Artist In Residence- North Prairie, WI

With a sign that inviting, you can't help but get excited about what new project awaits you when entering the threshold into Mrs. Engelking's elementary art room! Come peek with me into the project we created and the time I spent in south-eastern Wisconsin April 9-10th, 2018.

 I was approached in January about doing a school-wide felting project with her, and right away I began asking questions to start planning a proposal:

• How many students? A: 350 from K-6 grade
• What's your scheduling like/ do you have flexibility A: We're flexible in a day and a half timeframe
• What size/ scale are you thinking? A: Budget dependent, we decided 4' x 8' finished size nuno felt
• What are some themes or ideas you'd like to see incorporated? A: We're in North Prairie, WI so.... prairie? 

Typically when approached by elementary schools, I go straight away to wet felting. She wanted to do some needle felting, as her older kids had gotten lucky and been doing some in their classes already. I told her I would work on a proposal and a sketch. 

When I start brainstorming, all those factors from the questions and their answers will be building blocks in how we put together a fun, successful and inspiring cooperative fiber art project. Each one I've done is different than the other. I LOVE the challenge of that and the more I've done, the more I've learned and been able to apply to the next project. 

I broke down the design into components for each grades with a wet day (did I say wet! I mean WET!) followed by a blissful dry day of needle felting. 

• Kindergarten - Clouds and Sky
• 1st- Blending of colors for grass
• 2nd- Blending of colors for water 
• 3rd - Felted grasses 
• 4th- Rocks and Leaves 
• 5th- Flower petals and assembly (needle felting)
• 6th- Sparkly bugs and assembly (needle felting)

We arranged to have each grade rotate through the art room, divided into three, 12-minute stations. One station the kids got to watch our dvd about the animals, shearing and art made with the fiber. Then, they traveled to the teacher's station where they made an individual component for the art piece. Last, they came to my station, where we put those pieces on, did agitation, and talked about my art. It all ran very smoothly, thanks to engaged teacher support and assistance, and some wonderful volunteers and terrific kids. 

By the end of the wet day, we had used a BUNCH of towels which our awesome, helpful volunteer offered to take home and wash and we were wiped out! Despite it being very cold, I decided to trek around downtown Delafield, WI where I found some treasures...mostly window shopping...which I find equally enjoyable and far less dangerous! I also enjoyed a quiet dinner at The Seven Seas overlooking Lake Nagawicka. 

The second day began with a wonderful breakfast at the lovely B&B I stayed at, Ped'lars Inn in Wales, WI . The owners were very accommodating to my crazy schedule of arriving late and leaving early and it was very charming. I highly recommend it!  

The whole experience was terrific; wonderful people, beautiful creativity and breathtaking results! Here is the finished piece and a fabulous video about the entire project that Mrs. Engelking put together. Thank you Prairie Elementary for having me and for making beautiful art together!  

Northshore Adventures

On the snowiest week of the season, I had the fabulous adventure of teaching and presenting at this lively guild based in the Northbrook, IL area. All the snow from the season decided to fall on those couple of days, or so it seems. My poor husband does snow plowing and it was a pretty long shift, so he didn't have much time to miss me being away. Funny how things work out! Everyday we woke up to more snow, until I felt like I was watching the movie "Groundhog Day" play out before my eyes. 

That didn't stop us from having a great time! I presented a brand new program to the guild, one that I titled "Inside the Mind of the Artist". I was thrilled they enjoyed as much as I do, the stories behind the art pieces and the inspiration that brought them to life. It was like a walk down memory lane for me! Ahhh, the attachment an artist has to their work is a bittersweet one- you love making and basking in your creations but you need to make room for new pieces and new inspiration by letting them go. Though I'm not a mother, there is a bit of that concept I think we experience in every piece of art we make. 

The guild hosted a mask class, which they invited me to join in on. I admit masks are not my thing but I LOVED this! It was so fun to just let go and create and let the materials take me away. I called my mask "Spring in Disguise" which is ironic because here it is, April, and sweet spring is definitely surprising us with snow showers and plummeting temperatures. It's certainly in disguise. 

I took off and explored the downtown Winnetka area, where I discovered some unique artisan galleries and shops. Vivid Gallery had a fabulous fiber art exhibit and I thoroughly enjoyed chatting with the owner and gallery curator. We talked art, fiber, business, image, marketing and a thousand other threads. It's terrific connecting with other business owners as passionate about their work as I am! The exhibit of Marianne Burr was breathtakingly stunning. Her bold shapes and colors were terrific, and I loved talking with Cynthia about the stories behind each one. 

My vest workshop was off to a great start with that perfect amount of creative fuel, and Tuesday we started on two days of design, felting and construction. I was very excited to bring the concept of making a nuno felted piece of fabric and then using draping techniques to craft it into a low or no-sew vest. The vests require bit of specific shaping, so we work right on student's bodies to custom create a vest as unique as them. No two are the same. 

We started out laying out layers of silk fabric, then two of wool. By the end of Tuesday, everyone had designed and wet down the surface. That was a big job! There was a lot of water but everyone was a good sport and we put those towels to good use. We were creating 2.5 yards of felt fabric, so my students were like felting warriors training for battle... this was boot camp for sure! Watch the surface transform through the day! 

The second day was where we had to use our imaginations and make this fabric into a garment! It was through vision, cutting, hot water, selective agitation and faith that these vests were born. Here are some pictures of the progress: 

I hope this workshop inspired, as did the presentation. I love bringing the concept of wool as wearable art into the world, and sharing my skills and inspiration with others. I find it invigorating! I did end up getting home in between snow storms that Thursday and spent some quality time with hubby... riding in the plow truck and being his little sidewalk shovel-er...Fun times! 

Big-Time Creativity!

This past week I had the exciting privilege of designing and coordinating a HUGE project at Central Elementary School in Riverside, IL. I was approached by the PTO in the fall, and asked to come up with a proposal to involve all the kids participating in an fiber arts enrichment. As always, I had to put on my thinking cap and come up with a custom design. 

"Beside the River", a 3' x 9' nuno felted mural was perfect. I broke down the design into three grade levels: first, second and third. Each grade would design a component of the piece. In this case, the first graders did the background colors, second grade did the trees and third grade did flowers, ripples in the stream and grasses. 

This part I worked with the kids on. We had classes about 50 minutes long, and after an intro, split the time into two stations, where they swapped half way through the class. You should have seen their eye light up when, to their surprise, they came into the art room and discovered this special project! 

Now one of the challenges was the fact that we had to do this one class at a time, over the course of four days. Typically, in nuno felting, one designs, wets and rolls to fuse the fibers right away. When I do projects like this, I might do a span of two days and we work back to front, just like a painting. 

My solution was that we work from one side to the other, essentially creating four panels that fused seamlessly into each other as we worked each day. And it worked! Now I know this is a solution and option for future projects. I just love how challenges can help us to grow and discover new bits of wisdom! 

The other component was for the kids to make wet felted balls and then with adult's help, to glue them into a real acorn top. This project went beautifully for all grades and we got a great teaching system down for this! I might have to do a video tutorial for it in the future because it is an amazingly successful, cheap and fun mess-minimal project! Woot! Woot! 

I loved the comments I heard from kids... one little boy who was having an especially hard week said this was the best day ever, and left with a huge smile from ear to ear. His teacher noticed a difference right away! I had another girl show me the piece of wool she stretched out to place on the sky and she said, "Isn't this wool lovely?" How precious is that! 

The older kids got a real treat.... 4th graders made needle felted owls and fifth grade made foxes, keeping with the woodland theme. To make it easier (and to keep Mrs. V's art room our wet-felting headquarters), we traveled to their classrooms and taught there. I had prepared a PowerPoint with step-by-step pictures which helped me a LOT, saving my voice from repeating the same thing 10,000 times over! They kids did an awesome job staying on task and getting their creatures made, having fun the whole time. 

Loved this little exchange in the 5th grade...

Mrs.Natasha: "Check out our video tutorials if you want to learn more about this art"

Boy 1: "Do you have a YouTube channel?" 

Mrs. Natasha: "Why yes I do!" (Pat myself on the back mentally for being "hip") 

{Small gasp of excitement fills room}

Boy 2: "How many subs do you have?"

{I look at teacher and mouth: WHAT ARE SUBS? to which she answers "SUBSCRIBERS" and light bulb lights above my head mentally}

Mrs. Natasha: "Over 400"

{Murmurs now ripple across room. Seeing this, I decide to add this bit of info}

Mrs. Natasha: "I have over 14,000 views on one of my videos."

Everyone: "Whoa! You're famous!"

{Totally awesome in the fifth graders' eyes now. My coolness status just went waaaay up}

One especially rewarding story was how one of the girls went home and discovered she had a felting kit laying around and went to work right away making things. She was so excited to show me, I had to take pictures of course, of her Kermit finger puppet and baby fox. Another classroom spent all their free lunch time adding to their foxes and embellishing them. It captured the hearts and creativity of everyone it touched. 

Central Elementary's staff was so kind, so close-knit, that it really felt like a family. I appreciated my time there with them, and even got a chance to explore the area a little. I went to Brookfield Zoo one afternoon and enjoyed some great dining in downtown La Grange, IL. 

Their piece will be hanging in the school and I know the kids are going to be so proud of it, because they each have a little bit of themselves in it. These sorts of projects are the kind I get really passionate about, because there are challenges to meet, building on the skills and creativity I already have and stretching me just a little beyond myself. When I come back from these artist-in-residencies, I am energized and exhausted and glowing with the feeling of joy. Joy in their little hands and huge hearts, and how we can all make the world more beautiful together. That's big-time creativity my friends!!!

Mississippi Adventures!

I was approached to teach at the Mississippi Art's Commission's Winter Institute  where 160 educators would gather for art enrichment. I was thrilled! Their theme was Elvis Presley, as it was held in Tupelo, MS, his birthplace. 

The experience was incredible, with a stunning nuno felt piece created by the educators themselves, great food and people and sweet Southern hospitality. What a privilege and joy to share my passion for fiber art with the folks down South! 

I've put together memoirs of the trip along with my reflections. It shows the preparation and thought process behind the piece, the place I went and people I met, and stories galore. Check out the photo album and memoirs!

A New Year, A New Nest... Part Two of Three

When I started talking nests and New Years's organization, I bet you didn't see this one! I meant it literally! My husband and I are proud to be backyard chicken farmers. I'll give you the long and short of it. I thought having a handful of hens would be lovely so we could have... 

1. Baby chicks ....who doesn't want cuddly, fuzzy, chirpy, adorable baby chicks? 
2. Eggs! Quiche, scrambled, over easy, poached, angel food cake, egg salad, all this home grown goodness! 
3. An educational-interactive component for our homeschool classes, open house, CSA members picking up produce each week
4. A live entertainment feed... kind of like cute animals on Facebook, right here in my backyard, 24/7 

Great reasons, right? Hubby was pretty excited about it too. He was a little hesitant, however, because I was getting these little bundles of joy and he didn't have a coop built for them. I told him not to worry, they would live in a box for a while. (It's a good thing this wasn't a real baby!) 

So the chicks come and live in a box for a few weeks. Then a bigger box. Then a dog crate. Then into their custom built "a" frame structure Jonathan built for them. Our nine little chickens get named, loved, adored and petted by all. They grow up to be pretty friendly little critters. Jonathan is their main caretaker, so they like to follow him around the yard when he does chores, which is adorable. 

Well summer lived on a very long time this year, but it doesn't live on forever, and soon it got cold. Their little summer home got covered with a quilt and a tarp and we installed a heat lamp. They were now happy as can be. But then they started laying! Beautiful brown eggs in a communal nest in the corner. It was then we knew it could wait no longer. A real chicken coop must be built. The little ladies had to have a winter home where they could be snug and safe, and must have nest boxes where they could lay their golden eggs. 

I begged my husband to make me one of those "Pinterest-y" coops. "Darn Pinterest", many a husbands have sworn..."Now she won't be happy until it looks like this cutesy little idea". I'm sure many husbands have hammered thumbs, spent small fortunes at the hardware store, clocked in precious man-time hours and even are shamed by the thought of their work going onto a "Pinterest Fail Board" (gasp!) 

Would you know, that he listened to me? And he is building me the most amazing coop for our little hens. He is building it with so many little details, all right out of his creativity, imagination and construction knowledge. All of this means so much, yet what really means the most is the fact he is doing it out of love. 

Ladies, sometimes it might take more time, effort, money or patience than you have or would have used. If someone is doing something special for you, stand back and appreciate it. Compliment them on their progress, their ingenuity, their strengths. Tell them how it makes you feel to see their efforts. Ask if they need your help or even just your company. Pinterest might inspire but love is the motivator. See through it all, and cherish the actions taken to demonstrate that love. It might not even be something lasting and it might not make it to Pinterest, but it makes a relationship stronger and that is the stuff that lasts. 

I love my husband for embracing this whole backyard chicken dream, but most of all I love him for listening to me and cherishing me. It was worth bringing nine fluffballs into our flock for that alone! Next blog post.... the unveiling!!!

Up North

It's been a fun month traveling to different places spreading our love of fiber arts. I got to enjoy a wonderful time with my husband at the Wisconsin Art Educators Conference in Lacrosse, WI. I had never been to Lacrosse, which is on the Mississippi River, so I enjoyed the beautiful fall drive there. I think that Wisconsin always picks the most perfect time of the year for their conference, when the leaves are at their peak of color. It was spectacular. We saw bluffs and rolling fields and forests ablaze. Such a feast for the eyes. 

When we were there, we discovered Grandad's Bluff, which was pretty unique. A natural limestone bluff that had been preserved since its' limestone was quarried in the early 1900's, it's a stunning 600 feet above Lacrosse. Equally stunning was the fact that I had a donut burger there the first night. Yes. It was delicious. 

The town was cute, with lots of bars and eateries. The little ice cream and candy store was adorable and the ice cream was homemade and wonderful. A fun place to explore during the conference! 

We had a fabulous time making candy corn at the demo table at our booth. We had some darn creative folks who even added faces to their candy corn! Jonathan was a delight, reminding me just how much I enjoy working with him. He's a pretty great felter and a superb fiber sales man. In fact, he's even got a sense of humor. When someone was adoring a blended sparkly batt in soft pastel colors, they commented that it looked like unicorns. To this he answered that it was unicorn fiber indeed, as we curry comb our flock and then make the batts from that fiber. Gotta love it! 

I had two back to back filled classes in which we made little "leapfrogs" with needle felting and wet felted flowers. Everyone had a fabulous time. We actually for the first time sold out of fibers! I felt like Macy's on Black Friday... I had people waiting, arms weighed down with fiber in our checkout lines! What a great feeling. 

So thank you fabulous Wisconsin Art teachers! Do keep felting, and share your creations with us. It's so inspiring! We look forward to seeing you next year in Fort Atkinson, WI! 

Trekking East

To another place AND another time zone this weekend! Well it wasn't far from home, but our neighbors Indiana, for their art educator's conference. Held in a suburb of Indianapolis, at a high school (great idea by the way!), we had the treat of sharing fiber with a bunch of excited Hoosier folks. 

After a three and a half hour drive, it makes you feel pretty good when you start unloading your things and teachers walk by and literally start cheering that Esther's Place is here. I mean clapping, hootin' and hollerin', and everything! What a welcome wagon. 

The day started out with my class first thing, which I really liked. We made leapfrogs and trumpet flowers to demonstrate wet and needle felting techniques. What an awesome feeling when you keep watching people trickle in and you run out of seats. I had standing room only and I think almost 30 teachers in the class. I was very pleased to have three male teachers attend. I strive to minimize the genderization that sometimes subconsciously occurs with fiber art, and having confident male teachers helps that cause out! 

The class was great but my favorite part of class is when we do introductions. I really like to get a group of people to learn about each other and find common ground that gets them sharing. In this instance, they share their name, where they teach and what ages, and I ask them to share their passion. Art teachers are artists first, and their insatiable desire to create sometimes gets pushed aside for the practical. Hearing about their passion, whether it was blacksmithing, stained glass, mixed media, etc, was inspiring. We really needed a session or social media platform just to share pictures and ideas and interact about what we do, and learn from one another (hint, hint!).  

The booth was hopping, of course, and thanks to my dear friend Amber, lots of folks were making super cute candy corns! I know there will be lots of creativity going on, because lots of fibers went home with new felters. I did enjoy seeing one gal, Kendra, who shared with us the picture of her felt rooster she created. She won a grand champion for it at the fair! How exciting to see what can happen in a year. 

The show was a great success and I now have lots of things I want to offer for art educators- resources, lesson plans, video tutorials, that I will be working on in the weeks to come. In the meantime, check out how to make the leapfrog and flowers here! 

Well, a trip isn't complete without a little fun, so we did enjoy some local sushi and I visited my favorite Indy attraction, Saddleup Saloon and Dancehall,  where I enjoyed my pastime of line-dancing with some boot-scootin' fun. I love dancing, have danced my whole life in some form or another, and dance at Saddleup near us.  It's been a great trip! 

A Vote for the Underdogs

I will admit it. I am a bandwagon fan. My brother has been a true Cubs fan, the one who through the most major sports drought in history, kept believing. Kept cheering. Kept watching. It's admirable. Really! He's got the jersey, he's got the lingo, he's genuine. 

Me, on the other hand, I just like to see the underdog get a chance. When I heard the Cubs were going on to greatness, I was kind of doubtful. But when they kept pushing forward, proving their strength and dedication, I jumped on the bandwagon full force! Why, I even learned the "Go Cubs Go" song (I'm a little ashamed that I didn't know it, but believe you me, it's etched into my memory forever now. Like it's never gonna leave. It's stuck permanently. LOL)

As I watched the team rally together, and watched the fans join in harmonic support, it was truly inspiring. In light of the current political environment of slander and negativity, the fact there was something we could all believe in together felt surreal. It felt patriotic! There was a feeling of unity as we saw the impossible becoming a reality.

And then there was that 7th game! What a nail-biter! What a victory! And we all celebrated with them. Why? Because when an underdog wins, all of us other underdogs feel a fire stir within us. I feel like I am an underdog at times. Art teachers. Farmers. Small Business Owners. Even the lowly sheep. Those who swim upstream in the river of societal culture. 

We're all underdogs. Yet watching the Cubs, I realized so many things. Deep life lessons. Teamwork. Dedication. Belief and faith. Talent. Persistence. Discipline. Passion. Here are the traits of success. The Chicago Cubs have reminded us how to dream and with all those attributes, how to dream big. Congratulations on making history! 

We celebrated their win at the Illinois Art Educator's Conference in Normal, IL . Here art teachers gathered from around the state to learn, share, inspire and engage in their passion of art education. For me, art teacher conferences are like the World Series of my year. Something I look forward to, something where we can all celebrate together what we love doing. Where we get support and a shot in the arm to keep going. Art teachers are really the best!

It was fun hanging out with all of you and getting to celebrate our victory together. And especially fun was creating and crafting with you, Cassie Stephens, another kindred spirit who loves life, fun, fiber just as much as me. She's a great resource with her art teacher blog and an awesome person to know.

So on behalf of all the underdogs of the world, we congratulate the Chicago Cubs on winning the World Series after 108 years! If this is possible, ANYTHING IS! Dream big my friends! 

Skylines and Smiles

Having a shop and being an artist can be challenging at times. But there are other moments that just blow your mind at the impact you have in the world and the lives you touch. I had a moment like this just recently that was amazing! 

Chris is a very talented artist who does needle and wet felting, making all kinds of things with a focus on felted mittens.  She came in a few months ago and told me about a project she was going to do with her staff. I suggested she nuno felt the project, a larger landscape wall hanging. She picked out a navy/gray prefelt and some pretty, vibrantly dyed merino top and she was on her way. 

Well she came in with show and tell and let me tell you, I was blown away! Her team of about 6 or 7 was skeptical at first at her creative team building activity. Several people confessed a lack of skill and creativity. She made it very approachable for them, laying out the background for them. They then designed the colors and created the sky and the river. The prefelt was cut into the buildings of the skyline and laid on top. This was then wet felted and everyone got involved in the rolling process. Laughs and smiles were shared as they bonded in this creative process. When it was unrolled for the last time and unveiled, the feeling of pride and amazement was shared by all. Chris added the stitching and dozens and dozens of hot-fix crystals to the piece. It really makes the little details pop and gives those Chicago architectural highlights definition. 

What makes this piece even more intricately involved is the fact that Chris works for a department of the USDA, in Chicago, and Esther's Place was born out of a USDA Rural Development grant back in 2016. Ten years ago we dreamed of merging the worlds of art, agriculture and education. Ten years later, fiber art has found its way into the lives and hearts of so many, and now, the staff of the USDA itself! Local wool will be decorating the walls of the USDA office in Chicago, and they are even talking about doing another project. This next project would have a more agricultural bend to it. 

How inspirational is that? There is nothing that drives a point home like being able to actually experience something for yourself. Here I got to observe it in action, and see a full circle come around. It's been ten years of hard work and dedication to the cause, but I am so thrilled be a part in change. It all begins with a sheep, some skylines and ends with smiles. 

Meeting a Superstar!

Meet Cassie Stephens , art teacher extraordinaire. I first learned about her, literally a few days before the National Art Educator's Conference. I was meandering around the internet, as that happens far to often to us, and I came across her picture. 

I stopped in my tracks and I was like, who is this? She looks fun! And she is WEARING FELT!!!! I totally have to meet her now. In the hubbub of the next 72 hours of packing and prepping, getting to the show, setting up, dealing with the Union Teamsters and such, I kind of placed it in the back of my mind. 

Well, lo and behold, I was talking to the vendor coordinator of the Illinois Art Educator's Conference, and who should come walking up across the aisle but Ms. Cassie Stephens herself? In her wonderful, colorful glory, she definitely had the aura of a superstar. So the gal I was chatting with, casually glances over and says, "Have you met Cassie Stephens yet? She loves to felt too! I'll introduce you to her". 

So that's how it happened. Cassie is one of the nicest, most genuine people and crazy creative. An elementary art teacher and blogger, she really makes art come alive for not only her students, but a whole cyber world of her devoted fans- many of whom are teachers drawing ideas for their own classrooms.  

We chatted, and I learned that she had taught a needle felting embellishment class a day earlier at the conference. She said everyone in class was asking her if she had heard of Esther's Place! We laughed and said "where have y'all been my whole life" (well she said it that way in her charming Nashville accent). I really felt like I met a kindred spirit. 

The lesson I learned from Cassie? If you love something, love it with abandon! Go after it in a big way. Forget what people will think. The right people will love it. You will be a star, one that illuminates and lights the way for others. A superstar! 

Giving Back

I taught a brand new class this last fall at the Illinois Art Educator's Conference titled "Think Big- Fiber Art Installations". Turns out it was a big hit! We had about 20 teachers in the class and what a team-building experience it was! 

I divided the group into three. Each group had a station. They were given about 10 minutes at each station, then rotated. One station was creating the background, laying wisps of merino wool on the silk gauze background. Another station made prefelts- merino wool that is wet felted only enough to hold up as a fabric, but still fuzzy enough to attach to the base. These were to be made into circles. The last station created a large sphere of colors with fun bits of sparkles, bamboo and yarn incorporated in. 

When we got all the components made, we arranged it together on the background. The entire design, along with colors and shapes, was decided by the group on the spot. I provided expertise and supplies, the rest was them! 

Then it got messy. In a fun kind of way. Water. Soap. Bubble wrap. You can guess what happened next. Laughter ensued. Sleeves got rolled up. We rubba-dubbed and splish-splashed our way through the wet felting process of fusing the fibers to the silk fabric base. Nuno felting as it is called, it makes a splendid fabric that is lightweight yet solid. It is the technique I use for all my art wearables. This time, we were using it to make a large 4' x 7' wall hanging. 

We were so giddy from the fun and creativity, that the rolling process went by quickly. Before long, the fibers were fused and we has a wonderful piece of art. Oooos and ahhhhs were exchanged among the group. We decided such a fabulous piece could only have one purpose: to become a donation back to the organization. 

Well, as happenstance would have it, I saw the President and Vice President of IAEA a few weeks before the National Conference, and I casually mentioned that we wanted to give the piece to them. They were ecstatic, as they were looking for something really eye catching for their display and raffle at the National Art Educator's Conference. 

So how about that for the right time and place? Our art got to not only touch the 20 teachers who created it, but thousands of teachers who saw it at the NAEA conference.  A noble cause I'd say! Giving back always results in something more in return. Generosity has a way of sowing sparingly the seeds to reap a bountiful harvest! 

Acorns, acorns and more acorns!

At every show we do, we try to offer a make-and-take so people can try out felting. I have the fun challenge of coming up with easy, quick ideas... and lots of them! I strive to have a different project each year, so folks can collect the "souvenir" button of the year. It's a fun way to spread the love of felting, and everyone enjoys it. 

At the National Art Educator's Conference, we made acorns. Since it was St. Patty's Day, we made green ones the first day, using my hand blended Cheviot batts, which are full of color and sparkles. As I sat at the demo table in the first few minutes of the show opening, people began to wander over. Before long, there was a table of teachers laughing, felting and comparing notes on how stress-relieving this was. People strolling by peeked through masses to try and see what they were doing. 

What I love about art teachers is that they are always eager to try something new. They don't hold back! At other shows, lookie loo's might gaze in at the felting. I'll lure them in and ask if they want to make a cute acorn too, and there's a 50/50 chance they'll say no thank you. But here? I barely got the words "do you want to make" out of my mouth and they were nodding enthusiastically. Didn't matter what we were making, they were in. They'd elbow in to find a little space on the table and the rest would gladly scoot a little closer so they'd fit. I'd turn to help get another person started and at the other end of the table, new recruits were getting taught by "veteran" felters almost done making their first acorn. 

It's a giving spirit, and so refreshing to see. People helping people! Strangers connected by community; connected by this drive to create, to learn, to make art. What I get to see, as I am at that demo table, warms my heart and sends joy to my spirit. We laugh together, we share our stresses and the candid conversation that flows as we create together is priceless. My face hurts from all the smiling, but it's a great feeling. 

That is art; in it's truest sense,  art imparts beauty to the viewer. But when we participate in art, it beautifies us from the inside out. It brings out a smile that lights up our face. It lifts burdened shoulders and we radiate with strength. It refines our character and lets our joy shine through. 

It might be just an acorn, but I believe it is a whole lot more than that. A person leaves with more than just an acorn. They carry that transforming beauty into the world, as they paint the canvas of their life. 

Finding where you belong

Have you ever been someplace where you felt instantly at home? Where you looked around and said to yourself, these are my people? I experienced that recently at the National Art Educator's Conference at McCormick Place in Chicago, and let me tell you... it was awesome! 

We've been working with art educators since we first met a local high school teacher at a local show seven or eight years ago. She was intrigued by the needle felting, and wondered if she could do it in her classroom. She decided she would do pictorial needle felting, first having the kids pick out their photo for inspiration and then felting it on a "canvas" made of an old t-shirt! It took off, and before long, that teacher was not only felting in one class, but now in multiple schools. She and her colleagues invited me to my first Illinois Art Educator's Conference as a guest presenter in their class on needle felting. We had a booth with all our wool roving. It was a huge hit, and I began to meet some fabulously inspiring teachers from all across the state. 

As each year grew, we kept infusing more schools with the creativity of fiber and our booth became a favorite mainstay at the Illinois conference. We developed some wonderful relationships with these teachers, and I even have done some artist-in-residency programs in their schools. 

Their creative vision for fiber arts has energized me, and I knew this was a place I belonged. There was such enthusiasm, it was just contagious! So when a little bird told me nearly two years ago that the national conference was going to be in Chicago, I knew we had to be there. It was big; bigger than anything we'd done before. But as they say, "go big or go home"! 

So we sent in the application, wrote the check, crossed our fingers and sent up prayers. Yet deep in my heart, I felt we were taking a big step in the right direction. Big changes are not easy, and not without some trepidation about the unknown. Though sometimes you get a gut feeling and you just have to go with it. It's a little thing called blind faith. A lot of amazing people did amazing things this way. A lot of things in this world were changed this way. A lot of the future was forever transformed by this belief. 

So for three surreal days, I watched my dreams come to life as we met teachers from across the country! I heard stories of how fiber was transforming their art programs in places from coast to coast, and shared my skills and ideas with hundreds and hundreds of educators eager to learn. We felted acorns as a make and take and were one of the most popular booths in the vending hall! (Which is really something considering we were among the likes of Blick, Crayola and Sharpie!) 

It was energizing, invigorating, fulfilling and encouraging, and I'll be sharing more in upcoming posts. So..... am I glad to have taken the plunge? I can truly, wholeheartedly, say YES! So what ever is in your dreams but beyond your bravery, be encouraged to jump into that place of change, growth and uncertainty. You never know what awaits you!