Way too long - keep blogging

It has been awhile since I have written. The reason is that I figured that I could work more efficiently if I was not 'distracted' by the computer. The experiment didn't work well.

The interesting thing about blogging is that it is akin to journaling, only in public. The benefits of journaling (just search that word string and sites like this will pop: http://www.appleseeds.org/100_Journaling.htm ) have been well documented, the benefits of blogging less so, or at least there are some differences in the nature of the media being more directed to business uses rather than personal but one thing that they do share is that some blogs users will indicate that writing the blog "helps to focus the mind".

Now how was that for a run-on sentence?

The joy of this as a medium for myself is not just that I have the potential of communicating with an accidental audience, as some of us still tend to randomly access blogs that may be of interest, who may share similar interests at the moment of reading. The joy is that sometimes when reading a blog I am delighted to realize that I am not alone in my experiences anymore, that someone else has overcome a similar circumstance, reveled in a like moment of excitement, or shuddered at a similar fear of impending disaster. For those of us who work from home, or in this case, a studio/shop across the drive from home, or who often work or live in isolation, this contact with someone else through a blog page is heart-warming whether they know it or not. So to answer the question, keep writing, keep blogging, you are communicating and touching someone else's life in a meaningful way, even if only for one moment in one post.

Back to the experiment for a moment: Not writing every few days does not help clear my mind, it does not help me effectively monitor my activities, it does not allow for a clear objective in my short-term plans, it does not help construct and analyse my 'to-do' list, nor does it allow my mind to rest.

The reality of the situation is that if something works for you - do it, don't deny it.

As promised weeks ago, here's pics of some new items:

A Swarovski Lavender Gem and sterling silver neck piece

and a hematite cabochon and bead neck piece

If you happen to be in the Fredericton area this weekend the New Brunswick Crafts Council show starts Friday at noon and you can see these lovelies in person. For updates on what is happening and where to find us check here http://www.mboot.net/WheretoFindUs.html.

Cheers,

Cynthia

Getting Caught Up

We're back. Been out running the roads for the past while.

We had the pleasure of doing a small craft show in Windsor, Nova Scotia last weekend. Knocked their socks off, meet some great folks, and made a couple of really good contacts on the jewelry side of things. Stayed with my great-aunt and spent a bit of time touring the back-roads and finding spots where they dead-end on the Bay of Fundy. That makes rock-hounding very enjoyable. Park, walk to the beach and sit on the pebble-strewn beach, dig through the pebbles for little gems of stone and let the tide come in around us. Can't beat it. A great mini, 5 day, working vacation.

Yesterday we were up-river in Woodstock for a small art-show. Beautiful weather to sit by the bank of the Meduxnekeg River.

The benefit of doing the smaller venues is that we are able to fine-tune the display. I am just now (after years) getting a better feel for how much stuff on display is too much stuff. I have to thin out some of the display boards before the show in Fredericton and this is after having already culled the displays earlier this summer.

I spent this morning getting caught up on some of the book-keeping and I have gotten caught in figuring out the next round of deadlines. To coincide with the New Brunswick Crafts Council show in Fredericton (31 Aug - 2 September) there are 2 exhibition submissions to finish and mail-out. I'm running out of time, but I have always been good at coming with stuff at the last minute. Being able to function under pressure has its benefits.

Last week after getting back I got caught up in finishing a couple of pieces that I left on the bench. They look very cool so I will photograph and post them.

On the home front, the new wood shed is half-finished, just have to pick up some more materials. Got the kid out for back-to-school clothes on Saturday. She's not a shop till you drop person so it's a bit challenging for those of us that are to accommodate the short attention span for shopping. Had to start early too because she is off on a few more road trips with family & friends.

The unfortunate thing about this particular post is that it really doesn't have a point except that I could say that sometimes taking a mini-vacation is all that is necessary in order to restore one's humour and positive sensibilities. Hope that you take one if you need it too.

Cheers.