The Loves of Carmen

“Instructions for living a life. Pay attention. Be astonished. Tell about it.” ~Mary Oliver

Following very close behind my passion for Jewelry - my first art love and passion - was Mixed Media art. I feel that love influenced my jewelry designs. My first art award was for a collage in state competition; I was in 7th grade.

The "Pasticcio"is one of my favorite publications to collect... and now I have a piece of jewelry featured in Issue 13. (I'm all excited today because I received notice my copy has shipped.) Eeeeeeee! ♥

There are always such wonderfully talented artists featured in this Art Zine. From mixed media art, digital art, art dolls, jewelry, and poetry... to recipes -- you'll find delightful things to please the eye. I only  wish I had time to request permission to use tome of the artist's images here today. You can find a short preview of the zine here:

How are you living your life? Are you paying attention, are you astonished? Please tell me about it, or better yet, share it with others here.

Wishing you an astonishing day!

Much Love,
Juanita

Having trouble growing your profits? FREE class on Tuesday!

Today I want to share this information with other artists and creatives struggling with the business side of their art. I attended the program in 2011, and highly recommend it. In the 6 months following my participation, I doubled my sales and productivity compared to the year before.

Join the complimentary class on Tuesday, you don't want to miss out. https://tonyadavidson.infusionsoft.com/go/artfulsuccess/JuanitaB/

Only offered once in 2012,
Join me on this exclusive free class to learn:
The Profitable Artist: 5 Essential Ingredients to Being Successful

Whether you’re a writer, painter, sculptor, or jewelry artist, you probably struggle with overwhelm. I bet no matter what you try you just can’t seem to grow your profits.  I know it’s not for a lack of trying!  Artists wear a lot of hats and juggle a lot of responsibility.

There are millions of artists creating amazing things, yet with changing times, the traditional ways of reaching customers are no longer the most effective.  How can you create great work, get your name and work in front of buyers, all while finding some balance in your life?

Well I have a treat for you!  On February 28th, Tonya Davidson – the Artist Marketing and Development Expert, is offering a brand new, complimentary online class, “The Profitable Artist: 5 Essential Ingredients to Being Successful”.

In Tonya’s content-loaded free class she’ll share:

• How to connect your creative soul with savvy business brilliance for heart-centered profits in a fun and purposeful way.
• Proven strategies for finding your perfect customer and gaining clarity of voice for your work. This allows you to play a bigger game sharing your gifts with the world.
• Ways to avoid costly and time consuming pitfalls that can lead to negativity, self-sabotage and keep you stuck for years.
• Habits and systems to put in place that will increase your productivity. What would it be like to give yourself more time to spend with family and on self-care? Kick overwhelm out of your studio and enjoy your business.
• Success begins and ends with marketing. Setting your prices, branding, venues for selling and selling techniques are all marketing skills. Learn how to truly connect with your customer in a passionate heart-centered way.

Reserve your spot on this limited-space online class before it’s too late!

https://tonyadavidson.infusionsoft.com/go/artfulsuccess/JuanitaB/

I hope you will join in, or please share the link and information with artists or creatives you know who may wish to participate.

Much Love,
Juanita

Dreaming in Gypsy Color

“Not all those who wander are lost.” ~J.R.R. Tolkien

Many already know, or can tell with little effort, I have a fascination with all things Romantic. Just take Baroque-Rococo/Persian/Nouveau-Bohemian periods, throw in some Funky Cowgirl (mainly the colorful boots), and you've just described my style.

Recently, I ran across an wooden gypsy merchant's cart in an antique shop. My jaw dropped, as I lowered to my knees right in front of the cart and ran my fingers over and around the intricate carvings... I knew it was an original old-world handcrafted piece of art. I looked around for the shop owner, who was not far off, and said, "Where in the world did you get this, and how the *hell* did it get to be in Bristol, Virginia?" The owner chuckled at me as he began his story of luck of acquiring such a piece. He was in the process of having it appraised. He said they expected it to fall in the $3,000-10,000 range; depending on authenticity/history. I was floored. I did not want to leave this cart in that shop. I wanted him to let me take it home and take care of it. I would display it with respect and love. --- I told him that, exactly. I have witnesses, they found me to be quite entertaining. I'll add photos below, so on with my post for now.

This all brings me to other recent findings in my attraction to all images Gypsy! Here is one of only a few that you might find interesting, as I did enough to write this post. Wouldn't this make the perfect vendor cart for an art fair?

Custom, handcrafted, one of a kind Gypsy wagons, see more photos of this at the link:

Then today, I run across this GEM of a find. I LOVE Airstream trailers. Now here is the best of both worlds.... well, at least in my Gypsy Affaire world.

Find out more about this Airstream here at "Off Beat Home".

And while writing this post, I realized where the love of cowboy boots could be connected to this Gypsy attraction I have. Just take at look at these beautiful Gypsy Horses. Now ya' do need colorful cowgirl boots to be seen with these gorgeous creatures. They also have handcrafted Gypsy Horse carts for your visual pleasure.

 

Here are two photos of the handcrafted Gypsy cart I found. I will post a folder containing about 20 closeups of the carvings and traditional artwork on my Facebook page if you wish to see them.

I hope you enjoyed the photos today! I would really LOVE it if you shared a comment to let me know what you enjoyed about this article. Feel free to suggest if you'd like to hear other stories or experiences I can share with you.
Much Love!
~Juanita