Dusting Off the Old Blog

 

It only took me 30 minutes to figure out how to sign into this blog. Not too shabby considering it's been 9(!) years since I last wrote. I started this blog 18 years ago which is a thought that completely astounds me. What a different place this internet thingy was back then. I often think it was a better place. Kinder. Safer. Smaller. It was easier to be seen. Easier to feel like you were part of a community. The jewelry making community, that is. Etsy was fairly new and suddenly it felt like everyone and their neighbor was getting in touch with their creative sides and trying to make a go of being an "artist." I had been working as an artist for a while at that time and the world of online promotion was a whole new animal that had to be tamed if I wanted to succeed. I was fairly computer illiterate then and not much has changed. At least I'm consistent. So here I am, dusting off the old blog, wondering if anyone still reads these things while not really caring too much if they do. I miss writing and talking about my creative process so even if I'm writing into the abyss... that's a-okay with me. 

As the new year gets underway, I, like so many others, wonder what direction I'm heading in creatively. If you know me or have followed my business, Round Rabbit, over the years you may know I'm a bit all over the place when it comes to my work. I'm a dabbler and I want to do and make EVERYTHING. I want to learn every medium, change my mind every other day, work really hard on something until I master it and then abandon it for a few years until something random reminds of it and I pull it back into view. Some may find that entertaining but it drives me insane. I've always been very hard on myself for lacking focus and stick-to-itiveness. And then I'm hard on myself for being hard on myself. Good lord, it's all so exhausting! So my plan for this year is simple: Do what I want. My only requirements are to be consistent and to USE WHAT I ALREADY HAVE. 

What exactly does that mean? As a serial accumulator I have a lot of stuff. I have art supplies out the ying-yang. I have beads and beautiful papers, paints and polished gemstones, fabrics, fibers and yarns, books upon books filled with inspiration and a studio in which to do my work. It's an embarrassment of riches, in all honesty, even though I am a person of modest means. Over my life I have accumulated more than I have used and I have kept it. All of it. 

My goals are to use what I have. The only things I am allowed to purchase are tools and things such as adhesives, flux, tape, thread, polyurethane... things that run out and are necessary to create something new. Some things will be jewelry or beads (yes, if you are someone who has asked me if I will ever make beads again, I will. They won't be ceramic at this time, but never say never.), some things will be sewn or woven... whatever I feel like doing, I will do it. Follow my journey, if you like, as I attempt to use what I have to make beautiful things. I hope to write at least once a week with pictures and thoughts about my creations. 😊