Habits that Help, and Habits that Distract

I have been thinking about habits lately. Over the last four months, I have been building the habit of getting to the gym. After four months of conscious effort, my car now seems to effortlessly drive right past my street, and head for the gym after I drop off my daughter in the morning. Before I am fully thinking about it, I am on my way to the gym.

When I began this struggle to build this habit, I would have to have these conversations with myself...."Don't head home. You need to go straight to the gym. Don't turn down our street.".....It took effort. Effort to get out of my usual habits and build new ones. Now, going to the gym is nearly as effortless as not going once was. And for me, just getting there is the biggest hurdle. Once I am there, I am there to exercise. There are no distractions. I do what I need to do, and I leave feeling better than when I got there. Tired, a little achy, but my head is clear, and maybe some endorphins have kicked into gear.

On the other hand, when I get home, it is easy to get on the computer and "check my e-mail." "Check my e-mail", is really code for; check my e-mail, read a few blogs, check the e-mail, check stats, do a search, check e-mail,.....and down into the hole that can be the internet. An hour or more can pass before I emerge from the internet stupor.

"Who am I, and where have I been? What was I going to do today?"

Maybe the internet doesn't have this effect on you, but I can easily fall down the Internet Rabbit Hole. So, here we have it. In my morning I am finding a habit that is helping me have more energy and feel better overall, and another that is sapping my energy and making me less productive. Distracting me from the work that I really want to do in my day.

It would be easy for me to rationalize this distracting behavior, or even avoiding the healthful behavior. I could skip the exercise, because I am too busy. I just don't have time for it in my schedule. And, I am doing work when I am on the computer. I can tell myself I need to be on the computer.

But these rationalizations don't move me closer to the life I would prefer to be living. I want to be healthier and more fit. That means I need to invest the time into getting to the gym. Time spent on the computer and the internet is something that cannot be avoided, and can help make connections, find out important information, and much more. But it can also leave me less time, energy and focus for the work that is more essential to me as an artist....time in my studio. The rationalization doesn't take into account what my priorities are; what it is that I want to be accomplishing in this life of mine.

The thing about these habits of distraction is that they can be sneaky. They can masquerade as being productive.

• Do you have to straighten out your studio before you sit down to work?
• Do you have to make sure the dishes are done and the beds made, etc., before heading for your studio?
• Do you have to add ten more galleries to your mailing list before you do that mailing?
• Do you have to write a post for your blog, even though you don't have anything on your mind that you want to say, but you need to write something everyday.
  

All these things can seem like the right thing to do. This list is by no means comprehensive. But, if you recognize yourself in any way in any of these activities, ask yourself, are those activities helping you be a more productive artist, or are they just making you feel more comfortable, and busy?....and helping you avoid the act of creating?

Let's look at one of the items; cleaning the studio. Perhaps I am trying to rationalize the mess that is my studio....but let's just go down the path a bit further before we question that motivation! I know that some people need to have order before they can begin to sit down to work. I will not question this desire. If a chaotic studio causes too much stress for you to be productive, then you need to honor that desire. But, does the activity of restoring order, give you a sense of accomplishment, without really having done any "work". Does the process of creating order shift your brain to a different place than where your true creativity arises? In the process of trying to create an environment to be creative, are you squelching your creative energy?

But you need that order.

What if,.... you developed the habit of cleaning and re-ordering your studio each day, after you are done creating. Going to that restful place of putting everything in it's place, and cleaning surfaces after the real work is done. Then in the morning, when you go into your studio, you are ready to work. You are not distracted or stressed by the mess.

For me, I find that having a bit of chaos makes it easier for me to go into the studio and get to work. It is less intimidating and scary than the blank canvas of a spotless studio. I can jump right in something that might already be in progress. I like some degree of order so I have room to work, and know where to find things, but the studio where work is always partly done feels more productive to me.

My distraction is that computer. I am not being truly productive by getting on the computer before I get into the studio. I need to shift that energy and time drain to later in the day. After I have exercised, and spent a good chunk of time in the studio.

Finding these sorts of distractions can be difficult. We have to be uncomfortably honest with ourselves, and our priorities. If your art is important to you, you have to make it a priority. If the dishes get done at the end of the day, rather than after each meal, they still get done. And if you are in your studio working, you won't see them! You can go ahead and do that mailing to the list you have, and send out more later as you add to the list.

I find I need to reassess my routine every few months. How am I spending my time? Is it moving me toward what is most important to me, or is it pulling me away? Today, I am glad to say, I stopped myself from heading for the computer after getting home and making my cup of coffee. Instead, I went into the studio, and go some work done, and enjoyed it more than I would have enjoyed that same amount of time on the computer.

Do you have any habits that need re-evaluating? What are your priorities, and are your actions supporting them?

Too Busy

Have you missed me?

I have missed the time I had been spending writing here, but lately it seems like that is a luxury for which there is no room. I thought I worked a lot before. Now I have had to cut out lots of little "extras", .... like writing in this blog.

So what have I been up to?

First, cleaning out space. A few weeks back I rented a dumpster. Nothing is more satisfying than clearing out lots of clutter, and ending up with space. Our basement was filled to the gills and beyond. It is gratifying to finally have begun to re-establish order where before it was sheer chaos.

Part of the motivation to do this was I was desperate for space. The Crane Project is taking up more and more room. Both storing the cranes, and work space to string cranes up on cables. My work spaces were becoming unworkable. The change has made a large space available to me in the basement, and now I can safely have them out of danger, and more easily do the work I need to do with them.

I also decided it was time I admit that my dining room had stopped being a dining room several years ago when I started selling lots of cranes. It had become my crane packaging and inventory area, and shipping area. But I never fully admitted that. Even though hosting a meal in the room would have been impossible.

So the hutch was cleared out, the table moved to a wall, and a second table brought into the room. My computer came downstairs, along with all my paperwork. Getting an order out the door has become more efficient. It is still chaotic because I have not had the time to organize my office "stuff", but already, it is feeling much better than what existed before. And my husband has taken over the office space upstairs. He has a place to read, to play his guitars, and do yoga.

I have set a tough schedule for myself to complete cranes for the Crane Project. Sixteen cranes a day. Seven days a week. Right now, I am two days behind schedule, or thirty-two cranes. I hope to make eight more before I go to bed tonight so that the deficit shrinks just a little. But it is gratifying to watch the number climb. I just crossed 800 cranes tonight. It is also stunning to see how many that is. And to realize that is it only a year and two months of a war that is already over five years in length.

The motivation for staying on schedule is because it may put me in position to "catch up" at about the time of the inaugural in January of 2009. I like the idea of that deadline. A karma shift of sorts.

The waxed paper cranes are getting folded here and there. I bring a bag with paper squares with me where ever I go. I have folded over 500, and received nearly 100 from other folders. Last night, about 15 to 20 were folded before and during my daughter's band concert. I even taught my dentist and her assistant how to fold cranes last week. I have a new idea that I will be working on in the coming days to recruit more folders.

I still don't know where this project will be installed. It is one of the first questions I get, and all I can say still is "I don't know." All I can do is trust. I am continuing my search for a place, as well as funding options. Filling out applications, and learning.

I have also been dealing with some difficult choices in my business. I will write more about that soon. All I can say for now was once I made the choice it felt better than it did when I was avoiding the inevitable. Once I crossed the dreaded line, answers and solutions seem to fall into place. I don't know how it will work out, but I do know I feel comfortable with my decision, regardless of the outcome.

For the time being, my posts will probably continue to be sporadic. This post is more scattered than I like, but I guess that is a reflection of my state of mind right now. A bit like a pinball bouncing around. Time to bounce back into my studio, and make a few more cranes....

Margaux Lange, Whimsy and brains

I am a big fan of Margaux Lange's work. She uses traditional metalsmithing techniques, with new materials to create fresh and vibrant jewelry with Barbie doll parts as the focal point. I found Margaux's work shortly after a neighbor's outrage over what her daughter and my daughter's had done to Barbie dolls. Let's just say, it started with haircuts. This was the perfect antidote to my neighbor's outrage at the plastic surgery that had taken place. What Margaus is doing with Barbie, is artistry. But, it also has the whimsy appropriate to the material.

Margaux has a blog that I visit from time to time, and I just caught up this morning. She has a terrific post on the New Wave artists at ACC. We had some discussion of these artists at the Synergy conference occurring upstairs, excited by the possibilities this represented for new media such as polymer clay. But I for one, was not aware of how much controversy and confusion the presense of these artists was generating on the floor, among both the new and the established artists.

I think it is instructive of the turmoil of transistion. And if you think that the craft business is not in transistion, think again. As I posted last night, things are in motion, and if you don't move along with it, you will be left behind.

Artists like Margaux are embracing, and making sites like Etsy work. She references an indie retail show that was a complete bust for her. In all of this she is not sure where she fits as a craft artist at times. But, frankly, I think many of us feel that way these days. How much of the new do we want to try out? And how much of the traditional ways of being in business work just fine?

I don't think there is any one answer. I do think we have to continual monitor, measure and experiment. Trying out the new, and checking in regularly to see of the old is still working as well as it used to. Promoters and galleries are in a similar position. If they keep doing what they did ten years ago, they will find themselves in a fight for survival.

And we need communication. Without it there is distrust and animosity. That is clear from Margaux's post. It will not be resolved quickly and easily, but a peace will be reached eventually, most likely from a cross-pollination of the old and new.

I hear people sometimes speak dismissively of Etsy as a place where there is too many artists with low price and poor workmanship. That is there. But there is also work that is beautifully crafted, and not the least bit inexpensive. It hasn't been an outlet that works for me, but I have found success with wholesalecrafts.com, a site that is has it's share of derision. Both sites require more time and money spent than just putting items up on a page to make them work to best advantage. But both offer ways to maximize the chance to succeed. Showcases and Treasuries on Etsy. Featured items and co-op ads with wholesalecrafts.com.

It is up to us to try and keep from feeling personally threatened by all the change that is going on around us. Change represents energy, and energy is what craft needs to stay alive and vital. When you feel yourself dismissing or criticizing some new faction in the world of craft, stop and ask yourself a few questions.

"Why is it bad?"

"How much do you really know about it?"

"Is there anyone involved whose work you respect?"

"What are they finding that you have not seen?"

The more conflict there is in the transistion, from either direction, the longer and more painful it will be. The more open exchange there is, the more chance there is for growth by all parties.

Things will always change. Are you open to change?

Maybe, This Stuff Works...

Just about five years ago, I started down the path of playing with polymer clay, and not long after, learning everything I could about the business of being in craft. You might think that someone with an MBA, would not need to learn much. But I have never in my life presumed expertise. And, after working in so many industries in the past, I knew I would have to learn what made the business of craft tick.

What have I learned in the last five years? LOTS! Some things the hard way, some the traditional way. But I certainly know more now than I did then. I'll try to summarize a few of those lessons here,

1. Doing matters. In the end, without action, it is nothing. Talk truly is cheap. Acting takes guts and often funds. But without taking action of some sort, nothing happens. And even when things go wrong....there is always an opportunity to learn, or to gain experience. Nothing has ever been a complete waste of my time. A few things came close. But I never came close to making those mistakes again.

2. The most successful are those who are usually just plugging away. You seldom see them complaining about much. Not because they are successful, and have nothing to complain about. No. It seems to me, that more often it is because they see little is gained from the complaint.

Complaining about ignorant or irritating customers, wholesale or retail, seldom does much except allow you to spend more time in a time drain. Complaining about artists who rip off others seldom is a well-spring for creativity. Complaining about how lousy the market is does not help you find new customers.

The successful are not Pollyannas. If anything they are hyper-realists. They realize that the only thing that is going to get them closer to their goals, whatever they might be is themselves. And no amount of complaining ever moved anyone forward. Usually it keeps them firmly planted in place as the rest of the world moves forward.

3. Perfectionism can be a crutch. It can be a way to avoid trying. It can be an excuse for item number 1. Good enough really is good enough. Don't get me wrong, craftsmanship matters. But, there is a line. Cross that line and you will never have anything leave your studio, and you will never be able re-coupe your investment in time if you try to sell your work.

4. Craftsmanship develops best in volume. Make something over and over and over again, and you will learn it and understand it in ways that are not possible in the first, the fifth, or possibly even the 100th piece.

5. Pricing never ever gets easy. You just reach a point of peace. You know you are covering your costs. You know your work will sell at a price. You are not selling it faster than you can make it. An equilibrium of sorts is reached, but it never maintains itself indefinitely.

6. Packaging matters. The best work in the world is enhanced with good marketing support materials. Some sort of packaging that tells your story or presents the work to best advantage will nearly always help sell the work a bit better than without it.

7. Understanding your customer is essential. It will help you answer so many other questions about how to bring your product to market. What shows to do? Pricing. Packaging. Colors. Designs. Where to advertise or publicize.

8. Even in a good market some will fail. Likewise in a lousy market some will succeed. Our success is more often influenced by our own actions than by those of the general climate. Those things matter, but they are not the only factor.

9. The world keeps moving, and so should you. New designs. New markets. New ways of getting your work out into the market. The internet is going to play an integral role as we move forward. If you are reading this you probably already sense this, if not know it and live it. Stay still and you will be left behind.

10. Going it alone is lonely. I love time on my own. But I can't say I would ever have learned as much, or gone as far as I have so far without the company of others.....virtually or in person. That new person at the show that you have been doing for years may know just the web guru that you need. The craftsperson who seems to be able to set up his booth with his eyes closed, because he probably can....will probably have some good advice if you are willing to listen. Sharing your dreams with others may mean that when they see the opportunity that is perfect for you, you will find out. Be a friend and make a friend. Your business will benefit, and so will you.

The title? It seems as if I should be in a lull right now. The economy is faltering. I had a large order with a catalog company cancelled. And yet, I am working like crazy. Orders are coming in. Opportunities dropping in my lap.

Why? Luck, perhaps. But maybe because I am working to stay focused on these essentials. I don't know. But I do know that the more I do that is alignment with the things I profess here, the more success comes my way. I get it wrong, like anyone. But I allow myself the error, and move forward. I hope that you can do the same with your business, and that it brings you the same satisfaction and success. I am looking forward to the lessons that the next five years will bring.

Deadlines

My daughter and I were having a conversation the other day about working. She told me she could never be an entrepreneur. She could not imagine working so hard. I love it when someone makes an observation like this. It makes me pause and step back from what I am doing everyday, and see it in a new light.

I do work a lot. Every day. All seven. Too many hours by most any standard. But, for the most part, no one is making me work so much. No one but my own drive and desire. We recently had someone here doing some work on our house, and I commented to him about the hours he worked. He did this as a second job. His weekends, and long evenings were spent in a second job. He quickly questioned my comment in light of my own behavior. He had observed my workaholic tendencies as he spent time in our house. Once again, I had to step back and look at things from another point of view.

As my daughter and I talked, what I began to realize is that the "work" part of what I do is often around deadlines or drudge work that needs to be done. That is the part that most feels like work. But it is only a fraction of the time I spend "working". In comparison, I probably spend less time per week in these tasks that feel like work, than my husband spends at his job in a week. Most of what I do, I enjoy tremendously and so, feel pulled to spend the time doing it.

As I juggle several deadlines in the coming weeks, I am feeling a bit more overwhelmed and under more stress than I normally do. As I work towards these deadlines, I wonder if this is where the line between doing this as work, or as an avocation may lie. As a job, deadlines are regularly popping up on the radar. Show applications. Dates to ship work. Submission deadlines. Deadlines for running an ad, or doing a mailing. With a deadline we can't always follow our muse into the studio. Sometimes we have to shift our focus to the task that must be completed.

But, deadlines may also serve a purpose. A reason to push a piece further. A reason to get the photos taken. A reason to create a body of work. Without deadlines, sometimes things will drift about, to and fro, perhaps never getting the final focus and push to move it to completion.

Are you able to follow your muse at will? If so, do you sometimes find that it is hard to maintain focus or commitment? Or do you find that other obligations are your biggest challenge? Does the idea of the commitment of deadlines keep you from moving from a passionate avocation to an artrepreneur? Are deadlines a spur to move, or a roadblock in your life?

How Many Balls Can I Juggle?

The problem with juggling so many balls in the air right now, is that there is little down time to reflect on what is going on, and perhaps share a bit of that with you here. What I have been thinking about is what we can do if we just take a step forward. I had written previously about whether or not you live life waiting for a permission slip to follow your dreams or you big ideas. I guess I find myself having signed an awful lot of permission slips!

But, somewhere along the line I went from the person who seldom stepped outside of the prescribed lines, to a person who is willing to act on her dreams. I don't know why or how that happened exactly, other than perhaps the experience of doing it again and again shifts the axis of your world a little bit. The voice that says"Yeah, but you can't do that..." has been quieted. She still is there, but there is another voice. The one that says, "Well, why not?" Or, "I can at least try."

And it is about the trying. If we stay too focused on the end goal, and how big and overwhelming that goal may be, we will never begin. But if we say, let's just see what we can do. It gives us room to fail, without calling ourselves a failure. Why, because we tried. And with each small step that we take to move closer and closer to the goal or dream, it seems less impossible. We can do the small steps.

There is that critic that says, "Sure, you can do a little bit of it, but come on. It is too big, it will take too long, cost to much,....it is just TOO HARD. Give up now before you get disappointed."

Have you had that conversation with yourself? Does the critic always reign supreme and get in the last word? Or are you persistent, and passionate enough about your dream that in spite of all the logic that the critic is throwing your way, you still want to go ahead.

I am in over my head. If I listed all the things I am juggling right now, you would consider me certifiable. But you know what, I am making progress towards each goal I am working on. I am learning a lot about how much is possible. "No" is more impossible for me these days.

I am learning to say, "Why the hell not?"

Ask yourself that next time. Why not? Why shouldn't you go after your dream, or your BHAG. Look around you. Look at some of the amazing things that people have done and accomplished. Were they any more special than you or me? Most likely, not.

I had a conversation recently with a "high profile" artist. Someone with a "name". She was trying to tell me how her career, and where she was, was simply a fluke. Luck. But as she told me the story, what evolved was the story of someone who created her own luck. She had an idea....a "crazy, half-baked idea", if the critic had the final word. She began to figure out what she would need to do to make that idea into reality. And she started taking the steps to make it happen. And as more of her story comes out, it is clear this is a pattern in her life. She doesn't wait for someone to plan her career for her. She dreams her dreams, and then acts upon them.

We all have dreams. But not everyone is willing to go after their dreams. Preferring the safety of what they already have, and know. And not every dream is possible. But, more are possible than most of us are willing to believe, or act upon.

Frankly, sometimes in life we have to approach things like a bungee jumper. Be scared, trust the cord, and jump anyway.

Something to Think About..

Just a link today. Something to ponder over the weekend. A less is more kind of post.

A New Focus

I have made a decision to focus on selling wholesale this year. My decision has come from several vantage points. First, I have seen terrific growth in this area of my business, and I want to be able to continue that growth. Second, retail shows have been more problematic for me.

Retail shows are a terrific way to get a first hand reaction to your work. This can be misleading and confusing though. I have had shows where the work flew out of my booth, and another show with the same work was dismal. Which information was correct? Both, most likely. Demographics, flucuations in the economy, weather, and many other factors can effect the outcome of a show. My energy level, or my display can also have an effect.

And retail shows are time consuming. Before the show I typically will do a mailing. This means updating my mailing list, printing out labels, and stamping postcards. A day to pack things up and organize. A day to travel and set up. Three days at a show, tearing down and traveling home on that last day. Crash and burn for at least a day. A week out of the studio. If the show was great, this was a week well spent. If not, it was a week away from family, and out of the studio. Then there are sales taxes to be paid, credit card sales to be entered, unloading the van, and putting everything away again. And more names to add to the mailing list.

In the past, I have felt unable to really think through, and follow through on developing a consistent and cohesive marketing plan for my work. It has been catch as catch can. Part of why I want to try focusing just on wholesale this year is because I want to be able to give enough attention to marketing that it can be more effective, and opportunities are not dropped or lost for lack of follow through.

Here is part of what I want to do;

1. Mailings. I still will do postcard mailings, but now they will be to galleries, and planned to promote some sort of special offer. A call to action, if you will. I also plan to mail out my new catalog to anyone who as ordered from me in the past or has asked for information. It will build on the past interest, and perhaps generate some sales. Too often in the past, I would send out a catalog after an inquiry, but leave it at that. I will make use of the mailing list of galleries I have built up over the last three years.

2. Newsletters. This is a step I have already begun. I sent out my first e-newsletter this week using Mail Chimp. They have a 30 day free trial, and flexible pricing plan that works for my volume and frequency. And it works! I had an order within 12 hours of my first mailing. I plan to send one out every other month, alternating with the postcard mailing. Not all galleries even use e-mail. But for those that do, it is a great way to stay in touch and let them know what is new with your work. These newsletter services would work well for retail as well. The nice thing about services such as Mail Chimp, or Constant Contact, is that they tell you how many people opened your email. How many times, and which links people clicked on. They clean up the list automatically, removing bounced e-mails. You could do this your self with a standard e-mail, but the background information is helpful to gauge the success of your newsletter.

3. Advertising. One of the tenets of effective advertising is repetition. Some people will contact you with the first advertisement. But others will have to see your ad repeated times before they take action. In the last year, I focused my advertising dollars on the Buyer's Guide put out by Wholesalecrafts.com. It is open to anyone who is on their site, and it goes out four times a year. I had planned to only do two ads last year, but ended up going with four. I also increased the size of my ad. The results were well worth the expense.

This year I plan to run ads in at least one, maybe two periodicals on an on-going basis. I am starting with Niche magazine, put out by the Rosen Group, and sent to galleries. I can run a co-op ad, again through Wholesalecrafts.com, and gain broader exposure for my work.

What I have learned in the last year of running the ads in the Buyer's Guide is that I get a different clientele contacting me as a result of these ads. I get phone calls from galleries who do not visit the Wholesalecrafts.com website, and do not want to place an order on-line. They prefer to talk to me on the phone. Perhaps have a catalog to peruse at their leisure. Some customers love the flexibility of ordering on-line, but others prefer a different approach. Being able to respond to all the various styles of your clientele is important.

4. Wholesale show(s). I will be doing the ACRE show in Las Vegas again this year. This show gave me exposure to buyers who like to come and see and touch the work in person before placing an order. Doing the show last year took me out of my comfort zone, but was well worth every minute of anxiety.

My approach to this is pretty much like it has been all along with my business. It is a trial. An experiment. I will allow myself this year of focus and see what happens. I may even do a retail show or two this year. But maybe not. I like the idea of traveling only once this year to do the wholesale show. I like the idea of taking the money I would have spent on retail shows this year, and using it to boost my advertising, and exposure.

I will let you know how this experiment works out. I am sure I will have more adjustments to make next year, but I feel like I have a map for the coming year. Each time we try something new, we learn new things. We may learn that it doesn't work for us, but we know it with certainty rather than fear.

Resiliency

If I was to pick one characteristic that is essential for a successful Artrepreneur, resiliency would be up high on the list. Dictionary.com defines Resilience (noun) as;

1.the power or ability to return to the original form, position, etc., after
being bent, compressed, or stretched; elasticity.
2.ability to recover readily from illness, depression, adversity, or the like; buoyancy.

We can be bent, compressed, or stretched very close to the limit in all sorts of ways. Illness. Financial setbacks. Creative slumps. Slumps in the economy. Tools or equipment that break down. Problems with customers or suppliers. Too much work. Too little work. Bad shows. Rejection. And on, and on, and on.

Things happen.

This is the one thing I can guarantee. If you choose to be an Artrepreneur the road will have curves and bumps. Some of the ride will be exhiliarating. But some of it will make us wonder why we began the journey. In order to continue the ride, we will have to be resilient. Without this characteristic, it is impossible to accept the inevitable challenges, and do the work necessary to adapt or accomodate.

Accepting what is, and working to do the best you can with that situation is essential. As much as we might desire to do so, we cannot control ever aspect of our lives or our businesses. There are external forces that can come at us with no warning. If we get depressed, outraged, or angry in response, we will not be able to succeed. The essential muscle we need to develop is one of resiliency. The "ability to return to the original form, position", or the "ability to recover" can be what allows one person to succeed and another to flounder, irregardless of their comparable artistic ability.

First, we need to accept we are not fully in control of external forces. We can't control the weather, the economy, or anyone else's behavior. Remember, things will happen.

The one thing we can control is your emotional response to the things that happen. If we take events personally, we will struggle to recover. Our energy will be spent on feeling hurt and injured,......and stuck. We only have so much energy, and the more we spend it fixating on how we were wronged, or how unfair life is, the longer we are going to be spending in that state.

Instead, we need to spend our energy gathering information about what has happened, and what we can do about it. Figuring out our options, and coming up with a plan. This is not something that comes naturally to most people, but if we are lucky we learn it when we are young. It takes practice, and conscious effort for many of us to be able to make this small shift and do what is necessary to adapt rather than react.

Life is not fair. Things will happen. As an artrepreneur, you are even more vulnerable than in most jobs, where you might be working for someone else. Your job is broadly defined, and you are the one who ultimately has to decide how to deal with the things that will come your way. You can be creative and try to come up with solutions. Or you can complain and be upset about how hard it is or how unfair it is. One keeps you stuck, the other will move you towards a new place.

It is only when we are tested that we can figure out how good we are at being resilient. When we get blind sided do we react? And if we do react, are we able to stop the reaction, and move into problem solving mode? Pay attention, and see where you fall on the spectrum. And if you find yourself going into reaction mode, how hard is it for you to move out of that state and to get back on track? Don't ask yourself for perfection. When you find yourself in the middle of a rant, pause. Stop and notice what has happened and shift. Let go of this place and shift to problem solving. Get your creative juices focused on figuring out where to go next, and how to get there.

With practice and time, one day you will wake up and notice something different is going on. The world may be crashing about you. Problems surround you, but you are no longer paralyzed by them. You are doing what you can to work through the situation, so that you can keep moving towards your ultimate goals, whatever they may be.

The other night, I was sick with a cold. I had missed out on a family holiday get together. Our roof had an ice dam and we had leaks in the living room and my daughter's room. My camera appeared to be dying. I still did not recieve that purchase order. And I had cracked a tooth that night on a hard pretzel. Lots of reasons to whine or complain. I did go to bed a bit worried that night about the house. But not in tears or terror. The next morning I got out of bed just like always, ready to hit the ground with much to do. This was when I paused. Here I was surrounded by crappy situations right and left, and I was not in a funk or a panic.

Somewhere along the line, I had learned to accept, and to move. Somehow, I had managed to stop reacting to life. The cold is gone. I had a few needed days of rest. My husband cleared out the ice dam, and we had cleaned up the mess. The tooth is repaired for now, but will need a crown. The purchase order appeared this morning in my e-mail. And I have a new camera. Financially I have taken a few hits, but nothing that we cannot recover from with a little time. Lots of angst could have been wasted over some relatively minor events.

I can't say I never ever complain. But I try not to get stuck in that place. It is wasteful and draining. We all have challenges to face, and obstacles to overcome. And sometimes, it really does just amount to continuing to move forward anyway.

Topsy Turvy Holidays

I feel like I am suffering from holiday jet lag.


My holiday season began in late July or early August, when I began making work to send out to galleries, or for shows for the holiday season. It became the most intense through October and up until just before Thanksgiving, as I pushed to get as much work out the door as I possibly could.


When I shipped off the last package, I felt a sense of completion. A sigh of relief that I was largely done for this year with my holiday orders. I was able to have a bit of breathing space, even as a few other shipments went out, and one last show was done. I had room to experiment in the studio, and start thinking about where I was going in the next year, and what changes I might want to be making.


This weekend I was going through pictures on my computer looking for a specific photo, and I ran across a picture from a few years ago of my daughters decorating the Christmas tree. It hit me across the forehead with a smack! Christmas! It is coming. Not just in the stores. But here. I had to do something about our Christmas. I was done with the business of Christmas, but now I needed to start planning for and acting on a holiday that was right around the corner. Our tree had to go up. I had to seriously do some shopping, and gift making. Casual conversations with my husband about what to get for someone, or what he could bring to the office party had to come into focus and be acted upon.


Maybe this creates more short term stress for me, but I think I needed that breathing space of not jumping right into the holiday. I needed to have the closure from the business side of the season before I made the shift to the world around me. I see lights going up as I drive around town. Wreathes. Christmas cards have arrived. I feel completely out of sync with what is going on. But it is time for me to jump onto that moving sidewalk and get engaged in this season.


I must admit I have enjoyed the space it has given me...being out of sync. I have had the frenzy and stress already making and shipping my work. I am not anxious to feel that again. Maybe this topsy turvy holiday is a good thing. It helps to stay out of the fray of excess that can be overwhelming. Whether I am fully decorated or not, the holidays will come. And in the end, I will have gifts to give. But what I have enjoyed the most in the last few weeks is taking a bit more time to relax, and spend time with my family. If I jumped into the holiday craziness right away, I might have missed that.

Artists are already accused of marching to a different drummer. I guess if we have most of our sales at this time of year, we also need to march to a different rhythm. I have heard of artists who celebrate Christmas with their families in July, so they can enjoy it more. I don't think I want to be that far out of sync. But I have recognized that I need a pause.

Are you able to listen to your need for breathing space? To take care of your need to regroup after a prolonged push? Or are you able to jump right in? Perhaps energized by the holiday activity? Or do you just forego all this holiday madness?

Cushion or Deficit?

Do you live with a cushion, or a deficit?


I am talking about time. Do you always give yourself a comfortable cushion of time to easily absorb the inevitable shocks, or are you forever running behind the clock?


I used to be one of those people who was always a bit early. I liked the ease that came with that. The space to transition gently from one activity to another. When I was a freshman in college we had "F" tests. Nearly every freshman had to take these tests, on the same day, at the same time,....... on a Friday morning, at 8 a.m. Masses of stressed out, sleep deprived freshman heading to take the test they crammed for all night. Talk about bad karma!


I learned to head out about 15 to 20 minutes early, as well as get to bed a bit early. I could walk to the test before the crowd, and just enjoy the morning. I was well rested. I had my pick of seats. I could give myself time to relax, and maybe even review a bit. Have everything I needed for the test out and ready.


It worked. And I continued into my adult life under the same plan.


But now,..... I find I am one of those people who is always running late. Or that I seldom have any slack built into the schedule to accommodate adjustments. Today my younger daughter missed the bus, for the second day in a row. Most days it is not a big deal. We can walk the dog together, and then I drive her to school, and she gets there in plenty of time. We get to spend a few extra minutes together. But today I had an early appointment with a local gallery. With traffic, I had to allow myself an hour. I had planned it out with no room for error. The error happened.


I debated cancelling the appointment, and rescheduling. I was trying to figure out every possible permutation of how I could cram everything in to the allotted time. It did not look doable.


I decided to persevere. I kept going ahead, as if I was going to be able to make it work, up until the point in time that I knew I had to be leaving. If I was not ready by then, I would call and reschedule. As I drilled holes in the last 6 cranes to make them into ornaments, I had my daughter open up boxes for the cranes, and put the inserts and fill into them. I could then just pop the cranes in the boxes, and close them up. Might as well make her do a bit of work in return for the ride to school! By the time we got to school, I was convinced that it would not work. I was going to have to reschedule. I came home and walked the dog. I got home and saw I was only ten minutes behind schedule....I could do this! I grabbed my work and headed out.

I left ten minutes later than planned, but was there right on time....in spite of traffic! I had created stress for myself agonizing over how this could possibly work. It did work, and we had a quick but productive meeting. She loved the new Shibori work, as well as the pods. She even commented on how the cranes were looking even better than before. I forgot a ziplock bag with some pendants, and the box with pins, but I had more than enough work for her to see. Rushing out the door, feeling anxious about the time, caused the oversight.

I could have more easily accommodated the change in plans, and had everything I needed for the appointment, if I had fully prepared the day before.

I had begun to do that the night before. But I pooped out before I finished the job completely. So I was left drilling and stringing up cranes at the last minute, and leaving some work behind.


Since that appointment, I have begun to clean out the studio. And I now have a calendar set up on the computer with appointments, and reminders. I need the breathing space that order can create. I can easily find myself exploring an idea when I need to be preparing for a gallery visit or a show. I will have to learn to tame in this instinct. Having the discipline to do the "work" first, and then spend time exploring. The new and improved Judy? I wouldn't go that far. But I am recognizing that the lack of a system has cost me time and energy. I can't keep doing what I was doing, with any degree of comfort. A change is in order. A change to more order.

Organization comes more easily to some than others. Having lived on both ends of the spectrum, I have to say, sometimes it can be situational. Many artists are digging out of the chaos in their studios this time of year. The focus was on getting the work done, and dealing with the mess later. In my case, later is here. Let the cleaning begin!

Stepping on the Stats Scale

One of the standard pieces of advice you recieve when you go on a diet is to not step on the scale everyday....let alone three or four times per day. It is misleading and can be distructive. Once a week or so is plenty....better yet, look at how your clothes fit.

Statistics have become the scale of the internet. Stats for our blogs, our websites, our networking site, our Etsy page or EBay listing. How did we ever live without all these numbers. Keeping score for us. How many people are visiting us? How long do they stay? What did they look at? Where did they come from? Our mood can surge or plummet based on our stats.

All this information can be helpful, but it can also be a distraction. We can get lost in a lot of details that do nothing to really inform us.....especially when we check the stats multiple times per day. It is hard not to be drawn to the numbers. Especially if we are starting up a blog, or getting set up on a site like Etsy. But is hourly checking of the numbers helping you accomplish your goals?? What if you checked every few days or once a week? Think of all the noise in your brain from all that data that could be quieted.

Sure, it is good to know if anyone is visiting your blog. And it is nice to know how they find you. But when we look at that information obsessively, it gets us off track of our true goals. Suddenly the numbers become our goal. We can become driven by the statistics. The reason we began our effort in creating a website, or a blog gets buried in the stats.

Just like we can have sudden drops or spikes in our weight from day to day, a sudden spike in the numbers can pull our attention away from where we need to be focusing our energy. If we get a big spike because someone with lots of traffic linked to our site, it can be heady. But it can also seem so empty when they all move onto the next link the following day. With a longer perspective we can see the base of our traffic.

I find myself falling into this stats trap. But since I have been so busy with work in my studio lately, I have broken the stats habit. And I realize that it can be a huge distraction. I have lived many years, very happily, without having to know how many visitors came to my page on that day, and where they came from. It is fun to know that I have links from a blog in Estonia. But it does not help me write a better blog entry. It is great to see the impact of a press release on PRWeb has had in driving traffic to my website. But it is only in the longer view that I can really see how effective the tool has been.

Do you have a stats habit that needs curbing? Do you walk around quoting the number of visitors your blog has gotten this week, and what your Technorati rating is up to? It may be time to walk away from the computer for a bit and start withdrawing from the habit. See how much more useful the information can be when it is viewed once a week instead of three times a day. And see what things fill the vaccuum. Perhaps you will not miss the stats much at all. And you wonder why you didn't do it sooner.

Wednesday Whine

You've perhaps heard about the Thursday Thirteen, or the Friday Five on other blogs. Well, I am borrowing the alliteration for the title today....a Wednesday Whine.

Mostly I love what I do. But after spending most of the last few days focused on the tasks I don't like so much, I am going to whine. Feel free to add your ..."I hate that I have to"..whatever .....in the comments. It is not all fun and creativity in the life of an artrepreneur. And today, I am going to whine and complain a bit. Sometimes I just have to get it out of my system!

I hate paperwork! I hate that I have to keep track of receipts, and create and file invoices, and that I have to file sales tax in every state that I do a show in, and they all have different filing schedules....not just different tax rates. I hate the time that it takes, and the sheer drudgery of it. But I am too cheap and too broke to pay someone else to do it. And every few months, the pile gets too big to ignore, and I spend several hours catching up.


I hate packaging and shipping an order. It seems like it should be no big deal. But it always takes way more time than I want to spend on it. Usually there is one or two items that I am missing when I want to send out the order, and so I have to go back to the studio and make those. Then I need to cross check again and make sure I have everything. Find a box. Package everything up so that it is not damaged in transit. Then I need to create an invoice. And make sure I have the information to charge the order to a credit card, or that I have checked their credit references. If not, I have to make one or more phone calls. I also need to include some support material if it is a first order. Find an address label for the box. All these tasks are at different places in the house, meaning trips up and down the stairs, or back and forth from my dining room (shipping room) and the studio (production department), and the office (accounting and billing). Finally, close up the box, and bring it to the post office. Whew. Can you see how such a simple little task becomes a black hole of time?

I hate doing all those tiny little jobs at the end of a project. The things that make a difference to everyone else but me. :-) I warned you I was ready to whine! Stringing cranes so that they can hang. Boxing cranes. Putting earrings on cards, ..... Things that make a piece more presentable and functional.....but my heart is never in them. They are work. Last night I must have strung and boxed about 40 cranes. I would rather just keep making them then do this last little step.....which is no longer a little step when there are this many to do.

I hate that no matter how careful I try to be, it is impossible to put shred in boxes without it ending up all over the floor and the table.

I hate pricing. Not just calculating the price....but actually attaching a price tag to an item so that people know how much it costs. Invariably I am putting price tags on pieces the night before and the morning of a show.

I hate that everytime I need to print out labels for a mailing. It seems like I am having to learn all over again how to do it, every time. It seems like I should have it down by now.

Okay, I feel a little better now that I got that out of my system. So, what are the tasks that drive you up a wall? What do you avoid, till you can avoid it no longer? Whining is for all those little things we are supposed to just do without complaint. But on this Wednesday, the Whining Window is open. Feel free to add your whine to the comment list. I am sure I left a few things off my list.....

Context

I wrote about the ingredients for growing into a successful artist. And then the ingredients for being a successful artist/entrepreneur. But what I left out of all this is context. And context matters a great deal.

The context is where we are in our lives.

It takes the right time and place as much as anything else to help bring all of this together. I could not do what I am doing without the support and encouragement of my family. If I had to be the sole breadwinner, and raise a family, and then try to fit in being creative too....I don't think I could manage it. If we didn't have healthcare coverage, then we would have to look for other solutions.
We can pay the mortgage. We can pay for a few extras. But there is not much breathing room in our budget. Not like when we had two paychecks and no kids. But we have what we need, and a bit more.

So all the things I talked about have to have the overlay of where you are in your life. How much sacrifice are you willing to make to make room for your art? How critical is it that you make money from your business right away? How much support can you expect from family and friends as you pursue your dream? It is your dream afterall. Not theirs. And they will be impacted by it. These are the hard questions we all have to face at times, and the answers are not always clear, nor are they universal. The answers are found deep inside ourselves, and may take time to work out. And the answer may be, not right now. The desire may be there, but the timing may be wrong. This doesn't mean we have to close the door forever. Just for right now, if need be.

So, if you read the last two posts, and thought,
"sure, sure....she just doesn't get it. I can't do that right now, not with my life."

I do get it. But sometimes we have to look at the utopian view, and then overlay the reality. But we can still hold onto the dream, no matter how much the current reality may hold us back. Postponing is different than walking away forever. Or slowing down, rather than going full speed ahead. We each need to measure our own pace. But still mindful of where we want to be.

Still More Ingredients

In my last post I described some of the ingredients that are essential to developing fully as an artist. But this blog is called Artrepreneur, isn't it? That means we have a whole other facet of ourselves to work on and develop....the entrepreneurial side. What are some of the essential ingredients for the artist entrepreneur?


1. Separation. Yes, your work is in part about you, and your story. But, the business is about your products. Can you separate yourself from you work to be able to evaluate the viability of the work in the marketplace? We need to be able to make decisions about our work without the emotional attachment.


2. Decisive. Details, details, details. There is no escaping all the details that need to be attended to if you are in business. If you develop a product you think will sell, now the work has just begun. You need to figure out a price? How to package it? What colors or variations do you want to offer? How can you streamline your production? Decisions have to be made about endless details of how you will run your business. And decisions build upon decisions. If you freeze up at the idea of all the decisions and details that you need to attend to, your business will screech to a halt.

3. Problem solver. Inevitably you will be presented with challenges. You don't have a staff with varied expertise to call upon. You have you. You need to be able to be a problem solver. Ready to dig in and learn. Sometimes solving the problem will meaning finding help. But that will be your call.

4. Salesmanship. Can you sell your work and yourself? Can you talk about your work without going into the "Gosh, shucks" mode, looking down and kicking the dirt with your foot. "Oh, it's nothing. I really am not that good." Face it, if you cannot talk with enthusiasm about your work, you cannot sell your work. Being humble is good, but being passionate about your work, and being able to share that passion is helpful if you want to sell your work. Bruce Baker has some excellent classes and CD's about sales if this is a struggle for you.

5. Long-range thinking. If you can't visualize where you want to go, you will not begin to be able to move your business beyond where it is today. My husband has a phrase he is fond of, "If you keep doing what you're doing, you are going to keep getting what you're getting." If you cannot see where you want to go, you cannot start planning how you will get there. What are your goals, and how can you start moving towards those goals?

6. Capital. You will not be able to grow your business, or make it run efficiently, without capital. Capital is your financial investment in the business. Without making the investment into your business you will not be able to grow effectively and efficiently. Capital can help you buy the equipment you need to produce your work, or the booth display to help sell your work. Put your money where your heart is.


7. Stay current. You need to stay current about what is going on in your "industry". What are the trends? How strong is the market for work like yours? What price ranges are selling well? Are there things going on in the world that will impact your business? For instance, the internet, off-shore manufacturing of "craft" items, the flucuations in the price of gas, or the price of silver and gold, environmental issues, etc......all these things may have an impact on your business. Magazines, newspapers, radio, blogs, podcasts, forums, ....can all be used to one extent or another to stay current with your field and the wider world.


8. Organization. There are many deadlines with the business of being an artrepreneur. Deadlines to apply to shows. Deadlines to file sales tax, or income tax. Production schedules to stay on top of. Receipts, invoices, order forms, bank statements.....you can't run a business without some paperwork. For some, organization comes easily. For others it is a struggle. But there is no leeway when it comes to filing taxes, or deadlines for entry to shows or competitions. Figure out a system that works for you, and use it. There are lots of solutions, but the best one is one you will use. It may even be hiring someone to do it for you.

9. Passion and Persistence. Any successful entrepreneur is passionate about their business, and persistent. They are willing to accept the inevitable challenges, and do their best to work through challenges. They are willing to accept that it takes time to build a business. If you are not passionate about what you are doing, the inevitable demands on your time, energy and financial resources will not be worth it.

10. Support team. It is not a sign of failure to need help from time to time. We may need an informal board of advisors. People who can give us the advice we need at times, or help us think through an issue. Or, we may need to hire help. There are limits to how much time and energy we have. If we hire someone to do the bookkeeping, it may give us more time in the studio. Or if we hire a rep to sell our work, our sales may grow more than enough to compensate for the expense. You can try to do it all yourself, but chances are, you will need some advice or help from time to time.


Overwhelming, isn't it? But, if you love what you are doing, and can't imagine doing anything else, you find a way to make it work. I work too many hours. I am months behind on my paperwork, and I can find very little clear space in my studio. But when something has to get done, it gets done. Just like becoming a better artist, becoming a better business person means continually working to improve. We will never be perfect, but we can keep working at getting better.

Shame

Can you think of a more cringe-worthy emotion than shame? For some, the very idea of shame is enough to make the stomach tighten up in a knot. And yet, there can be a touch of admiration in the proclamation that someone is "shameless". It is not the behaviour that brings the admiration, as much as it the bravery that it implies. The courage to act with passion and truth. The courage to fully commit to what you are doing.

Tonight I went to a concert put on by kids from 10 to 15 years old. These kids formed into rock bands over the last week. They came up with names for their bands, designed a logo, composed a song, and performed it in front of a large crowd of family and friends tonight. They ranged from those who were learning their instruments, to those who were already part of a band playing gigs.

In a few of these bands, the kids threw themselves into the performance. I couldn't say I always liked the music they were performing, but I admired the sheer passion with which they perfomed. They were enjoying making music, and it showed. The passion was something of a contagion. You couldn't help but smile and feel some of the joy they were clearly having.

It made me realize that that fearlessness is a real asset when you are trying to do something creative. The very nature of creativity means going someplace that is uncertain, with uncertain outcomes. But when you commit to the adventure, even a disaster can teach more than a cautious approach. Hesitation an mean you are more worried about the audience and the response, than the the process and what you are trying to discover or say. Fear of being shamed is the kiss of death to creativity.

I noticed that the younger kids seemed to be less inhibited than those in that 12 to 14 year old age range. The shame bug had not bitten them yet. They were having fun, and it was fun to watch them. At some point, there seems to be a shift in a lot of the kids. They reach that age when they seem to develop a third eye....and eye that is observing them as they go through the motions. Evaluating whether or not they will be met with approval. And worried that they don't. Worry is not fun to watch. It deadens. It flattens. It mutes any excitement or passion. And who wants to watch muted passion.

A few kids seemed to have a passion that would not let the fear of shame surface. It was too strong. They connected with the music they were playing, and they reveled in the experience.

This all made me think about when I am talking to someone about my work, and the passion takes over. I am on a ride, and my excitement is bubbling over. And the energy seems to be contagious. These moments are not planned or conscious. They just happen. They have led to an order for work that had not even been seen, in this very visual business. They remind me of how much that passion matters.

So, my question for you, do you hold back in your work, or sharing your work because of the fear of shame? Are you watching and judging your actions while you are trying to create? Do you think you can let go, and just throw caution to the wind? Let that passionate artist emerge? This is where the real rewards in life are. Living your life with such honesty and commitment that the fear evaporates. Knowing that no matter what the response is to what you create, you were there. You showed up and gave it your best effort. And that is what really matters.

You know what they say....Be there, or be square!

Yes and You

I was thinking today about two simple words, Yes and No. We learn what they mean and how to say them very early on in life. And we learn that simple words can have a great deal of power. Saying "yes" to a request can bring a smile, while a "no" can bring disappointment. If you love to please, as many women do, we begin to feel very comfortable with yes, and not so at ease with no. It is an easy way to work our way into the favor of others. "Yes." "I can do that." "Sure. I'll help with that." Have kids, and the opportunities to say "yes" multiply dramatically. Not just with your kids, but with school, and activities, and friends. Without much thought, we can "yes" ourselves into exhaustion and oblivion.

Each time we say "yes" to someone else's request, we may well be saying "no" to ourselves. "No" to the time to pursue something important to us. "No" to five minutes to put our feet up, close our eyes and just be. "No" to whatever it is that we might be doing if we hadn't committed ourselves to another's agenda.

Now before I sound all self-centered and selfish, let me say I am all for volunteering time and effort. But, I have also learned to do it with consciousness. Make a choice to help when and where it really matters to you as well as to the person who is asking for your help. Are you bringing something of yourself, and your special talents to what you are giving? Or are you just another body filling in the space?

I am advocating saying "Yes" to yourself. Sometimes that means saying "no" to others. It is hard and scary to do if you are used to saying yes to any and all requests that come your way that you are physically able to do. But all those "yes's" can be exhausting.

You may find yourself working on that "simple, little project" one evening, while the rest of your family watches a video. You may feel the resentment starting to creep up, saying to yourself, "they won't even appreciate this." "Why am I doing this?" This is a clear sign that the word "no" needs way more exercise in your vocabulary. Or you may find yourself with a full calendar, and the constant complaint that you would love to do "whatever" but you just don't have the time. Saying no to the requests that someone else could just as easily do could mean a chance to say "yes" to spending an evening painting, reading, writing, or meeting a friend for an overdue lunch together.

If you are a Yes-aholic, catch yourself the next time you find yourself ready to let that word glide off your lips with such ease. Pause for a second and actually think about what you are agreeing to. Ask yourself a few questions.

Do I want to do this?

Could someone else just as easily do this?

Why am I doing this?

You may still say "yes", but you will have thought about it first. And when you do say "no", you might just see the world does not stop. The special activities do not cease, or if they do, perhaps there just was not enough interest to sustain it.

Say yes to others when you know that you want to do whatever it might be. But embrace the idea of saying yes to youself too. A "yes" to your dreams. A "yes" to your wishes. A "yes" to some time for You. You are worth it.

Darn! I missed it! Did You?

Yesterday was Freedom from Self-Improvement Day and I missed it! I guess I can declare today a do-over for all of us who missed the announcement. You can get some e-coupons for yourself or for those you love, to get into the spirit of the day.

This holiday was declared by Jennifer Louden. She is a contributing editor to Martha Stewart's Body + Soul magazine. It seems a bit oxymoronic that someone from a magazine produced by the queen of "you can do it better", would be promoting "give yourself a break, already!" But, when I looked through the magazine in a waiting room recently, I was surprised to find out that Martha was the publisher. It has a nice balance and tone to it. I love Martha's sense of style, but it all seems "too" perfect for real people with a life to acheive.

Now why in the world would I embrace such a day as Freedom from Self Improvement? Isn't my blog all about work and doing it better? Perhaps. But I think I also want to understand and explore the idea of knowing when to look outside and when to turn inside to find the answers to the questions. At least I hope that is what I am getting at. Everyday should be freer. Freer from the external motivations to run our lives. Driven more from that deep voice within our gut which is the best guide to live the life we were meant to live.

It is hard to hear that small voice from inside when you are so used to being externally driven. It takes quiet and patience to discern. But what I have learned, is that the more you listen, the louder and truer it becomes, and the more we can find peace, grace and contentment in our lives. That sounds just so very new age-y, but it also seems true, based on my own experiences.

It is fine to have goals and ambition. But it is also important to have humility and grace. Can you let go? Can you adapt? Can you admit you were wrong without feeling a sense of humiliation and defeat? If not, you will forever feel out of balance. There is so little that is under our control. I think I have declared my motto here before, "One foot in front of the other." In the end that is often what it comes down to. Do what you are able, and have the grace to let go of the rest. Let go of shoulds, and just do what you can. Somedays you may be a phenom, and others a slug. That is okay. It is part of being the human beings.

So send a few coupons. Be sure to give at least one to yourself. And just breath............

The Twelve Minute Layover

I felt like a character in the movie, "Planes, Trains, and Automobiles" all day Saturday. I was tired and looking forward to getting home to see my family. It had been a good show, but I was ready to be home.

I had a very early flight out of Las Vegas, so I was up at 4:30. As I checked in my bag, I asked the person behind the counter about the 12 minute layover I had in Newark. Was this going to be possible?

"A twelve minute layover? That's illegal. How did you make these reservations?"

The reservations were made on their very own company website. The problem was, they changed the schedule of the first flight, but did not change the time for the second. A forty-five minute connection, became a twelve minute impossibility. Problem. The next flight to Providence, where my car was parked, was at 9:15 pm......some 6-1/2 hours later. Twelve minutes to run nearly 30 gates away, and hope the plane is still there and accessible for boarding,...... or six-and-a-half hours in the Newark airport.....which sounds better to you??

Back up reservations were made on the later flight, but this was not really an option I was relishing.

On the flight, I asked one of the flight attendants about checking as we got closer to Newark to see if it was going to be possible to make the flight. Nope. Couldn't be done. Check with the agent when I got off the plane.

I tried to maintain a balance between pushing my way off the plane, and not annoying every other person trying to get off that flight. Fortunately I was sitting near the front of the plane. The agent at the gate pointed up the hallway, and said, "Go up to security and take a right." She failed to mention that it was three concourses I had to travel, before I reached security, and then when I took the right, the gate I needed was at the very end of that concourse. I walked and ran as fast as I could, hauling my bag with my laptop, files, jewelry, camera, etc. Laptops may be small, but they are not lightweight.

About halfway down that finally concourse, my legs cramping, and out of breath, I pushed myself, all the while knowing this was a futile chase. Sure enough, I got to the gate, and saw that closed door, and a flight to Jacksonville, FL on the sign. The agent at the gate told me she tried to get the pilot to hold the flight for me, but he wouldn't do it. I had missed the flight by a minute. One lousy minute. Now I had more than six hours to the next flight.

Thus began a two and half hour ordeal to get out of that airport and on my way home.

Back and forth between customer service, and on the phone with the flight insurance people. One hour swallowed up to get a letter from the airline saying, yes, this was their fault. Next stop, baggage claim customer service to try to retrieve my bag. Forty five minutes later, I had my bag.

Then there was the torture they have installed in many airports. Instead of a counter with an agent who can answer your questions, they have these phones with short cords and low volume, to call for ground transport, etc. I tried to call several car rental companies to see if they had a car available. The problem was the phones were placed right next to a place where various announcements were made over the public address system. And the woman making the announcements wanted to make sure all those in the most furthest reaches of the airport could hear her. Problem was, she drowned out every other sound in the vicinity. I finally gave up my futile task, got on my cell phone, with it's dying battery, and called my husband, and got him to get on the computer to see what he could come up with.

Avis rocks! They were friendly, accomodating, and everything you want from a service oriented company. In addition to the letter I will be writing to the airline in question, I will be writing a letter of thanks to Avis. By 5:30 I was on the road in heading for Providence, RI. I got to the Providence airport about 15 minutes after the later plane was schedule to take-off from Newark.

It may seem silly to be working so hard to get out of the airport to get home maybe one hour earlier than I would have been able to get home on the later flight. I guess when I began the process, I never expected it to take sooooo long. And I just needed to be out of the airport. Away from the noise, and chaos. Las Vegas is a loud and chaotic place. I had had enough of the noise, and wanted to be home with my family, and in an environment that would begin to put me back on an even keel. Perhaps four-and-a-half hours sitting cramped in a plane that morning added to my desire to end this trip, no matter what it took. At least in a car, I could listen to the radio, get out and stretch if I needed to, and just feel a bit more in control of my destiny than I was feeling at that moment.

When I got home, the house was dark, but the light was on in my youngest daughter's room. I thought she must have wanted to stay awake till I got home, but feel asleep with the light on. But as I dragged my bags down the walk, I saw her and my husband in the kitchen window. She had woken up from a bad dream. My husband went back to bed, but she and I snuggled together under an afghan. Slowly the terror of the nightmare began to evaporate, and she started to nod off. It felt good to be home, and to be there for my daughter to help her feel safe again.

Pretty soon we were both heading up for bed. Home again. And in my own bed. Hallelujah!

More thoughts from the Garden

I'll admit it. I have spring fever. Spring is my favorite time of the year. There is so much possiblity! So I guess I shouldn't be surprised that my thoughts were back in the garden this morning as I walked the dog. Two more lessons:

1. I can't grow some things. Poppies, lupines, roses. These have continually eluded my efforts. I have tried again and again. But to no avail. Roses are admittedly fussy plants, but poppies and lupines are wildflowers. They are supposed to be easy. Not for me. I have stopped trying and now just enjoy them in other's gardens.

The same can be said of many things in life. I can't skate. I can't ski on water or land. I can't play a musical instrument. I can't sculpt very well at all. I can't seem to make a list and follow it. We could go on all day long. But the point is not what I can't do.

We can spend time agonizing and beating our heads against the wall all day long about the things we can't do well. We all have a list of those. But if we life our lives, or try to grow our garden from our inadequacies we end up with a bare garden, or less than fulfilling life. But if we try and focus on what we can do well, and nuture that, our lives and our garden will be vibrant and colorful.

2. Timing can help. The best time to plant most perennials is in the fall, just as they are starting to go into their dormant phase. It seems kind of crazy at first. Why would you plant them in the fall as they approach the cold of winter? While it may be cold on the surface, below the surface the temperature is more constant year round. So while a blanket of snow insulates the plants, and provides water as it melts, the roots are busy growing. All the energy can be focused below ground level. When the spring comes and the plant emerges, it is stronger and more vibrant than it was when you planted it.

If you plant a plant or shrub or tree just as it is about to bloom you are putting a terrible shock on the plant. Think about it. Do you want to move to a new house just as you are getting ready to immerse yourself in a large project......a show, a book, a new course of study? Most likely no. We need to be able to focus our energy on the task at hand. Not be diverted by another major undertaking. It takes a lot of energy for a plant to put on it's show for us. If you put it in the ground just before or during showtime...you exhaust it. You can nurse it and baby it through this period. But it requires more energy and effort on your part, and by the plant.

Going in too many directions at one time or wanting immediate results seldom results in good long term outcomes. Or it requires a lot more energy and effort to succeed. We all need some periods of dormancy. We can't grow in every direction at once. Which leads to:

3. Pruning makes a tree healthier. My brother who bought that magnolia tree is now an arborist. He showed me how to prune back that very tree so that it would be healthier. Branches that were criss-crossing right next to one another will ultimately harm the tree. They will grow and rub against one another, wearing at the bark. Or they will grow into one another. This can create weaker areas in a tree that make it more vulnerable in a storm. The tree needs room to breath. And so do we.

Sometimes we have to prune away things in our lives. We have to look at where our energy is going. Is an activity feeding us on a deep level, or is it just draining energy away from the essential work in our lives? This is the hardest question to answer, and not easy to act upon either. Pruning a tree can be scary the first time, and can be disasterous if you don't know what you are doing. Pruning back your life to what is essential to you means asking some hard questions, and making some hard choices.

I have stopped volunteering at school unless it is something that requires me to bring my specific talents and skills. I used to read to my daughter's class when they had library once a week. And I would help out in my other daughter's class once a week. But it became precious time out of my studio. And when my kids came home I was more stressed because of that lost time. What I was doing was not so special, and could be easily done by someone else. There were lots of emotions around making the choice to pull away from that....guilt near the top. But I don't regret the choice.

I regularly look at my work and try to decide what needs to go, or when something will ultimately need to go. As we grow, we need to prune back as well to stay healthy and vibrant. Doing some pruning in our lives can help us breath. And we all know, breathing is good!

So,....how does your garden grow??