Sunday, January 29, 2012

Becoming a Professional


This card was made for my mom's 66th birthday!  One of my favorite cards I've made recently, I think because of how the paint looks, how inspired it was (I realized she was turning 66 and the wheels in my head began to turn), and how personal to her it is.  Along with this card, a donation was made in my mom's name to the Route 66 Preservation Foundation, and the guy who runs the organization, Jim, called her up that day and sang "(Get Your Kicks On) Route 66," which was originally sung by Nat King Cole (you can here Cole singing it here). 

The card measures about 4"x7" and is made of construction paper, gesso, paint, craft sticks, a straight pin, permanent pen, and distressing ink.  Now, my mom isn't necessarily a Route 66 fanatic, but she does love to travel (driving is her main means of transport), and there are some other connections I was able to make. Plus, I love what Route 66 represents: travel and road trips (and everything that is good and bad about them!), nostalgia, a piece of American history, supporting local businesses, and an appreciation of the big expanses of nature and countryside that make up the United States, especially the West.

Small accolades story: When my mom received the card (which she loved, btw), she was with some in-laws. She reported that one of them (who I've only met once) said, "This is the best card I've ever seen!"  Yay!

This weekend, I've been working on creating my very first art resume, for submission to an organization that is hosting a professional development workshop for artists that I'd very much like to attend this spring.  The concept of writing this resume was intimidating at first, but I have to say that now I'm doing it, it is fun and validating!  I have really come a long way since August 2008, when I started this blog and first started thinking of myself as a professional.  This process makes my dream seem one step closer to reality.  I'll keep you up to date on the process.

3 comments:

Nessa said...

That card is amazing and looks fantastic! Good luck with your resume -- you definitely should consider yourself a professional.

Ashley said...

Hi Heather! I know who said that because I was there in person -- and how fun it was to hear him say it! (That's my sister, I thought! Yeah!!) And seeing the card in person was even more fun. What an awesome idea and project. Also I'm glad it was fun for you. The resume sounds cool. When I made my music resume years ago, it was fun to see all my accomplishments on one page. It would be fun to see yours once it's complete. Love, A

Lindsay Gage Natale said...

Love it heather!! You are soooo dang creative!