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March in the Studio, Artist in Residence Update

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Artwork and photograph copyright Alexis Marie Chute

Artwork and photograph copyright Alexis Marie Chute

Being the Artist in Residence at Harcourt House has allowed me to find my footing within my current body of art and take off running. The time and space they have provided me to develop my creative work is one of the greatest gifts an artist can receive. The people who work at Harcourt House are pretty amazing too!

Truly the time has flown by and with the close of March I tick off my fifth month at the gallery. Five months! On one hand I feel like, ‘Where has the time gone?’ but on the other I am amazed at the gift of time itself.

Art and photography copyright Alexis Marie Chute

Art and photography copyright Alexis Marie Chute

What exactly do I spend my time on you ask? Answer: lots of hard work and creative play.

I approach my artwork through experimentation with my chosen materials (wood, glue, yarn, acrylic paint…) while holding my concept loosely in my head (and my heart) to see where it all takes me.

For those of you new to my blog, the greater meaning behind my work is the idea of rebuilding ones life after hardship. My method is very akin to my materials and process themselves; I am experimenting using art to heal.

Art and photograph copyright Alexis Marie Chute

Art and photograph copyright Alexis Marie Chute

The images in this post are some of my very recent work. I began using Jenga pieces in some of my compositions and found this consumerist approach a fun twist while drawing on the concept of the game itself; build as high as you can until your structure falls over. When it does, which is always the case, you laugh and build again learning from your mistakes and constructing your tower even higher the next time.

I love a comment from Brand on my last Harcourt House Residency update. He said my work reminded him of photographic pixels. That notion blows me a way – I LOVE IT! It totally jives with the photographer in me. I am percolating ideas of how to incorporate that concept into my work and am excited about it.

As always, I LOVE company at my studio so please come for a visit! I purposefully have lots of seating so come talk art, life or whatever is on your mind. Contact me to find a time that works.

Accepted! I’m a MFA in Creative Writing student!

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I will be walking in the footsteps of many great writers as I begin my Masters of Fine Art program in Cambridge Massachusetts. Just today I received the acceptance call from Lesley University to study creative non-fiction.

Being a multi-faceted artist is just who I am. I cannot be only a painter, or only a photographer, or only a writer. Every part of my creative expression serves to benefit and enrich the other parts. It has been my dream for so long to be a published writer. In the last year I have made huge headway with this dream by writing a memoir and two novels plus countless poems.

My acceptance into Lesley is a major milestone on my creative journey. This is a good day! A very, very good day!

Lesley’s campus is just footsteps from Harvard Square and minutes from Boston. It is my dream location of study! As a person who finds inspiration through travel and new locals, I am thrilled to continue my creative pursuits in this wonderful location! Lesley University has painted a beautiful picture of the culture in the city:

Boston is filled with fascinating nooks and crannies, some obvious and others that you will find for yourself. Think bookstores, used record stores, thrift shop nirvana. Newbury Street is lined with art galleries, European-style cafes, and boutiques. Additionally, there are many interesting and vibrant areas such as Chinatown, artsy Jamaica Plain and Brickbottom, and Portuguese and Brazilian neighborhoods found in Cambridge. Boston attracts some of the best, brightest, and most creative people in the world.

As a student of Creative Writing at Lesley University, I will:

–          Receive guidance from prize winning writers

–          Join the university’s accomplished alumni of published writers

–          Participate in residencies on campus in Cambridge

–          Be inspired in a major literary city and become a part-time citizen of that literary Mecca

My first memoir is about my pregnancy following the loss of my son Zachary. Now, in my MFA, I will embark on a new memoir which has been percolating in my mind and heart for the last year. I can’t wait!

Over the course of my MFA I will post about my experiences and keep you all up to date! This is an exciting chapter for me (yes, book pun intended).

I’d like to thank my amazing cheerleaders Daphne Read, Brenda Mann & Jody Stark. Thanks also to my family and friends for believing in me and my writing.

Photoshop Workshop at Harcourt House

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Want to crack open the creative possibilities of Photoshop? Have you ever wondered how Photoshop can make your photographs and artwork even better but don’t know where to begin?

Look no further! I will be teaching a Beginners Photoshop Workshop at Harcourt House!

Details:

Saturday, February 16 & Sunday, February 17, 2013   

10am – 3pm (Bring your own lunch and snacks)

Cost: $110 ($80 Harcourt House members – if you are not a member, please consider joining!)

Individual students must bring their own laptop with the newest version of Photoshop installed. Please also have at least 5 images of people and 5 non-people images to edit.

Learn how to make your good photos great through many awesome Photoshop techniques. Want to remove a zit? Brighten a dark photo? Make your image look vintage? We will be covering spot removal, how to adjust exposure, create interesting black & white images, and how to harness the power of Photoshop filters.

Saturday: Editing images of people

Sunday: Editing images without people

There is limited space in the class so register early by calling (780) 426-4180! It is going to be a great weekend of creative play and guided experimentation with results you will be excited about.

The class will be taking place in the Annex, the one story metal building beside the Harcourt House gallery.

Register today!

Photograph copyright Alexis Marie Chute

Photograph copyright Alexis Marie Chute

Harcourt House

10215 112 Street Northwest

Edmonton, AB T5K 1M7

Find a map here.

‎(780) 426-4180

 

Positive Affirmations to Combat Writer’s Block

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As I was telling my husband about the 3-Day Novel Contest when he turned to me and said, “This weekend is going to take a lot of discipline for you.”

 

My next thoughts were telling: Oh crap! What have I got myself into?

 

Immediately, the negative self-talk began – but I caught myself mid thought. Why am I telling myself that this challenge is going to be too hard and that I don’t think I can do it? Why am I already scheming an exit strategy to get out of it?

 

What I really need to be doing is encouraging myself, saying good and uplifting messages to my inner artist. Being a creative individual is trying enough, why not be my own best supporter instead?

 

My husband and I brainstormed phrases of encouragement that I can use when writer’s block catches me in a downward cycle of negativity. I love these phrases and wish they were all 100% true of myself – but sometimes we need to speak our hopes into being, like a self-fulfilling prophesy or a pep talk to a sports team. There is power in positive-self talk. If you don’t believe me, try these phrases out for a week and see if your circumstances or at least your mental state does not receive a pick-me-up.

 

Positive Affirmations for Writers:

  • “I am a brilliant creative mind and I will accomplish whatever I set out to do.”
  • “I don’t need to feel lonely; my family and friends support me in my pursuits and will be there for me when I need them.”
  • “Only those who try have the chance of success.”
  • “My ideas are creative.”
  • “My characters are dynamic.”
  • “My plot has depth.”
  • “I am in control.”
  • “I am the bully of my own writer’s block.”
  • “I have the power to write writer’s block out of my story and my head.”
  • “This time to write is a gift I give myself.”
  • “I will not sabotage or be afraid of my own success.”
  • “I believe in myself and my work.”
  • “I will get through this tough stretch. This too shall pass.”
  • “What I write will make a difference.”
  • “My audience is out there. I am writing for them.”
  • “Anything is possible for me.”

 

Specific encouragements for the 3-Day Novel Contest:

  • “I think of myself as an Olympic athlete. This contest is my race. It’s only three days. The end is in sight.”
  • “This is going to be fun.”
  • “If the challenge was easy it wouldn’t be worthwhile.”
  • “No matter the outcome, I will be proud of myself.”
  • “The journey of this experience will be a catalyst for even greater creativity.”
  • “I can sleep tomorrow.”

 

Repeating these positive phrases to yourself will shift you from negativity to a more positive outlook. Who doesn’t want that transition when stuck in a rut? I will be practicing speaking these sayings to myself as I embark on the 3-Day challenge and also as I continue my work as a writer. Try it for yourself and let me know if it makes a difference for you.

The Quiet Rebuild

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This post was first seen on my blog Wanted Chosen Planned as it relates to the rebuilding of my life after the loss of my son Zachary. I featured it there to encourage those who have lost a child to experiment with art (of all kinds: painting, photography, journal writing, etc.) as a means to find healing. I re-post it here as my hope for this blog is to bolster the weary creative spirit within us and to turn our frustration, fear, and failure into the artwork and creative writing that we were born to bring forth. 

“The Quiet Rebuild” © Alexis Marie Chute, Wood Sculpture 2012

I have been making sculpture although I am not primarily a sculptural artist. I find the use of my hands in the tactile nature of my recent artwork very soothing. My art has been focusing on the idea that we create our understanding of the world in many ways. When my son Zachary died, my world crashed down. Like a forest burn by fire, I was brought to ash, literally. It is fitting that my artwork uses wood, both natural and manmade. I find this particular piece, “Quiet Rebuild” particularly therapeutic to look at. It reminds me of where I am at, rebuilding my life in a different time, a simpler, basic time where my expectations of the world have been brought into check.

I rebuild my life and my understanding of the world from the burnt forest, atop a humble piece of wood. What I make of my life at this stage is truly of my own invention and each fragment of my understanding of the world comes together in an awkward balance but feels right in the face of everything I have endured.

Art is a personal and unique expression. It may not bring you the answers you search for but it can help you understand the questions you are asking. I encourage you to experiment, play and create like a child. Healing often does not arrive in the way we expect.

“The Quiet Rebuild” – When death comes and takes, it changes us who live. When we see this life as it is, the impermanence of all we hold dear and yet our ability to continue on, to love and value what truly matters, then we rebuild our soul with these lessons, changed yet whole.