Greetings from Savannah!

Greetings from Savannah, GA! I'm here now, trying to finish furnishing the SixTwelve artist residency. It's been a lot of fun picking out furniture and trying to make sure that everything one might need is here. I want people to feel honored to have been given this residency and I know that the location sets the tone, so I'm making it as nice as I can within a budget. Here's a little view of the living room so far.

The most exciting news from the past couple of months is that the paperwork for the non-profit status application (to the IRS) is complete and the board is completely formed! We held a meeting last week where we voted on many resolutions, assigned officers and put in motion all of the goodness that we want to give to OKC. It was a bit surreal and 100% exciting.

Because we asked so many people within one week, I'll just list them in this post, but subsequent posts will be dedicated to each new member. I think we have the best board.  Jim Roth, Kathryn Mathis, Marco Rodriguez, Michael Centola, and Megan Elliott all accepted our invitations to join and we could not be more grateful!

This is really happening and it makes me so happy.

Where Have You Been All My Life? (Or Over the Past Year?)

2014 is going to have to work hard to trump 2013. When I graduated a year and a half ago, I decided that I needed another kind of education. I needed a quick degree in serving your community in a creative way. I wanted to know the best practices, the issues, the things you don't ever want to overlook, when trying to actually do some good for the people around you.

I knew the most efficient way to do that would be to find other people and projects that were doing great things for their communities. I went to see as many creative and sustainable projects as I could, all over the country, because I needed to figure out how to combine all of the programs I have been dreaming about under one roof. There's nothing like first hand experience and observation to help you decide things like... "no, Amy, you don't need to make your pre-school a Waldorf school. You've had all of the education, training, and experience that you need to do this." (That was my voice.) I would have had to go to school for four more years, and train/student teach at a Waldorf school during those years before ever calling myself certified. The time for study and research is always at hand, but now is also the time to act. You can research too much. Sometimes you just have to jump in and do it!

I also learned that my ideas, dreams and visions are just as important as anyone else's. The choices I make and the priorities I set are there for a reason. They dictate the things that I do and lead me towards my goals. This has helped me learn how to say, "no," without feeling guilty. And what are my goals? It's funny. A year ago, I would have said that my goals were to get SixTwelve open and to provide quality education, encouragement and care for the people of OKC.

Those are still my goals, but now, the highest priorities are to remain true to myself, to spend as much time with my family as I can, and to enjoy every step of the process of getting SixTwelve to the point where it can help people. I used to be so controlled by fear. We all are, to some extent, but I'm not afraid of this mountain in front of me anymore, largely because I've been climbing it for some time now. But I've also had the luxury of taking my time, getting to know myself and my community, and learning how to tell fear to take a hike. You have to get out of your own head and focus on the doing!

It's been a crazy, fun, exciting, scary, mind-blowing, exhausting, but thrilling experience. I've seen things that I know will play a part in our programming and I've met people that have come along, just at the perfect time. I've decided to be as open to whatever came my way as I could, while simultaneously pushing to make things happen. It's a weird, but productive, balance.

I haven't blogged about everything that I've seen or done over the past year because I kind of want some things to be a surprise. I also just took off and didn't give myself much time to write, but here's a little synopsis.

Shortly after Paseo Festival and deadCENTER Film Festival were over, I took off with my friend, Preston, to see San Francisco, Napa, the Redwood Forest, Scenic Hwy 1 along the California and Oregon coasts, and then on up to Portland. I went to San Francisco to see 826 Valencia, but they were closed for renovation when I arrived. Not to worry! I will return. We took a few days to drive up the coast after leaving San Fran, because I had never seen the Redwoods and I found this SWEEEEET little cabin on airbnb.com. I thought I would give living in a smaller house a try and I fell in love.

This little place may have done more for my understanding of what sustainable living can be like than anything else I experienced on that trip. We had the best time and I slept better there than anywhere else along the way. We even had a composting toilet. Have I mentioned that James wanted to have composting toilets at SixTwelve and I originally said, "no way?" Ha! I worried there would be a smell and that people wouldn't know how to use them. Our stay at the cabin helped me to realize that people (like me) could learn, pretty easily, in fact. And there wasn't a smell. I also felt happier with less clutter around me. Imagine that. It's had me thinking about selling my house and just building little neighborhood of tiny houses ever since. But one project at a time, Amy. (That's my dad's voice I'm hearing there. So grateful for his guidance.)

When we arrived in Portland, I visited a Waldorf Training program and spoke with the director. He told me about all of the requirements and while I could easily see myself living in Portland the next four summers, and while I truly respect Rudolf Steiner's philosophies on education, I knew that the time had come to leave further training behind and just do it! I believe that I can create a pre-school program that will be really good for many little humans.

I loved that trip. It was fun and full of beauty, but it was time to come home and prepare for the next research trip. I'll write more about that next time!

I'm Baaaaaaaack!

I took the summer off from blogging to travel and see many, many inspirational projects and community centers! I also continued planning for the programming at SixTwelve! I seriously was having so much fun and adventure that I didn't have time to write. Have I mentioned lately how grateful I am for my life? 2013 has turned out to be one of the best years so far! I will definitely catch up on the projects and centers that I visited over the coming weeks. I mainly just wanted to check in and get the ball rolling on the ol' blog again.

SixTwelve is moving right along. We're putting in electric and plumbing right now and Phillip has started on the landscaping just this week.  James just got back from a three week trip to South Korea, Japan and Thailand. So glad he got to go! I'll be leaving for Marfa, Texas tomorrow with Joy and will only have one day when I get back to wash my clothes and pack again because I'll leave on the 16th to go to Savannah and close on the little cottage I found for a 612/Savannah artist exchange! Woohooo!!!!

Travel is important to both of us and we know that it's going to be a challenge over the next five years, while we get the business up and running, to get away. But it's a priority for both of us, so I'm sure we'll figure it out.

Today, I'll be working with kids on a recycled art project from 12-4pm at Orange Leaf Yogurt at North May and Grand. We're going to be using their spoons, cups and napkins to create little ghosts and some bigger spoon pumpkins. I hope a lot of kids come. Should be a lot of fun!

Catch Up on SixTwelve and Travels!

July 1st has begun what I am calling a month of travel and research. I know that I haven't had any problem working that in over the past months, but this one is especially full. I'm excited! But before I begin to explain what I'll be doing over the next few weeks, I want to catch up a little bit and highlight what I think have been the most significant experiences over the past few.

Last month, after chairing the music committee for the Paseo Arts Festival, taking a little breather in Broken Bow and then organizing the volunteers for the opening night party for deadCENTER Film Festival, I felt like I could really focus on SixTwelve. It's so good to be able to really give this my all again. This was my third and last year to chair the music for Paseo Fest and I'm working to bring other people in to the committees that I'm on or chairing so that I can share the workload and have more time to give to SixTwelve. It's my true passion and there are only so many hours in the day, so it's time to cut out the distractions and run toward that goal! James and I have been calling it "Laser Focus." That's what we want.

On June 12th, we were so fortunate to be invited to speak at the Norman Arts Roundtable. This entity is made up of representatives from different arts and humanities organizations in Norman and they bring in people each month to speak about their work. Jennifer Barron, the director of the Paseo Arts Association, James and I all went on this day and presented info about the Paseo Arts District and about SixTwelve. It's so fun to share our dream with people because I feel like the more people that know about it, the more good we'll be able to do when we open our doors. 

And speaking of sharing the vision, we had a fabulous opportunity to share on June 21st, when the National Art Education Association Western Region came to SixTwelve during their conference. I was working at the Oklahoma Museums Association's annual Smarties Trivia Night so James took the reigns and gave what I heard was a great tour! I couldn't believe that so many art educators would get to hear about what we're doing. We were so honored to be a part of that tour of Paseo. 

On the morning of June 22nd, SixTwelve joined forces with SustainableOKC and the Great Plains Coca-Cola Bottling Company to provide a Rain Barrel Workshop. Great Plains provided the barrels and conversion kits; SustainableOKC provided the directions and discussion and SixTwelve provided the location. We're not even finished with renovation and we're already seeing some learning and gathering taking place. I felt like I was on cloud nine during that event. I'm really proud of James for being on the board of SustainableOKC and making things like this happen for our community. We had a great crowd and everyone seemed grateful for this free opportunity to take a rain barrel home with them! IT'S REALLY HAPPENING!!!! People are learning valuable things at SixTwelve!!!

We had a great crowd for the Rain Barrel Workshop!

Last week, I went to Kansas City with Chandra for a few days. Our goal was to catch up and have a girls' trip, but I snuck a little research in as well. The first night that we were there, we met with our friend Cori Imig. Cori is a fabulous lady and thanks to the Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition, OKC has a  relationship with her and with the gallery and project that she and her fellow co-founding members started, Plug Projects. She is also the Program Coordinator for Artist INC, an organization that OVAC and other Oklahoma organizations, such as Oklahoma Contemporary, are working with in order to help artists grow in their business. 

As if Cori isn't amazing enough, her boyfriend has a 24 hour, local foods grocery store, Howard's, that operates on an honor system. This visit deserves (and will get) its own blog entry next, but I think anyone reading this can get an idea of why it would be fun to bring these people to Oklahoma City and to speak, teach, or share their ideas with our community at SixTwelve. I admire them so much! While we were in KC, we also took in some great art at the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art and the Nelson-Atikins Museum of Art. Man, oh man! We saw some great art. We also ate some delicious food  and shopped, but I'll include all of that in the next entry. 

So June and the first part of July have been really fun and educational. The rest of the month won't pale in comparison either. I'm home this week and then next Sunday, I'm hitting the road for a long stretch of wanderlust and exploration. My friend Preston and I are heading to San Francisco, spending a little time there seeing a great program called 826 Valencia, the Rudolf Steiner College, and of course, experiencing delicious art, music and food. We're then renting a car and driving up the Pacific Coast Hwy 1. I've always wanted to see the Redwood trees so I am going to work that into the time between San Fran and my final destination, Portland. There are a lot of places that I want to visit in Portland too. All of this travel is meant to provide inspiration, insight and to hopefully make contacts with people that I can bring to OKC for future SixTwelve programming. Plus, once we open, I know that it will be hard to get away. I'm sure I won't feel stuck or imprisoned by SixTwelve. I'll just want to be here, making sure I give everything I can to see it grow and flourish. So now is the time to go! 

About three days after I return from the west coast, I'm going to turn around and head out to Taos and Santa Fe, New Mexico. This trip is more for fun, as the group I'm going with will be celebrating a great friend's birthday, but I know that I'll be inspired and surrounded by art and music, so I'm sure I will find places that will somehow be of importance to the 612 project there too. Every experience is important for what we're doing. 

Really looking forward to these trips! So grateful for my life.

Festivals Galore!

The past month has flown by in such a pace that I could barely keep up. I had my last class meeting with the Oklahoma Arts Council's Leadership Arts program and I have to say that I love my classmates. They were a huge encouragement to me and helped inspire me to keep truckin. I feel like I have friends all over the state that are on the same page about promoting the importance of the arts in our state and I now feel like I have the tools to advocate for what I believe our state needs. Most importantly, I am grateful and honored to be included in a group with any of them. They are superstars in my book!

The day after our meeting concluded here in OKC, I helped to get the Paseo Arts Festival set up. This was my last year as the music chair for the festival and while the last three years have been such a great learning experience for me, I am excited about working at 612 during next year's festival. I want to give my energy to my baby!

The Paseo's Gayle Curry created the artwork for this year's festival and I love it!

This year's fest was great. We had wonderful art, food and music. My only real goals were to enjoy as much of it as I could, to try to solve problems with a clear head, and to get along with James. Ha! That can all be hard to accomplish during a festival, because of long work hours and heat. Although the weather took a break on us this year, we didn't suffer a lack of challenges. The biggest difference this year was in how I chose to respond to those challenges. I'm finding that I have more confidence in myself so I don't need to fly off of the handle when injustices happen...especially after all of the recent loss we have experienced in our state due to the tornadoes and rough weather. It kind of puts things in perspective.

I was so impressed with the musicians that performed at the festival. Almost all of them gave their tips to the relief effort. They raised $1,190.84, to be split evenly between the Red Cross and the Regional Food Bank. These musicians were already playing for free to begin with! I'm so grateful for their generosity. It made all of the challenges we faced so small.

After a quick getaway trip to Broken Bow with my friend Preston, I'm back in OKC and getting ready for deadCENTER Film Festival. It starts on Thursday and I'm in charge of the opening night rooftop party at the Oklahoma City Museum of Art. I think it's going to be a lot of fun and I can't wait to see the films.

I love Oklahoma City. We're lucky to live in such a great place with so many wonderful things going on all the time. There's no time to be bored! The best thing about Oklahoma, though, is the people. We make these things happen and I'm so honored to be a part of it.

Shameless Plug: If you haven't gotten your passes for deadCENTER, click HERE now and join us this weekend. It's going to be fun!

Hard Hat Tour, Leadership Arts, Paseo's First Friday, Better Block and What's coming up!

The past few weeks have been flying by and I don't see things slowing down until the middle of June.  I've had so many great experiences, but it's made it difficult to keep up with my blog. So I thought I'd give a little sampler post to catch up!

On Earth Day, April 22nd, we held a hard hat tour of SixTwelve and it was so fun to share our dreams with people we'd never even met. It's one thing for your family or best friends to encourage you. In fact, it might have been what kept us going over the past few years, but it's wild to see people you don't know getting excited your project and what it can mean for the community. The wonderful guys at Mockingbird Media, Matt Barnett and Stewart Perryman, came to the tour, filmed and created a wonderful video that really captures our vision and then just gave it to us for free. I'm so grateful!!! Such generosity is rare these days. Take a look!



Just a couple of days after that tour, I headed down to Beavers Bend State Park in Broken Bow, Oklahoma for our third Leadership Arts class meeting. It was so beautiful down there and I have to say it was a needed break from the fast-paced rush I'm always running through up here in OKC. I'm amazed by all of my class mates. They do so many wonderful things for the arts in our state and are simultaneously so supportive and kind. We discussed ways in which the arts improve quality of life and were lucky enough to get to tour the Museum of the Red River in Idabel as a part of our program. What a great museum!!!! The two things I like the most about the Leadership Arts program are the people I get to meet and the parts of the state we now feel connected to because of our great experiences. This state really does have so much to offer...we just have to get out and see it!

The following week, during Paseo's First Friday Art Walk, my friends Molly O'Connor and Lauren Zuniga, the band, King Mary, Feathered Rabbit and Richard Ray Whitman all performed on SixTwelve's stage!!! Boom Horn also created a mural while the event was taking place. It was the first time anyone used the stage and I was thrilled with the caliber of talent we saw there. I wasn't in charge of anything, as we just let the group hold their event there, but I was so honored to have such incredible artists, musicians and poets inaugurate the stage. The goodness keeps on flowing!

The very next morning, we got up really early to get to the OKC Farmers Public Market. It was time for the Better Block OKC event and SixTwelve had a booth! Erin Latham is an artist that I really admire, especially for her talent, approach and philosophy. She is concerned with the environment and sustainability, so she is a perfect fit for what SixTwelve is about. Sooooo, I invited her to join us for the Better Block event and to help provide the kid's art activity that we were asked to provide. She created dyes out of veggies and used fruits and vegetables as the stamps kids (and adults) could use to make cards for Mother's Day. All of the waste we created was then composted by Fertile Ground, so we could talk to the kids and parents about the cycle of those plants we used! It was perfect!

Erin Latham, holding down the fort at the SixTwelve booth - Better Block OKC

In addition to all of this, I'm preparing for an education event, a Parent/Student art workshop this Saturday at the PAA. It's for students at the elementary schools surrounding Paseo, such as Edgemere, Sequoyah, Putnam Heights, Wilson and Horrace Mann. I'm the chair of the education committee for Paseo, as well as the chair of the music committee for the Paseo Arts Festival 2013, and that festival is coming right up. Immediately after Paseo Fest, I'm a party captain for the opening night party for deadCENTER Film Festival on the rooftop of the Oklahoma City Museum of Art. Mainly I'm just in charge of helping to recruit volunteers and to spread the word about the greatness that is deadCENTER and I'm thrilled to be a part of it!

I have to say that afterwards, it will be so nice to return to a little normalcy...whatever that is. I know one thing...I'm going to take a big ol' nap. But it sure is fun to be a part of this community and to do whatever I can to help it grow. I love OKC.

Our First Press Release

Last week I had the good fortune to eat dinner with a friend that I really respect and while we were eating, I was telling him about SixTwelve's upcoming Hard Hat Tour. He asked me if I was going to do a press release. A PRESS RELEASE???? I was just inviting all of my Facebook friends to come see the building because so many of them had said they would like to take a peak inside. I didn't even think about a press release. I also thought it was way too late to do something like that. This was just an informal tour.

Of course, as more and more people said they would be coming, I thought, "Maybe I should create one...just for the experience of learning how to do that. I've never written one up before and that skill could come in handy in the future." Romy encouraged me to write one too, so I asked our awesome board member, Tracey Zeeck, if she thought I should and she said it could be good for posterity. So I decided to give it a go!

I totally underestimated how long it would take to write one up. I thought, "I wrote a thesis this time last year. I can handle a one page press release." Ha! It took me about an hour to muddle my way through choosing the most important information, a quote that could be used and a short explanation of what SixTwelve will be. I laughed at myself after I finally finished.

I sent it to Tracey, and she replied with a revamped (and much, much better) version, along with this kind note:

Ok I plan to rearrange a lot of it, so just a heads up. Don't want you to think you didn't do a fab job ;-)

I'm really grateful for Tracey. I want to learn how to do things well and I know we all have to start somewhere, but it really helps to have guidance, especially from someone like her. I respect that woman. She knows what she's doing and gets things done. AND SHE IS KIND. I realize more and more that the people we've chosen for board members are people that we want as teachers. We're so lucky to have them. Thanks, Tracey, for all of your help.