Assisting The One

This is a poem I wrote during the 2008 Touch Drawing Gathering, from the beautiful and expressive images I received from my Inner Portrait drawing partner, Talia................. Thank you, dear Talia! It has resurfaced in my life now, and holds even more meaning for me than before. But, this was written and meant for everyone.

Assisting the One

Angel Spirit - Trust your Power.
Trust what you feel in your core.
You are being sent messages
Which you have the power to manifest.
Hear them. Catch them.
Realize your dreams!
You are assisting the One
Through the great many layers of Life.
Know the trees will grow again....
Though branches may be stripped
And the trunk is bare...
Limbs always grow again.
Creativity will blossom here.
Joy and Reverence abounds.
Spirits are Rising.
Feel the Rivers flowing through your land -
Through your bosom.
The energy flows through You!
And You! are a source for the River.
Balance the Seen and Unseen...
Flesh, Bone and Spirit,
We come for you, and bring you to safety.
Dance, Beautiful One!
Warriors may smile in Peace.

- Amanda Koh
July 2008

A New Way to Sell Art

Shared Royalties is the process by which artists and collectors may earn income from the lifetime of an art’s movements. Artists request royalties from the sales of their original artwork, and share those royalties with their collectors.

Gone is the idea of an artist making money on a piece all at one time, with one person. It is replaced now with the idea of artwork earning money over it’s lifetime - not before its lifetime begins.

This is an idea I have had for the sales of my own artwork for more than 5 years now. And for five years, I have been sharing this concept with others. Many people have resonated with this concept, and have joined me in the vision. And yet, I have been hesitant to produce an extensive body of work to put out in this way. It is now, in this evening, that I have realized two important reasons why I have not been able to propel this concept as I had originally envisioned. For one - my vision of the compensation was complicated. I had one foot in the idea of a gift giving society, and the other in one of expected compensation. I could not move forward with this vision, without letting go of the old paradigm. Now that I have done this, I have realized how simple this vision can be. And as a result, I now have a simple way to portray this concept to others.

I have also realized the importance of receiving some compensation up front. I realize that part of my hesitancy in fully implementing this vision myself, was the fact that I would pay so much for materials to produce artwork, and could go potentially forever without receiving compensation. So I have now decided to charge a materials fee for each piece I put out.... so it is only my time in the creation of the art itself, which I am giving "before compensation". In this way, I am free to continue, because I will always have consistent support of my materials needed for the creation of new artwork.

I can imagine a lot of people suggesting that I simply SELL the work - and I would then be compensated for the materials, and THEN some. But, I can tell you from my recent experience, when selling traditionally, then that money is STILL not being replenished, as art is displayed in galleries and restaurants all over, with the public ADORING some pieces, but not buying them, because they cannot AFFORD that large amount needed to cover the cost of materials and time and marketing and everything else we are putting into original art these days. And as the economy falls further into a recession - selling artwork will only become more difficult - if we continue to do it in this old WAY.

And along these lines, one "no no" I have heard, is in the pricing of original artwork: it is never a good idea for an artist to reduce their prices. So tell me, how is that supposed to work for an artist who is selling during a recession? Suddenly, the artist becomes the one the collectors are criticizing, because he or she has devalued the art THEY own by reducing their own prices to create sales.

In this way, Shared Royalties eases this burden for the artists and the collectors. Because when the artist relinquishes the "pricing" of their own artwork, and leaves it up to the public market to create, then the prices can more naturally move in rhythm with the prosperity of its environment. And this fluctuation in price will more clearly be recognized as a product of economic conditions, rather than a possibly "languishing" artist.

So with Shared Royalties, gone is the pricing of one’s own art - often said to be the most difficult thing for an artist to do....

Instead, trust is given to the collective of people who are now the collectors of your art. The more art you can produce, and get into the public, the greater your chance of earning income in the future. And - the more desirable your pieces are, again, the greater your chance of earning income in the future. And, the larger your body of work becomes, the greater your chance becomes that you will be producing desirable artwork.

To help illustrate this concept, I’d like to share a story. It is of a ceramics class instructor, who divided a class into two groups. One group was to be given a grade based on the number of pieces created by the end of the semester. The more pieces created, the higher the grade. The second group only had to produce one piece by the end of the semester, and they would be graded on the quality of that single piece.

At the end of the semester, the most beautiful pieces, were of course, produced by the group which was only being judged only on the number of pieces they were creating. Through their efforts to produce more, they had perfected their technique, and were able to produce far superior pieces than the people who had been struggling to produce perfection in only one.

And this is precisely the type of creative "stagnation" I believe our current process of selling art has imposed on our society. We have many artists who seek perfection, and wish to sell X number of pieces in order to recoup costs of materials and time, before they can move forward and continue to produce more. We also have the idea that you must be quite obviously talented at producing something beautiful or realistic in order to be "an artist" - and have "reason" to participate in the creative arts at all. This is a sham, as we are all creative beings, and we are ALL meant to express ourselves. And when we recognize this, and begin to support each other in our creative expressions, and reward each other for the beauty we do create, then we will open the flow of our creativity. We have been dormant for decades. It is time for us to awaken to our creative potential, and to allow ourselves to create our own "perfect" pieces.

Again, the more art you can produce, and get into the public, the greater your chance of earning income in the future. And - the more desirable your pieces are, the greater your chance of earning income in the future. And, the larger your body of work becomes, the greater your chance becomes that you will be producing desirable artwork.

So start producing - sell your art for the materials fee - trust in the process........

If this idea resonates with you - help to create this - write to me - let’s join together.

Amanda

***("Shared Royalties" was previously called "art caretaking")

Painting Live

So - I've dreamt about this for years.... myself painting live in front of an audience. I first saw this vision more than 5 years ago, and now, it is beginning to become a manifestation...... I'm taking my first steps into this vision in the next couple of weeks, and I'm quite excited for where it may lead me.

I think it's strange when I look at the things I have written on this blog.... and it doesn't express all the joy I've found in recent discoveries and accomplishments in my life. What's the point of this if I don't fill you in on the more remarkable periods in my life? Who are you, anyway? Who is reading this? And why? What's probably more important - why would I write this here?

Well - for me - I've always been transparent. And, I believe that transparency is important. I believe we are all going through something in each life, and it helps to hear the stories of others - their triumphs and failures....... their difficulties, and addictions to behaviors we most desire to change. I believe, when one is able to conquer their own self, and win an inner battle, it is inspiring to hear the story.

Right now - so many of us here on Earth, are caught up in the illusion of fear, and we are living our lives as slaves to the system, unaware of who we truly are, and where our greatest gifts lie. The time is upon us, when we must awaken - we must come into our truths - and face our fears. We must live our passions, and be at peace within the world............. so we may share that with others.

This blog, and my openness with others, is how I pay respect to that vision and knowledge - that we all are here for that purpose, and we can all use a little inspiration from our friends.

So, now I begin, taking my first steps into a vision of myself, which I know is my truth. These are my baby steps on my path toward my self....

Thank you for being my witness.

Paint away, wipe it away

So that's the way it goes for me lately....

I've just spent the entire evening, putting paint on a small 8 x 10 canvas, and delicately creating intricate patterns, and getting to something I like......... then changing a bit here, smearing a bit there, and woops........

I got a bit carried away, and wiped it all away.

Fear.

Yup.

I've been afraid for years of my own paint - of my own paintings - of my own artwork. Expectations are a bitch.

And then - a whole evening of work - and a few really cool paintings....... and none of them are here anymore...............

They were something, anyway......... nothing there - nothing tangible. Of course not.

If I were to actually make something that looks realistic, then that would be more of me having to fulfill expectations......

So let's just have some fun, like a child........ smearing paint together into an amorphous blob of brown as the pigments fuse into one color......

Does a child fear this?

Does a child love the brown mess?

I know I do.

I have fun smearing my fingers around in the paint - doing nothing but moving through a sensual, cool, party of colors...........

So that's today.

Today I took a step.

I put paint on canvas.................

and then I smeared it away............

Our dog Jackie is famous!

One of our beautiful, and highly talented dogs, Jackie... has been chosen as this Friday's Photo Pick by City Dog Magazine! It's a photo of her, taken in the Badlands, during our move from Detroit to the Pacific Northwest... Of course - she's gorgeous....... take a look! :)

her personal blog entry is here: take me to see Count Jackula.....

Check out Prodigal Art now

Waking up without Christmas

So this is Christmas, but I would not know, other than the fact that I feel something missing inside. I awoke earlier than normal today, with only a few hours sleep.... possibly sensing the electricity in the air, coming from the homes all around me. But there is none within our walls - it is only hollow here.

It's not that we don't believe in Christmas in this home, I mean - the act of celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ... and - well - it's not that I don't believe in Santa, either.

As a child - this was the most special day of the year for me.....

This is the day dreams came true.

I remember a time, when living was done with thwarted temptation.... when desires for material possessions were put on hold - indefinitely. Wealth was elusive. Excess was not a part of our way.

I would count down the days with the greatest excitement I have ever known... I had a string of bells - all attached to a long line of felt...... it was green, with twenty five silver bells each with a single, untied string of red yarn. As a day dawned..... I could tie a string at the top of another bell - announcing the arrival of another day closer to Christmas morning!

You see, then.... I remember waiting all year for that one special time when I could receive gifts and toys I could not receive any other time of year... And you know - I can't even sit here today and say that it was because we couldn't afford to buy more gifts or toys during the year.... because we could. It was simply a different time then. It was a time when we chose to live more simply. And that simple life, allowed the magic of Christmas to shine through.

It was because of our ways during the rest of the year, that the morning of Christmas was so special. So in that sense - yes, I would say Santa is really watching, who's bad and who's nice.... and the true rewards are with those who sacrifice.

And that is a word I'm not sure many of us live with anymore..... I don't think many children understand the word, as we have all experienced such an influx of material wealth over the past few generations. With each successive generation, we have bought more, and appreciated less. And sadly, as a result, we have lost the magic of what was once, my most celebrated day of the year.

How can we appreciate the love of giving, when we have already grabbed all we ever desired?

If this day, is a day to celebrate the birth of a man who sacrificed his life for us - for all of us...... how are we to know anything close to the joy of receiving, if we cannot even live without desired possessions over the year? And sadder than missing the joy of receiving, is what the gift givers miss - when they have to dig ever deeper into their savings, or rather, these days - their credit - to witness that sparkle in someone's eye when they finally receive that one incredible gift they could never have before.

One.

One incredible gift.

Can we even comprehend that nowadays?

Can we even imagine giving a child one special gift on Christmas morning?

I don't think so.... I certainly can't. When I think of it - all I can see is disappointment in his eyes..... as he wonders - why isn't there more?

I am not really sure why I am even thinking of all this.... or rather - why I am here typing all of this for the world to read. I do know what made me think of it....

I awoke to a morning, without a Christmas tree.... without Christmas music.... and without wrapped presents...... and for the first time in my life..... a year where I didn't buy a single gift for anyone. My husband, still asleep in bed.... and my mother-in-law upstairs in her bedroom alone, probably planning to spend this day just like any other.... all had me missing that feeling I remember having as a child..... that feeling I know we can all have, every day of our lives.

I just couldn't shake the memory of last night.... as I washed dishes after dinner......

My mother-in-law, a Korean immigrant and Catholic, asked somewhat cynically, "Why do people celebrate Christmas?"

Lost in my feelings of materialism, overwhelmed by upward spiraling corporate driven greed, and the subsequent desire to get out of the system, I agreed with her rhetorical question. We all mumbled a bit about the ridiculousness of it all, and went back to our normal lives..... void of a celebration typical of a Christmas Eve.

It was only this morning, when I woke up, and realized....

I have an answer to that question.

Although many of us have lost our way.... I know why we celebrate Christmas. I have lived it. I have felt it. We celebrate Christmas because of the magic.... because so many of us can share a common thread for one time of year.... and feel a sense of kinship as we walk by another person, and wish them a Merry Christmas with a smile.

Even today, that sense of kinship and community is something we still miss in this world, even though it is something we all still desire. That common thread, is something we all still sacrifice.

So here's a Christmas wish I have for Santa.... and I'm giving him plenty of time to work on this for me........... and even if it is just a little bit each year, I'll know he's done everything he can to make this dream a reality.

I wish for more kinship in our world..... more of a sense of belonging to our local communities.... more of a sense of friendship among our families, and most of all - a common purpose among our nations.

It is long enough that we all have sacrificed this gift of our lives.

I believe it is time we wake up to the day of our dreams.

May we all, in Jesus' name I pray.

Merry Christmas to all.......

Amen.

changing my mind

I could sleep,
if I would just go lay down.

But I don't....
I won't.
I sit here at this computer,
surfing for what?

something unknown.

looking at financial charts,
future maps of underwater worlds,
researching survival techniques,
inquiring as to current CIA positions,

and now - visiting the BLOG...

the place I come to when I feel there is no place else to go...
the place where I am exposed to billions in the world...
and no one comes to see me.

I am just another of the billions of people here...
just another mind racing at night...
staying up late, perhaps...
surfing, searching, wondering....

what does the future hold?
what do I bring to the table?
what is my purpose?
what is there to know?
does any of this matter?
does anyone else care?

feeling the heaviness of my inner spirit,
and physical body...
I decide to turn off the light....

and let my mind stumble in circles,
until it cannot see where it turns, anymore....
unconsciously sinking into the comfort of a pillow...
and sleeping soundly till the next day dawns.