Writing Season One

3 Ways to Recharge your Business for 2011

I know I said in my last post that Mosaic Mandalas would be off the grid until after New Year's but why wait? I used to write a blog devoted to the topic of small business and sometimes the idea for an article still comes in the wee hours of the night. So I dutifully write down the idea on the pad of paper I keep by the bed, hoping I can read it the next morning because, in the dark and without my glasses, there's no telling what scribbles get jotted down. Last night I had the idea of... Read more →

Off the Grid for a Family Holiday

2010 is fast coming to a close and 2011 is approaching with its shiney promise of potential. Please accept my wishes for a wonderful Holiday season. I wish for our world: Peace on Earth Kindness One to Another Shared enthusiasm for Life Mosaic Mandalas will be back right after New Year's. For the next week and a half or so there is traveling to do, grandson to visit, meals to cook, good company to enjoy, Christmas movies to watch and carols to sing. Read more →

A real world look at Art

I'm going to do something new today at Mosaic Mandalas, and that is a follow-up to a previous post, "Introducing the Studio of eclectic Artist Johnnie Meier." It's my practice as a writer to let the artist, author - person - who is the central star of a post know when that article is "live" and online. So after publishing the article about Johnnie Meier's studio I sent both him and author Lynne Perrella an email with a link to the post. This morning I received messages from both that I want to share here because they are insightful into... Read more →

Readers Best Photos of 2010

Introducing Readers Best Photos of 2010. A huge thank you to Sally, Kathleen and Judi who shared their best photo of the year with me and with you. From Sally May: Says Sally: "...This photograph was taken on a camping trip to Hunting Island in South Carolina. It is my son and his friend out playing on the beach as boys do...with rope in hand and adventures ahead! It makes smile every time I see it as it holds a sense of youthful invincibility for me...." From Kathleen Schoening: Says Kathleen: "...A self portrait of my daughter and I on... Read more →

Introducing the Studio of eclectic Artist Johnnie Meier

Well the GPS numbers in the chapter don't land you on Route 66, but rather on Hwy 68, not too far from the Carson National Forest, north of Santa Fe, New Mexico. And why do we care about this? Because this is where you find artist Johnnie Meier. This is part of my look at the book by Lynne Perrella, "Art Making & Studio Spaces," which I began not too long ago. Open page 166 and you see a wonderful view inside a veritable museum of roadside Americana: a huge Phillips 66 sign edged in neon; rows of branded motor... Read more →

12 Favorite Things - not what you might think

Oooo Salsa Dancing! Wish I could do it! So sprightly, so lively, so fun-looking. But these arthritic old hips just can't Latin-ize anymore. But that's not what is on my 12 Favorite Things list. At least not that kind of salsa. Yes, here I am with yet another list. My little piece of the planet here in Northern California has been gray and rainy lately and it is very VERY difficult to get the artist muse busy on a gray day, so I've been ruminating on lists. You see them everywhere right now as writers and pundits think back on... Read more →

100 Things Yet to Do - Just not All at Once

Have you started thinking about the New Year coming up in a few weeks? Does your mind travel farther than just the next 12 months and dwell on things you might want to do or experience or have before mortality stares you in the face? I do. Switzerland is one place I'd like to see before infirmity claims my travel days. Coming up with 100 Things Yet to Do was inspired by reading a similar list by another blogger. So what does a list like this have to do with art and mosaics? I see this as part of the... Read more →

5 things I learned about Business in 2010

What a busy year this has been! Now that it is nearing the middle of December Lists are beginning to appear - 10 things or 100 Best or 50 Top whatevers and whoevers. I saw an interesting one, actually several, at BizChickBlogs [dot com] this week: a Food Blogger writes about "10 Things I Learned About Writing a Food Blog in 2010" Blogger G. Arnolds wrote "10 Things I Learned About Facebook in 2010" An artist and teacher noted "10 Things I Learned About Becoming a Creative Entrepreneur in 2010" Well I learned some things about business this year too.... Read more →

Wish I could go to Sundance Film Festival

Watched a movie this morning while I was working - -yes, I know I've said that while working in my studio I work with movies and tv dvds playing and that mostly I listen to them rather than actually see the screen...however this morning was different. Yesterday I rented "Winter's Bone." This unique and intriguing movie won two awards at this year's Sundance Film Festival, one for Best Picture and one for Best Screenplay. The photo at right is of director Debra Granik accepting the Grand Jury Prize. Winter's Bone also won two awards at the 28th annual Torino Film... Read more →

12 best cities for Jobs but what about for selling Art?

In this morning's email I received notice of a new headline in The Huffington Post - I enjoy this newsy blog because it's fresh, informative, sometimes brazenly biased [depending upon the writer of course] and all around enjoyable. The photo at left is of The Huffington Post's founder, Arianna Huffington. Great idea she had for this weblog. Anyhow...the article is titled, "12 Best Cities to Find a Job: Juju.com's November index [in photos]." Here's my take on the list. WAIT! you holler and then ask me 'isn't Mosaic Mandalas supposed to be an ART blog?' Well, yes it is. The... Read more →