It's my party … and I'll create if I want to hosting a holiday-art party!

Expression, Nov-Dec, 2004 by Hilari Ford

I've mentioned a couple of times this year about sharing your art with others. It's been the focus of my year and I'm happy to say I've found a number of different ways to share my art with others, from a Web log to a knitting/crocheting group. Often we artists are a solitary lot, preferring to keep our work to ourselves until we deem it fit for sharing. However, the process of sharing--what makes us grow and evolve as artists--is the very essence of what makes us tick. Sharing that process is sharing the essence of who we are.

This month I would like to tell you of a successful effort of mine last holiday season. First, let me preface by saying that I've always been hesitant to entertain in my home because it is so small. I live in 626 square feet of luxurious space. Comfortably, I can seat maybe 10. The amount of space taken up by my supplies is daunting. More than one person has suggested I call the HGTV show--Mission: Organization. But, if I had, my holiday art party would have been a bit of a bust.

The goal of my party was to share a bit of myself, give my friends the opportunity to meet each other and make sure they went home with something new. I took stock of all my supplies and realized I had more than enough to go around several times over. From paper to beads, I was prepared for just about anything.

I added up the number of people to invite and the total was somewhere around 42. Even knowing that a good party has half the number of invited guests, I still didn't have room for 21 people unless they worked in shifts. Hold the phone! Shifts? I was on to something here.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

I took a weekend and divided the time into 2 to 3 hour slots between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. I used the Evite Web site to send my invitations and was able to have people R.S.V.P. for a specific timeslot on Saturday or Sunday. Everyone was invited to bring their own projects, work on something I had or they could request to learn something I knew how to do.

The final count was around 20 or so. At one point on Saturday afternoon I did have more people than space, but it evened out quickly and nearly everyone got to work on a project. What we did was varied. Katie bought paper bags and used my paper punches to make luminaries. Cathy brought some glass jars that she painted and learned how to make a bracelet when she was done Priscilla wanted to learn how I made mayonnaise (yes, I make my own mayonnaise ... it's really not as Martha as it sounds) so we did that. Olga made Christmas cards. Bonnie brought pictures and frames she wanted to decorate Gracie painted an amazing mirror. Rose painted a frame for her friend who loves fashion--I just happened to have Barbie shoes to glue onto that frame. (I'm certain those "organization" folks would have thrown those away!) Karen came over at the end of Saturday's events and we stayed up late making the glass ball ornaments that were featured on the cover of the Nov./Dec. 2003 issue of Expression.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

It was tiring but it was fun. I'm excited about doing it again this year. The important part about this is to realize it's about sharing what makes you come alive. It's not about wearing yourself even thinner during the holidays. Invite the people that bring you joy, not the ones who enervate you and complain Don't spend all day in the kitchen; some store-bought coffee cake and hot chocolate is good Order a pizza if you want something more substantial. If at any point, shopping for slippers for Aunt Sally sounds more appealing, then you are planning way too much.

The key to a successful art party is ... don't think too much and don't plan too much. I tend to obsess over the little details no one would notice--the teensy rust stain in my sink or the chip in my soap dish--and the next thing you know. I've redone my entire bathroom. I finally realized that my friends aren't the sort of people who nit-pick about things like that. And if they were, they don't get invited.

Don't be too teacher like. Guide your guests, but leave them to create on their own. Some will need more handholding than others, but even then, give them time to work on their own. You will be surprised at the number of your friends who are hesitant to put a brush to paper or bead to wire for fear of doing it wrong. Help them get over that and then let them go their own way.

If you don't have 19 different things for your guests to do, don't think you can't share your art. If you rubber stamp, have some items set up so that your friends can make their own cards. Show them how to make envelopes from magazine pages. If you do intricate work like beading, create a simple project that can be re-created with a minimum of materials and in a variety of colors and/or styles. If you decorate gourds and there's not enough tools to go around, maybe you want to show people how to paint or draw on them. Remember, the key is not to have everyone make a piece of gallery-quality art, but to share in what you love to do.

Changes that I will make this year are simple. I think I'm going to have four to six stations set up: rubber stamping, crochet/knitting, collage and beading. My house can be overwhelming to people and I think some didn't make anything because they just couldn't choose. I will also start later on Saturday and end later. A Saturday during the holidays is prime real estate in some calendars and having an evening option will alleviate some of the rush. I am also thinking about some sort of party favor. It has to be simple and handmade, but I haven't landed on an idea yet.