Y'all.

This year.

This year has been something else.

This year I did some brave things.

I decided to allow myself to dream of being an artist with a capital A. A Big A Artist.

Oh sure, I've been dreaming of that since I was a little girl making confetti out of deconstructed yarn and tiny bits of paper and hiding it in jars and boxes all around my bedroom.

But this year?

This year I took action.

I applied to be in a juried art show.

And I got in!

I also applied to a couple artist residency programs, which I didn't even know were a thing until sometime in the last year or so.

And here's the big news, my friends: I WAS ACCEPTED FOR ONE OF THEM!!!

That's right!

I'll be going to our neighbor island Molokai in January for a totally immersive creative experience that I am just SO FREAKIN' EXCITED ABOUT!

Sorry for all the shouting. Sorry, not sorry, maybe?

I'm so excited!

I'm also a little terrified, ha ha.

I mean, I reread my project proposal after I got the news and I just kind of sat there stunned in silence, wondering what on earth I got myself into.

But I'm so excited anwyay!

Anyway. See? I can't even spell right I'm so excited!!

It's going to be amazing.

I've been toying with the idea of creating work in collections across different mediums for several years now. I've done a little painting alongside pattern designs. Made some coordinating stitch markers. Shawl pins. Things like that.

But I've never quite been able to plan it all ahead of time and bring it together into something that feels truly cohesive, like a story that walks you through the entire creative process with me. From the inspiration and sketches and research to the exploration of color and texture that eventually leads me to the finished piece(s).

So.

I'm really hoping that this will be an opportunity to bring this vision to life more fully.

I don't know yet exactly how long I'll get to spend on Molokai, but I'm hoping to narrow in on the dates with the program director soon so I can start planning and prepping. Slow crafts like crocheting and knitting and spinning - they all require a lot of time! As you well know, of course.

The more time I have on the island, the more I'll be able to create.

But even if I only get a short week or two, I plan to hit the ground running so I can gather as much inspiration as possible!

It's going to be great.

If you'd like to read more about the Molokai Arts Center and their Artist Residency Program, you can visit their website at www.MolokaiArtsCenter.org - and here's a list of previous Artists in Residence.

Okay! I'm off to ... work on something else, ha ha.

I've actually been quite busy the last couple weeks working on that magazine project, which, by the way, they gave me permission to share a little bit more about! It's a spinning and crochet project for Spin Off magazine aaaaaaaaaaand, here's a sneak peek at the first skein of handspun!

This was right before bathtime. It took two full days to dry! So I'm hoping to get some pictures of the finished skein today.

Oh and, um, if you wanna see it in color?? There are a couple color pictures in my latest post on Patreon! (Not public, sorry - gotta keep some mystery to it, as well as reward my fabulous Patrons!!)

Okay, I'm really off to work on that spinning some more now!

Cheers, y'all.

-Connie

P.S. Chicken update! Check out how much Lil Gideon has grown! He's starting to really look like a young rooster now. Still hasn't figured out that he can fly over the fence into the backyard, though. So I'm not sure how bright he is... But he's going to be quite handsome, I think!

P.P.S. Oh and yes, that's a plover in the background! It didn't want to stick around for its own photo shoot, unfortunately. Maybe next time!