Priorities

Copyright Tattered Edge 2007

My new Moo cards just arrived a few minutes ago. I got an email on Friday saying they were being shipped from England and here it is Tuesday morning in Canada and they are in my hands. Now that's good service! These are the two new images I used. The first is from a bees wax collage on canvass I did ages ago and the other is a collage I made a few months ago.

Copyright Tattered Edge 2007

This is the whole set. I reordered some of the images I have used before because I like them so much. I sure love being able to give out Moo cards as my business cards. I love that I can pick and choose pieces or sections of my art to use and I can pretty much put whatever I want on the back. I love that they are smaller than standard business cards. I think it makes them more interesting. Whenever I have given someone my card, they look at it in surprise and then comment on how cool they are. I think so too-THANKS MOO! The next time I order, I am going to use some of my photographs. I have several I love that would work.

I was going to work on a sewing project this morning, but I flubbed something up right off the bat (curse you, directional fabrics!) and then discovered that I don't have a seam ripper. I had one, but it's gone missing. (Probably around the time my son took sewing in middle school a few years ago.) Anyway, I need to buy a new one, but I don't feel like chasing around this morning. I'll swing by the dollar store this afternoon and see if I can find on there. So in the meantime, I've moved on to some collage work.

It's been strange being in my workspace with it being so bare. Most of my art is off on exhibit at the Poirier Library. It's strange how I've gotten used to having the things around me that inspire me and bring a smile to my face. It's just not the same vibe without it all. I know they are just "things" but they're my things and I like them!

Speaking of things, Kathy asked me how I could stand to part with my Triptychs. Well normally, I might have a hard time doing it, but this time, I've actually made some for me, so I still have them for myself. If I can keep a set, it's not so hard to let the others go. Besides, what good is art if it's not shared? I have to admit in the beginning I used to give all my art away in swaps and had nothing to show for all my hard work. As time wore on, I decided to do less swapping. I now pick and choose the ones I participate in very carefully and make sure I am not over commiting myself. I adopted a 24 hour policy. It goes like this: If I am considering a swap, I wait 24 hours before I commit. This way, I am not acting impulsively and I have time to think about whether I have the time, energy and inspiration to do my best work.

I always want my personal art time to be a joyful time of creating and not a chore. It helps me to prevent burn out and being late for deadlines. I really don't think that saying NO to something is a negative thing. By saying NO to the things that don't fit with my commitment to myself, I am able to say YES to the things that really fire my soul. It was really important for me to be mindful of my time. For awhile there, I was on a runaway train. As soon as I started feeling stressed about art, I knew I had to stop and assess things. No more runaway train!