K.I.S.S.

Yaaah.  After the holidays were over, I was in severe lag time ...no mojo ...no studio creative juice.  It was awful.  I literally pace the floor when I am in-between creative projects.  If I could walk vertically, I'd certainly be climbing the walls.  My dear husband has learned these signals and patiently observes without comment.  For two weeks I would walk into the studio and diddle with picking up this and that and make no headway at all.  Finally, I decided I had far too many bits and pieces that had been around for ages ...perhaps had been given to me ...maybe I didn't even like them very much ...but kept them around "because."  It occurred to me that in my state of mind, and after so much time off, any piece I might work on was not likely to be something I was pleased with.  In fact, I spent a day trying to solder pieces, etc., and felt like my skills had been slipping.  ...Talk about frustration and despair!  The following morning, I came across a wonderful video by Ira Glass.  I had seen it before, but this video ought to be on the "watch this" list every time I start thinking my artsy creations are crappy.  The man gives a wonderful perspective for beginning creatives at any level.  His message is basically: our taste is better than our skill and it takes lots of practice, but improvement will come, and it may take years to get to our goal ...so be patient and keep on going.

 

So, with a renewed outlook, I began to do some simple beading , making  stretchy  bracelets with some wood beads I had.  I really enjoyed combining wood with brass beads, and made several. I will be taking them to the boutique to sell, and I hope they all go together.  As a stack they are quite striking in a casual sophisticated way.

 Then, I turned my attention to some unusual wooden beads of grape wood that came together beautifully with a carved animal charm that had fallen off an old necklace, and some less than lovely rhinestone rondelle spacer beads, a few other odds and ends, and it seemed to me that grunge magic happened.  I love this pair of bracelets and want to make a bunch more!

...And because I felt obligated...

I turned out a few Valentine hearts too.

As it turned out, January ended up leaving me feeling as if I had accomplished far more than I expected to and pushed me into February ready to hit the ground running again.

**MORAL OF MY STORY:  When I am challenged with being stuck in a rut, do something simple and just get moving and it will all come back before I know it.

Wine & Cheese

I have been selling some of my jewelry.  OK,

I stumbled into a fabulous little boutique that specializes in Interior Design and has some wonderful items for the home and features hand-made decor too.  I have often wondered how jewelry fits in ...but why not???  We women love our jewelry.  One for the house and one for me!

A few days ago the store held an open house with wine and cheese tasting and invited customers to come in and meet their artists.  I have never done anything quite like this and I don't do wine or large parties, and not so much cheese, but I am looked forward to enjoying a good time out of the house.  An event like this absolutely requires a "canvas" for showing off my artisan OOAK (one of a kind) jewelry, and I worked against deadline to make something to wear with an outfit I will be wearing for the first time.

For over a year now (I have had a very long "To-Do" list) I have planned to incorporate a knit lace edging for an old knit silk camisole.  It's OLD.  Old enough that I didn't mind once that it stopped right at my waist and showed just a little skin.  Now, the horrors of my muffin top would leak out of that gap and I ain't showing no one my muffin!  So, when I came across this gorgeous pink yarn that matched color perfectly I set yarn and top aside.  Now, finally, it is complete and I will be wearing that with my white linen pants and big shirt.  But what jewelry to wear?!!!  ...So off I went to Michael's and struck gold.  Beautiful slabs of pink dyed Imperial Jasper to make a "Pebble and Bam-Bam" style necklace, and bracelet too, but the bracelet didn't get done in time for the event.

Shalimar the Muse

The past two weeks you would have found me very busy in the studio.  Diligently working away to get it just the way I want it, it is still only a partially defined idea in my head.  It evolves from day to day just as any creative project does, determined by the process and what I have on hand, and what my feelings are telling me. I try to think something out ahead, then revise and re-think as I go along.  It works for me, but at times it is frustrating because of snags along the way.

Something I decided months ago, was that I needed NEEDED to have a bust to display
jewelry on.   I bought a plastic form at the local flea market for $5!  Can't beat that, but they can be found online for $7 new +shipping.  Originally, the plan was to decoupage old sheet music, floral papers ...??? and use it as a necklace display for photos.  That idea changed drastically when I saw a Pin (sorry, it came and went) that stuck in my head, of an artist's rendition of a goddess.  She had a few strands of curly hair that looked as if they were snatched from a Saint Bernard, and a vintage vamp face with a lace tiara.  I loved that crazy lady and had to try to re-create her for myself.  For a very long time, I have had a Boho/gypsy muse who whispered to me that her name is "Shalimar," a mysterious name that might mean "abode of love" or ...something else.  It is a contrived and decimated Hindi word that apparently would be described as slang in English.   Shalimar dances around a fire of creativity.  In the Chinese Five Elements, Fire represents passion ...having your heart in all you do.  That is exactly what I want for my studio, and I am listening to my muse.

Yes, It's a Hole In The Ceiling

...All because water began dripping from the ceiling a few weeks ago. When the plumber came and cut the hole, we could see the upstairs shower pan was not doing its job, and so the fun began.Since last Monday, a contractor with his one-man crew has removed all tiles from the shower, rebuilt a shower pan, and will re-tiled the whole thing. Looking at tile, and with a new look about to happen, I really am happy to have some choice in what is going to replace the 30 year old tile. This is exciting, and I happen to adore rustic, and this house is a "colonial" style as interpreted by middle America. So, the big question is ... do I go with standard middle American taste, or be daring and follow my own desires in this? I am dangerously leaning toward right-brain lately, so I am almost positive what the answer will be. ...And if I had a huge bank account, I would certainly be incredibly outrageous. The whole house would become artisan, all restraint gone!

The old square tiles will be banished to the past, and replaced with luscious creamy Travertine tiles. A softer natural stone cousin to marble, it has a rustic (yay!) quality that has become very mainstream. That is not the least of it however, as I have had in mind to update the bathroom for some time. Really, since I bought the house 9 years ago, I have detested the old faded red wallpaper, and the cracks in the floor, and mold in the shower. It was all an "UGH" look. A few years ago, one of my sons helped me along by changing out the vanity counter, and new sinks and faucets were put in place. Now, with the new tile, it is absolute that the walls, trim, lighting, and lack of medicine cabinets must be taken care of.

What has me worried is the hole in the kitchen ceiling. Because it has that nasty "popcorn" effect, a patch would be awful looking. The entire ceiling must be scraped (?) and repaired and painted. It will take over a week, and I have been told the room will be cocooned in plastic. Does this sound like I won't have access, and therefore not be cooking? I feel like I have somehow entered an alternate reality of getting just what I asked for.

Finding myself

Well, for starters, finding myself is not as easy as it might seem it should be. After all, I have a lot of years of expectation dust to clear off. Someone should invent a spiritual vacuum cleaner that will do it all in a flash. That would be easy. It has occurred to me that once one finds oneself, then the work of staying found begins. Just like cleaning house, the house will not stay clean unless there is constant concentrated effort to keep it clean. ...And isn't it much more fun to just play all the time? ...And wouldn't it be great if life was always kind and people were always kind and did the right things and took care of their own business? ...And wouldn't it be great if we were raised up to be knowing who we are instead of some version of what our cultural surround wants us to be?

It seems to me that the more I look for myself, the more I see I am lost. So, looking back to the last post, where I suggested that the process is a little easier if we focus on what things we like and enjoy doing, I have been finding more of myself in this action. So, actually, I have moved the second question: "What do I love to do and couldn't do without?" up to first place. My list looks something like this:

• I love knitting, beading, sewing?, making jewelry, …being artistic!
• I love being impulsive and in the moment.
• I love teaching to a big group.
• I love my acupressure and hypnosis career.
• I love my home.
• I love my husband.
  

Now, I said "something like this" because it has changed a few times. My first list had loving the hubby in second place. After a few days, however, I realized that this really didn't define who I am, and the focus has been shifting to those self-defining loves. In many ways, loving my husband does define who I am, and so it remains on the list, but as this is dependent on a changing, growing, renewing partnership, it is not who I am. The first on the list is very important. Being creative especially defines who I feel I am. I am currently focusing on increasing my creativity, looking for new ways of doing things, creating something new and wonderful, even if it is not so in anyone else's opinion. At one time in my life, I was much more free to explore my creativiyt. Now, I have boundaries of family needs, financial needs, etc. So, I make it a point to set aside time for myself. That's important!

In order to fuel creativity, it is essential to just do it, and forgo all judgmental criticism. Why? ...Because criticism puts on the brakes. Creativity comes in a flow, in the flash of the moment, and if you stop the flow, it's gone and more reluctant to flow the next time.

My latest efforts are getting ready for a holiday boutique. After 5 1/2 years of knitting, I have a laundry basket full of creations that need a home. I have also been toying with setting up an etsy store. It isn't nearly ready to go active, but I do hope to have it up in time to send off some special creations to someone who will adore having them.



My on the needles project? ...A joyful scarf in holiday colors that will send the message that whoever wears it is a merry person.