cre8tivewmn's blog

Time for a break

I haven't been updating much because I've been working in the studio every spare minute to get ready for my turn as the featured artist at the gallery where my work is.  I just finished setting up all my artwork in the window and everybody tells me it looks great.  Hopefully it will sell some jewelry and stuff. 

doing the work was pretty challenging because I was fighting the limitations of my body, particularly at the end when I was trying to steal time anywhere to get the work finished.  I found that I couldn't work the way I used to, where I would sit all day at the table dabbling in clay.  Now I can only sit at the table for a few hours and then I have to lie down or at least move to an easy chair.  If I wasn't using a special back chair (the kind you sort of kneel in) I wouldn't be able to do it at all.  The back chair gives me lots of mobility from my hips up, so I can turn and reach things without getting up or straining my upper body.

As I've been working I've been gradually cleaning out and organizing my studio so it is a better place to work.  I haven't really done much work in the studio in the last couple of years, so it is good to finally start getting use of the room for what we bought it for. (My studio is a FROG that we had to pay extra for...something my hubby reminds me of from time to time.

Today is the day!

Today I am full of creativity.  I've sketched out several bracelet designs today and now I can go into development for them.  It's a long way from sketch to finished bracelet, but I am working on my creativity.   First, I meditate, then I sketch, then I get to work.  I'm going to try to do this every day, and just see how much I can trick my broken body into getting something done.    Here's today's sketch.  All rights reserved.

Keybracelet

Petty people

Something in real life has been bothering me quite a bit lately.  A cooperative I'm involved in is having another bit of ugliness.  One person is spreading rumors and putting down the work of a new member.  I'm the membership chairperson, trying to allay fears about the quality of the work and to find out what the new member had seen.  It has been very stressful and depressing for me. 

Many times in my life I've been completely blindsided by gossip.  I'll hear statements like "Stop the gossiping, now!" in some group I am part of, such as my sorority, and I'll think "What gossip?"  Eventually I find out that the gossip is about me.

If there's one thing I could point to as a reason I withdraw from people and don't trust people it is this.  I've been hurt too many times by people I thought were my friends, my community, etc.

This time the gossip is not focused on me, but it still depresses me.  Why do grown men and women have to act so childishly?  Why pass around untruths and half-truths to cast aside people in your group? 

This mixture of lies and gossip is toxic.  You can't sling that stuff around without damaging yourself along the way.

It's over!

The big project I've been working on since September is finally finished.  The last of the artists have packed up and gone home.  It seems to have been pretty successful for everyone. 

I should feel relieved, but I'm so tired that it is hard to focus.  Yesterday I was a little depressed.  I've been the point of contact for all these artists for months, so my phone and email was busy all the time, especially the last few months.  Now the phone is quiet and the emails are infrequent.  There's always a letdown after the show is over, at least for me.

I will make myself look on the positive, though.  I will have more time to work on what I want to work on, without having to constantly feel that I am a week or more behind schedule.  (Well, that might not change....I'm still me.)  I have a feature coming up at a gallery that I'm in, so I need to make a lot more work and come up with a theme for my feature.  I'll take a couple of days to rest, and then I need to start working on that.  It will be fun to have my major job be working on my art for a change.  It doesn't pay as well, but there are other compensations.

2009show

2009showa

Things are looking up

It's sunny and the weather is great here.  I'm making progress on my project, although I always feel about two steps behind. 

I actually got some creative work done of my own lately, which feels great.  I want more!  I know it will happen, just as soon as the big project finishes at the end of this month. 

The project is a lot of work, but it pays some of the bills and buys supplies for making my art. 

I had a really bad day Wednesday when I couldn't use my left arm.  After some intense resting and heat treatments, I was back to normal on Thursday. 

Random updates, I know, but in general....things are looking up!

Lost day

I hate it when meds don't work as they should.  I took a sleeping pill Saturday night because my fibro has been acting up.  I figured getting up every couple of hours during the night wasn't helping.  I woke up an hour or so after taking the pill and then overslept and missed my morning medicine.  That put me off kilter all day and I spend most of the day dosing in bed.  Not that I didn't need the rest, but what happened to Sunday?

In other news, one son is trying to set a world record in dragging out his homework assignments and another is getting ready to graduate from college and possibly move out. 

I'm up to my eyeballs in organizing the show again this year.  I wish I had more time to work on my own art, but this brings in some much-needed dollars that I couldn't guarantee by art sales in this economy.

Here's hoping you have a happy week!

I'm still here

I haven't had time to do many of the thing I do for fun lately.  Between allergies and my back and neck problems, I can only spend a few hours on the computer each day.  Those hours have been taken up by my big spring project.  The good news is that I will have a bit of a break coming up after taxes. 

We usually file plenty early, but we've both been so busy this year that we'll be scrambling to pull everything together this weekend.  At least we can file electronically and not have to worry about post offices and forms.

I have been doing one fun thing.  Playing a game on my Nintendo DS:  It is Final Fantasy Advance Tactics II and it is a great game.  More slow strategy than Bash and crash, which is the way I like my games.  There are so many missions that I have played nearly 300 hours and I'm not done yet.  (Some of those hours may have been when I was asleep though...).

I play my DS when I'm stuck flat on my back in bed.  It is the one thing I can do besides watching TV to pass the time when I'm not sleeping. 

Hope everybody is doing well.  I'm hanging in there.

It's getting better all the time..

Just like the old Beatles song, I'm improving gradually.  The damage from the fall has healed and the colds have passed.  Other than my regular problems and spring allergies, I'm doing OK.  Hello again, Dogwood!

The dog recovered from his injuries and has no lasting problems, which is great!  We were really worried for a while. 

I've been working really hard but my project is starting to slow down a little, so hopefully I can get busy in the studio on my own work.

That's about it for today.  Just an update .  Hope you, too, are "getting so much better all the time."

It has been such a busy week.

The phone has been ringing off the hook and the emails just kept coming. this is all related to the crafts show I help organize, of course.  People don't call to talk to me....

The deadline for applying to the show was last night at midnight and so yesterday was extra crazy.  I had people complaining to me when they were reading some other show's application, people who waited until the last minute and beyond, etc.  In the midst of all this, I was at the dr for a routine check, Then had to go pick up my husband because his ride fell through.

When we got home, our youngest pomeranian was acting odd, so we ended up taking it to the emergency vet.  The doctor thinks he hurt his back and so the poor doggy has to stay in his crate for a week.  He's confused, to say the least, but so far he is looking a little better and we're keeping our fingers crossed that he will recover ok.

Work related to the show will continue for the next couple of weeks, then I should get a break for a little while. 

All fall down!

On Valentine's Day, I got my toe wrapped in a cord and fell hard onto my left side.  No hospital-worthy damage thanks to the carpet, but I'm one sore puppy right now!  In addition I got sick so I am not doing well at the moment.  I took one day off from my work, but I'm too busy so I am up and trying today.