Help is an interesting word. We can either get help, have help or be a help. Each use indicates a level of need or giving by those involved in the help process.
Lately, I've gotten help, been a help and had help. I also recently quite my job as CEO of my universe. Mind you that is a hard job post to forget and it's habits rise fairly frequently in day to day activities. I need and have a lot of help in dealing with this welcome vacancy in my life.
I still firmly believe that we are all 100% responsible for our lot in life. We either choose to accept or ignore the opportunities that are tossed in our path. It's like deciding whether or not to pick up a dropped penny. The only problem with being CEO of my universe is that I took responsibility for every dropped or ignored penny rather than just accepting that sometimes somebody else drops them and that I have no control over when and where they fall. It's too big a job with to much false responsibility that gets in the way of looking after what I really can do.
Recently a buddy, who is a musician/artist, and I decided that maybe it would be a good idea if a group of us like-minded individuals got together for bi-monthly gab sessions to compare notes on what works and what doesn't in our art/business worlds. Snagging the name from a magazine I read, we call it the Brain Squad, rather than a Mastermind group. It's a matter of rebelling against semantics and some of the 'new agey' verbiage that goes with the term Mastermind, that we grabbed at brain squad, after all two heads are better than one, so what about 5 or 6.
The catch with this little group is that we have to be committed to showing up at the meetings, hold everything discussed in confidence, share information and sources, and be encouraging as well as honest. So far it has a really good feel to it and it's great to be in room with others who are trying to be proactive about their art/business too and who are not looking for the problem in every idea but ideas in every problem.
My personal opinion is that for most of us that work at art, however one wants to define work and art, is that there is always someone or two or more, who is important to us, but who just never seems to "to get it". They appear to be supportive, try to be encouraging, but if you tell them your good news, theirs is better. If you have a problem, theirs is worse. If you have a headache, they have a brain tumour.... In their attempt to be supportive they are often undermining your confidence and creating some amount of doubt in your abilities and it's not like we don't suffer with confidence and ability issues as it is.
Our hope is that the brain squad can help each of us overcome some of the doubts/fears that creep into our art-lives, and that by keeping the meetings to a bi-monthly schedule that we all stay a bit more focused, and that because of improved focus that we will more readily spot the dropped pennies and actually be in a position to pick them up and use them, and if we can't use them, we can at least pass them on and help somebody else.
Cheers!
Monday, April 7, 2008
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Revised Artist Statement
Recently ran across this web link from Concordia University's Fine Arts program: http://caps.concordia.ca/forstudents/advice/fa/statement.php
It links to great example of a nice brief statement and instead of the behemoth technical statement that we have been using for a couple of years, it is time to take said behemoth and condense it down to a nice tight thought, which of course makes me think of the Seth Godin quote "If you can't state your position in eight words or less, you don't have a position." When applied to fine craft/art it makes me feel that if we can't say "why" in a few short words, we really don't have a clue why we do this.
As I've explored before in a previous post titled "WHY" getting to the real reason behind the creating is a challenge and is often one of denial and superficial reasons.
In going back to that post and excerpting certain points and following the illustration in the Concordia link I've developed that following more succinct statement:
Our crafting of jewellery is a pursuit of excellence, an adventure in boldness and an exploration of the hidden beauty in our world.
The desire to create and create with excellence is a result of our personal life journeys and our decision to move past years of meeting mediocrity, staying the wallflower, and denying our desire to craft. This absolute decision drives this competition within ourselves for attempting to attain excellence and boldness in each creation.
Through our stone cutting we find a richness of colour and pattern that has been trapped in basaltic formations for millions of years. It is released from this snare annually to be discovered when we are the adventurous rock-hounds in search of treasure in the ordinary. Cutting and setting these stones that we collect is a gratifying way of sharing this previously hidden beauty with the viewer.
Like the stones, each of us hides and protects some of our inner beauty from the everyday world. The bold jewellery that we craft using these stones are amulets of strength and confidence that draw attention and show the wearer as an extraordinary person in pursuit of their own adventure.
Be bold, be excellent, join the adventure. (might make a good tag line)
I think that I'm warming up to this more honest statement....
It links to great example of a nice brief statement and instead of the behemoth technical statement that we have been using for a couple of years, it is time to take said behemoth and condense it down to a nice tight thought, which of course makes me think of the Seth Godin quote "If you can't state your position in eight words or less, you don't have a position." When applied to fine craft/art it makes me feel that if we can't say "why" in a few short words, we really don't have a clue why we do this.
As I've explored before in a previous post titled "WHY" getting to the real reason behind the creating is a challenge and is often one of denial and superficial reasons.
In going back to that post and excerpting certain points and following the illustration in the Concordia link I've developed that following more succinct statement:
Our crafting of jewellery is a pursuit of excellence, an adventure in boldness and an exploration of the hidden beauty in our world.
The desire to create and create with excellence is a result of our personal life journeys and our decision to move past years of meeting mediocrity, staying the wallflower, and denying our desire to craft. This absolute decision drives this competition within ourselves for attempting to attain excellence and boldness in each creation.
Through our stone cutting we find a richness of colour and pattern that has been trapped in basaltic formations for millions of years. It is released from this snare annually to be discovered when we are the adventurous rock-hounds in search of treasure in the ordinary. Cutting and setting these stones that we collect is a gratifying way of sharing this previously hidden beauty with the viewer.
Like the stones, each of us hides and protects some of our inner beauty from the everyday world. The bold jewellery that we craft using these stones are amulets of strength and confidence that draw attention and show the wearer as an extraordinary person in pursuit of their own adventure.
Be bold, be excellent, join the adventure. (might make a good tag line)
I think that I'm warming up to this more honest statement....
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Survival and learning
We got through the trade show. It was a long weekend with some high points and a few low ones.
It's not unusual that events like this give one a great opportunity to 'think things through'. The realization is that what we really like to make does not fit the usual 'wholesale' concept. What does fit into wholesale is at an uncomfortable price point for some and OK for others. Nothing surprising in that conclusion. This also means that our marketing has been wildly misdirected to some extent and that we need to reconsider some of our business activities and go back to our strategic plan and rewrite it to better fit what we now know about ourselves to be all too true. It is in following that truth that we will find our niche and our success.
The other thing that has arisen lately is the incontrovertible realization that we will never again be "doing" a certain show in our home town. I'm still not sure if I need to feel bad or just glad that I have a definitive answer to the question and no longer need to wonder about what we are doing the first weekend of November each year. Somehow, writting it down and reading this makes me feel thankful and relieved, and that's a good thing. Another query answered.
I learned another important thing this week, that it's not just artisans/artists that can suffer from intense amounts of insecurity, the people that work around them and try to provide them with opportunities for advancement do as well. Sometimes these people suffer so much so that anyone that questions any of their associations or decisions, even in the smallest way, are subject to an absolute reactionist asperity based on their perception of the questioner's words as highflown and laden with antipathy. A little sang-froid handles that.
It is good to learn.
It's not unusual that events like this give one a great opportunity to 'think things through'. The realization is that what we really like to make does not fit the usual 'wholesale' concept. What does fit into wholesale is at an uncomfortable price point for some and OK for others. Nothing surprising in that conclusion. This also means that our marketing has been wildly misdirected to some extent and that we need to reconsider some of our business activities and go back to our strategic plan and rewrite it to better fit what we now know about ourselves to be all too true. It is in following that truth that we will find our niche and our success.
The other thing that has arisen lately is the incontrovertible realization that we will never again be "doing" a certain show in our home town. I'm still not sure if I need to feel bad or just glad that I have a definitive answer to the question and no longer need to wonder about what we are doing the first weekend of November each year. Somehow, writting it down and reading this makes me feel thankful and relieved, and that's a good thing. Another query answered.
I learned another important thing this week, that it's not just artisans/artists that can suffer from intense amounts of insecurity, the people that work around them and try to provide them with opportunities for advancement do as well. Sometimes these people suffer so much so that anyone that questions any of their associations or decisions, even in the smallest way, are subject to an absolute reactionist asperity based on their perception of the questioner's words as highflown and laden with antipathy. A little sang-froid handles that.
It is good to learn.
Monday, January 28, 2008
Why wait when you can do it now?
It's been an eventful couple of months with all the Christmas shows to do and then getting home on the 17th. of December and rushing right into the mad dash of last minute Christmas shopping for the few things that a person can't buy at a craft show: like gadgets for a teenage girl. It was fun to shop late for a change.
January has come and almost gone at this point. I spent a lot of time since Christmas just reading and getting ready for the wholesale show in Halifax. Most of what I have been devouring has been trade magazines and the ubiquitous self-help/success books which hasn't really been a bad thing. It lead to an A-HA moment last week.
Why some A-HA moments seem to take years to conclude, I'm not sure, but I have a feeling it has something to do with the impracticality of the choice and the fact that we can here our family members whispering over our shoulder about how that isn't a money making or stable career choice. Well damn them all, sometimes you just have to go with your gut in order to be happy... and to be happy doesn't mean that you have to make scads of money either, it just means that you are satisfied with what you do, and look forward to doing more of it tomorrow.
What I realized is that I have always wanted to work in fashion, as a designer/artist. Jewellery making is a type of fashion and like some clothing designers, we establish a sense of our own style and work with that to make our statement. This really didn't come as a great revelation to me, I've always known it just like I've always known that I wanted to be an artist. I also know that it was discouraged and that I was told that it was an impractical way to "make a living".
At some point in our adult lives we have to stop listening to the voices of our parents that are still in our heads, especially when they have finally, at 60+, decided to pursue their dreams of a business in the arts too. So why wait when you can do it now.
My partner reminds me that if all the business does is "right minus wrong equals zero" then we're OK, because it didn't cost anything and if what it takes to make it r-w=0 is to make and show the work, then go for it and stop getting hung up in the numbers.
What I realized is that all I need to do is what I want to do: make and show the type of art that I make everyday.
Yes, it really is that simple.
January has come and almost gone at this point. I spent a lot of time since Christmas just reading and getting ready for the wholesale show in Halifax. Most of what I have been devouring has been trade magazines and the ubiquitous self-help/success books which hasn't really been a bad thing. It lead to an A-HA moment last week.
Why some A-HA moments seem to take years to conclude, I'm not sure, but I have a feeling it has something to do with the impracticality of the choice and the fact that we can here our family members whispering over our shoulder about how that isn't a money making or stable career choice. Well damn them all, sometimes you just have to go with your gut in order to be happy... and to be happy doesn't mean that you have to make scads of money either, it just means that you are satisfied with what you do, and look forward to doing more of it tomorrow.
What I realized is that I have always wanted to work in fashion, as a designer/artist. Jewellery making is a type of fashion and like some clothing designers, we establish a sense of our own style and work with that to make our statement. This really didn't come as a great revelation to me, I've always known it just like I've always known that I wanted to be an artist. I also know that it was discouraged and that I was told that it was an impractical way to "make a living".
At some point in our adult lives we have to stop listening to the voices of our parents that are still in our heads, especially when they have finally, at 60+, decided to pursue their dreams of a business in the arts too. So why wait when you can do it now.
My partner reminds me that if all the business does is "right minus wrong equals zero" then we're OK, because it didn't cost anything and if what it takes to make it r-w=0 is to make and show the work, then go for it and stop getting hung up in the numbers.
What I realized is that all I need to do is what I want to do: make and show the type of art that I make everyday.
Yes, it really is that simple.
Thursday, November 8, 2007
Promise kept
I said that I would blog today and I refuse to not keep this commitment.
A blog that I love and read this morning discussed professional jealousy - yep, been there and felt the monster growing inside too. Also been on the receiving end too. Either way, it's a pretty unpleasant experience.
The challenge presented to me by the read this AM was this: how do I handle it when I am the jealous monster? The answer: Not well, not well at all. I run, I hide, I sulk, I bemoan my seeming lack of skill and promptly retire into a funk from which I have to kick myself in the seat of my pants to refocus and motivate myself.
It seems that we are not alone in this either. David has been having an ongoing email conversation with a childhood friend and a fellow artisan for the past couple of days. She's been there too, both as a giver and receiver. The problem with jealousy is that this not a situation where it is better to be a giver than a receiver either.
Maybe this jealous streak is pretty normal in the arts world, otherwise what would inspire to try 'new' things and to stretch beyond our comfort zone? What would inspire the willingness to compete?
If you have a different answer, let me know.
The best solution that I have found for me with this problem, when the monster arises, is to be thankful. It's the quickest cure for me and it is the most humbling and often constructive. When we feel it hit, and it usually does by knocking us straight back on our behinds, is to start being thankful for the opportunities that we have and will have, for the talent we already have and will polish, for the recognition that we have received already for our work and for what we will receive, even if it is only to acknowledge that pay-day is Friday. We start to realize that we are better off than some folks at that point and that is a 'good thing'.
Finally dusting myself off after a poor weekend and starting to feel more capable already.
Cheers,
-C
A blog that I love and read this morning discussed professional jealousy - yep, been there and felt the monster growing inside too. Also been on the receiving end too. Either way, it's a pretty unpleasant experience.
The challenge presented to me by the read this AM was this: how do I handle it when I am the jealous monster? The answer: Not well, not well at all. I run, I hide, I sulk, I bemoan my seeming lack of skill and promptly retire into a funk from which I have to kick myself in the seat of my pants to refocus and motivate myself.
It seems that we are not alone in this either. David has been having an ongoing email conversation with a childhood friend and a fellow artisan for the past couple of days. She's been there too, both as a giver and receiver. The problem with jealousy is that this not a situation where it is better to be a giver than a receiver either.
Maybe this jealous streak is pretty normal in the arts world, otherwise what would inspire to try 'new' things and to stretch beyond our comfort zone? What would inspire the willingness to compete?
If you have a different answer, let me know.
The best solution that I have found for me with this problem, when the monster arises, is to be thankful. It's the quickest cure for me and it is the most humbling and often constructive. When we feel it hit, and it usually does by knocking us straight back on our behinds, is to start being thankful for the opportunities that we have and will have, for the talent we already have and will polish, for the recognition that we have received already for our work and for what we will receive, even if it is only to acknowledge that pay-day is Friday. We start to realize that we are better off than some folks at that point and that is a 'good thing'.
Finally dusting myself off after a poor weekend and starting to feel more capable already.
Cheers,
-C
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Busy
Being busy helps - I find that it sooths the spirit.
The more spinning plates, the better. It means that I have to focus, that I am working towards a goal. I have less time to be frivolously distracted by fun but useless things. Busy is good.
Some people that I know don't particularly care to be busy, it bothers them and it's not necessarily because they are lazy - I am lazy - it's just that busy overwhelms them. It doesn't give them time to think and they just don't like that. I find that the less time I am left alone with my own idle mind the better.
Right now, we are working on a series of pieces for an exhibit that opens in just over a month. I have a couple of group exhibition deadlines coming up - an idea might stick & something good might get made before time runs out on them.
There are 2 back-to-back shows in Halifax over the next 2 weekends. Ones a regular show and the other we haven't done in a couple of years so we are looking forward to going back. Those shows will give us the opportunity to fine tune the booth & see what we need & what we forgot.
There are a couple of board & committee meetings for the area chamber of commerce in the next short while too. Being on the committee & board has been good for me. It reminds me that I have very little patience for some processes & it teaches me to let go and let it happen in its own good time, it will work even if it looks funny. The platypus was designed by committee.
There are other seminars and gallery openings on the event calendar for the next couple of weeks and I am looking forward to all of it.
We are currently finishing up designs on a wholesale - limited production - line of jewelry. Have to have it 'juried' in 2 weeks and then be ready to go for wholesale in 3 months, and in between, build a lot more one-of-a-kinds for the Nova Scotia Designer Crafts Council show in 3 weeks and the Ottawa Originals in December.
The benefit of busy is the focus. It makes elimination of non-productive habits and time very easy. It just seems to highlight what is truly important to me as an artisan/business. I appreciate that.
Cheers,
Cynthia
The more spinning plates, the better. It means that I have to focus, that I am working towards a goal. I have less time to be frivolously distracted by fun but useless things. Busy is good.
Some people that I know don't particularly care to be busy, it bothers them and it's not necessarily because they are lazy - I am lazy - it's just that busy overwhelms them. It doesn't give them time to think and they just don't like that. I find that the less time I am left alone with my own idle mind the better.
Right now, we are working on a series of pieces for an exhibit that opens in just over a month. I have a couple of group exhibition deadlines coming up - an idea might stick & something good might get made before time runs out on them.
There are 2 back-to-back shows in Halifax over the next 2 weekends. Ones a regular show and the other we haven't done in a couple of years so we are looking forward to going back. Those shows will give us the opportunity to fine tune the booth & see what we need & what we forgot.
There are a couple of board & committee meetings for the area chamber of commerce in the next short while too. Being on the committee & board has been good for me. It reminds me that I have very little patience for some processes & it teaches me to let go and let it happen in its own good time, it will work even if it looks funny. The platypus was designed by committee.
There are other seminars and gallery openings on the event calendar for the next couple of weeks and I am looking forward to all of it.
We are currently finishing up designs on a wholesale - limited production - line of jewelry. Have to have it 'juried' in 2 weeks and then be ready to go for wholesale in 3 months, and in between, build a lot more one-of-a-kinds for the Nova Scotia Designer Crafts Council show in 3 weeks and the Ottawa Originals in December.
The benefit of busy is the focus. It makes elimination of non-productive habits and time very easy. It just seems to highlight what is truly important to me as an artisan/business. I appreciate that.
Cheers,
Cynthia
Monday, October 15, 2007
Get Out of the Studio
This is a note for all of us that private studios: i.e. we do not share space in a building with other artisans or share a studio with room with other artists.
Nothing can be created in a vacuum. I'm sure that you have heard that before and I know that it is true.
Without social interaction with other artists we have a tendency to forget what it is that is good about our work and I say this because we just had the opportunity to spend two and a half wonderful days in one of Fredericton's landmark artists' buildings. The upstairs houses a record store (yes, with real vinyl LP's), a photo studio, a wonderful "pop-art" artist and 2 more visual artists and a mixed media fabric artist. It's not a lot of artists by some standards but it is more than I see on a daily bases.
The joy of this interaction, including going to the Art Trek opening on Friday night is that for the first time in ages, we had a real social time with other artists, not a show where we are all concentrating on prices and money and customer service and mailing lists and unpacking and setting-up and tearing down and packing-up... but just concentrating on the art and the person who made it. What a change. I know that visitors to show concentrate on the art and the artists but as artists, it just seems that we never have much time for that. It feels good.
It feels good to discuss line, and colour and uses of negative space and to see how other artists react to each others' work and how they apply 'art-speak' to the work. I know that for me, it brought me back around to the more subtle aspects of what we do, not just the technical aspects of construction or the business side of it but the real artistry of well made and wearable jewelry as art, or at least fine craft for those that argue the art/craft thing that could take days.
I love having the private studio now, I can work anytime of night or day, as necessary or as the spirit moves me, I have few interruptions, except what I allow, I do not have to explain what I am doing at that moment to anyone who walks in the door, as hardly anyone ever visits without calling first to make sure that 1) I'm actually in and 2) that I am not wearing my PJ's to work. BUT I love getting out of it too.
I love meeting new people, especially like-minded. I love hearing the critical reviews of the works being shown by myself and by other artists which keeps me on my toes and keeps me thinking about how to better use space and colour and line. I get another person's opinion of what works and what doesn't in our jewelry. And besides, most artists are really great and only tell you what they really like and why and that tells you everything you need to know by omission.
So, when you are feeling isolated and unsure of the work, get out of the studio, go to an opening, find an art group, just do something social that relates to your chosen art. It's like blowing a hole in the side of a dungeon to let in the light and fresh air and provide a way in and out. Just make sure that when you leave the studio that you are carrying your business cards and that you are willing to talk to people that you meet. The opportunities to make good useful connections with your fellow artisans abound at these events.
If you don't normally do this at least once a month, try it this month and see what happens, you might like it.
-C
Nothing can be created in a vacuum. I'm sure that you have heard that before and I know that it is true.
Without social interaction with other artists we have a tendency to forget what it is that is good about our work and I say this because we just had the opportunity to spend two and a half wonderful days in one of Fredericton's landmark artists' buildings. The upstairs houses a record store (yes, with real vinyl LP's), a photo studio, a wonderful "pop-art" artist and 2 more visual artists and a mixed media fabric artist. It's not a lot of artists by some standards but it is more than I see on a daily bases.
The joy of this interaction, including going to the Art Trek opening on Friday night is that for the first time in ages, we had a real social time with other artists, not a show where we are all concentrating on prices and money and customer service and mailing lists and unpacking and setting-up and tearing down and packing-up... but just concentrating on the art and the person who made it. What a change. I know that visitors to show concentrate on the art and the artists but as artists, it just seems that we never have much time for that. It feels good.
It feels good to discuss line, and colour and uses of negative space and to see how other artists react to each others' work and how they apply 'art-speak' to the work. I know that for me, it brought me back around to the more subtle aspects of what we do, not just the technical aspects of construction or the business side of it but the real artistry of well made and wearable jewelry as art, or at least fine craft for those that argue the art/craft thing that could take days.
I love having the private studio now, I can work anytime of night or day, as necessary or as the spirit moves me, I have few interruptions, except what I allow, I do not have to explain what I am doing at that moment to anyone who walks in the door, as hardly anyone ever visits without calling first to make sure that 1) I'm actually in and 2) that I am not wearing my PJ's to work. BUT I love getting out of it too.
I love meeting new people, especially like-minded. I love hearing the critical reviews of the works being shown by myself and by other artists which keeps me on my toes and keeps me thinking about how to better use space and colour and line. I get another person's opinion of what works and what doesn't in our jewelry. And besides, most artists are really great and only tell you what they really like and why and that tells you everything you need to know by omission.
So, when you are feeling isolated and unsure of the work, get out of the studio, go to an opening, find an art group, just do something social that relates to your chosen art. It's like blowing a hole in the side of a dungeon to let in the light and fresh air and provide a way in and out. Just make sure that when you leave the studio that you are carrying your business cards and that you are willing to talk to people that you meet. The opportunities to make good useful connections with your fellow artisans abound at these events.
If you don't normally do this at least once a month, try it this month and see what happens, you might like it.
-C
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
WE WON!!!
The most amazing thing happened last night. We won.
We received The Frank Phillips Award of Excellence for our "Ribbon" entry at the Metal Arts Guild of Nova Scotia annual exhibition and competition. This is as good as winning the lottery in many ways because we are always surrounded by exceptional craftsmanship at one of these events and to receive this award for technical excellence is really outstanding.
This is a short post there is a lot of work to finish up in regards to getting the press information out and it is already afternoon.
You can read about it here: Current Release and see the piece at the bottom of the page.
More later,
Cynthia
We received The Frank Phillips Award of Excellence for our "Ribbon" entry at the Metal Arts Guild of Nova Scotia annual exhibition and competition. This is as good as winning the lottery in many ways because we are always surrounded by exceptional craftsmanship at one of these events and to receive this award for technical excellence is really outstanding.
This is a short post there is a lot of work to finish up in regards to getting the press information out and it is already afternoon.
You can read about it here: Current Release and see the piece at the bottom of the page.
More later,
Cynthia
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