It really is ALL ABOUT YOU. A Mini-Manifesto, kinda

Be responsible for you- completely. 

Own your thoughts, words and actions- completely. 

Be proactive. Respond responsibly, rather than React, to what other people think, say and do. 

Our culture is perverse these days, maybe for much longer than that. The perversity I'm talking about is self-sacrifice. Don't get me wrong, this concept is important and is a founding thought for many world religions- because of the nature of what "doing good" means and the effect it has on the world.

It's awesome to do good deeds. It makes you feel good and it helps others, but only when it's done properly- from a place of giving, and the spirit of wanting to do it because you intrinsically know that it is the right thing to do.

It becomes perverse when you are constantly given messages that convey that somehow, your desires and responsibilities are NOT GOOD ENOUGH when compared to the desires of others, and your responsibilities to others. We are fed this message from our early years- we have to share, we have to compromise, we have to capitulate to others' needs in order for our deeds and actions to have any value. We now, in America, have to stop doing anything that might somehow offend someone else, because it would be wrong to offend someone by doing what YOU want to do, wearing what you want to wear, worshiping how you want to worship, or saying what you want to say. We are taught to think before doing anything- because it might offend someone else, and if it will, then it is not a worthy pursuit.

There is a difference, people, between being selfish, being self-centered, and having self-esteem. There is a difference between being self-sacrificing, and just being a good person. There is a difference between having tact and being socially well-adjusted, and just being a jerk. But the differences have become very blurred, and at this point I believe most people are falling into two major groups: jerks, and codependents. Notice I said "most people." Because I do believe there are a fair number of people out there who have good self-esteem, are socially adjusted, have tact, understand how and want to do good for others, and have not lost themselves in the process. I don't need to speak to those people, they know who they are. They won't even resonate with what I'm saying, because it doesn't matter to them- I have a friend like this, and when I talk to her about it, she doesn't "get it," and I don't hold it against her one bit- because she is lucky to be emotionally healthy.

But what about you? I can tell you right now- you only have responsibility for a very narrow, deep bunch of stuff- and it's all about YOU.

• what you say & do
• how you say it or do it
• why you say & do things

Are you getting the big picture here? You are responsible for YOU. You are not responsible for other people's actions, thoughts, deeds or proclamations. If you have kids or others you are directly responsible to help raise or get through this life, then you can add that to your responsibility list- but you are still not responsible for what COMES OUT OF THEM. You are only responsible for what YOU PUT IN, and what you give them access to. For example, if you keep firearms in your house and your kids get them and cause physical hurt to themselves or someone else, you are responsible for giving them access. But if you teach them right and wrong, and they decide to do wrong, they are responsible.  If you teach them what you want them to know, and they seek knowledge elsewhere, you are not responsible for what they create with the knowledge- they are. I'm thinking way back to Adam and Eve here. God told them what to do, what to eat... they chose what they chose, and it wasn't his fault- it was theirs. So if God could give up responsibility for his children's mistakes and punish them for doing what they did, why can't we? Because we are taught from the time we can function as toddlers that self-sacrifice and self-debasement is "how it's done." 

It's time to start taking responsibility for ourselves. To do, say, think, eat, wear, worship, be friends with, support... the list goes on here, what WE want. If everyone did that, honestly, and didn't get mixed up in telling others what to do, or in trying to "get inside the mind" of others and figure out what they want from us, the world would be a better place.

I think about my friends who are dating. They ask me things like.... "How long should I wait to text him back?" "What do you think he meant by saying ___?" "Should I.....fill in the blank."

My answer is: 1. Do what YOU want. 2. Call or text when YOU want to. 3. How the heck should I know what he meant or thought? Why don't you ask HIM?

Why play games? Because every magazine and website says to. They all tell girls to play a certain game to "catch" a guy. I'm sure the guys' websites and magazines say the same thing about chasing girls. This, of course, is only one example of the ways we use our self-debasement culture to mess up a totally fun thing, in this case, finding the ONE.

OK, stepping down from the soapbox now- I've studied so much in the past few years regarding my own emotional health that I now feel very relaxed and open when friends ask for advice, and I really want to share this special message with more people.

Be responsible for you- completely. Own your thoughts, words and actions- completely. Be proactive. Respond responsibly, rather than React, to what other people think, say and do.

Day 10? or 11? I made Art! Actually, I ordered fabric for my prototypes!

So this morning I finally sat down to scan, touch up, and arrange my drawings so they could be turned into beautiful fabric that I can use to create my new line of nursery goods. Fabric is only one of the mediums I will be using, tomorrow I'm going to work on the polymer clay parts! I am going to use Magic Transfer Paper, of course, to get my drawings onto the clay.

It's been a great week in the startup process... I keep making myself push ahead, even when I want to give up. Because I'm prone to having a great idea and not seeing it through. So this time, this idea is going all the way to completion. I must- because I've realized that if I keep having ideas, but I don't make any of them come alive, I won't be able to make the money I need to be able to finally quit looking to other people to pay my bills.

Day 8- Get Feedback!

It's important to get good feedback when you are starting up something new, from someone you trust. I've started asking those closest to me what they think of my idea, drawings, and thought process with this new children's line I'm putting together, and the reception has been great!

It can feel awkward or weird to ask people close to you for their feedback on something that is really important to you, something you THINK you are doing right... but you can also be too close to a project. When that happens, you can follow an idea or a lead into a place maybe you shouldn't be going.

I'm grateful that the reception has thus far been very positive!

Day 5- I have a superpower!

It's day 5 of the momentum challenge, and I was encouraged to discover my superpower and nurture it, to think about how it helps me in business, life and art...

My superpower is metacognition. I have the uncanny ability to think about how I think. Then of course, I get to change what I DO based on how I think about what I did or thought. Isn't that fantastic? It has led me to turn on a dime when I need to, to fix a class mid-sentence when I see that my audience is non-responsive, to repair damage I myself am doing because what I thought would happen wasn't exactly true.

So how can I apply this now, to my momentum? Well, a few days ago, I was thinking I would make my new art objects out of fabric. Then suddenly, I thought, why don't I make SOME of them out of clay? I already got a great response from the tribe I am slowly gathering on Facebook (someone said they would buy my drawing if it was available on fabric, yay! and I wasn't even soliciting for that info).

Now I think, because I am able to rethink my original plan, that I will offer it several ways. After all, I'm already known as a clay artist, I've written a book on the subject, and I've been working in the medium for many years.

I love having a superpower, I'll have to sketch myself as Turn-on-a-Dime Woman!

Day 4- conquering Fears.

I have spent a lot of time in the past year surfacing and conquering my fears. Today's challenge has to do with voicing your fears so that you can start conquering them. I did that.
In fact last year I wrote an ecourse called fear less, do more. Well, the original name was shut up and put out, which really means shut up your fearful mind, and start doing something about everything you say you want to do.
I'm on a roll now, I just let go of some things that I didn't really want to be doing, and now I'm not afraid to push forward and get my product line running. To keep thinking about things that I'm fearful of would be rumination. And the whole topic of this blog is getting out of rumination, and into Illumination.
Which for me means taking action and lighting up my life.

Day 3- Momentum Challenge- Overcoming Limits

I'm a big fan of figuring yourself out. You know, most of how we FEEL has a lot to do with what we BELIEVE. A while ago, I did this fun activity where I tried to write down everything I believe about life, and then figure out where each belief came from. I discovered that most of my beliefs came from the (for lack of a better word) programming I received from my parents. After all, these people have you and raise you, for better or worse... and they pass along their beliefs to you in the way they speak to you, the things they make or encourage you to do, and the actions they do or don't take. You watch and listen and follow their lead, and eventually you pop out an adult with your own set of beliefs about life which have been heavily influenced by your parents.

For example, when I went away to college I expressed my belief that the Catholic church was not the only right way to live. My mom challenged me to go speak to the priest, and I said that of course he would tell me to come back to church, he was a priest for goodness sake! I explored a few other Christian religions, was agnostic for a while, tried Atheism but it didn't take, and now I'm feeling like I kinda hate organized religion, but if I have to go for the community aspect, I guess being Catholic isn't so bad in the scheme of things- after all, I really don't believe any of them have it right. But at least I have explored all of my beliefs about religion and given myself the permission and freedom to make my own decisions.

Imagine doing that to every single one of your beliefs? It takes a while, don't get me wrong. But it is very freeing to explore what you believe and why, and come to your own conclusions.

Here's another one- "I'll never make money as a musician. Better choose something else." That was told to me day in and day out, by my mom who watched me practice my piano for 2 hours a day from age 8 to 18. She MADE me do it, and she knew I was incredibly good and talented. But then she would say that stupid crap to me, making me doubt my own existence. When you are a kid, you BELIEVE what your parents say. It's just the way things are. So here I am, busting my ass practicing this really difficult stuff (I had a Russian teacher) and spending my time doing that instead of having a social life, and my mom is telling me I suck and I better not even think about choosing music for a career. It produced a whole lot of confusion.

So instead, I pursued teaching (practical- big mistake) and had to sneak into the practice rooms at college to get on the piano (they were only for the music students). And wondered what was wrong with me and my musical abilities. The thing is, nothing was wrong with me. What was wrong was my mother's mistaken belief that music could not be a lucrative career for me. I definitely could have gone into some kind of professional concert experience- orchestra, symphony, even a band. But by the time I figured out what was wrong with my core belief (I'm not a good enough musician to make it) it was too late. I don't want to do the work it would take to get back into the condition I was in musically at the time, at this stage in my life. Instead I enjoy making music when I have the chance, and I'm looking into taking up another string instrument, one that is more portable so I can play for my friends.

Currently my limiting beliefs have to do with money (lack) and my ability to finish what I start (none). I'm enjoying this momentum challenge- today they guys challenged me personally, saying that this is the day a lot of people will drop out, and many won't make it past the 1/2 way point. I decided to do this- and I'm going to finish. By doing so, I will dissolve my belief that I can't finish what I set out to do.

 

Day 2- Momentum Challenge- My Manifesto

It's interesting, because although I am an artist, and the physical mark I want to leave on the world is my art, I know I have something more than a physical piece of artwork inside me- I have full knowledge of myself that has been gained through a lot of study, reflection, metacognition, and faith. I feel more ready to complete my current art project than ever before- but not for any physical reason, and not for any motivation having to do with tons of people wanting to buy my art (as a status symbol or collectible, or anything like that.)

Instead, what I have to share is on the inside, and it is being gloriously reflected on the outside as art, as the FRUITS of my thought process, prayer, and reflection.

For most of my life, I've been "plagued" by my many talents. What a burden it is to be a straight-A student for 17 years without trying, to remember almost anything I've ever learned or read or heard in a lecture, to be musically talented in multiple instruments AND voice, to have new ideas EVERY SINGLE MINUTE. I constantly berated god for his overabundance of gifts and lack of a road-map. Every decision I was about to make about my future would be blocked by the idea that if I chose to follow one path, I would be forfeiting another. I mean, only one person could be Leonardo Da Vinci, right? And he already did that.

Many people suffer from creative blocks, there are all kinds. My kind has to do with anxiety over choosing, because in the act of choosing one thing, that means all others are put to the side, at least for a moment. At some point in the last few months, I realized- if I NEVER choose, I will NEVER manifest anything. All that talent will go to waste, and I will die completely unfulfilled. My mission for myself is to trust myself, trust my choices, and love myself- which includes keeping promises to myself and keeping consistent so I can get results.

My Mission in life, therefore, is to find a way to encourage those who are blocking their true potential with anxiety to unblock and let their light shine.

I have so many anxieties, but through some very important study I've discovered that almost all of them have to do with not taking responsibility for my own actions, and trying to anticipate everyone else's. When you are living in that particular hell, you end up not caring for yourself, and being too wrapped up in everyone else's business to notice.

When I look back now over my life and call to mind what I might have had simply for taking and did not take, my heart is like to break. ~William Hale White

Day 1- Momentum Challenge.

I'm starting by thinking about this: What if I knew I had a year to live? What would I want to leave behind, as my legacy?

Since I am an artist, and primarily concerned with enjoying and creating beauty, I want to leave the world my art. Something beautiful and "keepable," something people will love, enjoy, and cherish.

I have been gifted with so many talents, and lately I've been searching deep within myself to figure out exactly why I haven't been successful with any of them. It's due to lack of focus. I agree with the idea of Multipotentiality- but I've also realized that a polymath like ME, not like any other polymath, needs to focus on one thing at a time. Multitasking doesn't work. So I've got goals now.

My first goal is to finish a product line that I've had on my mind for YEARS. Oh hell yes, I'm talking at least 10 years. I think about it... but I never truly act on it. I don't feel that I've wasted my time, not completely, because all the other experimenting and making I've been doing has led me to a place where I now know exactly what my product consists of, the steps to making it, and I can conceptualize what it will look like when I'm ready to sell it. So now I'm ready to commit.

So I need to quit writing now, and get back to drawing- because that's part of it. A very important part.

Letting Go and Moving Forward

I just let go of a project.

I was committed to it. Just not enough for the other people involved.

I have no hard feelings. I don't exactly feel relief, rather I feel an opening up, a void. I've got a project that has been on the back burner for a while, one that I feel will be lucrative. I just haven't had time to work on it, because I've been really tied up with other things and commitments to other people. Now that can fill the void.

It can be scary to let go, to move on. Especially when my project is really mine- which puts me in a place I have not been in a long time- on my own, alone, forging ahead. That means my success or failure is totally completely 100% in my own hands.

I have learned so much over the years- how to blog, how to write code, how to film videos, take photos, and teach others to do the same. I have had excellent feedback on all of these things, so I have complete confidence that I am capable of success.

Right now, in this moment, I want to start using myself up for everything I've got.

When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say, "I used everything you gave me." ~Erma Bombeck

I got interviewed!

It was so awesome to be on the receiving end of an interview, after all the long years of podcasting and videocasting. iCreateFlix is a classroom site where I've got some videos for sale, and they talked to me on BlogTalkRadio last week. Here me talk about living my creative life, writing the book with Ilysa, and growing up in a teaching family. Among other things :)

Check Out Art Podcasts at Blog Talk Radio with iCreateFlix Radio on BlogTalkRadio

One thing leads to another...

When we decided to write a book with a major publisher, we knew two things:

1. Some parts of it would be a pain in the rear (dealing with someone elses' deadlines and demands)
2. It would give us street-cred.

We were totally correct on both points. Going with a publisher means you get an editor, who may or may not work with you in the way you are best suited... it also means dealing with their schedule (they said our book would be available on September 20, and we noticed it was actually in stores and Amazon on August 23.... we actually MISSED the launch date of our own book because they forgot to tell us), and they had no marketing plan. WHAT! We are supposed to handle the marketing of our own book, totally on our own for that. So that's why they wanted us to have a strong social media platform. lol.

The street-cred thing is highly sought-after by artists. It seems that no matter how great you are at what you do, the crafting community only believes you are "real" if you've been published. I actually had someone say to me once, after I had been doing free monthly demos and teaching sessions for their polymer clay guild for several years, that I was not a "real" polymer clay teacher (because I was not published and/or traveling the country like a gypsy to teach in other cities). How do you think that felt?

I digress. It's finally here! Next month, on November 5th, I will have my first guest-post on www.CreateMixedMedia.com! I'm so psyched about that. And today I'm being interviewed by www.iCreateFlix.com for their podcast, as a guest teacher. And I have a guest post coming out on their blog later this month too, when I will be featured in their newsletter AND I'll be releasing a new class on making a mixed-media shrine with cutout niche. So cool.

The next step will be getting published in Cloth-Paper-Scissors.... and then I think I'll take over the world :)

Packing up for Craft Shows and such- Crafty Love Note # 3

At the end of October, I'm going to vend with a friend. It's mostly her booth, she's been doing it for a while and I'm just starting to poke my head into that world. So booth decor and a way to arrange my small items (mostly jewelry backstock) are on my mind.

I was at Michaels today and saw that they now have "suitcases" made out of cardboard. You know, in the boxes section where they have faux books, hatboxes and various sizes of decorative paper boxes. While I was looking at them, a thought occurred to me... Why not get one of them, and arrange the inside so that I can put all of my earrings and necklaces inside of it and have it totally ready- all I would have to do at the craft show is open it up and Voila- it's ready to go! My plan is to do some customization, the box I got is mostly black so I will probably add some paint to the outside and perhaps some other stuff, maybe paper, on the inside. I'm going to put ribbons in the lid, taut, so that I can slide earring cards in there. On the bottom, I intend to cut a piece of foamcore, wrap it in faux suede and lean it so that I can pin my necklaces inside. Then with some minor touchups, I should be able to sell jewelry right out of the box.

So here's my Crafty Love Note for you- always keep your mind totally open when you are browsing at the craft store! Sometimes I go there just to wander, think, and brainstorm and the most interesting connections get made in my mind. I problem solve and sometimes I walk out empty handed without buying anything. Today was my lucky day, because those boxes were 40% off. I might go back for more!

 

You're not crazy-

I grew up in an abusive household. I hate to say it, because my Dad is still around and although he didn't directly abuse me, ever, he did leave me and my siblings with an alcoholic mother to deal with while he worked. Adult children of alcoholics (that's what we're called) are codependent people. It's a fact, and it was in studying ACOAs that codependent behavior was actually discovered, categorized, and labeled. So there's no escaping it. Actually, it felt very liberating when I found out- no one wants to hear that they are codependent- but when you are actually diagnosed, it feels incredible.

I went to a therapist a couple years ago because I thought I was crazy. Insane. I was accepting behavior from those around me that was astonishingly terrible, and I was committing the same levels of atrocious behavior myself. Mostly I just felt like I was emotionally out of control. I wasn't going to do anything stupid. But I felt like I was absolutely stuck, especially in my relationship with my husband and my options for living my life. There were no boundaries between me, him, everyone, and my desires for my life were in no way being fulfilled.

When I discussed exactly what was going on with my doctor, she gave me the book Codependent No More and told me to read it asap. I saw myself in those pages and breathed a sigh of relief. And I believe there were tears too. I was NOT crazy, I am codependent. At least I could DO something about that. It's not easy- believe me.

What has helped? Well, at that time I was seriously seeking and trying hard to figure out what was wrong with me. I had already lost my faith (it's been found again...) so that was out. I turned to books like Byron Katie's Loving what is, and Louise Hay's You Can Heal Your Life.  If you are codie like me, I highly recommend both of them. They will change your life if you let them.

Now, when I'm frustrated, I turn to the Work- which has an amazing worksheet you can use for any situation to bring yourself back down to earth. This worksheet helps you to turn a situation inside out and see it from perspectives besides your own (which can be skewed by lack of boundaries, and lots of other things.) Louise's book and philosophy is all about positive affirmations. Which work. For a long time, when I was actively in therapy and studying to overcome the symptoms of codependency, my favorite was, and still is, "I am ok." As a child, I spent a lot of time being not ok- and as an adult, I sometimes need a reminder that even if I feel crazed, alone, or confused, in my present moment I am ok. Really.

Oh, the places you'll go...

Let's talk for a moment about places I've been, and places I want to go to.

I thought I might like to visit every country that starts with "I" first, since I've already got two under my belt- Italy and Ireland. Both beautiful places I very much wanted to see- Italy for the art, and Ireland because I'm an Irish lass- at least partially. I discovered interesting things in both places.

In Italy, I found that the most beautiful pieces of art are just lying around for everyone to see and touch. There are pieces of columns from the ancient Roman Forum just lying across the sidewalks. There are hand-carved marble Saints and nymphs adorning wall niches and fountains in very public, unprotected areas. It is strange and exciting, since here most of the art is in museums, behind glass or ropes. In Italy the art can be seen "in the wild," in it's natural intended everyday environment. My aunt that I travelled with would say, "What is that?" and I would answer, "Nothing special, just a fountain." Um, yeah, but the most beautiful fountain you ever laid eyes on...until the next one.

In Ireland, I discovered a wild place full of green. It was easy to believe the Faerie legends, deep in the dark woods next to streams and rocks as we hiked and climbed for better views. I also learned that with my dark hair, freckles, and green eyes, I am far more "Irish looking" than my fairer siblings. And I was told that the Irish genome is actually 96% Spanish, having been settled by Spaniards, hence the normal dark hair as opposed to light or red, which is what we think stereotypically as "Irish."

So the rest of the I countries are: Iran, Iraq and Israel... which I have absolutely no desire to visit... followed by Iceland and Indonesia, both strikingly different by highly desired due to the nature, and India. I would very much like to visit India without a schedule or plan, and with a whole lot of money for buying textiles and paper. I love the colors of India, and I would love to just go there and ask people to point me in the direction of some good local fabric dyers and artisans.

The other places I would really like to go? The countryside of China has some gorgeous mountains and rivers. Japan. Paris, of course. London, maybe...but it's lower on the list. Barcelona, Greece (Mykonos, actually.) Istanbul, when it's safe. I would have liked to see Egypt, but right now, not on the list. I would love to cruise the Aegean Sea.

I think I need to start saving a boatload of cash!

My Inner World

I've spent a lot of time alone in my life. When I was young, it was due to several things... I was a geek and a bit different, so there was that... but I also had a crazy mother. I mean it. She had some really strange ideas about life, and those ideas kept me, the oldest child, from having fun. Because she was nuts, it limited me- both by her "rules," and by the fact that I often did not want to bring other people or friends into my crazy world.

By age 8, I was practicing the piano 1 hour every day... by 13, it was 2 hours. So after school, which I usually walked home from, I did homework and practiced. When I joined band and track team, it was stay at school for that, walk home, 2 hours of piano, and homework. I was a straight-A student, so I did all of my homework and studying.. and was in bed by 9. So there was not a lot of time for friends outside of school and school activities. I did not have a phone or TV, and if I wanted to talk on the phone I had to do it in the kitchen (where my mother could hear me.) I had no privacy unless I was in my room, alone. If I wanted to play outside, I had to take my younger siblings with me. If I wanted to go out with friends, my mother would first ask me 50 questions, call the mom or dad, criticize what I chose to wear, and then tell me I had to be home by 10 (plans would often start around 9 pm.) Often I would just give up and decide not to go anywhere but instead sit alone in my room.

I became my own best friend, designing art, reading, talking to myself, and wishing for a different life. When the opportunity to go away to college finally came, I left and went as far away as the SUNY system would take me.

So for much of my young life, being alone was both a negative and a positive thing. Nowadays, I am content in my own company but I also long for balance. I enjoy time with friends, but I like it in small doses. I especially enjoy meeting and talking with strangers, which is why craft shows are very appealing to me- I can get to know someone quickly, compliment them, find out what makes them tick, and then they leave me alone. I largely live in my inner world, I don't watch much TV and don't like gossip. Perhaps I am so used to being alone that the expectations of long-standing friendships are difficult for me. For example, I can't imagine what it would be like to have a friend I spoke with on the phone every week. What on earth would we talk about? lol.

How do YOU feel when you are by yourself?

What is your favorite color?

I say this using my best Monty Python English accent, because I just love it when they tell the guy he is wrong and he dies....

How can you have a "wrong" favorite color? Mine is absolutely FF3399.

I shudder to think that it is "hot pink," that description takes me back to 1986... 7th grade... bad hair, braces, Catholic school uniforms, a crush on the wrong boy, and lots of other 13 year old nonsense.

So I will just stick with FF3399, because I think this color defies description. It is neither magenta nor fuchsia, and calling it pink simply doesn't do it justice. I have it in my hair, on my lips, and on way too many clothing and accessory items including rhinestone earrings, scarves, a gorgeous druzy necklace... I have a huge faux flower leaning over the side of my monitor in this color, my Ikea lamp is this color, actually when I look around my art room, I am amazed at how much I do gravitate towards having items in this color in my space.

Then I look around again and notice that I have a lot of black and white in my wardrobe and studio as well, probably to counterpoint the fact that I pick this heavy pink color for all the little things. It is totally subconscious, but now I suppose I will begin noticing it more, since I brought it to my own attention...

What is YOUR favorite color? Do you just like it, or are you passionately in love with it, as I seem to be with mine?

What is driving me, right now...

At this moment, I am crazy about making 100% of my income myself. I mean, emphatic. I need to stop doing the odd jobs that bring me a subsistance income, and start doing the passion work... the making of my own shiz... the stuff that won't make me angry to do because I know I will be directly paid what I am worth to do it.

I'm working really hard on Dream Your Success right now, because I know, in my heart, that we have the BEST... the ABSOLUTE best business and life coaching program for artists who want to succeed online. We have checked out the others- FLUFF, I tell you. Our program is fun and a lotta work- because it is true, no matter what they want to tell you- that you will need to learn and apply some things in order to get it done and sell your creations. We don't just tell you what to do, we SHOW you, teach you, encourage you, and have LIVE sessions every other week in case you need even more assistance. (Clients absolutely LOVE the live coaching.)

And I'm working hard on CraftyLink, because community is where it's at.

And the third thing driving me is my new product line, because jewelry is such a saturated market that it has become pretty hard to stand out from the crowd, and almost impossible to get accepted into art shows selling jewelry. So this requires some thought and planning to "break out of the mold," especially when the book Ilysa and I just wrote is on...wait for it... art jewelry!

So- I'm driven in three concurrent directions, all of them geared towards my ultimate goal of a real sustainable 5 figure income from my efforts.

What is driving you?

Crafty Love Notes #2: Innovate!

I love texture, in case you haven't noticed. I had been thinking for a while, gee, wouldn't it be grand if I could pre-texture the backgrounds of my paintings, instead of having to add it at the end with texture pastes and the like? I had also been drooling over embossing machines for many reasons, probably ever since I played with the Vintaj Sizzix at CHA last year.

So I asked my Dad for the Anna Griffin special edition Cuttlebug for my birthday. The reason I wanted that one is because it came with 12 pretty folders, so could get started right away! So I did a sample of each folder that I have, and then I started looking around the room seeing what other flat textured items I might be able to roll through it!

I have a giant pile of punchanella, some of it interesting shapes like stars and flowers. The star piece is just the right width to go through the machine. But it's not a folder, it lacks the thickness- and these machines are calibrated to take a certain thickness or they just don't work. So- I kept searching around my room and this is what I came up with-

I used the spacer block and the two embossing plate thingies that came with the machine. I laid down a thick-ish silicone mat that is used for baking (I use it for clay), then the paper (cardstock) with the star punchanella on top. Those were sandwiched between the 2 B embossing plates. Under that sandwich, I stuck a piece of matt board that I cut to size, as a "shim." Now, you can buy shims for your machine- but WHY would you spend money on what is essentially a thin piece of cardboard????

The result of my efforts is down below, a groovy textured piece of cardstock. Moral of the story? Open your Eyes, Look around you, and TRY NEW THINGS. You never know what you might discover!

 

What did you do to your hair! On going pink....

Yesterday, I spent an absurd (!!!) amount of money in a hair salon.  My hair was double-processed, the brown parts were all returned to my natural dark brown color and I had ombre pink and purple strips put into the front. All part of my birthday present to myself :)

In the future, I will keep adding more crazy colors to the front until I am saturated- right now, I had the strips put in so I could start getting used to it- I was a little afraid to go pink because I'm always nervous to let the real me out to play. What will people say or think? Then I have to remind myself that I don't really care, do I?

I love my hair right now...although I saw a girl at the salon and I've decided I want to look more like her- hair to mid-shoulders, black with blue and aqua strips. She was wearing it in a really interesting style, part braided and part pompadour in the front. So cute. Not that I want blue hair, but once you bleach the color out of an area, you pretty much end up with a part of your hair that can be any color at any time- there are no permanent crazy colors, so every color you put in immediately starts to fade and has to be freshened up often... so it becomes easy to say, let's be pink this week! or Blue, or Turquoise....

My newest Creations

So I really enjoy doing tiny piecework with polymer clay. However, I don't really enjoy doing it over and over and over again. I love the idea of molding my own original artwork and casting it, and coloring it by hand. That way I can labor over the creation of the original until it is perfect, and mold it indefinitely  trying out different color combinations, antiquing, beading, and such.

I made several originals last weekend- three of them have a little well or frame in the center so I can change what goes there- a word, phrase, affirmation, poem, blessing, whatever.

Right now I'm on a quest to find the absolute best medium to cast them in. I tried Cool2Cast, which is a fiber infused plaster product. However, when you cast it thin, as these are, they are extremely fragile. You could snap them in half. That's why I only have 2 to show, because one of them broke into three pieces, and the other one I'm not willing to spend the time working on because it won't be sellable. Instead I'm dreaming up some new original sculpts and I really want to take it 3D as well, and make some small sculptures I can then cast and paint.

It's so fun birthing a new idea, especially since these have turned out better than I even imagined!

Crafty Love Note # 1- never use anything for what it's intended for!

I am the QUEEN. I mean it, no one else can claim this title. I'm going to take you on a little verbal tour of my studio and tell you what I've got going on in here and then show you my favorite product "mis-use."
I have two Ikea desks. They both have glass tops because I can put clay, apoxy, and paint all over them and then scrape it off. LOVE them. On top of those desks, I have two shoe organizers, the kind that go in the bottom of your closet. They do NOT hold shoes, rather they hold a variety of art supplies, some in clear plastic shoe-boxes, of course. I find that the thinner profile of the shelves is perfect for art supplies.
In one of the shoe thingies, I have a tray- the big kind you use to serve drinks. It does not serve drinks, instead it holds onto the most recent unfinished project or parts of projects that I am currently working on, so I can throw the little parts and pieces in there and find them again.
Above my computer monitor, which is balanced on top of two small drawer pencil organizers that do not hold pencils, I have a "dream-fish-net." You read that correctly. Instead of a board, I attached a 4x5 foot fishnet using command hooks (the adhesive kind) and all the flotsam and jetsom of inspiration gets tangled in that net. I put artwork, paper flowers, two big starfish (used to live in Florida) a ceramic bird, a piece of my own finished art, and whatever else wants to land there right in plain view.
And the creme-de-la-creme is the rolling cart that does not roll. It's too perfect, perched in the corner ON TOP of the desk. The drawers are organized not by type of supply, but by the type of project I will use them on. For example, my gelli plate is in a drawer with two brayers, some bubble wrap, and the 4 colors of paint I use most. The other paints are in another drawer with the mediums I use most, except for the lightweight modeling paste, which is in a drawer with the tools I use with it most... and so on.

Think outside of the box, and you will find efficient ways to be organized!

Mixed-Media Girl Paintings

I've always loved drawing and painting, but there is also almost always something lacking. I would NEVER just paint on a canvas, how BORING! When I discovered light modeling paste, something clicked. Then I discovered that if you mix in cheap craft paint, and I mean CHEAP, you can get some great translucent effects. The craft paint that comes in a little bottle for around $.89 is what I'm talking about. No Liquitex artist paint here! It's too nice! It covers too well! I love a nice translucent layer of modeling paste, usually pushed through some kind of texturing tool or stencil, to hide and reveal my background layers.

I will try to list the products I'm currently using, there are SO many! Let's see.... canvas of course as a base, 12x12 paper collaged for a background, clear gesso, pan pastels, mechanical pencil, Copic markers, punchanella, light modeling paste, craft paint, Liquitex acrylics both heavy body and basics in tube, a brayer and assortment of brushes, stencils for cupcakes, PYMII, glitter and glitter glue by Jones Tones, K&Company borders for scrapbooking. I may have forgotten something, but oh well!

I'm working on a new body of work to show to the Austin Craft Riot so I can partner with my friend Deanna and do a show at the end of August. I can't do jewelry locally as the market is SATURATED! I actually think perhaps the time has come for a promoter to do a handmade jewelry show, so that everyone who makes jewelry can get together and have parties of their own.

 

 

Can I just say how much I love Pan Pastels?

Compared with other, wet, messy art supplies, these things are AMAZING! I drew a picture and "painted" it this morning in about 5 minutes. Of course, the background had been created over time, as a by-product of some other mixed media experiments with my gelli plate and sprayed inks. I love the idea of keep a stack of backgrounds around and then whipping up a pretty face using my pastels right over the top, which allows the layers underneath to show through. So awesome!

 

 

All I want to do is BellyDance!

Ugh! And let me tell you, finding a class series and actually completing the sign up process here in Austin has been a nightmare.

Rachel Brice, image from http://paisleycurtain.blogspot.com/

1. All you dance instructors should get together and create a master site where interested parties can watch a short video of your dance style and teaching style, and link to an ACTUAL calendar of your classes, with buttons to buy a seat in the class.

2. Websites for single artists should really have working links to actual calendars and purchasing mechanisms.

UGH! I spent an hour trying to find a class I could sign up for. And WTF! Why are ALL beginning Bellydance classes on Tuesday nights? Could someone PLEASE diversify and offer a different night? It's the only night of the week I actually have a schedule problem, and ALL of the classes are then. UGH! My husband said it's probably due to competition or something. Come on, women, cooperate!

OK, rant over. I emailed two teachers trying to get a response and sign up for something, we shall see what happens....

Heavy Heart

Today I write with a heavy heart. We discovered that someone had done something illegal and wrong in our business dealings. The story is here, if you are interested.

 The backlash has been interesting- of course people who know this artist as a "friend" are in support of her, whatever she does. People who are more business minded are questioning whether she did it or not- what are the facts? The fact is, she did it. She can't refute that she broke a contract and pirated DVDs that belong to my company, and sold them on her own.

 Why did she do this? Why does she feel she has a right to tell everyone that we are mean and nasty people who only want to defame her? Why does she feel she has done absolutely nothing wrong (she actually told me that in a private message.)

 Well, I guess that has to do with why anything happens in this life. We could continue. Why did god let both my mothers die? Why do drunk drivers live, and kill whole families in crashes? Shit happens. I have no control over anyone but me. I did nothing wrong.

We didn't want to get into a lawsuit where the guilty party would just throw up her hands and say "I never sold a DVD." (She would do that, she doesn't keep good records and probably doesn't even actually know how much money she has stolen from me at this point.) So we did what we felt was right- we told all the guild leaders about the situation, sent them copies of the fronts of the DVDs that she has pirated from our company, and asked them to not allow her to sell them illegally at workshops and retreats.

We put a message on Facebook about it, because most of our peeps hang out there and would be able to spread the word so more people would know. Hey, it's our product we are talking about here- why would we want to put "bad" or "mean and nasty" public statements online about our product that we are trying to sell? We only want to tell the truth, so that it doesn't continue to happen.

Do you know how many artists face issues with copyright? So many. And for this person to do it to us is terrible. And she is continuing to uphold her "side" of the story. What side is that, that it is ok to steal and break the law?

I'm an Author!

When our book hit Amazon's "shelves" this week, it became official! It's so awesome to see your name in print. But what has been even more incredible is to see the comps of what the design team at F&W Media has done with our art and jewelry. The inside of this book is GORGEOUS! I'm upset I can't share it with you. You will just have to buy one for yourself and see.

Right now, it's a good time to get it- because it is on a deep discount for pre-ordering, since it won't be available until September. The list price is $24.95, but I think I saw it for $15 yesterday.

Here's a Link!

Experiments in green smoothies.

So I've been watching all kinds of food documentaries lately. Wanting to be more healthy, Wanting to eat more vegetables and fruit, Wanting to look and feel better, Wanting to drop the weight that I added when I let myself go.

Juicing seemed a viable option, But very expensive and I don't own a juicer. I do however have a kitchen ninja. So today I decided to see if it was up to the task of puréeing some fruits and vegetables.

Here's what I got: large leaf spinach, Kale, Strawberries, Plum Orange, Gala apples, Peruvian mango, banana.

What I ended up putting in: Four stalks of kale, two large spinach leaves, Half of the Apple, Orange, mango and banana, and Five strawberries. Then my ninja chopped them all up into tiny little pieces. The result was 30 ounces of green vegetable sludge. It actually tasted really good but seemed like it would be hard to swallow.

So I poured some out and I decided to add some soymilk.

Voilà, vegetable and fruit perfection. It tastes great and there's lots of servings of my daily veggies and fruits, No added sugar, And drinkable through a straw, which is very important to me. Lol.

My goal is to drink three glasses of this each day instead of having breakfast and lunch. We'll see how that goes.

Then I'll eat dinner with the hubby which is usually some form of lentil and barley soup. Sometimes with curry, sometimes with mushrooms, sometimes with potatoes, And once in a while with sausage. We're trying to eat meat very infrequently. We shall see how that goes since we're both huge meat eaters. And I do mean huge, no pun intended.

Sea Siren Santos doll in construction

I am submitting this doll to ArtDoll Quarterly next week. They are having a santos challenge and I felt compelled to make one. I got an awesome idea today while trying to position the shells under the cage... Instead, I will capture them with string, as if a net were tangled in her dress. I can't wait to see how it comes out!

 

 

Creative Every Day

Creative every moment is more like it! Sometimes I go into a trance. Some people call it "flow," when you become absorbed into thought and creative problem solving in such a way that you space out for a minute or three and when you come up for air, you've got a new idea. I've been following this site for years now, called Creative Every Day, and you can go check out other's like me on this post- where we are all linked up together, feeding off the creative energy of like-minds.

What will YOU do this year to support your creative efforts? To me, it's not "making art" that is a creative activity. It's coming up with interesting solutions to life's every-day issues. For example, right now my art is taking over my living room. We can't have anyone over, and I can't do what I really want- which is to have several projects going on at once, filming stuff out and ready, etc. So I'm about to rent a small climate-controlled storage room over at Public Storage- you know, the big orange-doored building. I'll be busy inside, listening to Spotify with my daylight lamps on... and we will be able to enjoy our living room and have a couple people over for drinks.

Valentine digital art

I got a wonderful little app yesterday called Procreate. Because I have a good knowledge of graphics programs, it was really easy to figure out. Here's a little treat for you... Valentines Day is almost upon us, so this Rumi quote was appropriate on this image of a winged heart.

 

 

Using Graphix Rubons in interesting ways

So today in my Live show at CraftyLink.com, I decided to pull out some classic fun products- Graphix Rubon film, Grungeboard, and Gold leaf- the three G's! lol.

I made a set of drops destined to become earrings. If you want to join in on the fun, you can join our community where you can chat with me during the show, ask questions, and win prizes!

How to make a Santos or cage doll

This morning I was making art jewelry with two part epoxy clay. I had some clay left over so I decided to start a santos doll. These are made with the cage on the bottom for a dress and usually hold a religious artifact. Mine will be a memorial to the sea which I used to live near and now I miss.

This is only the beginning and it's made from bamboo skewers. Clay takes overnight to cure so I will post more pictures later.