caricature girl

My Journey to
Land of the (almost) Midnight Sun...

I arrived in Fort Smith, NWT on Thursday afternoon and it has been a whirlwind of activity (albeit at a "Fort Smith" relaxed, laid back kind of pace). I was invited a year ago to come and teach an altered book workshop here and it was such a fantastic experience that I was excited to be asked back. This year, I was also asked if I would come a day earlier and draw caricatures for anyone in the town who was interested and since I wasn't already booked that night, I jumped at the chance.

My drawing gig at the museum on Thursday night was one of the most enjoyable events I have ever drawn at. It combined the best of the two caricature worlds I enjoy— retail and event caricature in the best possible way. I had a sign up sheet (compiled prior to my arrival) and people would just wander into the museum at their allotted time and they would sit and we would chat and I would draw them. Since I was being paid by the individual, not by the hour, I felt no pressure to rush through them as quickly as possible and this afforded me the opportunity to really get to know who they were and why they chose to live in such a remote (by my standards) place. It was a beautiful night of conversation and connection, which also led into a late night of wine drinking (by me) and discussion with my host Jeri Miltenberger.

On Friday evening, I began teaching the altered book workshop at the museum, with 5 students (4 of whom I taught last year) and it has been amazing. I feel less like their "instructor" and more like I am just observing the flow of creative energy and kind of nudging people past things that might temporarily snag or distract them. With such a small group (of highly skilled and creative individuals I might add) I have had the freedom to work along side them and participate in the creative energy (not just in a "demo-ing" kind of way), but in a purely creative and personally expressive way, producing my own unique journal in that special energy.

Since I recently began taking an e course from Kelly Rae Roberts called Tips and Tricks to make your Creative Business Soar, I wanted to create a journal that would accompany me on this journey, and I am SO thrilled with my creation. We have one more full day of creative play today and I will soon share some photos of the workshop, of the beautiful books that are being created around me and of my newest journal, and how I plan to use it through this course.