Humblearts Journal

Reflection

Ah, nothing like a little self-reflection on a late August day.

This is part of an illustration I recently finished for a children's Spanish Magazine.   It's a little different, I printed on really nice printmaking paper and painted it with gouache.

I have been doing a little self-reflecting lately too.  Trying to take some time and figure out what I'm doing with my life.  It's so easy to just plow through the days, getting "work" done and then looking back at the last month and wondering where all my time went and why didn't I accomplish the things I most wanted to do.  Part of my reflection has been to realize, I don't want to do everything and there are some good reasons why I haven't finished things that I've had on my to-do list for months and months.  I'm growing and trying to figure out who I am and how my art fits into that.

Somethings I have figured out; beads and jewelry are my main thing.  I want to write a book on jewelry making, not articles.  Which is why I haven't been able to get them out the door.  I want to put them in a how-to book. 

Illustration, I've had to take a step back and decide which direction I want to go.  I only want to write and illustrate my own books and of course, I'd like to illustrate for Spider or Cricket, at least once!  But sending out postcards to drum up business, not want I want to do.  Doing magazine assignments where my heart is not in it, not what I want to do.  Educational market, not where my work is going to sell.  I want to finish my dummy and get the next one going.  Friday, I've declared another artist's retreat day and I'm going to work on it all day.  I'm very excited about it.  And I'd like to play a little more with adding some mixed media elements into my printmaking.  I promise to share along the way!

And finally, I've started drawing again.  Just for me.  Expensive paper, oil pastels and some ideas that I've had in my head for the last 9 years.  I'm picking up where I left off after graduating from art school.  It won't be a career and I don't have a plan, other than to create a body of work for myself and to exhibit in a group shows sometime in the late winter. 

Ebay

Okay, we've all been to eBay, maybe even picked up a deal or two.  I myself have bought 3 things off eBay over the last 10 or so years I've been online.  They include: a camera, a pair of striped tights for my daughter, and a book of Robert Frost's poetry.  I was a casual observer to say the least.  But I've seen them, you know, the beads that are going for hundreds of dollars, artist's who are making a living off selling their wares.

Selling on eBay takes time, it's a business you have to build from the ground up.  But guess what? You don't have to go it alone.  Did you know there is a whole party going on over at ebay.  Whether you sell stuff or not, you can join in.  I never knew.  They have a community section with groups.  I'm loving the BeadHive and the ACEO, for artist's trading cards.  Go explore, it's tons of fun!  The BeadHive has great tutorials, online classes, challenges, eye candy and tons of inspiration.  There is a group for just about everything. 

I don't know if I'll make any money on ebay, but what I'm hoping to do is develop a new customer base. Which is a story I've heard often.  Artist start out of ebay, build a mailing list, and after a while special orders and repeat business take over. 

I have beads listed up there now and later this week I'll be posting some artist cards and those crazy view finder things.  I made them into decorative art.  I'm not sure how to market them.  They are just decorations, for inspiration and to remind artists to believe in their unique world views.  But how to sell that?  I'm not sure, but I'll be learning this week.

Raku U?

The bead show was fun and full of great work.  I picked up a few goodies that will be making their way into my work over the next few weeks.

I found some little raku pottery beads.  Here is one in the middle, which inspired me to try to create my own out of polymer clay and embossing powder.  (the ones on the strand) I think I'll write it up as an article and send it out to one of the bead magazines.  They were fun, but they don't fit into my regular line.  I've been enjoying all sorts of polymer clay experiments lately in the name of being creative and finding new ideas for articles. 

Happy Day!

Sweet!  Today is my birthday.

Gifts I'm giving myself:

Positive thinking. Every time I start to worry, I'm going to replace that thought with an outrageously, over the top positive one.

A soothing bedtime and morning ritual.  Instead of just falling unto my face at night because I can't see any more.  I'm going to listen to music, unwind, do a little sketching and then off to bed.  The gift of a bedtime, that will be good for me!  My morning ritual, I'd like to start my day with a little reading and journaling. 

Celebrate every little success, without thinking of what I need to do next or think I need to do more.  I will be generous with myself without finding fault.  (That's my motto lately!)

Happy Birthday to my brother Seth, he arrived on my 12th birthday!

Favorite birthday memory: Driving to the beach in the middle of night with Jesse and the girls to watch the meteor show that happens every year on my birthday.  Sand between my toes, cuddled under blankets, listening to the waves hit the shore, the girls sleepy, but in awe of the magic too, as we stared into the starry sky and made wishes until 3 in the morning.  Life is so sweet!

Who Rocks?

I do, well according to my mom.  Here is the comment she left on my blog yesterday:

Heather I shared with you the same advise I am using on myself with my upcoming show. What I have done is what I have done. Go to your show and enjoy what you have accomplished. The people who buy your beads will be going home with treasures. At the bead retreat in Shreveport your name was well known among the beader there. Humblebeads Rock!!
Love and hugs
Mom

No, Mom, you rock!!!  And you are my rock, thank you for all your support and encouragement.  You are the best.

Above are some of the beads I've been working on this week.  I have 3 sets of most of them, with some more on my table ready to be thrown in the oven.  Now today will be disk and cuff beads, so off this computer goes!

Knowing When...

   

Life is filled with little lessons that we learn gradually along the way.  One such lesson for me is learning my limits and saying no to projects or asking for deadlines that are more reasonable. 

I have too much on my plate right now and I can feel it.  I need to look at my commitments and see which ones I can let go or ask for help in certain areas of my life.  It isn't easy, I like to think that I can do it all. 

While getting ready for my big bead show, I accepted two illustration assignments.  I should have let them go.  Well, one I did finish, but the other, I had to ask for more time or decline the project. (we were just in the sketching phase.)  The client, said no problem, but why didn't I just state my terms before I said yes.  Something like, sure I'd love to work on your project, I can have it for you by this date.  Oh, I'm learning, little by little.

The illustration above was the first assignment.  I love the border.  That was so much fun.  I did them as little rubber stamps, so I now I have a cool collection of stamps for collaging.  Ah, I'm so clever. 

Back to the beads now.  Oh, and my mom, who is the greatest, told me today while I was worrying I didn't have enough for the show, "You can never have too little or too many beads, whatever you have done, is what you have done."  Gosh I love her!

Artist Retreat Part 3

Friday was such an eye-opening day for me.  I thought I'd sit with my thoughts for a while before journaling about them here.

A few things I learned from taking a day out for an artist's retreat; it's okay to set aside my personal life to work on my art for a few hours.  And in turn, at the end of the day, it's okay to shut off work and enjoy my family and some free time.  I don't have to work 24 hours a day.  And I can separate work from home.  I'm also going to make the habit of not answering the phone or getting on the computer while it's my set work time.  I need to treat my business more like a business and keeping regular hours is part of that process.

Another thing I discovered, I love to journal while I work.  I like that sense of play and a space to write down those random thoughts that I can go back to when I have more time.  I'm going to keep a journal on my bead table while I work, going back and forth between sketching and writing and making beads.   

And finally, the biggest thing that I took away from my self-proclaimed artist retreat was a deeper sense of purpose for my daily work.  I felt like I had all these disconnected aspects of my artistic life: beads, jewelry, illustration, writing and teaching.  I was feeling overwhelmed at how much I choose to do, but I love it all and don't want to stop.  It occurred to me that these different art forms are the vehicle for my real job, which is to inspire others on their creative journey. 

My beads inspire others to create unique pieces of wearable art.  My jewelry inspires the wearer to enjoy their own personal self-expression.  My articles and classes inspire a new crop of beaders creating and adding beauty to their lives.  Illustration and writing for children, it's not just pictures and words, but inspiration for all the wonderful possibilities that exist in our world. 

I felt like I was struggling between beads and illustration, but it's all my art and it's all about bringing inspiration to those around me.  There is only one purpose in my work and only one job that I do.  I can't tell you how much peace that brings me.

____________________________________________

This weekend Jess bought me this book:  Collage Discovery Workshop, it was an early birthday present! 

I love it!  It's so much fun.  There are a lot of how to tips but in the back are great starters for journaling and a fun exercise with a slide view finder.  Have you used a view finder before?  It's a little tool to help you decide on a composition.  Ah, brings me back to all those early painting and drawing classes, using our little view finders and doing thumbnail composition sketches before we started our work for the day.  I thought, what a fun pendant that would make.  A personal view finder to wear through the day, to remind yourself of your unique world view.   I'm not sure what I'll do with them.  My first thought was a necklace, but the slide mount is pretty big.  1 1/2" x 2".  Then I thought as a little decoration, just with beads and a loop to hang in your studio.  I'm not sure.  Have any thoughts?  Leave a comment for me. Would you wear one as a necklace or should they be decorations?  Click on the image to see it closer.

Artist Retreat part 2

Okay, 24 beads are lying on my desk, along with all my little clay designs, which is one of the longest parts of the beadmaking process.  We are going to do lunch now.  And then I have 3 hours left.  The day has flown by.  This was from one of my readings this morning, from "The Parent's Tao Te Ching" by William Martin.  A book I'm really enjoying, although I don't agree with everything spiritually, it is great advice for any parent. 

...As you conduct your life,

be serene and joyful,

content and at peace.

This will be your greatest legacy.

Nothing nutures a child like a parent

who takes great pleasure from a simple activity,

and is content with the present moment

or always wanting "more?"

The girls are with me today and they have enjoyed the change of pace in the day.  They liked that I had candles out and were inspired to create their own "spaces" today to create their own art.  I may not reach my bead making goal, but I've accomplished the goal of enjoying creating and refocusing my energy from just busy-ness to thoughtfully working in peace and with joy.  My attitude, it really does make the difference. 

Artist Retreat part 1

I'm going to post a few times today, while I check in with our group.  The artist retreat is being conducted via a private blog, that we post our goals, ask questions, look for advice and direction on.  Our first post was on breaking our goals for today down into bite-size tasks.

I created this journal last night to use for today.  I think every good retreat needs a theme, so my theme is "The Road Less Traveled" which is from my favorite poem.  In high school, one weekend at my Dad's, I came across a book of poetry by Robert Frost and when I read that poem I felt like I had found a calling for my life.  It's a good reminder that I have chosen this path and I need to enjoy the journey. 

My goal for today is to create 100 beads and enjoy the creative process!  I started out the day with lighting a few candles, putting on some music, reading a little and journaling.  After that I went through a few catalogs and made some quick collages of colors I want to use.  I have quite a nice palette on my desk, ready and waiting to be transformed into beads.  Now I need to get back to work.  I'll post again after lunch. 

Moving forward

 

Monet's Garden Beads, these are for a class I developed this week and sent out as part of a teaching proposal.  It's the first one I've ever sent out, I'll let you know more when I hear back from them.  Fingers crossed.  These are handpainted beads with liquid polymer clay and oil paint.  I'd like to teach more and travel all over the country.  I'm going to teach a beading class at the Texas Bead Retreat in January.  I need to work on a game plan for getting teaching engagements.  Well, my mondo beyondo dream is to be the bread winner and have Jess be Mr. Mom, working on art work at home while taking care of the house and kids.  Maybe he could even go back to school for his masters.  I wish life wasn't so far from what we dreamed when we started out together. 

Speaking of retreats, I thought I'd share this with you.  Tomorrow I'm taking a self-proclaimed artist's retreat.  Read all about it and sign up, if you need one too.  I've been enjoying Linda's Dessau's Roadblocks to Creativity e-workshop.  She sends along emails with the topic, you answer a few questions and she emails you back suggestions.  I've been in such a whirlwind of craziness lately, it's been so refreshing to step back and look at my life, where it's going and what I can do to change the parts that are driving me crazy.  In particular, my horrid procrastination.  I have a million projects I want to do and focus on nothing. 

For the artist retreat I'm going to work on creating beads for the Dallas Bead Market.  My first real bead show, and I'm scrambling to build up my bead inventory. You'd laugh if you say how far I have to go before next Friday.  But I can do it, the challenge is to enjoy the process and love what I'm doing.  Totally in the moment, is not something I'm very good at.  There is always "what's next" going through my brain.  Deep breaths, stop thinking about things I can't control and just create!

To get ready for tomorrow I picked up a whole big batch of clay, on sale at Hobby Lobby.  I also bought a little scrapbook to use as a journal for the day.  I'll post some of it over the weekend.  I'm working on straightening up my studio, which is quite a mess. And finally, filling my room with shells, some of my favorite photos put up by my bead table, even a few candles.  I'm going to play music while I work, turn off the phone, I won't be checking my email and the girls will be spending the afternoon at a friends.  Creativity...bring it on...

If you decide to make the day an artist's retreat, post a comment and we'll support each other tomorrow with well wishes and cheers!