Personal Pyramids

What is it about humankind that we feel we need to leave something lasting that will outlive us? Although I don't make jewelry, metalwork and beadwork with the specific intention that it will outlive me, many of the items will. But will they be valued? Or will they be Goodwill or garage sale items that will be snatched up by others, disassembled, and remade into the next artifact? And if so...is that so bad? My beadwork can easily be disassembled into constituent parts and reused. After all, they are small pieces of glass with holes in them and those pieces can be restrung in infinite ways. But my metalwork and enamelwork may be a different story - they are harder to disassemble, harder to remake into new items. I have hopes that my items won't be thrown into corners and ignored. I have hopes that my designs will spur someone else to understand the playfulness behind them. In the high ideal I hope they become collectibles. In the more realistic ideal, I just hope that they bring joy to future owners. I suppose that's not a bad way to obtain my own small bit of immortality.

My holiday gifts have been received (my sister hasn't acknowledged her gift, but everyone else has so I assume that she also got hers). So I thought I'd share a photo of what my friend Sharon received. I had a lot of fun making this bracelet and it is similar to items that will be up for sale on my Etsy and Art Fire websites later this year (ideally by the end of January, more realistically by the end of February - LOL).

The Salt Mines Beckon

My Mother used to have a saying - "Back to the salt mines...". Well, today is back to the salt mines for me and my staff as we return to a standard work schedule, inventory, and a balky furnace at the shop. It is really easy to get personal creativity pushed under by our daily concerns and life problems. A creative person, however, will always find some time to do something that will be out of the rut. So, look carefully around you - is there an unusual color combination lurking in your junk pile? Is there a sketch book calling your name? How about doing what I want to get done within the next week - decorating my permanent shopping bag that my local grocer provides. There are hundreds of opportunities awaiting - anything from writing in your daily blog to working on a large commission piece. Just allow yourself a few minutes from the routine to explore these opportunities and embrace them.

I'm looking forward to opening up my E-stores later this month. I'll be sure to let all of you know when I finally do. I want to make sure that I have ample available stock to start with and things to add regularly because that is necessary to a successful venture. A bit of focus for my studio days :-))

Happy New Year - Pray for Peace

It seems sometimes as if the world moves too quickly. The next year is upon us at last, and many will be happy to see the end of 2008, looking towards 2009 as the opportunity to start anew. I celebrate the new year at the equinox - when Spring returns life to the lands and new possibilities are rampent. But I will celebrate with the calendrical world as well, because starting anew with new goals and possibilities is always a good thing. So, here's a picture of fireworks - because I love their transient, colorful bursts of light against a darkling sky. Smile and enjoy the beauty.

And, the new year also bespeaks the mundane - inventory and taxes (ICKY). We will be starting our annual year-end inventory soon. Now, in a store that carries more than 25,000 individual items, many of which are large quantities broken down into much smaller quantities, inventory could be daunting. However, we actually do physical counts of inventory year-round, so we don't need to spend the next two weeks counting every earwire. But, it's not the most entertaining activity that we do, and we will all be glad when I have enough data to allow the spot checks to end for my year-end numbers.

Tonight - whenever your New Year arrives, please join me in a prayer to the Creator for a softening in the hearts of mankind and the arrival of true peace in our lives. Peace means that people must bend a bit to see the viewpoint of others and the commonality of those views. As long as people are ruled by dogma, true peace will not be achievable. Please bend and see the viewpoint of others to bring peace into your own lives this coming year.

PEACE, LOVE, HARMONY - From our voices to the Creator's ear

Journal in a Jar

On Tuesday, December 2nd, Mary Hunt suggested a unique gift for the holiday called a Journal in a Jar. Mary writes a column called "Everyday Cheapskate" and I have found many of her suggestions to be very worthwhile. The Journal in a Jar appealed to me on many levels. Here's what is involved: Assemble in a container everything that the recipient would need to write a journal about his/her life. This starts out with a blank journal and several writing implements and at least 365 separate questions that could be answered - allowing for a full year of answered questions that will explore many aspects about that person. Many years ago I asked my Dad to do something similar to this. Unfortunately, even though he was an author, he never turned his writing skills to this. But I can and you can, no matter what your age. Mary provided hundreds of potential questions for all types of age groups on her website (DebtProofLiving.com). Go to "Mary's Web Desk" under "Quicklinks" at the left side of her home page.

What brings this to the forefront so long after the original article was published? On Saturday December 27th, my hometown newspaper published 47 questions for a Journal in a Jar and there are even more available now at the MinnMoms forum. I am going to take some of these questions and answer them over the next year as a way of exploring myself. I believe that knowing myself better, my artwork will be more personal, more focused, and a more well-rounded experience. I urge my readers to allow themselves the opportunity to answer some of these questions for themselves. Self-exploration and self-realization can only be positive and help all of us "find ourselves" - a goal that many of us "flower children" had while we were growing up in the 60's.

Sunday - In the Groove

Sunday is usually not a day that is "special", instead it is a day off from work and a day that I can catch up on some sleep. But the first Sunday after Christmas is always very special - I not only get to sleep in, but I get the first Sunday off in weeks. I absolutely relished the day and loved every minute of it. My wonderful DH made breakfast for us - ham and cheese omelettes with link sausages. YUMMY. Then he settled down to play Lord of the Rings Online for a while (for most of the day, actually), I went to the grocer to get a newspaper and a few items and then I picked up my book. Around the middle of the day we went to JC Penny's to exchange a couple of silk blouses that were too small, and then we decided to just go back home for the rest of the day. I prepped some copper pieces for my next enameling time, then read my "History of Middle Earth - Book 1" for a while. The day was relaxed, enjoyable, and very needful.

One of the wonderful gifts that my DH gave me for the holidays was the complete episodes collection of the Man From U.N.C.L.E. on DVDs. We've been watching some episodes every night. I remember how hard I worked to get my parents to permit me to watch the show when it was first broadcast. My cousin, Missy, would often come over from her home across the street and we would watch the episode together. The show was not on the "approved" list of the PTA, so it took some talking to get my parents to allow us to watch it. My parents also restricted the amount of TV that I was allowed to watch - maybe that's why I love books so much and tend to find ways to entertain myself fairly easily. Studies have also been made suggesting that less TV can equal greater creativity. Certainly something to think about.