perfectionism

I have been thinking a lot about prefectionism and expectations lately. Especcially when we do art, we expect that the outcome be perfect. With kids' art we see it differently. We grant children to just have fun and excuse the imperfection of their images. When children become more reflective about their surrounding, it becomes clear to them that the way they portray the world is not in sync with reality. That is the moment when most of us were discouraged by art.

By doing a project like "mazecard" I allow myself to be imperfect. The expectation cannot be that every day I create a master piece, on the contrary, my expectations are very low. If I get to express myself creatively every day, then I have reached my goal. By overcoming that hurdle of high expecations I open myself to the possibility of growth. By allowing myself to create something imperfect, I allow myself to have - once again - fun with art. Perhaps you will join me?!



29/365, sent to Braunfels, Germany - by guest artist Yonah Light



28/365, sent to Venice, LA, by guest artist Ana Light


27/365, sent to Seattle, WA


26/365, sent to Seattle, WA


25/365, sent to Bremen, Germany - guest artist Yonah Light

Back to the routine

The snow has melted and our routine is back in full swing. The city looks gray once again and the magic of white and quiet is barely remembered. It is challenging to get back into the routine of creating and I find that I have stumbled across my first 'artist block.' The remedy to that is just to sit back down and begin and see what might evolve from a free moment and a blank card. I will surprise myself.

1/24/2012 sent to Berlin, Germany


1/23/2012 sent to Seattle, WA

1/22/2012 hand delivered within Seattle, WA

1/21/2012 sent to Seattle, WA

Snow Days in Seattle

We woke up to 5 inches of snow this morning. Schools are canceled, no cars on the roads, everything is white and beautiful and calm. Aside from going out sledding, cross-country skiing and building jumps for the slope, the kids had some tasks assigned to them. They were invited to act as guest artists in my postcard project. After some complaints, all three kids were actually involved in creating art for part of the morning. Below I am pleased to announce guest creators Ana and Ephi Light.
An impression from the snow day: Taking a walk this morning I thought for sure that the mail was on hold and the postal service not working. But, alas, I saw at least one mail woman faithfully delivering her loads of important mail amongst unimportant advertisement. I was impressed and felt a little sorry for her to do such a hard job for what must mostly be junk mail! Let's write more letters so that the mail men/women actually have meaningful work to do!


20/365, to Bliesdorf, Germany, by guest artist Ephi Light



19/365, to New Jersey, by guest artist Ana Light

18/365, to Brookline, MA

17/365, to Jever, Germany

16/365, to Pelham, MA

15/365, Seattle, WA

designer lense

An undertaking like this requires some discipline. I have to make it a priority to carve out the time to think of ideas, to do the actual art and to then sit down to write a card. When being pulled in all different directions, the act of creating and writing can be quite grounding. Throughout the day, I look at the world with a designer lense - which image may be appropriate for my next card, what symbol is pretty enough to replicate, what artist inspires me. When I am at the dentist, instead of being preoccupied with the filling I am getting, I am looking at the machinery to find an interesting motif. The mundane tasks for folding laundry and cooking dinner become a little lighter, because my mind is busy thinking about art.

1/14/12, to La, CA


1/13/12, to LA/CA

1/12/12, to Seattle, WA

1/11/12, to Frankfurt, Germany

1/10/12, to Braunfels, Germany

1/9/12, to Berlin, Germany

1/8/12, to Washington, D.C.

1/7/12, to Berlin, Germany

Day 3 - 6

A week has passed since I began with my postcard project. Sitting down in the morning to create a small piece of art is a very gratifying way to begin the day. At the same time, I enjoy thinking about friends, old and new. Some addresses I have to dig up from old address books, others are more readily available. By writing a postcard, I find myself reconnecting not only with old friends, but also with an older version of myself. Exciting discoveries await me in the weeks to come!

1/3/2012 to Bliesdorf, Germany


1/4/2012, to Los Angeles, CA

1/5/2012, to Mountain View, CA

1/6/2012, to Kassel, Germany

A Postcard a day

A Postcard a day for a year!

Inspired by year long projects of visual artists and designers, I have decided to create, write and send a postcard a day. The purpose is multifold. I would like to spark my own creativity and at the same time to reconnect with friends "the old way." Remember what a pleasure it is to receive real mail in the mailbox. When I lived in Israel for a year and a half and e-mail was not yet an options, we would hover over the mailbox around lunch time and were so envious of whoever received a treasured letter from home. This project is designated to celebrate snail mail! May it continue awhile longer!

1.1.2012 sent to Germany, Giessen

1.2.2012 sent to Germany, Koenigswinter