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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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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.