From Lost Displays to Found Inspiration

Ever wonder how to turn a challenging setback into an inspiring comeback? Join us as we navigate the whirlwind journey of transitioning into a new creative space, complete with tales of stolen displays and the triumph of community spirit. From exciting updates about our freshly painted walls to a state-of-the-art gallery system, you'll get an inside look at the creative process behind setting up a space designed for artistry and celebration. Plus, discover the innovative scheduling system we've implemented for our celebration room and creative classes, and hear about the enthusiastic local artists eager to contribute to our upcoming projects.

 Amidst sharing these updates and heartfelt moments, I express my sincere gratitude for your unwavering support, which fuels our creative journey. 

As the initial chaos settles, I promise a consistent schedule brimming with more updates, inspirations, and heartwarming stories. Thank you for being an integral part of this journey—let's continue to create and connect!

Bonus...my items reappeared this week, it was after this recording!!

Chapters

• 0:06 Exciting Plans for New Creative Space
• 13:35 Granddaughter's Influence on Creativity

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:06

Hi, I'm back. I'm so excited to be back. I had to take a couple of episode breaks because I have been super, super busy with the acquiring of the space and wrapping up my teaching at the Canton Museum of Art and, yeah, just has been a whirlwind in time. I just didn't have enough of it, so sorry for the delay. Hopefully you've been following along on social media of everything that's been happening and I have been trying to keep up at least one or two other formats that I can quickly handle. So today's illustration because I need a little mental health break to just doodle today is swimwear, and that is perfect for this very, very hot week. Yeah, so let's dive in. Get it Dive in. I have just such excitement surrounding the new location. I met with the sign manufacturer to get the sign designed. I have everything in my name. There's a lot that has got to happen. Now literally to the space painting and everything's happening. Had a cleaning crew come in and clean, had a little bit of a setback Over the last weekend.

Speaker 1: 1:44

I realized that display that I had built and two chairs that my friends and I built had been taken from the property, and so I don't know how it happened, other than doors were open, a lot of people going in and out, there was a lot of work being done, things were just, you know, being aired out and I don't know if people just like walked in and saw this and was like I like this, I'm going to take it, and they did so. Very disheartening. Not even in the space yet and I didn't have any of my camera system set up because it wasn't in my name yet and I didn't have the utilities in my name. I didn't have any internet at the time. All of that wasn't in my name. So when it happened and when I realized it was all gone, I did file a police report. This is all new to me. I've never had this kind of situation before. So I'm thinking maybe they took it to sell it on Marketplace or Craigslist, I don't know. I just kind of really sad about it.

Speaker 1: 3:01

How do you get through little setbacks and you just kind of have to like, okay, what can I control? What can I do? I can't dwell on it. I'm going to have to move forward and, you know, I'm going to try to look at it from a perspective of my dad. You know it was just father's day last weekend but he had lots of businesses and he used to leave his car doors unlocked for his car dealership.

Speaker 1: 3:30

And I never understood that, because you know why would you do that? And it was on the side of 50 and 93, the highways where I grew up. They crossed and they provided a spot for the only red light in the entire county that I grew up in. So 1593's intersection was pretty busy because you could go through the entire state of Ohio on either one, and my dad's car dealership one of them at one time was on 93. Or, I'm sorry, it was on 50. It was on Route 50. And he left the car doors open, unlocked all the time.

Speaker 1: 4:12

And I said, why would you do that? And he goes. Well, there could be somebody walking on the road and it's raining, they need a place to sleep and they could get in the backseat. And I said, well, I was like what? It never even thought on me something like that. So maybe somebody took these to make some money on the marketplace because they needed to feed their family. I don't know. I don't know. I'm going to try to look at it like that. If that helped somebody, then you know who. Who am I to judge, but I'll make it work. I'll figure out a way to get some replacements, but, um yeah, there's really nothing else I can do about it.

Speaker 1: 5:01

Um, then, figuring out the scheduling system for the rental for the celebration room, and I am trying to gather some ideas for some of the first creative classes that I want to hold, and I'm really excited about some of the people that have reached out who want to provide lessons and who want to provide art for the pop-up gallery. So I'm going to be reaching out to them by the end of this month to see what their schedules are and what kind of you know pieces they would like to share. I am hanging a gallery system on the wall so I'll be able to display artwork pretty easily without having to drill in holes in the wall all the time. So I'm really excited about that. That was a little bit of investment to do that, but I've seen that at other places and it looks really nice, and so I wanted it to be nice.

Speaker 1: 6:02

But I'm using this program. Is it Corsizo, corsizio, corsizio? I'm not sure how you pronounce it, but I went through a bunch of different ones and theirs seemed the most cost effective for what I need to do and that I can set up a reservation system online and people can select and then add on things if they would like for their parties. So I have my concept murals for that party room up as the examples and I've linked it on my website so you can see the different things that are available for or, I'm sorry, the different dates that are available just for August right now.

Speaker 1: 6:48

I'll be building September soon, but I just wanted to get August up because that's pretty much the first month that I'll be able to rent the space, so did kind of like afternoon evening. By the time the two and a half hours for the event would go by and then there would be an hour in between for people to leave, clean up and the next person. Yeah, so there's a couple for each Saturday and Sunday and one for a Friday night, because maybe somebody would like have a birthday party or something on a Friday night, and then the rest I've just left open for classes and really, if somebody reaches out that they want to do something on a weeknight, I don't really know that I need to create a schedule specifically for classes and really if somebody reaches out that they want to do something on a weeknight. I don't really know that I need to create a schedule specifically for those. Somebody could be very specific and want something. So, yeah, I just thought I would at least get that started, and I want to learn a lot of new things myself, and I love the idea of sharing that experience with other people.

Speaker 1: 7:51

So I have a series of lessons called Learn Along With Me, and so I will dive into tutorials from artists that I like and we will share their tutorials from their books, or maybe they have tutorials on YouTube, and I'll get all the supplies for us and we're going to learn together. So my first one is from Natasha Smart. Her wet felting is just phenomenal and I love how she shows how to do that on the inflatable balls to make like baskets with double handles and stuff like that, and she has a brand new book out and, yeah, we're going to learn how to do that. So I have a five week in August it's Thursday nights that we'll all craft together for two hours, and by the end of that month we will have made a basket using the wet pelting techniques that she shares, and so I just think that that would be a lot of fun to hang out and do a class like that and then it is going to be back to school. It is going to be back to school and so one of my first kids classes is making a ginormous four and a half foot pencil for your new teacher's room and it'll be a gift that you can give to your new teacher. So that looked like a lot of fun.

Speaker 1: 9:08

I love oversized it's the extremes. I love the giant oversized things and then I love the tiny little minis. But I just think it would be a lot of fun to get the kiddos together and have them paint these giant pieces and personalize it with their teacher's name and be able to go into the classroom and give their new teacher a gift that they've made Real simple but a lot of fun. So that's one of the first classes I have in August to sign up for and I can't wait to put more on there. And yeah, I just got to take a little bit of a second to get that started and set up.

Speaker 1: 9:49

That's a pretty important element, you know, of the new space is that we'll be having classes and fun, creative ideas and lessons. I'm going to do a whole series of lost arts to have someone interested in showing, like the art of canning and it'll be perfect with gardening season and how do you can something and so we're going to go through that. And then there's going to be, like I said, kids lessons. And then there's going to be a series of lessons for mental health and PTSD and how to focus your energies on something creative to help with that. My husband is a veteran and he does art to help with his mental health and I just think that that would be a great series to have there too.

Speaker 1: 10:41

So, and then I've been also getting my schedule of the make and takes. So when you're in the plaza and you're having some dinner and you want to just pop in and sit down with maybe a friend and you know, catch up and make a piece of jewelry together or something for your house, there'll be just easy, self-guided kits that you can purchase, sit down at the table, all the supplies that you would need the glue, the paint, the paint brushes, everything's there. So you just get to sit down, bring your door, drink in and just have fun in this community space, environment making something, and then you get to take it with you. So, yeah, so getting those together and then all of the other merchandise that I need to fill the store with, getting those in my head together, like what I need to get and what I want to get, and I'm just super, super excited. So that's been my last few weeks getting the space, getting everything in my name, getting classes together, ending some projects, waiting on answers for some other projects that I have going on, and, yeah, a lot of great things have been happening and I am just super, super excited.

Speaker 1: 12:03

Even with the setbacks I'm still. It hasn't, you know, it hasn't squashed my enthusiasm. It made me sad because I'm wanting to do this and having fun for everyone. So, you know, the plain little art shack is now in front of my shop. That's a free art exchange. You know, make something, come over, grab a piece, leave a piece of art and have a little fun that way. You know, share it on social media. That's what that's for and, yeah, I'm wanting to make that a lot of fun. I just really want art and community to be part of this whole endeavor. So I'm gonna keep focusing on that, gonna keep pushing forward with that.

Speaker 1: 12:51

So hope you love my little swimwear here and thanks for tuning in and catching up with me, and I can't wait to share some other ideas that will involve the podcast. The artists for the pop-up shop will be highlighted once a month, so stay tuned to have a new guest on once a month, starting in August when this shop opens. And then I want to craft with the kiddos on the podcast and talk to them. I want to get their insight. So I'll, you know, try to rotate a new kiddo throughout, you know, of course with their parents' permission, but they love being on programs.

Speaker 1: 13:35

I really got a lot of that vibe from my granddaughter. Having her on. That was a lot of fun. I know she liked it and I think it'd be great to hear their perspective of why creativity is so important, so very excited about what's to come, and I just want to thank you all for supporting me and following along and keeping me I just, you know energized with your enthusiasm. So thanks, and I will talk to you again soon. I'm going to try to stay on schedule, I promise. So I think a lot of the craziness for getting things started has been settled, so I should be good for the next episode. All right, take care. Thanks a lot, bye.