CREATIVITY + INNOVATION Page 26 of 38

Life as a designer-in-progress: Petra Kern’s story

Posted on 2012-03-12 at 7:48 am.

Today’s shared story comes from Slovenian designer Petra Kern.

I would say my story is very basic and simple. It really is. But as I look back I consider myself quite lucky that things came to me in exactly this order and in this shares. I was journalist for women and lifestyle magazines since I was 19. As a friend said the other day, “Those were the dreams of that life.« But to become pattern designer suddenly became the dream of the life I am living now, and for the future”.

Yes, I always loved art I always longed to make it but I really never had the courage to actually paint and share my things. And I never really knew that a profession such as textile designer or surface designer even existed!

We all know those little nagging voices inside of us: ‘There are so many better than you. Oh, how would you do the art, you do not, repeat do not, have any art education. So we really need another artist anyway … ?’ Luckily the other »do what you love« voices were louder.

One day in 2009 I went shopping and my eyes were caught on set of cheap sparkling markers for kids. With those I created my first patterns.

These were my very first patterns and they made me drunk with joy and happiness.

It felt so good, that one glorious day when I was still on maternity leave (in 2010) I decided that I have to do this every day of my life or I am going to be very, very unfulfilled and miserable by the time I am eighty. Of course lots of fears came with my decision to do whatever it takes to live from my art and designs. I guess I can count myself lucky that every time I get down because of worries and self doubt those spirit-lifting voices suddenly appear with super strong power and scare those fears away for a while.

In two years my hand painted portfolio of patterns has grown, and I have tried every technique I’ve learned along the way.

I am still searching for my place in the world and right now I would describe myself as designer-in-progress who is ready to offer designs for licensing. I had to discover the whole new world of painting, mixed media, pattern design and computer skills in those two solid years. Now is time to find people and companies that will license my designs.

In your own business you overcome a lot of laziness and self doubt. I got through them with new computer pattern designing skills. I am totally self taught.

The greatest lesson my new business is teaching me every day is that once you have your own business nothing is too hard. You suddenly find a great amount of will inside you and a giant hunger for knowledge. Suddenly your little world become so much bigger and when you look around yourself you find that you are among your people who also do what they love. And one more thing – since I am doing what I love I am a person who loves Mondays. For me they are a beginning of a five day creative process. Totally worth it!

[All images courtesy of Petra Kern.]

Find out more about Petra and her designs on her website, Etsy shop, or Zazzle shop, or connect on Facebook.

Stepping into my creative self: Stacy Chizuk shares her story

Posted on 2012-03-05 at 9:00 am.

Written by Beth Kempton

Today’s shared story comes from Stacy Chizuk who has a background in social work and a passion for photography.

Doing what I love is like unplugging from time. When I step into my creative self, I am not bogged down by thoughts of “to do” lists or haunted by plaguing “what-ifs” or the self-destructive “shoulds”. When I do what I love, that ticking clock in my head stops and a joy emerges that I often forget dwells in my soul.

I picked up a camera when my first son was born six years ago and I never put it down. My Canon is always thrown around my neck, riding shot gun in my car or stuffed down inside my diaper bag. I started with a basic point and shoot and have gradually upgraded throughout the years. My grandfather was a photographer and on his deathbed five years ago he asked me to carry on the tradition of photographing the family. I agreed wholeheartedly. Growing up I never understood why he would take my sister’s and my photographs so often. We would groan and hide from his large Nikon lens, especially during those awkward pre-pubescent years (picture the 80’s hair coupled with heavy black eyeliner). Then after the birth of my first child I understood. I appreciated the desire to capture a moment of time. In capturing that moment I discovered the challenge to comprehend the magic and mathematics of the light, decipher the mechanics of the camera, and to gaze through the lens as if my own kaleidoscope into the world. I became addicted.

I left the field of social work after giving birth to my first child. However, I still wanted to give back in some way without feeling I was losing myself in the giving. I had always loved writing since I was a child and taking the quote from a random postcard I purchased in one of those funky incense-smelling shops, I decided to “take the leap and build my wings on the way down” and I started a photography blog. My intention was to only post photos but it unfolded into a forum for me to write. I write for myself. I write to set free the incessant, sometimes humorous, sometimes solemn thoughts that camp inside my head. When I began to hear my authentic self in my words and see that self in my photographs, I discovered a feeling best described as a liminal moment. A liminal moment as described by author Rebecca Wells in her book Divine Secrets of the Ya Ya Sisterhood, “Those moments apart from time, when you are gripped, taken, when you are so fully absorbed in what you are doing that time ceases to exist.” So I began Liminal Moments Photography.

Since starting my blog and a small photography business, I have been able to incorporate a piece of my social work self in photographing children in foster care that are looking for an adoptive family. Many of these children love the personal attention a photo shoot brings and they often are my favorite kids to capture!

Their ability to smile and shine despite traumatic childhoods is inspirational. When I see my photographs of these children displayed in public arenas, I feel both excited because the photograph truly captures their spirit, yet heartbroken because the reality is their pictures are there because they need a family to love them. My goal in taking their photo is to capture their essence, their spirit, their love. If I can do that, then hopefully I will have helped them in some small part along their journey.

Clarissa Pinkola Estes writes in her book Women Who Run With the Wolves, “a woman’s creative ability is her most valuable asset, for it gives outwardly and it feeds her inwardly at every level: psychic, spiritual, mental, emotive, and economic.” When I hold my camera in my hands or free my words through my blog out into cyberspace, I feel as though my soul is being fed. I hope it touches others and helps to ignite their creative spark.

[Images courtesy of Stacy Chizuk.]

To find out more about Stacy visit her website.

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Join us for The Art and Business of Surface Pattern Design, – next class starts in April!

Les papeteries

Posted on 2012-03-01 at 2:00 pm.

Written by Beth Kempton

Paris and paper are an intoxicating combination. One particular street in the 4th Arondissement, rue du Pont Louis-Phillippe, is home to Calligrane (I literally couldn’t speak this shop was so beautiful), Papier Plus and Melodies Graphiques. The handmade paper, precision and care of display, beauty and textures on every surface, ahhhhhh it was just perfect.

Take a look…

I also love Intaglio which has shops in both the North and South of Paris.

Take a look at this fab little video from Jamie Kripke/Visa which gives you a glimpse inside Melodies Graphiques.

More Paris posts here: Parisian markets / Paris story / Parisian cafes / Paris details / Window shopping in Paris

Paris story

Posted on 2012-02-28 at 9:28 pm.

Written by Beth Kempton

Stole away from my desk for a little trip to Paris a week ago, visiting my first ever trade show and trying out my new camera. It was just what I needed, even though it was for ‘work’. I also had the most wonderful crazy serdipitous happening occur, but more about that another day.

All this week I am going to share some photo stories of my wanderings. Forgive me for my lack of words this week – running, running, running – and anyway, Paris doesn’t need words…

More Paris posts here: Parisian markets / Paris story / Les papeteries / Parisian cafes / Paris details / Window shopping in Paris

I was in Paris researching The Art and Business of Surface Pattern Design – join us for the next course starting in April!

Britt Berg shares her story

Posted on 2012-02-27 at 12:34 pm.

Written by Beth Kempton

Today’s shared story comes from Britt Berg.

Every day I pinch myself, wondering: How did I get so lucky? Have I really been able to find a career that I am passionate about? I am so thankful that every day I get to do what I love.

What am I doing – what is this thing that I love so very much? Every day, I get paid to write about pregnancy, fertility, and women’s health. And I get to do it from home. I write health articles and blog posts about reproduction, babies, and birthing. I love this!

Before I begin, I must confess that becoming a writer was never my lifelong dream. I always liked writing, but I wasn’t the girl in high school and college who was constantly dreaming of becoming a writer. So how in the world did I get here?

I guess you could say that I let my interests, not money or other people’s expectations, or any other conventions, guide my career. In college I threw practicality and convention to the wind. I studied what I loved, what fascinated me: issues of race, class, and gender, radical feminist theory, breastfeeding trends around the world, natural childbirth, meditation, and more. I took yoga and dance classes. I did what I loved. This combination of interests led me to go on to complete a Master’s degree in counseling psychology, with a focus on yoga and dance therapy as healing methods. Yoga therapy. Yup. Sigh.

And then it was time to get a real job.

Yoga therapy was awesome, but I wasn’t sure that I could really make a living as a yoga therapist. So I took my psychology expertise and started working at Emory University on psychological research studies. I worked with great people and started climbing the ladder into upper level research management positions. But I never felt fulfilled. I always wanted more. I wanted to love my job. I wanted to make more money with the time I had. I wanted to feel passionate about what I was doing. And I wanted to feel more connected to my home and family.

There was just one problem. My husband and I had two children, and he was in over his head in graduate school working on his PhD. I was supposed to carry this family of four financially until he was finished with school – several long years later.

Patience, however, was not my strong point. I was determined and I decided to go for it. In October 2008, at the beginning of his third year of graduate school, we sat down with spreadsheets and talked extensively, planning out how we could make my dream job a reality. We crunched numbers, drew up a very austere monthly budget and saved everything we could. Three months later, I cut my research job down to part-time and I tried to get as many freelance writing jobs as I could. I attended writing workshops, met other writers for coffee, and brainstormed ways to make this work. I networked and was very fortunate to have some very big “ins” into the world of health writing (you know who you are!)

I worked part-time for a year, slowly building my writing portfolio, writing for major online health websites. That year, I co-authored my first book – the second edition of Making a Baby – a book about pregnancy and infertility. Then, right after Christmas 2009, I was offered a two-month contract writing about pregnancy and infertility that paid really well. The money would allow me to save up enough money to leave my day job. I took the leap and quit my day job. I was a writer!

During those first few months, I became pregnant with our third child. So here we were: a graduate student, a brand new freelance writer, and three small children. Not exactly the most secure existence imaginable.

Thankfully, my career was blossoming. I was busy. I was full. As 2010 continued, I was making a surprisingly good hourly rate. I had to turn down multiple writing jobs because I was so busy. Recruiters would call and I couldn’t even consider those offers. Two years after taking this wonderful leap, I am still full – beyond full. I am making a very satisfying income doing what I love.

Doing what I love isn’t just about the writing or the women’s health focus, though, although I truly love my job and have a passion for these things. Doing what I love also means that I have a better work-life balance than I was able to have when I worked outside the home. As a mother of three, this is beyond valuable. While I miss the social contact of working outside of the home at times, I am so blessed and thankful that I can make a living working here at home.

World community, I believe that it is possible for you to go out and achieve your dream job. I am living proof that you CAN do it. Yes, you will have to make sacrifices. Yes, you may have to give up many things that you enjoy to make it happen. Yes, you will have to work your arse off. But as I continue on this path doing what I love, I am meeting more and more people that are finding creative and fulfilling ways to make a living doing what they love. Through telling my story here, I hope you will understand and believe that your dreams are within your reach.

Every day I pinch myself: Is this really true? Am I really so fortunate to be living my dream? Do I really get to wake up every day and do this job that I love? Thankfully, gratefully, miraculously, yes! YES! It is real, and it is so wonderful.

So think about what it is that you love, what it is that moves you, what it is that drives you…

…And do it.

[All images by John Berg.]

Find out more about Britt here and get your copy of Making a Baby here.

To do list done. I’m off to Paris

Posted on 2012-02-14 at 3:37 pm.

Written by Beth Kempton

Making notes with the help of Pia Jane Bijkerk’s lovely book ‘Paris: Made by Hand’

So excited to be heading off to Paris tomorrow with Rachael Taylor for my first ever design trade show. Love Paris. Cannot wait!

Any recommendations gladly received (especially of the papery or wine-related variety!)

A business with heART: Alison Bartram shares her story

Posted on 2012-02-13 at 8:00 am.

Written by Beth Kempton

I started sharing other people’s stories of doing what they love one whole year ago today! Since then we have had 50 postings with nearly 100 people from all over the world sharing their stories of courage and hope, chasing their dreams and making choices which allow them to do what they love, for life.

It seemed fitting that to mark one year of these *Shared Stories*, I should share a special one. Today’s powerful and inspiring story comes from Alison Bartram, owner of the (appropriately named) Heart Gallery in Hebden Bridge.

Quite bizarrely, as I shared here a short while ago, Alison’s email about submitting to Shared stories arrived on my phone at the very moment I was standing outside her gallery on a day I happened to be visiting her town – how odd is that?

I don’t really know where to start with this as writing these words down is painful – far more painful than the spoken word as it is so much more permanent. However, I do feel that the time is right to tell my story, so here goes:

I opened and ran a very successful business with my first husband in the eighties – Bradford’s first and only punk, goth, metal shop called Fizz! We quickly opened another 2 outlets in Leeds, one shop and one unit in an ‘Afflecks Palace’ type of warehouse.

However, our personal relationship wasn’t good after our son was born in 1988 and so in 1990, when Adam was only 2, I made the decision to leave. This was a really difficult decision to make at the time as I was putting my own needs first before those of my son, Adam.

I had great support from my mum who encouraged me to go back and study and she loved looking after Adam whilst I took evening bar and club jobs to support us both.

I actually did not know what I wanted to do with my life at this point, I just knew I had to gain lots of office skills to enable me to jump out into the world of employment as I had been self-employed since getting married after traveling for a year. But I also knew that one day I would be my own boss again .. I just didn’t know when, where, what or how, but I knew. Call it feminine intuition!

When Adam was 7 I met a wonderful man, Bart, who loved me – warts and all! And believe me, after being single for some time (apart from the few really lovely relationships with guys who were sweet but not for me), there were a lot of warts as I was fiercely independent!! He had his work cut out romancing me as I was convinced I wanted to be alone with Adam and didn’t need anyone else in my life. Yet, a year later, to the day, we married and Adam gave me away and Mum made the speech ‘traditionally’ reserved for Dad. (I should say at this point that over the years my relationship with Dad was like a roller coaster, we weren’t really close since Mum and Dad split when I was 13. He was in my life but things were very strained between us.

Sadly Mum died the January after our August wedding and at the time of her death (11 weeks after her cancer diagnosis) I was 11 weeks pregnant. I knew that as her life was taken from me it would be given back and I would have a beautiful daughter .. which I did, Rebecca Kaye in 1997.

I missed mum dreadfully, we were best friends, but life goes on as we settle back into our routines doesn’t it? My sister, Rachel, seemed to cope much better than I did at the time, she’s 3 years younger than me, she was quite robotic as we organised the funeral and I was an emotional wreck. Yet inner strength was found at Mum’s funeral as we both got up to say a little piece – funny that, where does strength come from at a time like that? Little did I know I would need it again 8 years’ later.

After years of moving from one office job to another – I got bored easily once the challenge had gone – I found my ‘perfect’ admin job working at The Yorkshire Craft Centre, part of Bradford College. This married my admin skills in a creative environment and suddenly I knew that maybe I wouldn’t leave this job quite so quickly as those before! Every day was different as exhibitions were planned and I was just loving it. I was on cloud nine until something came along and burst my bubble.

My sister took her own life, January 8^th 2005. I’d called up for a cup of tea as she hadn’t been well and the family were worried about her. I was the only one with a key and as I pulled up outside I just knew that something was wrong. All her curtains were drawn and the house was deathly quiet with a strange smell I can’t describe. I found her naked on the bathroom floor, a brief note saying sorry in her bedroom and empty packets of tablets by her bed. This just wasn’t happening, it all felt so unreal as I made the call for an ambulance, rang Paul and Dad.

Rachel was diagnosed as manic depressive in her early twenties and struggled for many years with mood swings but I never thought she would take things to the next level. My world fell apart that day.

All arrangements for the funeral took place at my house with Dad, Bart, and Sandra, Dad’s partner, and a lot of it is a blur but one thing stands out for me which was a turning point in my relationship with Dad. He took my head in his hands and told me he loved me, something he hasn’t done for many, many years. Out of the negative came the positive.

Leaving home the day of Rachel’s funeral we followed the brightest rainbow, which was so poignant as Rachel was carried into church whilst Eva Cassidy sang ‘Somewhere over the Rainbow’ – there wasn’t a dry eye in the room and it was standing room only. That inner strength came back to me when I got up to speak a few words and has remained with me in my hour of need. That rainbow followed us to the crematorium also and appears in my life when I need it.

Losing my sister made me realise that nothing in life is certain and we have no idea what is around the corner so I quit my job and took a part-time job in an organic café whilst I thought about what was important in my life. Rachel had always told me I was wasting my life working for others, she had always told me that I should go out and grab that opportunity, she had always told me to open my own shop, she had always told me that nothing was impossible, she had always told me that tomorrow never comes .. and for her there are no more tomorrows. But for me there are and her death gave me the kick up the backside I needed to realise that dream – my when, where, what and how had arrived finally.

So the when was 2006, the where was Hebden Bridge, the what was a Contemporary Jewellery and Craft Gallery and the how was with support from my family … those still living and those that are now my guardian angels. Heart Gallery became a reality and no longer a dream, named because Rachel knew that having my own business was something I held close to my own heart for so many, many years.

Again the positive comes from the negative and I try to live every day as if it is my last. The passion I had the first day I put my key in the big black door of a former Baptist Chapel I had converted into a warm and inviting Gallery space is still with me today. I love my life, my home, my family, my friends, my customers, my designer/makers, my Gallery and my work. I still feel a great sense of pride when a new customer discovers me for the first time. No two days are ever the same and no two days ever go by without me thanking Mum and Rachel for looking over me, propping me up when I need it and celebrating with me when my achievements are recognised.

In 2008 I won Best Newcomer in the North and Scotland for gift retailing as voted by Progressive Gift and Home Magazine. That was a fantastic honour for me because I can pat myself on the back a hundred times a day when I know how hard I have worked so to be recognised by someone else makes me realise that it is all so worthwhile. In 2009 I was shortlisted for the Best Jeweller in the UK, also as voted by Progressive Gift and Home Magazine, and although I didn’t win I already felt I had just to get so close! In 2011 I was voted One of Top Five shops in Calderdale as voted by the people of Calderdale and also presented with a Magic Tenner Award.

I have refused to buy into all the negativity we are fed daily by the media. I go to work every day with a smile on my face, open my door to Heart Gallery, concentrate on my customers, enjoy my day and go home and enjoy quality time with my family.

I opened Heart Gallery because I am passionate about introducing new and emerging UK designer/makers specialising in beautiful jewellery and craft to Hebden Bridge. I opened Heart Gallery because I wanted to. I opened Heart Gallery because Rachel wanted me to.

It isn’t easy, 2010/2011 were very challenging years, and to take that leap of faith you have to be prepared to live and breathe your passion. Leap into it for all the wrong reasons and I sincerely believe that it will fail.

Heart Gallery is my dream and I will live it until old age creeps up and bites me!

[Image courtesy of Alison Bartram. ]

To find out more about Alison visit her website, blog or connect on Facebook or Twitter, or pop into her gorgeous gallery in Hebden Bridge.

Finding beauty in the broken places: Wendy Brightbill shares her story

Posted on 2012-02-06 at 8:00 am.

Written by Beth Kempton

Today’s shared story comes from Wendy Brightbill.

To me, doing what I love means doing something that I am so passionate about that I just can’t help doing it. It’s what I would do every single day of my life even if I didn’t get paid a single dime. I feel so fortunate and grateful to have found what I really love doing, creating art and inspiring women to find beauty in the broken places.

The path that led me to becoming an artist is a tad bit unconventional and involved my life unraveling at the seams before I could piece them back together. But the devastation I experienced and the trials I endured allowed me to discover my true passion and made me who I am today, an artist.

Growing up, I was always consumed with creating. My sister and I would spend hours colouring and drawing and gluing and taping. I took a few art classes in high school and learned to draw. I was even pretty good at it. But I never saw myself as an artist, just that I was good at art. There is a difference.

I went on to teach Kindergarten, what I always thought I was meant to do. And there were aspects of teaching that I absolutely loved. I loved being creative and coming up with new curriculum. I loved the actual teaching and the fulfillment of watching my students learn. But there were so many parts of teaching that were very difficult, and just not me. I soon became weighed down by the amount of expectations placed on me. I grew very disillusioned with being a teacher and made a decision to quit in search of finding what I was really passionate about. I thought that meant going into business for myself but I really had no idea what was right around the corner.

The summer after I quit teaching, my life took a complete detour. A heart breaking, life-falling-apart detour. I was rear-ended in a car accident. The unraveling began with chronic pain and a brain injury. And slowly I watched as everything in my life came apart. We lost our home and experienced financial ruin. I was depressed and paralyzed by fear. My personality changed. I went from operating primarily from my left brain to being forced to use my right brain more. It has taken me years to fully recover and heal from this tragedy and I am still on this path of healing.

Art became a huge part of my healing process. At my lowest point, my mother gave me a copy of Kelly Rae Roberts book Taking Flight. My heart came alive as I was able to express my heart and my journey in ways that I never even thought possible. The messy free flowing nature of mixed media art truly spoke to my broken brain. I started making new connections in my brain and found that I could actually be more creative than I had ever been. What used to be difficult to my left brained self, flowed out of my paintbrush with ease and heart. I found the me who had always been there but could not come out until my brain injury. And I found a deep and lastly purpose in what I was doing.

I started my business A Girl and Her Brush where I create and sell art, blog, teach local art classes, teach an online class, write articles for national magazines and share my story with women all over the world. Last year I was published in four different Stampington magazines. And I started teaching again. I love that all the aspects I enjoyed about teaching I now get to do all the time without the parts that felt yucky.

I have big dreams for the future. I want to become licensed as an artist. I would love to write a book about my story. And one day I would love to open a studio where I would have big artists come from all over the world to teach classes and inspire women.

Looking back, I never expected that my brain injury would launch me into a life of doing what I love. I am so grateful that I was open to finding my passions and didn’t miss this creative calling.

[All images courtesy of Wendy Brightbill.]

Find out more about Wendy on her blog or Etsy shop.

The importance of creating beautiful design & public art: a shared story

Posted on 2012-01-09 at 10:00 am.

Written by Beth Kempton

Today’s shared story comes from business partners and mural designers Sofia Lacin and Hennessy Christophel.

Doing what we truly love adds an element of energy and momentum that propels us to be the work not just do the work. It’s the difference between being inspired by the work itself, the process, the materials and the final product, rather than working hard to solely glean the rewards of hard work.

We founded Lacin/Christophel Mural & Design because we believe in the importance of creating beautiful design and public art. When we create a piece of art, we brainstorm until we’ve come up with a concept that really excites us. We paint or design until we see beauty in front of us. When we put art like that into the world, art that we love, we feel that we are making a meaningful contribution and truly connecting with people.

Doing work that we love and believe in allows us to collaborate with other people who are doing what they love. These connections give us a dynamic strength and motivation, and expands the work that we do through this energetic give and take with others that are moving through life with a passionate approach.

While painting our second mural for a frozen yogurt shop, we had an audience for the first time. People were excited by seeing the hand create right in front of their eyes. We knew that painting murals was something we enjoyed and felt satisfied by, but at that yogurt shop we realized this was something that had a tangible impact on others as well. After an invitation to do another commercial mural from some of those on-lookers, we realized that what we make is valuable, that there is a demand for the handmade, and that art is particularly important in our American culture where speed, convenience, and the temporary are often over emphasized.

As a team, we commit to the idea of making Lacin/Christophel Mural & Design work with our whole hearts, bodies, and minds. We don’t spend time questioning it, we just go for it. In order to have success, you have to believe in your work and your message wholeheartedly. Start by believing in the success, then follow your own lead.

One of the biggest benefits of working for ourselves is that we can choose jobs that challenge us as artists. Our work evolves with us. Because we work for ourselves, we have the freedom to choose projects that inspire us. We keep our curiosity alive by learning something new with each project.

(You can see how huge this is by looking at the size of the girls on top of the tank!)

There is an emotional sacrifice that has to be made when you put so much of yourself into your work. Our particular line of work is often very public and it’s not always easy being so exposed. When we started working on Same Sun, a public art installation for the City of Davis in Northern California, some of our civic audience questioned what we were doing. Our design was abstract, unusual, and produced vocal critics at the start of our project. We then realized that meaningful art pushes boundaries, creates controversy, and gets people talking and thinking about art in a good way.

In the end, it is only by making ourselves so vulnerable that we are able to create something with a meaningful presence in the community.

We take on this career project by project, learning what we need to each step of the way. The longer we work, the bigger our ideas, the more pieces we need to figure out.

Some very valuable approaches have emerged along the way. One main lesson we’ve learned is to separate work from home. We didn’t do this as well in the beginning, and ended up feeling like we were always working. Just having a separate desk only for business makes a difference. It helps us to move faster, and with more focus.

Working for yourself requires you to learn to be your own boss, critic, and cheerleader. We never allow ourselves to settle for anything but the best in our work, and sometimes that means an all-nighter. There is never a question of sacrificing the quality of work for time. It’s a lifestyle that we have cultivated into a regimented business with strict rules which we enforce on ourselves.

Running our own business we have to take ourselves seriously and insist that others do too. Yes we are artists, yes we are young women, but we work hard and we are professional every step of the way. Success in this field means knowing how to design and how to paint, but we’ve also had to learn things like networking, negotiating contracts, organizing our finances, operating two-ton scissor lifts, and using industrial paint sprayers. We’ve learned to never be intimidated by something just because it exceeds what is expected of us.

Working in this field we are always discovering new ways that art can transform. When we begin a project we consider everything about the location and the people who will experience the work. Our job is to create design that reveals something beautiful about a place. In this way we show people another layer that expands the way we experience the world. Artists are pioneers; we have the power to bring beauty and interest to places that no one wants to be, and be the beginning of something good.

We dream of reaching more and more people through art each year. We are delighted to find through the past years of painting in the public that almost everyone responds to art – whether positively or negatively. It’s a bridge between culture, language and class, and a way to unify people and strengthen the ties we all have to our deeper, more body-centered states. Successful art puts you in the moment, which is a very powerful feeling and gift. This is an experience we want to share with as many people as possible.

Some of our favorite projects have been murals donated to our community, such as Volunteers of America and Happy Tails. As a business we would love to have enough success to sink some resources into a non-profit sister organisation of Lacin/Christophel Mural & Design. We’ve learned some amazing things in choosing this career, such as how to be strong business women, and how to make positive change through art. We can’t imagine keeping these lessons to ourselves.

[All images courtesy of Sofia Lacin and Hennessy Christophel.]

Find out more about Sofia Lacin and Hennessy Christophel on their website Lacin/Christophel Mural & Design

Katie Clemons on how she started a business which celebrates memories

Posted on 2012-01-02 at 8:00 am.

Written by Beth Kempton

Today’s shared story comes from artist Katie Clemons who divides her time between Berlin, Germany and a hangar in rural Montana, USA.

Image via gadanke.com

You’re not going to jump up every morning and say, “This is awesome!” Every minute of every day just isn’t like that, right?

A journal with writing prompts can really demonstrate how you’re feeling. Like I look at this page of a home minibook called “Love Where We Live”, and I think, “YES! This is me doing what I love, being where I love to be.”

My grandma and I were sitting in a recording studio for NPR’s StoryCorp. It was her 90th birthday, and I was interviewing her about her life and what she loved to do.

She looked at me with sad blue eyes and said, “I don’t remember. I wish I did.”

There was nothing she could do. But I knew there was something that I could do.

When we lose our stories, there is no turning back. I began a deep study of memory keeping, essay writing, and journaling. I started keeping successful journals (no more of those half-written books or pages that go on and on about nothing). Then I started taking my techniques and creating journals of writing prompts to help other celebrate their stories. This has become a business – Gadanke.

I decided to create my first personal journals two weeks before I took my private pilot’s test. It was one week before my husband and I had to get out of our rental and three weeks before we were moving from rural Montana, USA to Berlin, Germany.

I knew in my gut: I had to go for it.

Sometimes, when you are challenging yourself with big, scary steps (like flying an airplane solo!), other things don’t scare you as much. You find courage and bravery. You do the seemingly impossible. And you succeed.

Sometimes, our parents have HUGE dreams for us in things like law and medicine. I loved what I was doing with Gadanke, but there was this whisper in the back of my head saying, “It’s not good enough. Your parents expected more.”

The day I accepted the EcoStar Award for my green business practices by the governor, my parents stood and cheered in the Capitol rotunda.

I kicked those little whisperers out of my head forever.

Success doesn’t have to start with the word “doctor”. You don’t need a series of letters behind your name and fancy diplomas on the wall.

Now my husband and I are remodelling an old airplane hangar. We want to build a little loft home in the back. We also want to give Gadanke its very own home in an underutilized storage space in the facility. It’s exciting! It’s exhausting. I’m blogging the progress at Making This Home.

[Images courtesy of Katie Clemons.]

Katie helps people capture memories and express their thoughts creatively with her eco-friendly journals. Her award-winning business, Gadanke, offers handmade journals filled with writing prompts and fun embellishments. Find out more about Katie on her blog Making This Home or in her shop, connect on Twitter (@MakingThisHome) or Facebook]