Neil Gaiman's Address for University of the Arts

Check out this inspiring speech by Author Neil Gaiman (found through my FB buddy, Kate Barsotti). It's great...no need to say more. Do great art. period end of story. It helped me "reboot" my thinking today.
http://www.upworthy.com/tis-the-season-for-cool-people-giving-inspirational-speeches-and-this-is-the-bes?c=ie

Sam Webber's podcasts: Your dream, my nightmare.

My new intern, Josie (who just happens to be from my home town of Teaneck NJ! go figure) mentioned a podcast she had been listening to. I always learn so much from my interns, including learning about what young artist think about and are looking at. Well, Josie and I had a good listen to the Jon Klassen interview, it was so inspiring but there are so many others to choose from as well. So for all you illustration and design fans, check out "Your dream, my nightmare". It's a cool podcast by teacher and talent Sam Webber. Here's a link to download each episode:
http://yourdreamsmynightmares.com/

Blank on Blank

I just discovered this fantastic little gem. Lost interviews and great little nuggets of insight. Wander around this little spot...
http://blankonblank.org/audio/

Janine Shepherd on TED

Wow. This story really reminds me that our spirit is always alive inside, nothing can ever take that away. You just have to let it see the sun, allow it to live. Janine Shepherd shares her amazing story with such eloquence a sensitivity. I love the quote she shares "When you let go of what you are you can become what you might be".-Lao Tzu.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bX32U_hfri4

Brene Brown on TED

I saw Brene Brown on OWN a few weeks ago. Man, she's a powerhouse of inspiration. I found two talks on TED recently so I'll post here. "Daring Greatly", her latest book was awesome. It was so insightful, it gave me so much to think about these past few weeks.
http://www.ted.com/talks/brene_brown_on_vulnerability.html

Elizabeth Gilbert on TED

Have you ever wondered about creativity and sanity? Check out this wonderful talk by Elizabeth Gilbert. I love how she describes her process. She is such a lovable speaker, you feel like your her BFF. Writing a poem, capturing something, grabbing a hold of it, it's all feel familiar to the creative process. Get it down at all costs.
http://www.ted.com/talks/elizabeth_gilbert_on_genius.html

Making a Barn Yard.

My "Barn Yard" quilt for Land of Nod came out last week! I love doing projects with Land of Nod, they do such creative products. I'm also glad that my designs are included among such fantastic designers who's work I really respect. Anyway, I thought it would be neat to show a bit of the process behind the of making a quilt. You can see the original sketches (I did three options), plus the digital color version. In the end the colors came out much brighter and the composition changed a bit, which is always to be expected so you have to be open to how things get interpreted. On this project I learned that I tend to make my palettes kind of pale/neutral. I'm working on getting bolder and brighter. My "take" on the barn yard idea was to incorporate the sounds of the barnyard. Originally, LON asked me to do something with the number of animals but as I got into it I realized it would be more fun to "hear" the sounds of the animals. What baby doesn't love to hear a moo moo here and moo moo there?
Here's the link: http://www.landofnod.com/with-a-moo-moo-here-crib-bedding/f11933