Cram-Packed with Opportunity

"In the right light, at the right time, everything is extraordinary."
~ Aaron Rose

How fabulous is it when you open a copy of your favorite magazine and see thirteen pages of the most jaw-dropping, eye-popping, mind-blowing great photos all devoted to the March Designer of the Month?

A week ago I received my advance copies of the March 2009 issue of Bead Trends. And guess who the Designer of the Month is? Me!

{Someone pinch me. I must be dreaming. Still...}

And today I was reminded of this momentous occasion when the lovely ladies at the Vintaj blog posted my magazine spread to their readers.

I wrote recently about the experience of winning the cover spot of the Bead Trends January 2009 issue. I merely touched on the fact that Tatia Meyer {Editor Extraordinaire} bestowed the greatest compliment on me. She liked my work and would I care to be the featured artist for March? You know, at that time, I was in a whirlwind. It certainly wasn't lost on me how very important that offer was, but I didn't realize until now just how much of an opportunity it really is. I worked for a month to come up with the original designs that I sent, challenging myself to make designs that had not yet been seen in those pages, as well as challenging myself to use color and texture and movement in new ways. But when I got that square white box on my doorstep last week I recognized immediately that this was going to be different. This was more special than I could have ever imagined.

I actually trembled as I opened the box and removed the shrink wrap around those glossy covers. {You can find your own copy at Michael's, Barnes & Noble, our local Book Finders and by subscribing here.} This is more than just another magazine. It is an Idea Book. And it really is cram-packed.

But when the pages fell open to what we jokingly refer to as my "centerfold" (no staple jokes, please :-), I couldn't help but shed a tear or two.


Joyful. Humbled. Ecstatic.


This is the culmination of what I have been working to achieve.
This is recognition from my peers in the industry.


This could be the start of something big.


I recently was given a fortune cookie with the instruction that I had to use it in a commercial about myself for my BNI networking meeting. My fortune was rather prolific: "Good news is on the way." I have kept that fortune close to me ever since. This Bead Trends issue is good news, but it is not new news. So I kept seeking.






I think my good news may have found me.

Last week I received an email response from someone I had written to back in October 2008. Lori Greenberg of Bead Nerd emailed to let me know that she appreciated my comments on her blog post about setting goals. One of the things that Lori's post inspired me to do was to start a blog and to set goals for myself. Well, look what happens when you actually do what you say! I let her know that I actually did start this little blog and I have set and started meeting my goals for 2009.


So Lori, intrigued, read a little of my blog. And then Lori gave me some good news. Would I be interested in being a contributing editor at one of her blog projects called WatchMeCreate? You bet I would!

In fact, when this idea was presented to me, I actually told Lori this in my email: "You never know where your next opportunity is going to come from so I believe we have to have the vision to seek them!" {A bonus quote from me today!}

The current contributing editors at WatchMeCreate are all glass bead artists who blog about their creative process and the triumphs and tribulations of being an artist. I was immediately drawn to their posts about creativity because even though I don't make beads, their stories still resonated with me. {And their beads are pretty darn cool.} In emailing with Lori, she is hoping that the WatchMeCreate blog will inspire artists - really anyone with a creative, inquiring mind - to seek inspiration around us and that by sharing our processes we will gain insight into the heart of a creative, no matter what medium.

So stay tuned for more about that little venture. I am very excited by the possibility.

"The riches of life, the love and joy and exhilaration of life can be found only with an upward look. This is an exciting world. Its cram-packed with opportunity. Great moments wait around every corner."
~ Richard M. DeVos

I wonder what great moments are waiting around the next corner....



What great moments have been finding you?
What cram-packed opportunities are you hoping for?

Do tell! I would love to hear all about it!

Check It Out::http://watchmecreate.com/

Enjoy the day!