The Artist's Eyes by Jenn Lee

When it comes to my children, I have always tried to nurture their artistic side. I feel that nurturing their imaginations and ability to envision ideas is an important asset for their adult lives. Being able to create, envision ideas will help them in their workplaces as well as life skills.

When my fiance and I were deciding on where to purchase a home, it was important to him that we stay in Oldham County. He felt that the school systems here were some of the best in the area. After living here a year, I feel that I agree with him not only in their education, but in the art opportunities presented to us.

Oldham County Schools Art Center is a wonderful place for children to grow their creative side. They offer classes that touch upon just about every aspect of the arts as well as for any age group. Located in the heart of Crestwood, Kentucky Oldham County Schools Arts Center is conveniently located. They offer classes not only for children but adults as well.  The mission of the Oldham County Schools Arts Center is to provide educational opportunities and arts experiences to families, students, and adults in the county and surrounding area.

Children (and adults) can take classes in the Performing Arts, where they can learn dance, theater and musical instruments. OCSAC has classes in the Visual Arts where they can learn how to work with clay, drawing, painting, Theater painting and even digital photography. They have several galleries for artists to show their talents and a good size theater for their performing arts where they allow the public to see the shows the students work so hard at learning.

My nine year old daughter was given an art scholarship allowing her to choose a class to participate in this year. It was a great honor for her and of course us to see her receive it. She has natural abilities in the arts so it was a little difficult to figure out which class she would benefit from the most. In the end she chose Intro to Clay. In this class she will learn how to form and shape clay, learning basic hand building techniques working with coiled clay, slab clay and even the pottery wheel. This will be an exciting adventure and challenging class for her. I can’t wait to see what she comes up with!

Whether you are an adult or have children, expanding your creativity and imagination is never a bad thing…in this artist’s eyes.

I was watching television the other night and saw a couple of commercials that made me think a little. One commercial was for Windows 7. Their commercials have people talk about applications in Windows 7 and close with the person saying “I’m a PC and Windows 7 was my idea.” The other commercial was for Allstate Insurance, where you watch a chain of events with each person doing a seemingly little good deed that inspires a passerby to do some little good deed for someone else…creating a chain reaction.

This made me think upon these questions:  Do you ever think about how or where you learned what you know? Whether it be the way you raise your family, habits in your daily life, or your profession, what will you have left on the world around you once you are gone? Will you be able to say you left an impact, whether it be large or small?

As we grew up, our parents instilled in us morals and healthy habits. Our schools gave us education and study habits we took to college. College taught us specific fields of education and how to apply it to the workplace. Our professions gave us experience through hands on education and a place for us to really hone our skills.

What point am I trying to make with this? What question am I really asking?  What are you passing on? Whether it be through parenting, teaching, sharing your experience or knowledge, mentoring or just kind gestures, we are all able to pass it on…

While you go through your day, try and make a point to pass something on, maybe it’s something as simple as a smile, letting that car go before you, helping someone with directions, or making a point to say something uplifting to a family member. Or maybe you can pass it on large by sharing your time, skills or expertise with another in the workplace, mentoring a beginner in a field you are experienced in, or teaching your children things you learned through the years that will impact their future.

As a parent, I confess sometimes I take for granted my children “simply know,” kind of like common sense. I have to remember I learned from my parents and I must do the same. Even common sense is learned through teaching and experiencing.

When it comes to being an artist, I confess also, I forget I can pass it on. Every person in the world has an artist in them. I hear time and time again, people say “I can’t even draw a stick figure.” Wrong, you just haven’t had the right person find and hone in on the artistic style that best suits YOU. Maybe stick figures aren’t the right artistic outlet for you!

In closing, think a moment on what your strengths are. What are you a fountain of knowledge in? What impact can you leave on this earth for the younger generations? Share, teach, inspire, motivate…Pass it on!

Iron Horses - 18x24 ECO friendly 3D Wall Art

When you are selling your talents or services as a business, the importance of being able to sell yourself is first and foremost. What is it that sets you apart from your market? What do you offer that nobody else does? Can you say you are unique in your industry of choice?

These are all important questions to ask yourself when trying to market yourself or your art. Think about putting yourself into the shoes of the potential client. What do you look for when you are looking for something to buy? You don’t even have to just use art as an example. When choosing a new pair of shoes or a shirt, what makes you choose one over another? A black pair of dress shoes is a black pair of dress shoes right? Why did you choose the pair that you selected? A mans plain white dress shirt is a great example to use. There must be several dozens of mens dress shirt designers and the style really doesn’t change very significantly, but why did you choose the one that you did? It’s pretty evident something had to have directed you towards the choices you made, even though you were presented with several brands of the same thing.

Scarlet Macaw - 18x24 ECO friendly 3D wall art

Being able to sell yourself requires confidence, perseverance and a lot of charisma. You need to be very confident about what you are selling. When you like something, you talk it up to others right? You tell your friends or family why you like that shirt or that pair of shoes. You give valid reasons that they can relate to, right? Sell yourself the same way. You need to believe in yourself and your capabilities. Nine times out of ten, you not only sell your art piece, but you will gain a returning client. This is an art…in this artist’s eyes.

When I think back to the home that I grew up in, I remember my parents decorating their living room with family photos, paintings and collectibles. My mother had a love for all things collectible, which at times caused me to feel a little anxious, always worrying about bumping into something like in a museum. My father on the other hand, had more of a clean look. He had paintings and collectibles that reflected his Indian heritage yet not covering all his wall and surface space.Overall I have to admit, though my mother had many nice pieces, I felt more at home at my fathers because I felt it was warm and welcoming without over-clutter.

When I ventured out on my own and decorated my own space, I was uncertain of how to decorate and make it feel like my home. I wanted a space that when walked into, I felt at home and gained a feeling of welcome relaxation without feeling cluttered or closed in.

When you decorate your home to reflect your personality, you usually add art pieces that reflect your tastes/personality without feeling cluttered.  With that said, where do you fit in this poll?

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What the Duck? Yes I said it! Awhile back I was introduced to a comic strip called What the Duck, by artist, Aaron Johnson. I find inspiration can be found in his little three box strips. I found myself sitting at my computer for hours looking back through his archives and enjoying every single one. I still go back and look at some of the archives when I need a little extra pick me up.

What is What the Duck? What the Duck is a comic strip about a duck photographer. The strip brings humor about situations many amateur and professional photographers relate to, but also can be chuckled at by any creative artist.

Aaron Johnson is a jack of all trades in some ways. Daytime Animator & Graphic Artist, Photographer, Comic Strip artist, band member and of course business owner of What the Duck. Back in 2006 he started What the Duck comics as a filler for his bands blog then grew to being added to photography magazines and newspapers internationally.

What the Duck has become such a icon in the photography community leading to the spotting of What the Duck all over the world! On the official website you can find a fan gallery of What the Duck spottings. It’s quite a gallery boosting over 800 photos!

With Aaron Johnson’s comic popularity, it has grown to carry quite the themed merchandise, such as: plush What the Ducks, water bottles, figurines, Signed Prints, What the Duck: A W.T. Duck Collection & What the Duck: Rule of Nerds books and even a What the Duck mini camcorder, not to forget What the Duck shirts as well as other humorous t-shirts  like my personal favorite: Photoshop: Helping the Ugly since 1988.

You can also follow What the Duck -Aaron Johnson on Facebook, Twitter, Youtube as well as  sign up for his mailing list.

In conclusion, no matter your artistic outlet, no matter your medium of choice, art can be whatever you choose to create. Even the simplest comic is creative art…in this artist’s eyes.

*Congratulations to Aaron Johnson & What the Duck, I wish you continued creativity & success.