MEGAN AUMAN

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for the love of painting

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I absolutely adore this Subaru commercial:

Every time I see it I can’t help smiling, and I swear I love it more each time.

I’m at the beach for a few days, doing lots of outdoor painting myself:

I’ve also been doing a lot of seashell collecting:

And I’ve been getting some work done to. I launched a new e-course! And I’ve got another one in the works!

I’ll be back home tomorrow to finish up the new studio! It’s almost done and I can’t wait to share it with you! And, I’ve got lots of new paintings to share as well. (Plus it might even be time to share some places you can buy my paintings. Stay tuned!)

design time!

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I can’t believe I leave for Europe in four days! I’ve got so many things to do, but where I really want to be is in the studio, designing new work!

I’ve come up with so many new statement necklace ideas while at shows over the last few months, and I can’t wait to see them come to life. But in the meantime, I will say that getting the iPad mini has made design time so much fun! I can sketch ideas, draw right on top of previous designs, and generally play around. For so long, I’ve been diving straight into wire, and it’s been fun to bring drawing back into my design process.

images that stick

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I took the above images last summer in an Anthropologie in Chicago. I hadn’t though about them in a while, but I was laying in backgrounds for some new paintings, when this picture reminded me of them:

I love when the images that inspire me make their way back into my subconscious months later. It reminds me how much it’s worth it to constantly seek out new visual experiences.

Today I’m off to Philly for the Buyers Market of American Craft. The jewelry preview opens tomorrow night and the whole show opens on Saturday. Stop by and say hi if you’re there, I’ll be in booth 615.

New York gift

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I got back from New York late Wednesday night, and I’m still feeling completely exhausted! Working from home does not provide you with the stamina to do a multi-day, city trade show. I’m thinking of developing a trade show prep workout program. I’m not sure what that would look like – what kind of exercise prepares you for lots of standing around?

I made a few small tweaks to the booth this time – a slightly darker grey paint and the addition of the small table – and I couldn’t love it more! I wish my whole house looked that good!

I had such a great time hanging out with my sister Melissa and my friend Ashley, who both helped me at the show. I don’t usually have help, and it was nice to not be chained to the booth!

I’m trying to take it easy for the next few days, but that won’t last long, because the Buyers Market is right around the corner!

Looking for help designing your booth?

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wholesale and booth design on Creative Live with megan auman

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what a weekend

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This weekend started off with more than a little excitement. We woke up Saturday morning to find that a small barn across the intersection from the new/old house was on fire. But thanks to some inexactness on the emergency log, the fire could just as easily have been our house. So we jumped out of bed and rushed over. (Just to be clear, the fire was across the street from the house I grew up in, which is the house we’re renovating to move into someday. That’s also the house with my new studio. We currently live about a mile from there.)

Later that day, I planned on getting in some studio time to finish up a few new pieces for New York Gift this week, only to find I had run out of acetylene. (And I wouldn’t be able to get more until Monday.)

So I took it as a sign, tried to relax a little, worked on my line sheet, and snuck in a little painting. Not exactly the weekend I had planned, and way more excitement then I needed!

Now that I’m back to full tanks, I’m finishing up some new pieces, photographing them, and finishing those pesky line sheets! I can’t believe I leave for New York on Friday!

oh, January

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What I’d love to be doing more of right now:

…but New York Gift is right around the corner!

I always feel like the January edition of New York Gift sneaks up on me! I barely have time to breathe after the holidays, and suddenly it’s time to get ready for the show!

My crate is packed and heading out the door, and I’ve mailed over 700 postcards, but there’s still so much to do!

I never put any pressure on myself to design a completely new collection for the January show, but there are some collections I’m expanding on and a few areas I’d like to fill in. Which means I’ll be spending the next week holed up in my (very messy) studio.

If you’re curious what I’m up to, the best place to follow me is on Instagram. I’m pretty excited about what’s in store, and I won’t be able to keep from sharing my excitement!

PS. If you’re walking the show, I’ll be in my usual spot in Accent on Design, booth 3973. Come say hi!

panoramic love

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I recently got a new camera (more on that later) and one of the features that I’m absolutely in love with is the panoramic mode.

Now I’m well aware that iPhones and iPads are capable of this as well, but there’s something really satisfying about using my camera and hearing the click, click, click of the shutter as it captures the scene.

This wasn’t even a feature I knew about when I bought my camera, but it’s so addicting that I know I’ll be using it a lot, especially for the studio renovation and my trip to Europe!

my new studio (the beginning)

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Joe and I are currently working on the (very slow) process of renovating and moving into the house I grew up in. Most of the work is cosmetic, and involves sorting through 30+ years of accumulated stuff, tearing up old carpet and wallpaper, and redoing the bathrooms.

But one of the first projects we’re tackling is also one of the most major – we’re converting the old pool room into my new studio!

Now, I know what you’re thinking. Yes, there was a pool inside the house. But the pool has fallen into disrepair, and the cost to get it running again far exceeds the cost to convert the space into a studio.

And what an amazing studio it will make! High ceilings, skylights, and plenty of space.

As you can tell from some of the pictures, I’ve already been using the space for painting. But when it’s all done, it will house my jewelry design and production space, office, and shipping area, not to mention space for painting.

Right now the space is pretty much a mess, but on New Year’s Day, Joe made some serious progress on the floor. (That’s him hard at work in the pictures!) We purposefully designed the floor structure so that if I ever move to a different studio space, we could convert the room back into a pool.

I’ve worked so hard on my business over the last 6 years, and I’m so excited to move into the space of my dreams. It still needs a lot of work, but I’m also really excited to share the transformation with you.