Last-Minute Handmade Love

Hi everyone!

We just wanted to give you a head's up on our next show! We'll be taking part in the "Last-Minute Handmade Love" trunk show!

We'll be showing along with some other pretty fabulous vendors the weekend right before Valentine's Day! Woot!

We know you've probably been looking for that special gift for that special someone, whether it's your partner, friend, parent, or child, there's something for everyone!

Looking for that last-minute Valentine's day gift for your sweetie? Look no further than Big Umbrella Studios' trunk show "Last-Minute Handmade Love!"
Featuring some of the most awesome handmade artisans from around the Bay, don't miss your chance to find the perfect gift that you've been holding out for at this two-day show.

Saturday, browse the magical wares of Nerd Jerk, Heathered, Compass Rose Design, and Etta + Billie.
On Sunday, find joy in the majesty of Twinkie Chan, Mangosteen, Crooked Sister, and Monkey + Seal.

Saturday, Feb.12 & Sunday, Feb. 13 from 12-5pm
Big Umbrella Studios, 906 1/2 Divisadero St., SF, 94115
www.bigumbrellastudios.com

Nerd Jerk: http://www.etsy.com/shop/NerdJerk
Heathered: http://heathered.weebly.com/
Compass Rose Design: http://www.compassrosedesignjewelry.com/
Etta + Billie: http://www.etsy.com/shop/ettaandbillie
Twinkie Chan: http://www.twinkiechan.com/
Mangosteen: http://www.mangosteenoakland.com/
Crooked Sister: http://www.etsy.com/shop/crookedsister
Monkey + Seal: http://www.monkeyandseal.com/

So we hope you'll stop by and grab a bite to eat (there will be food carts) and don't forget to say hi!

Your Pace

In our society, there is definitely a big push to do bigger, better, be greater, faster, stronger, etc. There is a sense of urgency - we need to do it yesterday, and if not then, now now now.

However, this fear of losing something - an opportunity - is based out of a mentality of lack. We think we won't have another chance, or that perhaps that you'll never be as good as you are now.

While there is definitely times when you do need to go all-out, those times are probably less frequent than you might believe. As weighed-down as we are with commitments, duties, responsibilities, and a bunch of other stuff, it's good to really evaluate how much time you really have.

Sometimes it might seem like you're going back downhill when you're trying to desperately to climb uphill. Well, maybe that's for the best, as if you were going to fast previously, perhaps you need to take a break - don't burn yourself out too quickly.

When you are climbing a mountain (literally), if you ascend too quickly you can get altitude sickness. Monkey has experienced this firsthand, with extreme headaches, nausea and/or vomiting..it is not fun. Guess what the only cure for altitude sickness is? Going back down the mountain and lowering your elevation. You can stay where you are and painfully tough it out, but climbing only makes it worse.

Same goes for any challenges in your life. Go at YOUR Pace. Some people might have trained longer than you have. Some people might be riding yaks up the mountain. Whatever. Don't compare yourself to the rates that other people are going because you don't know their story, their backgrounds, their support teams, or their advantages. You can only go at Your Pace, and that's the fastest you can go. Go any faster, and you risk burning yourself out and hurting yourself in the long run.

Sure, Monkey + Seal preach sustainability over destroying a bit of yourself to reach the goal faster, but that's because we're in this for the long haul. There are numerous times where we could have taken shortcuts, or done things like other people, or worked ourselves sick. But every time we've even considered doing this, we realize that it's just not how we work. If we push ourselves too hard, we get sick or burnt out. If we do things unethically, we feel guilty and terrible and self-sabotage ourselves. If we copy others, we feel cheap and like we've lost our identity. All in all, you just have to be yourself and go at Your Pace.

The fastest way up the mountain - where you can enjoy the view at the top - is Your Pace. Embrace it.

Who Is Your Hero?

Whenever you are doing anything that you haven't done before (or even if you have), it's always good to find a good role-model to look up to. Even if you are doing something that's never been done before, there are still people to learn from. We think it's very important to find your heroes in order to learn important lessons to help with your own growth.

If you're chasing your dream, and you can find someone who is already living that dream, you should ask yourself what you can learn from that person. How did they do it? Did they do it under similar circumstances as to others, or did they carve their own path? Who helped them? What sort of conditions allowed them to make it there?

Monkey + Seal enjoy reading biographies of great people, as we often find that there are similar traits that amazing people have. Determination, unwavering will in the face of hardship, a good support network, a lot a lot a lot of hard work - all of these are usually constants in major successes. There's also a little bit of luck, but when you read deeper into success stories, often this luck is actually the manisfestation of networking, guts, and years of hard work.

Often times Michael Jordan is seen as the pinnacle of athleticism, one (if not THE) greatest basketball players of all time. However, as he'll tell you, it's not a natural talent, but an unnatural drive and perseverance that made him the legend that he is today. Arriving to practice early and leaving late every single practice is what set him apart. If you look at most professional superstar athletes, it's that hard work that makes them great, not natural talent or luck.

The point of this is that on the surface, our heroes may look like shining idols on pedestals, but they all have a plan that worked for them. For MJ, it was a plan to show up early and leave late and never stop working hard. That plan is something you can replicate.

Hello Lucky! started out in co-owner Eunice Moyle's garage - the story goes that after three years of 7-day workweeks and non-stop door-knocking, card-printing, and all-around-hustling, Hello Lucky was able to grow to the stationery giant they are now with a world-wide distribution, features in Martha Stewart Wedding, and two craft books under their belt. Formula? Lots of hours spent perfecting designs and having a great business plan + a few years of non-stop hard work = awesomeness.

So whether your ambitions are in sports, stationery, medicine, or whatever, find your heroes. Who is doing what you want to be doing? If no one is doing what you want to be doing, find someone who is doing something similar, even if it's in a different field. Learn from people who have done it before. Find out their story. Ask them for interviews. Read their biographies. Research their companies and figure out what you need to do to make your own dreams come true. Find your heroes and then become one yourself. Go get 'em!

Still Small? That's Okay.

As Seth Godin pointed out a week or so ago, when Google first launched, it was in obscurity. It didn't make the New York Times until a year after, and it was basically just a sideline. Now, they are synonymous with "online searching" and every product they release makes headlines.

Many times we aspire for that "big moment" where we make headlines and shoot into international stardom. However, everyone has to start somewhere. Many other of the largest internet companies (ie. Paypal, eBay, etc.) all launched in the shadows before becoming household names.

The thing is that if you focus on the big splash and making huge waves out of the gates, that's what you'll be focused on. Instead, if you slowly build your name consistently and with a high degree of awesomeness (measured by quality and work ethic, if you were wondering), people will come to know you as substance over flash and bang and you'll be the ones to outlast all the trend-followers.

We can often get impatient, as it can take years to finally build up your name. But if you're following your dream and doing your best, with a lot of hard work and a little luck, you'll make it.

Choose Your Own Life Adventure

“One day Alice came to a fork in the road and saw a Cheshire cat in a tree. Which road do I take? she asked. Where do you want to go? was his response. I don't know, Alice answered. Then, said the cat, it doesn't matter.”

- Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland

Choices and decisions: we make them all the time. Should I accept this freelance, gallery, craft show? What kind of art medium best fits the story I want to tell? Should I pursue art? Get a day job, internship, or go for a studio job? The choices presented are endless. On top of the everyday anxiety, artists are also have the high pressure to produce work that is new, challenging, and full of personality. We are constantly having to choose, What is my next creative project? What is my art style? Do I create what is popular or the obscure projects that I want to work on?

Sometimes we choose consciously with intention, but for most of the time, we are unaware of the decisions we make or why we made them. Days, months, years, past by and we are wondering what it was we dreamt of in the first place, what we hoped to accomplish, why we are not where we want to be or have accomplished the things we wanted to do. Hopefully, you are one of the rare creatures that knows what they want all the time and live by your intentional choices.

However, for most of us, when it comes to our dreams, our art, our life, we float randomly through life. We continue to live. We "choose" to do illustrative art, but in fact, in reality, we want to make films. We continue to make art, but absently with chaotic energy that dissipates because we have not CHOSEN our rightful place and meaningful task as an artist.

I'll take whatever is on today's special menu please or I'll have what he's having or I'll have the usual, what I always have before. Then when the steak and potatoes arrive, we complain "This is not what I ordered. This is not what I was expecting." My hunger is physically met, but my taste for life remains unsatisfied.

Of course, like Alice, we want the choice at the fork of the road to matter. We may "not know where we want to go initially," but in reality, perhaps in the deepest recesses of our hearts, we already know the answer. You already know the choices you are meant to take.

Like Alice, although we answer with, "I don't know." We do know. We honestly want to be directed "home": the place where our creativity and abundance soar.

So how do we get there? How can you become more attune to the choices that are presented to you? How can we become more conscious of our choices and make for a meaningful art? life?

Luckily, we are all born with the innate ability to tune into our heart's most desires. As children, we knew what we wanted and what we didn't. "No" was one of our favorite words. We drew clear boundaries. We said, "This is who I am and what I want." We did everything we could to get it. We cried, threw tantrums, reached, kicked, wail, screamed, our mind was a tunnel vision towards our choice desires. As adults, it becomes more complex. We no longer have the privilege and knowledge to simply choose. We have to navigate through our emotions, socialization, negotiations, compromises, and juggle many different priorities. But here are three facts that will help you get closer to your inner genius and decision-making:

1. As a artist and as a human being, we are always presented by choices and regardless of how the situation looks, we always have the agency and courage to make a choice towards our heart's desire.

2. Explore all options, your choices may not be an either / or option only. As artists, we have the gift to "think outside the box."

3. When you are presented with choices, and one of them is your heart's desire, your physical body cannot help but respond. You get excited, your heart races, your eyes dilate, you feel at ease. Your body is your best magnetic compass. You are filled with energy and excitement. It is crucial to look for this physical response.

So, what choices, what forks in the road have brought you to where you are today? What choices lie in the present? And potentially the future? (Are they towards your ultimate goal?)

"The artist is the only one who knows that the world is a subjective creation, that there is a choice to be made, a selection of elements." - Anais Nin

Hold Your Head Up High

When you are facing a tough problem, the first instinct is to bury your head in the sand. Like an ostrich, it's a lot easier to just keep trying to hide from your problems and hope that they go away. However, it usually just ends up making the problem worse.

It's been a tough day over here at Monkey + Seal. We'll spare you the details, but a culmination of a lot of stuff has been building up, and we've been doing our best to sort of ignore some issues. It is never easy, but making tough calls and facing your problems head on usually end up working out.

We know it's gut-wrenching, and your throat gets dry, and all the negative voices and self-criticisms in your head start shouting, and it's just a huge crap-tacular wave of emotions, but every time you keep your head up high and stand up for yourself, it'll get easier.

That first step towards wresting control over your own destiny away from fate and back into your own hands (although was it ever really not in your own hands?) is a big one. But by taking that step, you'll find that each next step is easier and easier. If that step seems too insurmountable, let loose a battle cry! Turn up some fight music to get yourself motivated. Get something to act as a sword to wave around before you're ready to go. Or heck, go mediate and quiet your mind, or do some yoga and clear your thoughts. Whatever works to get you to remember that no one controls your future besides you.

So keep your head up high and face whatever might be troubling you head on. Yosha!!!!!

Monkey + Seal in a show tonight!

Hi hi everyone! Tonight (Friday, January 21 if you're reading this some other day than when we're writing this), Monkey + Seal are going to be in another gallery show!

We're both participating in the "A House of Cards" show opening from 7-11pm tonight at Big Umbrella Studios, located at 906 1/2 Divisadero St (at McAllister), SF, 94115. If you google it, make sure you look for 906 Divis, as the .5 sends you off someplace else.

If you're local, bus lines 24 and 5 are literally about twenty steps or less away, so we recommend coming via public transportation (because street parking can get sort of tough).

Anyway, Monkey just hung the show last night, and he is pleased with the awesomeness and variety of styles that will be showing. Both of us will have new work, and Monkey will have some suuuuper old pieces up that no one has ever seen before!

There is also going to be poker, a tarot card reader, and three different food carts. It'll be a spectacular evening, so we hope to see you there!

Psst - we won't be able to be there until 8pm, so if you'd like to meet us, wait til then! Yay!

PS - If you'd like to see some behind the scenes photos of the gallery getting ready for the show at our last Wednesday Nite Artgasm, check them out here!