United by Creativity The Power of Art in Building Connections

Embark on a journey of artistic inspiration and community kinship as I recount the week's whirlwind of creative endeavors and the indelible impressions they've left on my heart. It all begins with a toast to my friend Net, whose artistic feats, from a striking sweatshirt design gracing Target's shelves to a powerful mural celebrating Black History Month, have truly kindled my creative flame.

As we delve into the cozy camaraderie of the arts scene, I'll take you through my recent collaborations, including a paint-by-number bonanza with Arts and Stark and the upcoming ventures with Goodwill and the Compass organization, all showcasing the unifying magic of artistic expression.

In the spirit of communal creativity, we shine a spotlight on Elly Dallas, the embroidery virtuoso, and our eagerly anticipated stitch-in event set to weave a tapestry of talent in downtown Canton, Ohio.

Revel in the poignant narratives from our involvement with the Be A Better Me Foundation's Easter festivities and the touching mission of Wishes Can Happen, as we come together to sprinkle a little more joy into the lives of those who need it most.

As spring unfurls its vibrant palette, join me in this celebration of creativity, support, and the shared passions that bind us – reminding all of us why we pick up our paintbrushes and embroidery hoops with such fervor and anticipation.

Net Tesfay- Artist

Arts in Stark Event Coverage- Canton Repository
Arts in Stark Event Coverage - Massillon Independent
Arts in Stark-Facebook Page

Canton Museum of Art Adult Classes with me

Canton Museum of Art - Workshops

Purses with a PurposeProject Event

Be a Better Me Foundation

Wishes Can Happen

Dress at the event by Nooworks-Lisa Congdon design

Photo Credit: Joe Albert

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:05

Hey, happy Friday. Oh my gosh, welcome back to Briefly Made. This has been a very crazy busy week with the time change and something happening every evening, every day. This week. For me it's all been fabulous and great, but it's delayed my editing ability for the podcast to lunchtime. So, yeah, you'll be receiving this a little later in the day.

Speaker 1: 0:40

Sorry, I just have been swamped, but I just wanted to do a quick review on having people in your network support you. Let's pick the right time. I even have to pick because Ilo Loewe's schedule is out there and today's doodle is clouds. That is kind of what my mind feels like it's in the clouds this week and this is perfect. So doodling along some beautiful little clouds here, I think I'll throw them in some pastels, so I'm wearing pastel today.

Speaker 1: 1:19

My friend Net I know maybe before I edit the on the YouTube page the videos, you see I have my sweatshirt on that she designed for Target. I will put her link in the show notes Very excited to support her again along the theme of today of taking that network ability and sharing your enthusiasm for other artists and people doing that for you in return, even organically. It's just amazing to have that support and it just warms your heart and makes you so happy to find out someone loves something that you're doing and I am sharing that opportunity in many ways on my own and again got my cozy little sweatshirt on that Net had designed and super excited for her and her journey. She's a book illustrator and she did a beautiful mural in a library in her community and then for Black History Month she was one of the amazing artists that had product available at Target and I got to grab a sweatshirt. And just so excited for her and other artists that are doing things and I see that I have an opportunity to support them and I try to do that. I try to share their news or purchase something that they're making or share their story or share their link to follow along, because they're doing something a lot of fun and I want to be part of that and I want to celebrate them and I want other people to know what they're doing and celebrate them. It's just that word of mouth. It's so important and I just I can think of a million things in my mind right now that I want to share with all these people coming up in the spring and in my community that are doing some amazing stuff and then, on the flip side, the organizations that are supporting me and it's just incredible and it's it really, really is exciting. It makes the art and creative aspect of what I'm doing feel validated and everybody wants to feel validated.

Speaker 1: 3:49

And gosh, just like I was saying, this week I had an amazing opportunity to create a one of a kind paint by number for our Arts and Stark organization that supports the arts here in Stark County, and I attended the event and led people coming in to pick a color, pick their favorite number, grab a brush and prep that little palette for them to fill in those spaces and it was so much fun. There were tons of people that were doing it and I think they had over I know they had over a hundred attendees and I would say like 90% of the people painted and it was just in men and women alike and they were mainly adults. They had some kids there because they were part of the presentation, but everybody just was like this brings me back and this is so much fun or I'm not that good, and I'm like, no, you're doing great and it was just phenomenal and it just made everybody who was smiling, everybody painting with smiling. You cannot paint and not smile, and so the joy that it brings immediately, the tension that it releases, people get. You know I'll worry they're not doing it in the lines, but then it melts away and you're just like I'm filling this in, you know, and this is meditative and it was so much fun and I had just a blast doing it. So I can't thank them enough for having me and allowing me to create a one of a kind design and it was a four foot canvas and they're gonna finish it. We didn't get to finish it, so they have all the paints and the paint brushes and the key and they're going to finish it as an organization and hang that up. And so it was just amazing.

Speaker 1: 5:31

And I have another one coming up for Goodwill and the Compass organization that helps with sexual wellness and actually the rape crisis center. They do a lot of work in the community to help empower women, protect women and really break victims. So that is a Purse project coming up where they're gathering purses filled with personal care products and distributing them in the community and I got to design an amazing empowering piece for them and I love that during the process, you know, I start with that idea because I would say almost 100%. When someone asks for something, they probably don't have a whole lot of direction on like what they want. They made me know a style or some colors and the subject is like vague, they don't know. So I have to start somewhere. So I throw a design down and we move on from there. And so at the beginning of the whole process there were some designs that I was doing and they're like nope, change this. I did like this, I went this direction and I love all of the previous ones that landed before the final. So I think I'm gonna make those stickers and take them, because other people may feel a connection with what I was drawing at the time and there were reasons behind the way I was drawing the subject matter that were very personal to me and I may find that other people have a connection to those too. So I love the final piece. I'm very excited about that and I'll be there April 3rd at our Civic Center and it's another Giant Paint by Number community project. We have about three hours, three or four hours, to complete this one, so I'm pretty sure we can get this one done, where the other event was only like an hour hour and a half, so I'm really excited to see this one get finished. But yeah, the offering the custom paint by numbers has been phenomenal. I have a bridal shower coming up at the end of this month and there's 45 participants, so I'll be there leading paint by number for all of the attendees to experience, and I have some kiddos painting and it'll be fun for everybody to do that one. So I'm excited about that.

Speaker 1: 8:03

And again, these organizations and individuals supporting my dreams and being able to create amazing pieces that they're going to work on has been tremendous and our Arts and Start circling back to them. They're providing a collaboration opportunity for nonprofits and artists and they're offering to help fund a project. So there was a big meeting about a month ago and the nonprofits and the collaborators attended and I had a call immediately after the meeting from one of our local nonprofits, a major organization with national ties, and they picked me. They wanted to know if I would collaborate with them and I said yes, I would love to. So we created a project based on one of their initiatives coming up and it is fabulous and I really hope it gets selected because I can't wait to share all about that one and what that's turning into. So I am ecstatic about that.

Speaker 1: 9:11

And then I was asked to partner with the collaborator on a city project for a nonprofit for this thing, and I was like what? This is amazing. So, even though I'm not the main collaborator because you can't be a collaborator on more than one project I am in the background, on the team to provide some services and I would be like over the moon if that one got selected. But on top of that city project, I have been asked to be involved with the progression of a huge art initiative downtown and I was just thrilled and honored to get to be asked to help, because it's going to be so exciting and it just makes my heart burst that I have been asked to help all of this awareness happen and shine spotlights on all these amazing artists and get to see what they're doing and celebrate them, because, by golly, while they're out there painting and creating and sculpting all of these public art pieces, I am going to be right there sharing it, shouting them out. I mean this community to turn into such an art-centric location and having all of these amazing opportunities for all these artists to shine is incredible. I am just so excited. So I'm really, really happy that I get to be a part of all of these things and I can't wait to shout these people out and tag them and share them and give them the awareness that they deserve. That's just huge.

Speaker 1: 10:59

Art is so important for your whole well-being. Finding creative outlets turns into creative ways to logically think and business-wise to achieve goals. It's huge. In your life, having those opportunities and weaving art and creativity into what you're doing is vital and it's really, really great to see there is support for that and to see it turn into opportunities for businesses. To back the arts is even more amazing and it's so important.

Speaker 1: 11:40

I can remember people years ago not considering the arts as important as other subjects and wanting to take things out of the Curriculums and I know they're still talk, I mean, about things like that because of budgets, and it's frightening because you have to have that ability to express yourself and Taking those opportunities away it it takes away the individualism of you know your voice, and everything doesn't have to be so segmented out into Processes that are identical for everybody. You have to look at the person as a whole and give them an opportunity to be very Individualistic in their approaches to even logical, mathematical, scientific Things. Giving them new ways to think outside the box is important to find. You know answers, and so arts provides that outlet and gives you a way to Think of new ways to approach. You know business issues and medical issues and and things that people consider. You know Blue collar and white collar. You know processes for Manufacturing all the way to medical procedures.

Speaker 1: 13:04

You know there's timings and things and you learn that with music and there's ways that you learn through color, practices with art and that transfers over to understanding spreadsheets and businesses and numbers and graphs and charts and absorbing the information. You have to see that. You have to realize how important that is To get your message across and arts plays a huge part in that. So don't take them away. Support those things because it's necessary, it's totally necessary. So, supporting these individual artists and the opportunities that we have to do that is huge and and that's that's really the basis of my discussion today is you know, when you have the chance to support that artist, do it. You know, shout them out, share their. You know processes, their ebbs and flows, people deciding. You know they have to pivot and readjust and change direction. And businesses. You know movement, their relocations, and you know changes in those things. It's it's it's still an art, it's still a form of expression and so it's really important to, you know, support those people when they make those decisions and have some grace and understanding.

Speaker 1: 14:32

And so I'm trying to think there were some other things at the beginning of the program that I was thinking of that I wanted to share. There's a lot of things that I can't share that are coming up. They're not public knowledge yet, and that's okay, and I'm still very excited about them and I will share in due time. But yeah, there's a lot of awesome projects that are going on and never expanding outside of my community. I'm involved with some things down near our birth homeplates, our childhood hometowns, and I am really excited about those too, because they're so unique and creating awareness through art with what they're doing is so exciting. So I'm really excited about being able to do that and the opportunities are there for creativity and for artists.

Speaker 1: 15:23

And when I get to start teaching next month with the Canton Museum of Art, I will be instructing a six week class for adults and young adults because it starts at like 13 or 14, I believe on augmented reality and digital illustration. So I'm very excited. If you haven't seen that class, you can sign up. You just have to have iPad and Procreate and then I will guide you on basics on how to use those programs. And then we're going to jump into Art of Vive and augmented reality and then talking about using your art in a digital format and then what you can do with that. And I have two workshops, one for children and one for adults, and that is taking traditional work. So we're going to paint a picture and we're going to take that and we're going to turn it digital and then we're going to use augmented reality to make it an immersive experience. So I'm very excited about that workshop too. And again, you will need to have an iPad and Procreate and the rest we will walk through and how to use it and what you need and what to do. So I'm very, very grateful for that chance to have that program with our amazing museum, and I will announce here that I will be having an exhibit at the museum that I am beyond thrilled to show and I'm very hard at work on the planning stages right now and I want it to be something that you can walk through and experience augmented reality and that will be happening in May. There's going to be a free family fund day for the announcement of that whole day with immersive experiences. And there is an amazing artist, jenny Ruffner, whose exhibit will be on the main floor of the museum and it's also augmented reality and she's based out of Seattle. How ironic is that. So I am very excited that my stuff will go along with that theme and I'm right here in Starr County. So it's thrilling to, oh my gosh, have an exhibit at our museum. I mean, they get 45,000 visitors a year and I am just beyond honored that I get to have a piece there and that's why I want to make it as spectacular as I can and memorable as I can and draw people into experiencing art in a totally new way. I'm very, very excited about that.

Speaker 1: 18:00

And then my daughter's best friend from school, ellie Dallas. She is coming into Ohio from Los Angeles, california, for a month in April and I am organizing an afternoon in April, on the 21st, to do a stitch in with her. She does freehand embroidery and teaches that and does these classes where you can make this little drawing of whatever you like and then shows you how to do an embroidery piece for that that you can frame, you can put on a sweater or a blanket. It's just. She does pictures. They're awesome. She also does zines and so that's another thing that she does all over the country.

Speaker 1: 18:43

But because she's gonna be here for a month and I love her to death because she was one of my daughter's, you know, dearest friend, even our granddaughter is named after Ms Ellie, so I was thrilled to organize an opportunity. So we are planning that downtown Canton. It'll be from one to four in April, on the 21st that's a Sunday and I will be announcing the availability of 18 to 20 spots that will be reserved. We'll have some light snacks and announce the location and everything here coming up and you can sign up to attend. There's a, there'll be a small fee. We'll have everything provided. So it'll be a lot of fun and it'll be great experience and I'm really happy to offer that experience with Ellie while she's here.

Speaker 1: 19:36

So, yeah, again, another way to support an artist and the arts and creativity and just getting people together and doing something phenomenal. So it's just been great to come up with new ways to bring people into experiencing art and I'm going to continue to do that and I love the support that I get from my community when I come up with those great ideas. They seem to embrace them. This weekend I'll be face painting with be a better me foundation at the kids Easter egg hunt on Centennial Plaza in the morning, so that'll be a lot of fun. I'm doing that with a group of gals that asked me to help volunteer with them and I'm like, yes, I'll do that. So I will be their faith painting and then be helping our local wish organization.

Speaker 1: 20:30

Wishes can happen and they are granting a wish for a child that is not doing very well and he's five, and we are trying to meet them and we are trying to make these last few days amazingly memorable for him and his family. And creating those memories is very difficult when you're dealing with such life threatening illnesses and I am honored to be a part of doing that. On Sunday we are celebrating his birthday. So yeah, I want to put more information about that organization because I help them all throughout the year. But by nine to five we go and and do volunteering for the radio wish that's on in August for 36 hours straight every year with our colleagues we bring them in to take the donations that come by phone, drive through, walk up etc. So but throughout the year I am very close with battle and Sweeney. She is their PR director and she leans on me to do quite a bit and I'm always happy to help and my husband is too, so he's helping too with this and some other local organizations are also helping and it's yeah great.

Speaker 1: 21:56

I'll be painting faces for the birthday party along with Crystal Poland from Poland designs, right down the street here in Plain Township. She's an interior designer. Last year they created this amazing playhouse that was auctioned off with tickets that you would buy at the Wishathon, and a wish child actually received that beautiful two story playhouse and they had five or four siblings or five children total and just a perfect family to get that beautiful playhouse, beautiful playhouse. It was valued at $20,000. It was completely built and donated by Toland Designs Again a creative, amazing company doing something like that, all the kindness of their heart, because they wanted to see how that creative work could help and it did. It helped raise so much, so much money.

Speaker 1: 22:52

So it is spring around here. If you can hear my dogs barking at the poor little groundhogs outside, you know that's gonna happen quite a bit. So again, just wanted to share how your word of mouth, your shares, your likes, your support for artists, how impactful that is, and I am really excited about sharing some of my friends work that's coming up in their communities and how it is making a difference and changing perspective on how creativity can be looked at in new and exciting ways. So I hope you have a beautiful St Patrick's Day weekend and thank you for joining me, even though it's late in the day for my usual, but I have been blissfully busy and I still wanted to make time to say hi. So take care, have a great weekend, happy Friday again, and you are beautifully made. Don't forget that. Thanks so much. Bye.