Setting Goals for Spring Hollow Gallery

Sunday Morning, August 9, 2015

Dear world,

Nothing has been written on here for a long time so I thought I would begin again.  My last blog was exactly a year ago.  So I begin again with a commitment to write regularly, not worrying about what other people will think but rather having free expression of my thoughts. I try to wake up every morning and sit with my coffee looking over the great Pacific Ocean and begin again by writing a few words or many.

I am so fortunate to live in California.  Much has happened in this last year. I am alone again, alone in the sense that I am not just with one person.   I'm not really alone, I have many loved ones around me.

Although that is one change in my life, the biggest change in my life is opening an art gallery, Spring Hollow Gallery. I like to say that I brought a piece of Spring Hollow to California. What is it about me that I have to open new spaces, I suppose it is a desire to create something totally independent, without the demands and expectations from other people.

And maybe that is why I'm alone again to fulfill what I feel is my purpose in life.  I do want a companion but I want no one in my life to take away my independence.  I am reminded of the teacher phrase "effective use of time" and I have no time for people who are going to slow down this journey of fulfilling my purpose.

My goal for the gallery is to truly be an extension of the Spring Hollow Approach. It is exactly that, encouraging the independence of free expression, as like the goal I am reaching for in my own self. I wish to encourage the heart and soul of the individual and bring out the artist in each of us.  As like the definition of education derived from the word "educe" meaning 'to pull out instead of to pour in."  We have each had too much "pouring in" in our lives from others. If you are a child of three or one of 63, it is an important goal.


Monday morning, August 10, 2015

I am pondering this morning about how to make this gallery last forever.  Speaking to others and sharing my thoughts and visions help.  To me this blog is just that, knowing that others are reading it so respond to this piece if  you wish to give me some of your wise feedback.  I was sharing with a friend last night and realized in some ways I think of the gallery as a charity, a charity to give of my time to support the arts, the love for the arts, to pull out this ability to be freely creative in all of us.   I am using my tools and my background of constructivist education and the Spring Hollow Approach to do this.

I have not created the gallery to make money, so what are its purposes?  It is good to force my self to write so I can be clear on my vision which is based on my overall goals for the rest of my life.  It is hard to go there because of my first and primay goal of living in the present and trusting I will be led into the future, trusting I am on the right path as my chosen logo, "the innukshuk" symbolizes.

So maybe the best way may to make a list.  Here goes:

Even though it is not there for profit, it would be good to break even so I do feel I am not throwing money away so that the gallery can live on as a charity.

To break even, there is a goal of making money through sales and art classes.

And like the "innukshuk" the gallery is supported by the collaboration from others.   The logo artist and I are in collaboration to reproduce the logo to sell in a Canadian Innuksuk gallery, this may be one means to financially support the gallery.

Just a simple task of making a sign that we offer art classes and hang outside is a good one.   Other ways of advertising in a cost effective way is good.

Letting others know that I am expressing and brainstorming ways on this blog so that they can enter into the conversation.

Okay, alreeady I have some first steps, let's see where this first step leads us and the gallery.  This reminds me of my teachings through the inspiration of Carlina Rinaldi that we must take this small step to initiate as like a dance, take one step and have the others in collaboration take the step to scaffold into a bigger idea toward fulfilling our dreams.  I purposely refer to this process as "dream catching" not "problem solving" because it fits more with the theory of the "power of positive thinking."


Thursday, August 13, 2015

I have already skipped two days of not writing so I have changed the words above to "try" not "will" write daily.

Listening to NPR the other day, there was a piece about our nationwide teacher shortage.   California is one of the states high on the list with this problem to the point that we are advertising for "our" teachers through Craig's List.  I stress the word "our" because teachers are "our" future, as children are "our" future and teachers can make or break as parents can the wellbeing of "our" children and therefore "our" future.  What a telling symbolic representation of lowering the standard of teaching to advertise on Craig"s List.  So considering this, I realize I do have tools in my experience to share "constructivist education" with teachers who are coming into our field who may be missing this effective approach to foster healthy children in their own teacher education programs or may be missing teacher edcuation all together.   So it is time to make the first steps to contact schools to invite my self into the lives of these teachers.  I have the perfect venue to do this in Spring Hollow Gallery.   Does any one reading this have any connections for me in our local Ventura education systems?  Please introduce them to me!

A few words have been written, I will "try" to write more tomorrow.


Tuesday, August 18

I am back on the wheel and it feels good.  I feel like when you are centering a piece of clay, it helps to center your life, as all creating is a form of meditation.   And having taken a break from group meditation the last two weeks, it felt so good to go to my temple last night and meditate.   My life is more centered and content.  And I am up to seven thrown bowls and counting.  The gallery is closed on Monday and Tuesday and I have discovered that these two days are not as content and centered for me.  But it is good to make my self take a break and stay away if not for the sole reason of realizing how much I love it.  Don't know how much you love until it is gone.

I am working on bringing people into the gallery to work toward this goal of its survival.  I have made several events on facebook and a few say they will be there.   I have created a lunch meditation time on Wednesday at noon, a group named "Artists working side by side" where artists which is everyone of us are invited to come to the gallery and create their own works in company of fellow artists, and I put an early invite to remind everyone of our First Fridays.  Although these events do not cost, I am inviting donations to collaborate in working toward the primary goal of paying gallery rent so it can survive.

Friday, September 5

We had five in our "Artists Working Side by Side" yesterday.  One thing I noticd while we are working side by side, we come up with big and great ideas through our collaboration.  It has to be the process of creating to get those dreams articulated so that they can become reality.

One idea I must put in writing so this old mind does not forget:  the creation of a childrens book with illustrations from various artists who are represented at Spring Hollow.  I must go through boxes and locate the manuscripts I wrote years ago when I took off a year from teaching to do so.  I look forward this process becoming a reality.  And again I ask for your input!