Traveling and thinking art

   
We just got back from Spring break vacation and it's been a little hard to get back into the art making,gallery running groove but we are getting there!

Quick stop at Roswell Alien museum

We ended up getting my niece to watch our pup and taking the kids to Santa Fe. We have taken our dog with us on trips before but I knew there were things we planned on doing this trip(tent rocks for example) that were not doggie friendly and because I couldn't let her roam free at the hotel we were staying at-this option worked out better for us in the end.

Tent Rocks in Santa Fe

We had been through Santa Fe before, we stopped here on our way to Las Vegas one year,but I knew it was full of arty goodness that we didn't really get into that first time.

We were between going to South Padre,which we love but which was going to be cold this year during that week, and Austin,which is also a great arty town but has a whole 'nother vibe to it.


I'm glad we chose Santa Fe in the end because it has everything we like to get out of place. The trip there is interesting and the trip back is good too. (Especially if you come back a different way to how you got there.) We got a great fix of really good food(Thai Vegan was my favorite if you are ever in the area), my youngest got her shopping fix,we all got to enjoy great art,funky day trips(Taos,I'm looking at you) and spectacular natural wonders.

This trip was good for us and me particularly for other reasons too. I have been in such an art rut lately and seeing all of these great artists putting there stuff out there made me super happy,super inspired and super ready to just do this thing which I love doing. The truth is, this is what I've wanted to do with myself since I was like 8-yes I've had other interests and hobbies, I always have fifty new things that I really want to try but this art thing? It's the one constant that I've never been able to stop cold turkey. So I'm just going to keep doing it. (Whatever the result of that may be.)


It's also exciting to see an art community like Santa Fe and hope that San Angelo might one day be an art community too. We are still a long way and to be honest,at the moment I feel like some artists get in each other's way instead of supporting each other. Which is crazy to me because if you have a lot of art in a town you are attracting people who like to look at art-that's a good thing for all of us!


If I'm honest, I recently left an awesome writing group,I loved interacting with them but....I'm not really writing these days or setting aside time to review what others are writing so I cut the cord. I guess a group like this is what I wish I could find,but with artists.

White Sands,New Mexico

If you're an artist is San Angelo wanna have coffee sometime and discuss art? :) 

**************************************************

    

Blogging and art and family together...

This is my first post for this blog but not my first post as a blogger. I have had many blogs over the years. All of them have been lacking and I think it's because I've never posted the stuff that I really wanted to post.
I mean I did every now and then but most of the name? No.
I had a mommy blog and I had an artist blog(and a writing blog and an exercise blog,but let's not even mention those) but I wanted to combine the two and couldn't figure out how.
Squidmom was started to share family adventures and pictures and also my attempts to "be a better me". My family read it to keep up with us,I had other readers over the years but after a while I wanted to abandon it. I hardly ever wrote and when I did-it was only because I felt like I should. That's a crazy reason to write a blog.

My art blog was created when I started wanting to sell my art and connect with other bloggers. But it's so flat. I find myself saying this what what I did today,I did it with this you can buy it here. Yuck.
When I get off topic or try to branch out it feels odd. Because that is not what I created that blog for if you get my drift? Just like my original Squidmom blog was never meant to be about my art. I needed a fresh slate and I missed writing so I'm here now.

Who am I?
I'm the momma to two lovely, precocious girls they have so much energy and so much light and I try my best to do my best by them.
My bad points:
I'm not great with routines.
I'm not the best with their hair.
And their Halloween costumes when I have made them? Have been totally put together last minute.... but whatever,they looked pretty good,I think, despite that.

***

I let them watch way too much tv and I use social media way too often-I'm working on both of those!
I'm not great at making conversation with the the other moms at school because I hate small talk.
Our house is cluttered but I'm also working on that.
My good points?
I try to raise the girls to view the world with understanding. Lots of understanding,because I think the world needs it right now. People are way to quick to jump all over someone else who's viewpoint they disagree with. It's scary out there sometimes.
We always have time to create and dream. We want them to be whatever they want to be...even if those things have nothing to do with art.

By we I mean my husband and I.

(I'm Lydia Puente Harris,by the way.) He's an artist too. (His name is Jonathan Stephen Harris)
The main difference between the two of us is that he is actually making a living off of his art and I'm still trying to.

We own an art studio/gallery in San Angelo,Texas (JSH Art studio/gallery) that we just opened this year.

It's been interesting and well were not getting a lot of traffic yet but we'll get there,I'm sure of it.
For now it's just nice to have a place away from home to hold all of my art stuff. And an actual space to work in that's not my kitchen table. :)
I hope to connect with lots of creative awesome people as I give this a go again.