Summer Reading

With the unofficial start of summer I start thinking about lazy afternoons and reading. I already have a list of books that I want to purchase. Some are novels, but most are about inspiration, creativity and being a creative entrepreneur. Now that we are all settled into our new house and I finished unpacking the last two rooms of the house this past holiday weekend, I can now put all my focus on my art and begin thinking how I can sustain my creating habit by selling some stuff. I have an Etsy shop and I sell work at the Square Peg Artery and Salvage in Philadelphia's Rittenhouse area, but I want to branch out more. I want to start doing craft shows again, maybe teach some workshops, have a better online presence, etc. Right now I am reading a book titled, 12 Secrets of Highly Creative Women written by Gail McMeekin. It is a combination of inspiration, workshop and being a creative entrepreneur. It is time for me to really take my creations to the next level. It is time for me to start taking some chances. As Mark Twain wrote, "If you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always gotten."

Which Way?

I am a HUGE LOST fan and last night was the series finale and it did not disappoint. This t.v. show made me think about so much including fear, faith and how the two can pull you into different directions. Sometimes I wish a huge lighted arrow would pop up in front of me pointing me in the direction that I am suppose to take, but of course the arrow never shows up. So, I guess it is up to me to make my own path. I have been doing lots of reading about people who have taken a leap of faith, quit their jobs and are now creating full time and loving every minute of it. Of course it wasn't easy but they put their fear aside and took that leap of faith. Now, I am not in any financial situation to be quiting my job no matter how much I want to create full time, but I think I am ready to take some leaps of faith and work my way towards it. I figure I can accomplish smaller goals, like selling my stuff at more venues and marketing myself better. I may never accomplish the larger goal of working for myself, but I think it is important to have something to work towards, know that my full time job is not my life, let things go and really focus on what makes me happy. I am looking forward to the journey with a little less fear and a little more faith. When if your creative journey have you let fear and faith dictate yor direction? I would love to hear about your journey.

I AM BACK!

The past few months have been crazy! I started a new job in December and got heavily involved with it and then moved into a house in March. With some working from home, packing and then unpacking I have not had time to blog or really do much creating. But I am happy to say that I am settled, my art studio is up and I am off running. I am so excited to be back. I did take some time to do research for my own art side business and I have so many ideas and some great resources to share with you. I plan on making it a point to blog at least once a week if not more, show some tutorials, share some new resources, show some videos, and of course show my art. I am excited about this new adventure of officialy starting my own side business and who knows what will happen with it in the future. I hope you will follow my journey and be able to gather some information along the way. Knowledge really is power and empowering!

Image: Cherry Blossom tree in the park across the street from the new house.

Decisions

I have been thinking a lot lately about decisions that I been making about my creative life. As you know I have recently started a new job. March 7th will be the end of my three month probation period. I do enjoy the job, but I really miss being able to create during the day. I am starting to get use to my schedule and have stopped falling asleep at 7pm, but I still feel like I am missing something. I feel this urgency to do something, but not sure what. I need to really start visioning how to make my creative life a bigger part of my life. I have been researching how others have done this with full time jobs and I know it is possible. I feel like I am becoming lazy when it comes to my creative life. I need to become more dedicated to my art, set up a scehdule for creating and not let anything interfere with it.

ATC Exchange

Things have been very busy for me the last couple of months. The new job and getting ready to move next month have kept me very busy and tired. I have packed a lot of my art supplies so I am working mostly with collage and markers. I recently joined an ATC, Artist Trading Card, swap. Three for three. These are the three that I sent. I am waiting to get mine in the mail. These were fun to create and I did them in one night. ATCs are a quick fix for my creative obsession.

A New Year

Its a New Year and I am looking forward to new challenges. The past year, while being unemployed due to a layoff, I was able to establish my art on Etsy, get represented by a gallery, and really start to focus. Now after a year of looking, I have found a job and started working full time in the beginning of December. I love the job and I am so grateful to have found one in my field, but along with a full time job comes the challenge of getting motivated to create. O and did I mention that I am moving in March? I am miserable when I don't create, but I am finding that I lay down on the couch, fall asleep after dinner, then I am mad at myself for not working on something. I am sure there are others out there having a similar experience. Let me hear about it and tell me what you do to motivate yourself. The first five people who comment will win a small handmade prize made by me.

Have a Fantastic Holiday and a safe, healthy and Happy New Year. I am looking forward to a brand New Year of creative experiences and challenges!