Notes: I started with artists I know personally very well, and the first 5 interviews came together in a mini-series of emerging artists. The 5 interviews in this series were transformed into mini-zines with hand-drawn portraits of the artists and other details by me. These are available for purchase at my Etsy shop ronddejambe.

More interviews are in the works…

Some names have been abbreviated at the request of the artist. Information regarding the artist has been reviewed and approved by the artist.

Interview #3

The Artist: Elizabeth Dorman is a professional pianist & native of San Francisco. She has won many competitions & been the featured performer at national festivals. She also has two very large cats.

Recently, over tea, I got caught up on her life as a successful artist.

LB: When people ask “what do you do?” how do you describe your work?

ED: I’m a pianist. I’m on staff at the SF Conservatory. I also teach and perform

LB: How did you get started being a pianist?

ED: I was 5 years old and I fell in love with music. I decided before even taking lessons that I wanted to be a pianist. My mom told me, “they are called concert pianists.” So at 5 years old, I started telling people I was going to be a concert pianist.

LB: What do you struggle with when it comes to your work?

ED: Pacing myself, not taking on too much work & taking care of my body. Not comparing myself to other people. Not thinking about it too much – like wondering why do this when there are a million people who do it better? That doesn’t get you anywhere.

LB: What is your approach to that struggle?

ED: Learning what I can handle physically & prioritizing. If I see someone better than me, I try to just admire what they do and how wonderful it is. Consciously turn my insecurities into admiration to make me work harder.

LB: If someone said, “I want to do what you do,” what advice would you have?

ED: That’s hard, because if you want a professional career, most people start really young. But I know some people  who have successful 2nd careers as pianists. If you want to play the piano, you should. It’s an instrument you can learn and play your whole life.

LB: Who has inspired you?

ED: I don’t usually ask other pianists. That’s a strange question, because everyone’s path and skills are so different.

Lots of people have inspired me. I get inspired all over the place! I’m very inspired by fellow musicians and music lovers.

LB: What are your goals when it comes to your work?

ED: Work harder and get better. Learn.

LB: Essentially, what makes you passionate about your work?

ED: Sometimes what I’m passionate about is a deadline & I’m terrified of failing in public!

But it’s so much a part of my language and who I am. I would be doing this if I had another job. When I hear something really beautiful, I think, I want to do that, now! I want to play that.

LB: Do you think of yourself as an artist? Why or why not?

ED: On good days, yes. On bad days, I think of myself as a piano player. My teacher used to call it being a “pianimal” (an animal that plays the piano). I feel like an artist when I’m working hard and not letting anything slip.

LB: Do you think of yourself as successful? Why or why not?

ED: I’m trying to purge that word out of my mind because it’s not useful. You can define it in any number of ways, but you’ll always leave out something important. What matters is can you live? Do you like what you do?

Elizabeth Dorman can be contacted at:

esdorman@gmail.com

 Much thanks to Elizabeth for this interview!

Purchase this interview in all its mini zine glory HERE

Whew! That was a link-heavy paragraph! You’re welcome.

And oh yes, I am officially a member of the SF Etsy Street Team. Hopefully this will lead to an exponential rise in AWESOME. Heyo! Check out the awesome blog, too, please.

But despite all this excitement, I’ve been having one of those weeks where I KNOW I have a lot to do and a lot coming up, but motivation is seriously lacking. I’ve been super tired from working closing shifts, and super distracted. In a positive bent on this lack of productivity, I always remember one of my favorite dance professors and choreographers at CU, Mr. David Capps, telling me that in order to be productive, your brain also needs time to wander. Sometimes, you just need time to stare into space, mull things over, plot and dream.

I’ve been thinking a lot about projects and priorities and ye olde social networking. In early June, I heard this interesting feature on NPR about “Dunbar’s Numbar” and the magical number 150. Then, I read this “Quit Your Day Job” Etsy blog post featuring the Vermont Branch Company. What struck me about this article?

When asked the question, “What advice would you give someone considering a similar path?”, one of their points was, “We…don’t use any social networking tools, which I imagine would take up much more of our time. We haven’t found it necessary.”

Blew. My. Mind.

Seriously.

One of the things that I’ve found really difficult about starting an Etsy shop and wanting to create products to sell online is a lot of the advice that pops up seems geared towards online social networking. “Tweet sales!” “You need a Facebook business page!” Now, there’s nothing wrong with these pieces of advice, and yes, I have tried some of them.

On a good day, I see the obvious advantages of networking and connecting with folks. And who doesn’t like discovering new online visual, informational deliciousness! I’m actually pretty into my Twitter account and who and what I’ve connected to using it. I’ve been online and exploring my love-hate relationship with the Internet for long enough that I know - one of the keys to online social networking is experimentation. Make it work for you, baby.

However, I also hate it some days. It drains my time and energy. It really sucks you in, and as a dancer, one thing I don’t want to be doing is sitting and staring at my computer for hours. If I’m going to be sitting at all, I need to be sitting and creating. Or not sitting at all. You know what I mean. For me, sometimes, online social networking can feel pointless and shallow and narcissistic.

And new social networking sites and “opportunities” pop up everyday, to cover every interest and function. (No thanks, Google+.) What to do?

Yesterday, I was talking to Mister Boyfriend about it, and we both said how much we barely use Facebook anymore. FB started when we were in college, and now we feel like we’ve grown out of it. But I actually like that my parents are on it, and friends from childhood, and that dancer I just met in class yesterday. I don’t want to call it quits. I enjoy seeing pictures from people who I no longer see everyday. The problem stems from too many “friends.” So we applied Dunbar’s number to FB.  And it was shockingly easy. Matt got down to 109 friends. I’m at 130. And Facebook feels… (dare I say it?) FUN, again. When I look at my newsfeed, it’s actually people I know and am interested in continuing to know! What an idea!

Here’s the thing. The great World Wide InterWebs, can be a tool, or an escape. It’s tricky and balance is necessary (if you care, I guess). For myself, I want to keep my life simple, balanced, and focused on people, things, and projects that truly matter to me. Like this website, for example. What do we really gain from spreading ourselves thin online and in life?

…says the lady who was just offered a new project and accepted!!!!!

I am very excited to announce that I am the new intern for the ODC Dance Jam, Fall 2011!

And on that note, I’m feeling more productive…

Hot diggity.

I’m not what you would call “super into” shoes. I really wish I could be barefoot most of the time. And sure, I think heels are fun for dress up, and I like adding color to my wardrobe, but in general, I take the practical, comfortable, monochrome, route. And as a dancer in her mid-20′s, an active city and rural walker, and a working barista who regularly stands for 8 hours shifts on concrete, I’ve become increasingly aware of how my shoes affect my posture, comfort, and health.

Now, when it comes to “go-to” flats, my favorites are my Toms – for running errands, interviews, or parties – they get the job done and they go with most of my outfits. Also, I’m a big fan of giving back, and the Tom’s One For One Movement is simply, amazing.

The pair I’ve been wearing for the last year finally reached the end of the line and it was time for a new pair. For fun, I took some comparison photos! (For the pictures below, click to see the larger versions in the pop-up gallery.)

Featured here are the Classic Olive Canvas Toms that I wore very consistently for one year, and the Classic Chocolate Canvas Toms that are brand new, literally: right out of the shoebox.

In this picture, the Chocolates are on the left, the Olives on the right. You can see how worn out the Olives are in comparison. Look at those lovely stains!

Side by side, the Olives are looking pretty ragged. You can even tell how the shape has changed from so much wear.

Wow! Look how sad the soles on the Olives are, compared to the solid Chocolates. You can learn a lot about your posture and feet by checking out the bottoms of your shoes. Where do you distribute your weight habitually? From my Toms, I can really see how I tend to be on my heels and outside edges of my feet.

Speaking of heels… Yikes!

I can tell that I put more weight into my right foot, than my left. Here are both the right and left shoes of the old Olives pair. The heel edge of these Toms wore out pretty quick, and at some point I used Hymark thread and did some stitching to hold them together. You can see it better on the left shoe because the stitching remains. I wore out the repair on the right shoe!

Back to our comparison: I almost forgot how the soles of Toms are supposed to be textured! The Olives are almost completely bare.

I’ve already started the process of breaking in my new Chocolates, and had to bid farewell to my Olives. The new Toms are definitely more snug, but overall, my feet feel great! I’ve even worn them to work a few times, something I had stopped doing with the old ones, as they just didn’t offer enough support for hours of standing. I also love the Chocolate color! Though I think I prefer to call it Coffee…

One big change up was saying, fondly, gratefully, “goodbye!” to the cafe at House of Air and, breathlessly, excitedly, “hello!” to Coffee Bar. Working both jobs was a bit of a trick, and I’m happy to now be exclusive with the lovely CB. I’m so pumped to be apart of their barista staff.

A big highlight of the month was participating in Hecho Local, a new arts fair that has sprung up in the Mission district at SubMission arts space. It was amazing to be apart of the first round and I’m looking forward to be apart of its growth. Here are some doodles and pictures from the event:

Psst! I hear there’s gonna be another Hecho Local in August! Sadly, I will not be there, but GO ANYWAY!

Today is the last day of the online event, 30 days of creativity! This was a great event. It was so much fun to keep track of my creative ways and to see others who embraced the month’s goal. Please, check out my board on Pinterest: This is where I showcased what I did everyday this month.

Happily, I finally got a few days off in a row this week. I was able to catch up on important things like sleep, emails, manga, and doodling. It looked a lot like this…

And this…

What’s coming up? An indie film shoot, the Hot August Tour of CO & KS, and SFZineFest 2011 (oh yeah, we’re gonna be there)!!!

Problem 1 is that I believe strongly in “out of sight, out of mind.” Meaning that, if I have a project going, it needs to be out and visible, so that I remember to work on it. Problem 2 is that I always have multiple projects. Add 1 + 2 and I had Problem 3: PILES of PROJECTS ALL OVER MY WORK SPACE! Which ultimately led to Problem 4, no room to actually work on anything, and Problem 5, projects getting buried under each other which ultimately leads us back to Problem 1.

And there you have it – the death spiral of my piles of projects. Please see photographic evidence:

(Please note, this is actually a TON more organized than normal…)

How to solve this? Why POCKETS, of course! Project pockets!

I decided on my dimensions based on the length of my work table (5 ft/60″) and approximately the size of a folder, or slightly larger (12.4″ Wide x 14″ High). Luckily, I had an old bed sheet that was 62″ at one end, so I simply measured down from the already finished edge to figure out my pockets, then cut the sheet. I folded the sheet up and stitched down the edges. I created a seam for my raw edge, but left that end open, creating one huge pocket. Then, I simply stitched 4 lines and created 5 pockets, all in a row.

The fun part of this project was doing the eyelets. I bought an eyelet kit for under $2 at my favorite local fabric store. Eyelets are like small grommets. I wanted them in the fabric so when I hung the pockets and put heavy project materials in them, the fabric wouldn’t tear. It was ridiculously easy! You basically mark where your eyelet will be, cut a very tiny circle, shove the eyelet through, place right side down on the anvil, place the stem against the eyelet sticking out, and then hammer away! The force of the hammer and the stem split the eyelet open and down, making a complete seal. Check it out!

Now I could hang my pockets on the wall. Here they are:

I created some simple but cute labels for each project pocket using recycled manila filing folders and some bright sharpie colors. Each project has a name and a deadline (VERY important!).

Whew! SO much better! Basically, the project pockets are great because they address all the problems:

1) My projects are still visible, so I can see what I need to work on AND now, with the labels, I have set deadlines for them.

2) I only made 5 pockets. This happened to work out with my dimensions of pockets/sheet/how many projects I currently have, but I think it’s good to maybe limit myself to 5 major projects at one time. Hopefully, this will keep me more focused. (True, I have a couple projects that don’t fit into these pockets (gardening is tricky like that), but still…)

3) No more piles taking up space! I can actually work on projects on my craft table! Look at all that lovely space:

Projects pocketed!

“I work at a very cool place.”

But I’ll let the images speak for themselves. Here are pics and a video from an event I had hoped and dreamed of since starting to work there:
Our very own, the very first, staff jump night!

We had so much fun! Let’s do this every month!

On Sunday, we braved the rain, a bus on parade route, and a slightly nutty, totally great bus driver, to get to the Ferry Building for the Larkspur ferry to Marin. We had plenty of time there to pick up a present for MM’s dad, bread (herb slab from Acme Bread Co.) for my House of Air staff event, delicious macaroon’s from Miette, and excellent coffee from Blue Bottle.

We took the ferry across to Marin and were picked up by MM’s mom, who drove us to their house in the hills of San Rafael. I hadn’t spent a lot of time with MM’s parents before, but we had a great time. I got a tour of their house, we had lunch, and giggled over old family albums – which reminded me a lot of my Mom’s size-able album collection. The experience made me doubly excited for my upcoming trip to CO for Thanksgiving – only 2 weeks away!

We drove MM’s car back and he dropped me off at House of Air for work. I was sad to have our day out end, but felt bolstered by the beautiful sunset setting SF aglow. I really do live in a beautiful city!

Here’s to November adventures!

Mr. Wilson is talking about baseball, of course, but this quote really struck a chord with me.

My disclaimers: Sports and Dance are close cousins. I think professional dancers and athletes share physical ferocity, grace, and attitudes. And isn’t this world STILL “a man’s sport”? Isn’t the art world, too? It definitely feels like it sometimes.

My other disclaimer: What follows is by no means a finished or polished manifesto or artist statement. But it’s probably better that way. It’s just a continuing discussion.

DONE WITH DISCLAIMERS! Onward…

Lately, I’ve been struggling with my confidence in many areas of my life – work, dance, art, love. I find myself constantly wondering, “What is my direction?” What is my focus? What am I striving for? Why am I always pushing myself and doing what others consider to be “too much.” Is it too much? Why do I stretch myself over several arenas of art instead of staying in just one?

The answer is is that I can’t help myself. I love art. And I have a wide-spectrum understanding of all that the word “art” may encompass. Above all, I love creating, so I don’t feel the need to limit myself to one medium. And here’s the thing – I’ve begun to realize that the art, and the things that I make – choose me.

Recently, I started a new dance for camera project. I really felt stuck at some points in the process. I haven’t even looked at the footage yet, but I have this underlying fear that nothing I shot was worthwhile. But time limits my ability to re-shoot. I know I’ll have to work with what I’ve got. At one point in the process, I wondered, “Why am I doing this? I have so much going on – why can’t I just set this aside? Maybe even – dare I say it – give up on it?”

There are projects like that, I know – where you have to just understand that maybe now is not the time for it to happen. But this was not one of those projects. I know because as soon as I had that thought, my next thoughts turned to how many people I had talked to about this project, how long I had been thinking about it, the band who had agreed to contribute the music to it, even the nameless, voiceless, subjects of inspiration – this project was for them now. It’s not about me.

This is how art and dance and creating takes on spiritual connotations for me at times. I know what I’m making is good and true and solid when it feels pulled out of me – like I’m a channel for something bigger than me.

I constantly return to a quote from one of my favorite novels – Sabriel, by Garth Nix: “Does the Walker choose the Path, or the Path the Walker?” The way I rephrase it when it comes to my work is: “Does the Artist choose the Art, or the Art the Artist?”

This new dance for camera project has many themes, but the main one – and perhaps the one that I return to in most of my work – is mystery. I am drawn to mystery. Maybe this is why I feel at home in modern dance, which is an abstract art form. For me, the question is always more intriguing than the answer. In my pieces, I try to ask good questions rather than preachy answers. Of course my work is imbued with my “answers”  – my perspective, opinions, background, socio-economic status, etc. I know that I only have so little control over that aspect. But I hope in a dedication to mystery, my work becomes accessible to my audience. (There is always the danger that they are not interested in the questions being posed, but that’s another factor I have little control over that.)

What I’ve learned in making dance and art is that no matter what I plan, how I budget, what I think the piece will look like when finished, the facts remain: The project will ALWAYS take longer than I think, the process NEVER goes according to plan, and the product USUALLY surprises me when finished. (At least I can proudly say, I’ve always been on budget.)
And I am often frustrated by what seems like a lack over control over my own process, but I realize how much making art is an interaction with mystery. Who’s in control here? Again, the Artist or the Art? The vision that I start with is only the seed for the garden that grows over time. We’re not surprised when bare dirt becomes a forest – how can I be surprised when the art that emerges in the end looks very little like what I started with?

This is not to say that I shouldn’t plan or budget or be fully invested in working hard in the process. It’s a balance of that and trusting what’s happening in the moment with the process and knowing that whatever the outcome, that’s what the piece IS. As one of my university mentors, the choreographer Michelle Ellsworth, said, “Listen to your art – what does the PIECE want?”

I hope I’m making sense here. I’m realizing more and more that my thoughts and statements about art really do approach a spiritual confession for me. Heretical, probably, but again, art is more than a hobby or even my passion – it’s my interaction with the Universe.

This thought is helpful to me when I return to that question of why am I striving and pushing so hard? I never feel like what I’m doing is enough. I struggle with the desire and idea of becoming a “professional artist.” What does that even mean? Why do I have certain expectations and images associated with that, that I think I have to adhere to?

My path will not look like anyone else’s.
I make what’s going to happen. But I can trust in the act of making, I am not in control.
I can’t own my art, since it was never mine to begin with – but I can trust my deep underlying drive at being a creator and feeling at one with the Universe when I create.
There’s no room for fear or doubt – only the love of the work.

A a little over a month ago, I started to realize that I really needed a 2nd job to make ends meet. I was really stressed financially and emotionally, and so started to look for work. I felt better as soon as I decided to take action and look on Craigslist and send out at least 1 resume and application every day. I really believe that when you put yourself out there with a goal, and start looking for answers, the Universe responds. Job hunting is no fun, but I found it kind of interesting to see what I was drawn to, what I was willing to write a cover letter for, and where I could actually see myself working. Unlike when I first moved here last September, when I was basically looking for ANYTHING, this time around I felt like I was being more selective – not in a picky way, just in a “No, I want to do worthwhile work” way. What does “worthwhile work” mean, anyway? Job hunting was a way to explore the possibilities.

One of the first interviews I got was at this very cool salon/art gallery in the Tenderloin. I really liked the vibe and the people, but it wasn’t meant to be. However, on the bus ride back from the interview, I ended up sitting next to this woman who was having a conversation on her cell phone that got my attention. The subject of the conversation, and the bits of thread on her dress, told me immediately that she was a costumer. For about 15 seconds, I hesitated, then figured, “what the heck!” and turned to introduce myself. We ended up having a great conversation and I gave her my business card.

A couple of weeks ago, I got a call from her! She asked me if I was available to come help her with the costumes for the new ODC Theater Opening Gala. I ended up working 3 solid days of too many tuxedo jackets and not enough time, but we somehow pulled it off and we got along famously. I can’t wait to work for her again. If you’d like to see some of her high caliber costuming, check out her Facebook page and Etsy shop!

During this same time period, I got a random email from my good friend Mr. J, who wanted to draw my attention to an awesome new fixture in his neighborhood: The House of Air Trampoline Park.

Checking out their website, I saw they were hiring and once again, figured, “what the heck!” and started working my cover letter (with the help of my personal editor, MQ). A week later I got an email asking me to come in for a group interview. I biked out to the Presidio and was thoroughly impressed with the manager who conducted the interview and the beautiful facility. The next day they asked if I could start working right away! I jumped right in to cafe crew duties, Lysol-ing trampoline shoes, and learning the barely born procedures and answers to customers’ many questions.

The schedule is ideal, the pay good, my fellow co-workers really cool, AND I get to jump for free anytime I’m off the clock. I can’t wait to check out the air training classes, too. Barista training is on the horizon, as well as CPR & 1st aid certification. The bike commute is epic, but I kind of love it – I get to travel the scenic 8.5 miles from Potrero Hill, past AT&T Park, along the entire Embarcadero stretch of piers, past Fort Mason, and through Chrissy Field, to the converted airplane hangar that is HOA. True, some of my paycheck will be going to outfitting my bike to get it ideal, but I’d probably be doing that anyway!

Going back to my question – why does my job at HOA fit my idea of “worthwhile work”? Here are my thoughts:

- I’m working for a start up. HOA was the dream of two friends who found a way to make it happen. They are really cool guys, with their hearts and hands in every aspect of the park. That passion is great to witness and be a part of.

- With my dance background, my desire to keep up my physical training and explore new ways of physical expression, I just can’t help but get excited when I walk in the door. I really love the environment.

- I really like working with customers and doing simple things to make people happy. HOA is great because it’s a simple idea taken to new heights. In my interview, I asked our manager what her favorite part of the job is, and she said “Seeing the smiles on customers faces.” And it’s true. It’s great working at a place where people come to play and be happy.

Biking to work this weekend, with the Blue Angels rocketing overhead, I felt very lucky.

When I was working at Currents, on Valencia, I wanted to make something for my coworkers because they have inspired me so much in the business of arts and crafts. I’ve also been wanting to start painting again, but didn’t have a lot of money or materials to work with. The project I decided on was to do portraits of my coworkers on cardboard. I took photos of my coworkers when we were at work together to have images to work from.

The first portrait I did was of my coworker friend who was leaving for a long stay in Japan. That portrait I painted with coffee and wine, which was really fun, and I did accents with pens. Unfortunately I didn’t get any photos of it because I had to finish it in a hurry. Hopefully when she comes back at the end of the month I can get some photos of it.

My other two coworker friends’ portraits I finished before I left Currents and gave them during my last couple days there. I used cardboard again, but this time my new roommate B let me use his tempera paints. It’s funny, I didn’t have a lot of colors on hand, but it worked out perfectly, as I wanted to paint the portraits using my friends’ favorite colors, and that’s what I ended up having! Sometimes, I really think having the challenge of limits actually makes art better. As scary as some of my limitations can seem right now, I have to embrace them as a chance to grow.

Here are the visuals!

My friends are artists, too – please check out their sites! You can see why I’m so inspired…

Chelsey Dyer

Rachel, aka Kokoro Kara

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