advice

The words of encouragement and advice that I received last week was uplifting and in some cases, downright funny. My mom says (with a heavy Filipino accent) 'if you stop wearing the dead colors, you might look alive! You have a long time to lay down in the ground. Why start now?!'. A friend suggested that a good, stiff drink would fix me right up. Good dark chocolate is supposed to work. Along with aromatherapy, massage and chicken soup. Azalea couldn't understand the concept of 'feeling blue' and wondered aloud why I just didn't try to feel pink or purple instead.

I realized she was right. Why indeed? So, I put on a pink shirt and red shoes. I made a drink with a shot of whipped cream vodka, Godiva liqueur, salted caramel syrup and soda water. I ate a good part of a bag of Bliss chocolates. Made a batch of blood orange fruit de pâté and chicken soup. I turned in a groupon spa package and allowed myself to get pampered.

Then, I busted out the tools and got to work. I ignored the draggy feeling, the dreaded sluggishness and plowed on. I made a little face to go with a wool felt creature I needle felted. I made some tiny waxes for the upcoming miniature show. I felt better. Not great, but progress nonetheless.

The life of a self employed artist sounds easy - no meetings, no set hours, no boss and one chooses what to do with the day. It IS nice, but there is a lot of work involved, a lot anxiety and sometimes frustration. Sometimes all those little things add up and it's hard to feel in control. It's good to step back, look at the situation and come at it from a different angle. Like a piece of stone that has a vein of really hard rock running through and all the sharpest tools just can't get through that area. Rather than continue hammering on the spot, flip it and go at it from the side, or back.

I'm treating this part of my life like a ruby or sapphire, hard and beautiful, but easy to carve with patience and a focused vision.

Have you ever had a space of time that seemed fraught with every aggravation and disappointment you could think of, plus more that you didn't? Well, the last couple of months have seemed like the same day happening over and over, overcast and dull, with lots of things going wrong. The equipment breaking, the cars falling apart, pieces ruined, people acting like entitled children AND my beloved little bird Mochi dying.....it's enough to make a person fall down under the weight of it.

I've had to read letters listing how I should run our business, how to do this and that, the result leaving me sad and tired. I know everyone is entitled to their opinion, but why do people think its their right to criticize with abandon, yet gawk at the rudeness if the same questions are asked of them? I realize there is always room for improvement, but there are boundaries. Surprisingly, I am not a stone and am hurt by hard words.

I could list a hundred other things that have pressed down on me, deflating my spirit, but in the end, its all just the same inconsequential stuff that happens to everyone. I think it would be easy to stop trying, afraid to do anything for fear of failure or criticism and admittedly, I haven't felt like doing much more than the necessary. Maybe things will be better tomorrow.

Kitty fish

Here's a prototype of a paper doll I'm working on. It's my cat Frick, the biggest, most beautiful cat ever. This is a quick little drawing, with a wash of watercolor, so i can test the posability. The final painting will be in egg tempera, so I can get all noodly, painting each scale and paw pad. I think this kit needs two, maybe three on a print. A kitten would be dang cute.

Lockets

Here's a sneak peek at a project I've been working on for some time. I'm currently perfecting the hinge and closure, so it's sturdy and secure. I can't wait till its finished!

New Work

Hello! The annual Tucson shows have come and gone and we are just now catching up with the mountain of work that awaited Greg. If you haven't received your order yet, don't despair! Greg and the crew have been bustin' it to cast and finish all that shiny goodness, so everything should be going out this week.

On a less stressful note, here's a look at the goods that debuted at the shows this year. I think we had a particularly nice yield this round and am very interested to see what folks do with these pieces (especially the swirly centerpiece!). I was inspired by ancient artifacts and microscopic plant structures.

They will be available at the show this weekend in Minneapolis, at The Twin Cities Bead Bizaare (http://www.beadsbydee.com/tweenies.html )
Some of the coins are in my etsy shop and will become available as I make them.
The pewter will be online when Greg gets a chance to upload the goods to the site. Until then, stop by and look at all the pretty new goodies!