Art Unraveled 2006 – Wine, Women and Waxed Linen Thread

“Art Unraveled” is not unlike other art workshop retreats. There are numerous short classes offered on a variety of art and art/craft topics including paper arts, jewelry making, painting, drawing and fiber related subjects. The workshops are either all day or half day sessions. This was my second year of teaching at AU and must admit that it is time well spent.

I can’t say that it is the class offerings that makes it a special event. It is not uncommon to see the same instructors making a kind of circuit between similarly organized and mounted events. Art and Soul, Artfest, and the well remembered and loved Art Continuum retreats are just a sampling of the art workshop weekends that one can attend over the course of a year.

This may sound trite, but what makes it a special event are the people in attendance. Good natured folks (admittedly mostly women attending this thing) who are there to have a good time, learn a few things and eat too much.

Linda Young organizes AU to the last detail and the attention shows. The event runs smoothly and everyone is made to feel like the attention was undertaken just for them, personally. Complaints are minimal and generally the gripes are from folks who bring the grief upon themselves. They’d complain if they were buried in a solid gold coffin. 99.9% of the attendees and teachers are all smiles, regardless of the lack of sleep each receives during the course of their participation. Who can sleep when there are things to solder, shape, color, glue, stitch and transfer?

But complaints do occur now and again and though I have not received any about my classes, touch wood, I have been witness to some of it and have made the following observations:

The beefs are generally based on the fact that the student didn’t read the class description close enough to understand what the hell was going to happen in class. “But I thought I was going to make this and we ended up making that.” Well, folks…read the class description carefully. If you don’t understand the nomenclature, ask before assuming something.

"I don't get it...it doesn't look like yours..." (said with a whine, please)
The project is not working out as it should because the student doesn’t listen to instructions or pay attention. If the REST of the class heard it and got it, I think you need to look in a mirror to find where the weak link might be.

Your project will NOT be perfect nor will it look like the instructor’s sample. This is the first time you’ve made the thing; it should take practice and increased skill to make one that may be more apt to meet with your muse’s approval. You are making a model, a practice piece for future reference.

“It's not working…this is too hard…you’re going too fast…” (again, a nice whine accompanying each statement)
You can get it if you’d merely stop whining about your lack of understanding. It better be hard to do, otherwise everyone would be making one of these. You’d probably do better and move along a little faster if you just concentrated on learning the skill or construction or technique or whatever it is you are doing rather than share with the world your inability to do any of those things. You can catch up, don’t worry about it. The teacher and the rest of the class will NOT abandon you. Despite what each of us secretly wishes for, this is not "Survivor" so you will not be voted off the island.

"Her classes are too expensive...it costs too much to go...lower them so I can attend..."
You're correct, the classes are not cheap (but people, they ain't that expensive, either) because instructors are often not in it for purely altruistic motives. Some pay their mortgages through teaching classes and selling wares at the shows. However, teachers are NOT getting rich. Even those who have authored dozens of books often live very modestly. In fact, no one is getting rich doing this. Fortunately, most of the teachers and vendors I know do this because they enjoy meeting the people and are passionate about their art.

Certainly it’s not for the notoriety. It’s not that hard to get on the Carol Duvall show. If you can’t afford the class fees, don’t take the class. I know, it's not fair.

Remember, despite your deepest and most sincere beliefs, the world does not revolve around you. We instructors do care about you and want you to have a great time. We will help you in class as much as we can and provide as much one-on-one attention as we can afford without ignoring the other attendees. We want to give you good value for the money you paid but we don’t owe you our soul.

That covers most of the general complaints I’ve observed people make. I think it would be sad to be those people. Ya pays hard earned money, spend good daylight hours in a classroom all weekend and all you can do is to bitch because you didn’t finish the project? Do yourself and the other attendees a giant favor. Stay home. Or shut up. Or both.

All righty then, ahem, that being said…I had a wonderful time meeting some wonderful people over the course of a wonderful week. This is a retreat worth a three-peat.

Lisa R, Traci B (one and two), Juliana C, Lynne P, Richard S, Kelly K, Olivia R, Kathie S, Susan LK, Ginny, Michael DM, Chuck and all the rest - I have no complaints. We had a ball even though I ate too much and still need to catch up on my sleep.

See you all in a few. Can't wait.

The Basic Rules of Life - FINAL TIPS

Some Final Tips:

Get (or watch) a dog; they can teach you faithfulness and how to enjoy the fun aspects of life.

Get (or watch) a cat; they can teach you subtlety and how to enjoy the pleasurable aspects of life.

Travel; learn everything you can about other cultures, ways of living and faraway places. You will soon learn that the farmer in a small village in India has the basic wants, needs and questions as you do.

Memorize a poem or two; that way you have to read a few before picking one out. Poetry may be difficult to understand sometimes, but it’s worth the effort.

Learn a skill outside of your chosen profession; there is a confidence in being able to say, “well, if this doesn’t work out I can always build houses again.”

Watch a play, at least once a year; the only thing better than reading a play is watching it performed live.

Go to a museum, any museum now and again.

Call old friends once in a while, but don’t bug them. They’ve got their own lives now, too.

Fall in love. Get your heart broken. Fall in love all over again.

Learn to cook. Learn to clean. Learn to sort laundry and iron your shirts.

Take a hike. Watch a sunset. Watch the sunrise. Do this alone and then with someone else.

Pay your bills on time. Buy on credit as little as possible.

Pick up your own trash and don’t litter.

Grow something in a garden.

Learn to write letters. Write them and send them. This is becoming a lost art.

Learn to draw or paint or sculpt of otherwise engage in some sort of arts or crafts.

Appreciate your parents. They’re humans too. Learn what you can while they are still here. Remember, life is short and while they may oft time infuriate you, walk in their shoes for a while. You could learn a great deal.

Start saving money now. Sock it away and leave it the hell alone.

Be generous with your money. Take care of your own needs and then help as many people as possible with what you have left.

Over-tip breakfast waitresses. They work harder and faster than any other mealtime but the meals cost less.

Stay active, but learn to relax. Balance is the key to this.

Do the right thing. Always.

The Basic Rules of Life - PART FOUR

The Rules - Part 4


Moderation in all things.
Too much of anything is not good for you. Life is a balancing act and success in life is finding that balance. A glass of wine with dinner, each day is not going to hurt you and in fact may be good for you. Three glasses of wine is probably over doing it. One cheeseburger a week won’t kill you. One a day will cut off your life a little sooner than you’d like. Too much exercise, too much fiber, too many vitamins, too much work, too much sleep, too much of anything probably means you’ve got a problem. Step back, examine the imbalance and adjust.

Moderation in all things, but have passions.
If there is something that you really enjoy, then forget all you have been told about being moderate. Immerse yourself in that thing with open and loud passion.

Shut up and listen.
You can’t learn anything by talking all the time. Listen to the experiences of the old and the guileless observations of the young. And if you are alone, quiet your mind and just listen to the wind. There are things to be learned there as well.

Be patient, kind and helpful…
…to the young, ill and aged. For at some point in your life you will be all three.

Smell a tree and remember it.
Appreciate nature and notice it whenever you can. Nature is not always pretty, but it is always true. Even if you don’t learn a single cosmic truth from nature, its just good for you to get outside once in a while. Watch at least one sunset a week. Learn the name of at least 5 birds and their songs. Press a flower in a phone book and then look at it. Look for animal tracks near streams. Remember the smell of trees and rain. A more intoxicating perfume has yet to be manufactured by anyone.

Walk when you can, drive when you must.
You see more cool stuff and it’s good for you. Don’t always park close to the front of the store. Just pick a place and park the car. Then walk. Take walks when ever possible. It’s one of the simple pleasures of life that we miss dearly if we couldn’t do it. If you don't want to walk or it really is too far, then ride. It's amazing what you miss when you drive. Smelling stuff for instance; the smells you encounter when riding is always a surprise.

Success =?
What is success? Well, that depends on who and what we’re talking about. Plus, the definition varies from person to person. But I know there are some commonalties among all successful people. Successful people are happy of who they are and who surrounds them. They may not enjoy their job, but they enjoy some activity that may be funded by their job. Money is no gauge of success. I know of many miserable, rich people. They may be good at just one thing and lousy at everything else. Success comes from within and is determined by the individual’s standards and not by others. You’ll know when you become successful. Don’t worry if not another person on earth recognizes it.