You've got questions, we've got answers!
HOW DO I QUALIFY FOR A BUTTON?
All of that's outlined on the "how to use this site" page here on the site, but in a nutshell, just do the activities, send an email to me (contact info at the bottom of this page and every button page). Pictures of you and what you've made aren't mandatory, but they'll look good on the gallery pages when we get those going! Then just buy your button and you'll have it in 4 - 6 weeks (or sooner, depending on how overwhelmed we make our buttonmaker).
DO I HAVE TO DO ALL THE LISTED ACTIVITIES TO GET A BUTTON?
Nope! Generally speaking, the button requires one to two activities from each category within the button activities. The journals are intended to be open enough to allow for any activities you pick and to enhance your experience and keep track of what you're doing, so the activities you choose within the requirements shouldn't affect them.
DO I HAVE TO BUY THE JOURNAL TO GET THE BUTTON?
No, but they're fun and have useful additional information, and in a future bookbinding activity, you'll have a chance to bind all of them together into a neat book of achievements, too. :)
HOW LONG SHOULD EACH BUTTON TAKE TO EARN?
You do each activity at your own pace. There's no time limit on the activities you choose, but if I had to estimate a timeframe, I'd say most busy people could finish them in a week or two.
CAN I GET A BUTTON WITHOUT DOING THE ACTIVITIES?
Oh, I'm sure you COULD, but it would take all the fun right out of it. Half the enjoyment of this is the PROCESS of DOING the activities, instead of just wearing the button when you're done. PLAY with your art, not just THINK about it, y'know?
WHO MAKES YOUR BUTTONS?
I get them from Alex at Microcosm Publishing, who probably has no idea what she's in for with all these buttons sometime soon. I highly recommend her for everything she does, including the creative zines she writes. Buy some!
HOW COME YOU DON'T HAVE A ___________ BUTTON?
Yet. Yet is the operative word here. It might be on-tap, or it might be something I don't know about yet. Feel free to send me an email with potential button topics. If I use it, your name and link will be credited on the button's page, and you'll get a free journal for the topic! If the name isn't there when it goes live, it's probably because the topic was already in the queue to put up, but I do thank you for caring enough to suggest it anyway! :)
IS THIS REALLY FREE?
You betcha. All this info here is free for you to use. I have to charge for the actual buttons and the journals I make for you to download because a) I have to pay for them, and b) I have a family, too. :)
CAN I DO A BADGE MORE THAN ONCE?
Sure! Of course you can. :)
WHY ARE YOUR JOURNALS DOWNLOAD ONLY?
Simple -- if I had to spend all my time printing them, collating them, and mailing them, there wouldn't be enough time left over for me to be able to make new lessons for you all. And this way, you can get started RIGHT AWAY if you'd like, without having to wait for me to get the mail out, too. Since they're an instant download (and cheap! Just $3!), you can have fun faster than you can say, "She sells seashells by the seashore!".
WHAT'S IN STORE FOR THE ARTSCOUT BADGEBOOK SITE?
More badges, of course. But also, a gallery of the work of button-earners, linked interviews with people who are experts in these topics, some kind of downloadable log-quilt for display of your buttons, and maybe a way for ArtScouts across the globe to connect with one another locally. Not to mentiont-shirts and stickers, or a giant gathering somewhere to play together. Or maybe we'll just sell cookies. (I'm kidding, I'm kidding.)
WHY IS IT TAKING SO LONG FOR MY _________ BUTTON TO GET HERE?
Sometimes, I run out of buttons. And sometimes, I haven't received them yet when I put up the activity listing. (This first offering, for instance -- I just ordered today and the site goes "live" tomorrow.) This can take a while for Alex to fill if she's booked up or out of town. And sometimes, I'M booked up or out of town. Either way, it shouldn't take longer than six weeks. If it's been longer than that, please email me (nicely), and I'll tell you when it was sent, or make arrangements to get you a replacement for one lost in the mail. :)
MY JOURNAL ISN'T OPENING/DOWNLOADING!
Email me IMMEDIATELY. It may be a tech issue somewhere on your computer or somewhere on the internet stream between here and there that I can help with. (I do want to mention that I'm not responsible for problems with your computer, though. I'd love to be one of those that could diagnose and fix computers just by listening to the way they beep or something, but I'm kind of clueless in that arena. I'll help where I feasibly can, though!)
WHY DON'T ALL THE BUTTONS HAVE JOURNALS AVAILABLE?
Putting together the badge activities is much faster (and easier, frankly) than putting together the PDFs for downloading. In each of those journals, there are spaces to record your findings/progress, resources and information not found on the site, and drawings sometimes -- and that takes a while to lay out. :) Just hold tight -- it's coming!
CAN I PRINT THESE OUT AND GIVE THEM TO MY YOUTH GROUPS, ARTGIRL GROUPS, GIRLSCOUT(TM) TROOP, ETC?
YES! Yes, you can. The URL and copyright notice at the bottom need to remain intact, though, and it applies only to the activity requirements pages, not the journals.
IS THIS GIRL SCOUTS OF AMERICA (tm) AFFILIATED/APPROVED?
No. This is just little ol' artsy me, sharing the love and fun with the world. It should not be confused with or assumed to be a part of the GSA. (We're not specifically for kids, nor for girls only, either, so that should help any confusion.)
IF i GET HURT/DIE/SEVER A FINGER/TURN PERMANENTLY BLUE FROM AN ACTIVITY, CAN I SUE YOU?
No. For two reasons: a) I don't have any money, so it wouldn't do you any good unless you want my dogs and a very large unused fabric stash, and, b) All activities presented herein are embarked upon at your own risk. Use your good judgement and you should be fine. (i.e. Don't play with poisons, don't eat (most of) your art, or practice your drawing skills in the middle of a busy freeway.) Be safe first, and don't blame me for any X-Acto(tm) Knife Incidents.
CAN I ORDER A BUTTON WITH MY MOM'S CREDIT CARD?
Depends. Does she know you have it? If not, no. If so, it's still best to let HER order it FOR you, since credit card companies are pretty miffy about stolen identities.
ARE YOU GOING TO GIVE MY EMAIL TO SPAMMERS?
Folks, listen. I'm one of those people who would gladly lobby to see the FBI hunt down spammers and put their heads on pikes in the town square as a warning to other bulk emailers. I will never, ever spam you, sell your information, or give your information away. Ever. I hate those body-part-enlargement emails just as much as you...if not more. And lulu.com (where the downloads come from) is just the same. Your privacy's safe here.
TO WHAT AGES ARE THE ACTIVITIES BEST SUITED?
I try to make many of them good for most ages, but ArtScouts is aimed at adults, so some supervision may be necessary, and some resources and media may not be 100% kid-friendly. Use appropriate caution as you would ANY internet usage of an underage child in your charge.
HAVE YOU DONE ALL THIS STUFF YOURSELF?
Short answer: yes. Iv'e been a dabbler, writer, and artist for years now, and some of these things I skipped in my learning curve, but I regret not doing now. The longer answer, then, is yes, for the most part, and the things I didn't, I'm doing now.
WHY AREN'T YOU ANSWERING MY FANMAIL/HATEMAIL/OUTRIGHT-FLAME/QUESTION EMAIL?
Sometimes, I get overwhelmed with personal emails. I can assure you I'm reading them all and it's not personal -- I just can't reasonably answer all of them and still have time to make new content, too. Yes, I still love you, even if you're flaming me. I'm weird like that.
CAN I COME OVER TO YOUR HOUSE TO PLAY?
Sure! Just call and let me know you're coming so I can shower and vacuum up all the dog hair. I'll make the muffins, you bring the tea, and we'll make some stuff together.
Eliza Metz
15684 Old Mormon Bridge Road
Crescent, IA 51526
or by email:
artgirl(at)gmail.com
