The Good Suck

Thinking to myself, "Just sit at the computer and type in some words. It will be better today than it was yesterday.". I one-hundred percent, without an inkling of a doubt know that anything I write today will be so much better than what I wrote yesterday. I mean...well, I didn't actually write, or draw or art anything yesterday, or the day before. Or the days before that. Anything I do right here, right now will be improvement on yesterday. 

So, sure this post is gonna suck. You might ask yourself why you even wasted these couple of minutes of your time reading this mindless dribble. I totally wouldn't blame you one bit, if that's how you feel. 

The truth is...come in a little closer... The truth is, that this is not for you! This is me taking a minute to do something today that I have been feeling bad about not doing, and just doing it. Just getting started. Going forward with the suck, is how we get to the good. 

Making the choice to open up the blogger browser (and boy was she hiding in a deep dark corner of neglected tabs) obviously didn't come out of nowhere. I was listening to Seth Godin's "Akimbo" podcast. The episode entitled "No such thing (as writer's block). 

If you get a chance to listen to it, please do. 

Basically, my take away is, you keep writing, drawing, painting...whatever craft you choose. You just keep creating the suck. You show up, do the work. Eventually one of those suck, will cling to the wall. You will eventually find something good in the suck. 

This is the day we say goodbye to perfectionism. So long to the procrastination. Hello to the freedom of the suck. 

Laurie

That Time I Backtracked

I haven't kept up with this blog, but there are things I want to share that have happened over the last few years. So basically I am systematically going back and recreating what I would have posted, had I posted.

It's been interesting. I have been really trying to get into my head at the time and write without the knowledge of happened next. Example: That Time I Quit My Job... I know how that worked out (spoiler, I am back working at the same place as a part-time basis over 2 years later). A lot of life has happened and it's going to be a labor of love to go back and document it. I'm actually up for the challenge.

That Time I Started Some Puns

I posted this on Facebook:
Let's play a game...fill the comments with cheesy puns. Bonus points if its flora related!
Oh, my friends did not let me down...

• "Thanks a bunch!" 
• "Not a daisy goes by that I don't think of you."🌸 
• What in carnation do you mean? 
• I rose this morning thinking of you. 
• Lettuce keep this going 
• You ladies look radishing today.
• Hyacinth you a text...did you get it? 
• Today's Friday - this makes me hap-pea. 
• He said what? Artichoke him 
• Bean there, done that. 
• Time to turnip for work. 
• Ketchup later 
• Drop the beets today - it lifts your mood. 
• (my) Tulips kiss you goodnight.

Mandala Class

So I explained how I left my full-time job to teach classes. I decided the first class should be something simple that creates something that looks complicated. Basically my way of displaying to the students that anyone, and everyone can draw.

I came up with the idea to just have them repeat letters to form mandala's. I tried this on my own and it actually worked.

The mandala to the left is what the words, "Aim For the Stars" ended up looking like.

Happy with the outcome I thought a mock-class at a friends home. It turned out to be so much fun. Unfortunately, I didn't get any pictures from that class.

"Aim For The Stars" 

On to real class time. The first class I had 2 girls from my mock-class take the actual paid class. The next couple of locations I didn't have any students yet. Thursday my best friend brought a friend and we had a blast.

We didn't get finished completely, but they had a great start for an hour class. The top one is for her son's wedding, the Groom and Brides name. The bottom one made one of her sister's name. It amazes me at how just letters can turn into such amazing (and very different) pieces of art. 

That Time I Had Way Too Much Time With Wooden Men

So I am setting up my marketing for my classes and I decided to paint artist mannequins a different color to go with the type of art/craft I would be teaching each week. I originally broke up my month into 4 weeks, each one doing a different discipline (or department if you will).

Week one is dedicated to "fine art", so using the mediums you would find in the Art Supply section. So the mascot for week one is "Art"














Week two is "Paper Art" so I named him "Chip" (after chipboard)

The third week is dedicated to "needle art" so his name is
affectionately "Ned"















Finally we come to what week 4 brings us. Very simply this will be something in the general
"crafting" and/or "jewelry" realm. So his name shall be "Clay"

Regardless of where this ends up, I will always have my buddies to help me in the studio!

That Time I Quit My Job

Do you ever just drive to work and have this mind-blowing "AH-HA" moment? Well that happened to me. I have been so stressed and miserable at my job. It's a decent job with great pay and good benefits. It's just that it's doesn't fit me any more. So I was driving to work and it hit me, I could teach art classes. If I could get 5 students each class at each location that I would be teaching, I would generate the same income, with added benefit of freedom.

I only have a few months to make this work, but it's decided that I have to try! Resignation letter submitted. So it's official, my first class is in June. I have set up a fresh website, made the advertisements for the first round of classes.

June:
Week 1: Art: Adult Coloring
Week 2: Paper Art: Quilling
Week 3: Needle Art: Needle Felting
Week 4: Craft/Jewelry: Glass Etching

He is Legendary

This guy amazes me! Up at 3:30am to work all day, then a show tonight from 9-1am...which gets him home around 3am...just to have to turn around leave for work by 4:30am...(which it is daylight savings so that is 30 minutes)

Why? He is fulfilling a dream...That takes DEDICATION and SACRIFICE.