven't had moments of extreme frustration since becoming a mother. I will not lie, there have been many times that I have felt frustrated that I couldn't pursue a project or take a course because of my life responsibilities. Having always been highly productive with my varied activities, and a free spirit who was always on the move, I had to rethink my lifestyle when I became a mother.

First of all, I rearranged my day. I always get up a couple of hours before the kids do and have some time to do something on my own. This is an amazing energy boost believe it or not.

Secondly, I accepted that while there where many things that I couldn't fit into my new lifestyle, there are so many amazing new experiences that kids bring with them.

My kids are the biggest source of inspiration that I have, and have opened me up to so many new experiences that I may never have had otherwise.

An example: taking my kids to the library regularly reintroduced me to kids books, and made me realize how much I love story telling. As a consequence, I am now writing and illustrating my first children's book. It's amazing how the dots connect.

My children have also reintroduced me to old passions, things I had forgotten that I loved. When my daughter started dance classes, I began to practice at home too. Water fights, playgrounds and singing with wild abandon in the car have become new-old interests.

Oh, and little kids look at everything with interest, and love discovering new and unexpected things - a perfect match for the multipotentialite in me!

Basically, even on those days (or weeks) when I am stuck at home looking after sick, grumpy kids, and craving a bit of sunshine and adult company, it pays to remember the positive things that the kids bring to my life, and dwell on those. I know that there are times when this can be difficult to do.

As for that course that I wanted to take. Some other time.