Advice for my daughters.....

(This is not about art or business.  Instead I chose to write to my daughters who will be out of school and independent sooner than later.  Surprisingly, this is how I run my business.  It has worked for me and I hope it will work for my kids.)
Be you.  Don't be someone else. 
Stand firm for what you believe.  Protect your beliefs but change them when they need to be changed for the right reasons.
Follow your passion.  Money is fleeting and always will be.  Your passion will sustain you in ways money never can.
Laugh. alot. Inappropriately even....  It is such a healing thing to do and it keeps you young.
Count every teeny tiny blessing, especially on the hard days.
Learn.  Always take the time to learn.  It does not have to happen in a school setting and most of the big lessons don't happen there.
Create what you love.  No matter what that is, create what you love.
Give to others because it is the right thing to do, not because you will get something out of it or in return.
Live in the moment.  It won't come again.  They won't all be good or fun but they all teach us something.
Most importantly, love yourself for who you are completely.  If you love yourself that much, loving others comes much easier.

Back to what I love.....

I am so pleasantly surprised by the ability to return to what I love to do.  There are a lot of ways to explain that statement.... but the most recent thing I have been able to return to is the most amazing to me.  You will see what I mean when you read this blog entry.

I always wanted to be an artist.  I had 1 year of elementary art and no more than that til 7th grade.  My parents fought to get an art teacher in my school district, even though one of them has zero art skill or interest.  I figured I could not make it as "just" an artist so I became a teacher.  Getting my Bachelor of Art Education made me so happy!  I could do art AND work with kids - things I love dearly to this day.

I taught for 15 years.  Then I was no longer an art teacher and returned to my artistic roots.  I started doing mosaics just for fun at home, while I was trying to find other work.  Turns out I did not need to have other work because it never showed up.  I just kept getting more art and jewelry custom orders.  I am by no means rich in capital but I am rich in happiness, creation, and what I call "recess".  (Those of you who have a sense of playing when you work know what I mean by "recess".)

I have recently been able to return to mosaics, the one thing I thought I might not get to do often again.  Jewelry is easier to store and I need to remember that where I am living is not quite my permanent home yet so I need to keep space and creations in balance.  I love making jewelry and make some really cool things (I think anyway).  I enjoy it immensely! 

However, I have missed mosaics and 3-dimensional art.  I missed it so much I did some on the side just to make sure I did not ignore that skill and love.  I put it out as a "fun project" on my Facebook page, showed my friends, and just shared it lightly.  Now it is the one thing that is demanded the most of me!  Woo hoo!!!!  Talk about getting to returning to what you love to do....  so awesome!!!  I never thought I would be able to do that in such a strong way again.  Pleasantly surprised is not quite right but I think you get the drift.....

Now the mosaics I have created on birdhouses and little wooden birds leave my house as soon as I make them, sometimes being spoken for long before that.  Aaaaaaahhhhh!!!!  THAT is what makes mosaics so much easier to do.   It has been a great blessing and I am so grateful that I get to do these again and again.

What a cycle I have had and I love it all!!!  I wonder what love you have returned to when it did not seem likely....

Transitions

When I started making jewelry in July 2010 I did not know where the road was going to take me.  I still don't.  But knowing where I will end up does not matter nearly as much as being present in the moment that I have now.  I need to appreciate every step along the way because the journey is what matters and makes me stronger as an artist and creator.  The journey has been incredible and it makes me so glad I put myself out there like I did that summer!

The connections I have made are incredible as well.  I have been amazed at how small the world is and how many people I was connected to without knowing.  Makes me smile to know I can share histories with those people and laugh at the funny things in life...  I have been successful in business as a result of those connections.  I knew that connections would matter a lot when I started out in this venture but I did not know just how many connections I would discover I already had. 

I am in a stage of transition now.  I am not just an out-of-work art teacher using my skills and love of all things art to pass the time, make a few things to see if they will sell.  I am no longer just testing the waters at craft and vendor shows.  I have joined a group of artists called Art-A-Holics and that has definitely opened the possiblities of what I can do with my jewelry and art.  I have so many things open to me and I choose where I go next.  That transition is a hard one.....

I can transition to soooo many things and making decisions gets a bit trickier when the options expand.  But I am not stressing about these decisions.  I make one at a time.  I take time to weigh the options and leave as many doors as possible open.  I don't think it will ever be easy and that is part of the attraction to what I do - making art.  I love a good challenge and I love to see where I can take myself with the help of connections and hard work!!!

I am in 3 stores now.  July 2010 I was not aware this was even a possibility.  I just hoped to sell a few things, get noticed, have my friends and family like what I did enough to give it as gifts and wear it from time to time.  The feedback constantly keeps me on my toes and I am sooooo open to new ideas, moreso than normal.  So many more transitions are coming and that is great in my eyes.  Change means growth for me!!! 

Thank you for all you, reader, have done to help me get to this stage of transition and thank you , reader, in advance for your continued support!  You don't have to buy anything from me ever to be supportive.  Looking at my work, telling me what you thingk and recommending my creations to others is so supportive!  It is so important for me to take time in all my transitioning to say I appreciate you and all that I have been given along the way.  Here's to more transitions! 

Milestones

I am going to celebrate a milestone in 12 days..... I turn 40 years old.

Woo hoo!!!!! 

40 is fabulous to me.... I am so much wiser than I was 20 years ago and so much more confident as a result. I know what I want and a bit more about how to get it.  I know who I want to be around and who makes me happy.  I know that I am capable of doing just about anything I set my mind to doing.  I know I am loved.  I know who I love.

I know a lot of people dread the big 4-0 but I am not one of them.  I look forward to every day because I get to have new experiences, learn new things, and laugh more.  So 40 does not seem scary at all.  I have known too many people who have not made it to this great milestone so I know it is meant to be celebrated and celebrated well.  

To look at me, you would never guess I am 40.  I certainly do not behave like a lot of the 40 year olds I know.  I think that might be the reason the elementary and high school students laughed a lot in my classrooms as they learned a lot along the way - right with me.  I never stop learning and I am as curious as a cat.  (Sometimes that leads to some trouble but I will never stop being curious.  All the good things in my life have come from being curious!)

So celebrate the milestones in your life and enjoy every minute of this awesome ride called "Life"!  You will never regret that choice! 

To celebrate this milestone, I will take 40% off ALL items from January 29th through February 4th. Want me to hold something back for you so you can get the 40% off? Let me know and I will do that.....

The holidays always seem to be a very hectic time of year for some people while others seem to be more relaxed.  I am more towards the relaxed end of the spectrum.  I was never really a huge shopper or understood the draw of a big sale much.  I still don't... unless it pertains to art supplies that I can always find a reason to buy. 

What I do get is how hard it is to choose a gift for someone.  I know how hard it is to stick to a budget and find something they will love as much as you love giving it.  I find it is hardest to give gifts to someone who has no need for practical items - like cooking supplies, recipe books, storage baskets, new clothes, warm fuzzy slippers, etc.  (I, by the way, am  one of those people.  I know.  I am difficult to shop for any time of the year.) 

I like to give things like certificates that offer free babysitting for someone who needs a break from the house and kids, an offer to help with a chore like painting a room or a house, rides somewhere when they need one and do not have a car, help with organizing a space that is clearly driving them nuts.  I also like to give hand-crafted items - which would be a reason I make jewelry and art the way I do. 

I want to give something of myself - really, that is what it comes down to...  Buying something works for a lot of people on my gift list but it is the ones I love the most that I want to GIVE of MYSELF deeply.  Time, touch, thought, care and all those things you cannot box up are the best gifts I have found.  Sometimes those things come in packages made by hand by people who craft even when they could just go buy something at the Big Box Store.  I might have to search a little harder but when I find it, I know I found something they will treasure because it is made by hand but also chosen with great love.

If you are looking at my creations and wondering if something is the right style and just have doubts, giving the gift of a gift certificate is very easily done.  I know that I am not easy to buy jewelry for - especially since I have been making it for over a year the way I do - and know that there are people who are just like me.  Helping them create a custom piece by giving them a gift certificate or jump start lets them know YOU get THEM and want them to be happy.  (That goes year-round if you ask me.)

If you are feeling the pinch (or punch) of this economy,  giving your time to help someone or just giving them some time to breath is a great gift.  It does not feel like you are giving much and you likely feel pretty cheap but you are doing something that is priceless.  You touch them in a deeper way.

I hope this holiday season - whichever you celebrate - finds you and your loved ones well, that you have great times together, and build memories that last a lifetime.  My Christmas will be peaceful and spent with family, no matter how many sales are going on around us....  

Inspirations....

I am inspired by a lot of things.  Sometimes it is a color, a texture, maybe an object or a pattern.... or it is a special movie.  That is what inspired the up-cycled bottles I am posting with this blog.  "Twas the Nightmare Before Christmas" is one of my all-time favorite movies!!! When the chance came to be part of an ART SHOW that had this movie as a theme I jumped at it. (Did I mention it has been at least a decade since I was part of an art show and it was not in 3D objects?  No?  Well, this is new to me but I look forward to the opportunity to do this.

I started thinking about how I could combine mosaics and up-cycling with something else i love.  I should say - some characters I love.  Jack and Sally.....  I love them!  (I know I say it a lot but I think you should say good things about what you love often.)  I love these characters because of their role in the plot but also because of the way they are put together.  They move differently and I have always felt like I did too.  That kid that never felt confident in school?  That was me and I moved awkwardly - sort of like Jack and Sally.

I am like Jack and Sally too because I pursue love and don't give up on it.  So putting Jack and Sally on a couple of bottles that could be used everyday was a quick and easy decision.  I would love to see my 2 favorite characters all year long!  I share these photos with you because I know I am not the only one who has a love affair with this movie, Jack, Sally and all of Halloweentown.  I hope you enjoy them!

NEXT!!!!!!

I am titling this post NEXT!!! because I seem to be doing one thing after another these days.  Part of it is due to the fact that I am a jewelry creator/artist in general that has to take advantage of the holiday gift buying "season" while I can.  Part of it is due to the fact that I am in several groups on-line and in the real world related to those endeavors.  Part of it is due to the fact that sitting still is not something I do very well.  I know how to relax, don't get me wrong.  I just don't want to stagnate and WILL find something to do or learn if I am least bit "wiggly". 

I know that my funds are not what I want them to be so I know that people everywhere are feeling the clamp (pinch is too kind of a word) of this economy.  It is so frustrating to want something and not have the money to buy it or create it!  It is so frustrating to want to give someone a gift but know it is just out of my price range, that there is a bill that has to be paid instead of a beautiful bracelet to buy, and so on.  I also know that at some point things will improve.  The pendulum does not stop swinging.

I will keep creating, doing all the activities that get me to NEXT and beyond, with the hopes that my fans, friends, and customers will remember that I make one-of-a-kind pieces and love to do custom work.  I have to create art to be authentic - it is the REAL me as they say.  I want to be around when anyone has the opportunity to buy something I have made because it is made with love and given or worn with love.  So with that I say NEXT!!!!!  Bring it on, bring it on.....