Balzer Designs

From the Archives: What Mister Rogers Taught Me

This post was originally published in August of 2012. I recently watched the auto-tune remix from one of my favorite childhood TV shows, Mr. Rogers Neighborhood: I had forgotten how much of the show was about using your imagination. I actually teared up a little watching this video. The lessons of kindness, courtesy, responsibility, and respect that Mr. Rogers espoused on his show, not to mention his encouragement to dream and imagine and play make believe, have stuck with me into adulthood. A day or two after watching the video I was still hearing two phrases rattling through my head.... Read more →

What is Helpful Feedback?

Learning to offer helpful feedback when viewing art is a skill worth acquiring. It's actually useful both to you and the recipient of the feedback. I often ask for feedback. I enjoy hearing other people's opinions, even when the differ from my own. That's right. It's okay to have negative feedback. But, think about why you're offering feedback. Most of the time, it's because you want to help the person asking for feedback. Is it helpful to say, "I don't like this?" Probably not. Is it helpful to say, "This is ugly?" Probably not. Those kind of statements are deflating... Read more →

Bits & Pieces

Join Mom and me today at 2pm EST for a live podcast all about sketchbooks. Set a reminder and/or watch HERE. I'm doing a live online presentation tomorrow at 11:30am PST (2:30pm EST) for Sewing Machines Plus's Virtual Hoop Fest. I'll be demonstrating how ScanNCut and your Brother embroidery machine can work together, as in these examples: I made these samples over the weekend. This is the link to watch. I hope to see you there. I was recently the guest on Wendy Solginak's podcast, "Show Up or Shut Up." I hope you'll give the episode a listen! And finally,... Read more →

Don't Wait for Inspiration

This sentiment is a cornerstone of my art practice. When I don't feel inspired (which is often), I make collage papers, do research, test out new-to-me products, scribble in my sketchbook, make Art Parts...and often inspiration hits me while I'm busy working. Inspiration feels a little bit like luck. You know the old saying? "You make your own luck." Luck is not a guarantee, just like inspiration. You have to work hard so that you're ready for it when it comes. This is how I developed my "Art Parts" theory. I make mindless parts for my art (backgrounds, embellishment clusters,... Read more →

My New Obsession: Laminating

I have fallen down a laminating rabbit hole and I want to laminate everything I see! It started innocently enough. I wanted to create some custom picture books for my son. I happen to own a laminator because I did a segment years ago for Make It Artsy on heat lamination for foiling. But I didn't own any lamination pouches because, as I said, I had only used the laminator for foiling. When I decided to buy some laminating pouches, I discovered that there are both glossy AND matte lamination pouches. Of course, I had to buy both. In the... Read more →

Watch This. Read This.

This video has been suggested to me by the YouTube algorithm every day for the past week and I finally caved and watched it. And it was good. I really like his takeaway about productivity: It's all about singular focus (which is why I think "batching" is such a popular concept). And the idea that all anyone needs is a mission, an outlet, and energy. It got me thinking about common complaints I hear from art-makers: Mission - Have you ever had time to make art but felt stuck and/or overwhelmed? It might be because you don't have a clear... Read more →

Don't Miss Friday's FREE Webinar!

My friend Nathalie Kalbach hosts monthly FREE webinars on a variety of art-related topics. I will be part of the panel this Friday, April 30th, at 12PM EST. Here's the official description: Join artists Nat Kalbach, Julie Fei-Fan Balzer, Iris Fritschi-Cussens, and Jimmy Leslie as they discuss the ups and downs, ins and outs, and the good, bad, and ugly of using social media as artists. We'll talk about balancing privacy and sharing, potential benefits and downsides, and how participating can change your practice. Metrics, negative comments, and thoughts on how to get started will also be touched on. Let's... Read more →

Why the Structure of Artwork Matters

This is a photo of the dining room of my house when we bought it: Looks great! Beautiful woodwork and I don't even mind the wallpaper. But six months later, this is what that same room looked like: Not because we wanted to move walls or change the layout. We had to take everything down to the studs because the structure of the house was no good. From plumbing to electrical to insulation to the foundation to the roof...the structure of this house needed to be repaired. It's easy to understand that structure matters in a house, right? No matter... Read more →

Art Parts Explained

"Art Parts" are the mise en place of art making. Having a stash of art parts makes the act of making finished art quick and easy. But art parts aren't simply painted pieces of paper. They're immediately usable "parts" that can be adhered in place. Watch the video for more: If you're interested in my Art Parts class this weekend, you can read all about it and sign up HERE. There are 3 spots left in class. Regardless of whether or not you sign up for class, I hope you'll consider building up your Art Parts stash. Piles of pretty... Read more →

Artsy Easter Egg Inspiration

First, I want to thank all of you who took the time to comment and leave such kind and loving words on my Friday post. I'm delighted to know that you're still out there enjoying the blog. Thank you! Over the years I've made many different kinds of artsy Easter Eggs - some with real eggs and some with plastic eggs. Today I thought I'd share a few, with links to the original posts about them: Easter Eggs: Doodled & Painted Art Journal Easter Eggs Easy Dotted Easter Eggs Pysanky Inspired Easter Egg Place Cards Deli Paper Easter Eggs Paper... Read more →