Runnin' Down That Road

I'm currently sitting in the car. James is driving us home to OKC, taking a new route because we decided to visit my parents in Florida before returning from this trip to Savannah. I'm so glad we drove down to see them because I have missed them! 

I love these drives because I usually get a lot of work done while James is at the wheel. We also have a lot of time to talk and figure things out, which is valuable. On this leg of the trip, we've been discussing big picture dreaming, models of schools and community groups and systems we should put into place in order to help SixTwelve run smoothly. It's fun because I feel like I can see what will happen there more clearly everyday. 

I've decided that we will wait on starting the pre-school, even though I believe it to be one of the biggest needs in our community. I just feel like I have so many things to learn before jumping in, AND we need to take things one step at a time in order for everything to be as successful as possible. 

So here's the new priority list for getting things open at SixTwelve:

1. After-school programs & Residencies.

2. Trade Share Program

3. Pre-School

There are things like playground equipment and safety embellishments that we will need to make for the pre-school that will take funding I haven't yet earned/raised. So I will continue to work toward those goals and implement them as I have the funds and time. 

I believe this is not only the smartest way to proceed, but also the best! I can't wait to work with those kids and to provide experiences for people that I know have the potential to transform. After attending the Alliance of Artist Communities conference last week in Charleston, I'm fired up about getting to open our doors and get to work! (That's a whole different blogpost. What an incredibly important and inspiring conference! So glad I went!)

It won't be long now. In fact we're going to have an open house on December 5th, during Paseo's First Friday Gallery Walk. I think we'll open our doors in January! Can't wait! 

Top 10 List for The Best Things That Have Happened Since My Last Blog Post

I have been bad about blogging. I'm sure that everyone could see that. No surprise there, but the truth is I used to think about what I wanted to say and edit and hyperlink and....all of the things that people do when they blog. For the past two years, I have been going and going, with little time to stop and process, let alone write about it. I'm grateful and I don't feel like I owe anyone an explanation, but obviously I do a little or I wouldn't be writing about it AGAIN! GAHHHH!!!

So instead of trying to go back and recreate my reactions to events, I'll just list my 10 favorite things that have happened since my last post and that will at least keep this entry to a length that won't drive people to drink.

1. SixTwelve received its nonprofit status!!!!!! Ahahahaha!!! So excited!!! Receiving that piece of mail gave James and me both a boost that we needed. We are both grateful to be doing what we're doing, but it has been almost five years since we bought SixTwelve and started down this road.  Now it seems that I can't do anything without wishing that I was at 612 working. All I want to do is focus on the programming and the building, but that's not my reality. I'm just glad that I feel so inspired and ready to move on everything!

2. I adopted a pup named "Willie." I debated with myself as to whether this was #1 or #2 in this Top Ten list. I seriously love that little fella. He is only 4.5 months old and he is already doing tricks and following commands and sleeping through the night. Yes, I know. You get it. I'm gushing. So sorry.

3. Denise Duong & Lauren Zuniga both agreed to work at SixTwelve. This is huge to me. I admire both of these women so much and know that they will give an incredible gift to their students. I'm so proud that they will be teaching with us.

4. Romy Owens agreed to be SixTwelve's first resident that we send to Savannah!!!! I've started work and planning for the show that Romy will have at the end of her time there and I hope to have it firm later in the fall. Romy is the Sh*t. Seriously. Her work is not only some of my favorite, it's important. It's on time.

5. I got to walk the streets of Savannah as a resident and take Willie with me. It was everything I dreamed of.

6. We started planning our first SixTwelve fundraiser! It's going to be Mardi Gras ball! This next Valentine's Day (the Saturday before Fat Tuesday 2015) we will be having quite the shindig at 612 and hope to someday grow the party big enough to have floats going down Paseo Drive. It's going to be so fun!

7. I've met some really inspiring people that have helped me to look forward with important considerations and even more confidence.

8. I've slowed down a little and will actually get to be in Oklahoma for a month and a half before leaving town.

9. I've experienced the support of so many great friends. Because of them, I've learned to let myself ask for help. That's really hard sometimes. I've also had some really hilarious and fun times with these friends.

10. This may be way to personal and somewhat morbid for some reading this, but I have to write it. I got to be by my grandfather's side the night before he passed away. In fact, I think he let go of this world about 20 minutes after my sister and I left the hospital that morning. I got to spend so much time with him throughout my life. I never missed a chance to go and see him or my grandmother. They were just as dear to me as my sweet parents.

The day before he passed, he called my sister and me to his bedside and told us that he wanted to talk to us. He told us that women could make things more complicated than they needed to be. (I asked him if he thought men could too, and he said, "Oh yes, of course." lol) He said that we needed to remember that the most important thing in life is that we love each other. I agree with him. I've been so exponentially blessed my entire life and I am doing my best to let that flow through me.  I want to share the love.

SixTwelve Update: Geothermal!!!

Ooooooooh, you guys! I have been after James to write a blog post about the geothermal system we've chosen for SixTwelve, and boy did he deliver! He and K Edward Van Osdol created a video where he's telling you about it! So take a look at this. I'm so proud of James and really excited about the progress at SixTwelve!

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.