Feast or famine

It seems that things never happen at a steady pace. There is either dead silence, boredom, and nothing to do or too much to keep up with. I’ve been hit with the latter over the last 2 weeks;

• I changed day jobs
• I testified in court for the first time
• I got a request to make jewelry for an entire wedding

and those are just the big items. I would far rather complain about being too busy than not busy at all – and I’m working not to complain about it period. What I’m really not happy with is is how far behind I am with blogging and keep that side of things on track. So I’m taking steps to get more organized.

I bought a (red) 18-month organizer – I’m blocking out time through Christmas 2012!  and I’m making decluttering a focus for this summer. But not at the expense of the other projects…

 

The silver lining

The headlines this week were all about the stagnant economy.  Not particularly good news when you want to sell people the ‘extras’ in life – things they can clearly survive without. But I take that to mean I’ve got a few more weeks to redo my mailing list, to contact buyers, to do the five hundred other things on my list. It in no way changes what I need to do, but it might just let me enjoy the process knowing that it will be awhile before things pick up.  It’s absolutely not an excuse to not move forward.

So that’s what I’ve been doing, slowly in bits and pieces trying to get my framework to a manageable place.  That too is a ways out but the light at the end of the tunnel is starting to gleam.  And in the meantime, I have a garden to tend and a dog to attempt to train.

So a slow economy means an hour on the deck with a glass of wine is neither impossible nor guilt-ridden. Something to look back on fondly when things heat up!

 

The last white room

Perhaps it’s been all the talk about the world ending, but for some reason I’ve felt the need to make more progress on my house projects this week. Well, actually the real reason is the teen-age puppy that is requiring that I find better storage options if I want my tools and supplies to remain intact. Regardless I’ve been thinking through what needs to happen to finish them off.

When I bought my house, the entire interior was in ‘ready to sell’ off-white… If you came to the door color alone would indicate which spaces I’ve worked on and which I haven’t. Red, marigold, chocolate and… off-white.

That last room was the formal dining room in 1930 and is now the jewelry shop/sewing/supply room. I had thought I would put it back to a dining room when I was ready to tackle it with paint, drapes, and furniture.

Now I’m wondering if the impetus for that isn’t a ‘should’ that would be better ignored. I don’t give dinner parties.

In fact, I loathe dinner parties.

And I have two other eating spaces in the house, do I really need three? While it may seem like a trivial design decision it comes down to am I willing to put the effort into my career or into proper appearances? Which is it going to be? Do I buy a dining table or a workbench?

I’ll let you know which wins out later!

 

 

 

It still comes down to baby steps

I haven’t been good about posting at all – it seems like too many things going on and no real progress to report. But sometimes life is like that. I’m working on getting back into a solid routine. I’m changing some things up and researching others. And I’m certainly doing my fair share of stimulating the economy!

So what does that really mean? Well, while I said earlier I would be doing art shows this summer, it seems it will be the summer of figuring out art shows so that I can do them next year. I’m researching the shows, figuring out how the heck I can fit display panels in my car – the math just isn’t adding up yet, and trying to make sure I actually have stuff to sell. It’s hard to wait but hurrying will only make me feel like I’m doing something.

I’m working out the overall strategy of my blogs and websites and while that means some haven’t seen a new post in months when I return it will be with a vengeance!  And I’m working out how to publish.

On the personal side I’ve been reading a lot of dog training books. It’s been absolutely amazing to me how so many people can have so many different theories about dogs and training with such conviction.  My conclusion is that American dog trainers are surprisingly rigid people and I prefer the Scandinavian methods. Who knew?  A year ago I didn’t even know there was more than one way out there.

I finally got my house lot surveyed in preparation for fencing and finally dealing with the person who keeps stealing the tulips from the front walk right when their at their peak.  And I got the moss off the roof, a uniquely Northwest problem – it was starting to bloom.

So now the challenge is finding the time to do all the things I know need doing -it’s a lot better than wondering what to do!

 

Coping with “good” stress

There’s a delightful irony in modern America – just how much we worry about our stress levels. I’m not usually too preoccupied with it except when it comes to losing sleep; I don’t function without sleep! I could actually feel the doors of opportunity beginning to open this week after a lot of work and now working with a consultant. Hard work with results always feels good.

But then come the sly thoughts about ‘now what?’ and thinking that I need to figure out how to negotiate the sale when the phantom offer in the future comes. What marketing do I need to go along with the new look? And so forth… It’s all good but it’s still stressful and my brain won’t turn off when I want it to. So a deep breath and lots of reminders that it’s all just one thing at a time, one foot in front of the other.

The best part is I now feel that my “brand” is solidifying. I know what I represent in the market place and how all those pieces fit together. That’s been holding me back for some time so having the confidence is a huge part of moving forward. I can’t wait to see where it all leads!

Technorati Tags: getting things done, good stress

Connecting with others

It’s true when people say success is never a solitary endeavor. But I’d counter that with bad advice can set you back farther than no advice at all. I’ve taken that step backwards in the past which is why I’ve been cautious in seeking out others since then. I”m now at that point though where I need sage advice. So I’m going to be working with a consultant for a bit – to get things in order and decide what avenues I’m going to ignore for now.

For people that tend to do to much, knowing what to leave out and ignore is critical. I’m so looking forward to it – and have a little trepidation about all the new work ahead.

So far I’ve redesigned the photography site (again) and finally written an artist statement that’s not too bad and that’s just the pre-work. What I haven’t done is take too many pictures lately. I think that’s the hard balance to strike – making new art and marketing what you’ve made. It’s entirely too easy to just do one of them.

Learning new things

I took Sunday off from any chores or goal-oriented tasks. Instead I played – Adobe Photoshop CS5 and metal clay. Both were surprisingly tricky! And my results show just how little I know, but it sure was fun to stretch into new areas where there are no consequences. It really doesn’t matter if I never learn to digitally paint, but it would be cool if I can!

I’ve also begun pricing the essentials for doing art shows this summer. The age old debate of spend less but replace in a few years or spend more up front and risk changing my mind in a few years. I have a bad habit of feeling it’s essential to start with top of the line materials. Sometimes, that’s a good call (there really isn’t a professional equivalent to Photoshop) and often it’s not, particularly if it keeps me out of the game entirely.

Either way, my kit will be coming together shortly…

I’m also reading I’d Rather Be in the Studio! which is giving me some pretty clear direction on what I need to do -rewrite that artist’s statement! ugh! I’ll be adding this to the booklist shortly for anyone that is or is wanting to be a working artist.

Gradually things are coming together!

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Technorati Tags: learning new things, The Art of Happiness

The power of oops!

I’ve been noticing this week that I’m still learning and going over the same tasks as a year ago.  But now they seem a little more streamlined, a little less complicated and have a whole lot more grunt work. That’s so exciting! Learning complicated things like marketing is almost always more circular than linear; the second or third time around the spiral you can look back and see how far you’ve come.

This week I’ve been going back over some of my website setup – tweaking and modifying based on the basic principles. Within 24 hours I could see the results in Google – and yes, I said oops! but I said it with a smile. A tiny part of me was yelling ‘why didn’t you catch this six months ago?’ but mostly I’m thrilled that I can see the difference today. I know what I need to do to continue and can now fumble in new areas. It’s encouraging and motivating.  Feeling chaos settle down is an awesome feeling!

Meanwhile synchronicity has put new books and resources into my lap and I’m getting excited to expand my art marketing horizons. It’s a universal truth that all artists loath the artist statement and I’m no different – a new one will be coming shortly as well as looking at new ways to find the right audience – there’s an audience for everyone but finding them in the maze can be the trickiest part.  Just knowing that someone is paying attention is the best encouragement to continue the marathon.

Technorati Tags: Importance of Motivation, The Art of Happiness

This will be the summer of art shows!

Okay, that might be a little over the top but I don’t think so. Thanks to a friend, I finally have a vision in my head of how to do displays that I a) like b) can move myself and c) can afford to do.  That’s been a big stumbling block because most of the big art shows require photos of your display when you apply. While I still have a long way to go to make the vision a reality I know what to do next. (wahoo!)

I’m also feeling more energized on getting involved in online communities and  building those networks – I think I’m finally starting to find the ones that don’t feel so forced and where my interests align with my reasons for being there. (halleluja!)

I have one week to go before my 40th birthday. Honestly, getting that milestone past and all that I was “supposed” to have accomplished by then and didn’t (according to myself) is a huge relief. Thinking I can now focus a little more on what’s immediately in front of me. (whew!)

Technorati Tags: authentic happiness

Re-energized in 2011

I can’t explain it – it’s cold, wet, and dark but I’m finding the motivation to get up and get work done before I head off to the day job. 2011 is going to bring great changes and fruition to a lot of people I think. The last few years have been about germination and now it’s time to get out into the sunlight.

This week I’ve gotten my Facebook marketing going – still not sure how I feel about it but being a loner isn’t all that great for marketing (unless you’re a reclusive film star.) I’ve also gone ahead and finally purchased InDesign, Adobe’s solution to all things layout and the secret behind well-crafted e-books.  The selling point for me was when I did a little research and learned that Amazon provides a free plug-in. You can go straight from your finished file to selling for the Amazon Kindle with a click (possibly two) and not lose any of your hard work.  I can’t wait to try it out.  And crossing my fingers that my marketing skills have improved enough that at least a few people will find it when it’s out there!

I’m finding ways to expand my horizons through my other interests as well; following up on things I learned about last year after they had passed. Like the rock-hounding geology class – where to look for unexplored riches. And I’m learning to make cheese.  There’s nothing like learning a brand new thing to see how far you’ve come in other areas!

Technorati Tags: motivation

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