I am feeling especially sentimental on this birthday. Maybe it’s because I am now solidly middle aged . Maybe it’s because yesterday, though i wasn’t planning on it, I sat and watched Whitney Houston’s entire home-going service — and what a home-going it was!!!  The love of family is everything, isn’t it?  As I pray in the next next year of my life I am feeling excited, joy-full, expectant and GRATEFUL!!

• GRATEFUL to God for another year of life, love, health and strength.
• GRATEFUL for a family who taught me that whatever joys or storms life brings that I am to get up, stand up for what I believe in and do what I have been called to do regardless of my circumstance.
• GRATEFUL that I know that none of us can afford to be one issue people. If you want equality and justice for yourself and the people you love then you MUST actively seek  and support this for others whether you like them or not because it is right and it is just to do so.
• Grateful that every one of us has been given great gifts that we can use if we set our hearts, spirits and minds to it.
• Grateful for each one of you for walking and/or dancing this journey with me.

Grateful. Grateful. Grateful. Hezekiah Walker and the Love Fellowship Choir sing it best . . . .

Inspired by . . .

Everything. A doll idea can come from almost anywhere: the patterns on a tree limb, the shape and angle of a shadow, or a name of someone I met on facebook (I see you Fya Queen!).  In short, I am really inspired by — interested in –EVERYTHING. Being an artist is both exhilarating and exhausting (all that visual stimulation, you know) and I LOVE it.

Ideas Drawn

I try to visually document as many of my ideas as I can. This means that I keep a sketchbook.  I always have a small moleskine in my purse or backpack that I use for mostly notes and quick thumbnails. I also keep a larger 8×10 or 9×12 and an even larger 11×11 on my desk in my studio where I sit to do more detailed drawings. I tend to prefer bound as opposed to spiral books. The spiral books  always seem to  snag on something or the covers begin to wear and tear. In case you are wondering my favorites brands right now are made by studiogoods drawing journals and  kunst & papier binderboard sketchbooks.  I number each page and each volume.

Where Do Dolls Come From?

So where do dolls come from? For me they come from dreams, drawings, doodles, scraps of paper that catch my eye, music, the people I meet. . . . you get the idea. Keeping a sketchbooks is one of my most favorite parts of  the creative process. I love the look of them all tattered and bulging on my shelves and tables.  What is you favorite part of the creative process? Do you keep a sketchbook?  How do you collect and store images that inspire you?

PS I use Pinterest as an extension of my sketchbooks. What fun.  If you are on there come on and follow us!

I have aligned the outline I sketched out for my in-house residency with my annual and monthly goals. Here is the outline:

January 

• test new (to me) air dry clays (creative paperclay, La doll, La Doll Premix, Premiere)
• Build new heads during this experiment to test for strength, detail, smoothness
• work on Peace project drawings for quilt

February

• build and test body armatures and connections
•  drape continue working on Peace quilt

March

• complete any work developed during the residency that moves me. Learn from the process about what works and what doesn’t work
• Enjoy myself

Working in silence or with a little Concha Buika or Esperanza Spalding playing in the background I have been focused, determined and getting the work done. Still some days I come home from my day job drained and exhausted and I don’t feel like creating. On those days I still show up for my In-house Residency — my residency in my own studio — to at least touch my work and my materials.  Doing this inevitably leads me to work at least for an hour or two. One of the best things I learned from my family is the importance of showing up everyday — no matter what –to do the job at hand. Showing up no matter what is a reminder to me and a signal to everyone else about what my priorities are. If I truly believe that my blessings are in my hands then I must show up everyday to use them along with my heart and my mind to make art. Yes!

I recently published my goals for 2012 so I am pretty clear on what I need to do for February now that I have the full plan in sight. Plus IT”S MY BIRTHDAY MONTH. I can already feel all the wonderful things in store for me this month (and yes, I do celebrate the entire month).  My goals for the month of February:

1) Continue to focus on creating new work (I have thumb nails for three quilts completed and have started the first quilt).

2) New doll sculpts are underway. Now that I have all of the bugs worked out of my new designs it’s time to get to building! I have seven heads on the table ready to go. I have already sculpted details into three. See examples above . . . .

3) Complete January’s bookkeeping.

4) I’ve been working late a lot lately so I have been missing my evening yoga class. Hope to get back on schedule this month starting NEXT WEEK.

5) Finish moving in to the new website. Still some new content to post : ).

6) Write

In rememberance of Brother Don Cornelious, I wish you LOVE, PEACE and SOOOOOUUUUUUUUULLLLLLL!!!!! Have a fabulous February!

I used to go through all kinds of contortions to come up with a name other than “doll” to describe my work (insert trumpets and a flourish with boas and big feathers here). I considered calling my work figurative sculpture, three-dimensional figurative paintings, supercalifragilisticexpialidocious figures (for the Mary Poppins fans).   I finally decided that the word doll is exactly what I should use. By definition the word doll means “a model of a human being.”  The second part of that definition, however, usually reads “often used as a toy for children.”  When people think of dolls they often do think of  toys.  There are definitely dolls that are designed as toys for children.  There are also dolls that are designed to be collected and displayed for their beauty, nostalgia, historical significance and financial value. These dolls are not made as toys but as collectible works of art.

Don’t get me wrong, there is artistry in all doll making just as there is an element of play in all creativity. My hope is that the dolls I make embody both artistry and fun and that they will expand your mind about what a doll can do and be.  There is something magical and spiritual to me about a doll and about making a doll.  To take a hunk of clay or a piece of fabric, among other materials, and to sculpt or manipulate them into something that resembles a figure from your mind’s eye is a powerful and transformative thing.  I plan to write more about dolls and the experience and process of making them in later posts.  For now  I will say that I am Deborah. I am an artist who makes dolls.  I believe that dolls are art and that they are beautiful. . . .

2012 Song/s:  Something’s Got a Hold of Me. Something’s Got a Hold on Me

I chose two songs for two reasons.  I selected James Cleveland because I have been hearing my grandmother’s voice in my ear a lot lately. Maybe it’s because our birthdays are coming up. She would have been 97 on 2.15.  She was a James Cleveland fan (a man who was musically waaaay ahead of his time just like she was a woman waaaay ahead of her time). So the James Cleveland song is for the two of us.  The second song is of course in recognition of the late, great Etta James who passed last week. I guess some would say that it is blasphemous for me to put these two songs together but they’ll get over it . For me, both songs are an inspiration. Both the artists and their music inspire me to  double down and aggressively pursue those things in which I strongly believe and have a passion for: family community and art. While I walk this path I pray that God keeps his hands on me.

2012 Word: MOVE

2012 Color: Thistle

Creative Plan  for 2012 (while also holding a wide space for things I can’t even imagine right now in this space and time)

***I borrowed the format below from Lisa Call. I really like how she tracks her time and lists her goals so I have reformatted my own process. In some instances I liked her goals so much that I adopted/adapted some of  them for my own studio practice. Both her blogs are a great resource and real inspiration.

Art:

• Studio Time – 1500 hours
• January through March focus on creating new work    I’m in full swing on this.
• Create new pieces for 5 shows
• Draw with pencil, clay, thread and floss throughout the year

 Writing:

• complete two articles
• complete manuscript

Art Business:

• Increase number of engaged fans on my fan page  [in other words, I don't just want to collect people, I want to build community]
• Write blog posts every 2 to 3 days
• Update social media (twitter, facebook, google+) 3 to 4 times a week on average
• Photograph & process images for artwork as completed
• create a spreadsheet to track my progress throughout the year       COMPLETE
• create a spreadsheet of key vendors for my work w/ability to track where I bought what      IN PROGRESS
• Schedule regular updates of new work to website as completed
• Complete bookkeeping monthly     YIKES but it’s got to be done.
• Update contact list monthly
• Update exhibit history as needed
• Update front page of website bi-monthly with a goal for monthly
• Update bio  DONE
• Update resume – midyear
• Update resume – end of year
• Update general artist statement
• Take 3 new workshops to expand my thinking and knowledge on key concepts related to my work  — Already signed up for one!

Personal:

• Taxes to accountant by end of February or sooner
• De-clutter my office, bedrooms and studio  (the office is done and the studio is in process)
• Read 50 new books  (COMPLETED 4 NEW BOOKS in 2012 that I have really enjoyed)
• Visit galleries,  museums, or art spaces at least once a month

Health

• maintain my Ashtanga yoga practice
• add walking/biking back in during the spring
• maintain new plant based/vegan/gluten-free menu (95 days and counting!!! I feeel good da na na na na na na)

As with last year, my goal in a nutshell is to keep growing and stretching and putting myself and my work out there.  I wish the same for you. May you experience an abundance of love, laughter and ART this year. Go on and sing your song.  Peace, Deborah and the Wildflowers

I know it’s probably cliche to say this but it really does feel like I blinked and 2011 was over.  I always like to review my creative plan from the previous year before I do the big reveal for what I hope and pray for for the New Year.  Here is the original post from 3 January 2011. Below is a  description of how things went jejejeje . . . .

2011 song: Salt by Liz Wright. Can’t tell you how many times I listened to this song during 2011. Lizz is such an incredible talent and an inspiration. The words in this song truly resonated with me. For me the song is always about the words, the words.

2011 word: Fearless Fearless (I wrote this word and then I crossed it out because I got afraid. Now what kind of sense does THAT make?)  I think I did pretty good with my word of the year. I only got in my way a few times this year.  Things always seem to work out (I write with a big cheesy grin on my face).

2011 color: ORANGE   Hmmm. Orange never seemed to materialize for me.  I still seem to be in love with GREEN –which has become my signature color.

Creative Guide Plan for 2011:

• become fluent in Spanish  Bueno, yo no soy fluido todavía. Todavía está aprendiendo. Voy a alcanzar mi meta!
• clear up the last few unfinished projects from 2010 and beyond   I did, I did. I released a lot of things I was no longer passionate about and finished the others.
• book manuscript (as I look at what I wrote last year it occurs to me that I may actually have TWO books) Still writing.
• printmaking projects (blockprinting and silkscreen on textiles)  Ongoing. Started printing with procion dyes on fabric
• quilt sketches (a project I have been thinking about since May — how can I show my drawing lines in the way I piece my quilts?) Ongoing but I am closer!
• photo documentation of process (I do this but I want to become more detailed with it) I would give myself a C on this one. Still an attainable goal.
• encaustic (because I love it and I never got to it last year) and I didn’t get to it this year either, lol.
• take my doll work and figurative sculpture to the next level (yes, I have a vision for this — you will soon see) I am happy with my progress here. I developed new patterns, new techniques and used new materials in my work. I was also pushed by some very talented artists to reach for even more in my work. Grateful.
• continue experiment with tapestry crochet (this is new – – I blame my mother, Jerushia and Kottavei for the new yarn addiction I have, LOL)  I did. I made two scarves and a baby blanket. I also made some storage baskets. I find that I crochet most when I am traveling or stuck thinking through a new project or idea in my dollmaking.
• Continue to build my creative community (both virtual and real)  I did. I became less of a hermit (at least or the first part of the year : ).
• Dye a broader color palette  I did and I have!!! I took a fabulous course with Carol Soderlund and I have been off to the races ever since.
• Continue to enter new and different art shows  I did! And I got to meet some wonderful people in the process!!!

Next Post:  Creative Plan for 2012!!! The good and the EXCITING.

Happy New Year!! I know we have been quiet for a a little while and now you know part of the reason why!  We’ve been working behind the scenes to build a site that would give you one place to: search for our events, find out about our workshops, read blog posts and, of course, SHOP .  You will also find links to all of the other places Deborah Grayson Studios hangs out on the web via our links at the bottom of the page to twitter, flickr and facebook (if you haven’t already become a fan!).  We will also still be on Etsy but we have new plans in store for that shop so stay tuned. If you see something that you like on either of our sites go ahead and  Pin It! or share it with your friends on other place on the web. Just be  sure to give us credit by linking back to us (because all of our work is copyrighted!).

With the new site and the new blog comes a few new features and the return of  some old favorites. We will bring back our DGS annual goals, color and song for the year (see our next post later this week) as well as posts about our process of designing and creating dolls and quilts.  New features on the site will include more tutorials, our favorite articles on the web for micro businesses and more about textiles, design and eco-friendly materials. In other words fun, Fun, FUN.

Last but not least, I want to give a big shout out and a big THANK YOU to Jamal and his team at Greenlight Studios.  They took what Kris R. did for DGStudios and built and expanded on it into what you see today. To say that I am doing the happy dance over here would be an understatement. I am grateful to them both. I continue to be shown over and over again that everything I need can be found right in my own community. Support small independent businesses!!!

Peace and blessings in the New Year,

Deborah and the Wildflowers