Andrea Henkels Heidinger
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Thoughts on
​Being the Change
In 2021 & BEyond

Everyday I wake up feeling lucky. Seriously, it doesn't mean I always feel ecstatic and joyful in the wee hours (I mean geez!), but I am aware how lucky I am to wake up in a comfortable home to brew my coffee, prepare myself for the day, and have time to get on my bike to ride to work. I know these routines are good things. I also know that they will probably need to change a bit to afford the Earth some time to heal and for future generations to have a life that is more about thriving than surviving. So, I have renamed my Blog The Crunchy Towel Collective after my post from October 24, 2021. This post was a kick-off for my musings meant to be short, humorous and hopefully helpful.

Inspiration to Work Through the Fear

6/30/2017

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Making art with intention takes courage.
School got out the last week in May. As usual, I was exhausted, but this year, I was also very heartened by my students creative courage. “Create with purpose” has been a theme in my classroom for quite a while and this year it really seemed to resonate in the work I saw my students make. For my introductory students, I was especially impressed to see them pursue their challenging ideas despite being new to the studio environment (one that has so many eyes seeing your work) and being new to the medium. Questions inevitably turned over in their mind, like, “What if it doesn’t turn out after I have spent so much time on it? Is it worth it?” Yet they persisted with wonderful results!
 
My advanced students also exhibited courage by sharing a part of their individual stories in the visual form. Their innovative and bold art and the statements at their final presentations were truly admirable… Inspiring actually.
 
Don’t second-guess your vision — GO FOR IT!
A week later, with these reflections in my mind, I was lucky enough to go to Hawaii with my husband’s family on vacation. Hawaii was truly relaxing. We visited with one another, hiked, swam, snorkeled, and bird watched, among other things. I didn’t sketch as much as I usually do on vacation, but I think that is alright. Below are a few sketches I managed to do and some pictures from the island landscape, which I found dramatic and lovely!  
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One night, we went on an Art Walk at a local shopping center, Kukui’ula Village. It was a fun exploration with a variety of galleries, all of which had something interesting to us. One of my favorite galleries was Gallery 103 which, of course, was contemporary! While there, I was struck but  Deyana Mileke’s work. That evening, she had paintings that were made in a limited palette of blues. She was there and I was able to speak with her about a painting with albatross in it. In it, one bird was soaring above the other, both large and taking up most of the page.  She spoke of her personal experiences with albatross and her need to make this work (the second of its kind) and how the experiences dictated what the painting needed to be. Contemplating the conversation later, I felt like to was reaffirmation to make the work I need to make without worrying about “failure.” Not making the work envisioned in your mind would be the true failure.
On the plane ride back to the states I watched the movie The Last Word with Shirley MacLaine. In the movie, the older woman shares with the younger one, “I never made mistakes, mistakes made me.” As I embark on this new project, Shared Artifacts, where people have an physical investment in it, I have to remember these reflections: be fearless, follow through with your vision, and see the experiences, mistakes or otherwise as assets/insights. Here I go!
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  • Home
  • Artwork
    • Shared Artifacts Exhibit
    • Artifactist
    • Ceramic
    • Commissions
  • About the Artifactist
    • Artist Bio
    • Statement
    • Manifesto
    • Curriculum Vita
  • Blog: The Crunchy Towel Collective