Month: September 2008

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here I am in Santa Fe

It’s Sunday afternoon. My normal “post now if you haven’t all week” day. I’m posting with my dog Grace at my feet, hoping she’ll calm down. Finally her ears are drooping and peaked, listening to all the sounds of the city. She is so not used to that. This is a grand experiment with her. She’s never traveled with us before. It’s just me and her now, but I think she’ll calm more when Dad shows up tomorrow.

I’m here for the Unesco Creative Tourism Conference. I have high hopes that I’ll come away with some gem for increasing Art Tourism in my tiny town of Angel Fire, more known for its outdoor recreation than its Art. Though if you know me, you know I am heaven bent on changing that. Yes, heaven bent. At any rate, I’ll try and post frequently, let you know what’s going on down here and how it can benefit Angel Fire…and many other communities who care to try.

It’s much warmer here than I am used to, and for Grace too, so we retreated from the little garden to the air conditioned casita. Believe it not, I haven’t lived in an airconditioned space for fifteen (15!) years. Air, yes, breeze, yes…no air conditioning required at 8500 feet. When I was loading the car at 6:30 am this morning it was 34.

Ah, Grace is asleep. The droning of the a/c and the clicking of keys on the laptop did it. Yay. Now if she’ll stay that way for a bit. I need to leave in a couple of hours and head to the convention center to register. Anyone one else here for this?

Angel Fire ArtSpace,
3469 Mountain View Blvd, Suites B2-4 Angel Fire NM
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Schefren’s New Launch…48 hours and counting down!

Be sure to read my post “Rich Schefren (My Mentor) Does It Again!” just below. I’ve gone through the new report three times now and every time it blows me away again. Let’s see, is it Constraint #3? or #4? or#7? Which is stumbling me the most? Or is it all of the above? Good Grief! Get it here and see for yourself. This is HUGE!

Angel Fire ArtSpace,
3469 Mountain View Blvd, Suites B2-4 Angel Fire NM
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Don’t Use DHL!!!!!!!!

I’m so furious I could explode. Fedex showed up today, as requested to pick up a package. UPS visits me, wanting my business. DHL? Here’s the story. I created some post cards. I ordered rush printing, they did. I ordered 2 day shipping. They did too…but the shipper was DHL. The package left the printer on the 15th. It arrived in Santa Fe on the 17th, they day I should have recieved it. Unlike FEDEX and UPS who GET that Angel Fire is a GROWING village with VITAL business, who GET that our money is as good as anyone elses, DHL DOESN’T GET IT. When I didn’t get the package, I looked online and saw that the package was “transferred to delivery courier” on the 18th. I’m writing this on the 21st and I still don’t have the package. The printer, being true to their pledge of outstanding customer service, refunded me. Which is nice, but DHL says, ‘We’ll try to figure out when it will be delivered.”

The building manager says the delivery truck was in the parking lot on Friday…I was there and saw it too…..but they delivered not my package. I called on Saturday and was told ‘I’m sorry, our service centers are not open and I can’t tell you where the package is or when it will be delivered.” Wow. That, my friends, is NOT customer service. Don’t use DHL.

Angel Fire ArtSpace,
3469 Mountain View Blvd, Suites B2-4 Angel Fire NM
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Rich Schefren (My Mentor) Does it AGAIN!

Wow. I can’t believe he pulled off 25 hours of live streaming video, answering questions from people around the globe. I’m so privileged to be one of his students. I’ve already learned so much, and made so much progress with Rich’s guidance and input, but this new report he released (“The Uncertainty Syndrome: Entrepreneurial Emergency”) is PACKED with insight, ideas and solutions. I’ve been working through the Theory of Constraints for nearly a year, identifying what holds me back, but the constraints he identifies in the report showed me I’ve been missing some important ones.

Constraint 4 Was A Smack In The Face…

I’ve been going through the report and scribbling notes as fast as my fingers will fly….

You got your copy, right? Get it here.

Because Constraint #4 was like a sledgehammer between the eyes for me. I mean, in the back of my mind, I KNEW this was a problem. But I had no idea how BIG of a problem it really was.

But what’s really cool is, Rich doesn’t just pull the problem to the surface and say, “Wow, that’s ugly. Sure wish you could do something about it.”

No, he offers a Silver Bullet solution for each constraint, with proven tactics to help you overcome these nasty barriers.

And I gotta tell you, Rich has misnamed them.Because they aren’t silver.

They’re PURE GOLD.

Get your hands on a copy of this FREE report today. You won’t know what you’re missing (or how much money you’re losing) until you do.

More later.

P.S. Once you discover the secret to overcoming Constraint #4, head to page 48 and read the bit about the Urinal Rule.

Talk about an eye-opener…

I’m so jazzed!

Angel Fire ArtSpace,
3469 Mountain View Blvd, Suites B2-4 Angel Fire NM
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learning web 2.0

It’s been an uphill learning curve. Being quiet on all things personal while standing willingly on stage for all things art, this web 2.0 thing has had me flummoxed. “Is it safe?” I asked myself. I guess, at the ripe old age (that I am now) I’m more concerned with learning, growing and finding out more about who my friends and customers are. How can I really serve if I don’t know that? I get that much. It’s no conversation if I’m talking to myself. I’m learning that it’s all about you, not what I think. And that most of the me, I’ve been wrong on that. The interesting thing is, that the way the journey goes, it’s not discouraging to know I’ve been wrong, but encouraging that I could figure that out and move on! I read on my friend J’s blog that she misses the days (brief) when friends could sit around the table and debate, disagree, and even argue..and still walk away friends. I think that day is at hand again, if we choose it. The politics of hate and fear I hope will bounce off us like rain on a freshly waxed car.

It reminds me, actually, of the poppy. You don’t see poppies in cut arrangements, decorating tables in fine dining establishments. You don’t see cut poppies anywhere. Cut them and they die in a matter of minutes..drooping their lovely heads in defeat. Left with their roots intact, shining their faces toward the sun collectively, whether there are 5 or 5,000, their collective smile is contagious to all who look upon them. Yet, they are maligned, abused and destroyed. Here is a poem I wrote about why I paint the poppy:

Poppies are…
Beautiful
Radiant
Misused & Abused
Maligned
Killed by Governments
Yet….Free
Transparent
Fragile and,
Connected…..Like We Are.

That’s why I paint them. The muse in me is pondering flowers. I’ve been told many times that I’m the rose….most notably known for the layers and layers of petals amidst the many thorns. I can see that and it’s probably true though I’d smile more if it were the fragrance and beauty that inspired the likeness! hmmm.

What about you? What flower are you most like? (just for fun..a fun diversion to make those foul things bounce off) Yes, I’m bouncing around here. It’s allowing for the stream of consciousness to show itself on this blog. wahoo.

Angel Fire ArtSpace,
3469 Mountain View Blvd, Suites B2-4 Angel Fire NM
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Fall in New Mexico

I had to drive to the city yesterday..to retrieve my husband from the airport. A typical day of dashing from store to store to “stock up”…winter is coming, you know. No, I’m not living outside the moment, exactly. When you live at 8500 feet, 45 minutes away from most everywhere, planning is a part of life. I took my cues from my stop at the super walmart (sorry, I can spend $140 there on what would otherwise cost $225.) I was there at 7:45 a.m. It was almost bliss. The aisles were nearly bare of carts and screaming kids, and to ensure my shopping bliss, the chili roasters were fired up and roasting those lovely New Mexico Green Chiles. It made my mouth water, and my mind fill with memories in the kitchen with all my friends, peeling chiles and laughing when someone rubbed their eye…not that it was really funny…but it was.. everyone knows not to do that when peeling chiles!

So that’s it…that’s my cue that it’s fall (or quickly will be) and time to get ready for winter. The smell of roasting chiles has hung in my nose, while I painted the radiant barrier paint on the inside and outside of the garage doors, the regular doors leading into and outof the garage and all that. Next comes the top coat, some nice color of my choosing. I’m leaning toward blue that will closely match the roof for the garage doors. I’ll likely do that tomorrow, either before or after i plant the bulbs for next year. Thank goodness miss J is working for me tomorrow! I definitely need the time!

In the meantime the dryer is telling me to come fold the clothes. So much for my day “off”.

Angel Fire ArtSpace,
3469 Mountain View Blvd, Suites B2-4 Angel Fire NM
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painting, videos and stuff

Things have slowed to a crawl here in Angel Fire, and dismay with the local newspaper notwithstanding I’ve been in painting bliss. Free speech had nothing to do with it. That they printed a blatant attack on the character of our Mayor, our new CEO of the EDO, and the hard working volunteers that are intent on improving the community, had me furious. That they devised a headline pulled from the tabloids to sensationalize it, was downright mean.

And enough on that. Thank God I had a commissioned order to fill, because it got me painting again, and Thank God that the commission was to paint on Yupo paper, because I had to rinse and wipe it off three times before I did something I was happy with. While I didn’t film the wipe off parts, I did film the final process and the “lifting” technique I used to create the daisies. You can watch the video here. (It is just under 10 minutes.)

And here is finished triptic:

Each one is 6 1/2 x 18. I’ll finish them with a white mat and black frosted metal frame. Painting on Yupo is an incredibly free-ing process to me. The brush and paint just glide across the paper, moving and blending, rich and true color. It does take a long time to dry…especially if it’s raining outside! But it’s worth the wait!

On other matters, my newsletter will be out within the next 24 hours, and I finally got the new website uploaded, complete with that shopping cart I’ve been working on for what seems like forever! At any rate..it’s “Done” (somewhat of a misnomer, since what’s on there will hopefully change on a regular basis! (as items sell!) At least I learned alot in the process. The company I bought the editor from, Ewisoft, was incredible helpful in working with me to figure it all out. I’m on a first name basis with their Tech Support!

It will likely be quiet today as the road (Crestview Drive) is being paved (YAY!!) and there is a detour to get here. We’ve waited a long time for this! I’m hopeful the paved road will be the begining of the “easy to find” improvements we (the tenants) need to help ensure our success! Yay, and thank you, Alex and Jerry!

Back to work…see ya!

Angel Fire ArtSpace,
3469 Mountain View Blvd, Suites B2-4 Angel Fire NM