NSFW

A little joke.  This post is suitable for work.  It is, however, extremely raw.

Why don't I post more often?  I prefer to wait until a piece is finished.

I prefer to wait until the lighting is right and the studio is clean and organized.

I prefer to wait until I have the perfect, witty lines ready to accompany the finished artwork.



And that is why I have not posted since November.

I just received a witty little book in the mail.  Austin Kleon says I need to put something out there now.

Now, back to the studio to read more of this book and watch paint dry.

My Blogland

As the cooler weather takes over, I shuffle through the fallen orange, red and yellow leaves. I breathe in the crisp air infused with woodsmoke. Then I rush inside to get some hot cocoa (really it's that iced coffee I'm addicted to) and get on the computer. There's nothing like those autumn days spent surfing on the computer.

As a result of this surfing, I have added new arty blogs to my sidebar.

Cindy Pestka at Artgirl Island
Aimee at Artsyville
Lori Vliegen at Elvie Studio

Dana Barbieri at Create Share Inspire
Elizabeth St. Hilaire Nelson at Paper Paintings

I am unable to comment on those last two blogs listed. I'm suspecting embedded comments again. I want them to know that I am a regular reader but just am unable to be a regular commenter.

One of my goals in blogging is to share interesting blogs with others. I'm sharing these blogs because I feel they have the same goal of sharing. Their blogs include links to other blogs and/or show their followers. I most definitely appreciate that. I did come across a couple of other blogs that I was excited about following and sharing, but ultimately, I changed my mind. The most recent was ALL about the author. Her book, her magazine articles, her galleries, where else to find her work. Her sidebar was very full of herself. And not a mention about anyone else. Grrrrrrr.

Please feel free to share with me any blogs you think I might enjoy.

I am now off to photograph my three newest pieces. A few weeks ago, my husband showed me how to attach my camera to the tripod. Do you think I will be able to do it? I'm off to wrestle with technology. I NEVER come out on top in one of those contests. NEVER.

Overwhelmed? Underwhelmed?

I've been away from the computer for approximately 72 hours. And now I feel completely lost. Damn computers. Why don't I just turn off the technological world and go create? Can I really do that?

On Friday, we went down to Roanoke, VA, to visit my mom in the hospital. We found out by talking to her doctor (something she had done only once, briefly) whom we ran into in the hall, that she did not have a heart attack. At least this year. He thinks she had a gastro-intestinal bug. Everyone one else (no doctors included) think that it was a reaction to her new heart medicine which he had prescribed. Anyway, we went to visit at the hospital Friday night, and she was released soon after we got there. She seems to slowly be recovering. Not easy when you have severe acid reflux, kidney problems, circulation problems, etc. The worry had me overwhelmed. The medical world, well, it leaves me underwhelmed. No one doctor seems to know what another has done or prescribed. So frustrating.

Now I am home and catching up on the blog world. So many artists have done so many wonderful things over the weekend. And these wonderful things have been photographed and documented and discussed. For all I know, spiders have taken over MY studio. Other artists blogs are asking deep questions or showing youtube videos of masterpiece making. I got nothing. So perhaps I should share what other people are doing.

Bridgette Guerzon Mills explains her results to an artistic exercise. One I am reluctant to do for what it may reveal about me.

Robyn Gordon at Art Propelled has gathered another round of artists, this time the theme being handwriting, text and type. All fantastic artists.

Jennifer DeDonato at Colorfly Studio has shared an awesome link to Dan the Monster Man, a papier mache artist.

Jo James is whipping up even more cool critters.

And Paula at Self Taught Artist talks about what it takes to put away your art (at least temporarily) and start your life over.

But here I sit on a Monday morning in front of the computer reading about all of this fantastic art and these creative lives. I feel overwhelmed. I don't know how I can possibly create with such incredible talent already out there. Then I think of what I have been doing lately. I really like my new little pieces, but I feel underwhelmed by them.

Perhaps it is the domestic day I am having. Yes, one of these housewife days. Not that there's anything wrong with that. It is just not the day I want. It is Monday. I'm supposed to be excited about getting into the studio. But instead, I have cleaned the bathroom (really needed it), eaten some bonbons, and I am now waiting for the Maytag repair man. He's supposed to come between 10:00 and 12:00. Anybody wanna liven things up by placing bets on when he will actually arrive. And then we can make bets about the cost of the repair on the dishwasher. Let me start . . .

11:15
$185.00

I've got no more to say. Gonna start some laundry and get out the Swiffer. I'd watch some stories on the TV, but that's not necessary as long as there's Facebook.

Not Funny

Perhaps you've noticed -- there have been few posts lately. I'm not too sure why. I've been a bit crabby. I don't want my blog to be a crabby place. I know I have a rant or two. I do enjoy adding to my whining and complaining category. I just prefer to do it in a funny way. I just couldn't summon up the funny today. Or yesterday. Or the day before.

So I've surfed blogs a bit. I've found quite a few angry ones. A few nasty ones (like 'em but not a steady diet of 'em). And many depressing ones. I do want bloggers to write what they think and feel. It's just too heavy for me this week. Maybe its the health care thing getting to me. But we are NOT going into that here.

So, for your enjoyment, here's a photo of me as a child. I was crabby. Or maybe it was just a bookful of bad jokes. I don't recall. Perhaps I had just been forced to eat spinach. I doubt it though, 'cause that's my grandmother's house. I got to eat all kinds of bad-for-you stuff there. Circus peanuts candy (way nasty), Mr. Pibb and all kinds of cheap cheese. I probably have a tummy ache.

Bye for now. I'm off to look for happy things.

Hello . . . Hello

Tribute to Billie 36 x 26".

Well, where is everybody? I don't think anybody is out there anymore. I figured I would show an old piece here considering that nothing new seems to be happening in the world of blog.

Perhaps it summer? Everyone is on vacation.

Heat and humidity induced lethargy?

Is everyone twittering instead?

Should I take it personally?

I had actually thought about doing one of those giveaway things . . . not so sure now. Hmmmm. Whaddayathink?

Hey, I've got a show next week. That's news, right? I'll put up some photos of that next week. It's going to be big! Every piece will sell! I'll be rich! And famous! I'll be too big and important to talk to anybody anyway.

I'm going to go and see if anything is happening on Facebook.

Keeping Quiet

Well, I wanted to post something. But I feel way too quiet.

I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed about all of this social media stuff lately. Or, perhaps I should say underwhelmed. Underwhelmed to the point where I don't want to say ANYTHING at this point.

So, I'm blogging to say I don't want to blog right now.

Weird, huh?

As far as that last post goes, I really would like to hear any Wise Women stories you have. Doesn't have to be long. A two word quote from a wise woman you don't even know would be good.

Perhaps I should hold this blog hostage. Yeah, I won't post another thing until I get some wise woman comments.

Otherwise, got nothing to say.

Until maybe tomorrow. I do love a Monday.

Old Dog, New Tricks?

Sweet Songs of Birds II

Chirp Chirp Tweet Tweet

I always thought that, if I make it, they will come. And it kind of worked that way at first.

I made a “product.” I took it to my gallery. The gallery sold it.

Boy things sure have changed in the last 8 years. Yes, I had my work in a local gallery. I liked them and they seemed to like me. They sold my “products”. A lot of them. Times were good. My confidence level was high.

Then I placed my work on Ebay. My Ebay business was built slowly. I tied my website to Ebay. Times were good. For me anyway. I considered my earnings growing from year to year to $6,000 was good. And it could only get better, right? I was getting more commissions. I did nothing to get these commissions, other than put the phrase, “I do commissions” on my website. It seemed so easy. Only open road ahead, right?

Things slowed. Then stopped. I involved myself in Etsy. Had a few sales from that. Had.

Now here I am, back down at the very bottom again. Say the phrase “very bottom” out loud. Cup your hands around your mouth and make it sound as if you are at the bottom of a very deep well. I did it. Chills went down my spine.

So what am I to do now? I am so behind the marketing learning curve. Sure, I blog. I write and take photos and leave comments on tons of other blogs. I got used to that and then I heard the word Twitter. I once told another blogger that the word sounded like something you got when you didn’t have quite enough money for a full lap dance. What an unattractive word. Something that a nasty little bird would do to another nasty little bird.

I have read the twitter posts (tweets?) of other artists. Seems to me it’s kind of like eating a pinch of sand for each tweet. Dry. Tasteless. I have yet to read a tweet that I give a darn about. Sorry. And by forcing others to eat my own little pinches of sand, I am going to set myself apart from the rest of the creative world and sell my work left and right?

I am now reading Social Media Marketing, an Hour a Day by Dave Evans. My husband will also read it so he can translate for me. We will see if it will help get me “out in the world.” I put that phrase into quotation marks, as I don’t feel it REALLY gets me OUT in the world. Once I give over to the internet powers that be, will I ever have the time to leave the house again? Or will I be hunched over my computer in a dark office, typing such things as,

“I’m enjoying a cup of shade-grown coffee right now.”
“I’m Neflixing for Green Acres reruns.”
“I’m doing nothing.”
“I just passed gas.”

I try to never say the word “never”, but I’ll have to say “not now” to Twitter.

Right now, I'm feeling a bit like an old dog.

Blah Blah Blog

This is Planting Seeds III. It is being donated for a silent auction at our local Quaker Friends school. I will miss this one -- it is my favorite color combination. Hopefully it's sale will cover the school's expenses for the next five years.

Right now I'm in between projects again. Number 11 in the New Orleans series is ready to be sewn, but I am not ready to sew it. Number 12 is barely underway. It is only underway because I feel 12 is better than 11 for a series. I think I should just get over that and clean up the mess from this series. I'm getting that compressed, cluttered feeling again. A spring cleaning is due.

Unfortunately, the garden is requiring a spring cleaning too. That will take up a great deal of time and energy, but maybe that is what I need right now.

And this blogging thing. I think it is wearing me down. I kind of feel like I am running into a wall over and over again. I have debated having two blogs; one where I say what ever I feel and one where I can try to be a professional artist. I don't know if two blogs would wear me down even more, or perhaps it would free me up to be able to say everything that I want. The artists wouldn't get offended by my rants or off-hand comments and the folks that enjoy the rants and off-hand comments wouldn't be bored with "artistic detail". Maybe it couldn't hurt to have two. If they don't work, I could just shut down the whole mess and get on with life.

Anyway, time to get on with my pacing and blog surfing for the day.