The Art of Friendship

     It has been a long time indeed since my last blog post (September!).  Since my last posting I have barely made any new jewelry, despite some of the ideas that keep floating around in my head.  The past few months have seen some stress in our family brought on by an upcoming move.  Instead of throwing myself into my work as I normally would this time of year, I found myself packing away many of my tools, and clearing out my studio in preparation for our relocation next year.  As excited as I am about our move and the new adventure that awaits, it is not easy to pick up and move to a new area, leaving behind connections and friendships I have made.  Life is not always a smooth ride, as everyone knows, and dealing with some hiccups teaches you invaluable lessons.  Some of the things I have learned from this and other periods of stress in my life are:

*exercise can be a great stress relief
* no matter how bad things seem, it could always be worse, and there are people who would gladly trade problems with you.
*happiness is a warm puppy (yes, I stole that from the peanuts cartoon).
*laughter can be the best medicine
*anger, resentment, regret, and bitterness, whether directed at a person, place, or circumstances beyond your control, are toxic emotions.  Don't let these things fester in your heart, as no good will ever come of it.  Try to show those may do you wrong forgiveness and compassion, instead of anger and hate.
*times of stress truly remind you of who really has your back and is there for you.
*and many other things too numerous to list......

    Occasionally through this period I have had a rare chance to pick up my tools and do a little creating.  To me, it just feels like re-connecting with an old friend.  Those friends you have who you can share a good laugh with no matter how much time has past. I am lucky to have such friends in my life and to have the person who is truly my best friend, my husband.  I may or may not be creating much, during the coming months, but I know it will always be there for me when I am ready.

How to Live With a Creative Person Part 3: Appreciating Stubborness

     One of the most astounding and honorable features of many creative types is the ability to try and fail, and try again.  To some people, this could very well look a heck of a lot like stubbornness and be very annoying.  Others will see in them a most admirable form of resilience that that should be regarded with a deep appreciation for the ability to overcome endless rejection and failure.  The truth is, creative types are stubborn, and that is a good thing.  Creative and artistic people possess ideas that they feel a deep desire to share with the world.  It comes in many forms, from visual and performing arts, to writers and business entrepreneurs.  To hold true to any vision means to experience rejection and failure over and over again.  In the plainest terms, it means a general lack of any kind of instant gratification.  In a culture where instant gratification is often valued, stubbornness about pursuing an artistic endeavor or business idea, can seen pointless to some.  There is always an easier way. Always. If you live with a creative person, count your blessings, because this person, more than likely, possesses the very noble trait of resiliency.  It is the type of resiliency that allows writers to deal with countless rejections from publishing companies, performing artists to be turned down at auditions and still come back to try again, and  business entrepreneurs to fail at their ideas and still find a way to pursue their vision.  As a jewelry artist, this resilience is what gives me the ability to wake at the crack of dawn, pack my car, set up my tent display, return home with disappointing sales, and still bounce back and try again.  I include creative business types in this discussion because I am married to one.  Although my husband is not an artist, he an astounding ability to think outside the box to come up with ideas to connect with communities, and help grow organizations.  He has faced resistance as well at times, but has vision, and therefore resilience. It is a trait I deeply admire in him.. Whether you choose to call it resilience or stubbornness, I say, honor it, because it is an awesome quality .  It is what has given me the ability to learn things like bellydance and hoop dance.  I have awkwardly bumbled through learning my 3/4 shimmy and various hoop moves, and come out scratching my head when I try to teach people who only say "I can't do it".  So give thanks to your own stubborn mule.  Mules, after all, are pretty cool animals.

How to Live with a Creative Person Part 2: The Truth About Hoarding

     I must admit, I am not a big fan of the tend in reality shows.  I don't keep up with Honey Boo Boo, wealthy housewives that fight, or some family who created a fortune selling duck hunting tools.  I do however, have a weakness for the show "Hoarders".  I like to watch that show for the demented but very psychological reason that networks count on to makes these shows a hit: I watch it because it makes me feel better about my own hoarding tendencies.  I watch the people who don't have room to walk in their homes and think "well, at least I am not that bad!".  I do however, have to admit that I can relate somewhat to some of the cases on the show, minus the deep-rooted and sometimes severe psychological issues that always come up.  Take for instance, the show that featured the seamstress whose house was filled with fabric that she was going to use "someday".  I will freely admit to purchasing things that I will use "someday", but couldn't quite figure out what to do with it yet.  The above pictured necklace is the perfect example.  I purchased this beautiful mother-of-pearl equestrian pendant over a year ago at a flea market.  I has sat for that long until I finally found this little souvenir bracelet to pair with it.  Not every creative person is a supply hoarder, but many are.  There is just something about sitting down to create a piece of jewelry and having a bountiful array of tools, beads, findings and other materials at your disposal.  Not having that one little thing to make that you need to make that piece what you envision can be frustrating. I will probably always be a bit of a hoarder and my wonderful husband doesn't ever criticize me for it.  A great thing about being married so long is really being able to understand the other person and accept them for who they are.  He is the opposite of a pack rat.  He is a tosser.  Living with a tosser has helped me let go of things I haven't found a use for and balances out my hoarding tendencies.  Watching reality shows about extreme hoarders makes me realize I never want to be that seamstress with the house so full of fabric that it is a fire hazard.     So, if you live with a creative hoarder, be gentle and understand that they just want all the wonderful creative materials at their hands when they create.  If you have to clear a path in your home just to walk, perhaps it is time to have a chat with your partner, but otherwise, just leave them in peace with their creative clutter!

How to Live with a Creative Person Part 1: Understanding Creative Impulses

     Living with a creative person has its own joys and challenges, just ask anyone who has the privilege of doing so.  My husband and I are coming up on 17 years of marriage, which is a long time to figure out how the other person clicks.  Still, it takes a bit more delving into the artistic brain to really fully understand how we are wired.
     The first example is understanding the idea of creative impulses.  All artists have light bulb moments and also some form of writers block.  The latter can be frustrating.  Weeks can go by without feeling like I have one new creative idea.  The trouble with creative impulses is once you get them, you want to work on it RIGHT NOW!  This does a little to explain why dinner sometimes gets delayed in my house!  I have taken to writing ideas down when I get them, but to me, they always feel like delicate birds fluttering overhead and if I don't catch them they will fly away and never return.  The above pictured necklace was the result of one such creative impulse.  This one conveniently struck  let Thursday afternoon right before spring break.  Right before kids being home from school and a holiday road trip was when I finally had a new idea for how to incorporate these beautiful Victorian Buttons into a design I like.  If you are a creative person, you can probably relate to the crabbiness of having an idea and not being able to work on it RIGHT NOW!  If you are living with a creative person, this may explain to you the odd work hours they keep, stealing away a few hours on the weekend to work on something they needed to do RIGHT NOW!  So, be patient with your artist.  Understand that if he/she has cocooned into their studio or creative space, they are just trying to catch those fleeting creative impulses while they can!

Lucky Charms

                                                                           

 



          Whenever I am searching through old jewelry (which is often) , I am always struck by the large number of "lucky charms" I come across.  Some are religious symbols of various faiths, some are secular symbols we are all familiar with such as horseshoes and clovers.  Collecting and putting these charms aside for a necklace gave me a chance to ponder the meaning of luck and why people are inspired to carry around such symbols in hopes they will bring good fortune.  Luck is a funny thing, and often goes hand in hand with faith (although not necessarily religious faith).  For the center focal point of this necklace, I chose a vintage souvenir charm from Las Vegas.  If ever there was a place where people desire to believe in the power of luck, this is the place.  If you have never been to Las Vegas, I highly recommend visiting sometime.  My husband and I were lucky enough (no pun intended) to go there a few years ago.  There are fabulous shows, fountain displays, shopping, hotels with live lions (in a safe enclosure, of course), roller coasters, and aquariums.  There is, however, a darker side to this city.  Liquor stores and pawn shops are plentiful on the outskirts of the city.  Large casinos are intentionally devoid of windows and clocks in hopes to draw gamblers in to try their luck and lose track of time.  I gambled a grand total of one time during my time there.  I put $1 in a slot machine and promptly lost it.  That was the end of that and we had better things to do than depend on luck to win some money.  Yet, it is easy to see why people can get drawn in.  There is such a thing as luck and being in the right place at the right time.  It is possible to go to the racetrack place a winning bet on the long shot to win.  You can place a bet in a roulette game and win a heap of money.  There are stories sometimes heard of some famous actress who was discovered by some Hollywood director while waiting tables at a diner, or someone who picked up a discarded lotto ticket that ended up winning the jackpot.  Luck certainly does exist, but too much belief in luck can leave you throwing your money away in a windowless casino.  Wear your lucky charms so that you may go out in the world and try to make your own luck!

Finding the Key to Happiness Part 5: Surround Yourself with Other Happy People

                                                                               

  I am writing this blog at the end of what is typically the most unhappiest month of the whole year.  Holiday festivities are over, sales are low, it's cold, there is ice, snow, polar vortexes, delayed and cancelled events due to unfavorable weather.  My sandals and sundresses sit lonely in the closet taunting me with thoughts of warmer weather.   Yet, despite a rough start to the new year, and some really cold weather, I have had some time recently to reflex on what an awesome month this really was.  I had a chance to get together with a good artist friend to chat about art, life, business, marriage, etc....  I had the chance to get together with a small group of artists in the area to share ideas and swap supplies.  I completed a two day training to become a Hoopnotica Certified Instructor and had the chance to connect with a really fun group of people.  I attended a bellydance student performance salon, where dancers with all different personal styles, and ability levels, performed a solo using a mix of improvisation and choreography.  At all of these events I was struck by what an amazing sense of fellowship and joy there is in finding other people that share your passion.  People who spend time doing things that they love tend to be pretty happy, so it makes sense I am not around too many downers.  We all have known a few downers at some point.  Those people who seem to thrive on being miserable, complaining, turning every positive into a negative, and constantly being stressed out about something.  They are people to avoid since they always seem intent on bringing others into their misery.  I feel like just handing them a hula hoop and saying "here, try this, it will make you feel better!".  This month has made me realize how lucky I am to have so many wonderful people in my life, from a phenomenal dance and hooping community, to my growing community of art friends, and to my close friends and family, especially my husband, who always looks on the bright side.  All of them have made this dismal month full of hope and joy, and for that, I am very grateful.  I has inspired my  hoop weekend to upcycle  bangles using wire, sari fabric, vintage buttons, and various found objects.  Each one is unique and has it's own beauty, just like every person has their own joy to share.  So go find out what yours is, and share it with others!