(Read this travelogue entry for the full story of how this collection – ‘Journey Through the Seven Seas’ was born.)
*****
I pledged for a Brave Year, and this past weekend at the Jackalope Art & Craft Fair in Pasadena, I had my first real test. I’ve been in 3 fairs so far, and as of the last one, it has poured (poured mind you, not a drizzle as is typical of Southern California ‘rain’) two times out of three! Perhaps the Universe has something to tell me or perhaps as weddings go, rain is good luck.
But first, as with all things that take courage, I was resistant. I had signed up a few moons back and paid only passing attention to being part of a 200-vendor fair in the heart of Old Pasadena town. About 2 weeks before the fair, this awful realization dawned and fingers of real anxiety crawled up my spine. 200 vendors! 1 hour’s drive away! Loading and unloading all by myself! My first boothmate! What did I get myself into?
I conjured up many reasons for why I didn’t want to go. Putting your art out there in the world is a Big, Scary Thing. Even though it wasn’t my first time-I was 3 times in the game, the novelty of being a Traveling Art Show had worn off, I was now in it for real.
As a little boost, I gathered my circle of cheerleaders who reminded me of all the important reasons why I had signed up in the first place. Spreading enchantment through my art, connecting with and transporting kindred spirits to magical places right here in our own wonder-filled world, putting smiles on faces.
And what a day! After my little Victorian-magic-act traveling show was set up in the beautiful park in the heart of Old Pasadena, and I had greeted my lovely boothmate Sabina Horvat (check out her gorgeous pottery on Etsy!), I was very very glad I went. The sense of community was sparkling and vivacious, I liked everyone I met, and as an artist working in solitude most days, being at a fair with 200 other folks who have also chosen to make their passion their living fulfilled a gathering need that was both primal and visceral.
But nothing made my weekend more than one little paleontologist-to-be who wanted her Totem Card painted with a little allosaurus. You see, I had set up a Totem Card-Painting Station as part of the enchantment. Everyone was welcomed to stop by to request a totem painted on a small, handmade paper card, live. This quiet little charmer hugged me spontaneously, as only a child could, after gasping in sheer amazement at her allosaurus totem coming to live on paper.
Nothing was sweeter than this moment, a potent and poignant reminder of how art can be so joyous. Why the Traveling Art Show existed in the first place.
Despite the rain, being a part of Jackalope was truly special. The ocean spirits I had met, who came by to be mesmerized by the watery realm and to collect my paintings, the wonderful children and adults whose totems I painted, my fellow fair comrades-all in a milieu soaked with such warm and vivid creativity that I realize why so much heart and heartache is poured into these gatherings, and why so many come back, over and over again, to peddle their imagination to a mercurial world.
