Changes...

 *This post is not so much about my work or art as it is my life in general.  I will write about my work and art, of course, but sometimes I feel like writing about things outside of my business. I do hope you will read on.*

Changes are good.  I love them when they work to make something better.  I look forward to the ones that fix something that has been driving me crazy. The ones I dread make something good no longer good anymore.  They suck the joy out of change.

Change is a constant - or so the saying goes.  And to a degree it is.  Something is always moving us in some direction.  Whether we love it or hate it is up to us.  I choose to love many of the changes in my life.  There are those that just make me crazy - like social media sites changing something nice to something complicated or exclusive - but I weather those as part of life too.  

This past year I changed a lot .  I got divorced and learned how much it takes to do that (on so many levels).  I changed how many stores I  am in because it was time to just do that.  I had my daughter move back in to my home.  16 year old daughters change your world a lot!  I welcome that change!  I moved into the world of iPhones instead of sticking with a simple phone, discovering the things I could get done away from my computer.  In other parts of my life, I changed in ways I cannot put into words accurately.

Now that the divorce has been final for awhile, I finally changed my name and took back my maiden name.  It will be interesting to see how many times I sign Luedtke instead of Brown. I spent almost 13 years as Julie Luedtke.  First though I have to get that last name changed on so many things.  (Probably why some people choose not to do so.) It is a lot!!!  I need a list to make sure I get them all.  

So far, I have changed it here, Google+, Twitter, Pinterest and Facebook. There is the bank, insurance, vehicle registration, drivers license, and I am sure I have forgotten something.  Changing my name in all these places drives me a little crazy because each one is different in process.  (Did you know if you are divorced you might need a CERTIFIED copy of your divorce decree?  I did not. Social Security name change #1 was a fail because I did not.). 

It also makes me ask if I really want it.  I always come back to yes.  I used to think I would always be Julie Luedtke, even if divorced because a name does not define me.  But things change and it happened that a change of name was in order.  So tonight as I blog, I also find all the places my name is and hope to get them changed.  

Why did I change it back?  Simply put, I needed to reclaim who I was.  While a name does not define me,  there is a lot that gets attached to a name.  Some things you want, some not so much.  In my case, I needed a fresh start.  So Julie Brown it is again.  (Downtown Julie Brown to some artist friends...)  How a word can kick start a fresh start I may never understand but I totally appreciate that it does.

I am looking at trying some new things in my business too.  Change is not isolated in my life.  (I know people who do one change at a time.  I just jump in all at once and wonder how I thought that would work from time to time.). I will be checking out a new place to sell my work locally very soon and am excited about it.  Let's hope I introduce myself with the correct name.  ;)

As you experience changes in your life, I hope you will always look for the good in them and find ways to weather the less than lovely changes. Changes bring so many good things when you look for them.

Journeys

Oh the journeys life brings us...  It feels like I have been on a rather fantastic journey lately.  One where I don't always get to the computer to update my Facebook page, website, Pinterest, Google+ and this blog very often.  There are pictures on my camera that need to be downloaded and edited.  The technological part of this journey is not a very big one apparently.  (Once I get a few more things done, I will be doing those updates.  I hate to leave things hanging on the TO DO list.) 

I have enjoyed this journey and found some really creative and unique souls along the way.  I have found some art that I just have to follow now because I want to see where it goes for the artist.  I have found some good inspiration on this journey.  I have found a new focus of sorts on this journey.  It is still art and jewelry but there is a twist to it now that I want to test out.   This journey brought some excitement to the areas I was kind of stuck in at the time it started.  Fresh air is a good thing indeed.

This is the kind of journey where you ask yourself questions about life in general, your path in it, and what you really think about it all.  If you have ever been at this point, you know what I am trying to put into words is really difficult to describe accurately.  I have really stopped, stepped back a few steps and looked at where I have been and where I am now.  And asked that super hard question, "What do I want for the future?  Where am I heading?"

Now, I am a live-in-the-moment, don't-worry-about-the-future kind of person in general.  People ask me where I see myself in 5 years and I say "Happy."  They ask for details and I never seem to have them.  I just have a general idea of what I like and the range of things I can accept.  So some may call me flaky...  I can live with that.  I just know that I WILL be happy and doing something I love to do.  And that is enough for me. 

So stopping to go a little bit further into details is kind of a big deal for me.  I still cannot tell you every detail but I know it will involve art and as many friends as I can include.  It will mean I need to delve into technological things more regularly and quit thinking of that as a chore so I will WANT to do it again.  I envision some kind of shop or studio space in my future now and am starting to build it in my mind.  I don't have any idea of the time frame I will need but don't worry about one either.  Happy is still going to be goal #1. 

I have stopped many times on this journey to say thank you to those who came across my path.  THAT is one part of this journey I am so grateful for having!  Giving gratitude has blessed me in so many ways, many of them surprising.  I thank YOU right now for reading this post and supporting me that way.  Lots of little and big things to be thankful for right now!


Whatever journey you are on, I hope it is a good one full of good people and things along the way.  I hope you and yours have a wonderful holiday season, whatever they may be, and that you build some awesome memories with those you love.  Thank you for being part of my journey!  It has been a really great one because of you!