Inspired Southerner

Working and Living in the South

Two Alabama women add their signature style to clear bag stadium policy

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Inspired Southerner Purseption Bags
Photo courtesy of Purseption Bags

By now most of you should be aware of the clear bag policies around the SEC (Southeastern Conference) at football stadiums, but did you know that you also must have a clear bag to enter concerts?  What was a relatively new policy around the country last year has now become common policy at many concert venues, NFL, college and high school stadiums. In fact, venues are now issuing information about their clear bag policy before an event to ensure that people are not caught off guard.  [Read more…] about Two Alabama women add their signature style to clear bag stadium policy

Celebrating St. Patrick’s Day

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Birmingham St. Patrick’s Day Parade

Every year cities all over the country celebrate Irish and Irish-American culture on St. Patrick’s Day.  Many historians believe that some of the first celebrations originated in the 13 colonies during the 1700s. St. Patricks Day celebrations also became popular in the south in the mid-1800s when Irish  immigrants began settling in Savannah, Georgia after fleeing Ireland during the great potato famine.  As a side note, my  family’s Irish roots can been traced to Savannah during the mid-1800s.  [Read more…] about Celebrating St. Patrick’s Day

Stuffed Wontons: My Favorite Superbowl Recipe

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If you’re a southern cook like me, you probably have a pantry filled with ingredients and foodstuffs to use on the fly. You know, those items that you keep on hand at all times, just in case you have to throw together something fabulous to eat with your friends and family. My list definitely includes wonton wrappers and grease.

Birmingham, Alabama, cooking, recipe, JH Daniel, won tons, superbowl

[Read more…] about Stuffed Wontons: My Favorite Superbowl Recipe

Sonya Clemmons tells inspiring southern stories through her artwork

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Inspired Southerner, Sonya Clemmons
Photo courtesy of Sonya Clemmons

If you’re looking for Christmas gifts that show your Alabama state pride, look no further than at artist Sony Clemmons’s folk art.  Her whimsical Alabama folk art ornaments, prints and textiles can be found in stores throughout North Alabama. [Read more…] about Sonya Clemmons tells inspiring southern stories through her artwork

pencilpress – Susan Shoemaker – artist

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This week we’re rewinding episode 27 of the Birmingham Shines podcast featuring Birmingham mixed media artist Susan Shoemaker, who works under the name pencilpress.

As it happens, Susan / @pencilpress / is the featured artist for this month’s Birmingham Artwalk downtown.

Susan markets her work under the pencilpress brand, which connects to her college art studies in printmaking and her love of drawing. And she also presses hard with her pencil. Hence, pencilpress.

Susan is known for her animal-focused art and she explains how she conceives and creates animal drawings, paintings and other works.

pencilpress - Susan Shoemaker - mixed media artist - is the guest on episode 27 of Birmingham Shines podcast

Art as Calling, Art as Career

We get into art-as-calling (a little bit) the creative process, art in schools and what it’s like to pursue art while working a full-time day job.

Susan also explains how she gave up art for some years after college, while she worked full time, and then returned when she found that art was something that she could not let go.

Susan also talks about some of the challenges that artists are facing—and they might surprise you. One is the challenge of dealing with bad weather during an outdoor art show. Another stems from the frequent requests that artists receive to donate their work for fundraising campaigns. This is something that the artist community, overall, is facing and working to address.

We also talk about the challenge of pricing and value and perceptions of price, time, value and quality in the context of art AND food.

PencilPress.org (not .com)

Thanks to Chris and Ana Newsome for letting me commandeer a corner table at [the original location of Ollie Irene] at 4 p.m. one November Friday afternoon to record the interview and thanks to the house staff for being so accommodating with the request to turn down the background music a bit. Excited that Ollie Irene will soon be reopening in their new location in Crestline Village.

 

 

“Join us on a journey to inspired southern life and work.”

–Kara Kennedy