The Next Quarterly Challenge is Coming....

....tomorrow!

I hope you will join me!

Focusing on Life Week 4: Create Art

"Realize that now, in this moment of time, you are creating.
You are creating your next moment.
That is what's real."
~Sara Paddison

I am participating in a weekly photography challenge called Focus on Life hosted by Sally Russick of The Studio Sublime.  

I have a mug on my desk that says, "Do something creative Every Day." It is a credo that I live by. So I was very excited to read the prompt for this week: Create Art.

But here it is Saturday, and I am admitting defeat.

I actually did nothing creative this week.

Okay. That isn't entirely true.

I am frantically trying to design a piece for Halcraft/Michaels for a last minute assignment this month and it is turning out horrible. Sort of like Pocahontas-octopi meets hobo chic. Later today I will be tearing it apart and hoping like heck that something will rise from the ashes of this charred pile of ugly.

But that isn't exactly creating art, as Miss Sally prompted us. I guess I would define creating art as doing something that is just created for the sheer joy of creating, perhaps in a medium that I have never worked before, getting my hands dirty creating glorious messes.

Truth be told, it was all I could do to cruise on auto-pilot this week. Or maybe this month. You may have noticed a profound lack of posting from me this week. I only post when I have something to say, and I guess creating with words has eluded me, too. And truth be told, I had a bit of a gloriously messy meltdown last night. In my car. On the way to pick up my daughter from dance and head to see the basketball team play, missing my son's few moments on the court completely, while wrestling with the overwhelming annual sales tax prep.

It took a long time for my chest to unclench last night. I even tried wine, and that failed, too. But I did wake up with a renewed sense of calm. Remember last week when I felt so blissfully relaxed? I have added a few knots but the good news is that I will be back for a massage on the 7th which can't come soon enough now.

But you didn't come here to listen to me whine.

I joined in Kerry Bogert's Aspire to Wire eCourse. There is nothing that Miss Kerry does that I wouldn't want to be a part of. She inspires me in so many directions, not the least of which is jewelry design. It is a 30 day eCourse that is on something like Day #21. I have been following along, reading all the instructions, jotting notes on how I will make the projects my own. But I have yet to pick up a tool, a spool of wire, a bead and make something. Miss Kerry is working so hard bringing us the freshest, most creative projects, so I feel like a bit of a fail on this front. But at least I can come back to it when my head is in the right place. I fear that if I tried right now my wire would get all tangled and I would break my tools and it wouldn't be good.

One of my goals this year is to learn something new. Heck. That is my goal every year. But this year I thought that I would pull some books off the shelf, dust them of and teach myself one project or variation from each of them. I have about 100 books in my resource library so this in itself was a bit daunting. Every time I see a new one I can't help myself. I have to have it. And I find that it doesn't matter what the subject matter is, even if it is something I have never worked with or might never tackle, I do find something of inspiration in it. I never use a tutorial in a book or publication verbatim. I am always spinning my own twists and turns.

I happen to have a lot of books about working with metal. And it seems that every class that I take has a bent toward metalworking. So I decided to pull off 12 or so books and publications that I have admired but never used that focused on metal. And I have paged through and pre-selected a project or two that will get me going. January may be all but over, but I will make good on this idea to make art for the rest of this year.

I could have just skipped this week, but as I told Miss Sally, the planning for creating and researching for me is part of the art. I know that I will be a bit sheepish to post this amidst all the great art that I know will be shown on The Studio Sublime blog this week. But I also want to be faithful to doing the challenges no matter how challenging they may be. Who would have thought that the command to 'create art' would be the hardest for me?

But maybe today is the day. I am headed to Hobby Lobby this morning to pick up some materials to practice for the Project Day class I am doing using shrink plastic for the middle school my daughter attends. So maybe I will get my fingers messy after all.

Please go to The Studio Sublime to see all the other participants in this week's Focusing On Life.

Focusing on Life: Week 3: Take Time

“It takes ten times as long to put yourself back together as it does to fall apart.”  ~ Suzanne Collins, Mockingjay

I am participating in a weekly photography challenge called Focus on Life hosted by Sally Russick of The Studio Sublime. 

Our prompt for this week involves taking time for ourselves. 

Miss Sally suggested that we don't focus enough on ourselves and she is right. As women, and particularly mothers, the focus is always outside on other people. Part of my journey this year is to find BALANCE. One of the Big Rocks in my life is Health and Wellness, and focusing on myself is high on my Must List. I feel like I have completely fallen apart the past few years and I know that I must do something to affect positive and lasting change, to put myself back together. So when I saw this prompt it was like giving permission to me to do something I haven't done in a long time.

I scheduled a massage with my favorite massage therapist in the whole world - Allen Musch of Inner Element Massage.

Al and I met through the Business Networking International (BNI) group that we both belonged to. I have since left the group, but he is still a member. It just wasn't the right fit for my business, but I really enjoyed the time that I was in the group, including being the Educational Coordinator for a term. We spent many hours getting to know each other and our respective businesses and helped create situations where we could actively promote one another. But more than that, I genuinely like Al as a friend. I sometimes miss those sessions. So when we do get a chance to get together, it is easy to share ideas about our business lives and bounce those ideas again. While I was telling him what I was doing now, it occurred to me that there might be a connection we could explore with my intentional jewelry, as I am developing a line of power mantra pendants that might be a good fit for him. I will have to give that some thought for the next time I see him.

Here is a testimonial I wrote for Al on his website:

"When I want to relax, to renew and to recharge my internal batteries there is nothing better than to treat myself to a soothing massage. I have had massages all over the country, but the one and only massage therapist that I have chosen to come back to time and time again is Allen Musch with Inner Element. He really listens to me and takes care of my needs. He is very aware of how I am feeling and what my comfort level is. Allen always takes his time and puts great care into each massage that he gives. I am not just a number of minutes on a clock, I know I am a friend. I give gift certificates for his services to everyone because I know that Allen will treat them with the care and respect they deserve."

I seem to have forgotten my own advice.

So I took the time that I would have been working on orders and other minutiae of my life and made it about me. That might seem selfish, and it has put me a bit behind my order schedule, but it really helped me to relax a bit more than I have in a long time, which helps me think clearer and will in turn help me be better present to those who depend on me.

I hold all my stress in between my shoulder blades. I find that I am always tight through there and always feel like I am hunched over like an old crone. I always kid Al that he has to hunt the knots down and beat them out of me. The joke is on me, because he doesn't have to hunt long! I always tell Al that I feel taller when I walk out of his office. My shoulders are disconnected from my earlobes and I can stand straight.

When I went to pay for the services with a gift certificate that I picked up in an auction this past summer (I know! Shameful that I held it for so long!), Al told me that I still had time on my package. A few years ago I purchased a bulk package of massage hours. I was the first in that experiment and he used to say that I was the President of the Massage of the Month Club. (I prefer Queen President ;-) That was truly the only way that I would be sure to schedule a massage in my life, if I had pre-paid it. Apparently, I forgot about that, but Al didn't. He had to convince me that the massage was already on the books and that I actually had more time left! So I walked out with a greater spring in my step and another appointment a few weeks down the road. I promised him that I work on creating a few new knots so that he had something to look forward to the next time I am in! ;-)

In thinking about what might be a suitable picture to depict this taking time for me, I thought about the quiet and calm that his environment instills in me. Not only was the tension released, but I was able to think and plan some things in the stillness that came into my mind. I stoked a fire that had simmered down to an ember. He has a new space that is completely his own (whereas, he used to rent a space), and it is a haven from the bustle of the outside world. Stylish modern Asian decor, soothing music, soft lighting. I can't wait to get back!

I took a picture of this glowing rock salt lantern that was in the room. Apparently, aside from the calming glow, I found out that the gently heated rock salt disperses the negative ions in the air. A good visual reminder that through this stillness negativity is released and my fire is stoked.

I have to stop here and say that the reason that I joined this was that 80% of the photos that are on my camera are all macro shots of some piece of jewelry or Simple Truth pendant. I am always constantly inspired by those that take such compelling shots of their everyday lives. I want to change that and take more photos of things around me. To be more present to what is around me. To document my life. What I didn't bargain for was that this would be about so much more than just a weekly photo. It is a about living life. Thank you, Miss Sally, for helping me to do that!

Please go and see what the other participants have done to take time this week by hopping over to The Studio Sublime.

What did you do to take time for yourself this week?

P.S. It is my turn for the Studio Saturday over at Art Bead Scene if you would like to see what I have been up to! I am pretty excited about the new direction in my Simple Truths line and I am giving away one of the first pendants of the year to one lucky commenter on this post. 

 

The Big Rocks

Thus, a decision is not a real decision until it is a must for you, until you feel it on your nerve endings and it effects you at a cellular level, until you are compelled to take action. Once your shoulds have turned into musts, then you have made a real decision. ~ The Minimalists

I have been thinking a lot about my word for the year - BALANCE. That word is not one that I sought out. It is one that I ran from. I have been pretty good at dodging it for some time. But not being a very good runner, it caught up with me, grabbed me and hugged me until I had to hug it back.

On a piece of paper, I wrote

And that piece of paper has sat there all week. Taunting me. I tried to cover it up with other work, but it keeps floating to the top.

I keep going back to my image for this year, courtesy of the Focusing on Life weekly challenge that I am doing.

And I am reminded of those rocks.

My husband and I were treated to a once-in-a-lifetime trip to San Francisco and Sonoma in 2008 by my parents. While there my dad wanted to drive over to Carmel-by-the-Sea and Pebble Beach to see the famous golf course. Along the winding 17-mile stretch of road there is a place called Spanish Bay. These stacked rock formations called cairns are found along the shores, built by people who passed by, to show that they were there and to leave a sign to follow. Cairns are piles of rocks purposefully arranged. The intent is to mark a path from those that have traveled that way before. On this windy gray day we stopped to marvel at the way these stones were so marvelously balanced and each built our own cairns to leave behind. What you don't see in this picture is that there were dozens of others similarly placed all along this stretch. We tiptoed carefully to avoid toppling those that were placed before, but it was surprising how sturdy they were, even if they seemed impossibly stacked.

I am glad I found this picture in my archives because it really helps me hone my vision. And maybe at the end of this year, I will have a new cairn to leave behind as a marker that I was there and to leave a trail for those that follow.

I have always been a juggler. I suppose mothers are built for that. I can't bring in the groceries one at a time. I have to find a way to be a pack mule and make one or two trips, tops. I am not one who likes to put away the dishes that I have washed and I can build a tower that would rival any Jenga-Master. But it goes deeper. I am always doing more than one thing at the same time...emailing while painting pendants...watching t.v. with my daughter while filling fundraising orders...cooking dinner while reading a magazine. And that split focus means that sometimes I might get what looks like a lot accomplished, but in reality not every thing is done very well. A master of smoke and mirrors.

So my hope that this year spent on BALANCE will help me see what truly needs my attention and give my full focus while also stripping away those things that just get in the way.

So back to my original question... what does BALANCE look like?

Big Rocks

I am reminded of a story by Stephen Covey that perfectly illustrates this point called First Things First.

One day this expert was speaking to a group of business students and, to drive home a point, used an illustration I’m sure those students will never forget. After I share it with you, you’ll never forget it either.

As this man stood in front of the group of high-powered over-achievers he said, "Okay, time for a quiz." Then he pulled out a one-gallon, wide-mouthed mason jar and set it on a table in front of him. Then he produced about a dozen fist-sized rocks and carefully placed them, one at a time, into the jar.

When the jar was filled to the top and no more rocks would fit inside, he asked, "Is this jar full?" Everyone in the class said, "Yes." Then he said, "Really?" He reached under the table and pulled out a bucket of gravel. Then he dumped some gravel in and shook the jar causing pieces of gravel to work themselves down into the spaces between the big rocks.

Then he smiled and asked the group once more, "Is the jar full?" By this time the class was onto him. "Probably not," one of them answered. "Good!" he replied. And he reached under the table and brought out a bucket of sand. He started dumping the sand in and it went into all the spaces left between the rocks and the gravel. Once more he asked the question, "Is this jar full?"

"No!" the class shouted. Once again he said, "Good!" Then he grabbed a pitcher of water and began to pour it in until the jar was filled to the brim. Then he looked up at the class and asked, "What is the point of this illustration?"

One eager beaver raised his hand and said, "The point is, no matter how full your schedule is, if you try really hard, you can always fit some more things into it!"

"No," the speaker replied, "that’s not the point. The truth this illustration teaches us is: If you don’t put the big rocks in first, you’ll never get them in at all."

What are the big rocks in your life? A project that you want to accomplish? Time with your loved ones? Your faith, your education, your finances? A cause? Teaching or mentoring others? Remember to put these Big Rocks in first or you’ll never get them in at all.

This story has me thinking that I need to figure out what the Big Rocks are in my life. These Big Rocks are what is important and valuable to me, what truly matters in my life. I find it so easy to get lost in the minutiae of my daily life that I often forget to take care of these Big Rocks... like being so focused on getting orders done that I realize it is 3 o'clock and I haven't eaten all day except for that cup of coffee I keep warming up...or working so late into the evening that I miss my entire family going to bed without even so much as a 'good night.' But that must change. I have realized for a long time that this is not healthy and productive, but it is so hard to break those habits. 

So what are the Big Rocks? Here is a list that I found that I think will be quite helpful to me: 

• Career: Are you pursuing your dream career?
• Love: Are you in a relationship with the love of your life?
• Relationships: Are you fostering strong bonds with important people in your life?
• Wealth: Are you financially well?
• Health: Is your health and fitness level in top status?
• Spirituality: Are you attuned with your spiritual source?

I think that to make this more visual for myself, I am going to write down these Big Rocks and an intention of what I really must do to make them each real.

Should vs. Must

Another article I read recently from The Minimalists talked about how making a journey starts with a difficult decision, a pivotal point. Taking a journey implies taking action, moving from one place to another, getting ahead and exploring. Procrastination is the opposite. Inaction, putting off, hiding yourself in what is easy. They said, "There is no reward in procrastination." That is so true.

They go on to write that decisions are grouped in two types: intellectual and emotional. An example for me is that intellectually I know I should exercise regularly, but I don't. Why is that? Because I haven't felt it in my gut, I haven't dug down deep enough to know that emotionally I must do this thing. When you hit that pivotal moment in your life, it turns from should (I should watch less t.v.... I should eat more vegetables... I should work less....I should read more) and becomes a must.

They suggest that you make a list - The Must List - and say it out loud. If you insert should instead, it sounds so different, and not as convincing.

"Today is the day that you must decide that things must change," say the Minimalists. "You know intellectually that you’re not happy with how things are in your life. But you can’t have it both ways. You can’t want it to be one way, when your actions are the other way. If your actions are not congruent with your desires, then you will never feel happy, never feel fulfilled, never be content."

If I can align my pile of Big Rocks with my Must List, I might actually have a chance to make some relevant change in my life in 2013. BALANCE is something that I ran from in the past, but BALANCE is something I must embrace in my future because the Big Rocks in my life are not falling into place by themselves.

Hey! Look at that. I said, "I must..."

Maybe my Big Rocks are starting to get stacked after all. 

Your turn...

What are the Big Rocks in your life? Are you working purposefully to get them in place or have you totally neglected them? 
 
What are your musts?  Go ahead and write just one should statement (I should....) in the comments and then change it to a must statement (I must...), side by side. Does that one word make your statement feel any different? Say it aloud and try it on for size. What must happen in your life for this must statement to bring about a fundamental change in your life?

Memory & Thanks Blog Hop

"Memory is the power to gather roses in Winter."

I am sorry that I am a bit late to the party. I tried all day long to write the post that I felt called to share, but the subject is just too hard, the emotions too raw. And because of that, the creative mojo was blocked. It will have to wait for another day.

But in thinking of memories and thanks, and specifically memory jewelry, I realized that I actually make a lot of pieces that are inspired by memories.

My cousin Jane has been asking me to make jewelry for her for the past two years or so. She gave me her Nana's charm bracelet-turned-necklace filled with all manner of solid gold charms from her travels around the world. I created special charm necklaces for four of Jane's nieces bridging the past to the future.

Jane also gave me a bag filled with treasures that belonged to her mother, Elsie, and asked that I use some of them to create a memory necklace for her. She has a job that takes her all over the world. She is a lawyer so her tastes are very traditional, streamlined and contemporary. But these pieces from her mother were traditional but far from contemporary. So the challenge was to make something that honored her mother's memory but translated into a more contemporary design.

Aunt Elsie passed away when she was just 50 years old. My cousin Jane and I were about 12.

I didn't really know my Aunt Elsie very well. Before we moved here, I would only see her at major holidays when we would travel from Crystal, MN to Stevens Point, WI to hunt Easter eggs or have a Christmas potluck. I still make her Hot Shrimp Dip every Easter and think of her. Like all my aunts, I recall that Aunt Elsie always looked put together. Her jewelry was always very traditional and very simple. Cameos, stick pins and pearls.

Included in this bag of treasures were some religious medallions as well as Elsie's vintage crystal rosary. I told Jane that I wouldn't cut apart the rosary. The crystals are cuts that are not produced anymore, and even if she doesn't use the rosary as an intended prayer tool, it was a special piece. But I did cut the initial stick pin down to make it into a special dangle alone with a Mary medallion.

None of these pieces that I incorporated were valuable outside of the memories they inspired. If they had been signed or were made of more precious materials, I would not have used them or altered them. Since they were merely fashion jewelry items, I did change them a bit. I removed the gold circle from around the cameo pin since the gold plated metal was rubbed off and the metal was a bit cracked, and I cut off the pin backing on the circle ivy and faux pearl pin and I had to reglue a loose pearl back in its setting.

Connecting items like this is the puzzle. Finding just the right placement and making them balanced is the challenge. Often there are holes that can be used for putting it all together. To keep with the circle theme I found a few pieces that had that vintage feel, like the rhinestone oval that is a new item which looks perfectly at home in this piece and echoes the round shapes.

{Full Circle}

A few strands of pearls that remind me of what every well dressed housewife of the 60s would wear completes the back. And to finish it off I found a beautiful crown shaped toggle.

I met Jane and her husband Joe at a local bistro for lunch right after Thanksgiving. When I presented this necklace to Jane she gasped. As I shared all the little details there were tears in her eyes. The eclectic design is a departure for Jane's style but I could really see that she loved it and was excited to wear it. It will be a special reminder of her mother, my Aunt Elsie. I can picture Jane wearing this when she travels around the world this year as a memory that her mother is always with her, and the charms will be a talisman to bring her mother into her life with every touch.

Thank you, Jane, for trusting me to create this necklace for you to honor the memory of your mom, and my aunt, Elsie.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thank you, Miss Lori of Pretty Things for the inspiration for the Memories & Thanks blog hop.

Please go and visit the rest of the participants.

Hostess, Lori Anderson       Pretty Things

 Adlinah Kamsir                   Dream Struck Designs

 Aimee Biondolillo               Aimee's Jewelry Treasures

 Alicia Marinache                 All the Pretty Things 
 Andra Marasteanu               Handmade by Indra Marasteanu 
 Andrea Trank                      Heaven Lane Creations
 April Grinaway                   Brooklyn Bead Goddess

Barb Solem                         Vivi Magoo Presents

Becky Pancake                    Becky Pancake Bead Designs

Beth Emery                         Stories by Indigo Heart

Bonnie Coursolle                Jasper's Gems

Cassi Paslick                       Beads: Rolling Downhill

Catherine King                    Catherine's Musings

Cece Cormier                      The Beading Yogini

Chandra Leitz                     Juniper Goods

Charissa Nesler                   FireStorm Designs
Charlie Jacka                       Clay Space

Christina Hickman              Vintage Treasures Jewelry

Christine Murrow               Charis Designs Jewelry
Christine Stonefield            Sweet Girl Design

Chrizette Bayman               Bead Soup Mix

Cindy Wilson                      It's My Sea of Dreams

CJ Bauschka                       4 His Glory Creations by CJ

Crystal Thain                      Here Bead Dragons

Cyndi Lavin                        Beading Arts

Debbie Rasmussen             A little of this, a little of that

Denielle Hagerman             Some Beads... and other things I like
Diana Gonzalez                  Arte y Poemas

Diane Hawkey                    diane hawkey

Dita Basu                            ankarshilpa

Donetta Farrington             Simply Gorgeous

Dyanne Everett-Cantrell     Deeliteful Jewelry Creations

Emma Todd                        A Polymer Penchant

Erin Kenny                         beadiful therapy

Erin Prais-Hintz                  Treasures Found

Gina Hockett                      Freestyle Elements

Gloria Allen                        Innovative Dreams Jewelry

Heather Marston                 CSW Designs

Inge von Roos                    Inge's Blog

Iveth Caruso                       Creative Atelier

Jacqueline Marchant          Fiddledeedee Jewelry

Jami Shipp                         Celebrating Life!

Jean Yates                          Snap Out of it Jean, There's Beading to Do!

Jennifer Reno                     Musings of a Crafty Jenny
Jenny Robledo                   Peppa's Dream

Jennifer VanBenschoten    Jewelry, Art and Life
Jessica Klaaren                  Cellar Door Jewelry

Jessica Murray                   Whimsical Monkey

Joan Williams                     lilruby jewelry

Jo-Ann Woolverton            It's a Beadiful Creation

Joanne Browne                   josjewels1

Jodie Marshall                    Jodie Marshall Lampwork Beads Wearable Art

Johanna Rhodes                 Fire Phoenix Creations
John Rasmussen                 Rasumussen Gems and Jewelry LLC

JuLee Wolfe                       The Polymer Penguin

Julie Bean                           Blue Pig Blog

Karen Mitchell                   Over the Moon Designs

Karin King                         The Sparklie Things Blog
Karin Slaton                       Backstory Beads

Kat Douglas                       Washoe Kat's
Kay Bolton                        Toodles and Binks

Kelly Hosford Patterson     The Traveling SideShow

Kim Ballor                          Vitamin C ... A Daily Does of Creativity

Kim Dworak                       CianciBlue

Kim Houston                       The Pink Martini
Kym Hunter                         Kym Hunter Designs

Laren Dee Barton                Laren Dee Designs

Lea Avroch                          LA Jewelry Designs

Leanne Loftus                      First Impression Design

Liddy McLaughlin               Liddy McLaughlin Art

Linda Florian                       Lily's of the Valley Jewelry & Creative Creations

Linda Inhelder                     Must-Haves Jewelry

Lisa Hamilton                      Simply Irresistable Jewelry
Lisa Suver                            Fancee That

Lori Bowring Michaud        Artfully Ornamental

Lori Poppe                           Adventures in Creativity with Lorillijean

LouAnn Elwell                    Southpass Beads

Mandi Effron                       Craft-o-licious

Marcia DeCoster                 MadDesigns

Marcia Dunne                     The Alternative Foundry

Marie Covert                      Creating Interest

Marjorie Savill Linthwaite     bennubirdrising

Marlene Cupo                        Amazing Designs by Marlene

Martha Aleo                           Ornamento

Marti Conrad                          Marti's Buttons -n- Beads

Mary Ellen Parker                  BeeTree by m.e.

Mary Govaars                        MLH Jewelry Designs

Mary Lindell                          Mary Lindell Artisan Jewelry

Maureen Connolly                 Mrs Beadsley's Workshop

Maybeline Tay                       The Jewelry Larder

Melissa Elgin                         The Addicted Beader

Melissa Mesara                      one-eared pig beads

Menka Gupta                         Menka's Jewelry

Michaela Pabeschitz              la mar de bonita

Mischelle Fanucchi               Micheladas Musings

Mona Rae Baroody               Who Does She Bead She Is?

Nan Emmett                          Spirit Rattles -- Spirited Earth

Nancy Pedersen                    Something Heartfelt by Nancy

Natalie Davidson                  NorthShore Days
Nikki Douglas                      Bead It and Weep

Pam Farren                           re-maker

Pam, the Crazier Sister        The Crazy Creative Corner

Pam Traub                            Klassy Joolz
Priya Krish                           Hellopalz 
Rebecca Anderson               Song Beads

Rebecca Sirevaag                 Becca's Place

Robin Kae Reed                   Artistry HCBD

Rochelle Brisson                  a creative chelle

Rosa Maria Cuevas              Helena de Troya

Sabine Dittrich                     perlendschungel

Sandi Volpe                          Sandi Volpe

Sandra McGriff                    Creative Chaos

Sarah Goode                         Pookledo
Sarah Singer                         String a Song of Sixpence

Serena Trent                         All Things Made Jewelry

Shai Williams                       Shaiha's Ramblings
Sharon Palac                        Sharon's Jewelry Garden

Sharyl McMillian-Nelson    Sharyl's Jewelry & Reflections

Sheila Davis                         Stone Designs

Shelley Graham Turner        Fabric of My Life

Sherri Stokey                       Knot Just Macrame

Sherry Baun                         Unicorns Jewels

Skylar Bre'z                         Brising Beads

Stephanie Haussler              Pixybug Designs

Tania Spivey                        Moobie Grace Designs

Terri G.                                Blooming Ideas

Terry Carter                         Tapping Flamingo

Terry Matuszyk                    Pink Chapeau Vintage Jewelry

Toltec Jewels                       Jewel School Friends
Tracy Kruse                         Goldkisses Art

Tracy Martin                        Nutkitten's Jewelry

Zia Parks                              Anzi~Panzi's Work Shoppe

Zoe Marcin                          Beads, Tea and Sweets

 

 

Balance plus... Flourish & Thrive

“Listen for the call of your destiny,
and when it comes,
release your plans and follow.”
~Mollie Marti

Do you ever find yourself wishing out loud for something and then placed in your path is something that seems to magically appear that leads you to your heart's desire?

I have long been a believer that you need to open yourself up to the possibilities in order to make them happen. This is not some new-age mumbo-jumbo. I am not saying that if you wish for a million dollars it will fall from the sky and land in your lap. Simply put, I believe that you need to open your heart to the opportunities that are waiting for you and once you do you will be surprised at what manifests. Once you see the doors opening, and have the courage to walk through them, other doors will open. You never know where they will lead.

I have been poking around on the Flourish & Thrive Academy website since they launched. I am very intrigued by this new community. I have been interested in taking their course Laying the Foundation, Volume 1 for some time but I couldn't see the potential in it, and didn't have the space in my life for it last fall.

And then I spotted them on Handemadeology asking the questions

• What was your biggest business success in 2012?
• What do you avoid dealing with in your business? 
• What is holding you back from taking your business to the next level?

I wrote such a long reply to those questions that I knew I was opening a door. And then I saw that my friend Heather Powers has taken the course and found it to be very valuable. Her comments opened the crack a bit wider and I could see myself carving out time for this program. I felt more ready to accept the challenge.

And today, I see that they are offering a scholarship to the program with a creative blog post or video post answering these questions.

• Where are you in your jewelry business now?
• What’s holding you back in your business and your life?
• What is your vision for your business? Where do you want to go? What are your biggest dreams and desires?

I am on a soul-searching path of late, focusing on the Memories & Thanks blog hop tomorrow, signing up for the Intuitive Heart Sanctuary and the Focusing on Life assignment of my word(s) for the year, and this is completely resonating with me. My head knows that I need this direction, this push, but my heart was unwilling to go in that direction. Until now. So I am answering those three questions with a free verse, stream of consciousness poem just the way it popped into my head.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Floating along in a surging sea of beads, I

sometimes struggle to stay afloat.

I am buoyed by the potential around me,

excited to create,

inspired to let the currents take me on a 

magical journey,

but

deadlines race toward me and

threaten

to drag me under,

paperwork bogs me down.

How can you drown

under so much 

beauty?

But I just keep swimming.

No loss of ideas.

No shortage of materials.

Simply not enough time.

Working all day:

wife-mother-daugher-sister-friend-volunteer-worker 

leaves little room

for stretching my creative wings.

Beading all night burns the midnight oil,

sometimes kills creative mojo.

leaves me wondering how long I can sustain

and

will my children grow up and pass me by.

I need
balance and order
so I can
create and grow.

What works...

developing new ideas,
pushing the limits

writing instructions, blog posts, book proposals

connecting with others, 

encouraging big dreams (mine and others),

playing with new tools and techniques

challenging creativity.

Finding balance

in life

in work

in creating

in family

is my biggest pitfall, obstacle, hurdle.

 I envision

writing books

developing my line

selling across the country

(and why not around the world?)

but first, more time for making, exploring, learning

and then quitting

that day job

opening up a creative space

where other dreamers and doers

can let their God-given talents shine

to flourish & thrive

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My word for 2013...BALANCE

This image is one that I took in September 2008 on a once in a lifetime trip to San Francisco with my parents and husband to celebrate the occasion of my 40th birthday. I stumbled across this long forgotten photo, but it perfectly illustrates my word - BALANCE - as well as the fact that I need to take care of the big stones in my life first. My health, my family and my need for creative self-expression are very big stones. 

An ancillary word that goes along with this is ORDER. There are so many things that are spinning out of control in my life and to get some BALANCE I will need to make room for ORDER. Like that stack of paperwork that is beckoning me. Or that tower of books that I want to tackle. And let's not forget that ORDERS are what I like to get from Etsy and elsewhere, but I need a way to streamline the process. And a business plan, or really any sort of plan would bring a lot of ORDER -  and hopefully orders - into my life and business.

BALANCE and ORDER have always been hard for me and my chaotic, detouring, right brain mind. But my head knows what my heart resists. 

So even if I don't happen to be so lucky as to win a scholarship to the Flourish & Thrive Academy, my heart and mind are at least aligned enough to know that this is the direction that my toes need to be pointed in 2013 and I will find a way to make it happen. 

What is written on your heart for 2013? 

What steps are you willing to take to make it happen?