Happy 2023! FIREWORKS (repurposed t-shirts and sparkly ribbon on monk’s cloth)
My plan for this week between Christmas and the New Year has been to do the things I WANT to do rather than HAVE to do. (The last couple of months planning Workshop Week 6 and handling some other things – like LIFE – were exhausting.) Things I wanted to do include the usual end of the year review and, more importantly, making plans for the coming 2023.
Gotta say I’ve been a little lazy on all accounts. Also, the final holiday rush took its toll physically. I’ve been mostly lying low the past few days: started a novel, doing Sudokus, and working on a new hooking project. Going through my piles and drawers and closets to organize and dispossess hasn’t happened. Yet. I still have a couple of days, especially given that it’s a long weekend. Watch for that ANGEL OF 2023! She’s a little late this year, but she’ll make an appearance by January 1.
I didn’t feel up to a detailed post mortem on 2022. Sadly, the end of the year brought with it a flurry of deaths in my little part of the universe. Nonetheless, like everyone, my 2022 brought some downers and some nice pluses. Teaching in Tennessee at the Shakerag Workshops was right up there. If you have a chance to participate – as a teacher or a student – I highly recommend the experience. A couple of articles I wrote were published in Rug Hooking Magazine. There were art shows and festivals here in Albuquerque and in Other Places, New Mexico. In the fall I made it out to Seattle to visit the kid. With a little luck, Tom and Bowyn, and I will make a road trip there in 2023.
What about the coming year? In 2023, I’d really like more time to myself, time to explore my making. Certainly, I look forward to teaching and sharing how others can get in on this calling of rug hooking and other fiber arts, but I need to carve out time for myself to sit in one place and ponder and experiment without distraction. I find it really easy to administer, to volunteer, to vacuum (ew!), to do anything but make the things I’ve seen in my imagination. Busy-ness, a need to feel needed, and the concomitant exhaustion – they can kill an art practice. I see it in others, and all it leads to is regret.
What I’m losing myself in tonight. NO NAME as of yet (repurposed t-shirts on monk’s cloth)
So, my big goal in 2023 is: SOLITUDE. Not that I plan on blowing anyone off. I’m a très social being who has a hard time saying NO. But it’s time for a little me-time. (Being Catholic and Irish, I know I’ll apologize for that all year.)
My New Year’s wish is that you too carve out some solitude for yourself and your art, your gaming, your reading, whatever it is that you can lose yourself in. Happy 2023!
High on Hooking dogs Tynan and Bowyn wish you a joyous and restful holiday season. WOOF! (Meanwhile they await their gifts from Santa Paws – very serious business indeed.)
The gifts are wrapped; it’s Christmas for real now. I look forward to taking a week off from things I HAVE to do so I can accomplish some things I WANT to do. Like working on a new hooking project and planning some new ones for 2023. (More on those in a few weeks.)
If you’re still looking to fill a creative’s stocking or or even gifting yourself, HoH has a few ideas. Our winter teaching schedule is filling – for both in person and online events. Yay! After the holidays, I’ll give more info, but find the salient info below.
IN THE STUDIO ONLINE WORKSHOP WEEK 6 – Various Fiber Arts
February 16-26, 2023
Nationally known teachers! 9 workshops and 5 lectures plus 2 bonus events!
More info HERE.
FULLER LODGE ART CENTER / LOS ALAMOS ARTS COUNCIL Introduction to Rug Hooking – Saturday, February 25, 2023 Introduction to Punch Needle Rug Hooking – Saturday, March 4, 2023
Fuller Lodge Art Center, Los Alamos, NM
More info HERE.
We here at High on Hooking thank you for all your support this past year – students, festival organizers, schools, and customers. We wish you the best of Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, whatever winter holidays you might celebrate. Here’s hoping for a joyful and peaceful 2023.
If you’re a fiber arts teacher of any kind, you’re in luck. In the Studio (Online) has just put out an Instructor Call for Entry for our next two online Workshop Weeks (WW). The dates are:
Workshop Week 5 October 23-30, 2022
Workshop Week 6 February 18-23, 2023
The original teachers of In the Studio (Online) include: Susan Feller, Karen Miller, Meryl Cook, Beth Miller, and myself. In order to keep our class offerings fresh, before WW2 we began looking for others to join us. We’ve had workshops in: rug hooking with alternative fibers; braiding; finishing your art; combining paints and hooking; design; felting wool sachets; weaving; Chakra color play; pet portraits; needle punch rug hooking; abstract work; landscapes; watercolors;and so on. We are NOT looking for all hooking classes; rather we’d like to see most any type of fiber art and creativity workshops (that work well online) in addition to subject matter and skills that can inform our hooking and other art practices.
While we began WW to fill a need during Covid lock-downs, we’ve found that they remain popular and that our students want us to continue. Workshops Weeks have allowed students to take classes without the expenses of travel. As well, students get the chance to work with teachers and artists who might otherwise be unavailable to them. Workshop Week 4 happened in mid-winter. There were nine classes. Eighty students participated with many taking more than one workshop.
(If you search using the words “Workshop Week” here on site, you can see what classes we’ve provided in the past.)
Our first In the Studio Workshop Week poster.
If you think you might be interested in joining our group of teachers for WW 5 and/or 6, we invite you to submit a proposal. If you have any questions about the coming or past events, please email me at Laura@highonhooking.com. We’ll be accepting proposals until May 15. You can find the prospectus below. We look forward to hearing from you.
Teacher Proposals for In the Studio
Workshop Weeks 5 and 6
Deadline: May 15, 2022
In the Studio (Online) announces that its next two workshop weeks will be held:
Workshop Week 5 October 23-30, 2022
Workshop Week 6 February 18-23, 2023
As the last two years have shown, affordable, online instruction is here to stay. In the Studio’s online Workshop Weeks (WWs) have allowed students the chance to take classes without the expense of travel. The students are also able to work with teachers and artists who might otherwise be unavailable to them.
Starting with 2021’s WW2, we began to bring in additional instructors who could offer something – not necessarily rug hooking or even a textile art – beyond the expertise of the original In the Studio artists. We look for complimentary/ancillary/supporting arts and skills.
We are now planning WW5 and 6 and again looking to diversify our workshop offerings. We are specifically looking for teachers who conform to our overarching tenet:
Art by artists responding to contemporary events in the world. We invite you to reflect on these responses and consider creating your own art that reacts to our current times.
FYI WW1 attracted 36 students in five classes. Eighty participated in WW4’s nine workshops. Many took advantage of our non-overlapping schedule to take multiple classes. They “come from” the US, Canada, and even Europe.
PLEASE READ BEFORE APPLYING
Workshop sessions typically last 2-4 hours but are set by individual instructors.
Workshops are standardized to begin at 1:00 PM or 6:00 PM Eastern.
Fees for all classes are: $50 US for one-session classes and $75 US for two-session classes. Teachers may set additional costs for kits, other materials, etc.
Teachers are responsible for collecting payment from their students and keeping in contact with them regarding classes and other WW information.
Teachers are required to submit their class lists to the WW administrator.
All teachers are required to promote all WW classes in their social media, newsletters, etc. Promotion by every teacher is what makes the week successful. Each teacher will also be required to take over In the Studio’s Instagram account for a day in the weeks leading up to WW5 and/or 6.
There are two additional bonus events (a social gathering midweek evening and a panel discussion) that teachers are expected to attend (dates to be determined).
Teachers must have their own Zoom account to use to hold their class.
New for WW5 and 6! An administrative fee of $50 US will be collected once a teacher agrees to teach with In the Studio (Online). We’ve realized that there’s a need for one person to coordinate social media announcements and calendars, send out group emails, maintain the mailing list, etc.
Participation in one WW does not guarantee that one will teach in subsequent WWs.
WHAT YOU WILL RECEIVE
The benefit of promotion amongst a collection of well-known teachers. Instructors will receive a “brochure” detailing the WW and all classes that should be shared to their networks.
Support from the other teachers in how to run an online class particularly if this is your first time.
The Workshop Week administrator will send out links to all students for bonus events.
TO APPLY
Applicants should indicate if they prefer to teach during WW5 or WW6. If you don’t, we will assume that you are available for either. (We will plan classes for each WW depending on both subject matter and teacher availability.) Because we schedule WW classes so that they don’t overlap, also indicate if you are unavailable on certain days of the week or dates. Let us know too if you have a preference regarding a 1:00 or 6:00 start time. We strive to schedule everyone to their liking.
Provide a detailed class description of the online class you propose to teach. Please include the following: title; length of class; minimum and maximum numbers of students; materials that students will need (will they have to purchase from you?); what will be covered in the class, experience level of students required; and anything else pertinent to the class. Will it require more than one session?
Include a short bio that includes your experience teaching (if any) and any references.
The original teachers of In the Studio (Online) include: 