I’m here!

It’s 8:30 in the evening in Amsterdam and it is warm and sunny!

When I stepped out of the train station after 17 hours of traveling it was a breath of fresh air hit me as I took in the sites of the familiar scenery. I do have to say that things look different now that I am staying.

I feel like I am about to enter one of the most exiting times in my life, I just have to leap into it. Here I go!

Green ATC

Today I did something that could easily become a new addiction. It is exchanged, small, unique, expressive and artistic. It is a way for an individual to express their creative voice against those of others in a way that grows community and mutual adoration. What am I talking about? Artist Trading Cards!

ATC’s are works of art crafted on 2.5 X 3.5 inch card stock (size of a playing card – which are often used as a canvas) on which one can dream and do anything they dream. Once you have made your masterpieces you trade them with other artists. It is pretty simple – and all trading is free. This opportunity was dreamt up by M.Vänçi Stirnemann in 1996 and launched in an original project in Zurich in 1997. Armed with 1200 miniature pieces of art and a few partners he began trading original pieces of art with all those who gathered at the first show at INK.

What I love most about this principle is that it is free – one should not be charged for admission to the trading sessions. All works must be self-produced and you are encouraged to make the trades face to face and share your stories with each other. Many places in the world have monthly trading gatherings and people are encouraged to start their own. If you want to go international there are trading websites and mail groups. I think it is brilliant!

How is this green? Well when I was at VOXSac (www.voxsac.com) this weekend the theme for the participating artists was to go green in anticipation of earth day. A seminar was hosted on ATC’s where we worked with old magazines, playing cards, recycled paper, found material, anything can be used on these little gems. It is just that easy people.

I had so much fun making my first two cards and trading them that evening with some veteran ATCers. I have continued to make additional pieces since I have returned home. I hope to incorporate this into my lifestyle in Amsterdam, who knows where it may lead.

The top two are trades, the bottom items are works in progress

New Familiar Faces!

Today, I drove up to Sacramento, CA to attend the Mid-Town Second Saturday Art Walk - more specifically to see my new friends at the VoxSac Café (www.voxsac.com). Even though I have only known them a few months, I feel very much at home when I am with this group of rebels in sheep’s clothing. It is always great to meet people who are about pushing the envelope of what is while holding on to what is valuable in the now.

Eric, Heath, Sue, Jill, Cindy and their families are pioneering in the scope of what we hope to achieve with Reckoning in Amsterdam. We have a special kinship of the battle ready and weary that we hope will continue to grow and mature as we move forward into our relative unknowns. It is great knowing that you are not the only crazy people in the world willing to bank on the impossible – it brings us to our knees together so that we support each other in a myriad of ways. They are like old friends who just get what you are about and where you would like to go with out the necessity of words or exorbitant explanations.

Cindy's Arm, Eric and Heath

Figuring it Out!

One thing about life …there are a million supposed to’s. You are suppose to pray at 5AM at the latest, you’re supposed to floss after each meal, you are supposed to …fill in the blank! One of these sticklers has recently come to a head with me personally around the mystic of writing. The mystic about being a proven pen jockey can make you a little nuts when you are starting out. The when, how, and whys are presented in a way that is so regimented for something that is suppose to be creative. How to you make an appointment with yourself to create something that was not before?

Needless to say I have been frustrated with the process of finding a process. Let’s just say that I have identified many supposed truism that are ring false when it comes to myself and others like me. Today, I found some relief at the library while combing through literary magazines digging for ideas and critiquing groups. I discovered that I am not crazy, just me when it comes to writing. Some one out there has validated my insane process so that I can take a deep breath and relax.

I am a sporadic writer and I am okay with it. Basically writing and I have a manic on and off relationship. Recently I went through my old diaries and discovered I have a long history of this pattern. There would be periods where I could not put my pen down, writing for hours a day, then one day it would just dry up. Eventually I would return to the page with incredible passion – but something always made me feel guilty for not being consistent. I would eventually get over it and enjoy the flow of words on the page. Thanks to a brief of “The Write Type” by Peterson, I feel vindicated! I ordered the book and look forward to nurturing my muse.

A Little Taste of Europe. (Un peu de goût de l'Europe)

Today is a day of memories and visiting familiar places while missing what I anticipate in Europe. One of the things I miss most about Europe is the ability to go just about anywhere on public transportation or the power of your own two feet. California leaves one feeling stranded most of the time if you dare not to posses a vehicle.

During one of the fleeting moments I was graced with a vehicle, I drove around aimlessly until I landed in my old haunt Santa Monica. Some of my most vivacious and delectable times of my life were spent on this delectable tidbit nestled on the California coast. When I parked the car at the library and walked around I felt refreshed and giddy almost instantly. The transformation was almost magical. I felt like I was lovingly basted in the familiar and future simultaneously.

Santa Monica is one of those cities that embody some of the best the Angelinos have to offer. People wake up daily to the majesty that is the beach and the smorgasbord of characters that make the place so colorful. It is a mélange of old, new and ‘tween commingling in harmonious rhythm without losing their autonomy. Santa Monica an eco-friendly, neighborhood where most people really know your name and often genuinely care how you are. Returning to my old haunts and home, I came across so many friends who immediately stopped everything to exchange morsels of our journeys even thought I arrived unannounced – that is Santa Monica in my nutshell.

It was marvelous to be surrounded by people who walk or bike to the neighbourhood grocer or street market and find every occasion and opportunity to have an adventure. That sweet place in Santa Monica that exists outside of the promenade phenom filled a hunger in me that I cultivated in Europe and abroad. Its aromas and appetizing lifestyle are tempting me to overindulge, but with Amsterdam calling me home it offers me a taste of something that I long to feast upon.









Apt I shared with my sister

Impressing Moments

I completed the bulk of my travels in America. Breaching the time I have been away rubs me against the inevitable but strange beginnings of adulthood in the children I left behind while facing my own physical metamorphosis. This has been a wonderful time to catch up and be overwhelmed at the quick pace of life. I witnessed amazing stories unfold - weddings, divorces, deaths, births, adoptions, loss of custody, first days of work (Pictured -Rachel’s First day at work), termination and more. This is life and all its richness and deference.

These experiences challenge me to cherish each moment I have with friends, treating them as if they were the first and last simultaneously. I dived deep, without giving credence to when I leave. I am choosing not to count the days, while accepting that they are pushing on me.

My Next Move

It is official! I am moving to Amsterdam. If you would like to on my mailing list, please send me a message with your direct email address with subscribe in the subject.

Blessings, Alycia