Calamity Kim

A quick note (Sara Blogs)

Hi, all! I need to just say something quick here. In my last post, I asked for anyone who wants to participate in slower conversation and fun (snail mail) to leave a comment and I'd e-mail them. Well, I just figured out that not everyone's comments lead to e-mail addresses! Sorry.  So, I'm just going to put mine out there. It's no secret, anyway, since we have an e-mail contact on our website. If you want to contact me, write to [email protected].  Thanks!

Back to you, Kim...

Peace,

Sara Shalom

Bye For Now! (Sara blogs)

Hello, you beautiful people! It has been my great honor to share this amazing space with you.  Kim has been adventuring, stretching, challenging herself and resting, and I'm so glad to have been able to afford her that opportunity. Ironically, I feel like this short journey has been full of adventure, stretching, challenge and rest for me, too! Perhaps you have experienced that along with me. What an interesting thing it is to share such intimate activities with others! And what a privilege. Thank you for that.

Kim has graciously given me an open invitation to pop in here and say hello sometimes. Maybe I will! But for now, I am thoroughly content to bask in the crackling glow of her whimsy. Oh, how I enjoy visiting this site when she's been here! It's like waking up to see what the little elves have done in the workshop overnight. To quote a great visionary, "Yee Haw!"

I'd like to extend a little invitation of my own, if I may.  Although I am astonished and grateful for the instant connections that can be made online, there is something truly enchanting about being able to see and touch the words of another in your own hands. Old-fashioned mail is becoming one of those "dying art forms" that needs people with vision and desire to keep it alive!  If you feel the same way I do, I'd love to share that new adventure with you! I warn you up front... I'm not always prolific or punctual. But I try to be thoughtful or at least fun. :) If you're interested in snail-mailing with me, even a postcard now and then, please just leave a comment here letting me know and I'll get in touch through e-mail. 

So... to conclude...

Thank you, dear readers, for sticking around- either to bear with me or stretch alongside me. You have blessed me in untold ways!

Thank you, Kim, for making this space possible and for trusting me with it. I love you.

And NOW... I enthusiastically return you to your very capable, dearly loved, regularly scheduled blogging!!! Hooray!!!

Blessings,

Sara Shalom

Madness (Sara Blogs)

"Those who cannot hear the music think the dancers mad."     Proverb

Two houses down on my street, there lives a teenage boy with a garage band. Well, not really. Nobody in my neighborhood has a garage (or driveway, for that matter!), so he technically has an attic band. He's the drummer. And boy, does he take it seriously! Almost any time of the day, you'll hear him up there with the windows open (it must be very hot!) banging like crazy. 

When we first moved here, it was honestly kind of painful to listen to. I have played hand drums for a long time, which makes me particularly attentive to loud rhythms.  So listening to his constant amateur drum-kit drills would drive me up a wall.

Over time, though, he has really improved! His friends come over, toting their guitars and amps precariously along on bikes and skateboards. And when they start to play, it really sounds okay! It's like having little snippets of a party or festival right at home.

Yesterday, I heard something new and very exciting. One of them (I assume my neighbor) had brought a deep sounding hand drum out to the back yard and was experimenting on it in little bursts of rhythm. His friends were there, too, inserting random sung vowels and slapping on their folding chairs. A drum circle! Woo hoo!

I ran to get my djembe and crept into my own back yard. Although the houses here are close together, there are high fences between them, so the boys couldn't see me. I was giddy with the anticipation of a "magical" musical interchange! I would be like an invisible elf, sending music from the trees and bushes for them to play with!

He played a rhythm. I repeated it... kind of. My arms and hands have been really hurting the last few days, so I wasn't playing as well as I wanted to. I was a little embarrassed and thought about tucking my tail and fleeing (I'm very hard on myself like that sometimes), but I stuck to it, shyly but hopefully. I could hear confused muttering from two yards over when I finished.

Soon, he played another rhythm. I repeated it. Then, we did it again. The church secretary poked her head out of her office (which leads to my yard) and said "What are you doing?" I shushed her and excitedly gestured to explain what was happening. She returned to her work... noting just another page in the saga of The Strange Preacher's Wife.

In the meantime, the young drummer played a long piece that was hard to copy exactly, so I played the general idea and added my own personal flair. Now it was getting fun! Pretty soon, I thought, we'd be playing together. His friends would pull out pots and pans to bang on or start chanting, or maybe even come over and play face-to-face! 

But that's not what happened. They actually got ticked off and loudly announced that they were going back inside!   After a few minutes, they were plugged back in, returned to some rock and roll anthem.

Yeah.

I was surprised at how sad the whole thing made me. I thought about it for a long time. Why didn't they want to play with me? And why did it matter to me so much?

It occurred to me that my experience was like a lot of our experiences with art and life. We make/do things for others with a true desire to bless them. We tuck little pieces of ourselves into the ways we express ourselves,  and hope that our creations will  be received with gentleness and pleasure.

But sometimes, they're not. Sometimes, people think we're a little crazy. Or impudent. Or inappropriate. Or wasting our time.  Or wasting their time.

So. What do we do then?

Does the manner of a creation's receipt change it's value? That's what I'm thinking about today. I'm thinking about it in relation to the services I provide in my home and community, the way I physically present myself to the world and the manner in which I interact with others.  I think of it in relation to my art- the outfits I alter, the way I decorate my home, the words I write, the songs I sing, the paintings and assemblages I create.

What do you think? What's true in your life right now? Do you change your own perception of your gifts- or yourself- based on how others react? Are things better if they're loved? Are they worse if they're rejected? If nobody values something, was it still worth the process of creation?

Ready... set... discuss.  

Reflecting (Sara Blogs)

One day, I was sitting alone in a bar-and-grill with a grueling headache. The hotel I had been staying in didn't have room service and it was the only restaurant within walking distance. Numerous televisions were blaring. Alcohol-enhanced diners were speaking with ridiculously high-pitched voices punctuated with sudden bursts of laughter. My non-smoking oasis was under attack from billows of nicotine fog.  I felt completely out of place and my waitress kept looking at me like she agreed.

I tried to do some list-making in the notebook I had brought along, but it hurt to think. Everything seemed miserable until I reached for my coffee and saw this.

I thought it was so beautiful the way the stained-glass ceiling lights were captured in my cup. So, like any artist with the least bit of blogging experience, I whipped out my digital camera to capture it. 

Can I just say that taking a good picture of a rounded light reflected in murky coffee in a dim room at close range with an impending migraine is really hard? I kept adjusting the mug, scooting back and forth in my seat, rearranging my silverware and napkin to have them appropriately in or out of the picture...

I became so immersed in what I was doing (and attempting to block out my surroundings) that I completely missed the advance of my waitress. She held my fish taco platter high in the air and peered down at my camera screen, trying to see the most recent shot. I was so embarrassed! But before I could try to make up a lame excuse, she grinned and said, "Oh! I was just doing that exact same thing the other day!" She carefully set down my meal and began to tell me about the beautiful meal she had photographed- how the food had been arranged on the plate and how her lemonade had sparkled in its glass.

Finally, with completely different attitudes toward one another, we finished talking and she left to wait on other tables. And I couldn't help marveling. 

How easily I could have grabbed my coffee and slurped it down in an effort to combat my headache, never noticing the unexpected beauty it held. Then, I was so grateful to have witnessed it that I had made an effort to capture it, document it, remember it share it.

More importantly, how quickly I had dismissed my waitress as being more ordinary than I! Granted, sometimes life as a creative person can feel like being an ostrich in a room full of squirrels. But I wonder how often I feel isolated or misunderstood (or overwhelmed!) needlessly? How often am I so distracted by what's going on in my own head that I fail to see the art... artistry.... artists.... around me?

I split the rest of my time between eating and creating an elaborate piece of art on my napkin as my own little unexpected gift to the lady who reminded me to stop and look more carefully.

Your turn: What people or situations in your life strike you as contrary to your "artistic sensibilities?" Is there a way to shift your own perspective to discover something worth lingering upon? Tell me about it!

"There is nothing in a caterpillar that tells you it's going to be a butterfly." Buckminster Fuller

And the winner is..... (Sara Blogs)

Nicole Gendy!  Hooray! Two of my munchkins worked together to draw a number out of a hat, and she's it! That's a great coincidence, since she just had a birthday. Happy birthday to you, Happy birthday to you, Happy biiiirrrrthday dear Nicoooooole, Happy birthday to you!  Woo hoo! 

Thanks for playing, everybody. Make it a great day!

Say Something! (Sara Blogs)

Hi! This is just a quickie post to say two things.

1. I have been really enjoying your comments since I've been blogging here. They have made me laugh, blush and think. Thank you for speaking up! (By the way, I'm feeling much better now. Thank you for the well wishes.)

2. Have you seen my sick day give-away? Today is it, people! Look how good the odds are! Leave a comment on the original post for your chance to win a gift box of three-medium creative fabulousness! 

Okay. I'm done. Have a lovely day!

A Sick Day Give Away! (Sara Blogs)

Hello, fellow Calamity fans! Well, I don't know how all of you are, but I am just plain sick. I've had a sinus thing coming on for some time, but it exploded on me yesterday. I spent most of the day in bed with a migraine. Although I am very grateful to be over that, I still feel  very, very icky. Not so inspired. Not so interested in staring at a screen for long periods of time.

BUT, to keep things lively around here, I thought I'd use this opportunity to host a tiny giveaway. Remember my upcycling post? In it, there was a hat which I beautified with felt and vintage buttons

 

as well as an art book based on Ecclesiastes verse 4, which says, "and I saw that all labor and all achievement springs from man's envy of his neighbor. This too is meaningless, chasing the wind".

 

 

I will part with both items as well as another (unabashedly self-promoting) item. ;) Be the first kid on your block to have your own copy of Salt Light City, "Homemade Goodness"! That's right... an authentic, autographed CD oforiginal music for kids as well as two handmade pieces of upcycled treasures can be yours today! (Do you hear my radio announcer's voice in your head?)

 

All you have to do is leave a message on this post and we'll randomly select a winner.

Hurry and tell your friends! This offer won't last long! ;)

Have a great night, people. I'll try to get my wits about me soon.

Upcycling (Sara Blogs)

Have you heard the term "upcycling"? Wikipedia defines it  as "the use of waste materials to provide useful products. Ideally, it is a reinvestment in the environment and embodiment of the notion that while using resources one is also contributing to them and their value. This is antithesis of the consume and waste concept in society".

I have always been drawn to the idea of upcycling, even before it had a fancy name. Not only is it an affordable way to creatively provide for yourself (and others) on a material level, but it also has important meaning to me in a more metaphysical way. There are so many parts of my life that feel old, used and icky. I often wish I could send those bits to the landfill and pretend they never existed. I want to present myself as having it all together... as having always had it all together. But I know I can't. And really, I shouldn't.   

I want to learn to accept the less-than-perfect parts of myself with gentleness and dignity. And  when it comes down to it, we're talking about all of my "parts", here. Who ever heard of a woman who was living her ideal? 

But that doesn't mean I need to just shrug my shoulders and say, "I am what I am. Deal with it".  Faked toughness or apathy has never worked out well for me in the long run. 

Instead, I want to learn to take the broken bits in my life and find meaning, hope and even humor in them... to recognize that the disheveled pieces, when regarded with grace and creativity, can ultimately come together to form something beautiful and meaningful.

Note: The creations shown in this post are all mine. Just in case you were wondering. ;) But can you figure out what it all is?

A Holi Day (Sara Blogs)

Have you ever heard of Holi? It's a Hindu holiday, celebrated in the Spring, which (at a very basic level) recognizes the triumph of  good over evil.

My only experience with Holi has been to view photos on the internet. But each time I see a new image, I end up staring at my computer screen with a big, stupid grin on my face. 

To commemmorate this occasion, revelers light fires, play music, eat sweets,  and throw colors at each other. Is that one of the coolest things you've ever heard or what?!

When I look at these photos, I can't help imagining what it would be like to be there in the thick of it all with pink clouds raining down on my head, thick purple water pouring over my  legs and whole rainbows of soft powder being smeared gleefully in swirls around my nose and eyes.  What must that smell of plant-based powders, sweat, mud and sweets be like? What would it sound like to be in the middle of so much laughter, music and the constant, whooshing spray of flying colors and water? What would it feel like to be in the middle of so much excitement- one small, radiant speck amidst a torrent of pure joy? In that moment, would strangers seem like friends? Would my entire spirit feel more vivid within me? Would I be a little afraid?

What if nobody painted me? Would I smudge some colors on myself so I wouldn't stand out?

Would I dare to toss a handful of green into a stranger's hair or draw orange stripes on her arm with my own hands? Would I enjoy looking individual people in the eye or would I choose to lose myself in the leaping, dancing mob? Would I feel most comfortable amidst children? Women? The elderly?

Would I choose to stay on the sidelines instead, pressed against a wall or crouched atop a brick building, spying on the many-aged children rejoicing down below? Would I get safe, vicarious pleasure in stillness, allowing the whole scene to flow around and beneath me? 

Is there a significant difference between the joys of receiving, giving or meerly observing the colors?  What would I do? What would you do? What DO you do?

Think about it. Because in many ways, today is a Holi day.

Note: As far as I know, these photos are free to use. If I'm mistaken, please forgive me and let me know right away. Thank you.

Deck the Halls (Sara Blogs)

I admit it. I'm one of those crazy people. It takes an incredible amount of effort for me to wait all the way until August to start playing Christmas music. My CD collection is amply stocked but if I get tired of it, I know every good 24-hours-a-day-365-days-a-year-streaming-Christmas-marathon site on the web. I crack open my ever-growing supply of holiday books, weblogs and clippings. I review my notes from last year. And then, I finally, finally allow myself to start making lists.

Oh, how I do love a good list. I keep lists of gift ideas,  party ideas, school day ideas, vacation ideas, outdoor and indoor ideas, new ideas, old ideas worth repeating, decorating ideas, baking ideas, worship ideas...  

You know, maybe it's not so much the lists that I love. (Although, let's face it. I need them!) Maybe what I truly love is  the opportunity to splash around  in such an abundant ocean of ideas!

Sure, I could blame my holiday obsession on the fact that I have 5 kids between 4 and 8. (Yeah, yeah. I know. If I had a nickel for every time somebody told me I had my hands full!)  I could pass off my lengthy bacchanalia of Christmas creation on the fact that I value handmade gifts and old-fashioned customs. I could cite the ever-increasing necessity of environmental consciousness and frugality,  or my desire to return to family-centered celebrations, or even a (futile) effort to "beat the Christmas rush", but really... Who am I kidding?

I'm an artist. I love to create! How blessed we are to have important holidays as "excuses" to brainstorm, conspire, manufacture, anticipate, complete and present whole lists of original ideas, completed for the (almost) sole pleasure of those we love! 

Yes. Bring it on. 

PS  Is there an opportunity or event that really lights your creative fire? If not, could you imagine one that would? Do tell in the comments!  

I'd like you to meet my friend Sara

In everyone's life, at some time, our inner fire goes out.
It is then burst into flame by an encounter with another human being.
 We should all be thankful for those people who rekindle the inner spirit.
 ~Albert Schweitzer

 Because I have friends here who come and sit on the porch beside me and listen to my tall tales and have a cup of coffee each morning and start their day with a bit of calamity, I have asked my friend Sara to do a bit of guest blogging.
She has a wonderful way with words and is one of my finest cyber friends.
I have a secret project that is taking up all my time and focus at the moment and I must concentrate on getting it finished and am unable to blog about it but I really don't want you to come here and be disappointed by the sad emptiness of no new posts. Perhaps you can imagine me at work, head bent, paint brush wet with water and color. Working hard to meet a deadline.
Trying to get the images in my mind onto paper.
Writing about some things to be created.
Or maybe I am on a beach with the waves laughing and running up to greet me in a spray of salt and seaweed while gulls wheel and cry above.
Please sit and talk a while with my friend Sara.
She will make you think and look inward and share her stories with you.
I'll be in and out for a while, as I get this "top secret project" sorted out.
Thanks for being patient and kind and for all the support you have blessed me with as I share my fiber art and crafts with you.

Constant use will not wear ragged the fabric of friendship. ~Dorothy Parker

love & stitches,
calamity kim

Talking to Myself

To Child Me

What if I could come to you

all grown up

and approach you softly

gently

in an all-alone moment?

What could I tell you that would comfort you

encourage you

make you see how beautiful you are?

What if I told you that someday

you'd be safe

you'd be free

you'd be on the journey to peace?

Would you believe me?

Would I seem like a stranger

an impostor

with graying hair and comfortable hips?

Would you tremble when I arrived,

afraid that I was just one more

abuser

intruder

bringing sweet lies and tempting promises

whispers of hope without substance

or strength

to fulfill them?

Would you dare to crawl into my lap

curl up in my arms

and cry it all out?

Would you hope?

Would you love me just a little

therefore sparing a little love for yourself?

Who might I be today

if you had learned that love?

If the fear and hate and shame

hadn't taken such a deep, gnarling root

in your innocent soul?

Would I be wilder?

Would I be less?

Would it matter at all?

Let me love you.

Let me hold you.

Let me in for just a moment.

You are safe. You are safe. You are safe.

Sara Shalom Scharrer

I am so honored to have been asked to guest blog today. Kim has become one of my most treasured friends-whom-I've-never-met. (Isn't technology a wondrous and bizarre thing?) Although I dabble in many different expressive art forms, the glue of passion that binds them all together is a desire to bless myself and others toward healing. I'd venture to guess that at some level, that's what the arts serve to do for all of us.

We're trying to put the pieces together and make them fit. We're trying to mend ourselves into some form that's truer. We strive to perfect, to shock, to invoke, to stretch, to lighten, to release, to inspire. The arts provide us with methods that seem safer. Safer than crying. Safer than blurting out our ideals. Safer than punching the wall or reaching out or even just being still. And sometimes, a piece of music or a dance or a cloth doll can speak to another soul more clearly and poignantly than a whole volume of  prose.

One thing that really attracts me to Kim is her willingness to be honest during that process. She  allows this space to be a big, tangled, beautiful riot of  what's-true-right-now. I am successful. I am blessed. I am insecure. I am bold. I am lonely. I am dark. I am whimsical. I am growing. I am grateful. Aren't these things real in each of us? Isn't it amazing how they can all be true at once? Isn't it inspiring when someone else is brave enough to let us peer through the keyhole of their hearts into that very personal, yet universal process?

I think we need to be more gentle with ourselves. I really struggle with that. Despite the amount of time and energy I've spent in my life complaining about how others have wounded me, the fact remains that my own inner critic is holding the biggest stick. I'm always ready to pounce. I think that's why blogs like this one are so necessary. Sometimes it's easier to exchange encouragement with a "stranger" than it is to offer that same kindness to ourselves.

But what if we did? What if you could go back to the most vulnerable place in your life as you are right now and speak gentle hope or a rally cry to little you? What would you say? Better still, can you imagine yourself years from now... a man or woman with more experience, perspective and wisdom?  What might "big you" say to you today?

I hereby dare you. Write a poem. Write a letter. Write even a sentence or a word. Where does your healing art spring from? Let's meet right here in the comments to bless each other... and ourselves... with truth. 

Thank you.