Adulting..?

I haven't written a blog in quite a while... and not because I've had nothing to say.

In fact, some days, I had a LOT to say...but it was better said in the form of paint. Some days, it truly was silence...and that was soothed by the sweet sounds of my Colbie Caillat Pandora station and cuddles from my cat. Some days, I knew there was something that needed to be expressed, but I wasn't quite sure what it was, and so I got in my car and drove with the music blasting until my mind was calm and I knew it was time to return home.

Anyway... Hi. Welcome back.

I'm not sure how many of you actually read these blogs, but they feel good to write from time to time.

This year has been kind of crazy. It feels like I just graduated from the University of Kansas, but I'm actually coming up on the one-year-mark pretty fast.

I have to say - I'm really proud of myself. After working six jobs through art school, I made it to the other side! I'm not working full time in my field yet, but I am  working full time at a job that has a really good insurance plan (important) with people I enjoy (also important). I am building my client base and doing creative work consistently both in the realm of freelance but also making some personal stuff. I finished an entire children's book that will be great for my portfolio, and because of that book, I am in the middle of two more children's book contracts that I am thoroughly enjoying.

I've paid all my bills on time. I've kept up with doctor's appointments. My cat is fed. My house is clean (at the moment). And I'm trying to teach myself piano again.

My friends and I joke about "adulting". I don't know where this term came from but it's funny to think about during this transition in my life. I have been pretty independent my entire life but with each transition comes more opportunities to learn about myself.

This is the first year I've lived 100% on my own. Okay, that's not entirely true -- my cat, Goose, lives with me, too. Being a closeted introvert, I was so excited to have my own space - and it really has been great. But the biggest thing I have had to learn this year has been how to slow down in a meaningful way.

In college, my schedule was jam packed between classes and pageants and jobs and somehow fitting in studio work between all of that to meet project deadlines. I would literally crash for an entire day and sleep for 24 hours straight and then get back up and keep going until I crashed again. This wasn't healthy at all - but I didn't have a lot spare time to haggle with myself on how to execute proper self care.

Now, I am so in tune with what my body, mind and soul need on a day to day basis. I have started some really meaningful art in times of frustration, sadness, and anger... and continued to meditate on those feelings and where they came from throughout the months as the paintings build up and come to life. Sometimes it's still a couple extra hours to sleep in, but most of the time, it's being able to communicate both with myself and with the people I interact with about where I am mentally and knowing if what I need is a solo paint sesh, a long hug, or a road trip where I can blast music and clear my head and know my best friend is waiting at the end of it with a cup of coffee and a listening ear.

It is so important to have the tools to care for ourselves first. Identify activities that help you release negative energies and gain positive energies. They may be different depending on the kinds of energies - they may be a solo endeavor or they may be something you invite someone to join in on. They may be creation based like knitting, or drawing, or building with legos. Or they may be experience based, like listening to your favorite band, or going to see a live performance, or playing video games with a friend. Tune in to when your love tank is empty or your stress tank is full, and discover the ways that work for you to de-stress and fill your love tank back up.

I know I, for one, am super cranky if I haven't taken the time to love myself a bit first.. and that's totally not being selfish! How can you expect to lift someone else up if your base is rocky and cracked to begin with?

With all the stress we experience day to day and the amount of work we all put in to keep the world turnin' round, it is so important to take a little time and use it in meaningful ways to put a little more gas in our own tanks from time to time.

So yeah, I'm proud of always making rent. I'm proud of the creative clients that I am making work for. I'm proud of all the other stuff I'm sure you see me doing on social media, too.

But most importantly, I'm proud that once I left the grand learning establishment of college, I learned some of the biggest things about myself - and that is how to care for this life and this body I'm living so that I may continue to serve at my fullest potential.

#BecauseOfArtsEd

This week is National Arts In Education Week and Americans for the Arts has encouraged individuals across the country to share our stories using the prompt #becauseofartsed.

Many of you know that I am a graduate of the University of Kansas with a Bachelor's of Fine Arts in Illustration. It would be easy (and true) to say that because of arts ed, I am a college graduate and on my way to finding a job in the creative industry. It would also be true to say that because of arts ed, I am an accomplished artist, I have published a couple books, or that I have had a few shows here and there to display the work I have created.

Because of arts ed, I found a passion for live painting through the encouragement of my mentors and friends back in high school. I am now a nationally recognized speed painter, traveling the state and country to give a unique form of art to various organizations, schools, and events.

Because of arts ed, I have been a part of so many diverse, inclusive, fascinating communities that come together through the arts in one way or another - creating, discussing, participating, or viewing.

Because of arts ed, I am equipped with the tools I feel are necessary to succeed in this world: creativity, compassion, teamwork, respect for others, innovation, problem solving, critical thinking, communication, reflection, resiliency... I could go on.

Because of arts ed, I had a place to cry when I was bullied in high school, a place where I felt safe, and a place where I would always be accepted.


Because of arts ed, I have the creative outlets I need for when I have been filled with anxiety, depression, and sadness to express myself in the most human way possible.

Because of arts ed, I have had the opportunity to connect with incredible people, sharing stories and experiences, creating together, and living in this crazy world we call home.

I am blessed, for I have never known a world without the arts. I say I have been an artist ever since I could hold a crayon. I do not remember a time when my world was not filled with music, experiences in the theater, markers within arms reach, and a family that supported it all.

The arts in education is not just a matter of teaching a child to paint, or play an instrument, or dance, or perform on a stage... it's a matter of creating a deeper meaning for the next generation. The intangible qualities that the arts provide both in and outside of the classroom are skills and experiences that last a lifetime.

"Educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all." -Aristotle

Create something today. Talk to an artist. Go to the school play. See a local band in town. Dance at home in your living room with your best friend or with no one at all. Notice the artist's fingerprint that lingers throughout our every day lives and the careful design that has been cultivated in our world to allow us to function and exist fluidly among technology, each other, and the earth. Support the arts in your schools and communities... there is no greater treasure than the gift of the arts, the traits and skills they give to us as human beings, the experiences they allow, and the lifelong engagement that we carry with us #becauseofartsed.

The Invisible Crown

As I head in to interview for a job "in the real world", I straighten my pant suit, I make sure my nails aren't chipped, I take the hair-tie off my wrist, I tuck my portfolio under my arm, fix my fly-aways, and walk confidently through the doors.

My heart is not racing for fear of saying the wrong thing. I do not have a pit in my stomach as I wait for my potential employer to walk in the room. I am prepared and even excited for this interview.

I don't think many 20-somethings can say that. 

The only reason I can is because of my time in the Miss America Organization. Throughout my 9 years competing, I have always been told that I have a strong interview. Yet my interview is what I always set goals to work harder on. To me, that is the most important phase of competition and also the phase that I stand to learn the most from to apply towards "real life". This year, as Miss Kingman County, I had the most amazing team preparing me for the job I was applying for. Every week, Juven and I had phone meetings that included debriefing from the previous week, assessing current goals, and a mock interview. Kristi and I texted, making sure I was mentally on track and strong to take on goals in all areas of my life and keep a good balance.

I could not have felt more confident walking into the interview room at Miss Kansas than I did this year. I don't get to choose the questions that they give me, but I do get to choose how to prepare for that moment, how much I want to invest back into the team that wants to invest in me, and what I present when given the chance.

I am nothing without those who I surround myself with. I competed for Miss Kingman County knowing that their team could push me further than I could push myself and that I genuinely wanted to invest myself into everything they had to give me. Their dedicated preparation, tools they equipped me with, and endless love is what ultimately brought me to the final two at Miss Kansas this year.

In the pageant world, we are often asked how we are working to break the stigma of the "typical" pageant girl. I think it's super cool that, to me, the "typical" pageant girl isn't a typical person at all. The women I stand onstage with in sparkly dresses in the organization are young adults who are achieving all sorts of goals - from advocating at a national level for individuals with disabilities, to becoming an accomplished lawyer, to having her own TV show and breaking barriers - all under the age of 25.

Women who grace the stages in the Miss America Organization have raised thousands of dollars for the Children's Miracle Network Organization and other charities. We are all talented and have nurtured some kind of artistic passion of which we only get to present 90 seconds of to our audience and judges. We have all championed a cause for our year (or years) of service, advocating for, raising funds, and creating change. We are healthy, active, strong individuals who choose to involve ourselves with the Miss America Organization and its affiliates on top of our jobs, schools, and lives.

This kind of dedication and passion is something only few will really understand and it's those who are involved in our organization and others like ours. Pageants across the world are working to break the stereotype and bring a different version of the "typical" pageant girl to your TV's and your social medias. Contestants and the teams that work to build us up already know that these women are exceptional. And it's our responsibility to prove to the rest of the world that we are more than a sparkly dress, we are more than a body onstage in heels in a swimsuit, and we are more than the crown on our heads.

We are working to prove to the rest of the world that women are most successful when we build each other UP. Yes, we are competitors, but if you could have experienced the love in the room as Kayla Hawkin's name was chanted when she was awarded Miss Congeniality, or the deafening cheers when our new Miss Kansas came to greet the contestants and our families, or how, in her first moments as a state queen, Krystian chose to acknowledge me as her first runner up and friend -- you would know the unique love that we share as competitors and friends with, or without, the crown.

Every year, over 5,448 women compete at a local pageant. 1,362 of them go on to compete for their state titles. Only 52 women will have the chance to compete at Miss America. And of course, 1 woman will wear that crown. 

Most of us will not live out the dream of wearing the Miss America crown, but as it is often said - you don't need a crown to be successful. In the past 9 years, I have accomplished more than a lot of people my age can even imagine. And in the past year alone, I have been nurtured and grown exponentially as a result from my local team's investment in me and countless hours spent preparing me for the crown. 

But the truth is that I wasn't preparing for the crown... I was preparing for the journey of whatever's next. It could have been Miss America, or it could have been landing an amazing job in the creative industry. And the truth is that I didn't walk away with the Miss Kansas crown. But because of my experiences in the Miss America Organization and the skills I have acquired, I will always have an invisible crown that tops everything I do. I can turn the page and head confidently into the next adventure, not only mentally ready to take it on, but also equipped with the tools necessary to succeed in my personal and professional life and friends to encourage me through it all. 

This organization has left its fingerprint on me and countless others who wear invisible crowns every day, working to break the stereotype and change the world.

As I head into my interview, I straighten that invisible crown and open the door with confidence and grace and excitement for what's to come. 

Annika Wooton

1st Runner-Up to Miss Kansas

Miss Kingman County 2017

Creator & Illustrator

Hashtag Blessed

This past weekend, I graduated college!!

It took me five years, eleven jobs, fifty college courses, and a village surrounding me that I could not be more blessed to be a part of.

As I celebrated the completion of my Bachelors of Fine Arts in Design, I found myself surrounded by my friends and family at dinner on Saturday evening. My mom told some specially selected stories she recalled of moments in my life where I exceeded expectations, persevered, and when my creativity and personality shone a little extra. My dad put together a slideshow that was both reflective and hilarious - filled with photos and home videos literally from the first moments I was in this world, through my quirky stages, and into the young woman that I am today. He also showed photos that highlighted my family and friends, as well as certain endeavors I have chosen to champion throughout my life so far.

After my parents shared those awesome memories, the people that filled our upstairs room started sharing stories and sentiments, completely unprompted. I was reminded that I used to be able to sing the entirety of You're a Grand Ole Flag - both verses - and that I would sing it loudly and insistently through long car rides. I was thanked for being a role model for classrooms of underserved children who now refer to me as "Ariel" and write me letters. I saw videos showing how sassy, and creative, and hilarious I was as a child. One of my best friends reminded me that even though I'm somehow always busy when she wants to go get pizza, when she called me in a time of need, I was by her side in minutes.

Family who I've known my whole life and friends whom I've really only just met in recent years, shared stories that shared common themes: compassion; creativity; empathy; and a bold spirit that has never died. 

And yet while I was beaming (and crying) from the words and feelings being shared in that room, what I recognize the most between the lines of the stories -- are the people that lifted me up to be the college graduate and successful woman that I am today.

My Kansas City cousins and aunt who opened up their home to me Christmas Eve and filled the night with carols and laughter; The Huff family who get stronger together, create together, and travel together - always up to a new adventure and a new challenge; Grandma Wooton who taught me fine arts skills years before any of my peers even knew the difference between oil and acrylic paints; Mimi who sat beside me at the piano when I would run off afraid of the "Wild Things" (plants) and Papa who whooped me back into shape and has planted nuggets of wisdom in me from the beginning; My friends who never fail to brighten my world, whether it be a Snapchat streak, late night emergency hugs in the Claire's parking lot, updates from Oman, phone calls with my PIC, chats at the coffee shop, or late nights in the studio; My fairy godmothers who have opened their hearts and homes and minds to me as if with the flick of a wand; My brother who is my twin, my rock, my road trip buddy, my most honest critic, and my best friend; My dad who is the OG Jayhawk and has never failed to help me through any hurdle, task, or challenge I find myself up against and my mom who is never more than a phone call away, helping me with art projects, lifting me up on hard days, and keeping my head on straight through the craziness of college; Both of them - always making me feel loved even when we are far away.

When people ask where I get "it" from, I wish I could transport you to that room Saturday night. Every single person in my family has their own vibrantly creative spirit and individual talents that I have been so blessed to learn and grow from.

So the big question is: What's next?

I am an incredibly self-driven individual. I hold myself to the highest standards, I set some pretty lofty goals, and I work tirelessly to achieve them. I am on the go a majority of the time and sometimes have to literally pencil in to my planner times to sleep and shower. Now that I'm graduated - I don't expect anything to slow down. Yes mom, I did take a nap ;) But I am back to being full speed ahead. 

If you have looked at any of my social media in the past five years at all, you know I am working towards my goal of becoming Miss Kansas. There are just a couple more weeks until the Miss Kansas pageant, so I am in my final preparations for that. I am also working on setting up an online store and online presence for my art so that people may view and purchase my work at an online storefront. Meanwhile, I'm applying for "real life" jobs and am keeping my ears and eyes open for awesome opportunities for the next stage in life. 

#blessed and #thankful do not even begin to describe how I feel now that the tassel on my grad cap has been turned and I am sitting on my couch with a moment of free time to reflect. I want to give a sappy "thank you" to everyone who has been a part of my journey up through this moment, and a "bear with me" to everyone who wants to stick around through my next crazy adventures. I can promise you that it won't be boring ;)

- Annika Wooton

Fresh College Graduate.

Miss Kingman County.

Jayhawk Alumni.

Illustrator.

Creator.

Artist.

Introducing: The Artist's Fingerprint

As many of you know, I have been an artist ever since I could hold a crayon. Passion, engagement, and investment in the arts are as much a part of me as my red hair. I have embraced the platform of investing in the arts as my personal mission both in and out of pageantry.

This year, I would like to introduce to you my official platform that I will take to Miss Kansas as well as across our great state in communities and schools.

I have talked about the artist's fingerprint as I have traveled across Kansas as an advocate for the arts, but I'm not sure I've ever quite put it in to writing... If you will take a moment with me and look around you -- what do you see around you that you recognize as "art"?

Did you note whatever you may be sitting on? Or the building you're in? What about the font that you are reading right now?

It is my mission to change the way people think about art.

Every piece of technology, clothing, architecture, advertisement, and media form (I could go on!) that is around you has gone through the hands of an artist. We are amidst the birth of creative entrepreneurs where the definition of what it means to be an artist is changing at an astonishing rate. The fingerprint of creative thinkers is being left on our world in more ways than you and I could even imagine.

In order to continue to be a global competitor in creation and innovation, our nation must invest in creativity early. This means art in schools. While some may see a child playing with paint and tooting away on recorders - I see these children expressing themselves in the most honest form possible. I see students exploring their humanity and their emotions with empathy and freedom. In the arts, there is not just one answer - in fact, there is not even a right answer. Children are taught to engage in problem solving to create melodies and shapes and movements to compose pieces of art that express so much more than their face value would suggest. It's this kind of creative thinking that will encourage our youth to seek out new answers for the problems that face our world.

With the Every Student Succeeds Act, the arts are validated as part of a well rounded education. With over $50 million being cut from education in Kansas alone over the past two years, and lacking any matching federal arts funding on top of that, we need to work harder than ever to provide arts education and creative outlets for our students and communities.

Everyone can access creativity in some way - If you can move, then you can dance. If you can make a sound, then you can make music. If you can create a mark, then you can paint. If you can see or feel or hear, then you can experience. Experiencing creativity is the priority.

I believe we are all life long learners. Adults crave the arts education we had as children. We know innately that arts provide a connection to friends and family, to community, to ourselves, and ultimately to the world. The arts have immense social impact. They are life changing. They touch us on an emotional and functional level.

So now it falls upon us to cultivate an environment where our children can have this same understanding and experience of the value of arts on our world.  I have the amazing opportunity not only to connect people with the arts, but also to each other. I am engaging a community of creative change agents to be a driving force in creativity and innovation within their fields.

By investing in the arts today, we are creating master artists, innovators, and classics of tomorrow.

Join me in recognizing the artist's fingerprint that is intrinsically tangible throughout our world. Pledge with me to actively engage and invest in the arts in our Kansas communities so as to provide a better future for us all.

-Annika Wooton

Miss Kingman County 2017

The Versatility of Paint

When I step foot onstage on June 7th to perform my talent, I am representing much more than just myself.

The decision to present "speed painting" as my talent for that portion of the competition at the Miss Kansas pageant was made 3 years ago, two years after the first time I had attempted speed painting at all during a high school assembly with our jazz band.

What I want to convey to you is the application of speed painting in the real world, the vast amount of preparation and work that goes in to this kind of talent, and the circle of people surrounding me that have been imperative in the success of bringing speed painting to the Miss Kansas stage.

When not speed painting in the Miss Kansas competition, I am a full-time student at the University of Kansas studying illustration as well as a student manager at the largest dining hall on campus. I have used some of the ideas and techniques learned in my studios to lend themselves to coming up with compositions, color combinations and subject matter for my performances. However the live painting is not limited to the 90 second competition piece. I have been invited to paint at 14 individual events since the fall semester began in three different states, completing over 20 paintings that have been donated to the event or organization to then be auctioned off for charity or kept in the schools that I spoke to. To have the gift of painting innately in my fingertips and then explored and developed so that I can present it many different ways to a variety of audiences sparks a wonderful conversation of the importance of art and creativity in our society today.

Not only can the art I do be translated to live painting performances, but I am able to donate my more meditated work to auctions for causes I care about. I can take coloring books - for both children and young adults, alike - into the Children's Miracle Network Hospitals and connect with them while we engage in the act of simply coloring together - making genuine connections through a commonality that we all share as a human race - the need for self expression, which often can be attained through some kind of art.

The moment the music starts and my brushes start whirring and the clock is counting down is the most anticipated moment of the competition for me. The gears in my head started turning for this year's concept the day after Miss Kansas last year. Since then, I have collaborated with more people than I can count to come up with the image and performance I will present in less than 20 days. I have a team that stretches from Virginia to West Virginia to Tennessee to Missouri to New Mexico to Kansas - creative minds giving me feedback and ideas to help further my success on this road less followed.

While most talents on the Miss Kansas stage can be coached by a dance teacher, a vocal coach, or a music instructor...who coaches speed painting? I was incredibly fortunate this year to be able to meet up with Mike Debus - a performance painter from Overland Park, Kansas. As it turns out, he also studied illustration at KU and had some of my same instructors. Mike patiently listened as I explained my concept and gave me some tips and advice that has helped me jump a few hurdles before I even got to them. I am so thankful I was able to connect with Mike and pick his brain because there are so few of us who do what we do, and it was so cool to find someone in my area who not only "gets it", but also does it professionally.

So normally after Miss Kansas, I write a blog that picks apart the entire process I've gone through to come to the final product of the painting performance, complete with pictures. I'll probably do that again this year, but for the sake of trying to explain this whole process but also not reveal anything, I will give a "brief" overview:

Ideas are tossed around, generally between me and my dad, of subject matter - what will appeal to the audience, is something I'm interested in painting, and am capable of painting in 90 seconds? Okay next, what am I going to paint on? Glass? Canvas? Paper? What kind of easel or contraption? Last year's allowed me to paint while facing the audience and in three separate pieces. I work with a man named Cotter in the shop at KU's art building to fabricate these monstrous tools to help present my painting in the best way possible. Next is music, I'm lucky to know a few people who can masterfully edit tracks to cut to time or rearrange to have awesome musical embellishments that compliment my work. A lot of it from there on out is mental - listening to the music over and over again, figuring out what will be painted at what time, sketching to make sure I have the best composition and best image for my concept, and coming up with choreographed moments to engage with the audience. Don't even get me started on costuming...! Finally, the best and most stressful part is putting it all together. Once exams are done and my priority is no longer my school work, I have a few weeks to make this really happen. And imagine, too, I can't paint it over and over, back to back. I do a run, wait for it to dry, paint it basic again, wait for it to dry, then I can finally do another run. This gives me time to carefully assess how to improve each time but also consumes a lot of time (and paint).

Then I perform and deliver.

I mentioned the people that I work with a little bit in that last section, but I want to emphasize the importance of the circle of people I am surrounded by who truly push me to the standard I hold myself to today.

I'm thankful for the connections I've made that have allowed me to push myself further and further each year. Teachers from high school have turned into some of my best friends and continue to encourage me and throw new ideas my way. Current professors and faculty in the art school at KU express interest in what I'm doing, going as far to help me build whole crazy easels. My local directors are a vital support system - my ultimate cheerleaders the entire way. My brother is my best and worst critique, telling me sometimes what I already know but I really need to hear, giving me the cold hard truth, but also giving out high fives when awesome things happen. Several other mentors and friends have given me their time and thoughts all with the supportive nod that they support what I do and what I stand for.

As I embark through Miss Kansas week and get ready to present the next big speed painting performance in just a handful of days, I can't tell you how excited I am. I can say in complete certainty that I have loved this year's journey, but I am SO excited about the destination and the performance that you all will see. It's been so hard to contain myself the past week as major improvements and realizations have been made, but it will all come to fruition June 7th, and hopefully again on June 11th, on the Miss Kansas stage. I hope to see you there.

- Annika Wooton
Artist and Speed Painter
Miss Wooded Hills 2016

Tickets for Miss Kansas available at the following link:
http://misskansas.org/miss/miss-kansas/ticket-sales.html

Four States in Six Days

A couple weeks ago I was even busier than my normal schedule. I touched ground in four states in six days.

Early Friday morning I got on a plane to head to Plant City, Florida with a pit-stop in North Carolina to be with Plant City's First Baptist Church for Holy Weekend. As I landed around noon in Florida, the expected sunshine was missing and instead there was a torrential downpour. But it was still way warmer than the 32 degree climate that I had left behind in Kansas!

The worship pastor and friend of mine, Ken, picked me up at the airport with his son, Ashton. I was immediately welcomed into the Plant City community and made to feel at home. Throughout the weekend, I did a live painting Friday night for the Good Friday service, as well as paintings for Easter services Saturday evening and Sunday morning before hopping on a plane back home to Kansas.

When I do live painting gigs, I get to meet new people and communities. The people in Plant City embraced me with open arms. I so enjoyed talking to the different families and people who I was performing with onstage, riding in their car as they volunteered to drive me to the church, or those who came up after the service to meet me and talk further about my art. I truly had so many connections and meaningful conversations, it's hard to believe I was only down there for less than three days!

One of my favorite things after I do live paintings is hearing what people see in the paintings before the reveal or how my art had an impact on them. The congregation was so receptive of my addition of live painting to the worship service and many had stories to tell of their experience with the arts.

I came back from Florida feeling refreshed and full of joy and love. Then I had less than 24 hours - which happened to be my birthday - to finish and turn in two projects and sit through critiques before I turned around and drove out to St. Louis for ShutterFest 2016.

As I arrived to the hotel room that already had four people scattered about on Monday night, I had no idea what I should expect for the following two days.

ShutterFest is an UN-Conference that is "about growing as an artist and being around like-minded people who share the same love and passion" for photography. With Union Station as the stomping grounds, there were classes and sessions with peers and leading professional photographers and educators as well as spontaneous and scheduled shoots of all kinds.

I was there as a model and was chosen to model for two classes on Tuesday and Wednesday morning. One was a fashion hacks class and the other was Dark Arts - both taught by photographer, Sarah Clements. I was styled for the first class in a red curtain for a dress, poinsettia flowers in my hair, and makeup completely done with just a tube of lipstick. For the Dark Arts class, I got to levitate. For both classes, a group of maybe 30 photographers were there to learn from Sarah and make cool pictures.

Aside from the two classes, I popped in and out of the hotel room that was cluttered with wardrobe, wigs and makeup, changing outfits and went back and forth to Union Station to connect with photographers. From morning till night, I networked and met so many creatives and made tons cool pictures on the fly.

It was energizing too be completely surrounded by likeminded creative people in this surreal hub; To be creating and improvising and not knowing who you were working with next was truly invigorating.  I made genuine connections with photographers from California, Missouri, New York, Virginia, Colorado, and probably more that I'm not even aware of. I made new friends. And I made some killer photos with really talented people.

Part of me was sad when I returned to Lawrence only to go right back to work at the dining hall in my hairnet and scrubs, but most of me was so thankful for those 6 days where I was reminded in Florida of the innate impact art can have on people and where I was fully immersed in the creative soul in St. Louis.

Looking forward to my next creative adventure,

Annika Wooton

Miss Wooded Hills 2016

Creative Sprint

A couple weeks ago, I had the opportunity to listen to a guest artist speak of a group of us from the Design School at KU. His name is Noah Scalin, and he challenged me to do a creative sprint.

Noah pioneered a 365 day challenge for himself where he made a skull per day out of anything he could think of and get his hands on. This creative practice went viral. From his experiences in the art world and after completing a year of making a unique skull every single day, he has issued the #CreativeSprint art game challenge to anyone who is willing to accept.

So what is it? It's literally a global art game for anyone to join in on. "It engages a diverse group of individuals, businesses, schools and community organizations in 30 consecutive days of making and sharing," as it says on the website - creativesprint.co .

I've chosen the theme of circles to explore for my creative sprint.

To me, circles are pretty magical.

There's the thing where it's a never ending line representing infinity... or how people say, "if you love someone, put their name in a circle, not a heart, because hearts break and circles go on forever."... or circles of learning and circles of influence and the circle of communities that we are inevitably a part of.

That last thing - community - is a circle I am very fond of. I recognize very thoroughly that my success and progress in any field I am involved in is directly attributed to the communities who have invested in me and my passions. Equally, I made the active decision many times to engage with those who were investing in me so that I could learn as much as possible and also gain friends, mentors, and collaborators. I continually remind myself how thankful I am for the people I choose to surround myself with and think of ways I can use my talents to give back to them as well.

I am determined to be a life long learner and creator and to keep expanding my circles and the circle of influence I have among those I come in contact with.

Back to the Creative Sprint - I challenged myself to photograph circles that are innately around us in nature, architecture, design...anything. The circle as a tool of design is influential in its own right. So while I open my eyes to absorb and share the circles I find as I go through these 30 days, they will serve as reminders and thought provokers on how I can expand and utilize the circles and communities I am a part of through innovation, creativity, and fellowship.

Follow my art Instagram page to keep up with my Creative Sprint and follow the #CreativeSprint hashtag on different social medias to see what other people are doing. If you want to start your own sprint, sign up and join us on their website!

- Annika 

Miss Wooded Hills

The Journey Begins Again: Miss Wooded Hills 2016

Normally pageant preparation is a thing that I spend a good bit of time on. That's not a luxury I ended up having as I pulled things together for the Miss Leavenworth/Miss Wooded Hills competition just a few weeks ago.

I made the decision to compete on the Tuesday prior to the competition on the immediately following Saturday because I found out a contestant had dropped out and frankly, they needed numbers in order to award two titles. I wasn't initially planning on competing because it was the weekend right before exams began. But I figured...hey, why not. I can pull something together, if only to just get another good experience in.

With my schedule already booked with class or work till 9:30pm every night that week, I decided not to paint for talent with that short time frame. I borrowed a one piece swimsuit, I wore an $18 gown from Plato's Closet for my evening gown, and I sang a Christmas tune for my talent piece.

I truly was not expecting to clench a title with the lack of my normal preparation and not my usual menagerie of competition pieces. To my surprise, I was announced Miss Wooded Hills 2016 which would secure a place for me in the 2016 Miss Kansas competition in June of this coming year.


So my journey to Miss Kansas was jumpstarted earlier than I expected, but I could not be more pleased. I am now blessed with a wonderful board of directors, some incredible sponsors, and the one and only Jennifer Salva as my sister queen and Quinn Stratton as our Tri City Teen.

Wheels are already turning on how to improve and deliver this year. Even though I sang at the local competition, speed painting is definitely going to be back on the Miss Kansas stage. I am working with an incredible team of people to develop a new and improved easel and performance for yet another facet of speed painting that I am working hard to execute in the best way possible.

Keep up with my journey, painting progress, and community involvement on my Facebook page, the Miss Leavenworth/Miss Wooded Hills Facebook page, or my Instagram.

- Annika Wooton

Newly Crowned Miss Wooded Hills 2016

#whatwillshepaint

Miss America is in just over a week and I could not be more excited. We, in Pageantville, like to say that this is essentially the "Superbowl of pageants". So tune in to ABC on the 13th to see who will win America's heart and represent our great organization for a year of incredible service.

This coming up got me thinking (more than usual) about my upcoming future in competition for this year. I use the hashtag "#whatwillshepaint" in a lot of my posts as I share teasers about my painting preparation for each competition or event. The suspense is half the fun whether it's following the journey of creation pre-pageant or watching the 90 second performance live.

I often get asked, "Oh do you just make it up when you are up there or do you know what you are going to paint beforehand?" So far - I have not had an entirely spontaneous subject matter in a live performance. There have been elements I have added in on a whim because I realize I have more time in competition mode or I have come up with the direction of the image as I work with it over the course of a longer event, but I always have an idea prior to the brush hitting the canvas.

Contrary to popular belief, picking a subject matter is much more intense than you might think! I take into consideration a myriad of things: who is my audience; what is the age range; relevancy; who are the judges; can it be done in 90 seconds; will it clash with a large portion of the audience (Jayhawks vs. Wildcats); does it represent myself or my platform or my state; is it possible on the easels that I currently have built or am building; can it be done in less than 4 colors; how many different size brushes will it require; can I find good music to back it; is it campy or classy; will I enjoy painting it a million times in practice; will it be iconic or impactful?

...and that's just a start of the questions I mill over when going about this part of the process.

And the answers are different every time I revisit them. It depends on the time of year, locals vs. states, or what I'm interested in at the moment. I painted Batman in February at Miss Greater Wichita and a member of our Armed Forces saluting at Miss Kansas in June. I consider both successful.

For instance, the February competition was a tough one to come up with. I started down the path thinking of seasonal icons - a snowy cabin, cupid, Valentine's Day anything... and I was just not excited about any of it even though I was fleshing out the ideas fairly thoroughly. Finally, I think I said to someone, "I wish I could just paint Batman," or something along those lines and they said, "ANNIKA. PAINT BATMAN." Like, "Duh! There's your answer right there!"

Thus, the spark was ignited.

The image I painted of Batman evolved extensively over the month that I had to develop it. The revising and rehearsal paid off when I was awarded the highest score in the Talent division for the night. I tell you truly, to date, that is the most exhilarating and meaningful nomination I have received. (Unconventional talents just don't go over well sometimes, and it's so reassuring to have an incredibly esteemed panel deem my Batman painting that kind of status.)

If you go back and read either of the previous posts about the entire preparation process for the state competition this year, I explained the genesis of that subject matter and how it came to fruition.

So now you may be wondering to yourself (or not...), "What will she paint this year?"

WELL, let me tell you --- I'm not going to tell you ;)

Stay tuned and follow me on Instagram for hints and updates as I prepare to compete on November 1st a the Miss Kingman County competition.

Until then,

Annika

The New Rig: Now what do I paint? [Part 2]

If you read the previous post, then you get the idea of how this thing was made and maybe even how it functions. I was told it was kind of like a magic trick when I released the panels onstage.

Last year about this time, I posted a blog about how I came to the final image that I presented at the 2014 Miss Kansas pageant - a portrait of Theresa Vail. So here is what's looking to be that yearly post about how I developed the image that I presented onstage last Thursday and Saturday nights.

Like I said in the other post, it all really started coming to fruition when my dad and I were sitting in the Hard Rock Cafe right off of Times Square waiting for food. We thought about another Batman... we thought about Starwars, or a Jayhawk, or a celebrity portrait... but nothing really clicked because maybe the judges like a different super hero, or maybe they are Trekkies, or maybe (god forbid) they are Wildcats.

So we agreed on a patriotic theme. From here we thought of a bald eagle, the statue of liberty, a flag, recreations of already iconic art pieces, and a soldier. The soldier idea really stuck around...but I wasn't going to be sold on it until we found the right music. Anyone who saw my Batman speed painting at Miss Greater Wichita knows that it was accompanied by Hans Zimmer music and after painting to that kind of energizing music, I couldn't relinquish my background track to a soft country song about the red, white and blue... it had to display the same feelings bravery and heroism that I wanted to portray in my painting of the soldier.

(Please forgive the wrong sided salute... and wrong sided everything... I fixed it eventually.)














Dad thought about looking through some of the music from Captain America and the Avengers, and sure enough - the song literally titled, "The Avengers," was two minutes long full of building anticipation with the patriotic element built right in.

I don't have all of the sketches that I went through for this part, but I'll give you a bit of an idea...

I talked to some friends of mine in the Navy and Army, namely Joshua Shope and Sergeant Theresa Vail, asking how I could best represent a soldier, how to do it respectfully, and most importantly maybe - how to do it right in the fewest amount of brush strokes. Shope sat down with me for a while one day as we browsed uniforms and rankings on the internet, trying to figure out what kind of soldier to represent and how to make it a readable image for a  majority civilian audience.

My final sketch included a marking on the hat as well as some medals on the breast. We decided that though this wasn't a distinct version of any specific uniform, it would read correctly as a soldier and had enough visual cues to make a complete image.


As the weeks went by and the progress on the easel continues, sketches began popping up in the margins of my notes, on napkins, and in my sketchbooks. I had to decide how many colors I wanted to use, which colors those would be, would it be realistic or stylized, should it have natural skin tones or red, white and blue, do I do eyes or no eyes, what kind of hat? So many questions filtered through as I maneuvered through different sketches.

Once I had finally mapped out a full preliminary painted sketch that I was happy with, it was time to start making it happen on a grander scale - the easel.



I presented a live painting demo to one of my art classes for the final project and they suggested a pretty brilliant idea for practicing over and over again - paint on a chalkboard surface. Following their advice,  I had a few different sets of panels to practice with, one of which was primed as a chalk board surface. Utilizing that method, I was able to chalk out tracing lines for rehearsals and paint in water, which stayed dark enough on the surface in 90 seconds for me to realize the image, take note, and make adjustments before drying it off and doing another run.

As I went through cycles of the chalkboard runs as well as ones with real paint, I continued to make adjustments. You can see in this progression photo that it started in black and white, moved to blue and white, and then the final painting on the right was done in several minutes as a mini mock-up, but is when I decided to add in red.

The first black one was too severe, then the blue and white one looked like a blue print, so the red was added anticipating to use it as a mid tone accent color. You can also see which details started to be unnecessary to portray the image and how it gradually got cropped closer and closer. The chalk board idea was really helpful in committing the muscle memory of it all to memory and being able to work through kinks without having to re-prime the panels every time. Using real paint is certainly a time consuming ordeal - priming the panels, waiting for it to dry, doing the 90 second painting, waiting for it to dry, and then starting it all over again (in heels, of course). All in all, I want to say that I only did the full painting in real paint (successfully) as I ended up performing it onstage maybe two or three times at home...

Once I got to Miss Kansas, a new set of problems came up. While many of the women can practice in their rooms if they are singers or instrumentalists or dancers, it is pretty difficult for me to practice my painting in the dorm rooms that we stay in. So during down time between rehearsals once we were in the arena, I went over and did some "dry runs" with the easel and panels (dry runs are just miming the actions with no paint or medium on the brushes...like marking a dance on the floor). 

Among the first times I did this, for the first time ever in this process, the first two panels fell at the same time when I released the pin. The force of the fall caused themselves to wedge inexplicably tight between the catch piece and the back of the easel. Jerry, who runs all things backstage, tried to help me weasel them out to no avail. We literally had to break that catch piece to get them out and set it to glue overnight. Needless to say, I was terrified. 

For talent performance, we get two run-throughs onstage with the music and that's it before the actual competition. During the first one, the same thing happened but with the latter two panels. This didn't cause the easel to malfunction like that first time and I mended it within the performance, but it was not how it was supposed to work. The second run, the panels still didn't fall correctly but that was entirely my fault - I pulled the pins in the wrong order. So at this point - I had not done this thing successfully at all in about a week and I was competing with it in just a few hours. Once again, I was terrified. 

The sun descended in the sky and the competition was underway. After intermission, I slipped on my headphones and put on my "Miss K Pump Up Playlist" of motivating songs accumulated from friends and started to get in the zone. My paints were prepped. I'd tested the panels. All that was left to do was to deliver...

The music started and my brushes went flying and WHAM! The first panel fell without a hitch! The crowd erupted! Second panel - WHOOSH! Seamless. Third panel - SMACK! And I tilted the easel up to present it to the audience as I mimicked my painted soldier with a crisp salute and a bow. I did it. 

I had one more chance Saturday night as my name was called in the Top Ten to present the unique talent of speed painting to the Miss Kansas judges and audience. And again, it worked when it needed to. Not only that, but I actually had extra time and decided on a whim to add in some red and white stripes. You can see a video of the final performance here.

As I enter my second year as "the speed painter", I can say that live painting has given me a thrill like no other I have ever experienced. With just 90 seconds to present your best talent to a panel of judges who may or may not know anything about art, I am certainly taking a risk in whipping up some live art to dish out to this community. I want to thank everyone who has been so supportive of my work, those who helped me progress and build my ideas and help this all come to life, those who keep telling me to never give up, and those who invite me to your events and organizations to further share the gift of art.


Most of all, I want to thank those who serve and give themselves to our country in the armed forces. That's what this painting was all about. Thank you for allowing me the freedom to pursue my dreams and travel our great state to promote something I am passionate in. Thank you for giving your minds, bodies, and time away from your own homes and families so that mine may be safe. Thank you for your service to our country in every capacity that you give.

Stay tuned to see whatever crazy idea I bring to the table next year that I think can top this performance. Follow me on Facebook or Instagram and message me if you would like live painting at your next event!

- Annika Wooton

Miss Greater Wichita

Top Ten

The New Rig: From the drawing board to the shop [Part 1]

Miss Kansas is over for this year and I am back home trying to figure out where to put this massive easel rig of mine.

Many of you who were following my journey throughout the year and especially this week have seen pictures and video footage of the final performance. However, I thought I might let you in on the genesis of this whole idea and how the whole idea was formed...

It all started in New York City...

My dad and I spent a few days in NYC over spring break - mostly to spend time together in the Big Apple, but also with the mindset to come up with something stellar to present at Miss Kansas. We went to the MoMA as well as the Society of Illustrators museum in hopes of coming up with a grand idea.

It was when we were sitting in the Hard Rock Cafe just off Times Square when we broke out the pen and paper to really put down some concrete ideas.

Earlier in the year, I had posted on Facebook asking people what they wanted to see in a live painting. I was actually asking for subject matter ideas...but the people wanted multiple canvases. So for the upcoming performance at the time for KU's Got Talent, I embarked on the adventure to paint on three canvases.

So as we were brainstorming for the Miss Kansas pageant, the idea hung in our heads of how to manipulate the use of multiple canvases or panels without separate easels for each one. We toyed with the idea of painting on glass, or painting in glue with glitter thrown at the end, or simply doing the same rig I had last year. But of course that was really out of the question.

At some point in the brainstorm process at Hard Rock, we decided upon a patriotic theme with a tri-panel approach. (Forgive the salute with the wrong hand... I was ignorant to details at this point.) I don't have pictures of all my sketches, as they were on the back of a placemat and got lost at some point, but take a look at the very first visualizations of this crazy idea:

 What you see here, and will realize later on as you scroll through pictures of the real deal, is that even though my dad and I had NO idea how this thing would actually work, we had a pretty solid concept to start with that ended up being eerily accurate to the final product.

 

I returned to Kansas, not entirely sure how I was going to pull this off. I approached the man who runs the Common Shop in the art building, Cotter. I explained the whole idea to him in a long winded monologue and when I finished, he looks at me and says, "Okay... what's this for....?" And I said, "Well, I'm using it as my final for this one studio course I'm in but...end-game... I'm competing to be Miss Kansas..."

Okay PAUSE. Let's note that I was meeting with him between having an 8 am studio and about to go to the gym, so I was definitely nottttt up to pageant-par. 

So Cotter looks at me and says, "Yeah you sure look like it," in jest, of course. And then looks back down at the sketches and says, "We're gonna win this." Not only did I just attain an incredible mind to help me engineer this easel, but he proceeded to tell me how he lived down the street from Debbie Barnes, one of our Miss Kansas's who proceeded to win Miss America and how she babysat him as a child. Who knew!!

And the building process began.

I made a moquette out of cardstock paper to create a visual 3-D representation of what we wanted to happen. Following that display, I used a large sheet of foam core to develop the dimensions I wanted, the height, and make sure it would fit in the back of my Prius before we started building the actual thing.

I have to give all the credit to Cotter for materializing this rig and coming up with the engineering genius. Each panel is sustained on a separate track. There are three holes at the top of each panel that function with three individual pegs at different heights that are inserted from the back.

Each pin is pulled to release each panel at an isolated moment with a nib that catches the panel at the bottom so that it doesn't fall forward. The video to the left is the first time I saw it work. Apparently the first time Cotter released the first panel on our prototype version, the entire bottom edge blew off from the force, which is why you can see that is it reinforced in the version in the video.

I came in every day after my morning studio course to trouble shoot and bounce around ideas with Cotter. After seeing how this first version worked, we decided to elongate the entire surface so that the last panel drop wasn't so whimpy - and added a few more inches for it to fall in the final version.






The entire thing is assembled with only four pieces and two screws excluding the three panels and fits in the back of a Prius. This made things wonderfully simple as I transferred the rig to my house, back to the art building, back to my house, and then finally to Pratt for the competition.

I'll post another blog about the actual painting process... this is getting lengthy!

- Annika Wooton

Miss Greater Wichita