If you have been following me for a while you know I have lived a lot of lives. Enough lives that people ask me questions like: What exactly do you do? The short answer is I have a lifelong calling as an artist. I have a career working behind the scenes. The latter is my “day job”. BOTH are derived from my passion which is creating. And then there is that one thing I never told you about…
My Movie Career aka My Day Job
During college I started working behind the scenes painting sets for theater, television and movies. That led to working as a camera scenic/on set painter and then a department head as a charge painter. Being a camera scenic is one of my favorites. It is a high stress role but lots of fun and I get to travel. I single handedly solve any and all painterly issues as we are in the midst of filming. Talk about a rush! The charge painter is also a great job for me because I am good at leading an entire paint crew and running multiple projects. Eventually I started taking on other department head roles designing and decorating. As a set designer I am responsible for creating the visual and scenic world of a set. As a set decorator I decorate each set to create visual interest, set the mood and . At my ‘day job” I have been everything from a set decorator for the reality show The Bachelor to a camera scenic on the latest movie, Drive-away Dolls, directed by Ethan Coen. It’s been a good run for 25 years now and it also gives me space to explore my lifetime calling, being an artist.
My Lifetime Calling as an Artist
I knew from a very young age I wanted to be an artist. I strive to communicate ideas and evoke feelings through what I make. I allow it to take whatever form and flow through me. Paint, textiles, wood, ceramics, objects of art, paper, digital creations, poetry… Basically the artist in me needs complete freedom to play and allow it. Whatever my little artist wants, she gets. I have learned not to argue with her. It’s useless. So are some of the things she creates but it needs to come out, so I let it.
My life long journey is being true the artist in me who just wants to create her own work. Typically I concentrate on painting because that is what I have found to give me the most sense of satisfaction. But on any given day you can find me making things because I was born to create. It’s inherently in my nature and I literally can’t help it. So when you look at my shop, Made by Dames, you will find all sorts of creations.
Oh, and you might have heard, I am headed to Greece in the fall for my first artists residency! Check out the navigational paintings which landed me the residency here. Also, don’t forget to sign up for my newsletter and follow me on social, so you can get all the latest news on Greece. (Spoiler alert: there also might be a special offering while I am in Greece for those of you already signed up!)
The Thing(s) I Never Told You
If you can believe it, I have been a writing longer than an I have been an artist. I write short stories, poetry, essays, fiction and I recently finished a script which is going to take me to France next March. In the meantime, I continue to work on my memoir. My poetry has been published several times and I have self published four books.
I have almost been brave enough to post them. Almost. You see every time I try, something holds me back. Do you ever feel like that? You have this thing that you do but no one knows how much of it you do. But it is literally the thing you do the most. So I continue to honor my writing muse knowing that eventually will join forces with the brave artist in me and win out. One day I will be as brave with my writing as I am my art.
Also hidden within the depths of things I never told you is the consulting and coaching I do for creative projects, individuals, artists, filmmakers and all things scenic. I have done a lot of training, teaching, workshops and the occasional art party! I do love to throw down paint with people! I also wanted to incorporate another passion of mine in my consults: self improvement. In my desire to help others using various modalities, I got my life coaching certification in 2010, Feng Shui certification in 2007, TEFL certificate in 2013 and just last year, I received my yoga teaching certification. I continue to offer my Inspired by Alchemy sessions which are all about helping you navigate your way back to true north, the natural calibration of your souls alchemy. Whether it is paint related or self improvement, I derive so much excitement and joy to see others open in aha moments. If you are interested in working with me on this level you can find information here: Inspired by Alchemy.
One More Thing
World Traveler. Okay, you knew this about me. But did you know that when I am not working I am always torn on two things: Do I make more art or should I travel? It’s not really a job, traveling that is, but I wanted to include it. It is where most of my inspiration is derived from and because I have been a professional house sitter now for over ten years. I created The Globe Squatters: Two artists on a little adventure, house sitting their way around the world. That was fun!
So you see, I have lived many lives! Do any of my lives resonate with you? Does anyone else feel like they have lived a lot of lives? Do you find yourself crossing disciplines to create something new? Tell me about some of your interests and how you use them to generate new ideas in other areas of your life. Let me know in the comments below!
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