Savvy Women

Hey, Savvy readers, listen up! I’m about to tell you about a new type of artwork that perhaps you haven’t heard of before. They’re called Art Cards, Editions and Originals, or more commonly, ACEOs.

The advent of the ACEO has made buying works of fine art extremely affordable and loads of fun. (I ought to know; I spend hours each week looking at ACEOs on EBAY, adding them to my “watch” list and then bidding on those I’ve determined to be “must haves.”) I’ve bought probably about three dozen of these little gems in the last couple of months and have not had to give an arm (or a leg) to acquire them. Plus, shopping online for ACEOs has become a truly enjoyable pastime, one that’s going to help me beautify my home in Texas and my apartment in Cairo.

To give you an idea of what I’m referring to here, I thought I’d include a few photos of some of my most recent ACEO purchases.

These first two are by John Schipp, one of my favorite ACEO artists and a fellow who also makes jewelry. (In fact, his images always remind me of the pendants that he features on his EBAY site. You get an idea about the size of these “art cards” by looking at the one he’s holding in his hand).

When I’m looking at ACEOs, I sometimes go on a jag of buying a whole series of cards with a common theme or image, like these three cat pictures.

I really like linocuts, so I picked up these two by a talented printmaker.

(FYI: the total cost of these seven works of art, including shipping, was approximately twenty bucks!)

And finally, a couple of words of advice to those who would like to begin buying these tiny works of art but are new to the scene: Make sure you buy originals—reproductions are also available, but I’m personally not interested, nor are most serious ACEO collectors—and make sure that any piece you plan to purchase is signed—often, because of the tiny size of these images, the signature can be found on the backside; this will be specified in the EBAY product description.

Happy collecting!

It’s an exciting time to be living in Egypt. Everyone seems to be newly energized after the recent revolution against the government. There is a palpable feeling of optimism as the old ways of thinking and doing things are being displaced by new ideas and citizen action.

This revolution has also been scary, as all revolutions are. That’s because Egyptians, like all people everywhere, fear change and the uncertainty that comes as a byproduct. Change, as Elizabeth Lesser reminds us in the video I’m blogging today, is terrifying because humans naturally seem to want to cling to the status quo. Take a look at what she has to say.

Yes. Yes. After watching Lesser talk, I know, in a very deep way, that she has hit upon a profound truth; she has put her finger on the most basic human dilemma: That we are drawn toward newness, but we simultaneously dread having to let go of the old.

Lesser is right to call this push-pull that goes on inside us a “war.” She’s also absolutely correct to argue that we all need to declare a truce in this conflict and learn to live with (and even embrace) the inevitable.

By the way, if you like Lesser and what she has to say, you might want to check out the Omega Institute for Holistic Studies, the organization that she cofounded.

This week I’m completing the second half of my two-part series on homes, home ownership, interior decorating, and all manner of related subjects.

The video I’ve included is a real treat. It’s a TED talk by Huntsville, Texas, home builder Dan Phillips, founder of Phoenix Commotion, a twelve-year-old company that builds affordable, one-of-a-kind houses from “trash” and other recycled material. But don’t let the term trash fool you. The houses are beautiful—at least to my eyes—and soulful in the extreme.

As you’ll soon find out, you get a lot of bang for your buck with this clip. It includes some lovely photos of some truly unique homes. It’s informative, thought-provoking, philosophical, and incredibly funny—the sort of thing that can be enjoyed by all sorts of viewers on a whole bunch of different levels. Expect to be surprised and entertained.

The first time I watched this video I was floored. I guess I had certain expectations that were a product of some narrow-minded thinking. I knew Phillips was a “home builder,” so I figured he’d come off as a typical hammerhead. Then I played the video and was shocked.

Phillips is a living example of what he was trying to get across in his talk. We hear “home” or “house” and we have certain expectation of these concepts based upon our past experiences. It’s his goal as an artist—certainly he is one—to challenge those preconceptions and to offer alternative interpretations of what those terms can mean. His life’s work is to teach us to go beyond the limitations that labels impose on our minds.

I certainly learned a few important lessons watching this video. One of them was not to be afraid to live boldly and authentically and experimentally. Another was that I constantly have to guard against the sort of thinking that limits possibilities.

Of course I also learned that Dan Phillips makes some of the most interesting and attractive homes I’ve ever seen.