Meet Phyllis Dobbs, a fellow ArtBiz Jam instructor!

The ArtBiz Jam is coming up soon and this month we thought we'd introduce you to each of the event instructors. This week's interview is with Phyllis Dobbs! You can also check out her licensing work at www.phyllisdobbs.com. To view this original interview post by Paula Joerling, click here.

 Meet Phyllis Dobbs

Why did you want to be involved with ArtBizJam?

Conducting a retreat has been in my mind for quite a while. I love attending retreats and enjoy teaching so it was natural to want to host one. This one came together almost as a product of a magic wand being waved with some fairy dust - the four of just all wanted the same thing and were so excited about it. As a teacher at ArtBizJam, I feel that I will get as much out of it as will the students. Any time you meet someone and network, you automatically gain from it, whether you are the teacher or the student.  

What will people get out of attending this particular workshop?

The attendees will benefit on several levels. They will have fun and create cherished new friendships and an experience that they will treasure. They will learn how to improve their business to get it to the level that they want as well as work smarter with their business side. Working smarter makes us more productive while giving us more time to enjoy the benefits of being creative. And the attendees will also relax and rejuvenate by being being creative in new areas, taking these techniques and incorporating them into their creations. Taking time to creatively play will give you the energy and spark to create new ideas. We have some fun surprises that will delight everyone there - you will love every minute in this beautiful gulf coast area.



What makes this workshop/retreat special and different from other workshops?
 

Most workshops focus on only one area of your business, mostly taking creative classes.  This one also focuses on the business side as well as the creative. You can have a creative business but if you don’t know how to promote and grow it, you will not get as much as you can from it.

We are also keeping ArtBizJam small so that its a more intimate retreat where individual  business or creative needs can be addressed.

How do you reconcile your passion of creating art with the business side of art?

All our art and creativeness comes from the right side of our brain. We tend to really love that area and want to stay there. But when our art is our business, we need to venture into the left side of brains. I know its not as much fun, that left side, but there are ways to make it that way.  We can be just as creative with the business side and that’s what I strive to do to make my business side as interesting as the creative part. Its all the same coin, just different sides, and I find it fun to flip it back and forth, well at least some of the time!

What are you looking forward to fun-wise with ArtBizJam?

Laughter and camaraderie! When ever a group of women get together, no matter what the reason from serious business to just relaxing, it always turns into laughter at some point.  And that’s especially true with artists. We become close knit as we get to know each other and that forms into friendships. We always enjoy getting together any time that we can. The laughter is the perk that always happens!

If you would like to register for the ArtBiz Jam, visit the event website for more details!! Thanks!

LANG's June Artist of the Month (Video Post)

LANG features a new artist monthly, where they'll give you updated information on what they're working on, live Facebook chats & even Youtube videos from the artists themselves!

Guess what...this month...they chose me as June's artist of the month! I have never done a video of myself before...I am usually a BEHIND the camera kind of girl. But, Jeremy, from our office, was gracious enough to help me out here. It was actually not too painful and kind of fun. To see an exclusive look inside my studio, click the video below to watch or visit my artist page on the LANG website. Thanks for watching!

I also will be answering questions on Facebook at 3:00 EST on this Thursday (June 13th.) Would love to chat!

"Living the Dream" in Granville, OH

I have known Amy Butler for a long time. We re-connected recently when she sent an e-mail about a workshop that she was giving in Granville. So....my friend, Paula Joerling and I decided to go and see what it was all about. We really did not have a good grasp of what we were going to take away...so it was a true adventure. We arrived in Granville on Friday and just hung out on the main street. Granville is like a little Norman Rockwell town...adorable.

That evening, we went to Amy's house and saw friends we knew (Margo Tantau) and made some new friends.

The next day was life-changing. Amy and her friend, Hildie Dunn, led a session of Intensati. It is a combination of dance, kickboxing and aerobics all done while repeating self affirming phrases. I surprised myself and actually kept up OK. Then, Hildie led us in some life coaching. The exchange all focused on how to create and live your dream in all areas of your life.


All of us shared our wishes and dreams and some of the challenges that hold us back. It was wonderfully thought provoking. The next day began with a yoga session and ended with another hour of Intensati with more discussion in between. The exercise kicked my butt, for sure.

Paula and I could barely get out of the car after we made the 3 hour drive back to Cincinnati. The experience was amazing. The place where the workshop was held was dreamy. We made a bunch of new friends. Best of all, we really spent time thinking about what to do next to achieve our dream lives. I will keep you all posted on this process.

A Millinery Adventure

I attended The Oaks, last year, and had NO idea that the ladies would be decked out "Derby" style for that event. I was enchanted with the variety of hats that paraded around us. So...this year...of course...I just HAD to make our hats. My friends sent photos of their dresses and shoes, so that I could coordinate the colors.

I don't know anything about hat making, so I cheated a bit. I hopped onto Etsy and found some wonderful vintage hats to use as the base hats. I also found some great feathers and millinery flowers to play with.

I had SO much fun playing with ribbons, feathers and flowers to create a one-of-kind creation for each of us to wear. We had an absolute ball! I wish that women wore hats more often.

Art Biz JAM!

I, along with two other artists (Paula Joerling & Phyllis Dobbs) and an incredible product development genius (Anne Brown), will be hosting an art business workshop in Destin, FL this September! It is called Art Biz Jam and all of us will be speakers at the event. Check out the flyer below for details! Stay tuned for more info...the Art Biz Jam website is coming soon! Click image to enlarge.

The Art of Food - Our Candy Couture

An artist friend of mine, Pam Kravetz (who is crazy wonderful), was asked to curate a fashion show for "The Art of Food" show at a local gallery. When she asked if I wanted to create a head-to-toe fashion look incorporating food somehow...HOW COULD I SAY "NO"?

So Kelly (who has worked with me in my studio for over 10 years) and I schemed out our plan. We created tons of candy flower appliques using Airheads, Mentos, licorice, peppermints and jellybeans.

We then applied them to a wonderful vintage coat (that I picked up at a flea market for $11.00!) We altered the coat to look kind of exaggerated hips Marie Antoinettish. We also created a huge, poofy tulle skirt (with the help of my talented sister-in-law.)

And of course, we HAD to make all of the candy accessories...jewelry, hat and shoes...and even a wine glass. At the opening, my gorgeous niece rocked it as our model. She did the hand-on-hip jut diva pose for 3 hours. It was a tremendously fun "Artful Adventure."

I was born to make stuff and to create.

After stewing over whether "to blog or not to blog" forEVER (even after realizing that I am the last person on earth that doesn't have a blog)...I finally have lift-off. I realized that there are some things that I WOULD like to share with my friends, family and peers. So here we go...off to blogland, where I plan to post all of my fun "Artful Adventures." I was born to make stuff and to create. I feel like it's time to share that passion with fellow creators...hope you come along!