Simplify

Simplify Your Life
Zen followers and Buddhist monks have long known the importance of simplifying one's life. Cutting out the clutter and removing the distractions are tasks that can help streamline our focus. They are not, however, easy things to ask of an artist. Simplifying can often be an extremely huge request, for artists have a way of collecting piles of stuff over the course of their careers. Art supplies, reference books, and found objects easily creep into the tidiest of studios. There's a mentality that "you never know when this will come in handy for one project or another." Giving away these amassed treasures can be a close to impossible thing to ask. Still, there comes a time in every artist's life that a large-scale reorganization and upheaval becomes necessary. Karen has decided that this is her time. Over the past few months, she's been working on the process of simplification in a variety of ways.

Let's Make a Deal
Tag sales are one of those summer phenomenons that can often help to clean out unwanted stuff by passing it from one household to the next. Karen has taken this concept and brought it up a level, with the creation of her "Art Tag Sales." Later this month, on August 27, she will be holding the second of three summer sales. These events are bringing together the best parts of both tag sales and specialty shopping, as they combine the desire to get rid of unnecessary items with the sale of fabulous and whimsical art pieces. With the first event being such a huge success, Karen is looking forward to the next two. For all the details, please read our tag sale article.

Asking for Help
In recent months, our online store had become another responsibility that kept us from focusing on the creation of artwork and the contacting of companies. So, Karen decided that outsourcing this part of her business would be the best next step toward simplification. The e-store reins have now been turned over to a wonderful outside service. They have already worked wonders in creating a more organized store, adding a search feature, expanding the inventory to include many new products, and adding a customer service number, (866) 45-ROSSI. Figurines, calendars, and the full collections of Karen's pins and waterglobes are now available. Through our simplification process, we now have a more functional store and more time for artwork and creating.

On the Market
The biggest attempt at downsizing is Karen's recent decision to put our studio up for sale. Juggling three properties has become too overwhelming, making this move a necessary one for us. The Windsor Locks house that we are currently working from will be on the market within the next few weeks. Once it sells, we will relocate our studio space to Karen's Norfolk studio and her home in Meriden, CT. With all of the work that has been happening in Norfolk this summer, we are sure to have a fresh, inspiring location from which to create all new paintings and sculptures. The house there has been transformed with fresh paint, new carpeting, and the hanging of many of Karen's original sculptures.

So, we will continue along this quest for simplification, reminding ourselves that it isn't all the stuff that inspires the creativity. Rather, it's the desire to learn, explore, and seek that provides the real inspiration for the artwork.