examiner...

...did I tell you that I am writing articles for the examiner?

http://www.examiner.com/ethnic-community-in-philadelphia/tiffany-strother-millner

Faith + Freedom

Humm... I think I may have "burned" myself again...

For the past month and a half, I have been working on a little something that I called "Faith + Freedom". I knew that the annual PhilaNOMA Art show was coming up and that was enough to put the fire under my butt to build something - and get my head away from thinking and stressing about thing I can not control. 

Everything seemed to fall into place... I received power tools for my birthday. I carved out a little corner in the basement to become my "wood shop", I had full access to the Soup Factory AND Cacao was on vacation in New Jersey.

I found some wood slats in the garage from an old IKEA bed in my garage - and I already had the vision. So I was ready to go....

The idea was to make a "picture frame" for flowers to be mounted on a wall - but like everything else, It became much more. It became my creative outlet... (Hey - what better way to relive the stress from work - than to go home and use some power tools??)

 It was awesome... and then this popped into my head as I was building it... So I had to incorporate it:

 

i wanted to let go, 

but it wouldn't let me go.

i tried to break free, 

but i was always...

...am always +

always will be free.

ENJOY!!

Faith + Freedom is an exercise in re-discovering the creative side within me. As working professionals we sometimes lose sight of the simple things that bring us enjoyment and in turn serve as natural stress relievers.

Over the years, I found myself running from the things that would set me free. The lack of time committed to creativity wold be the very thing that would save me from the mundane day to day - also known as life.

Bending those wooden dowels was a stupid idea manifested. It was tedious and i broke a lot of them - even though I had them soaking in a tub of water in my basement. BUT I assure you that during that entire process I was NOT thinking about getting shop drawings back in time, dis-respectful clients that have no idea what i do for a living, construction time schedules that were shot and people blame you because you are the architect, stressing about toilet room clearances and that extra grab bar, and my favorite - the pissing contests that develop at the end of a job when all of the change orders get tallied up and the boxing gloves go on...

AND - it's new home in my dining room...