Facing our fears

We may be only midway through October, but I know you have seen the signs. Forest of Fear in 3D! Don't get lost in the Enchanted MAiZE! I am noticing a theme. This month seems to bring most of us this feeling that if fear isn't finding us yet this season, we should go find it first! Initially I thought, "Fright? Fear? How could those be good?" Then I remembered the wisdom of ages:

"Let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself." -- Franklin D. Roosevelt

"Danger? Hah! I walk on the wild side. I laugh in the face of danger." -- Young Simba

and finally, my favorite,

"You have to systematically create confusion, it sets creativity free. Everything that is contradictory creates life. " -- Salvador Dali

Ok, that last one may not connect with the theme as readily. I think that Dali meant that every time we take our ideas for granted, they become less meaningful to us. There is no creativity without a search for meaning. Thus, intentionally setting ourselves on the fearsome, bitter edge of "what could be" reminds us to keep searching. And to keep creating. To put it simply, I believe that the miracle of a new idea is born from a fear faced.

So what if a creative victory is followed by the fresh anxiety -- Will someone else appreciate this new thing I have made, what my creative drive has forged? Take this added discomfort as more fuel for your fire! I'm reminded of this line from Fiona Apple: "But he's no good at being uncomfortable, so he can't stop staying exactly the same." The song, "Extraordinary Machine," goes on to relate how this poor fellow's unwillingness to face fear head on drives away the possible object of his affection--a beautifully reckless female. Sorry to tell you that he ends up lonely and uncreative.

When we're in the nitty gritty of confusion, we may rally with others who have similar fears. (Being a klutz, I have always wished that there were a convention for creative goofy souls like me. Like "Welcome to the 5th Annual Jewelers Who Can't Stop Spilling the Beads Fest! We hope you brought your whisk broom!") Maybe that's why the fear season is also fair season. I'm betting that when St. Elmo's own artist market and holiday festival rolls around, a number one topic of conversation will be how as individuals, as crafters, and as a community we have freed our creativity and beaten the odds. We had challenges -- physical pain, lack of funds, too little time. We had trepidation that our ideas might not reach fruition. But in November we'll gather to proclaim in metal and fabric, paint and wax exactly how we have burst our bonds.

So I ask, are you a caged bird ready to beat a wing and sing? Are you setting your creativity free within our contradictory, confusing world? How will you embrace fear this October? As always, feel free to tell us about new ways you want to share your light by commenting here or by email!

Reflections on Biography and Handiwork

Meet the author:
Hi! I'm Caris (rhyming with Paris). I moved to the Chattanooga Valley to attend college 5 years ago. After a brief stint back in my tiny Virginia hometown in 2007, the scenic city beckoned again and they haven't been able to get me to leave since. I'm happiest anywhere there are people to get to know and beautiful things to create or study. When I am not chillin' at my sweet place of work, I love to spend hours making jewelry and analyzing life. Hope you enjoy my thoughts! Love,C

Two weeks ago this Saturday, the art-loving people of our fair city descended upon the galleries of Chattanooga. Most artists everywhere are nothing if not social beings, so I was not the least bit surprised to see faces of every color, shape, and size all aglow with the anticipation of viewing and purchasing new works, old works, even not-yet-completed works of art. The warmth of Gallery Hop night should not be attributed solely to lingering September heat, nor the stir of wine and good food. Instead, the atmosphere was one of barely contained jubilance at the sharing of this thing we call Art.

After the close of the evening, artist Shaun LaRose was packing up his paintings when a friend asked his eldest daughter if she had been the inspiration for his work "Talk to Me," which pictures a bird nestled in the hands of a young chesnut-haired girl. She replied with the admirable honesty of a 10-year-old, "Um, not really. I know it looks like me, but that tends to happen in Dad's paintings a lot." She had struck upon something big -- Shaun's work is what it is because of his life as a husband, a working father of five, as a student and entrepeneur. His own story flows through his glaze-laden brush.

A few days ago I received another confirmation of this incarnational essence of art. A new friend of Umbra had dropped in for some birthday gifts to herself. Our conversation built from discussing e-commerce and artists' cooperatives to a stirring question: How many craftspeople and artists must be waiting for their chance to share their creations with the world? To put it simply, my fascination with the stories behind each objet d'art in this shop was much rejuvenated within five minutes of casual chatting with her.

In short, the twin concepts of biography and handiwork are what could keep me at Umbra 24/7/365, poring over artists' webpages and catalogs. (I mean, this is what Jamie bases her entire business on!--the Umbra, the deepest part of the soul made available for others to see, touch, and taste.) I am constantly intrigued to discover the little things that have transformed regular Joes and Janes into the makers of the beautiful works you see in this store. I just can't get enough of these stories, so allow me to relate just a bit about two artists whose tales have been the object of my affection of late.

Judy Vilmain and Patrick Meyer are both making their marks in metalcraft. Though very different in approach, each is blazing a trail as a new pioneer of pewter -- a medium that has been in use for no fewer than 2000 years! A mere 10 years ago, Vilmain was an experimental psychology professor with an ache to turn her hobby into a lucrative operation and to turn that into a vehicle for philanthropy. Her full line of functional objects for the home perfectly evince her biography as the daughter of a handcrafter mother and a physicist father. Pick up an understated leaf magnet or a gently weighted trinket box and you'll find the meeting of one part geometry and rationality, one part heart and hands. Her cohort, Patrick Meyer's works are fashioned of the exact same medium, but oh what a difference of aesthetic! Meyer began in university too, but from the other side of the lectern. His first career as a jewelry designer for some of Paris' premier fashion houses began with studying design at the “Ecole des Beaux Arts de Paris.” He has thus always been involved directly in the arts, and it shows in the industrial/ ethnic appeal of his nature-inspired dishes and serving ware.

Hungry for more tidbits? For more biographical goodies on new artists, check out our monthly artist feature in the right-hand sidebar. September features jewelry artist Amy McClure. I would love to go on, but I would end up with reams about Shadow May and Thorn Ridge Studios and Bella Luz and Jen Burrall and Tabbatha Henry and...so, just be sure to check here soon for more artists' stories. Or visit the shop to see their beautiful works firsthand!

Gallery Hop 2008 a Great Success!

Umbra Essence is filled with all manner of beautiful things.

Thanks for making our first year in the Chattanooga Gallery Hop a hopping success!