Periodic Update - First Post of 2020
If you had asked me two weeks ago, I would have said that I felt rather optimistic about the future. I mean, I remember being a kid and seeing statistics about what 2020 would be like, and since then it has always been "the future" in my mind. Now, it's the present. And it's not at all what we thought it would be, is it?
In a daily effort to remind myself that the key to happiness is gratitude, I am journaling more in general, and will be blogging a lot more, too. For the first time in our relationship, my hubby is making an income and starting a career that can support us, so I have a lot of time to fill with whatever the fuck I want to do. And if that sounds fantastic, you're correct, it very much is. If you've been following along, you already know what I want to do with my time.
If you're new, the answer is MAKE STUFF. I literally cannot stop making stuff. My house now consists of shelving and storage, but I turned the parts I could upside down over Christmas break so that I could make stuff. I crocheted several hats, ear warmers and a long infinity scarf for the hubby. I spent many, many hours meticulously assembling this:
And I also took on my first real sculpting project, a Baby Yoda statue, because I can't resist the trends:
He's not perfect, but I love him. I'm terrified his ears will break because I have to transport him to a kiln. I probably should have thought that through better, but nothing to be done about it now. Also, he doesn't have any hands, and I'm not sure he will. He's been covered since the week before Christmas, and I haven't actually looked at him since then, so there is a chance I could still attach hands to the sleeves. We'll see. He's probably only the first Baby Yoda I make, because I'm obsessed with the Mandalorian and will need to do something in the 10 months until Season 2.
So, while I probably should pursue gainful employment, I'm actually more inclined to fully focus on getting my handmade business churning out more revenue. I've been trying for 10 years and there's always been something else more pressing to distract me from it. I can't help but see this as a chance to make it what it should be. I have a TON of product from Craft & STEM, pottery & yarn mostly, so the hurdle is getting everything listed for sale. Unfortunately my little Etsy shop lost some steam right at the end of the year because I went out of town at the last minute. Things are picking back up, though, and I've got time to focus on the work that actually has to go into that.
Trying to make a living on the Internet with art is not an easy path, but it just feels so much like freedom to me that I can't resist the urge. I've come to the realization recently that the voice in my head that tells me making content is pointless because no one will find it in the figuratively infinite ocean we call the Internet...*brb, having a mental break down from just having typed it out*.... anyway it's self-fulfilling prophecy. If I don't make content, of course no one will find it. So, I need to make content.
I've been giving into that damn voice of reason. At first it was out of necessity; I publicly worked for a large corporation that took itself very seriously and therefore I had to filter my public communication & persona through that stringent code. But then, once I was set free from those restrictions, I had years of conditioning to overcome, and a fledgling brick & mortar business to run.
Well, now there's no brick & mortar to run, my partner has a job that will support us AND that puts us on opposite schedules, and my child goes to school for 8 hours a day. Oh, and my car is broken for going on its second week now. So, distraction-free time is no longer my biggest hurdle.
Now it's just my attention span, and that stupid, negative Nancy voice in my head telling me that it's all pointless. I'm not going to listen to her anymore. So, dear reader, you get to look forward to more of these pointless meanderings in the near future. Content is the game, my friends, so I'm just gonna make as much of it as I can as quickly as I can, and likely, never, ever stop. Thanks for coming along!
If you've made it this far, thank you! Here's my latest pottery video for your time:
Thanks, again. Let's just hope that January is not an indication of how the rest of 2020 is going to go on a global scale.
In a daily effort to remind myself that the key to happiness is gratitude, I am journaling more in general, and will be blogging a lot more, too. For the first time in our relationship, my hubby is making an income and starting a career that can support us, so I have a lot of time to fill with whatever the fuck I want to do. And if that sounds fantastic, you're correct, it very much is. If you've been following along, you already know what I want to do with my time.
If you're new, the answer is MAKE STUFF. I literally cannot stop making stuff. My house now consists of shelving and storage, but I turned the parts I could upside down over Christmas break so that I could make stuff. I crocheted several hats, ear warmers and a long infinity scarf for the hubby. I spent many, many hours meticulously assembling this:
And I also took on my first real sculpting project, a Baby Yoda statue, because I can't resist the trends:
 |
| He looks a lot like E.T. at this stage... |
 |
| Before ears. |
 |
| After ears. |
He's not perfect, but I love him. I'm terrified his ears will break because I have to transport him to a kiln. I probably should have thought that through better, but nothing to be done about it now. Also, he doesn't have any hands, and I'm not sure he will. He's been covered since the week before Christmas, and I haven't actually looked at him since then, so there is a chance I could still attach hands to the sleeves. We'll see. He's probably only the first Baby Yoda I make, because I'm obsessed with the Mandalorian and will need to do something in the 10 months until Season 2.
So, while I probably should pursue gainful employment, I'm actually more inclined to fully focus on getting my handmade business churning out more revenue. I've been trying for 10 years and there's always been something else more pressing to distract me from it. I can't help but see this as a chance to make it what it should be. I have a TON of product from Craft & STEM, pottery & yarn mostly, so the hurdle is getting everything listed for sale. Unfortunately my little Etsy shop lost some steam right at the end of the year because I went out of town at the last minute. Things are picking back up, though, and I've got time to focus on the work that actually has to go into that.
Trying to make a living on the Internet with art is not an easy path, but it just feels so much like freedom to me that I can't resist the urge. I've come to the realization recently that the voice in my head that tells me making content is pointless because no one will find it in the figuratively infinite ocean we call the Internet...*brb, having a mental break down from just having typed it out*.... anyway it's self-fulfilling prophecy. If I don't make content, of course no one will find it. So, I need to make content.
I've been giving into that damn voice of reason. At first it was out of necessity; I publicly worked for a large corporation that took itself very seriously and therefore I had to filter my public communication & persona through that stringent code. But then, once I was set free from those restrictions, I had years of conditioning to overcome, and a fledgling brick & mortar business to run.
Well, now there's no brick & mortar to run, my partner has a job that will support us AND that puts us on opposite schedules, and my child goes to school for 8 hours a day. Oh, and my car is broken for going on its second week now. So, distraction-free time is no longer my biggest hurdle.
Now it's just my attention span, and that stupid, negative Nancy voice in my head telling me that it's all pointless. I'm not going to listen to her anymore. So, dear reader, you get to look forward to more of these pointless meanderings in the near future. Content is the game, my friends, so I'm just gonna make as much of it as I can as quickly as I can, and likely, never, ever stop. Thanks for coming along!
If you've made it this far, thank you! Here's my latest pottery video for your time:
Thanks, again. Let's just hope that January is not an indication of how the rest of 2020 is going to go on a global scale.
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