Posted by Tagged with Artist Spotlight, Artists, Midlifecreative, The artist way Posted in Uncategorized

I Spy a Midlife Creative

Let’s play a game, shall we?
Look around at your friends on social media as well as the people you rub shoulders with in your daily life. Do you immediately think of individuals you would describe as extremely creative?

What exactly is a Midlife Creative?
It’s a person in the middle of their life who is actively pursuing a creative path. They have hobbies they enjoy, they appreciate beautiful things, value nature, and take time to work on their craft – whether that be writing, cooking, art, music, dance, photography, you name it.

These people often help me explore a new angle on an issue or give me permission to go against societal norms. They are not content with a predictable life. They care deeply and are often frustrated when their intentions are misunderstood. These are artists (even though they may not like to use that label on themselves)

We live in a world where comparison keeps us stuck. There is always someone who seems to have a better handle on their creative life than we do or who seems more talented or successful. There’s always someone who has already published a book, has a larger following, or makes enough money to pursue their art as a full-time vocation. Because of this, we see our own art as ordinary, or unworthy of recognition.

Let’s go on a hunt for hiding Midlife Creatives that need a boost of praise. If you notice someone being creative, point it out. Let them know you notice. Tell them specifically what you admire about how they express themselves and what they bring to the world.

If you share on social media, use the hashtag #midlifecreative. Follow the hashtag to read about other midlife creatives like you. Let’s support one another as artists!

Here are a few examples of people in my life who I see as #midlifecreative.


Briana Lavine Leigh @_oh_fer_sure

When I met Briana, I instantly knew we would be friends. Once I asked this question to a room full if people, ”When I say the word creative, does anyone come to mind?” Everyone in the room practically shouted “Briana!”

This girl oozes creativity. You never know what she will come up with next. Whether its a unique social studies lesson, a new recipe, a song, a dance, a water aerobics cheer….this girl does a million things, but a creative thread runs through it all. She doesn’t try to be creative, she just IS.

@volkmanadventures

The Volkmans are adventure bloggers that I enjoy following and have met in real life too. They live to be outside in nature and explore new places in Minnesota. I love how passionate they are about their adventures and sharing them with others. It makes me want to get off the couch and go exploring.

Craig Evans @frailin1 Deanne Lily Parks @artdeanne

These two are one of my favorite #midlifecreative couples. They live in my neighborhood and can be seen playing banjo on their front porch on summer evenings. Deanne is an amazing painter, sculptor, and writer. Craig is a musician, film maker, and life-long learner. He has lots going on (more than I even know) but is extremely humble about it all. These two are great listeners and supporters of other artists. If it wasn’t for Deanne, I may not have read The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron which set me on the path I am today.

Now that you’ve read a few examples of Midlife Creatives in my life, tell me about yours. Who inspires you to live a more creative life? I hope you’ll join me in sharing on your own instagram and using the hashtag #midlifecreative

Posted by Tagged with Artist Spotlight, Cooking, family, mothering Posted in Uncategorized

Artist Spotlight – Jen Levin

Did you grow up on Totinos or Jacks frozen pizza and then one day discover how good pizza can be with a homemade crust and fresh ingredients?
I met Jen Levin a few years ago when her family moved to St Paul. When we met, I could tell in one conversation that she was what I call a “midlife creative.” I caught her sketching during the sermon at church, found out she was an expert gardener, and amazing cook (well, pretty amazing compared to me!)
The first time I was at her house, she told me that she makes homemade pizza for her family almost every Friday night. It was a Monday and they were eating the leftovers for lunch. I thought to myself, ”Now here is someone I can learn from….or at the very least, get some good pizza from!”

Time passed and I followed the photos of Jen’s pizzas on her Instagram. The ingredients she used were so unique and I was impressed by her commitment to improve this pizza making craft. I asked if I could come over on a Friday night and watch her work her magic.

When I arrived at the Levin home, Jen had the dough ready and ingredients prepped. She had made the dough the night before and let it rise overnight. I always thought pizza dough had to rise in the oven or in a warm place, but this is not necessary. As long as the dough stays room temperature and you don’t live in a really cold house, it should be fine. The crust recipe Jen uses is just flour, water, salt, and yeast. She buys her flour in a 50lb bag from Cosettas market in St Paul. That bag of flour lasts her 6 months. She says that she gets a lot of funny looks and questions when she comes in asking for that amount of flour.

Jen has a large family so she usually makes at least 6 pizzas at a time. As I watched her, she made it look so easy. She tossed each circle of dough into the air, fashioning it into a crust.

There were a few things that surprised me. One, was how simple the red sauce was. Just whole tomatoes from a can and spices. Two, she didn’t pre-cook her sausage. She put it on the pizza raw. The high temperature of the broiler cooks the sausage throughout in a matter of minutes. There is no need to pre-cook the meat.

This is Jen’s favorite cookbook where she gets her crust recipe and inspiration for toppings. My Pizza by Jim Lahey.

This pizza was 1/2 thinly sliced apple, garlic butter, and cheddar cheese and 1/2 onion, rosemary, pistachios, and grated parmesan.
This one was more of a traditional supreme with pepperoni, sausage, green olives, and mozzarella. My favorite pizza of the night was one with goat cheese, sausage, mushrooms, and olives. I decided I am definitely a fan of goat cheese (something I would never think to try on my own)

The trickiest part of the pizza making, in my opinion, is the baking. Jen uses the broiler setting on her oven. She puts one pizza in the bottom broiler drawer and another on the bottom shelf of the oven. Then she rotates them a couple minutes into the cooking process. The bottom broiler cooks the bottom crust and the top oven finishes browning the top of the pizza

This is the ”peel” she uses to take the pizzas out of the oven. I need to get myself one of these.

I asked Jen about her inspiration for pizza making. She said some of the best pizza she ever ate was in Sicily while living there with her family for 3 months. Restaurants in Italy wouldn’t typically open until 8pm and they had little kids with bedtimes. They found a place close to their apartment that opened at 7pm and it became a favorite spot.

During our pre-dinner chat, there were also stories of a New York City pizza she ate once after a run in the rain, and ”the best pizza ever” with her sister at Pizza Bianco in Phoenix, AZ.

Why every Friday night?

As I watched this labor of love unfold (the whole process took close to two hours) I wondered to myself if the time and effort was worth it. Why not just order take out?

It became clear as I watched Jen making those pizzas, that this was important to her and to her family.
She told me that this is something everyone loves and something they look forward to.   She enjoys getting people together, and the laid back atmosphere of chatting while the pizzas are coming out of the oven, one by one. “I love good food and I love making it for people and with people,” she says.

Upon tasting the final product, all my questions faded away. This pizza, made with love, was an incredible gift and a creative expression from the chef.

Jen’s longterm goal is to have her own food truck. I hope that this can become a reality.

I’ll be first in line to order!

“I’ll have the sausage, olives, mushrooms, and goat cheese.”


Posted by Tagged with Artist Spotlight, Bilingual, Blogging, Mandarin, parenting, Taiwan Posted in Uncategorized

Artist Spotlight – Sunny Horstmann

Are you part of a bilingual family? Do you know someone who is raising their children bilingual?

I chatted with Sunny Horstmann about what it was like to come from Taiwan to America at age 8, her love of language and culture, and her passion to pass these on to her children. Sunny and her husband currently reside in Kansas City, but in the early years of marriage lived in Taiwan for 3 years. After their first child was born, they moved across the world from Taiwan to rural Minnesota.

Moving to a small town where they were the only Mandarin speakers was challenging at first. One day at the farmers market, Sunny met a family who asked her to teach their daughter Chinese. This 1st grader began going over to Sunny’s house 4 afternoons a week for language lessons. About this time, Sunny also started a blog and began writing about her experiences in bilingual parenting. She also used the blog to share educational resources with other parents.

I love the fact that Sunny didn’t give up her dream of speaking only Mandarin to her young daughter in a community where she was the only one speaking the language. She could have easily said, ”This too hard. We are just going to speak English like everyone else.” Instead, she continued to live out her convictions. She started her blog as a creative outlet, and a way to connect with other families like hers around the world. Little did she know how much interest there would be and the impact she would make.

The blog has expanded and Sunny now has an instagram and facebook page as well She has also offered an online course along with personal coaching.

When I asked Sunny how she would describe herself, she said ”I’m a cheerleader for bilingual parents!” It’s so true. In one short conversation, I saw this unique gift on full display. Sunny is an example of a midlife creative who saw a need in her own life and wondered ”Are there others like me that need encouraging? How can I help?” Then she dived in and began to fill that need.

Here are a few examples of resources Sunny shares on her Instagram: printables, activities for holidays, language learning tips, lists of childrens books in Chinese, and articles for parents. It is a gold mine of content for anyone interested in learning about the joys and challenges of being a bilingual family.

Dustin and Sunny are a really wonderful couple with a huge heart for other people, but they will be the first to tell you life isn’t easy. They have walked through some challenges including miscarriage and infertility. When they found out they were pregnant with a 2nd child, they saw it as a miracle.

Coming out of a difficult season, Sunny felt God asking her the question, ”What do you want?” Can you dream again and share with me instead of saying its too hard?” Sunny admitted to God and to her husband that her dream was to go back to Taiwan and deliver her baby there. It looked like an impossibility, but as some of you know, God really loves surprising his kids when they begin dreaming. All the puzzle pieces fell into place and Sunny and Dustin and their daughter traveled to Taiwan and stayed 3 1/2 months.

Another miracle was that the same midwife that delivered their first child years earlier contacted them and offered to deliver their second baby in her home.

Did you know that after women have a baby in Taiwan they stay in a Postpartum Care Center for up to a month? You read that right! No going home to tough it out a day after giving birth. Sunny was given wonderful care, nutritious meals, and lots of TLC for both herself and the baby. She stayed for about 3 weeks. I asked if all women get this kind of special attention after giving birth. She said that it is the norm, and those who don’t go to the center get a postpartum doula who comes into the home to cook and perform the household duties during the first month. Pretty amazing, I’d say!

If you are interested in living or traveling in Taiwan, bilingual parenting, or tips on learning a language, you can catch up on Sunny’s wealth of writing and resources at https://spotofsunshine.com/ or on Instagram and Facebook @spotofsunshinechinese.

Thanks Sunny for sharing your experiences and knowledge! You are a gift to your family and to the world! Keep being that cheerleader and don’t forget to surround yourself with others who will cheer for you too!

Posted by Tagged with Artist Spotlight, Minneapolis Artist, Northrup King Building, St Paul Art Crawl, St Paul Artist Posted in Uncategorized

Artist Spotlight – Heather M. Cole

When you finish drinking a gallon of milk or 1/2 gallon of juice, do look at the empty jug with curiosity asking ”how could I reuse that?” After interviewing artist, Heather M. Cole, I’ve started looking at items in the recycling bin as potential art pieces. Heather loves making art from repurposed materials. As a young child, and to this day, constructing is how she views play. Heather is inspired by everyday items like bottle caps, coffee cans, packaging materials, or plastic containers.

Here is a picture of a gallon jug, cut into pieces with a scissors in preparation for a project. “It’s more difficult than it looks,” Cole says.

These pieces are used in standing lamps and hanging light fixtures. When asked how many jugs she has cut, she says ”I’ve lost track. It takes maybe 10-12 jugs for a small lamp and the largest ones require close to 100.”

Take a look at some of these finished creations.

Every lamp I’ve seen is one of a kind and beautiful.

Heather and I talked about what brings us joy. We discovered that we are both introverts, night people, nature lovers, and walkers. I laughed when she said, ”The cutting up of plastic strips is like knitting. Some people knit in the evening, I cut up milk jugs.” It takes a couple of hours each evening for approximately 2 weeks to finish a lamp.

Cole enjoys participating art events like the St Paul Art Crawl and Northrup King Showcases. She is a member of the NEMAA and the St Paul Art Collective. When talking with those attending the art events, she is often surprised at how narrow peoples’ view of what ”art” is. Many think of art as only drawing or painting. When she asks those walking by if they are artistic, they often say ”No” and then later admit they are a musician or have some other creative hobby.

One of Heather’s latest projects are these 10×10 wood panels with hearts made from a variety of food containers. They are lit up with battery operated fairy lights.

The lamps are what Cole is known for, but she sees herself branching into other art forms. She would like to work on larger art installations. like the three put together between 2017-2019 through the Hennepin Theater Trust. These were called ”Made Here” Projects and were displayed in St Paul store front windows. They are social commentaries designed to spur on conversation and make people stop and think.

Future – Peak Stuff – 2017

Detours – My Daily Commute – 2019

Energy – Bursts – 2018

You can see Heather’s work in person at the Tres Leches Art Gallery in the Northrup King building in the NE art district of Minneapolis. A fun piece in the current show is a “Kissing Booth” constructed from plastic packaging.

https://www.treslechesartgallery.com/

Thanks Heather Cole, for sharing your art with the world. It is unique, thought provoking, calming, and beautiful. I can’t wait to see what you come up with next!