Category Archives: general

2 things

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i’m gonna keep this short and sweet and will probably flesh out both of these points later in longer posts.

#1 – i have high quality #RESIST stickers, DIY yard signs (spray paint stencil on coroplast), and so far a handful of handprinted grey 90/10 cotton/poly heathered gildan unisex crew neck tshirts with blue ink for sale. message me with any interest and i’m happy to answer questions and/or hook you up. these are kinda basic tshirts that i can get locally at michael’s and a few other places so even if i run out i can probably go find more of them in whatever size you need. the unisex sizing runs from small through 3xl i think though they were out of 3xl when i went there, so i only have up to 2xl right now. if you need 3xl i can try to find some. these will be $20 plus postage. i am still sorting out what other brand/style of shirts i will do pre-orders for for a future run, so stay tuned if this kinda basic heavyweight unisex t is not your jam. (they will likely cost a little bit more though cuz they will be 100% cotton, lighter weight and probably premium quality.)

#2 – i have signed up for my second year of taking CVP (the creative visionary program) from art2life because they offer an 80+% discount to alumni to repeat the course and i didn’t really finish some of it last year and need the jolt of energy it provides to motivate me in the studio going into this year. i will write much more about why i decided to do so in a later post.

full disclosure: art2life like many companies has an affiliate program that pays out a percentage if you get new folks to sign up to CVP, and i have signed up for that affiliate program. so i will be writing a much longer entry about what the program and art2life in general has done for me and will tell you more about all that, but for now i just wanna tell you that art2life does a totally FREE week long online workshop to introduce nick (the creator and head artist/coach) and his philosophy of teaching art and to get people just making some fun art together. at the end of the free workshop they tell you about CVP if you have interest; if you don’t, then you got a free week of art instruction and hopefully made some fun art and learned a thing or two without any obligation.

the free art of your life workshop will be from march 3rd – 7th. (really bad timing for me since that’s mardi gras week, but fyi all the online sessions are recorded and sent to you via email so you can always do them later.) if you are an artist and want a fun week of working with thousands of people around the planet on some art prompts, or even if you aren’t an artist and just wanna try it out, have some fun with whatever materials you have on hand, and get a taste of this kind and uplifting community, or just find out what i’ve been going on about for the past few years with art2life, go ahead and sign up using this link that’s highlighted. as an affiliate i of course do not make any money off of you signing up for the free class but they do give prizes for the affiliates who get the most signups to the free class, so if you are even thinking about taking it, just go ahead and sign up using my link so i get credit for it cuz maybe i can win some free art supplies! (you can always unsubscribe from the emails if you decide it’s not for you.)

but seriously the free workshop is really worth doing, especially in these dark times we are in right now in the US. the upbeat, supportive community and coaches really raise your energy and for me it’s really inspiring and motivating – it’s not just about how to make art but how making art can help your life. i myself will definitely be tuning in! if a bunch of folks i know take it then we could do a little group to talk about it and share what we make!

anyways, more on all that soon but figured i’d put it out there as early as i could since people need to plan. and like i said, for my new orleans folks, you can always get caught up on the class after mardi gras – it might make a perfect post-mardi gras activity.

happy mardi gras everyone! attend your local protests! call your representatives! make some art!

new books about art & creativity

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since i’m just beginning to listen to one of these and have the other one on hold at the public library, i can’t give you a review yet of either of them. but both of these books have been the subject of numerous podcasts recently that i listen to, and seem right up my alley so i thought many of you might be interested in them too. i just wanted to share my excitement about them both. i’ll probably end up buying them as hardcovers eventually but i think i will listen to them first.

the first is your brain on art: how the arts transform us by susan magsamen and ivy ross. (buy on amazon or bookshop.org. or do what i did and read or listen to it from your library. if they don’t have it, suggest it to them!)

i first heard about it on nicholas wilton’s art2life podcast where he interviewed both co-writers of the book and discussed how the book came about and the concepts of neuroaesthetics or neuroarts. as someone who has had brain surgery, which is a traumatic brain injury (tbi) in and of itself, and had to go through a long recuperation which involved re-learning to use my vocal chords (well, one was/maybe still is paralyzed) and how to swallow, dealing with double vision and droopy eyelids, as well as a host of other fun body issues, i’ve been acutely interested in learning more about how the brain operates and how i can continue to help it heal post-surgery. i am also getting older and want to understand how to keep my brain nimble as i age. and, well, as an artist, i’m always interested in creativity and the process of art-making and how that impacts or is impacted by your brain. so this book seemed like a – pardon the pun – no-brainer.

i’m only on the first chapter but already i’m very intrigued and want to do the exercises they recommend. it’s hard to participate in them while listening to the book driving around or while walking a dog, so i’ll have to go back and re-listen when i’m at home and can grab a pen and a notebook or journal to play along. but the concept of neuroplasticity – the ability of the brain to form and reorganize synaptic connections, especially in response to learning or experience or following injury – is super fascinating, and i’ve seen it in action in myself with my own brain. so i want to learn more, particularly the role creativity or art-making can play. i’ll try to remember to post a review after i’ve finished listening to it or have had some time to digest it.

the second book has a bit more popular appeal due to its author, rick rubin, who is a famous hip hop (and other musical styles) producer. the creative act: a way of being (buy on amazon or bookshop.org) has gotten a lot of media attention and rubin has been interviewed on a host of radio shows/podcasts. i think i first heard about it on debbie millman’s design matters podcast – she did a great interview with rubin.

it’s not a memoir but rather a rumination on the act of creativity and what it is to be an artist. it does draw on rubin’s lifetime of working with all kinds of artists, in helping them express themselves and tap into their unique creative voice. i was honestly surprised when this book came out, seeing all the rave reviews and the very philosophical slant of it; i didn’t expect that from the founder of def jam records. but when i thought about it, it makes total sense, as rubin has worked with so many musicians over his career and his job as a producer is to get the best out of artists, help them be true to themselves. i’m very much looking forward to reading this one.

are there other new/recent books about creativity and/or art that you are reading? if so, please share them in the comments!

(i just signed up as an affiliate for bookshop.org and started my own art/creativity list that i will keep adding to as i think of titles. i’ve read some of these books and others are on my wishlist to get to eventually. i’m working on a similar list for amazon and will post the link when i have it. if you make purchases from my links, i’ll get a little kickback that will help defray the cost of this blog and/or art supplies or whatever. it takes time to write all these posts and i’m just looking for easy ways to monetize that don’t involve advertising.)

2022 is for selling art!

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so i’m back at it, devoting more and more time to making and selling art as the universe seems to be clearing my schedule of all other things. it’s kind of a scary time for me financially but i’m trying to lean into it and just keep keepin’ on. so i’m gonna leave this as a pinned post with the most important links:

my etsy shop – for paintings and stickers and other handmade things

my bonfire store and teespring (now called spring) shop for print on demand t-shirts

all of my links can be found here, so bookmark it: linktr.ee/artbymags

a few ways to art the vote…

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remember when we all used to blog? well i’m gonna try to get back in the habit and stop relying on facebook so much.

in the last few days i have become aware of a few calls for art to inspire folks to get out to vote in the presidential election in november. which is, you know, kinda important. and i fully believe in the power of art to inspire, motivate and galvanize enthusiasm for the election.

website design by https://simplesc.tt/

the first one came out of the blue from one of my fellow artists for obama, from that grassroots movement of creatives (of which i was a part) that came together in 2008 to help elect barack obama, culminating in the manifest hope gallery show in DC during the inauguration. he’s spearheading an effort based on the concept of UNITY – http://time2unite.org/. here’s a snippet of the email he sent me:

I’m reaching out to ask you to join an army of artists, designers and creatives. Similar to the work we did in 2008 for the Obama campaign, I have hope that together we can inspire other artists and designers to express a single message we desperately need to hear. UNITE. IF WE UNITE, we can secure this election for a Biden/Harris victory and move past 45, and begin to heal this country. Whether you are a progressive activist, a part of the exhausted majority, or an ideal moderate, we need to all UNITE. We need to once again illustrate a word and begin the process of letting things manifest themselves. Let’s once again unleash our collective creativity.

i plan to create at least one design, if not more, and i just love the idea of a grassroots visual uprising to bring people together to defeat the fascist in the white house. i encourage you to do so too!

the second comes from a new nola local organization, creative community league, seeking designs for a GOTV postcard campaign. here’s the post directly from facebook:

CALLING ALL ARTISTS: $100 for a winning Get Out The Vote (GOTV) postcard design

November elections are right around the corner! In an effort to support local Get Out The Vote (GOTV) campaigns, Creative Community League will offer FREE GOTV postcards to advocates and allies working in Louisiana.To support local artists, Creative Community League invites artists and creators to submit a design for a 4×6 postcard. From the submissions, three designs will be chosen. Artists of winning designs will be awarded $100 each. Deadline to submit a design is August 30. Designs should be full-color, 3 1/4” W x 3 3/4” H, and 300 dpi. Please send the image as a pdf to Amanda Sanfilippo at amandafromcreativeleague@gmail.com.

Launched in 2020, Creative Community League is an initiative that utilizes cultural strategies for movement building, supporting artists, storytelling, and other dynamic community engagement in moving reproductive and sexual awareness into creative spaces. Creative Community League is funded by the Packard Foundation. Visit us on Facebook at Creative Community League. For additional questions or if you would like a FREE order of 50 GOTV postcards, email Amy at amyfromcreativeleague@gmail.com.

sounds like a cool idea and i’m excited to hear about the new local effort. i’ll see if can come up with something.

the third i just learned about this weekend while attending netroots nation at home, this year’s all-virtual iteration of the annual progressive activist gathering that i’ve always wanted to go to but never managed to afford. this year on a whim i decided to apply for a scholarship as even their reduced covid-affected rate was more than i could handle financially, and surprisingly, they approved me!

it was a great experience, i learned a ton, and i was able to take part in several design-related panels/trainings, amongst so many others. during one of the diy design sessions, i decided to post in the chat about the above UNITY call for art, and was immediately approached by a woman from people for the american way (PFAW), who recently launched their own national “art the vote” campaign with the theme of enough of trump. they’ve enlisted several big name artists like shepard fairey, carrie mae weems, jeffrey gibson, tatyana fazlalizadeh, ed ruscha, deborah kass, and others, and launched a kickstarter to fund billboards in key swing states featuring these artists’ works.

jeffrey gibson’s “enough of trump” contribution

the kickstarter page explains that if they reach their goal – and they did, in fact they quadrupled it! – they will expand beyond the 12 artists they started with into other states. and so while i don’t see an explicit call for art on a grassroots level, i don’t see why folks shouldn’t use this theme to make your own version to spread wherever you live or online. i’ll update here if i learn anything more.**

so, there you have it. some inspiration. i frankly wanted to write this all down mostly for myself, so i’d remember to use these prompts to make something. it’s been hard over these last five months to feel inspired, frankly. but it’s time to get back to it, for my own mental health. i’ll show you whatever i come up with – you show me yours!

**edited 8/18 to add: upon reading the social media toolkit on the enough of trump website, i did find their “get involved” details:

Want to submit your own artistic entry? Make your own post on Twitter with whatever art you’d like – a drawing, song, poem, anything! 

Make sure to tag @peoplefor AND use both #EnoughOfTrump and #ArtTheVote in your post so we can find your entries – and we might retweet you!

(When you submit content to PFAW, you grant PFAW permission and a non-exclusive, royalty-free license to post or display your content on PFAW’s website and any other PFAW media platform. Content you submit must be your own original work and not the work of a third party.)

summer update.

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yes i know, it’s been a lot of months since i’ve updated here. i will skip over the boring parts but, hey, it’s summer! it’s pride weekend! i’ve made a bunch of stickers since i posted last! (i did a bunch of other stuff too but you probably already know about all that if you follow me on facebook, twitter or instagram or ever look at my etsy shop or teespring store.)

but here’s what’s coming in the mail soon. i tried to get them made in time for pride weekend here in new orleans, which is this weekend, but apparently i was one day off, as i got the shipping notification today that it’s coming monday. oh well. our pride is early in the month, though, and lots of other cities have pride at the end of the month so i’m hoping there are still folks who will want these in the next few weeks.

the rectangular one on top is 4″ x 3″ and the square one is 3″ x 3″. they will go up in my etsy shop as soon as i have them and be $2 each with free postage. or feel free to message me and we can figure it out with paypal or venmo directly.

i’ll let you catch yourself up on everything else by visiting the above social media links. and i’ll try to get better about posting updates here. happy pride everyone!

EDUCATE AGITATE ORGANIZE tshirts are ready!

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educate agitate organize black ink on red tshirts

these EDUCATE AGITATE ORGANIZE tshirts are finally ready!

limited run. canvas red color. bella/canvas brand. short sleeve unisex crew. 100% ringspun cotton jersey. sizes S – 2XL available right now.

$20 per shirt + $4 1st class domestic shipping for 1 shirt. ($5 for 2-3 shirts. 4+ shirts $7.)

if you are local to new orleans and want to pick up, no shipping charge, obviously.

if you need international shipping email me at: artbymags@gmail.com so we can figure out the cost.

send payment via paypal to: mags@artbymags.com (friends/family payment if you know how to do that)

send payment via venmo to: mags504

please make sure to email me your shipping address and sizes when you order!

i’m also taking pre-orders on:

-unisex canvas red sizes 3XL – 4XL. (3XL = $20, 4XL = $23)

-GREY unisex shirts. sizes S – 4XL (4XL = $23, others $20)

-and WOMEN’S bella/canvas relaxed fit tshirts in both RED and GREY, sizes S – 2XL (these are the only sizes available). $20 each.

thanks everyone for the support!