Countdown...Fish Out Of Water

The phenomenon known as Parkinson’s Law states: “Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion.”

If you give yourself a week to do a task, it will take a week—but give yourself two days, and it will take two days.

I started my Inspired by... exhibit in January. I naively thought that by starting that far out that I would be completed with the entire exhibit plans today and I would just be coasting until the big party. I would be wrong. As Parkinson's law states, my work is expanding to the time that I have to complete it. Like the children's story I love called A Fish Out of Water. I feel like that fish, that is outgrowing the spots of water that the little boy keeps dumping him in until he winds up in an Olympic-sized swimming pool. All because the boy fed him too much. Perhaps I am like that fish that was fed too much. Or maybe bit off more than I can chew.

I am faltering a bit right about now.

I had promised back in June to blog about my progress with my pending Gallery Q art exhibit. I haven't made good on that promise. And I won't start making excuses, except to say that blogging does take time. Time that I can't bear to steal from creating.

I am staying up waaaaaaaayyyy too late. Well past my 9pm-1am limit.

I am getting frequent headaches. Literal and figurative. Yesterday I had a migraine (that I get very infrequently) because of the lack of sleep and stress.

I went home at lunch today to photograph all the pieces that I have made thus far for my exhbit which officially opens one month from tomorrow. And my computer crashed. I need to get all those pictures off the camera so that I can clear it out and get to the business of photographing the baseball traveling team at our tournament this weekend. So that I can make slideshows for all the families since that is what I have done for 4 years. A self-imposed necessary task.

{My new business cards... aren't they pretty?}

I have new business cards coming courtesy of my friend Jodi at rethink ink designs. But I need to order postcards that can be mailed to Gallery Q patrons, left out at the Gallery, given to friends and family, mailed to my mailing list {wha?! I have to have a mailing list?!}.

I also need a bio and a press release for the PR committee to send out for me.

I had expected to make a booklet of all the different art pieces and bios on the artists including what inspires them. Not sure that will be a reality at this point. That is disappointing.

And this coming Wednesday, at my regular BNI meeting, I am the featured 10 minute speaker. That means that I have 10 minutes to educate my BNI colleagues about my business and what sort of referrals I am looking for {how about anyone that has money to spend that likes one-of-a-kind jewelry?}. I planned to share information about my gallery exhibit, complete with those postcards and brochures about the Gallery. That means that I will have to check out some of the artwork so that I can show the inspiration.

I finally got the last of the beads that I had contracted for last week. They came all the way from artist Dora Schubert in Germany. I guess I can cut some slack for that. They did travel halfway around the world for me. And they are some of the most beautifully crafted glass beads I have ever witnessed. And they were not cheap.

I worry that I will not have time to complete all the pieces.

I worry that I will not have enough pieces for each piece of artwork. Because I also worry about what will happen if I sell every single piece at my opening event {I know, that would be a great problem to have, right?} and then there is not one piece of my jewelry left for the exhibit that will last until the end of September. What then?

I am parsing out my art beads to make as many pieces per artwork as possible. Because I also worry that I am walking a fine line between pricing things so that they sell and getting top dollar for them to recoup my investment {and it has been a hefty investment, let me assure you.}

I wanted to have my Etsy shop filled {sorry, not one bloody thing. But you can favorite me if you want! I am not sure how I got somebody to heart me already with out one thing for sale!?} and my website revamped by mid-July. Looks like that ain't gonna happen.

And in addition to my computer freezing, my credit card froze. Seems that the payment that I made online in mid-June didn't actually take on their system. Even though I swear I saw the message that said that my payment had been scheduled. So I was delinquent by 10 days even though I ALWAYS pay my bill on time. I had even written it in my check book at the time that I did it. Either that or I thought that the screen was shown to me saying that I had paid and I really hadn't but yet I still chose to remove that money from my checking account voluntarily. So I just made a double payment to be sure {ouch}. And then I got locked out of my banking online because I did that from a different computer than I was normally using. I am so glad that they are making me safe......um, from myself.

My brakes are grinding. And my other house is Still.Not.Sold {pending offer...but contingent...grrrr}.

I am sure that you would rather see the glamor that my life apparently is {not}. But you would be wrong. It is not shiny and bright. It is not all sunshine and roses. It is not always fun to spin straw into gold, as my favorite Zen Master-in-training, Margot Potter is fond of saying. It is not easy to be uber-creative under duress. Because although this is a fabulous opportunity, and I never shy away from a challenge, it is becoming a tad bit unbearable. And that is making me insufferable. And that cannot be tolerated. {Just ask my very patient, loving husband. And my two kids who never see me unless they want to string beads.}

I feel like a frown has taken up residence on my face. But I am not sure that I can get it to leave. And let's not mention those pesky gray hairs. I hope they will vanish next Tuesday.

So please forgive my rant. And my rave.

So...I have to lift this funk, this haze, this weight from my shoulders. I have to square around, pull my big girl panties up and realize that I am only one. That I can do only that which I can do. And I know that with the right circumstances I can do it quite well.

Because I am making a whole hell of a lot of beautiful jewelry. And just as soon as I can get my camera and my computer to start playing nice with each other I will show you. I promise.

And then maybe I can get my fish bowl in order so that I don't feel as if I am about to burst.

What do you do when the whole world seems hell-bent against you?
Do you turn to chocolate?
Or wine?
Do you watch sappy movies and just cry it out?
Or would you rather put in a comedy and laugh yourself silly?
Where do you turn to when you need instant inspiration?
Tell me about your triumphs this week so that I know that there are others out there having a better week.
And if you would rather tell my your tales of woe, bring 'em on. We can clink glasses of whatever your poison is and commiserate.

Enjoy the day! And have a great weekend!