The last few days have been different. I have felt a certain lack of ambition and am decidedly lackluster in my efforts.
It is not a comfortable place to be even though I have been getting a few pieces made at the bench.
Some people would tell me that I have a case of the blues or that I am wallowing in self-pity. The problem with this particular state is that I really am feeling nothing except frustration with feeling so little.
I am looking for a reason for this melancholy. I want it to be a real reason not just something that I can construe as an excuse.
Having done a fair bit of reading about artists, past & present, and their temperaments, I have learned that many of them suffer from melancholy moods, if not other more serious psychiatric illnesses. They also never seemed to need a reason for their mood or state of mind, it was a part of being.
Ironically, the thought that crosses my mind with that, is perhaps I just don't always like the state of being. Wry humour at work. And also with that thought comes the realization that I haven't had a lot to laugh about lately and that more than anything, I need some social time. I need to get out my studio and out my own head.
Being in the studio is one thing but being in a decent frame of mind to get some work done in an enjoyable fashion is another. A few days away to visit an aunt, do a one day show and spend some time away can hardly come soon enough now.
Just the thought of a change lightens my mood a bit.
Cheers till later,
Cynthia
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
It's Application Season Again
I hate application season!
...and I totally love it too, because it is exciting to try to write something that sells yourself to a jury without setting off their BS sensors.
The deadline for the next big show that we regularly apply for is August 13 and since there is always a lot of competition in the jewelry catagory the pictures have to be great (not just good or ok but great) and the text that accompanies each application has to be truthful and interesting and compelling.
That can be a challenge when sometimes the most interesting thing that pops to mind when asked to say something interesting about myself is "I make jewelry". Whoopee, & so what, so do a lot of other folks and just what is it that makes you so special?
...and that is the part that I hate.
Fortunately the process has changed a bit for this year, it is simpler. They no longer want a CV, a seperate bio, an artist's statement, and press coverage to go with the step-by-step how do you do your thing documents. This will save me a lot of paper, but not as much as it will some others I am sure.
This year they want a product price list with step-by step description of the process and to tell them who else in involved in the creation and how. To get cheeky, I wonder if I should give credit to a supreme being for making the pretty rock that we use? And they want a Biography where we tell them about our education and training and where we have shown & sold our work and then they still want to know about us. Isn't knowing all the rest of it enough? Do they really need to know that I own 2 cats, am occasionally neurotic, a bit paranoid and periodically bounce between a need for immense social contact and the desire to be left alone to 'concentrate' for hours on end? And that my partner borders on manic bursts of energy that propell him through projects that last for 48 hours straight? Or do they just want to know why we make art?
I don't know because sometimes I get caught up in trying to figure out what I am really being asked for.
The problem with artist statements and biographies is that some of the ones I have read are TMI!! Really too much information. I like to know the artist. I like to know what makes them make art, I get uncomfortable when I find out that they are in the middle of a huge family free-for-all because grandma left her diamonds to her other daughter-in-law, or that they paint real private-parts as an after hours kink, or that they collect toe-nail clippings...
So in taking the time to write this I have concluded that they really don't want to know the literal us, they want to the know the figurative us, the pretty part of us that makes one of a kind jewelry, they want to know the why behind the how.
And we are back to the Why question. Why do we do this? Excellence and the need to achieve. Guess I better go add that to the bio page.
Wishing myself luck with this application,
Cynthia
...and I totally love it too, because it is exciting to try to write something that sells yourself to a jury without setting off their BS sensors.
The deadline for the next big show that we regularly apply for is August 13 and since there is always a lot of competition in the jewelry catagory the pictures have to be great (not just good or ok but great) and the text that accompanies each application has to be truthful and interesting and compelling.
That can be a challenge when sometimes the most interesting thing that pops to mind when asked to say something interesting about myself is "I make jewelry". Whoopee, & so what, so do a lot of other folks and just what is it that makes you so special?
...and that is the part that I hate.
Fortunately the process has changed a bit for this year, it is simpler. They no longer want a CV, a seperate bio, an artist's statement, and press coverage to go with the step-by-step how do you do your thing documents. This will save me a lot of paper, but not as much as it will some others I am sure.
This year they want a product price list with step-by step description of the process and to tell them who else in involved in the creation and how. To get cheeky, I wonder if I should give credit to a supreme being for making the pretty rock that we use? And they want a Biography where we tell them about our education and training and where we have shown & sold our work and then they still want to know about us. Isn't knowing all the rest of it enough? Do they really need to know that I own 2 cats, am occasionally neurotic, a bit paranoid and periodically bounce between a need for immense social contact and the desire to be left alone to 'concentrate' for hours on end? And that my partner borders on manic bursts of energy that propell him through projects that last for 48 hours straight? Or do they just want to know why we make art?
I don't know because sometimes I get caught up in trying to figure out what I am really being asked for.
The problem with artist statements and biographies is that some of the ones I have read are TMI!! Really too much information. I like to know the artist. I like to know what makes them make art, I get uncomfortable when I find out that they are in the middle of a huge family free-for-all because grandma left her diamonds to her other daughter-in-law, or that they paint real private-parts as an after hours kink, or that they collect toe-nail clippings...
So in taking the time to write this I have concluded that they really don't want to know the literal us, they want to the know the figurative us, the pretty part of us that makes one of a kind jewelry, they want to know the why behind the how.
And we are back to the Why question. Why do we do this? Excellence and the need to achieve. Guess I better go add that to the bio page.
Wishing myself luck with this application,
Cynthia
Monday, July 23, 2007
The Edge
I have a friend, we've been buddies for 20 years. I actually do have more than one but this is about one in particular who likes to live dangerously and I am so envious and admiring of him.
Somewhere, back in our distant past at university we met, ate a lot of pizza, shared some good books, laughs, a few beer, sad tales and some movies. I did the safe thing and found what I thought was a stable and employable guy and got married. He didn't; he went to grad school, went to Germany, wrote a book, got it published, got a PhD, and went on to teach at a rather specialized Canadian university and he still writes, gets published, travels to really interesting places and specializes in war zones. I got divorced and remarried and finally started on the road to being the person I want to become with the support and absolute devotion of my partner.
The failure of human nature is that we often make comparisons between ourselves and other persons that we admire and we often beat ourselves down in this futile exercise instead of doing what is necessary: make the comparison, draw from it the inspirational bits and realize that in order to live a fuller life that we must be active in it.
My buddy inspires me. It wasn't until I read his latest cover story in the great Canadian weekly news rag that I figured this out. I mean I got a lot from his last book, it was a great read but it didn't really spur me to any great A-HA moments and it's not like there was a great philosophical charge from the magazine article either. It's not like I am going to jump on plane and go rescue the indigenous population of a foreign land half a world away that has been in chaos for over 30 years but I am going to rescue myself. Let's just say that this idea finally 'clicked' with me.
To go along with recognizing that conservative decision making doesn't get me where I want to go I also add this. We are likely familiar with the old expression "charity begins at home", well, it's true. When we are willing to admit to ourselves that we are not 100% happy with our lot in life and we accept responsibility for it by recognizing the decisions that we have made that have placed us here or have continued to leave us here, then we are in essence recognizing that our "home" is in need of help. I know that my mind is a wonderful and creative tool and that I can use it to help myself be a better person, I just have to be brave enough to step outside of my comfort-zone and to do some things that are unusual for me. I have to give to myself too, not just to my family, or my friends, or forum associates, but to myself. I have to give myself permission to be brave, to try new things, to fail and to try again, all without comparison or judgement. That is the greatest of gift I can give to myself.
My buddy doesn't live a "safe" life. There is nothing terribly conservative about him. He is willing to put himself out there and take risks and it seems to pay off for him. What I realize in looking at him for inspiration is that if I want to achieve the level of recognition and success that I want, that I too have to stop making comfortable and safe decisions and to act more outrageously, to give a lot more of myself and really step out there on the edge. I have to become active in my own life and really own my actions.
My buddy revels in dancing hard on the edge. I know that for him, living away from it is more deadly to his spirit than all the weeks and months combined over the years spent in various war zones. I know that he is always alive in the moment and I know that it took a lot of time and effort on his part to get there too. I also know that it didn't happen because he made "safe" decisions that would protect him from failure.
Crawling to the edge and hanging on as I peer over it might be a good start but eventually standing and dancing on it is where I want to be too.
I'm ready to crawl, are you?
Cynthia
Somewhere, back in our distant past at university we met, ate a lot of pizza, shared some good books, laughs, a few beer, sad tales and some movies. I did the safe thing and found what I thought was a stable and employable guy and got married. He didn't; he went to grad school, went to Germany, wrote a book, got it published, got a PhD, and went on to teach at a rather specialized Canadian university and he still writes, gets published, travels to really interesting places and specializes in war zones. I got divorced and remarried and finally started on the road to being the person I want to become with the support and absolute devotion of my partner.
The failure of human nature is that we often make comparisons between ourselves and other persons that we admire and we often beat ourselves down in this futile exercise instead of doing what is necessary: make the comparison, draw from it the inspirational bits and realize that in order to live a fuller life that we must be active in it.
My buddy inspires me. It wasn't until I read his latest cover story in the great Canadian weekly news rag that I figured this out. I mean I got a lot from his last book, it was a great read but it didn't really spur me to any great A-HA moments and it's not like there was a great philosophical charge from the magazine article either. It's not like I am going to jump on plane and go rescue the indigenous population of a foreign land half a world away that has been in chaos for over 30 years but I am going to rescue myself. Let's just say that this idea finally 'clicked' with me.
To go along with recognizing that conservative decision making doesn't get me where I want to go I also add this. We are likely familiar with the old expression "charity begins at home", well, it's true. When we are willing to admit to ourselves that we are not 100% happy with our lot in life and we accept responsibility for it by recognizing the decisions that we have made that have placed us here or have continued to leave us here, then we are in essence recognizing that our "home" is in need of help. I know that my mind is a wonderful and creative tool and that I can use it to help myself be a better person, I just have to be brave enough to step outside of my comfort-zone and to do some things that are unusual for me. I have to give to myself too, not just to my family, or my friends, or forum associates, but to myself. I have to give myself permission to be brave, to try new things, to fail and to try again, all without comparison or judgement. That is the greatest of gift I can give to myself.
My buddy doesn't live a "safe" life. There is nothing terribly conservative about him. He is willing to put himself out there and take risks and it seems to pay off for him. What I realize in looking at him for inspiration is that if I want to achieve the level of recognition and success that I want, that I too have to stop making comfortable and safe decisions and to act more outrageously, to give a lot more of myself and really step out there on the edge. I have to become active in my own life and really own my actions.
My buddy revels in dancing hard on the edge. I know that for him, living away from it is more deadly to his spirit than all the weeks and months combined over the years spent in various war zones. I know that he is always alive in the moment and I know that it took a lot of time and effort on his part to get there too. I also know that it didn't happen because he made "safe" decisions that would protect him from failure.
Crawling to the edge and hanging on as I peer over it might be a good start but eventually standing and dancing on it is where I want to be too.
I'm ready to crawl, are you?
Cynthia
Monday, July 16, 2007
Slow Leaks
Life is full of them!
They are the small things from this morning's discovery of a small leak in the fish tank filter to the time that we spend doing useful but non-essential tasks and then there are the useless drains (a tale for another day).
The leak in the filter was capillary action and the fact that for some reason it was no longer straight - hence the capillary action of water seeping around the filter cover, down the outside of the bookcase (thankfully not into the bookcase), under the mop board and into the chimney closet, the low point beside the wall that the tank is near. This was an easy clean up really, but it still took time. Since the tank is the 14 year old's and she is "responsible" for the clean-up and for making sure that new filter sponges and charcoal inserts are here, and because she doesn't always, David had to pick up the filter inserts at the pet shop this morning while he was at the office. He took another hour out of his morning to drive them home & return to work. A slow leak in the time of his day.
Instead of writting earlier this morning, like I had planned, I replaced filter parts as darling daughter was already off with her grandparents for a few days. Another odd job, like spending time grooming the very easily knotted up 17 year old long hair cat that I have, which I already did a few minutes ago after finishing off with the fish tank, and have suffered the inevitable consequences of caring. A couple of bites and a scratch.
Somehow, these real slow water leaks are a real parrallel with slow time leaks. It is almost 11 now, and somehow, when I was figuring out my schedule for today, last night, I figured that I would be blogging by 9 and be done at 10, but...
Here I am with a clean floor, a clean closet, a clean fish tank, 2 loads of washed laundry drying on a clothesline on a lovely breezy sunny day, and a partially groomed cat. Not bad but not great either.
I have yet to get into the studio to get anything made, and I still have more unpacking from the studio move to finish too, but at least the studio is neat enough that I have space to put the rediscovered finds.
The point of this is, and the parrallel, is that leaks happen. We don't plan them, and we sometimes can't prevent them. The consequences of managing the leaks is that our time gets chewed up by them. If we didn't care enough to fix the leaks when first discovered we could find the almost all the water in the fish tank drained onto the floor and the fish, if still living, swimming in very shallow water. The slow leak could easlily become a lesson in crises management and I really prefer to avoid those lessons as they are really time consuming.
Given a choice, I'll deal with a slow leak anyday over a crises even though it can still put me behind schedule a little.
May all your leaks be slow,
Cynthia
They are the small things from this morning's discovery of a small leak in the fish tank filter to the time that we spend doing useful but non-essential tasks and then there are the useless drains (a tale for another day).
The leak in the filter was capillary action and the fact that for some reason it was no longer straight - hence the capillary action of water seeping around the filter cover, down the outside of the bookcase (thankfully not into the bookcase), under the mop board and into the chimney closet, the low point beside the wall that the tank is near. This was an easy clean up really, but it still took time. Since the tank is the 14 year old's and she is "responsible" for the clean-up and for making sure that new filter sponges and charcoal inserts are here, and because she doesn't always, David had to pick up the filter inserts at the pet shop this morning while he was at the office. He took another hour out of his morning to drive them home & return to work. A slow leak in the time of his day.
Instead of writting earlier this morning, like I had planned, I replaced filter parts as darling daughter was already off with her grandparents for a few days. Another odd job, like spending time grooming the very easily knotted up 17 year old long hair cat that I have, which I already did a few minutes ago after finishing off with the fish tank, and have suffered the inevitable consequences of caring. A couple of bites and a scratch.
Somehow, these real slow water leaks are a real parrallel with slow time leaks. It is almost 11 now, and somehow, when I was figuring out my schedule for today, last night, I figured that I would be blogging by 9 and be done at 10, but...
Here I am with a clean floor, a clean closet, a clean fish tank, 2 loads of washed laundry drying on a clothesline on a lovely breezy sunny day, and a partially groomed cat. Not bad but not great either.
I have yet to get into the studio to get anything made, and I still have more unpacking from the studio move to finish too, but at least the studio is neat enough that I have space to put the rediscovered finds.
The point of this is, and the parrallel, is that leaks happen. We don't plan them, and we sometimes can't prevent them. The consequences of managing the leaks is that our time gets chewed up by them. If we didn't care enough to fix the leaks when first discovered we could find the almost all the water in the fish tank drained onto the floor and the fish, if still living, swimming in very shallow water. The slow leak could easlily become a lesson in crises management and I really prefer to avoid those lessons as they are really time consuming.
Given a choice, I'll deal with a slow leak anyday over a crises even though it can still put me behind schedule a little.
May all your leaks be slow,
Cynthia
Tuesday, July 3, 2007
Back to the "WHY"
WHY - why do people buy what we make, why do they buy anything that is not useful and a necessity of life for that matter?
The simple and so obvious answer is: because we can.
We do it because we want the feelings that doing it gives us. We want to be told we made a good choice. That our aquisition is impressive. That we look trendy or our stuff is fabulous. That is why we will be discriminate shoppers for dish soap and toilet paper too, because one brand is marketed as a more impressive or elite than another.
How does toilet paper compare to art, and fine crafts like our jewelry? It does because in order to sell it we have to market it, and that means building brand recognition and finding a way to make our work more desirable than someone else's.
I'm going to refer you to this article from Guerrilla Marketing: Why_People_Buy that passed over my desk awhile back. It does a good job of explaining the whys for a multitude of product types. As I read through it I realized that certain things applied to our jewelry and could certainly be used to help market our work by reaching a potential client's real reasons for making a jewelry purchase.
Comfort - we try to make really comfortable jewelry. Not too heavy. Not to small. Shape the items using appropriate mandrels so that neck pieces and bracelets and rings all sit well on a person. Which leads me to the concept of FUD (fear, uncertainty and doubt) which would be a good topic for another time.
Getting Compliments - We know that what we make is one-of-a-kind and that is attractive and we know from talking to many of our clients that they often get compliments on the jewelry they have chosen from us. They sometimes buy an item because they know it will get attention and they want that. This can increase their enjoyment of life, afterall, for a moment it makes them the center of it.
Owning a thing of beauty - Which is subjective and always in the eye of the beholder. When we see something beautiful we often admire it and sometimes it speaks to our soul enough that we have to own it.
Keeping up with or surpassing the Joneses - Yes, it's not just you that has them, we do too and so do most other people. There is always someone who sets the standard and sometimes we buy so that we can meet that same standard and sometimes we buy items that they haven't yet aquired, like work from an emerging artist, so that we can say: I saw it first.
Opulence - We sometimes buy items because they are rich in texture or appearance and we want that opulent experience in our lives.
Youthfullness - Who isn't bombarded with anti-aging ads and the idea that 50 is the new 40, etc? We sometimes make the puchase of an item because it may appear youthfull in nature and we want to wear that idea in the hopes that we now appear more youthfull for it.
Friendship & Love - A reason for giving the item as a gift. We may also be making the purchase because we feel a kinship with an artist too and we want to befriend them and show them support, and this visceral support is always appreciated along with compliments and praise.
Pain and Trouble Avoidance - If you don't buy her a nice gift because... you went fishing, golfing, watching football with your buds, went on a business trip, etc... well guys, you know the rest of the story and you are just trying to avoid a potentially painful situation.
Stylish and Trendy - This is also a form of pain avoidance as few of us like being unstylish and we do want our frineds to notice that we are in touch in with the trends if not setting them already.
Acceptance - This comes back to the idea of fitting in, being stylish and keeping up with the Joneses.
The Power of Attraction - We want to attract attention, and love and friendship and sometimes we purchase items with the sole purpose of garnering this attraction, even though it may not be something that would typically fit with our lifestyle or personality.
Emulation - We sometimes buy items because someone we admire has one just like it and we want to be just like them.
Superiority and Status - Surpassing the Joneses and setting the standard is why status symbols of wealth or success are sought.
Excitement - For some people there is a real thrill in making puchases and in owning new items. This is a form of excitment with entertainment value.
Impulse - I read somewhere that 90% of jewelry is an impulse buy as are a lot of other things we bring home. Perhaps for some, other than being in that moment and capturing it in an object there is no other reason to own it.
Popularity - We all like to be included and sometimes owning the "IN-Thing" will allow is to feel that inclusion in the "IN-Clique", and we all know that high school was painful as hell and none of us were in the IN-Crowd but the desire is still there and it still drives us, even just a little.
Individualism - I still think that this is the finest reason to own a really unique piece of jewelry, but a person really has to want to show the world that they are a wonderful and strong individual. Not everyone is prepared to do that and not everyone is willing to be assured that they are an individual even though everyone is.
A Legacy - Collectors of bodies of art leave legacies. It is human nature to want to leave some kind of impression behind of ourself, whether it is through our children, our life's work, written word, recorded song, art that we make or items of value that we collect.
The next step for me is to examine these reasons for purchasing more closely and to develop our new marketing material with the idea of answering the why, as well as to observe our clients in action and to affirm their why and let them know that our work does answer it.
In the meantime, think about how the whys of the article apply to your product and as well examine the real reason behind some of your more recent purchases. It can be very surprising and even a little scary.
Cheers,
Cynthia
PS: a quick update on other things - Summer show season is underway and the studio is still under some reconstruction but I can get some work done in there now. Currently cleaning and checking all our jewelry over again in preparation for the NB Crafts Council Show this coming weekend.
The simple and so obvious answer is: because we can.
We do it because we want the feelings that doing it gives us. We want to be told we made a good choice. That our aquisition is impressive. That we look trendy or our stuff is fabulous. That is why we will be discriminate shoppers for dish soap and toilet paper too, because one brand is marketed as a more impressive or elite than another.
How does toilet paper compare to art, and fine crafts like our jewelry? It does because in order to sell it we have to market it, and that means building brand recognition and finding a way to make our work more desirable than someone else's.
I'm going to refer you to this article from Guerrilla Marketing: Why_People_Buy that passed over my desk awhile back. It does a good job of explaining the whys for a multitude of product types. As I read through it I realized that certain things applied to our jewelry and could certainly be used to help market our work by reaching a potential client's real reasons for making a jewelry purchase.
Comfort - we try to make really comfortable jewelry. Not too heavy. Not to small. Shape the items using appropriate mandrels so that neck pieces and bracelets and rings all sit well on a person. Which leads me to the concept of FUD (fear, uncertainty and doubt) which would be a good topic for another time.
Getting Compliments - We know that what we make is one-of-a-kind and that is attractive and we know from talking to many of our clients that they often get compliments on the jewelry they have chosen from us. They sometimes buy an item because they know it will get attention and they want that. This can increase their enjoyment of life, afterall, for a moment it makes them the center of it.
Owning a thing of beauty - Which is subjective and always in the eye of the beholder. When we see something beautiful we often admire it and sometimes it speaks to our soul enough that we have to own it.
Keeping up with or surpassing the Joneses - Yes, it's not just you that has them, we do too and so do most other people. There is always someone who sets the standard and sometimes we buy so that we can meet that same standard and sometimes we buy items that they haven't yet aquired, like work from an emerging artist, so that we can say: I saw it first.
Opulence - We sometimes buy items because they are rich in texture or appearance and we want that opulent experience in our lives.
Youthfullness - Who isn't bombarded with anti-aging ads and the idea that 50 is the new 40, etc? We sometimes make the puchase of an item because it may appear youthfull in nature and we want to wear that idea in the hopes that we now appear more youthfull for it.
Friendship & Love - A reason for giving the item as a gift. We may also be making the purchase because we feel a kinship with an artist too and we want to befriend them and show them support, and this visceral support is always appreciated along with compliments and praise.
Pain and Trouble Avoidance - If you don't buy her a nice gift because... you went fishing, golfing, watching football with your buds, went on a business trip, etc... well guys, you know the rest of the story and you are just trying to avoid a potentially painful situation.
Stylish and Trendy - This is also a form of pain avoidance as few of us like being unstylish and we do want our frineds to notice that we are in touch in with the trends if not setting them already.
Acceptance - This comes back to the idea of fitting in, being stylish and keeping up with the Joneses.
The Power of Attraction - We want to attract attention, and love and friendship and sometimes we purchase items with the sole purpose of garnering this attraction, even though it may not be something that would typically fit with our lifestyle or personality.
Emulation - We sometimes buy items because someone we admire has one just like it and we want to be just like them.
Superiority and Status - Surpassing the Joneses and setting the standard is why status symbols of wealth or success are sought.
Excitement - For some people there is a real thrill in making puchases and in owning new items. This is a form of excitment with entertainment value.
Impulse - I read somewhere that 90% of jewelry is an impulse buy as are a lot of other things we bring home. Perhaps for some, other than being in that moment and capturing it in an object there is no other reason to own it.
Popularity - We all like to be included and sometimes owning the "IN-Thing" will allow is to feel that inclusion in the "IN-Clique", and we all know that high school was painful as hell and none of us were in the IN-Crowd but the desire is still there and it still drives us, even just a little.
Individualism - I still think that this is the finest reason to own a really unique piece of jewelry, but a person really has to want to show the world that they are a wonderful and strong individual. Not everyone is prepared to do that and not everyone is willing to be assured that they are an individual even though everyone is.
A Legacy - Collectors of bodies of art leave legacies. It is human nature to want to leave some kind of impression behind of ourself, whether it is through our children, our life's work, written word, recorded song, art that we make or items of value that we collect.
The next step for me is to examine these reasons for purchasing more closely and to develop our new marketing material with the idea of answering the why, as well as to observe our clients in action and to affirm their why and let them know that our work does answer it.
In the meantime, think about how the whys of the article apply to your product and as well examine the real reason behind some of your more recent purchases. It can be very surprising and even a little scary.
Cheers,
Cynthia
PS: a quick update on other things - Summer show season is underway and the studio is still under some reconstruction but I can get some work done in there now. Currently cleaning and checking all our jewelry over again in preparation for the NB Crafts Council Show this coming weekend.
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