a spa day for our professional minds!


wow! i showed up for a free conference at san francisco's herbst theater yesterday. even considered not going. but since i went, looks like i've had a life-changing experience.

what was it? the *dynamic adaptability conference: new thinking and new strategies for the arts*. when introduced by the director of grants for the arts at city and county of san francisco (yes, we have that), kary schulman explained how the conference planning committee decided to design the kind of conference art world professionals would pay thousands of dollars to attend... but let's make it free!

ah, the power of free!

i would have been suspicious that the conference was jenky, except for the option to reserve your own box lunch! for free also! at that point during pre-registration i felt they must have excellent funding.

turns out the wallace foundation is in the middle of a four year grant with an over $7 million budget. their charge is basically to research best practices for artists to be supported, promoted, sustained. which in turn builds and sustains our communities.

the agenda of the 9am-5pm conference covered
  • the brain science behind creating and appreciating art,
  • data and stats on the professional lives of artists and how to best engage with their audience,
  • inspiration for creating a deeper connection between artists and their communities, and finally
  • an overview of demographic and technological changes

{jonah lehrer and holly sidford}


the highlight of the day came for me at the beginning with johah lehrer's presentation on the science behind decision-making. the research he shared helped illustrate that there is a scientific reason behind things we do. for me, the data released some of the burden that *i should be different, better, faster...* and he also provided a solution for success: being educated on how the mind functions, accepting the mechanisms of how we work, and staying focused on harnessing the strengths of these outcomes.

in fact, the whole tone of the day was highly focused on what's *right* in our artistic worlds. there was a lot of good news. as artists, we've already accepted a life-long recession. topics of the day pointed out ways to hyper-succeed at leveraging our best practices, of engaging with our communities, of bringing excitement and joy into the lives of our audience members, making them part of the process, bringing us all together.


all in all it's pretty simple and straight-forward:
find art you like. have a better life.


*i'll be sharing more specifics of my experience at this conference over the next week, including a list of actionable take-aways! chime in if you were at the conference or have heard about the organizations or presenters who participated!

{sunday's bouquet} simple. again.

that's right blog (dear blog), i'm keeping it simple. again. this lovely spray of delicate flowers soothes me after my week where i'm feeling like i've run a marathon. though my body is achy, i've more got the mental exhaustion of processing-olympics. whew. it feels good to rest up on a sunday (after a clothing swap and three piece jam session)!

part of the mental exhaustion is from juggling so much while keeping a grateful outlook (yay!) while another part is facing up to my meeting a 3-month-long challenge that will hit a milestone in 5 days! ahhh! i'll be over that hurdle! 5 days to reach the satisfaction of accomplishment!

just taking a quick peek at my calendar... and yes! imma try and make it a slow-paced week! what's on the calendar is nicely spread out and do-able. and the rest of the time is for me! i'll take in my new year to date. it's been a great one so far and i'm looking forward to the rest!

just watched this video featuring tim ferris of four hour work week fame. my take-away is this quote which helped him connect with his grounded, successful core: "it's time to stop the analysis and let my conditioning put the pieces together."

i've been doing the footwork, now i turn over the results.

here's to a peaceful week,
rootmix

{datenight} keep it special!

every friday night is datenight here at the rootmix factories! it's a good idea to get away from the daily grind and responsibilities and turn attention to connection and love! if ya don't have a special someone else, celebrate yourself! here are some pics to help inspire!

ya don't have ta do anything elaborate, just light a candle for yourself or to set the mood for the evening with a friend.
{via what anna loves}


making a friday night a datenight is a forever thing!


just take a step in, follow your heart!

lounging around and relaxing in love is splendid!
{via chakra pennywhistle}


join me in placing your heart in a soft, safe space *snuggle, snuggle!*

i really like the idea of a special craft night as personal datenight for myself!
{via sarah's loft}

hope you're all inspired to take a break and open your heart!

xoxo,
rootmix

forcast screams for rain!

it's a rainy one here in san francisco! lots of big droopy raindrops... puddles abound! it's nice to be at home baking a squash to warm up after my adventure out in the rain. i love the rain! and looks like we've got a few more days of it:


here are some of my favorite raindrop images i've been collecting to share with YOU!






















what a treat to share a rainy day with you! stay warm!

xoxo,
rootmix

a tuesday treat

i'll see this!

yes please! just looks so fantastical and lovingly odd...


hero

thinking of mlk today...



"nonviolence is the answer to the crucial political and moral questions of our time: the need for man to overcome oppression and violence without resorting to oppression and violence. man must evolve for all human conflict a method which rejects revenge, aggression and retaliation. the foundation of such a method is love."

martin luther king, jr., nobel prize acceptance speech, stockholm, sweden, december 11, 1964.



"the curse of poverty has no justification in our age. it is socially as cruel and blind as the practice of cannibalism at the dawn of civilization, when men ate each other because they had not yet learned to take food from the soil or to consume the abundant animal life around them. the time has come for us to civilize ourselves by the total, direct and immediate abolition of poverty."

martin luther king, jr., where do we go from here: chaos or community?, 1967.



"it is necessary to understand that black power is a cry of disappointment. the black power slogan did not spring full grown from the head of some philosophical zeus. it was born from the wounds of despair and disappointment. it is a cry of daily hurt and persistent pain."

martin luther king, jr., where do we go from here: chaos or community?, 1967.



{mlk's last speech, the night before his assasination}


"darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. hate multiplies hate, violence multiplies violence, and toughness multiplies toughness in a descending spiral of destruction....the chain reaction of evil--hate begetting hate, wars producing more wars--must be broken, or we shall be plunged into the dark abyss of annihilation."

martin luther king, jr., strength to love, 1963.



{via daogreer earth works}



"like an unchecked cancer, hate corrodes the personality and eats away its vital unity. hate destroys a man's sense of values and his objectivity. it causes him to describe the beautiful as ugly and the ugly as beautiful, and to confuse the true with the false and the false with the true."

martin luther king, jr., strength to love, 1963.



and lastly for my crafty friends…

"almost always, the creative dedicated minority has made the world better." -mlk


have a blessed day,

rm

{hi5} jellyfiiiiissshhhhh!

ah... the noble jellyfish! underwater ballerina, luminescent orb of the deep...







one, two, three, four, five! do you have anymore favorite links to jellyfish? hmmm?

hugs.

{sunday's bouquet} simple.


i'm really digging this simple bouquet for this sunday. i've just looked through some clean and open studio spaces on flickr and really am feeling a zen for simplicity and minimalism. it's hard to recreate that feeling irl at my house since i'm so packed up with reclaimed crafty materials... must mean i've got to get to crafting! luckily, it looks like a *little house on the playa* craft-together is in the works.

{datenight} love is abundant!

happy datenight! taking time at least once a week to be grateful for those around us and ourselves is a great way to generate love... abundant love!











have a great weekend! smooches!

{i want one of these}

i'd probably take the middle one...


and this typewriter...


this...


and i'd wear this while i admire my stuff...


and finally, for my imaginary shopping spree, theees... yay reuse!!!

happy monday y'all! i'll get my goals together and share my next round. stay tuned!

xoxo,
rm

...and then you give yourself a reward?!?!?

dear blog,

you know, elsie, over at a beautiful mess, has invited us to share our goals for the week. she sets her goals then rewards herself with a motivating treat if she's accomplished her goal by the end of the week. wha??!!?!?

i usually am stumped on how to motivate myself, but i'll be giving this a shot as twenty-ten is the year for me to be a beginner and try stuff out. i'll have to think of what my reward would be... hmmm? a massage!!! yes - that'll get me motivated!

i'm already 2 for 2 on my daily aceo project! yay! i'll keep that up for the week - 5 more aceos; complete an encaustics piece; and draft my business plan!

oh, i've also promised a tutorial for a heating pillow, you know, the kind you can warm up in the microwave? well, this tutorial will have options for hand sewing and a trick to its design so the filling doesn't get all caught up in one side of the pillow!

i work best when teaming up with others so this public posting thing could be a happy way to be held accountable for sharing goals and rewards with you, blog, and precious readers!

let me hear your goals too. and make sure to include what your reward will be! we can do this!!!

cheers,
rootmix!!!

{sunday's bouquet} welcoming the new year!

it's been a great start to the new year! how 'bout for you? i've really been enjoying welcoming in what each day holds and being willing to be surprised. rolling with what shows up. here new year, this bouquet is for you, welcome!

xoxo,
rootmix

why don't i know who the sequence is?

a re-imagined life - carpe diem


dear blog,
today i worked in abundance for what i am welcoming into my new year. this included willing to be a beginner, pulling my bike out of storage and riding it, (even just for 5 feet in front of my house on the wet, rainy sidewalk), pulling out my encaustic materials which i have not set up in almost 2 years - i am showing willingness to use the tools, blog. this even led to sketching out my first piece of the year and i'm excited to get started layering on the melted wax. it was WAY easier to do then i'd spent the last year fretting about!

another thing i noticed about my approach to the day was taking immediate action. case in point: when i sat down to design aceo card #010110, first of a daily series, and found a pen was half dry (which has been the case for the last year, don't know what i was saving it for...) i made a new choice and stood up immediately to toss it in the trash! i know! it's the little things that are the most phenomenal!staying focused, making intentional choices for the year, and not getting side-tracked. what i'm welcoming and including in my daily life. and the best awareness is that i get to do the exact same thing today: the attitude, the welcoming in, the choosing what's on the plate today, and the negotiating between choices that compete for time. i get to choose how i want to spend my time and practice the first *live* of *live and let live*!

blog, here are some of my first day ta-da's, since you asked!
  • capturing video footage of market street
  • running into a dear friend
  • visiting a hipster coffee shop and
  • blogging a timely entry (!!!)
  • reaching out and connecting with friends
  • meeting up with other peeps
  • crocheting and troubleshooting granny squares!
  • chatting with my housemate
  • eating healthy food, including lucky lentils & kale
  • meeting up with a good friend to walk in nature
  • drinking 10 glasses of water!!!
  • being in the moment and negotiating through my day
  • practicing gratitude, meditation, being willing
  • walking outside with my passport to welcome international travel this year
  • (this was inspired by my sister's interpretation of walking out of the house with a suitcase on the first day of the year to invite travel for the new year)

i'm blessed with an early start to the day. i'll be working on that encaustic piece, getting my second aceo of the year done, and drafting the steps to my first requested tutorial. stay tuned blog and precious readers! let me know what you're up to, too!

xoxo,
rootmix

p.s. woooohooo!!!

{white rabbits!} new year's day style!!!

i like the sentiment portrayed in this card by badbird. choosing to fly. what choices have i overlooked? where can i jump in and make a selection for my life? what choices are you making for your new year? what ever they are, i hope you soar!!!


once my new year's theme is chosen, i often need a reminder to keep checking in if i'm on track. or even just remembering i had made a choice. here's a lucky white rabbit to follow my progress all throughout the year!
{via snoozerlooser}


i am willing to be surprised! i know whatever comes my way, the tools to maneuver that surprise will also come my way.
{via pocketcarnival}


i've got a few *create something everyday* ideas for this year. love that yasmine surovec has a print-a-day thang goin' on.

hope you enjoyed these new years musings with our lucky friend, the white rabbit!!!