(Artist+Geek)^2=Family Episode #1

 

Artist+Geek Podcast

 

Introducing our new podcast! Yes…we did it! Here’s the description…

Our recipe for family is most times sprinkled with comedy, sometimes serious, and always keeps it real. 
Join artist Susan, of Susan’s Art Circus, and geek husband Wendell, of Slog Belly Studios, as we chat through the the benefits of being best friends in marriage, 24/7 living and working under the same roof,  the constant yin yang of the artist and the geek, and keeping open relationships with our two teens, AdaLee and Paul.
Episode #1: Teenagers hijack the show and how the introductory outline goes right out the window…our first episode was supposed to be an introduction but quickly evolved into topics our teens wanted to chat about. From phone aggravation to LGBTQIAP to marriage they both definitely have opinions! Add some funny experiences, some wine talk, childbirth, a couple “f” bombs, a random list of topics, and  there you have it! More to come…
Links for things mentioned throughout the podcast:
Susan’s Website: www.susansartcircus.com
Wendell’s Website: www.slogbellystudios.com
To see the movie trailer for Extinction
follow the artist on Instagram: @susanmwb
follow the geek on Instagram: @slogbelly
follow the teen artist on Instagram: @tera.toma
follow the teen geek on Instagram: @the_es_muy_litster
subscribe to our podcast on Itunes: waiting for the link
music attribute:  ♫ Music By Bass Rebels https://www.youtube.com/c/BassRebels

Vegan in a House of Carnivores: Episode 2

It’s been a little over 18 months since I started my vegan journey. If you read through my first post  then you have a sense of what being the only one of four that follows the same diet. But today I want to talk about how I got here.

After several years of not loving being a meat eater I knew that I was on the verge of change. But you know how you can feel change coming but try to ignore it? Denial isn’t just a river in Egypt…lol. Yeah, well the universe had other ideas.

Hot flash

Maybe five years ago I began having peri-menopause symptoms. About four years ago those symptoms decided to be  even more present…and bothersome…and more constant. Add to that I was dealing with (and still am) some joint pain and you are put in a position of doing something. My something was to play with my food intake.

First I gave up all processed foods and white sugar. That helped a lot. Second I cut back on (but didn’t quit) caffeine which also had an impact. I bought a bread maker and started making all our baked goods from scratch and with American grown wheat. We made eating foods that are green a priority and juiced quite frequently. Eventually all our meals were made from scratch (time consuming) and everybody felt better in some way

Along the way a friend going through the same thing talked about Maca root and how that had helped her…so I gave that a try. Worked like a charm! (please don’t run out and try anything without consulting your physician) Actually worked for about 2 full years. No hot flashes or night sweats…was a beautiful thing. Until it wasn’t.

In between here somewhere I found a new doctor. An integrative doctor. They take your entire lifestyle into consideration and prescription drugs are not the first line of defense…which is exactly what I wanted. No drugs but a lifestyle modification.

So I went vegan. All at once.

And a funny thing happened. Most of my symptoms either disappeared or dramatically reduced.

It took about 6-8 months to really grasp the differences. First it was small things like waking up easier and falling asleep quicker. Then it was no night sweats (which had come back with a vengeance when my body didn’t like the maca anymore). Hot flashes quit. ( yay!)

Joint pain and joint flaring was still an issue. And sometime debilitating. As an example my shoulder would flare and I wouldn’t be able to lift an arm for the better part of a day without yelling in pain. So my new doc suggested we do some food elimination. So in addition to vegan I went gluten free for about 6 months.

Let’s just say this was not my favorite time. Try not eating any animal products…no meat, dairy, cheese, yogurt, etc. then add to that anything with wheat or flour in it. Have you looked at ingredient list lately? Gluten is in EVERYTHING! No pasta, no bread, no crackers, bagels…you get the picture. It’s a whole new diet and one that took quite a bit of research.

At the end I didn’t feel much different without the gluten. I have added a full regimen of vitamins. You’d be surprised how many things your body is missing. Make sure your doc does thorough blood testing! I feel like a different person.

Maybe you want a change..in how you feel…in your well being? Try some food experimentation…you never know how much better you can feel until you try it!

 

Until next time,

Susan

Creative Schizophrenia: Let’s Talk

Sooo…anybody familiar with creative schizophrenia? Anyone have an artsy habit they can’t quite corral into one genre? Do you feel like your creative endeavors are wanting you to do everything…and nothing? Well…let’s talk.

This can get bad…like really bad. (and that makes me want to do this…)

Martinis are vegan!
Martinis are vegan!

 

I find myself wanting to create for my jewelry line so off to the studio I go. I arrange my things, start with an idea, begin putting it together…and boom! All of a sudden my paint starts calling my name…what if when this thing is done I paint it? So I go get the paint out and start playing with that. Halfway through I notice there’s a piece of fabric on the floor…oooh! That might work too. Maybe I can sew it together for a packaging idea. So I play with that for awhile. Out comes the sketch book so I can see if my ideas will work together. What about ribbons? What if this thing had some tied onto it? And out comes some ribbon. Oooh…but maybe it needs resin? Maybe the pieces would look good glossy…and layered….and …and….and…

By this time I am working in four square inches of my table and not much is getting completed.

 

messy worktable 1

 

What is it with this? And what are your tried and true ways to keep your creative schizo self in check? Bah….

Here are a couple of things I find helpful when I cannot for the life of me get this under control…

  1. Set a timer and a simple goal…for instance I want to ready some of my shrink plastic. I set my phone timer for 20 minutes and that’s all I do until the timer rings. Guess what? I finished something!
  2. Clean or organize. Again I might set my timer for this or just make note of the clock then find a spot to re-organize. Moving things into order allows me to clear my brain and do a sort of re-set. I do this for about half an hour and find that my brain is much more ready to focus on the task at hand.
  3. Go do something else! Maybe it’s time for lunch or a snack. Perhaps laundry needs some attention. Have you talked to your Mom lately? Choose anything that has nothing to do with whatever task you were having issues with.

Those are my three go to’s when I get stuck inside my creative schizophrenia brain. Inevitably one will work and I can get back to accomplishing things.

Try it and let me know how it works for you…or maybe you have a better idea? Would love to have you share it!

Until next time,

Susan

 

 

Eleven Months

Geez…eleven months??!

…has it really been that long? Eleven months? Yikes…

A lot of folks must be wondering what the heck happened to her? I also took a three month hiatus from social media…so some are shaking their heads.

Who are you?

Well…honestly, even though my intention to get in her to write are good ones, I often feel like I have nothing of any substance to say. Or some topic peeks my interest and time or family or something keeps from writing even two words.

Eleven months!? I can’t believe it…but I do.

Let me do a little refresher…yes I am still here!!

My goofy son
My goofy son

Yes my son is amazed its been eleven months also. Family time has been priority around here and the summer was spent all four of us. Lunch and dinner together just about everyday.

I’m still working up some crazy art and wearable stuff. Doing a lot of sewing but will have jewelry this fall.

CoExist Bracelet

So I’m not truly MIA…just taking a break…for eleven months. LOL.

Did you miss me?

Until next time,

Susan

National Organization Month: What are you doing?

National Organization Month and what are you doing to re-organize your home, life, and studio?

I am an avid cook so drawers that are completely unusable and crazy messy drive me crazy! So the first place I start with organization is in my kitchen. This baking drawer was such a mess I didn’t realize I had purchased several identical items! Now it’s labeled and things that go together are side by side.

Kitchen Baking Drawer

I wish I had a before picture of this. You wouldn’t have known even what this area was for. AND I threw out spices from the Jurassic period! Oy! Now it’s a pleasure to open this space!

Spices Galore

You couldn’t even tell what this area was for before I started! Plus I threw out spices from the turn of the century! Now it’s a pleasure to open this cupboard.

Bread Baking Station

How many crumbs can there really be in any one spot? This is my bread baking area…yes there are two bread machines. As a side note I bake all of our bread products from scratch. No more preservatives or hidden GMO for us! May sound crazy but it has solved a couple of health issues we had going on. AND it tastes delicious this way!

But..back to organization! With this many things on one counter area it easily gets out of whack. This is how it’s supposed to be!

Next organization project? Besides the entire house? Pieces of the studio…stay tuned!

Until next time,

Susan

P.S. Please hop over to my collaborative blog for some other organization tips from the studios of the girls!!