Strixie

In a "nut"shell, I am a mighty oak— a little "nut" that stood it's ground! Okay, so I am a little nutty...I love nature, I love outdoors. I love bad puns. So the mighty oak quote epitomizes me on so many levels. Quirky, fun, whimsical, outdoorsy.

Since I've discovered Swap-Bot, I've been inspired and enlightened to all kinds of new creative mediums I can't wait to explore. I've discovered ATC's as a form that gives me the opportunity to try out and experiment with different art-forms in miniature. I started out designing ATCs on my computer, and all of a sudden, I've discovered that I can doodle a bit if I put my mind to it. I am working on hand-drawing/painting/lettering more art, and am officially addicted to zentangling and mandalas too. (But please be patient with my efforts to hand-draw! :) My mind sees things that my hands can't seem to deliver.

My current obsession is "artist journey" things and challenges that make me look at the world as art, or things that can inspire art.

• Wildlife (see below)

• Nature: forests, flowers, mountains, lakes, etc.

• Marimekko

• Celestial (sky, constellations, astronomy)

• Aliens: silly, conspiracy, crop circles, George Noory, Giorgio Tsoukalos, etc.

• Mythology

• Asian/Feng Shui/Meditative/Zen/Wabi Sabi

• Halloween/Goth

• Gnomes/mushrooms/leprechauns

• Fairies & DRAGONS!!!

• Anything Celtic/Irish/Druid

• Retro/kitsch

• Rocks/gems (especially peridot and amethysy/geode, polychrome jasper, glacier stones or other river rock) I mention because I use rocks for inspiration.

• Poetry

• Southwest themes

• Renaissance

• Inspiring quotes

• Kawaii/manga/japanimation/anime

• Tropical (beaches, palm trees, hibiscus, seashells, etc.)

• Music

• Pirates! (Disney and traditional lore)

• Never opposed to a little sparkle or glitter! It's magical.

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, R.R. Tolkien, Harry Potter, Mists of Avalon, Confederacy of Dunces, Wesley the Owl, (things about nature, wild places, or animals.) Meomi (Kids book with cutest illustrations), Charlie and Lola books by Lauren Child, Shel Silverstein, Dr. Seuss, Bats at the Beach, Galway Kinnell, Ruiz: Four agreements, Thich Nhat Hanh, Henry David Thoreau is my idol, Griffin and Sabine, Chris Ware comics, poetry: Neruda, Sylvia Plath, Rainer Maria Rilke, Emily Dickinson, Hafiz, Seamus Heaney, Shakespeare, and more.

I love all wildlife but for some reason find these animals extra fun, interesting, or inspiring:

• Skunks!

• Squirrels of all kinds

• Owls

• Cephalopods (octopus, squid, cuttlefish)

• Bats

• Rays

• Llamas and goats (wish I could have some!)

• Foxes

• Freshwater fish (trout, sunfish, bass, crappie, northern, walleye, so cute don't ya know?!")

• Koi

• Moose

• Reindeer (I'm part Finnish) and I love Caribou coffee.

• Hmmmmm...noticing a nocturnal theme here...

• Babe • Lord of the Rings trilogy • Harry Potter movies • Gladiator • Moulin Rouge • V for Vendetta • 500 Days of Summer • Pirates of the Caribbean!!! • Amelie • Chocolat • Much Ado About Nothing • Edward Scissorhands (Johnny Depp theme!) • Marie Antoinette • Monty Python (Spamelot is awesome!) • Harold and Kumar go to White Castle • Entourage (Well, that's TV I guess) I am blanking out here...

Writing poetry, writing children's nonsense, essays and non-fiction.....Zentangles, zentangles, zentangles! Mandalas galore,....Just made my first zines and LOVE it! And started hand-carving stamps. LOVE it too! Have no clue how to crochet but really want to learn to make amigurumi, and also cute felt art. (Need more time and training!). I wish sewing machines wouldn't get tangled all the time or I would love sewing too. (I had no patience and gave away my machine :( I might have to find a good one down the road. ) Making little critters is certainly my next challenge along with writing, and finishing a kids book I've been working on.

I love being introduced to new things, new kinds of art, new techniques, new artists. I love to learn.

Art that is currently inspiring me: • Marimekko • Susie Ghahremani ( www.boygirlparty.com ) • Helen Dardik ( www.oneluckyhelen.com) • Alberto Cerretino • Catalina Estrada • Ann Taintor • Glen Baxter • Meomi (Octonauts books) and Tokidoki • Cute packaging of BlueQ stuff

ECCLECTIC! Folk, celtic, alternative, electronic, zydeco, cajun, punk 80's, Blues, Kids...you name it! Greg Brown, Nanci Griffith, Patty Griffin, Replacements, Prince, Cure, Keb Mo, Vampire Weekend, Kate Rusby, Altan, Sigor Rós, Dar Williams, XX, Architecture in helsinki, Vaartina, Arcade Fire, Eels, Samples, Enya, U2, Decembrists, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, Billy Bragg, National, Shout Out Louds the list goes on...whatever I'm in the mood for.

Earth tones and natural fibers, sepia tones, greens especially sage, jewel tones like Peridot, Amethyst (all purples, teal, and other tertiary colors like citrine. For some reason I I don't like navy blue or most blues....I don't know why that is. And I don't know why I am even putting this on here, as all colors have a place in the appropriate art.

I took a break from Swap-Bot for a few years. Partly because I got burned out trying to balance art and family. I was recently working on decluttering when I stumbled on some old swaps, and realized how much I missed creative outlet. (I don't seem to create art without having a formal outlet for motivation.) I am interested in easing back in to the swap-bot community again in hopes of unplugging my creative juices and start them flowing again.