Art Trades


You want to know what’s incredibly flattering and a boost to the ol’ self esteem? Being asked to do an art trade!

Calling yourself an “artist” is kind of a weird thing. What I made is art, so I am an artist, but it is a weird thing to call yourself. And I hesitated to use that word for a long time until one of my fourth grade students told me she selected a famous Missourian to research because “she’s an artist and so am I.” I thought that was a pretty courageous thing to do. Just be an artist if you want, why not? I swear, kids are the best. 


I’m just a little insecure about being an artist. I didn’t go to school to be an artist, and I wasn’t even in art club in high school. I’ve got no credentials, whatsoever. So when a friend who with obvious talent asks you to do an art trade, what do you do? You freak out, and you tell yourself that your creations are good enough, too. 

Then, I went to get my Lucille Ball tattoo. I think I forgot to blog about that one, and I really should, because I get a little emotional just thinking about it. More on that another time.

Anyway, so I get to the end of the tattoo session, and Sarah, the artist, asks me if I would like to make this tattoo an art trade for one of my weavings. What the what? Are you kidding me? Is that legal? I stuttered for a moment and realized what she was saying, which is a BIG DEAL. This woman, who has made her career on good design judgement, wants one of my weavings instead of money. It was one of the coolest things that has ever happened to me. 

So I piddled and procrastinated and weaved, then took apart those weaving and rewove until I made something I liked. The gray, black, and white weaving went to Sarah, and the green, brown, and cream weaving went to my friend Kate. I feel pretty confident about these pieces because they are both weavings that I realized I really wanted to keep and hang in my own house. I feel like that's a good sign. :)

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