moving into a new mind-space

Just three years ago, on July 31, 2011, I began my crafthatchery blog to support my class work in an online course on blogging that I found at Media Bistro. At the time, my workplace (you know, the one that gives me paychecks) wanted me to start a blog for them, so taking the course gave me valuable instruction and insights about business blogging, as well.

I found that I really enjoyed blogging, much more so at crafthatchery than for my paycheck-work. At work, I had to do a lot of research about a subject that just didn’t thrill me. Here, I get to explore making art, and maybe even give you some inspiration to pick up a pencil, a pen, or a brush. I can pull ideas and expertise from my head, and when I need to do research, I love the process.

If you click back to my post on August 5, 2012, you’ll see the first post I wrote about my discovery of Zentangle. It’s truly been a love affair for me. I love the art form, drawing patterns, and the incorporation of meditation into the practice. Mostly I love that it is a way to open other people up to the incredible benefits of drawing as a spiritual practice… even people who say things like, “I couldn’t draw a straight line with a ruler!”

Just a month after that post, I was on a train, headed to Providence, Rhode Island, to become a Certified Zentangle Teacher. I look forward to a time when I’ll have more time to teach people this amazing practice.

For now, I’m still at the paycheck-job, though I stepped back into a graphic design role from the writing I was doing. Definitely more up my alley.

And so I come to my mind-space quandary. In all the time I’ve been writing posts and showing you my Zentangle work, I kept thinking that the name, crafthatchery, just wasn’t right. The little thoughts come to me something like this: If I had a sign on my door, announcing that there were unique drawing classes and inspiring products for sale inside, would the sign say crafthatchery? Doesn’t the idea of craft make people think more of knitting, or making carvings, or other more functional work? Shouldn’t there be “art” in the name since it’s a more artful result?

Well, it’s been just wrong-feeling enough to make me think about another name. Something that I can have for a blog, and maybe a website, and a place with a sign on the door. My mother said, “But I like crafthatchery!” And really, so do I. I like how the two words, craft and hatchery, play together. I like the visual images that emerge as a result. But I’m a stubborn one, and so are those thoughts in my head. A new name it will be! And it has to be two words that play together nicely and create positive, creative images in peoples’ minds.

After some thought, and playing with words and images, I’ve got a name that I think solves my problem. Without further ado, I invite you to join me at the art kettle. Same me, same art and meditation and hopefully inspiration… just a different place. crafthatchery will still exist, just without any new content. So come on over and see what’s brewing at the art kettle.

Oh, and of course I can’t leave this space behind without a tile for you to see. This is a little Bijou tile. They’re exceptionally cute at two inches square.

Tangles used: quandary, flukes, crescent moon, leaflet, and deelish.