Tag: crafting

Been Bitten by the Creative Bug Yet?

~ humoringthegoddess ~ 9 Comments
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Yesterday in Wisconsin it was 46 degrees. Tomorrow the high is supposed to be 2.

Welcome to Wisconsin.

Christmas was hectic and stressful. I figured this winter weather would flatten any Creative balloon I was riding for some time to come. I cleaned out my library/art room/craft room, (↑) since it had stayed dormant since my last craft show. I finished my Art Series …. (more to come!) I thought about what was next — diamond paintings or more circle of life (?) sketches or sewing sparkles on a few T-shirts or coloring mandalas in coloring books.  

Nothing sparked any interest. Cold weather makes me lethargic. Very cold weather makes me a zombie. I hoped I was merely between projects. Not done with them.

Who thinks of arts and crafts when it’s two below outside? Who cares about crafting sparkles when your car won’t start because of the weather or the pipes crack? It’s so much easier to cover up with a blanket and watch stupid TV shows from the past or catch up with Game of Thrones reruns.

Yesterday I thought about with two more products I could add to my Angel Tears inventory. And suddenly my energy is returning. I found myself going through my inventory and sketching new ideas and running through Amazon or Allstarco for gemstone ideas.

I believe that once you open your Creative portal you’ll never be able to close it again. That is, unless you really want to.

I don’t want to. And I hope you don’t want to, either.

Life often sucks around us. I’m dealing with some pretty serious “situations” around me these days, lives and futures in the balance, tomorrow never a given. I never underplay the importance of someone doing what needs to be done to take care of themselves or their friends and family. 

Sometimes being creative is a release from all of that. A dance up in the ether, a bit of sunshine and wind and glorious sunsets. It’s reaching out and doing something no one else can do — not the way you do it. Understand it like you understand it.

Refusing to go quietly into the night, I have set a few “real” goals for this year.  I am going to open a website for my wares. I am also going to expand my business to include windchimes and bookmarks. At least I’m thinking about on doing it all.

Maybe it’s only January, but I hope it’s not too early for you to toss around ideas of starting something new (and creative) or expanding what you’re doing.

Let me know what you’re up to. We can always toss off ideas off one another — even while sitting comfortably on the sofa under a blanket — 

 

 

 

 

 

Prepping for the Big Show

~ humoringthegoddess ~ 12 Comments

This Memorial Day Weekend will be my third annual Arts and Crafts Show up in Eagle River, Wisconsin, a small northern town set up mostly for fishing and snowmobiling.

I’d like to think my wares this year are better than they were the past few years. That doesn’t mean my first year was rank — rather I feel I’ve “refined” my talents through the years.

My Angel Tears aren’t quite art; not as sophisticated as those I highlight in my Galleries. But they seem to hit the spot with shoppers, especially on bright, sunny days.

I sometimes think about changing craft fields as I always want to learn something new. Painting comes to mind; so does sketching and creating abstract designs out of wood pieces. But I find I don’t have the fortitude I had twenty years ago — heck, three years ago — when I decided to start my retirement off making sparkling suncatchers. 

The start of creating something new takes a bit of planning. Time is the first stop. Can you make enough time in your day to start a new craft? Do you have time to do a little research? Buy crafting supplies?  

Do you have the patience to hone a new craft? How important is perfection to you?

Is the direction of your new endeavor for fun or profit? 

How long will it take to move from apprentice to full fledged artist?

I have learned not to take my crafting too seriously. I am serious about doing things the right way, keeping things clean and organized, and to enjoy every minute of learning. For me, crafting is an extension of that magical energy many rarely tap into.

But I don’t take it so seriously that I can’t eat or sleep or find anything else in my life that makes me happy.

Pleasure should be first in everyone’s life. Especially in Art. Feeling good about your first sketch, your first row of crocheting. Being happy about finding just the right color for your painting or the dress you’re making.

Angel Tears are my happy spot for now.

And if they hit someone else’s happy spot, that’s even better!