Dabble Dabble Dabble

I've always said that I'm happiest when I have a project, and I've spent most of my life skipping from one obsession to the next, progressively immersing myself in the flavor of the month/year/day/week/moment.  

Over the past 38 years, those obsessions have ranged from Madonna (4th grade) to dancing, boys, vintage clothes, sewing, books, crayons, pottery painting, teaching dancing, embroidery, collage, more books, beading, eBay selling, vintage kitchen stuff, treasure hunting, painting, unique graphics, ephemera, gardening, web design, photography, Fisher Price Toys, water soluble oil pastels, decorating, altered art & books, journal writing, and SO MUCH MORE. I've heard the phrase "Jack of all trades but master of none." As much as I'd like to be a master anything, I know that I am not. I am too interested in trying new things than to achieve mastery of just one thing (although, my attempts aren't too shabby, either :-)

I take it back- I am a master... A master dabbler!

Dabbling with domino pendants and old illustrations and words from a 1935 children's book...

Once-upon-a-time I loved to go photo hunting and even set up my own dark room in the spare bedroom of my apartment. Pre-digital iphone instant gratification, I loved watching images come to life in the dim red light.

One of thousands of computer files that harness my obsession with old graphics and ephemera.

A combination of my clock collecting fascination and old graphics.

Created for Bryan and mine's wedding using a combination of old graphics and modern-day computer graphics.

Once upon a time, I created picture after picture with crayons (Prang was my favorite), all featuring the human body contorted into a variety of items and/or positions. I was teaching dancing almost every day and very movement-conscious. I think that has something to do with the subject matter. :-) Maybe one day I'll pick up some of these old pieces and re-imagine them in paint or collage. They're waiting for me, whenever I'm ready!

One of my constant dabbles- writing... I have over 60 journals spanning 25 years, all filled with randomness, brilliance, pipe dreams, dreams come true, and pure drivel. There have been pauses in ink, but I always return to the page.

My fascination with writing and desktop publishing started very early. I loved writing poems and stories, and creating newspapers and magazines. Once upon a time I wanted to work in publishing and be a magazine editor. I went to school to try and make that happen, but life had other plans for me. No matter; the skills come into play in other ways. :-)

Dabbling in collage in one of my old journals. I loved collecting pieces and parts of interesting items from magazines, postcards, brochures, etc. and putting everything together in aesthetically appealing ways.

The first page of an altered book I created with an adorable old book I found at Goodwill. From the 30's or so, the book had wonderful golden art nouveau flowers on the front and the title, Gold Dust. I created collages throughout the pages that all had a sort of "magical" golden (fairy dust?) theme.

 

 

Yeah, I'll admit it, I even dabbled in Frontierville (aka Computer Crack). A waste of time? You bet, but look at how beautifully arranged all of the elements are! There's never a good excuse for bad design. :-)

 
This master dabbler title is especially well-suited for my work (aka: play) at The Big Red Barn. At The Barn, there are always opportunities to create fresh ideas and to explore different things. The possibilities are limitless, and I get to dream up activities and themes, research, create lessons, steal ideas (teachers steal all the time :-), and create my own. One idea builds upon another, and there is always something new to learn. I am free to skip happily from one thing to the next- with paint, glitter, fabric scraps, and happy children in my wake. What an incredible gift!

It's fun to think about how all of these dabbles and interests have built upon one another, and how they continue to recur in unexpected ways. It's true that nothing is ever lost. All of our experiences are valuable, and even though one may no longer write, skydive, dance in pointe shoes,  play sports, or remember anything from college algebra, you never know when one of your old selves is going to reemerge and meet your present self in seek of new experiences and adventures. There are always surprises around the bend- I love that!