Intermission

I don’t know why trips take even longer to prepare for than the days actually traveling but there it is.  This week has been largely about that with some side notes.  I spent Saturday working in the gallery and setting up their website, which I managed to get the bulk of done in that day; along side I found myself sending out a mass email with bullet points; shades of my corporate personality!  But I am a take charge kind of person for better or worse. I’ve found when I’ve tried to subdue that side of me things don’t go well. The higher up in an organization I’ve been, the more I felt accepted although that didn’t make me enjoy the politics anymore.  So I was a little surprised to see that side again but art is business too and some things are universal.

I also got a follow-up request from the art for health-care people that I submitted photographs to a few weeks ago. If I read between the lines, I’ve made it past the first cut, which means absolutely nothing except that my ego is thrilled and I think I’ve learned a lot about what they look for.  I’m curious to see what happens next.

Otherwise, I’ve been getting ready for my trip, some packing some sewing, and practicing metal detecting which yielded a large pile of nails, bottle caps and one slotted kitchen spoon (stainless).  I’m thinking of creating found art sculpture for no other reason than that I can. When I get back, assuming I haven’t found $1 million in Spanish gold, I will have to put some serious effort into finding a short-term or part-time job to tide things over until the artistic side of things starts paying for itself.  I’ve already updated my resume and while I’ve looked around a bit, I haven’t made a serious effort.  I’m not looking forward to that but it’s a necessary step towards achieving what I’m working on.

Technorati Tags: crafting a creative life, Health and Happiness, living your passion, solopreneur, the way to happiness

Rethinking old opinions

I’ve made some serious progress this week, and made even longer lists for the near future. My goal of ten sea-glass jewelry pieces was met and they are sitting in their boxes waiting for my meeting this afternoon.  And now I’ve committed to doing my first craft show so that will mean even more that need to be done in the next few months along with getting a credit card processing account and displays etc.

Which brings me to the major rethink I’ve been doing – when I was in college I helped my mother set up at outdoor art festivals and grew to dread it, getting up at 4 a.m. hauling heavy stuff, no good food, uncomfortable weather etc. I’ve resisted doing them myself because of those experiences.  Now I’m rethinking that. First, I’ve been reading about others’ experiences and while it’s not a life of roses there are ways to be a lot more comfortable  – like getting a hotel room the night before, putting things on wheels and making sure you’re targeting the shows with bigger crowds, even if that means traveling further. So I’m seriously looking at this, both for income and as a way to increase visibility and customer interaction.  I think it could actually be fun!  I’ll learn a lot by doing some local inside shows this winter and I’m starting the list and looking for equipment now.  Part of my dilemma now is whether or when to focus on jewelry or photography.  I think I’ll end up switching off…

I’ve also managed to schedule both plumbers to come in and give an estimate -this is my basement project that the city has offered to pay for (how rare is that?) but it means I have to jump through a lot of hoops to make it happen. I’ll be glad when it’s done and I don’t have to keep it on the list.  Next is to get the estimates actually in my hands.

My volunteer case wrapped up this week and now I’ll get to pick a new kid or kids to champion next week. I don’t know how much of a difference I’ve made but I know I’ve made some and that always feels good. I’ve even managed some yard work  done too, getting the ancient iris bed dug up and separated and re-potting the blueberry bush.  Maybe next spring things will come back to life.

In the interests of full disclosure, I might have gotten a bit more done if I hadn’t got caught up in the new online Monopoly game, (www.monopolycitystreets.com) which has had some bugs and server issues but I’ve loved Monopoly with a passion since I was about four -  I was always the cowboy because it was the only piece I could pick up with little fingers without moving everyone else on the board!

Next week I’ll have to make some decisions about part-time jobs and what kind of schedule I’m trying to preserve (like weekends for art shows) and get busy with marketing again. I’ve been letting it slide which is never a good thing. Time to write some adds and start posting in forums and other blogs!

Technorati Tags: Health and Happiness, living your passion, solopreneur, the way to happiness, trying new things

The working staycation

I’ve deliberately given myself a bit of a break this week so I can evaluate what’s next.  I wish I could say that the garden is now in shape as a result, but I can say that 35% of it is and that I’ve given in and started using insect repellent because it’s a known fact that effective entrepreneurs are not constantly itching! I’ve given myself some time in the afternoons to just sit and read a good book and that’s valuable time too.  It can be easy to get so caught up in the to-do list that you forget to have some of the life you’re working so hard to achieve.

I’m in something of a dilemma when it comes to my bread-baking business idea – it has not taken off. I haven’t done everything that I possible could, but… it’s not my passion either. It began as an interesting idea and I’ve investigated it enough by trying it to see that it either is not the right time, price, or product.  The feedback I got was positive, but not with orders. There are a couple of things I still want to try around foreclosure maintenance but it may well be one of those good ideas that isn’t profitable.  They happen; the trick is to not lose heart in my other efforts which are where my heart, ego, and soul are invested.  That’s next week’s focus – get the beach glass jewelry site up and running. People can’t buy what isn’t for sale…

It’s amazing how fast time goes by – I blink and it’s a month later.

Technorati Tags: crafting a creative life, dealing with failure, Health and Happiness, living your passion, solopreneur, starting a new business, the way to happiness