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Well, the weekend was exhausting but SO much fun. I went to the first SCA event I've attended in a long time and caught up with friends I haven't seen in too long. I brought the really cool digital frame Greg gave me for Christmas, fully loaded with pictures of newer artwork and a selection of Japan pics, plus my Artvoice cover and my magazine article and my program from Muscle Musical...it was a tour de force. I got to share my Makoto Nagano/Sasuke/Muscle Musical story with old friends who had no idea what I've been up to for the last year, which was so fun & rewarding. It's nice to be able to share happy news. Everyone was so happy for me, & I did my best to "give back" when I could (I sold a bunch of items at bargain-basement prices & donated a few pieces to various fund raisers & charities).
I was there for twelve hours and I am SO out of the habit of being with people...it was a little daunting at times. I found myself swamped quite a bit, and I think I talked the entire time I was there (which, again, I am no longer accustomed to). My jaw actually was sore on Sunday morning! I hope I did okay, socially (I can be a bit inept at times, when I am out of practice). Fortunately, I think most of them find it oddly charming when I'm a goof.
On a personal note, people were saying all day how good I looked, & that I seem ten years younger (I guess happiness turns back the clock...though I suspect the good old Neutrogena Visibly Even face cream I've been using religiously might have somethin' to do with it too). I felt so pretty...which is nice because so often as a 43 year old woman I find there are a thousand little things that happen to you every day to make you feel not-pretty.
Etsy is wonderful, but it can't talk to you and tell you how pretty you look and how happy it is to see you. When you sell something to someone on Etsy, you don't get to see their eyes light up when they hold it for the first time. They can say "thank you" in the feedback section, but you don't get to hear the gratitude in their voice...you don't have the satisfaction of seeing them show off their new prize that you made with your two hands.
I love Etsy and the doors it has opened (the world is my marketplace now. There are no limits to the places I can reach with my art, which is exactly what I have always wanted), BUT, I think I will always need that human touch. It energizes me like nothing else can. In the end, I am not making art for art's sake. I'm making it for people to enjoy. My art has no eyes; it's not completed until someone's face is inside of it & someone's eyes are filling that void. I guess I just really enjoy seeing that process actually happen in front of me, sometimes. Deep inside, I must have the soul of a vagabond peddler.
In other news; Mary Jarvis is a freaking glass-bead-making wizard, I think.
I loved my first Beach Heart so much that I asked Mary to make some lentil beads to offset it, since the hemp necklace I'd made for it just didn't seem to be fabulous enough for such an awesome bead. She made the lentils (and totally went above & beyond, since they were so perfectly what I asked for), but she fretted that the color didn't match the heart I already had...so she made me a new one! I ended up with this set of beads.
Mary liked the set so much, she's decided to continue offering it on her site. I have to say, it is totally worth every cent. Here is my new Beach Heart necklace (I knotted it while I was at the SCA event):
I made it much shorter this time...it's basically a choker (fun fact: I used to hate chokers but now that I am a smaller fitter me, I'm finding I LOVE them).
I had to take pics of it from each side so you can see the glorious details. Mary added extras to my new heart; it's bluer and has extra swirls. The lentils even have the tiny perfect sea star in the center, something amazing I hadn't even asked for!
The hemp cord I used this time is a bit thicker and darker than last time. The whole necklace is only 15 inches long...not quite a choker as the heart hangs down just atop my breastbone. Long enough to wear all the time, & the perfect length for summer wearing.
Look at those colors... *sigh* It is my drop-dead PERFECT necklace. ^_^
Mary should be a HUGE star on Etsy. Sometimes I feel guilty for the success I have there...I wish I could share some of my good fortune. There are so many wonderful, talented people I've met through Etsy. I'm honored to be able to call a few of them friends (like TheFarGrove and LittleCookie and Neile and Batikwalla)...they are all brightly shining stars and inspirations, and if I had my way they'd all be household names. We all work in different media but we are all the same; just busy little bees, trying to make pretty things and be as excellent as we can possibly be. I think it's a beautiful thing.
I was there for twelve hours and I am SO out of the habit of being with people...it was a little daunting at times. I found myself swamped quite a bit, and I think I talked the entire time I was there (which, again, I am no longer accustomed to). My jaw actually was sore on Sunday morning! I hope I did okay, socially (I can be a bit inept at times, when I am out of practice). Fortunately, I think most of them find it oddly charming when I'm a goof.
On a personal note, people were saying all day how good I looked, & that I seem ten years younger (I guess happiness turns back the clock...though I suspect the good old Neutrogena Visibly Even face cream I've been using religiously might have somethin' to do with it too). I felt so pretty...which is nice because so often as a 43 year old woman I find there are a thousand little things that happen to you every day to make you feel not-pretty.
Etsy is wonderful, but it can't talk to you and tell you how pretty you look and how happy it is to see you. When you sell something to someone on Etsy, you don't get to see their eyes light up when they hold it for the first time. They can say "thank you" in the feedback section, but you don't get to hear the gratitude in their voice...you don't have the satisfaction of seeing them show off their new prize that you made with your two hands.
I love Etsy and the doors it has opened (the world is my marketplace now. There are no limits to the places I can reach with my art, which is exactly what I have always wanted), BUT, I think I will always need that human touch. It energizes me like nothing else can. In the end, I am not making art for art's sake. I'm making it for people to enjoy. My art has no eyes; it's not completed until someone's face is inside of it & someone's eyes are filling that void. I guess I just really enjoy seeing that process actually happen in front of me, sometimes. Deep inside, I must have the soul of a vagabond peddler.
In other news; Mary Jarvis is a freaking glass-bead-making wizard, I think.
I loved my first Beach Heart so much that I asked Mary to make some lentil beads to offset it, since the hemp necklace I'd made for it just didn't seem to be fabulous enough for such an awesome bead. She made the lentils (and totally went above & beyond, since they were so perfectly what I asked for), but she fretted that the color didn't match the heart I already had...so she made me a new one! I ended up with this set of beads.
Mary liked the set so much, she's decided to continue offering it on her site. I have to say, it is totally worth every cent. Here is my new Beach Heart necklace (I knotted it while I was at the SCA event):
I made it much shorter this time...it's basically a choker (fun fact: I used to hate chokers but now that I am a smaller fitter me, I'm finding I LOVE them).
I had to take pics of it from each side so you can see the glorious details. Mary added extras to my new heart; it's bluer and has extra swirls. The lentils even have the tiny perfect sea star in the center, something amazing I hadn't even asked for!
The hemp cord I used this time is a bit thicker and darker than last time. The whole necklace is only 15 inches long...not quite a choker as the heart hangs down just atop my breastbone. Long enough to wear all the time, & the perfect length for summer wearing.
Look at those colors... *sigh* It is my drop-dead PERFECT necklace. ^_^
Mary should be a HUGE star on Etsy. Sometimes I feel guilty for the success I have there...I wish I could share some of my good fortune. There are so many wonderful, talented people I've met through Etsy. I'm honored to be able to call a few of them friends (like TheFarGrove and LittleCookie and Neile and Batikwalla)...they are all brightly shining stars and inspirations, and if I had my way they'd all be household names. We all work in different media but we are all the same; just busy little bees, trying to make pretty things and be as excellent as we can possibly be. I think it's a beautiful thing.
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I also figured out a new reason why Mary's Beach Hearts charm me so much; she etches the entire surface...so they look like beach glass! Too damn clever.
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I'm glad you had fun at the SCA event. And I don't blame you for needing the human contact. The internet is a fine and lovely place, but it does have its limitations. :)
P.S. I bought the Neutrogena moisturizer this week after your rec. Let's hope I have as much luck with it as you have!
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Oh I hope you like the Neutrogena! You got the "Visibly Even" soy-based one, right? It's great stuff. I even love the way it smells.
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And, yes, I got the Visibly Even one!
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The necklace DOES look scratchy. It's not?
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This is nice; you 'feel' like regular Meri again. (Don't ask me to explain but you have felt 'off' to me for a couple of weeks. I might just have an overactive imagination.) I'm glad you're happy with your necklace.
I put this on my faves list at DevArt a while ago...those are your colours, right? :) http://anielemoj.deviantart.com/art/Sunset-at-the-Beach-III-64028943 (Click full view if it is small, it's much more striking when it is bigger.)
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I have been sort of "off" I just hate the winter...it's like I have to recover from it or something.
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I'm glad that you had a good time at the event.
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It was SO nice to go to the event. And now I'm thinkin' I want to hit Pennsic but only for the social fix...maybe 3 or 4 days. Are you guys going to be there?
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We'll have to figure out a way to get together.
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Besides, Buffalo isn't that far away. I haven't seen the falls since I was seven or eight, and eventually the Met is going to have an exhibit that you just can't miss. We'll figure it out.
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I thought of you today because an etsy seller I know recently moved her shop to 1000markets and I wondered whether you'd heard of it..There are no listing fees- just a one time fee when you make a sale..I am not sure if it would work for you but thought I'd let you know..Maybe it could be one more place where you could sell your wonderful stuff..*hugs*
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I'll prolly open a shop there (though it seems all my alternative shops besides Etsy are sort of languishing no matter how I try to promote myself in them). This one doesn't use Paypal either so I have to see to that first. But change is always good! *hug* You rock.
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here's an interview with the CEO of 1000 markets:
http://kzmface.blogspot.com/2009/03/1000-markets-different-kind-of-indie.html
The 'interviewer' Karley moved her business to 1000 Markets recently..
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http://particularlypretty.blogspot.com/2009/03/thinking-about-selling-on-1000-markets.html
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http://www.1000markets.com/groups/wearableartmarket
There is a wearable art market here..
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Carol
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Alas, hot Asian boyfriend has been cut loose. The kid read "Twilight" one too many times & was sort of using it as a handbook for relationships which on the surface sounds fine, but in practice it was a creepyfest. Too much drama.
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And might I say, "My art has no eyes," just struck me as being incredibly deep. I never thought about it that way--that the wearer completes the art. To me, as they hang on my wall, they *do* have eyes. The apparent emptyness just makes me think of what secret thoughts they must have.
...Yeah, I'm weird, lol.
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I think a lot about the nature of my art. I don't think there's any art object that's quite as culturally diverse as masks, & they are part part of every society at every age. I feel like part of a centuries-old tradition...not so different from any artisan you might have met in Greece or Rome or Ireland or Japan, thousands of years ago. I can't think of any other art object that has the cultural significance of a mask...so as a mask artisan I take my responsibility to create these things thoughtfully very seriously.
A mask on a wall always strikes me as something waiting, waiting to be used.