catalyst

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i've realized over the past 5 years of being self-employed that i work best under pressure. i can create all the deadlines i want...but without some sort of outside repercussions it may get pushed aside until the last minute
for random side jobs or do something fun.
so a few months ago i applied for a bunch of craft shows. I had yet to get into the studio for a full day in almost two years and was still shuffling around old work trying to make it look new.

So my catalyst was Craftland, a really fun show/store on Westminster Street in Providence.
I had my deadline... asap... sweet!
Thank you Craftland and Devienna :) another jewelry girl making it happen. check her out www.dametals.com

Working in my studio is fun, so it's hard to say '"i have to work'" and push aside the other responsibilities that I've taken on. Mostly Sandywoods Farm stuff. fruit orchard that needed staking, craft show that needs planning, board of directors treasury updates an on and on. so i apologized to the farm every time i stepped outside for a break, feeling guilty but excited because i was actually making work. to sell.


that week was so good. i woke early, went into the studio with my freshly pressed coffee, good music and worked into the night. just making...and it was lovely.

the super elated feeling of creating has come back. i forgot how good that feels.

focus pocus

 inspired and creating.

gently falling into the rhythm of late summer hurricane swell, my little guy starting preschool and endless craft show applications. in the studio almost every day now. making, musing and generally excited about the challenges ahead of me. it's fun, making, selling, even not selling (like the show i did this past weekend) there are ups and downs..a friend say's running a craft business "is like a roller coaster" i like that...though I prefer a slow and steady rise and fall in terms of business.

    

the potpourri of jobs that got me through the past two years has slowly been taken over by the confidence that time spent in the studio will once again be productive. it has to be.

like dropping into a wave, you have to be be committed. hesitation or uncertainty will result in failure. i did that today and experienced a thorough underwater tumble over many large, but somehow soft rocks. then you just have try it all over again, but only if your energy and determination allow. uncertainty will at least slow you down, resulting in less than optimal performance. but sometimes insecurity creeps in, though i'm not sure if it's mine or that of others, weaving their way into my thoughts.  i don't have time to hesitate.

so...

 focus. focus. focus.

be the ocean

"The best moments in our lives are not the passive, receptive, relaxing time… The best moments usually occur when a person’s body or mind is stretched to its limits in a voluntary effort to accomplish something difficult and worthwhile." - Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

summer

in between mornings spent sipping coffee on the porch and climbing into bed with the windows open there is a quiet summer that dances in and out of days. almost overlooked in the rush to take in as much sun and outdoor activity that will fit into the short summer months of new england. soft quiet moments flit in and out, gone almost before they begin. It's a pleasure to tease them out of their hiding places and  grab them tightly.

balance

when night falls and the wee one is sleeping I recapture the feeling that drew me to making jewelry. silence fills my studio, the stresses of everyday life trickle away and creativity takes over that space. before long the air becomes heavy with the tapping of my hammer and smooth ripping sound of the saw against metal. The sweet pungent smells of flux and pickle comfort me as I solder, heat and re-heat. the ideas and inspiration stored up from days in the ocean and evenings in the garden that i was sure were lost forever gather themselves together and organize into more ideas than i have time for. i used to spend 40+ hours a week in my studio, now i'm lucky if i spend 4.

Finding the balance between work and play, Ryder time and mommy time, cleaning jobs and jewelry is a constant challenge. A wonderful one though because the rewards are so sweet when everything comes together. Coming off of a week where thoughts of getting a 'real job' were becoming a reality, I had a great show in Marion, MA. full of excited customers who loved my work and actually bought a bunch of it.  then i got to spend the last three steamy summer days at the beach, building sand castles and playing in the surf watching my son grow with every tumble under the waves.