"Who are YOU?"

Willkommen!!!  Welcome to Doppelganger - my Journal of a Journey!!

Oh my...  First blog entry here!  Feeling lots of pressure!!  I must knock your socks off, otherwise you'll never want to come and visit me again!  And that would make me sad.  You have no idea how many times I have re-written this initial post.  Or how many times I have worked on tweaking the appearance of this blog.  Maybe I'm procrastinating its release... 

So what's the magic formula for a first-ever blog entry?  What will make you curious enough to come back for more?  I would think that choosing Doppelganger as a blog title would be enough to intrigue you.  But alas, if that isn't enough, then maybe I should explain who I am, what the purpose of this blog is, and why the heck I chose Doppelganger for its title.  (Btw, I know there should be umlauts over the 'a' but I can't figure out how to add them...)

Let us begin with a simple introduction.  "Who are YOU?"  The imperious caterpillar so aptly asked Alice as she made her way through Wonderland.  So who am I??  My name is Danielle and I am the proud owner/artist of Papercuttings by Danielle.  And what, pray tell, is Papercuttings by Danielle?  Glad you asked!  Papercuttings is the creative venture I officially started in October 2012 with the release of a Facebook page.  In the Spring of 2012 I had a conversation with a local shop owner that helped give me the push I needed to take a leap of faith and try my hand at said creative venture (after much hand-wringing and gnashing of teeth, that is).  And before I get completely off of track, let me come back around to the question at hand and explain that Papercuttings by Danielle is my little side business for making both traditional Scherenschnitte and contemporary paper cuttings. 

My long-term goal here is more than just paper cuttings.  Hence why I'm entitling my ENTIRE creative venture Preservation Art.  In the long run, I hope to make available multiple types of creations, most of which will stem from German folk art forms, in the hopes of keeping these art forms relevant in the present -- hence Preservation Art.  In striving to keep them relevant I hope to pique people's interest by creating varied types of visual presentation to attract those who, say for instance, wouldn't desire a piece of scherenschnitte in traditional nature imagery or fraktur painted in traditional primary colors.  But more on that later...  My goal is to roll out different projects and side ventures and title them all under the umbrella of Preservation Art.  

But wait, there's more -- the preservation aspect!  I also hope to teach people about the history of these art forms.  Where do they come from?  How were they traditionally made?  Etc, etc.  All in hopes of keeping these art forms alive and kicking for many years to come.  Granted, I'm sure these art forms are just fine on their own and will be desired and admired for hundreds more years.  But maybe not, and that's my fear.
  

I was born and raised in Berks County, Pennsylvania.  My birth place is rich in German history, that being one of the predominant nationalities of its original settlers.  My family came here a long, long time ago and worked hard for hundreds of years as farmers and coalminers, never losing sight of their heritage and in turn, their familial pride.  Their primary language for quite some time was Pennsylvania Dutch.  Today, it is rare to find someone who speaks PA Dutch fluently.  Most of us only know phrases or miscellaneous words anymore because, as a language, it has been dying out.  My paternal grandfather spoke PA Dutch at home but learned English for school.  You find that is still the case for Anabaptist families in this area, but not for the rest of us who are the descendants of these Pennsylvania Germans.  In seeing this, I realize how something we take for granted as an everyday norm can quickly turn a different direction and die out. 

I am quite proud of my heritage.  I wish to celebrate my ancestry.  Therefore, I'm hoping to do so with my art and with the creation of this blog.  In my posts, I will cover LOTS of territory, from tidbits about newly created pieces and new line releases to brief history lessons.  I'll share with you the triumphs and hopefully very few trials of being a first-time sole-proprietor as I strive to grow Papercuttings, and eventually Preservation Art, into a business.  I'll make announcements of upcoming appearances and offers treats for those who come out to see me at them!  I also hope to introduce to you other local artisans and celebrate the rich culture in this, the area I was born and raised in.  And maybe, just maybe, I will amuse and entertain you enough to bring you back again and again.  So join me on a journey -- of creation, self-discovery, and preservation!

Thank you for visiting and thank you in advance for your patience as I find my way in this attempt at blogging.  Tune in next time when we will discuss "Why Doppelganger" and "What's New With You?"  Auf wiedersehen! 


View completed works on my Facebook page - Preservation Art