WORKING ARTISTS: HONORING NALA

They've done it again! I'm featured over on the Working Artists blog! Go take a peek!

WORKING ARTISTS: HONORING NALA: A new day a new week Happy Monday! Looking for something new and  inspiring  from the handmade community? I was looking around in the mem...

reblogging WORKING ARTISTS: Thinking of Fall

I'm so honored to have been featured in todays blog post! Go take a peek here:

WORKING ARTISTS: Thinking of Fall: Fall is in the air on this beautiful Wednesday morning.Last night we got a huge rain storm. This morning it was foggy. Oh, it is so wonde...

Of A Story on Nature as Inspiration or Telling the Story of Inspiration Naturally

The view from my window.

I live on a dirt road at the top of a hill along the river valley in a clearing in the woods. I regularly have deer in my front yard, doves in the back and I hold near daily conversations with hawks and other birds. It should come as no surprise that I find inspiration in nature. The colors, the shapes, the utterly calming ground it provides.

I have two pages here on the blog, one for my writings and the other showcases my Rebel Mouse account. If you ever wonder about what I’m finding and posting out and about on the web just click there. You can even subscribe and receive what I’m up to in your inbox. I might only blog once a week, or post to Instagram sporadically but it all ends up there on a daily.  It’s always kind of surprising to me when I get my rebel mail, while I'm finding and posting I don't think anything has much of anything in common, but seeing them together in the email  I can see the repeating forms, the themes and similarities.

I had thought for all the “planning" and posting and pinning I do, I am not nearly cohesive enough. But as I looked over the page I realized I tend to run in themes all the time, even more so when I’m not thinking about it! Here I had a slow day just two posts both on Pinterest, one a Design Seeds color palette, and the other a pair of earrings I was sharing and without meaning to I had a nature theme going. Then it dawns on me, I have so many nature themed pieces in my shop, including several pieces on my desk right now, and a ton of inspirational photos and color palettes that without any effort at all I had this beautiful story to tell. I’d been telling it all along and didn’t even know it!

I think we might all be just a little guilty of this. We love certain things, and they tend to show in what we do in various ways. But because they are so second nature to us, we fail to recognize them as part of our story. I do love it when things become serendipitous, last week I said I planned on telling my stories again and this week my eyes open to the stories that have been there all along. What a fun beginning to this reawakening of me. After all, that is the story isn’t it? How what I love finds its way into what I love doing and being able to share it all with you. Happiness

Thanks for stoppin by!

We’ll see you next time!…….. I always say we, but it’s just me lol…. oh and you! That makes a we doesn’t it?  :)

The Art of Story Telling

nce upon a time, the art of storytelling was more than just words.

It was as much about the presentation of those words and when used the accompanying illustrations. Books, or the written word were beautiful works of art.

Marketing ..... is storytelling. It is about weaving the tale of you, your product, your brand.

We  (read I ) get so wrapped up in all the "newest" details of how to go about being found, being seen, being relevant, that we (again read I) forget the story as a whole.

When I first decided to offer up what I made for sale, it was to make money to buy more supplies to play with, creating a self supporting hobby. Writing descriptions was fun. I got to talk about what I was doing, or had done to create the little piece of art I was offering up for sale. I wrote about the inspiration and the process, just as if you were standing there. 

But then something happened, people started buying. Oh, I like this! You like what I make, I like making, lets do this again! 

Now, I was a business major in college, and I knew what to do in the real world, but the digital world was another story altogether. Or so I thought it was. I started blogging, that was where I was supposed to tell my story ( welcome to my 200th blog post btw!! ) and I started paying attention to all those gurus who knew what to do and how to do it. Never mind most were just rehashing what I already knew, this was the digital world.  

I stopped telling the story of my inspiration, of my process in an effort to be succinct for mobile devices. I stopped sharing what I loved with you. I still told the stories here, that's what the blog is for right? But today I was reminded the Art of storytelling isn't just about the scattered pieces, it's about the whole picture.

Marica and I hang out in several of the same FB groups, we were both participants in the Build a Line Challenge and I always admire the way she shares what she does within the groups. Today she shared her latest and it finally clicked what it was that I loved so much, aside from her obvious talent. It's the way she paints the entire picture. How she weaves her story of not just the piece itself, but her inspiration, her process and her joy in all of it.

The Kraken and the rest of his gripping story can be found in Marica's shop HERE

In the comments the fate of the ship and crew are discussed, in the listing she shares the process of the Krakens becoming. It's all very inviting to come see more, to be a part of the story as it's woven, and to own the Kraken as a part of your own story. Wouldn't it be kind of awesome to wear to a big screen viewing of the newest Pirates release? Too scary for Capt'n Jack? nah bring it!! 

Rather a tenacious telling of the tale, ( or maybe a wee bit punny) but displays perfectly the story as a whole and how it all intertwines. A little something we could all stand to pirate away to our own treasure chests of story telling.

He reminds us ( read ME ) to cling as tightly to our truths in creating the whole story just as tightly as he clings to the anchor. I think I'll bring the stories back, my truths, my inspiration, my process, and my joy. Because that's what you're really buying when you buy from an artist. The inspiration, the process, the joy.

Thanks for stoppin'by!

We'll see you next time!

Procrastination Invites Inspiration

I seem to be in procrastination mode. I'm procrastinating right now, I should be working on some paperwork but I'm writing my blog post that I procrastinated writing yesterday. It's important and needs to be done, I just don't want to.

Instead I'm giving myself permission to go find inspiring jewelry. I mentioned before how I loved the forum and all the sharing and inspiration. I miss that. So I gave myself permission to search out the oohs and ahhs on Pinterest and Instagram. It's been awhile since I just let myself enjoy other peoples pretties, it wasn't long before I had ideas perking, oh those look a lot like my necklace, if I add this and take away that, they would make a perfect pair of matching earrings. Why didn't I think about making matching earrings before?

I signed up for B'Sues  Change it Up Blog Hop, I know which element I'm going to use but not a clue how I really want to go about using it. While I was out and about carousing the pretties I starting thinking oh what a cute idea! I could cut it up and do something like that, or I could patina it and do something like this. I think I may need to order a couple pieces and allow myself to experiment. Now that sounds like fun and a plan for tomorrow *wink*

Sometimes giving ourselves permission to do something tomorrow allows us to give ourselves permission to recharge the soul and quieten enough to listen to the whisperings of our muse. I needed that.

I'm off to do something, not sure yet just what that is but I'm off to do it!

Thanks for stopping by!
We'll see you next time!

Today's To Do's

I had the idea for todays post, even had it partially written in my head. Then I had to head into town and run a couple errands. When I came home I needed to order a new printer to replace the one that died a couple weeks back. By the time all that was done I completely forgot what todays topic was.

POOF

GONE

I've sat and tried to remember what it was but it just isn't coming to me.

Oh wait! I think it was customer service and being in business means you need to be nice even though you want to be rude and sassy. It was a thought  I had while reading advice being given to a frustrated seller in a group on FB, boy that advice was full of sass!! I'll have to write that down for fleshing out later or I'll forget.... again!

So today then? CATS!

Not really, my oldest has moved out again. I rearranged the furniture (makes the living room feel bigger) and I need to make sure to get those things she had in my kitchen packed up so the oldest has them for her new apartment. My brain has just been a little preoccupied with other things.

It's not that the blog isn't important, it's just that sometimes other things are more important, like my family. That's the way it should be for all of us. Family first.

So I'm off to my kitchen today, packing up the things she left behind. I'll miss seeing her here but I'm awfully proud of her. She's going to do wonderfully I'm sure of it.

Have a great day, hug those you love!

Thanks for stopping by!
We'll see you next time!