Insights on Fulfillment

Twelve years ago I began embarking on a journey that led me to where I am today. I had a steady job with a good boss and coworkers I loved. But there was something missing, coupled with an insight that all my life I had worked to help build successful businesses for other people. Although there was pride in that, there wasn't the fulfillment I was looking for. I enlisted the help of my coach and now friend, Erin Mesceji to gain the confidence I needed to take the leap to go out on my own as an artist and forge my own path in the world. Twelve years later, I am revisiting this year long course with Erin.

In our most recent session, the subject matter was Fulfillment. In this chapter, the book exclaimed, With fulfillment, you make a difference. Check. You feel rewarded. Check. Your quality of life improves. Ch...(cue in sound of needle screeching off the record). I told Erin that that was the struggle for me. When I was working from home, in my own little cocoon, I was very content, stress free, doing my thing, making my art, happily keeping house for our little family. I knew that I had a bigger purpose in this life, but I also knew that it wasn't going to happen within the small space of my home studio. What I had yet to realize was that part of my journey to lead a life of more fulfillment was to learn some life lessons for myself.

Making the leap from being somewhat of a hermit in my home studio to having a store front that is open 5-6 days a week, constantly being months ahead in planning workshops and events to keep the business going as well as dealing with the public, has taken an emotional and energetic toll that I could have never imagined. In the past three years of running my store and studio, I have been introduced to levels of stress, anxiety and sleepless nights, that have completely overwhelmed me. That being said, every day I go into work and look around me, I have such immense gratitude that I created THIS! Every time I am feeling down, I serendipitously have a student come into my office and tell me what a godsend the studio has been for them, a place of refuge in a tough world. It's been an intense dichotomy and I can see why several friends in the recent past have given up owning their own business, or close up the “storefront” to go back to focus on whatever their passion was that drove them to share it with the world on a bigger, public scale in the first place.

Sunrise in Bacalar. Where I go in my head on a tough day.

To try to deal with this dichotomy, I've been searching inward, I've been listening to great inspirational books, defining what self-care is for me. I've even been contemplating what life might look like not doing what I'm currently doing. What I keep coming back to is that we are all here to learn. This "Path of Fulfillment" has made me look deeper into who I am and how I present myself in the world. Am I walking my talk? Most of the time yes, but when I'm not, I'm REALLY not. I find myself being overly critical and judgmental with zero patience. I told my coach that my focus for the last few months has been being mindful of my compassion towards others. 90% of the time, I am the most compassionate person in the world, but that other 10%? You better watch out! And although she said that is being human, there's a big part of me that says I can do better. 

I always say that you never know what a person might be going through in their personal lives, what huge obstacles that they might be facing, what burdens they might be carrying. Here's where I can be guilty of not always walking the talk. That student who didn't read the confirmation email with important logistical information for class, may be overwhelmed caring for an ill loved one. The person who can't figure out how to sign up online for a class, might be an older person like my mom who isn't as technologically savvy as she wishes she could be and is just hoping for someone kind on the other end of the line to help her out. But I do find myself getting bogged down by the day to day stuff- The student who doesn't listen and I have to redirect a half dozen times. People who show up late. People who show up 45 minutes early. People who need my undivided attention and show up without an appointment. Students who wait until we are about to cancel a workshop to finally register. People who call for information easily found online. Misconceptions. Miscommunications. I don't know why I let myself get so frustrated with things like this, but I do and it's time for it to stop. Sure, there's always going to be the asshole that just wants makes things difficult, but really, over the last three+ years of doing this, I've only encountered a couple of people that fit that description. I think most of the time, people are lost in their own world, with their own stresses, health problems, family issues and burdens I likely couldn't even begin to comprehend. Maybe my lesson in all of this is to find that lacking compassion in the 10% of me that gets so frustrated. What was that book, "Don't Sweat the Small Stuff"? Perhaps I need to dig it out and read it again.

Does there have to be the dichotomy that I have been experiencing? I'm figuring out that I CAN have it all. I can have this great life and purpose AND live it with less stress and anxiety. It is my choice and I can choose what perspective to live from. Easier said than done, but now I've said it. Every day, even every moment is a chance to "begin again". I can tell you that for me, a regular yoga and meditation practice is important. And reminding myself that the proverbial "inbox" will never be empty. That as we checkmark things off our list, that another list is already in the works. The fact that when you have a business dealing with the public, there is just a certain amount of hand holding that will be required.

Embracing the impermanence of it all is key. Compassion and Grace. We are all a work in progress.

Nice Guys Finish Third

Gratitude for those who voted for Copper Cat Studio for best Art Class in Reno News & Review's Best of Northern Nevada 2018! After last year's ballot stuffing that awarded Famous Dave's (yes the chain) best for everything including best chef, best waiter, best appetizer, best bloody mary and more...even best margarita (yeah right), I kind of boycotted the whole thing. I didn't even realize that the first round of the competition was even happening until the last day of voting. During the second round I chose not to campaign to get votes just to see what might happen. I did this for the reasons above, as well as that I'm hesitant to cast our net too wide to get people to come to our studio. Recently, someone from one of the local news stations called to try to get me to buy advertising. I told her I don't advertise and besides I don't want to promote on that kind of scale. She said, Oh we can work with any budget. Then I had to explain that it wasn't a money thing, but

that we are a small word of mouth kind of place that doesn't have a problem filling our classes and I want to keep it that way. The energy here is amazing and we don't have problem customers. We truly attract the right people. I like the people that come to our workshops, so I'm likely to like their friends, and so on. I've always held that belief, even when I was working out of my home studio, that if one student showed up, then for some reason they needed a private lesson. Much of the time, they needed a safe place to be able to talk and we ended up connecting on a deeper level than if we had a room full of people. If it were two students that showed up, there was something in common with them that they were meant to connect. And so on. I am blessed to say many of my students have become friends that I deeply care about. We have anywhere from 8-15 classes, with a total of 30-75 students through the studio in any given month. We don't allow alcohol. Our teachers are professional artisans who exude enthusiasm and passion for their craft and who are exceptional teachers. It's kind of cool that we are a hidden gem and we got third place behind two places that can accommodate those numbers in a couple of classes. Congrats to Picasso & Wine and Pinot's Palette. I know the owners of both (I even painted the “Van Gogh Beach Scene” at Pinot's Palette) and they have paved the way for people in our community to learn what being creative can do for the soul. So thank you to all who voted and who gave a nod to Copper Cat Studio. Hoping that will bring more of our people together at the studio. Namaste

Twenty Years Later...

This week is the 20 year anniversary of my trek to the West. What an amazing ride it has been since making that leap! I have been so blessed with the people who have shown up on this journey- lifelong friends, great business colleagues, and even gratitude to the tough ones that have helped me grow too. After the end of a friendship/work relationship that felt more like a breakup, my good friend Linda told me, "People are in your life for a reason, a season or a lifetime". This quote has stuck with me and I feel blessed to have had the most amazing people show up at the right time, whether just for a conversation or a lifetime of friendship.

Kendra & I on our first trip to Reno

What brought me to Reno? Well, at the time of my college graduation, I was itching to get out of Oklahoma. I wanted to move away for "a couple of years". My brother had just moved his family to Reno from Baltimore, so my best friend Kendra and I made a visit out west and for me it was a done deal. It was Kendra's path to stay in Tulsa/Kansas City, where she went on to get her doctorate, got married and had two amazing girls. If my brother had remained in Baltimore, that is likely where I would have ended up too. But Northern Nevada was most definitely destiny on many levels....

Julie & I at my first Design job

In Reno, my first job was at an interior design firm. This pretty much miserable three month stint was actually the most serendipitous thing that could have happened to set up my journey for the next twenty years. I met my other best friend and soul mate, Julie, at this job and she has been my rock ever since. There was much that I learned at this job on a personal level as well as professional. I won't go into all of the reasons it was such a horrible experience, but will say it made a lasting impression and showed me all of the ways I did not want to do business or treat people in general. The last straw was the Scientology weekends we were expected to go to....I got the hell out, but not before meeting some amazing people in the industry and lifelong friends.

One of those friends was Suzanne, my first mother figure in Reno and one of the most dynamic people I've ever met. Unfortunately I only had her in my life for a year and a half before she passed away from cancer. She worked with the same design firm almost as briefly as I did, but it was the perfect timing for us to connect and change my life in many ways. First and foremost, she was responsible for me becoming a working artist. She was having a mural painted in her entry and I made the comment that I had always wanted to be a mural artist. She said, "Well, then do it".  Simple as that, but I guess sometimes you just need someone to say it! So she got me in contact with my first paid mural gig, a painting of Godzilla on a kid's wall and the rest is history. For the next 10+ years, I painted more than a hundred murals and did all kinds of decorative painting and faux finishes in people's homes and businesses. Another suggestion Suzanne had was for me to move in wither her daughter, as we were both trying to save money. That friendship was the most intense friendship I've ever experienced. With many fun, wild adventures, came some pretty dark times. A soul mate of a different sort, whose time in my life helped me with personal growth. Lessons in untangling myself from lies and manipulations that I never thought humans were capable of. Happy to say that two of Suzanne's other daughters remain a light in my life and her best friend Barbara has become one of my dearest friends as well.

After the design firm job, I continued doing murals here and there and made ends meet through waiting tables. Through a contact at the design firm, I got a job at Rapscallion, and being Reno, you can imagine the connections that that job alone spurred for future business endeavors. A typical  pattern in my work experience, my boss saw more potential in me than just a waitress and I was soon working in their office heading up much of the marketing. By then, Julie was working for a tile store and mentioned that she knew a designer who was looking for an Autocad person. I was wanting to keep my foot in the door in the design industry, so I applied for that job which lead to an amazing seven years as a designer. I began working with Kim when she just had a small office in her home. What started as an Autocad gig, turned into help with bookkeeping, then design work and then basically me being her right hand person in all aspects of the business. As Kim's business started to grow, we moved into a great little house in Sparks (then moved two more times while I was there). It was great to see the business take off and be a part of that ride! As with any job, there were ups and downs, but looking back, the memories I have are of hard work, but tons of fun. I will always be grateful for her generosity on many different levels, as well as the work and life experience I gained by working there. That was another serendipitous experience of meeting countless people that would be instrumental in the second decade of my life in Reno.

My last year or so there, I had become restless. I contemplated moving away again, considering a move to North Carolina to be near Kendra. They ended up moving back to Tulsa, so I thought about moving to the Northwest. When I figured out that it wasn't necessarily Reno I wanted a break from, but the design industry, I knew it was time to take the leap to become a full time artist. This was actually tougher than my move out to Reno! One of the great things about my job at the design firm was that it was flexible enough for me to take on mural work and to nurture that growing business. When I went out on my own November 1st 2007, I had plenty of work doing decorative painting, but what was really driving me was my hobby of the last couple of years, MOSAICS! I jumped right in doing large commissions, including the 1200sf mosaic mural at the bottom of the Peppermill Pools.

Because great things happen when you are on the right path, I met my husband in 2008 and we married in 2009. I am so glad I was already working as a full time artist when we met, so I knew I could do it, because soon after we were living together, the economy took a dive. With his support, I was able to get through a few lean years and remain a working artist and pursue my dream. On my end, I took on odd jobs in addition to my growing mosaic business. I helped a friend with her retail boutique, was a personal cook for a family of four and even cleaned a couple of houses on a regular basis. Always on a quest for personal growth, I ended up diversifying my talents by becoming a Reiki Master and certified Yoga instructor. Who knew that combining creativity, teaching, yoga and Reiki would create a unique business model as well as let me share all of my passions with the community? Although I am working my tail off, I am living my dream!

Check out previous blogs for the stories of my whirlwind journey of the past three years- Buying a mosaic tile business, how Reiki has influenced my life, my first retail store in Midtown, moving out of midtown, where Copper Cat Studio name came from, and finding our home for the Healing Arts Center in Sparks.

What a fun ride it's been and I'm curious to see what the next twenty years has in store for me!

Creating Community

Reflections on the upcoming ten year anniversary of quitting my day job to become a full time artist November 1st~

Over the years when I have sat down to try to get on paper what my "business plan" is, it always seemed incomplete to just write down monetary figures and projections of where I would be at the end of the year, 5 years, 10 years, etc. It was when I incorporated a more esoteric angle of what I wanted my business to be, that's when things started to shift for me in my "professional" life. In all of the guided journeys that I have been on, meditations and inner reflections, it all comes down to creating community. Creating a space where people feel safe, a place where people come to be nurtured, body and soul. That's where the idea of a Healing Arts Center originated.

Several years ago my friend Tami Brancamp and I partnered on a couple of workshops where we facilitate the creation of an I AM statement and then make a mosaic representation of that statement. Through guided meditation and brainstorming exercises, Tami helped us to come up with a series of words that were a reflection of how we want to show up in the world, but more importantly a statement that would be a daily reminder of who we are at our core. The words that I came up with were: Community, Create, Inspire, Peace, Humble, Divine and Light. You can see my finished mosaic in the picture below. It is a scary thing to do- to create a statement that might not feel true at that moment and for me still feels like I'm not quite there. Community has been a common theme in my journey and Create is easy. Inspire has worked it's way in with those two. The last ones were the difficult part. I'm not always so humble and peaceful- I'm working on not rushing to judgement, not being so opinionated and being able to recognize my own Divine Light. I beat myself up in my head for the things I have said, things I didn't say, making up stories about what other people might be thinking about my transgressions. I get irritated when I witness other people not give someone the benefit of the doubt, yet I'm guilty of that more often that I'd like to admit. I'm tough on myself, tough on the ones I love the most and I say f*ck probably a little to much in my everyday talk. I guess where I'm going with this is that I'm definitely a work in progress. We all have insecurities. We all question if we are on the right path. We want to know that we are fulfilling some sort of higher purpose while we are in these earthsuits.

My vision was to create a place of community. A place to feel safe. A place of creativity. A place that people can come to nurture their souls. On this ten year anniversary of the beginning of my journey to serve, I feel like I can say that I have created that place at Copper Cat Studio. I know that it will grow and evolve, but I also feel like I have arrived. And that abundance thing? It happens when you aren't focused on that being the most important outcome, but rather a higher purpose of serving one another.

Welcome to Sparks

Welcome to our Healing Arts Center. 

It's the space we envisioned way before we made the move to our first public arts studio in MidTown just a short time ago. Copper Cat Studio has moved to a seemingly unassuming space on the edge of Industrial Sparks. We are conveniently located right off I80 and McCarran, but just enough off the beaten path that the only people that walk through the door are meant to be here. 

  

  

This whirlwind of events happened at just the right time. I had no intention of moving before the end of the year, but when the rent increase notification came in late March, we were at the point of having to give location details to Artown and Reno Open Studios for their publications, and I was just about locked into doing a sponsorship for the MidTown Artwalk. Everything shifted in a two day span of mentioning to someone that I was thinking of moving and boom, we were on the fast track to move. I was able to meet deadlines for getting my soon to be current info to all of my show organizers, drop out of the Artwalk, and give my month's notice. The way it serendipitously came together, I packed up for my biggest show of the spring on April 24th and the leftovers were my first load to the new space that last week of April. We were completely moved out a few days later, did some setting up the first week of May, had a much needed Mexico vacation that had already been planned and were open the week after we got back. We already had workshops on the calendar and students registered for May and June, so we hit the ground running. In this first 9 weeks of being open, we've had just shy of 30 workshops both private and on the public calendar.

All of our instructors have come with us and Donna Smit, of Like Your Junk - Smitten Designs, even has a glass fusion studio in-house! I am in talks with several other artists in different mediums to bring their artisan passions to Copper Cat Studio. With the expanded workspace, we are able to hold multiple workshops at the same time- I can be working in my own studio/office, while Donna is teaching a private lesson in her studio, while there is a 12 person class in the main studio room and a 15 person workshop in the Gallery room. Oh, and at the same time, there could also be a yoga or guided meditation in the yoga room and people shopping in the seperate retail room. With two bathrooms, a kitchen and a grouting area, this is a place we fill nicely but can still grow into!

Come visit, if you haven't had a chance to. We are constantly getting in new artistan ware in the retail shop, new classes are being added weekly and there is always a fun project in process in the workshop room. Our hours remain the same- Tuesday-Thursday 11-6pm, Friday 11-4pm and Saturday 11-3pm, Closed Sunday and Monday. 300 Kresge Lane, Sparks NV

Expansion

Expansion. We talk about this a lot in my spiritual circles~ Allowing the Universe to conspire in your favor when intentions align and growth is inevitable.  In business, there's the literal meaning for when it's time to move on to the next phase of growing your business. Both of these are coming together in a serendipitous way for me. In our spiritual circles we also talk about these things happening at a more rapid pace right now and boy, isn't that the truth!

In my last blog I contemplated the next phase of Copper Cat Studio. In my mind, I was fine with staying in MidTown, carefully planning out the next couple of years to create what has always been my goal- to have a Healing Arts Center. I knew what components I needed in a space, but had no idea where to look. MidTown has been a great learning experience for me of what I want and need in that space. Definitely not a busy retail store front like I'm in now. Something easily accessible but a little off the beaten path. A place where people can easily come to buy supplies and local artisan gifts on their lunch break and not have to spend 20 minutes trying to find a parking spot. A place where my customers feel safe walking to and from their cars and not be hassled by unsavory individuals.

I have a way of manifesting properties- both business and personal, that is more than a little eery. So I knew when the time was right to move, the perfect place would appear...I just didn't think it would happen this quickly. I've learned that when you ask for something from the Universe, you can't put conditions on it, otherwise it doesn't show up. In this case, I happened to be picking up mosaic substrates at one of my vendors, Victory Woodworks on the edge of industrial Sparks. I had just been hit with a rent increase that was three times what I was expecting, so I casually mentioned to my contact at VW that I might be looking to move soon and if he hears of anything that looks interesting, let me know. And he said, "Well, we have a space that we just renovated and it's ready to go- do you want to check it out?" I said "Sure", thinking this wasn't where I wanted to be, but what the heck? Initially, looking at the space my thoughts were that it was way too big for my needs, but on the drive back to the studio I had completely space planned the unit in my head, realizing that it was big enough to do multiple workshops at one time, I'd have my own office, space for another full time artist, an area for my slab roller and kiln, a larger retail area, parking lot....and a yoga room! It was freshly painted, new flooring and move-in ready. The more I thought about it, it was the perfect location- right off the highway, easily accessible for Reno and Sparks customers. And for those of you whose first reaction is, "It's all the way out in Sparks?", it's three miles east of the spaghetti bowl...for me it's actually a quicker drive than my 3 mile commute to MidTown! With impending deadlines to get locked in to Artown, Reno Open Studio Tours and debating on whether to be in my current location for the MidTown Artwalk, I knew this either needed to happen fast or wait to move at the end of the year. When I found out that rent was the same as I was paying in MidTown for 1,400sf MORE than I have now, I was sold.  I met Don there that Friday afternoon and started negotiations on the lease on Monday. The Victory Woodworks people are some of the best people I've dealt with- personally and in business, and I can't imagine better landlords.

We have so many ideas for what this space will provide. My head is literally spinning. Artist friends as well as healers, yoga and tai chi instructors are contacting me left and right wanting to bring their gifts to the space to share. This is exciting beyond what I could have imagined!

We will be open at 20 St Lawrence in MidTown through April 22nd. We are attending Earth Day on the 23rd and move the week of the 24th. We will have a couple of weeks to set up and have some proper R&R and hope to be open for business by May 20th at 300 Kresge Lane in Sparks.

What's In A Name?

Today I verbalized it. I told a long time colleague from my old design world that I'm no longer painting. Not, "Well, I'm not really painting much these days" or "Maybe I could fit in". I'm no longer painting. Period. And to be truthful, I've really only done a handful of mural jobs in the last 5 years. My heart just wasn't in it anymore. At the first of the year, I revamped my website and took off any trace of my mural painting background. It just seemed right and  was also unnecessary to showcase something that I no longer offer, when focus needs to be on the current studio. 14+ years of painting in people's homes and businesses and already it feels like a distant memory. Just like some day mosaics will have run it's course in my life, painting is a chapter that is officially closed and it feels like a bit of relief. Incidentally, today I also ran across my old portfolio while de-cluttering my home studio. One of those plastic-sheet, photograph-filled, almost resembling a scrapbook kind of portfolio. My, how things have changed in a short few years.

People always ask where the name Copper Cat Studio comes from. A roadtrip to the Pacific Northwest with a good friend and fellow artist, and hours upon hours of talking, brainstorming about marketing ideas and designing our dream studios. At that time I was transitioning from mural painting as my main source of income to mosaics. Add into the mix- yoga instructor, Reiki master, personal chef, and other less glamorous jobs that helped me get by over the lean years and what it came down to is that I needed a business name that could cover many of the things I was doing and could potentially do in the future. At that time I was thinking about doing copper enameling and wanted to include my alter-kitty-ego and there you have it...Copper Cat Studio was born somewhere along I5 in the Cascade Range with Mount Shasta in the distance.

I love the how life evolves. Just because you are successful at something doesn't mean it's what you have to do for the rest of your life. I'm not sure if it was the daunting responsibilities of running a retail store, our very busy workshop schedule, or the heavy, gloomy winter getting to me (likely a little bit of each), but it really got me thinking about what the next chapter of Copper Cat Studio will look like. Don't worry, my plans for my amazing MidTown location will stay in place for a couple more years, but I'm already thinking ahead to that little place off the beaten path. A place without a retail store front- the REAL Healing Arts Center I envisioned when this all started. Who knows...maybe I can have both? This first year flew by, and as far as planning for workshops, I'm mentally well into the summer and soon half of another year will be in the books. This next "couple of years" will go by pretty quickly, and as long as I can continue enjoy the hustle and bustle of working in MidTown I will stay put. I gotta say when the time comes to move along I will really miss my cute little studio, tucked into the coolest pocket of MidTown. I love our little community of businesses on St Lawrence. I love walking next door to teach yoga. I love our family tradition of meeting on Friday nights after work to have a drink at Public House then explore one of the many wonderful eating options in a two block radius. It's fun, but it's sometimes a little too much for an introvert like me. So for now I will bravely put on my kitty ears and navigate this endeavor I began a year ago and we will see where it takes me.

Transformation of a Community

In the 18 years that I have called Reno home, I have witnessed a huge transformation in our community. In my early years, I heard Reno referred to as having the potential to be a Renaissance town, but that it was more of a jumping off place, where creativity is cultivated, but artists move on to bigger and better things. About 8 or 10 years ago things started to shift: up and coming artists not only stayed here, but artists were actually drawn here. Of course I think a huge part of that is our Burning Man community. What a surge of art that burners have created here! With artist collaboratives like The Generator, the possibilities are endless. Artown is so packed with amazing events, it's hard to pick which concert, art gallery, craft fair, workshop, etc, to attend on any given day in July.  And the community support of local arts is overwhelming. Art advocates like Oliver X of Reno Tahoe Tonight and Eric and Geralda of Art Spot Reno are making it their mission to bring arts to the community. People are thirsting for creativity and Reno is delivering.

One of the amazing sculptures at Reno's annual Sculpturefest

What I'm noticing now is a transformation in our community in terms of spirituality. With all of the turmoil in our society, people are looking inward to find a sliver of peace. They are looking for creative outlets to nurture their spirit, and I'm seeing that lead to more of a quest to find that sense of inner peace...and in turn, a sense of purpose.

I am inspired and excited to see so many friends who are doing an amazing job of raising the vibrational level and making a positive impact on our community. I think this is where it starts and there really is a ripple effect on the rest of the world. There have been so many people taught and inspired by my Reiki Master Teacher Denise Sheehan of Sage Spirit Coaching & Reiki, who are finding their calling to open businesses to share Reiki with our community. Urban Lotus Project is a non-profit created by Hannah Bias to bring yoga and meditation to at-risk and under-served youth in Reno. Have you been to one of Alchemist Theater's monthly gatherings? With a great mix of humor, music and meditation, they deliver powerful sermons that bring spirituality to us in a non-threatening way. These gatherings have been so popular that they have turned to live streaming because they sell out every month, even after moving to a larger venue. There are so many other local people and organizations that are paving the way as well, too many to contain in a simple little blog! Friends are talking of finding healing through singing bowls, crystal beds and floating chambers. People are thirsting for spirituality and yes, once again Reno is delivering.

When I began my Reiki journey 6 years ago, and completed Yoga Teacher training 3 years ago, I never knew how serendipitously they would all be blended with my journey as an artist to create a place for people to come to nurture body and soul. It is very exciting to see so many who share this common vision for our community and are finding purpose in serving others. It is humbling to be in the midst of the transformation.

Artown in MidTown with Copper Cat Studio

The last time I blogged we had just announced the big move to Midtown. Well, we hit the ground running and since opening in late January, we have had almost 30 workshops- mosaics, of course, and other mediums including Fused glass, Henna, Steam Punk Jewelry with resin pouring, wirewrapping Tree of Life and more.  It is so awesome to be bringing mosaics to the community at large as well as providing a place for my artist friends to teach their craft.  These past few months have been busy to say the least!

Photo: Digiman Studios

We are excited to be partnering with Artown in a number of events this year. Below is a list of events that we will be hosting or involved in. More information can be found on our website as well as the Artown website.

Mosaic 101   July 2nd
Mosaic Garden Stones   July 6th
Art In The Garden   July 9th (Copper Cat Studio will be closed to attend this show)
Glass Fusion Jewelry 101 with Donna Smit July 13th
Henna 101 with Kimberly Allcock   July 16th
People Project: Smaller, Artist Meet & Greet   July 17th
Junk Heart Pendant With Donna Smit   July 20th
Mosaic Birdbath   July 23rd & 24th
Midtown Artwalk   July 28th
Mosaic 101   July 30th
Half Day Yoga/Mosaic Retreat July 31st

 

Not listed on this roster of events is my involvement with Urban Roots in a community mosaic mural build. We will be working with children 5-11 years old to create a a mosaic mural for one of their structures. I'm really excited about this one!

We would love to see you at the studio for a class or just for a visit. I am there Tuesdays through Saturdays. 20 St Lawrence in MidTown next to Creme Cafe.

Katie

Going Back to Work

Eight years ago today I took a big leap and quit my day job to become a full time artist. I had been building up to it with my side business as a mural artist and my growing love of mosaics, but it was very scary to walk away from the safety net of a regular paycheck. The first year was great- I landed the biggest job (still) of my career~ The Peppermill pools, 1200sf of mosaic mural. Then the economy took a dive and I diversified. I love to cook and had a great opportunity to cook for a wonderful family, two dinners a week for a couple of years (Thank you Tammy, that little bit of income helped us to eat in lean times!). Those first few years, I didn't turn down any painting or faux finish job. I participated in every craft fair I could get into, sometimes even multiple events in a day. I worked harder than I ever have in my life but enjoyed every moment of it. There was just no way I could ever go to "work" for someone else! In the meantime, I completed all three levels of Reiki and became a Reiki Master, then got my Yoga Teacher certification, not sure how these would play into the big picture. The last 3 years or so have been flowing pretty amazingly. I have found a nice groove of mosaics, workshops, painting, yoga and underlying everything was Reiki.

About this time last year, ready for the next chapter, I put out the intention of having a community space for arts and healing. I didn't really think much more about it because I wasn't able to wrap my head around how it could actually happen. January came around and I had an amazing opportunity to buy my friend's online mosaic supply company. Step one in that direction. Then I acquired the inventory of another friend's stained glass store. Another step in the retail direction. Then over the summer I had a friend who was thinking about letting go of part of her space in Midtown and I thought, great space but no room for yoga and I had an investor that was looking to buy a building, so I wasn't looking to rent. Coincidentally, I was there meeting a friend for breakfast so that she could give me keys to the yoga studio next door where I was going to start teaching. But it didn't hit me until I was eating breakfast there again Labor Day weekend that this, in fact, would be the ideal location for my new studio. On one side, an excellent restaurant to partner with for catering during my workshops, and on the other side, the yoga studio where I happen to rent space as I need it. Kind of perfect, don't you think?  Oh and my favorite little pocket of Midtown, direct neighbors being Creme Cafe, The Yoga Center, Reno Public House, Neverender, Chuy's, Wedge, Dreamers and Macbeth Theater. And we would be renting, but better to rent for a few years while we figure out what our permanent place needs to be AND get to be in the heart of the artsy, fun place to be in Reno right now.

Soooo the Big Announcement~

Future home of Copper Cat Studio & Tessera Glass

In January we will be moving the studio to Midtown on St Lawrence St, next to Creme Cafe. This is the same spot that launched the popular Picasso and Wine. My working studio will be there, which means I will be there full time Tuesday through Saturday. There will be a retail section including mosaic tile, mosaic supplies, tools, books, mdf shapes, stained glass, and more. We will have gift items featuring several of my local artist friends. We will have workshops that can accommodate groups of 16+, including our ever popular Mosaic 101.  There will be shorter workshops for those who have experience with mosaics and are ready to dive in and we will extend our Full Day Retreats with Sage Spirit to include two yoga sessions, breakfast and lunch catered by Creme Cafe. And for those who have been asking- we finally will have room for OPEN STUDIO! There are so many ideas for workshops and we will even be hosting guest artists to learn other mediums. We are hoping to partner with Creme Cafe in not only catering during workshops and private parties, but to host a rotating lineup of artists that will adorn their walls and will coordinate to teach workshops in our space. A tentative Grand Opening party is planned late January to coincide with Creme Cafe's Fifth Anniversary. We are so excited we can hardly stand it!

Smalti

Smalti. For most mosaic artists, it's the creme of the crop as far as tesserae goes. The first time I was introduced to smalti, although I did not know what it was called at the time, was in my parent's church St Charles Borromeo in Oklahoma City. The walls are covered with amazing smalti murals. The first time I used smalti was in 2004 in a week long course at the Mosaic Art School in Ravenna, Italy, taught by renowned mosaic artist Luciana Noturni. I have to say the whole process of creating a mosaic in the double reverse method and using hammer and hardy, the way it was done in ancient times, was very intimidating and very time consuming. It was awesome to learn the process but at that time in my mosaic career, smalti seemed a little out of reach to experiment with, as it is very expensive. 

Fast forward to 2013 and I met a couple who have become one of my favorite repeat clients. They have lived the most interesting life of art and adventure, traveling the world over and literally roadtripping from the Arctic Circle to Antarctica.  You can read more of their journey at From Polar Bears to Penguins. They came to me with a commission for a bathroom countertop and the design to be inspired by a book of drawings that they had gotten on their travels. The one they liked the best was a drawing of a tree with all kinds of creatures intertwined and coming out of the branches and roots. As an artist, this is just the thing that gets you excited for a custom project! 

Inspiration for the Smalti Mosaic

They had insisted on smalti and I tried to discourage them, as last I had checked, smalti was ridiculously expensive. As I researched, however, I found that since I had worked with smalti in Italy, there were several vendors that offered smalti here in the US and even some that imported it from Mexico. I chose the latter and when I ordered samples I was very impressed with the quality. Still pricier than glass tiles, but more affordable than I had anticipated. The only way I can describe smalti is that it is yummy. The colors and variations are luscious and it cuts like butter. The texture smalti creates in a mosaic is unlike anything you can create with vitreous glass tile (...says the owner of a mosaic glass tile company). 

So we were all set and began the design process~

 

...And Complete!

Several months ago, they contacted me to create another smalti mosaic.  This time for their garden. The subject was St Francis and I was very excited because from childhood, he had always been my favorite saint. Of course we went the non-traditional route and used a folk-art drawing as the inspiration and it turned out just perfect for their garden.

In Process

Installed on a boulder in my client's garden

As I was writing this blog, I got an email from my clients asking when we can get started on adding more animals and birds throughout the garden. It's looking like more smalti is in my near future!

Serendipity

Serendipity.  It seems to be the word of the day.  Word of the past few months come to think of it. In my last blog post in October I talked about finding my groove.  Well, it just seems to be getting better.  And taking turns that I couldn't have anticipated.  Really good turns, but we will get to that....

Those of you who know me well, know that I have a gift of manifesting things that are important to me. Almost to uncanny levels of detail.  We got our last two houses this way, so I turned my attention to my work life.  First, let me say that I already feel like I have it all.  I get to work from home, creating works of art that bring pleasure to hundreds (maybe even thousands at this point).  I attract the most amazing people to my classes and workshops. Basically I get to play mosaics all day every day and get paid for it. Not bad, right? I guess you could say that things were getting a little too comfortable and I was ready for the next chapter.  So I put it out to the Universe that I was ready. Ready for whatever it is that is going to take me to that next level.  My dream is to have a community arts center where I can hold larger workshops, have a retail mosaic supply, have visiting artists of all mediums hold workshops and who knows, maybe even a space for yoga and Reiki, the other two loves of my life. I had no idea how this was going to happen (and still don't fully), but something was presented to me that I just couldn't pass up. Something that is a huge step into fulfilling my dream.

Seven years ago I was shopping for mosaics online at a place called Mosaic-Tile.com (soon after it would be renamed Tessera Glass). As I was placing an order, I realized the company was in Reno. I called them up, picked up the order and we began chatting, totally hitting it off and that was how I got started teaching mosaics. I taught at their warehouse on Dickerson, then followed them over to their new location on Wonder Street. As I grew and expanded Copper Cat Studio, Don and I moved to a home that had a fabulous studio behind the house and there was finally a space that I could teach in of my own. Vernon and Andrea, the owners of Tessera Glass, were totally supportive of me going on my own and we have remained close and continued to send business each other's way over the years.  When the economy took a dive a few years ago they were hard hit but managed to hold on. They started another business in the meantime, Reno Screen Repair, and it has been a great success. As 2014 was coming to a close, they made the very difficult decision to let go of Tessera Glass and concentrate solely on the screen repair business. That's when it hit them that if anyone could take this on maybe it would be me.... It seemed like a no-brainer to me, a fully functioning online mosaic supply store with built in-clients, enough stock to keep me going for quite a while, and all of the support I need from people selling me the business, who want to see me succeed.  I'm excited to be keeping Tessera Glass alive and hope to make them proud by making it bigger and better!

So that Universe, I tell ya.  I asked for it. I knew something big was coming for the last few months. It was even giving me enough anxiety that I had to call in help from my Reiki Master Teacher and friend Denise.  She helped me work through it and the only condition I gave to the Universe was to get me through the holidays, give me some down time (which I didn't get because of another amazing surprise...and blog for another time) and to bring it on after the first of the year.  I got the call on January 2nd. As of Monday, the 2nd of February, I am the official owner of Tessera Glass!  It will remain an online store for the time being, but I'm hoping to have a storefront with larger workshop space within the year. Maybe go back to our roots on Dickerson?  It was our dream that Dickerson would someday be the artist enclave that it has now become.  It wasn't our time then, but maybe now it is....

So back to Serendipity. It seems to be happening on a minute to minute basis lately.  One particularly cool thing was the day that we made the "handshake deal", I went to teach a yoga class that afternoon and one of my very first mosaic students ever, from the Dickerson days was in my class. Just happened to be trying yoga for the first time and ended up in my class. I believe in signs. Serendipity.

Finding my groove...with Reiki

I've known in the back of my mind that I needed to update my blog, but I can't believe it's been a year and a half since I've written!  A lot has happened in the last 18 months.  I have become a Certified Yoga Teacher, we bought our first house, moved into said house (yes, that was worth it's own line item), completed several awesome custom mosaic installations, and traveled a fair amount.  We have two more Burning Man visits under our belt.  We have had many family members and friends visit us. My sister even came for a 5 week summer sabbatical and was a tremendous help with our move. We've enjoyed watching several friends become parents for the first and second time.  I've had some really successful shows and a couple of real duds.  I've collaborated with dear friends to host day-long and multi-day workshops that have been as beneficial to us as they have been to the students.  It's been an amazing time of personal and professional growth.

Sunset at Chateau Weaver

It's feeling like my own personal New Year.  I'm not sure if it's the mentality of buying a home and setting down roots, or if it's the fact that my 40th birthday is approaching....I also get a little introspective right after Burning Man too.  Maybe it's a little of all of the above, but I'm feeling the need to regroup, reassess and get a little more clear on my path.  The last couple of years, I'm finally in a comfortable groove- I have a steady stream of fun interesting work, I am surrounded by an amazing community of friends and colleagues, I am thoroughly enjoying teaching yoga, and am blessed to have the most supportive, loving partner.  Sometimes it just seems too easy.  For that I am grateful!  But what to do to keep that flow going?

I used to be the person to wait for the other shoe to drop.  Knowing that "This too shall pass" doesn't just refer to the difficult times to end and easier times to begin, it's also the opposite, and kind of makes me anxious.  There is an ebb and flow to life, good and bad, easy and hard, quiet and hectic, yin and yang. For me it just seems that the highs and lows have relatively small swings. I attribute this to Reiki.

What is Reiki?  From my teacher and friend Denise Sheehan's website, "Reiki (pronounced “ray-key”) is defined as spiritually guided universal life force energy that promotes stress reduction and relaxation and contributes to healing. Reiki, a form of energetic clearing and balancing, works on physical, mental, emotional and spiritual levels, restoring balance to body, mind, and spirit. Reiki also releases sub-conscious barriers and other obstacles, and empowers dreams and goals."  The great thing about Reiki is that there is no dogma and it isn't attached to any particular religion. I have friends of many different religious denominations and many with no religious affiliations who use Reiki.  To me, I just see it as another tool in the tool belt in addition to prayer, meditation and other daily practices that bring me closer to the divine nature which is at my core.

Kind of like my yoga practice, Reiki does not define me, but has had tremendous impact on my life...in a subtle yet profound way!  When I had experienced this sense of ease in my life for an extended amount of time, I looked back and the thing in my life that had changed was the fact that I had incorporated Reiki into my daily routine in a multitude of ways.  It's hard to say when things changed, but there was a definite shift. The right people came along at the right time, relationships were easier, I felt less need to control things around me (especially things I couldn't control), oh and abundance- in every aspect including prosperity. Work was flowing in, I was doing fantastic at shows.  I no longer go to bed stressing about money. Imagine that!

Great Reno Balloon Races from our backyard

So I guess when I'm thinking about how to proceed, it's to continue a life of ease, to be grateful of the many blessings in my life, and to continue to do my best to serve my fellow beings that chose to be on this journey with me. Mosaics and yoga and painting will work their way in there somewhere.

If you have questions about my path with Reiki or would like to get more information about Reiki attunements, please comment below or send me a private message.

Here Kitty Kitty

A couple of weeks ago, I decided at the last minute to have a table at the Nevada Humane Society's Doggie Palooza.  I know that I said I was going to limit my shows this year, but I couldn't pass this one up.  I'll do anything for the furry four legged (and at least one three-legged) kids.  When I arrived and was given my placement, of course it had to be against a wall of kitties.  So many little sweet faces looking out of their cubbies, hoping they are the next ones to be chosen for a forever home.  Two of my neighbors were Sweetie and Sara below.  Sweetie was near the bottom of glass and any time a child would come to the glass, she  would roll on her back hoping for a belly rub.  Sara most definitely captured my heart and if we didn't already have two cats at home I would have snagged her up immediately.

  

Reading her bio, I was puzzled that a cat like Sara has been with the Humane Society for more than two years.  Her daily routine does require medication, but she seems like she would be that perfect snuggly lap cat, with a good balance of attention-seeker and aloofness that makes a cat a cat.  I chatted up many members of the staff as well as volunteers and found out what a truly amazing place the Nevada Humane Society is.  In 2007 there was a shift in leadership at the NHS and they decided it would become a no-kill shelter.  What this means is that only animals who are ill or injured beyond help or those that are an extreme threat to others are euthanized.  They went from an adoption rate of less than 50% in 2006 to 94% in 2012!  And the numbers are staggering- 8,822 adoptions in 2012, 9,340 adoptions in 2011 and 9,668 adoptions in 2010.  Due to their high save rate and support of the community, Washoe County has become the safest place for homeless pets in the nation.  The NHS accomplishes their mission through quality animal care, comprehensive adoption programs, accessible low cost spay/neuter services and a free animal help desk that took over 25,000 calls last year.  They even have a program for feral cats where they humanely trap them, bring them in to be spayed or neutered and return them to their habitat. Under the care of two-yes two-veterinarians, the NHS performed 9,686 spay/neuters in 2012! 

I didn't learn all of this at Doggie Palooza, but just being there in the facility prompted me to take the volunteer training they had the following week.  I am so excited and looking forward to spending a little free time giving love to the animals.  Of course they need dog walkers, help with administration, cleaning, etc.  You name it, they will take volunteers on any level.  I found that out at Doggie Palooza when I asked Nikole, who happened to be the Community Programs Director if I could come in and play with the kitties.  She said absolutely!  With as many as 200 cats in the facility at any one time, they are starved for attention and socializing, brushing, playing with the little red laser dot- all of these things can make the difference of bringing out their personality and having a better chance at adoption.  My focus for now will be making my rounds with the cats, but I have it in the back of my mind that I'd like to give Reiki to some of the more aggressive or troublesome dogs. We'll see where this leads...

Back to Doggie Palooza- it was a very successful adoption day for the Nevada Humane Society. 21 dogs and 16 cats found forever homes.  My table was near a couple of the meet and greet rooms, so I had a close up look at families taking time to get to know their future pets and even bringing pets from home to play to make sure it was a good fit.  

If you haven't been down to the Humane Society on Longley Lane, go check it out.  I was so impressed with the facility, the cheerful staff & volunteers, and what they do for the animals in our community.  If you have a few extra hours a month consider helping out.  I have a feeling I'm going to get just as much out of this experience as the animals that I am spending time with.

The NHS Mascot "Lucky" playing with Tango the Aussie

Choose a Path of Joy

I love this time of year.  Christmas decorations are put away, the rush of a wonderful holiday season is behind us and all of the possibilities of what the new year holds for us are dancing in our brains.  I feel like a caterpillar who has settled into my winter cocoon, ready for spring so I can bust out and fly!

Last year was such a fantastic year for learning and discovering my path. It was once again a whirlwind of shows, a packed lineup of classes toward the end of the year, and being very blessed to have clients choose Copper Cat Studio to do much of their holiday shopping!  This was one of those years where the stars seemed to align and I received more clarity about my journey than ever.  Much of this clarity came from the rough patches.  I had shows that were flops, drama in professional organizations that I'm involved in, sketchy business "opportunities" and other obstacles.  I honor the universe for giving me these nudges and what I choose to view as a very clear direction of the path I am supposed to be traveling.  With that being said, all of those seem minuscule in comparison to losing my sister/best friend to cancer this past summer.  Boy was that a wake up call to the fact that life is short and the important things really are simple. 

The idea of New Year's resolutions and about ultimately failing lofty goals is the the big joke in social media and elsewhere this time of year.  However, it is also timely to feel the need to reflect on the past year, see where your successes were, and also see where you could have done better.  To be honest with yourself about what is important in life, to be a little happier and to spread that happiness to those around you.  And I've come to realize that this is not just a state of being but a choice first. I feel like that is what our time on this planet is about.

With that in mind, my "resolutions" are simple.  To choose a path of joy and to make all of my personal and professional decisions with that intention as the basis.  This year I will only be in a handful of shows.  I will be teaching more classes, streamlining my online presence for national and international sales, expanding my mosaic line, taking on more Reiki clients and doing more things outside of my art that bring me joy.

Two of the biggies for me this year are making the decision to take my yoga practice to the next level and get my yoga teacher's certification, and working with my Reiki teacher and friend Denise of Sage Spirit Reiki & Coaching on a series of daylong workshops.  The first two workshops are already completely booked and we are looking forward to hosting several more throughout the year.

I have such gratitude for this life, for the opportunities that continuously come my way, for being able to practice my art all day every day, and for the love and support of my friends, family, husband and community.

I wish you joy and peace for 2013.  Namaste

Change Is In The Air

Change is in the air.  That was certainly evident Tuesday when we got off the plane a little after midnight and were greeted by the frosty Reno air.  Twelve hours earlier we were getting one last swim in at our resort in Akumal, snorkeling with tropical fish and massive sea turtles.  I believe it is important to recharge, get away from computers and phones and life in general, and once again this was the perfect ticket.  This is our second trip to the Yucatan and I'm sure not our last.  I am blessed that my partner and I both share a passion for travel.  We love exploring, learning about local culture and history, indulging in local cuisine and of course getting in as much snorkeling as possible!

Speaking of change...a lot of change is happening in my world and at Copper Cat Studio.

When I started doing shows and festivals a few years back, I applied to every show I could physically get into.  Sometimes this meant a couple of shows in a weekend, sometimes it even meant doing two shows in one day.  Flashback to last year's back-to-back Taylor Street Market from 8am to 2pm, then the Nevada Museum of Art's Egyptian show from 3pm-8pm. Crazy huh? Well maybe not as crazy as this year's lineup of three solid days of doing the Great Reno Balloon Races from 4am to 9am, then biking back to my studio to open it for Reno Open Studios from 10am to 5pm.  Yep, I was a zombie by day two. Actually more like day one.

I have been saying this year that I am burnt out on doing so many shows: packing and lugging multiple 40+lb crates of mosaics to my car-to my booth-back to my car-then to my studio, not having weekends with my husband, unreliable weather conditions, the craps-shoot of if it would pan out financially~ all of the things that quickly become the downside to life on the road doing shows.  Don't get me wrong, when I'm at the shows I love it~ I love the interaction with all of the people, hanging out with fellow artists who have become lifelong friends, the great festivals with amazing food and bands, trading with other artists (maybe the best part!).  All of that is good, but I'm learning that it is not necessary to kill myself in the process. Which means I have a handful of shows left this year and then I'm done. Handful meaning five.  And not technically done for good.  There will be a few shows next spring and summer, but only my favorite local ones and maybe I will try a couple over the hill.

This does not mean I won't be creating amazing mosaics daily in my studio. Actually quite the opposite!  I am already switching gears to create custom lines for a few different retail locations locally, I will reveal my schedule for fall and winter classes and workshops next week (super excited about this!) and I am focusing on the many in-house custom orders that I am receiving weekly (a bonus from all of the exposure of the past few years of shows).  I will continue to stock anywhere from 100-150+ pieces in my studio, so please feel free to contact me to set up a private shopping appointment, I am in my studio most days.

So, although I'm not necessarily appreciating the cold changes in the air, the changes in the air at Copper Cat Studio are actually quite refreshing!  I will keep you posted~  Katie

Indie Reno - On The Rise!

This past weekend we held our annual Indie Reno Spring~Summer show.  Indie Reno is a collaborative of local artists and craftsmen dedicated to growing our individual creative ventures by encouraging our community to buy local and handmade.  Our goal as a group is to come together to create opportunities for our members for exhibiting, marketing and sales of our handmade works of art.  Indie Reno started out as a small Etsy group, but over the past couple of years, we have expanded to include a diverse roster of artisans.  At our events, you can find everything from jewelry, to printmaking, to steampunk accessories, to hula hoops, to handcrafted frames.  There's fused glass artists, mosaic artists, and several craftsmen that make the hippest kids clothing, accessories and toys.  We have knitters, potters, metal sculptors and soap makers.  We even have a henna artist that creates beautiful, intricate designs while you wait. We are adding new artisans to our group weekly and our winter show is slated to be the biggest yet!

COMMUNITY

One of the greatest things about our group is the element of community.  Everyone is encouraged to participate in our endeavor of moving the group forward and we appreciate the fact that everyone has something to offer and has valuable input.  I like that I have been around the block and can offer advice to the new members who are just getting their business off the ground, and in turn I have received invaluable advice from them as well.  We are finding that there is so much support not only within our own group, but other similar groups in our area.  It's exciting to be part of a grassroots movement that is sweeping our town in more ways than just art.  We are happy to be riding the wave of our community's rally of supporting local businesses!

Indie Reno is growing and so is our clout.  We are getting more and more press and people actually know who we are (woohoo!).  As a group, we are able to negotiate with some of the bigger events, where as individuals we may not have a chance of participating in.  For example, this weekend on June 30th we will have a row of booths at the 2nd annual Reno Block Party.  For pretty much all of us, the entry fee would have been out of our league, but the organizers not only gave us a price break, but are allowing nine of us to share a six-tent block to create an "Indie Reno Boutique".  Among the other events we are involved in, we organize the art vendors at the original Food Truck Fridays held every first Friday at City Center.  We were recently the featured group of craft vendors at the Great Basin Food Co-Op's grand opening event.  And we are very proud and excited to be asked to be the exclusive artisan group for the Crafters Row section of the Great Reno Balloon races this September!

Our host for the Indie Reno Artisan Market was The Holland Project.  The Holland Project is an art gallery/music venue/classroom/place of nurturing, dedicated to encouraging creativity among our younger generation.

If you are a Northern Nevada artist or craftsperson, we'd love for you to be a part of Indie Reno!

For more information please send me a message.  You can find Indie Reno at www.indiereno.org.

www.CopperCatStudio.com