Taking a turn

So after my several years teaching multiple art teaching jobs I have had to do some real soul searching. I have struggled financially. My schools loans I can not repay they have been put in foreclosure. I have had to depend on family for support to cover healthcare and just took the first vacation in over five years and I am still paying off the debt on my credit card for that.  I still hope to find an ideal full time art teacher position. In the meantime something has got to give.
 I dropped a few jobs and continuing subbing, I got unemployment and looked for other work. Tomorrow  I begin a new position as a RH at a state run facility caring for adults with disabilities. I was told that "The ladies love crafts."  So I guess in some ways I am putting my art education background to work.

I have fought the good fight as long as I can. I still hope to teach part time art classes as I do love teaching art.. Being an art teacher was truly always what I wanted to be when "Grew up." I continue to make art and I have been painting a lot and working on new hair pieces for my second etsy shop tribaltrends. I will post more cool art projects as they happen...

I am continuing to dance and taking time for spiritual workshops and classes..so wish me luck.

I am back in the process of looking for work.One of the things I do in between sub jobs and teaching gigs is make new lines of product for my etsy shops. I have been working on more hair falls and renewing old posts. I have also been fortunate enough to team up with some also local craftspeople. Networking is good.

I would like to introduce to you the team of Wire and Brimstone
https://www.facebook.com/WireBrimstoneCrafts. These three lovely ladies Joy, Tifa and Stephanie make an array of hand made goods. They have Wire wrapped stone pendants and bracelets. The also make wire and ribbon roses, Perler bead products and hair clips.

                               

This weekend they will be at the RocCon. http://rochesterscifianimecon.com/. They will have some of my product available at their table. I will have necklaces, hair falls,earrings and several other items available.

Workshops I taught at Brushwood this summer.

I went to Brushwood Folkloric center  during the week of Sankofa this summer and was lucky enough to be allowed to teach some workshops. 

The first workshop I taught was on making beaded tribal hair clips like the ones I sell in my tribal trends etsy shop. My students did a beautiful job.

The second workshop was Drawing Creativly For Adults. This was an open ended workshop on using prompts, games and activities to inspire drawings.

One of the activities was a crumpled paper drawing. Students crumple paper the rub with a crayon or art stick on its side. Then you draw what you see in the creases and folds of the paper.

One of the other activities we did was the combined monster flip books.

Puppetry at the MAG

This summer I got to teach puppetry to kids ages 7-13 not just one week but two weeks!

We made hand sewn and paper mace hand puppets as well as finger puppets and shadow puppets and envelope puppets. I love teaching puppets not just for the making but also for the acting with them.. I was so excited to teach this subject again that I even had students in my before and after school program make them prior to summer.