All I Want For Christmas....

     All is want for Christmas is....nothing. Well sorta. This year we are doing something different. We are requesting that all those who would typically get us gifts don't. INSTEAD please give to one of the four charities we have chosen (links & info below).

Why this change? Well there's 4 brief reasons really:

1) We don't need/want anything
              
2)Anything we need/want I would like to proudly say we're able to take care of
              
3) There are kids, adults and animals in the world who have nothing and desperately need our help in various forms. THEY deserve this.
             
 4) Christmas is NOT about giving/receiving material stuff. It SHOULD be about spending time and enjoying the spirit of Christmas so instead of buying into the commercialism enjoy the festivities and give to someone who needs it.

     So we have carefully looked through many organizations and selected 4. To us these 4 touch upon general inate rights and liberties everyone deserves. If you participate in this please donate to at least 1 of THESE 4 ....NOT a random one of your choosing in our honor. We chose these 4 for specific reasons.

1)ASPCA ( https://www.aspca.org/donate )
Every animal deserves to be loved and the BEST critters come from shelters like the ones these guys operate. We chose them because they rescue animals, give shelter critters training, love and new homes plus they fight for the environment (a little planet we call home ) and animal rights.
              
2)Pencil of Promise ( http://pencilsofpromise.org/ )
Every child deserves an education regardless of location, religion, gender, sex, politics, finances, etc. We chose Pencil of Promise because they create schools all around the world, provide books, resources and train teachers. They may just be a drop in a pool of a worldwide problem but they put their heart and soul into education which is a step in the right direction.

3) Water ( http://water.org/ )
In America we take clean, drinkable water for granted and don't think twice before consuming tap water . Sadly though in many countries this is not the case and "clean"   is far from it. Water is an organization that helps provide clean water to communities around the world through wells, filtration and more.

4)International Gay & Lesbian Human Rights Commission
( https://iglhrc.org/content/support )
 EVERYONE deserves the right to love WHOMEVER they want regardless of whether they are a man or woman without being persecuted verbally or physically. Each country is on their own crusade for this cause but it's a world wide issue. We need to spread love and equality of love. International Gay & Lesbian Human Rights Commission fights for  just that.

Final 2 minor notes: 1) We chose these organizations for a reason and they are all near and dear to us. I know there's a lot of great organizations out there or perhaps these aren't your favorite. Well please don't suggest your own instead because we chose THESE organizations . 2) We are still cool with birthday items so please don't forget Danny's Birthday! His birthday may be close to Christmas but NO it's not the same (unless he's Jesus and then I've seriously been out of the loop lol) so no, one does not count for the other :)

Happy Holidays...to come!

26: A Year in Review

26. I am no longer "mid 20's" and on the demographics I am gauranteed in the next bracket. This year I celebrated my birthday as I best could with my other half in a land further off than this far off land. The idea was peace and indulgence. So after a normal morning and wonderful walk with the pups I went off to the spa  where I recieve a fantastic experience! A 2 hour herbal body massage and a free facial to boot. Not only did it feel fantastic but she was able to get the knots of out my shoulders! Those of you who have known me long know what a big deal this is and she is literally the ONLY massuse that has ever been able to. After my relaxation I picked up my favorite Indian food from my favorite Indian place (Delicious) and went home to the pups where I was able to indulge in yummy food, yummy wine, yummy ice cream and fun tv. A perfect time.

So what have I been up to during the year of 25? A lot actually. Lets see .... Paul Mitchell was put on pause so we could move to Japan! Moving in itself was long, tiring and a bit of a headache but all 4 of us are happily in Japan in one piece and learned some pointers along the way. We have traveled to many places in central Japan including Tokyo, Chiba, Fuji, Jogashima and more. We've seen sumo, flower carpet, winter illumination and river boating. I can't even list all the new food we've tried. The pups have gone hiking all over and even to an aquarium! I've had quiet and interesting year with a spouse organization (those of you who know understand what I'm talking about ) and may I say...never...never again. That being said though I've made some incredible friends and found deep seated loyalty. Traveled to South Korea and saw the wall amongst many other things. Surprisingly fell in love with Seoul- like a Asian Chicago. Visited Singapore which I can only refer to as the Vegas of Asia as they like to charge extra for everything. However we did hike in rainforest, went to the most southern point of mainland Asia, fed giraffes and elephants, rode and elephant and had breakfast with an orangutan . Hiked Mt. Fuji at night to see the sunrise. Have gotten accustomed to rolling earthquakes and typhoons.  Visited Kirin Brewery. Also not only have I been quadrupling my Ardent Prints business online and at bazaars I've been teaching both at the school and private art lessons Looking at where we will go next for our shore tour but no official word yet. Looking into schools to finish cosmetology and it's looking good. Oh and we're planning a really awesome trip for this winter but more to come of that later. Oh and my hair is not blonde for now, symmetrical and growing out .

Thank you to all those who sent well wishes, my incredible family, my playful pups and my wonderful husband . I look forward to what 26 is brewing to have in store.

Fall Bazaar in Review

     Wowsers ! What an interesting bazaar it turned out to be. To set the stage I had increased my inventory including smaller items, stocked the cards and appropriately priced items adjusting for the cut that organization take. I was ready! On the downside one of the largest ships from base was pulling into a close port so it seemed like 1/2 the wives associated with that ship were gone! Oh and then there was the typhoon that kept creeping in causing the bazaar to be shut very early on Sunday.
     Interestingly enough I actually did very well. I can only attribute it to my work, the vairety and the better vendor spot. Even then though it was a pleasant surprise. My profits actually went up by 20% compared to the last bazaar even though in total the bazaar was open 5 less hours than the last event. Makes me wish we could have stayed open longer and makes me wonder the possibilities had more people been around. That being said I will gratefully take it.
    Along with that since the 2nd day was cut so short I offered a limited time deal for my Etsy page , (Ardent Prints) with a "Typhoon Sale" so that all those who missed out because of the storm could still purchase items at a better deal. The great thing is that this offer actually worked.
     Overall I'd say it was a great success. Now the debate is on as to whether I should participate in the spring one. Why a debate you may ask? Well we SHOULD, (key word should) be PCS'ing in the spring meaning our packout could far very close to the spring bazaar. Luckily I have time to decide.

New Gadget

     You may have great product or great adventures but what good does it do if the photo itself cannot convey it. Instead of robbing ourselves in the isolation of the iPhone's capabilities we decide it was time to grow up and purchase a grown up camera. Say hello to our new gadget.

    It's a Nikon D5200 with an 18-55 mm lens. Along with our purchase price the strap, charger, SD card and bag were all included. There's various settings, zoom, focus, effects, a flip screen, additional flash ability and more.
We've spent some time playing around with the features and it's abilities though to be honest we've only scratched the surface. There's plenty of research to read up on especially for upcoming adventures.

     Needless to say we are very excited with our new gadget and all the incredible photos yet to come. Make sure to stay tuned as the pics start streaming in.

Fernweh

Fernweh is the longing for far off places. It's a bit like the opposite of homesickness. Between fernweh and our deep desire for once in a lifetime adventures it's no surprise that we hiked Mt. Fuji. It was a long arduous journey overnight but provide an incredible sunrise view and spectacular artistic inspiration. Just to let you know the nitty-gritty of what we went through here is some statistics along with our own.

~Mt Fuji is one of Japan's 3 Holy Mountains. 

~It's a strato-volcanoe. 

~Last erupted 1707-08. 

~Tallest mountain of Japan with the summit at 3, 776 m (12, 389 ft). 

~Average day ascent is 6-8 hours. Average night hike is 7-9 hours.

 Ours was 8!

~Average descent time is 4-6 hours. We descended in 3 hours. 

~Official hiking season is only June - September pending weather. We hiked August 16th/17th.

~You can receive "stamps" on your Fuji walking but there's a special one for doing a "sunrise" hike. 

~Snow stays on the mountain ALL year round. It was between 30-40 degrees Fahrenheit when we summited. 

~Seeing the sunrise from the top of Japan is considered the "best" way to hike Fuji. Sun rose for us at 5:06 am. 

~Approximately 300,000 people climb Mt Fuji yearly.

Some Foreign Inspiration

Wowsers! June FLEW by. Oy! But to be fair half of my June I was out of the country. This travel provided some incredible experiences and amazing, inspirational opportunities. First I went to Korea, (Seoul specifically) for a week and then I went to Singapore for just under a week.

Let me just say Seoul, South Korea ( or the Republic of Korea as they refer to it) was a very pleasant surprise. I, admittedly, was ignorant as to what to expect about South Korea besides the DMZ and Korean BBQ but there's SO much more. There are a plethora of art galleries all of which hold their ground within art world standards. There are more coffee shops than you can shake a stick at and there is so much culture that they are eager to share esp if you venture away from touristy areas and are one of the few foreigners present. Inspiration wise... let me start with the DMZ. It was a very bizarre and surreal experience because a shrouded land straight from a dystopian novel lies just across a barbed wire fence that appears about as formidable as a property line fence. The lands between the countries appears so incredibly calm and peaceful. There's even people who have picnics and the area between has so much wildlife that have reclaimed it. And yet there is so much turmoil hidden. It's like an ultimate calm before the storm, that second before the gun fires in a cross country race, the climax before the drop in a roller coaster. It was interesting and awwing but a little uneasy. I want to incorporate this tense/peaceful feeling in some work I just need to figure out exactly how. The other thing that I think was inspiring were some of the color choices in the palaces. They were SO bright! Almost like neon colors and intricate patterns and yet it somehow boldly worked without being too obnoxious.

As I said my next trip was Singapore. It was an interesting land of contrast: jungle and wildlife vs exploited tourism. Obviously if you know me you know I prefer the former and thus the inspiration for this trip. We saw an incredible amount of animals up close and personal from animal feedings to wild ones while hiking. Not only did I get to see the anatomy and their movement but I think they showed their personalities a bit too. That's something that I'd like to convey. Not just a beautiful elephant but an intelligent, kind elephant. Not only a troop of baboons but a playful family that mirrors our own. Along with the animals I saw so many flowers. Too many to count and photograph but I did managed to get a few shots. Flowers are a tricky thing because they have finite edges but their folds, and lines are so delicate there is more implication that definition . I walked away with some fantastic references.

Travel provides insight and I really doubt I will ever get enough travel. There's so much beauty to see and culture to embrace.... yet so little time to do so. I don't want to miss out so don't plan on seeing me slow down anytime soon.

My Temp Studio Space

     As promised you shall take a peak at what I call my studio space. Let me preface this with 2 things . First this is a "temp" studio space since we rent there are obviously limitations and things that I would change if it was ours to do so. Secondly is "If a cluttered desk is a sign of a cluttered mind then what is an empty desk a sign of?" I completely agree with Einstein and as you will be able to see from my desk my mind is not empty! I thought about trying to make it pristine and perfect....but that's SO not me so why the ruse? Nope. Instead you get the creative chaos.

     I do live in a creative chaos. Ideas strike all the time so my sketchbook is always on hand and my mind runs in fifty different directions never staying one task more than a few hours at a time in the studio. This makes it so that I want access to my supplies at any time and hopefully they end up back in their home. Equally important to the accessibility is the inspiration. Even though this is not a show room all the elements represent my interest and style. It's good to surround yourself with the image you wish to create.
     I love my little window to view the mountains in the distance and the window behind me looks upon our garden. Or I can watch the dogs run amuck from either. No I don't have a standard chair... I have a yoga ball. Two reasons: 1) I stand most of the time I work. I know this is probably not best for the longevity of my back and shoulders so I am looking which brings me to 2) I am VERY picky about my chair-to-be. One day I'll find it. Also maybe you've noticed there is no printing press. But how? I'm an illustrator focusing in print making! I hand burnish all of my work so yes do appreciate the care and time that goes into each one. I would like to eventually have a printing press but they are ridiculously expensive so right now hand burnishing works just fine.
    The best part of my studio are my 2 helpers. Bently rarely leaves my side but maybe to check in as to where his brother is. Fredrik's loyalty is to that of the sunspot . Wherever that is that's where he is but he will check in occasionally. I hope you've enjoyed a look into where the work is created. Visit ArdentPrints to see some finished products.