Oh boy, last week was crazy you guys. I said good-bye to my workplace of five years. I’ll miss a lot of my co-workers but now it’s time to find a new job. Before that though, I had a special trip planned to Paducah for some art journaling fun! I got to see a good friend and visited such a cute and creative town. It was lovely being around a bunch of artsy folks and I didn’t think about anything but making art.
Our journaling weekend consisted of four classes taught by some well-known names in the mixed media world. All the teachers had so much encouragement to give and showed us some wonderful techniques. The other neat part of the retreat was that one day our workshop was held at Ephemera Paducah and the other day at the Paducah School of Art and Design, which was a fabulous space. Well, Ephemera Paducah was wonderful too but it was hard to see everything on the store’s shelves and not want to buy it all!
My suitcase was actually kind of empty going there as I figured I’d be buying some stuff and the other attendees were so generous. So many made swaps/trades or just had extra crafty things they wanted to share. My suitcase came back filled with maps, craft paper, beads, paints, so much stuff. Oh and I even won a gift package featuring some DVDs and a book by Mary Beth Shaw. I love her work so this was truly special. Of course I asked her to autograph my book.
It was really a wonderful weekend. I was tired from all the creating but it is such an energizing experience to be around others who also share the same passion. I’m so thankful for my friend who picked me up at the Nashville airport and drove us to Paducah.
In between some of the classes we visited some other local shops and some fantastic coffeehouses. I feel like we barely scratched the surface. I want to go back!
I got back home late on Sunday and yesterday was all about getting on the ball with the job hunt. I need to organize my space and sort out all the goodies that I brought with me. I should take a picture of that and show you! And, most of all I want to keep on creating art so I don’t forget all the lessons learned.
But, I certainly miss my blog too! I’m sorry August and September have been so sporadic around here but between vacation and the news that awaited me when I got back (the upcoming layoff), it’s been a bit hectic. I’m trying to make a schedule for myself so we’ll see how that goes. I will try to show you some more pictures from my art retreat if you’d like. And, I promise to get back to book blogging soon too.
So tell me what you’ve been up to? There’s so much stuff going on around the book blog world. What have I missed?
I’ve long wanted to visit Paducah, and I’m so glad you had an amazing, creative weekend! Congrats on the Mary Beth Shaw DVDs–the should provide lots of inspiration for your journaling and other artistic endeavors.
You have had a couple of busy months, and I’m sure all of it will be showing up in your art in one way or another! 🙂
Nothing exciting for me sadly. Your visit to KY sounds wonderful! I would end up spending far too much money on a retreat like that–but how fun to be around others who are into the same thing. It must have been a very inspiring weekend and nice to see old friends, too. So sorry to hear about the layoff–I hope you are able to find something even better without too much trouble and stress. Please do share more photos–always nice to see what others are up to.
That sounds like a wonderful trip and so much fun too! I don’t think I can resist buying some of those beautiful art materials. Though I’m not an artsy person, I think my eldest daughter will appreciate them more since she loves art and craft. For me, I suppose I’m more of the collector kind, haha.
Job-wise, I hope you’ll find something you like to do soon. I always like to think that an unexpected outcome may lead to a better opportunity! Wishing you all the best! 😊
Best to you on the job front. I will be going back to work in October and I’m as excited as I am terrified. Life will change drastically.
Jenclair – I hope you visit Paducah one of these days. It’s wonderful. I just wish I had had an extra day to roam around. Would love to go back.
Danielle – That was the hard part of the retreat – trying not to spend too much! haha.. Thank you for the good vibes on the job hunt. No fun but trying to stay positive.
Melody – That’s great that your daughter is an artsy girl! Well, sometimes I feel like a collector too. Right now I’m trying to put my studio in order and it’s a big mess! Thank you for the good wishes on the job hunt!
Care – Oh that will be a change of pace for sure but you’ll do great! I’m trying to keep a schedule so that when I do get back to work I won’t feel so out of it!
The art event sounded like a lot of fun. I am glad you had a good time! Saying goodbye is always hard. I hope you find a job you love with a great set of coworkers.