Susie Monday

Artist, maker, teacher, author, head cook and bottlewasher.

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The art I make is the result of a life-long love of pattern, texture and color. How I teach is a skill honed by experience (I started teaching creative arts to younger kids when I was 12). After earning a B.A. in Studio Arts from Trinity University, I helped lead an internationally recognized educational foundation, designed curriculum exhibits for schools and other institutions, wrote and edited for a major daily newspaper, opened the San Antonio Children's Museum and then, a dozen years ago, took the scary but essential (for me) leap to become a fulltime artist and art teacher.

About This Blog

This weblog is about the maker's life. The teacher's path. The stitching and dyeing and printing of the craft of art cloth and art quilt. The stumbling around and the soaring, the way the words and the pictures come together. Poetry on the page and in the piecing of bright scraps together. The inner work and the outer journeys to and from. Practicalities and flights of fancy and fearful grandeur, trivial pursuits and tactile amusements. Expect new postings two or three times a week, unless you hear otherwise. 

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    « At the Heart of Learning | Main | Thinking, Learning, Creating, Birthing a Book »
    Friday
    Dec052008

    Kreativ Blogger don't need to spell it right!

    I was nominated by Carol Larson over at Tall Girl Tales to receive this award, and it's fun to get the tap on the virtual shoulder. Mostly it's a hoot to have the excuse to peruse the other nominees and track back through other's blogs to find some real gems. Of course Carol is one of my regular reads -- she is honest, talented, wrestles with many of the same issues that I find wrapped around my brain. (Please Carol, use up the stuff, but don't give up making your beautiful art cloth.)

    If I had all the time in the world, I might do nothing else except read great blog posts. Alas, the real world interrupts! But this award was a great excuse to take do some recreational virtual sight-seeing. Like to see these rainy day photos from Rayna Gillman, absorb these practices for being present from Jeanne Beck, and throw up my hands at the wild and wonderful rants from Lauri Smith, a former (and I hope future) participant at El Cielo (and you think you have an excuse for not blogging) and well, a lot of other eye, brain and soul candy.

    I have been reading more and more that "the blog is dead" -- seems like the corporate/collaborative blog has taken over the field, with those like Huffington Post taking the top traffic and top readership awards. Not that I ever aspired to do more than keep tabs on my own work, remind myself of what's important, stay in touch with friends and family with a slightly more formal stance and a bit more care in the writing than the run-of-mailbox email. But I still think the blog has a place in our creative, social and collective culture online. (So does Seth Godin, by the way, and if anyone is a blogger to emulate, it's Seth). Tweeting on Twitter is fun, but you can't really say much in one sentence!

    I find that it's difficult to write some weeks, but I try to manage a tiny post, or at least a picture. Sometimes I need to stretch out and make long theoretical posts and deep-swimming pool philosophical diatribes. Sometimes it's just fun to have a place to record successes, completions, challenges and goals, and share them with an audience of more than the kitchen table. I love writing a blog and don't plan to give it up, even if the trend is overrun, overwrought, commercialized and co-opted.

    As a nominee:

    1. The winner may put the logo on her blog. (done)

    2. Put a link to the person you got the award from in your blog (done)

    3. Nominate 5 blogs.

    4. Put links to the blogs. (below)

    5. Leave a message for your nominees.

    Here are my nominees:

    Lauri Smith at Artsmith, because she needs to keep writing, kidney stone or no kidney stone. And her last post is about the funniest thing I've ever read by someone who's just dodged the big one. And also because she is young, and mostly I read stuff by people mine own age.

    Jane Dunnewold for her new image-a-day blog. Eye candy (and food for thought) indeed. And anyone who has ever taken a class from Jane knows why her brain and eye are worth following around.

    The collective posts at RAGGED CLOTH CAFE. Thought provoking, always. Wisdom-provoking often. Probably won't pass along this award as that's not the kind of place it is, but I wanted to put the link here anyway!

    Sabrina Zarca's political creativity and textural art. "Sometimes creativity comes in different forms. The art of organizing and standing in solidarity in the face of injustice is an art form worth perfecting! "

    And finally, Serena Fenton's Layers of Meaning. Says it all.

    Not all of these folks (most of them actually, except for Jane's daily practise) post daily or even weekly. But when they do, it's almost always worth reading. And, as you can see, I like the glimpses into worlds different from my own, the stretch and pull from outer limits that don't fall across my usual path. If I didn't read these blogs, I probably wouldn't have the richness of ponderings that I do!

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    Reader Comments (4)

    Thanks for the links. I too enjoy reading the Ragged Cloth Cafe. BTW, Kreativ isn't spelled incorrectly. This particular meme/award originated amongst German language blogs. It's "blogger" that doesn't translate. ;-)
    December 5, 2008 | Unregistered CommenterKristin L
    I love your blog, too, Susie. Your intelligent, thoughtful posts are a treat. I ordered your book and can't wait to receive it.
    December 6, 2008 | Unregistered Commenterrayna
    Oh. My. Gosh! I feel so honored! And yes, I really DO want to blog more but dang...this whole "real life" thing just won't stop.

    I totally love the book, btw.
    Aw man, now see this is what I'm talkin' 'bout: I'm supposed to pick up Claire at her rehearsal for her "very important Mouse part" in a production of 'The Pied Piper', put together by UTSA and the San Antonio Sympohony...but don't ask me how she got the part! I didn't take her to any auditions...I think the music teacher nominated her. Anyway...figured I have a few minutes to check a blog or two because I don't have to pick her up until 4:00.

    Well...the phone is ringing because it is apparently 4:00 and she is calling, "Mommy, are you ever gonna pick me up?" LOL!

    This is the whole "life" thing I hate! ha!
    December 15, 2008 | Unregistered CommenterLauri
    Excellent site susiemonday.squarespace.com and I am really pleased to see you have what I am actually looking for here: this .. as it's taken me literally 1 hours and 00 minutes of searching the web to find you (just kidding!) so I shall be pleased to become a regular visitor :)
    March 4, 2009 | Unregistered CommenterGomyTeencefom

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