Revamping My Life, My Business, My Soul!

"Set fire to what you thought you knew and find yourself in the ashes."
--From the Book, Note to Self

My life has been nothing but change this past few months in every stretch of the imagination. And now, with this amazing business opportunity before me, even the things I knew and the rhthyms I trusted in my professional life as an artist have gone by the wayside.

The Sundance Catalog business has forced me to think about my business like a professional. By that I mean that plans are made well in advance of the "now" and things are in progress much farther ahead of when they will actually see the light of day. This is how the jewelry business truly works--you must think far in advance of just a one-hit wonder of the season. Instead, you must look out on the horizon, plan for the future and buy materials based on a big fat hunch....

Revamping the business is what must be done in order to grow it to what I want it to be. But, it is a complete change from the design-what-you-wish mentality that I have been in for the past four years. It's time to be as mature about the business as I have had to be in my personal life. I guess there is a recurring theme here....

The frustrating part is that there is only one of me, so planning head for future business is great (I'm really a planner at heart), but the satisfaction that comes from producing results on a monthly basis are currently eluding me. I have done a huge amount of legwork already on my Sundance business, so it's time to focus on the here and now for awhile, so look for new work here pretty soon.

I guess that this opportunity comes at a good time for me, as everything about my life is changing. So why not this? In my heart, I know it's the right thing to do if I want to make this a business that pays. It just requires a redoubling of efforts and a fresh mind. And I guess my soul, heart and mind are ready for whatever is next!

Pinch Me, I'm Dreaming....

“Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.”
--Seneca, Roman Philosopher


It has been one of the most unbelievable weeks for me: this week, a dream, a BIG dream came true.

This week, I was informed by Sundance Catalog that 6 of my designs--YES 6!!!!--will be part of their Fall 2010 catalog. I can't believe that after years of thinking about it, daydreaming about it, inspired by it, that it has actually materialized before me.

I can only believe that this journey--although years in the making--is setting sail today because it was meant to at this time of my life.

Many things leading up to the news has made me believe in small miracles that set the stage for even bigger ones. About a month ago, I had sent samples for another catalog's Fall book, only to get all of the samples back with no note, no "thank you", really no acknowledgement that I had made the investment of money and time! I was bummed out, to say the least, that my hard work didn't bear fruit. But it actually had--I just didn't know it at the time.

I had a pity party about the catalog's rejection for an hour, then dusted myself off and went straight into my studio and submitted all of the images from my fall line to Sundance's online submission form. I figured, "what have I got to lose?"

The next day the buyer called, asking me to send about 15 of my samples from the images she saw online. I was floored.

Had I not gotten all of the samples back from the catalog, I would not have been able to send them to Sundance. I had made a rookie mistake: I only made 1 set of samples!!!! So, if I hadn't been rejected by Catalog #1, my dream opportunity would have knocked and I'm not sure I'd have been able to answer as quickly as I did.

So here I am, poised to see where this journey takes me. I can't wait. I am so proud of myself I can't hardly stand it. I did it--Just me! And that feels damn good for a change.

What's holding you back from the opportunity of a lifetime? What door is waiting for you to open? Take a deep breath, stand at the edge of the cliff and feel the wind whipping in your hair. Close your eyes, extend your hands and jump into the light. You never know where it might lead you.

I am Listening.....

Listening to Spring, by Macrina Wiederkehr

How quietly the earth breathes forth new life.
How eagerly the sun bleeds forth the spring.

I am listening.

I am listening to seeds breaking open,
to roots growing strong beneath the ground
to green shoots rising up from winter wombs.
I am listening to thorns blossoming,
to barren branches laughing out new growth,
to wildflowers dancing through the meadows.

I am listening.

I am listening to the forest filling up with song.
I am listening to the earth filling up with life.
I am listening to trees filling up with leaves.

I am listening.

I am listening to the sky with its many changing moods,
to flashes of lightening, pearls of thunder.
to opening buds and greening grass.
I am listening to the breaking forth of light
in the vestibule of dawn.
I am listening to the freshness of the morning.

I am listening.

I am listening to the raindrops
giving hope to thirsty gardens.
I am listening to the orchards
pregnant with new life.
I am listening to the flowers
bursting forth in rainbow colors.

I am listening.

I am listening to the brook
to the song of happy waters.
I am listening to music
rising up from all the earth.
I am listening to spring
soaring in on wings of life.
I am listening to the sounds of spring.

I am listening.

I am listening to prayers
pouring forth from feathered throats.
I am listening to prayers
rising up from misty waters.
I am listening to prayers
of a meadow crowned with dawn.

I am listening.

I am listening to the growing
in the garden of my heart.
I am listening to my heart
singing songs of resurrection.
I am listening to the colors of life.

I am listening.

I am listening to winter
handing over spring.
I am listening to the poetry of spring.

I am listening.

The Time is Now...

"There is only one time when it is

essential to awaken.

That time is now."
--Buddha

It has been awhile since I've posted and I know I've been irregular as of late in posting at all. I have foreshadowed a personal crisis in my life in my blog before, which had come to bear its ugly fruit recently.

I must say that the anxiety of waiting for it to come to bear has been much worse than its arrival. Now that it has past, I can at least put a stake in the ground that marks "before" and "after" and I can begin anew.

And it is an amazing time to begin anew. Spring is arriving; my tulips are peaking through the ground and bringing forth promise. My heart is lighter, the grass is greener, and the mountains are just beginning to retreat their blanket of snow.

Like the season, I too am starting fresh. I have been pruned down to almost nothing, ready for new growth. I have replanted myself in fertile soil and am ready to look to the sun for warmth and grace. I am ready for the new life that spring brings us.

In the days and years ahead, you will see a new blossom emerging here. I will be the same flower, but my petals might seem sturdier, and my stem more resolute. I am ready. The time is Now.

Emerging from a thick fog of illness....

What an incredible 3 weeks it's been--from amazing professional opportunities to some detours in the road to some downright scary stuff going on in my world!

But all of that has been overshadowed by the longest lingering cold/ear infections in the history of me. In short, I have been dogged by this illness that just won't go away; and as I write this I am awaiting word from the nurse at my doctor's office that a better, more powerful med is waiting for me at the pharmacy. I want to kick this sickness' ass!

I haven't been able to work out for 3 weeks, and it's been most stressful in my environment at the same time. And because of the illness, I haven't even gotten the energy to go into the studio and create something new--which is what I should be doing in light of these great potential opportunities!

I hope to be back in action by next week, back into the groove. Forgive me for not posting sooner--I have been mending my body, my soul and my heart these past few weeks!

Doors and Windows....

"Often the difference between a successful person and a failure

is not one has better abilities or ideas,
but the courage that one has
to bet on one's ideas,

to take a calculated risk--and to act."

Andre Malraux

It has been an UNBELIEVABLE couple of days.

On Monday, I learned that a consortium of Web sites (http://www.traderlou.com/, http://www.handtrade.com/ and http://www.ahsmith.com/) had STOLEN images of my work off of Etsy AND my product descriptions and were representing my work without MY permission to do so. They had ripped off several other damned fine artists on Etsy too, and even had the cajones to actually rip off images from Robert Redford's Sundance Catalog if you can believe that.

Once word got out that this was what was happening, one ripped off artist told another, and another, and before you know it, the entire ETSY community was bombarding these Web sites with nasty emails, voice mails, text messages--you name it. We all banned together and fought this low life company, who pretended to partner with small artists and sell our work. What a joker this guy and company are!

By end of the day, all of the Web sites had completely stripped the Etsy artists from their pages! It was the most awesome feeling in the world to take down this company's illegal acts without any of us even having to consult a lawyer.

On the same day, I got crappy news that NONE of the samples I had sent to my catalog for Fall weren't selected. Let's just say I assumed that was the case, as all I received was a box full of my samples with No NOTE, NO Thank You, No Nothing! I was pretty bummed about it, as I had high hopes for my designs in their fall book. They simply said my samples were too similar to what they already had in the book, and they were looking for other designs..Fair enough.

I had a pity party for myself about it last night, but it only lasted about 1 hour. Then, after I put Evan to bed, I started pitching my work to lots of other boutiques I'd been wanting to get into for some time. And I pitched myself to a catalog I've been wanting to get into for awhile, too. I figured, what the hell? The time is NOW.

Do you know what happened? Today, I shipped 30 pieces off to a Toronto-based company that has an amazing array of jewelry designers in its inventory--they were one of the pitches I made lastnight. The owner scours the world for fabulous, interesting work, and she called me this morning and asked me if I could get my work to her before her Valentine's Day Trunk Show TOMORROW! I loved her immediately as a person, and I do believe it will bring other wonderful opportunities.

In addition, I got a call this afternoon from a buyer at a catalog I've been targeting for some time. Last night, I sent them images of my fall line up and they now want to take a look at samples. It is AWESOME news, as this particular catalog must get hundreds of submissions a year--if not thousands.

I almost want to cry at the way in which life introduces new opportunities. A year ago, I probably would have had a much longer pity party for myself about the other catalog not wanting my work for fall, and I would have even entertained the idea that this one single rejection was a sign from the universe that I probably wasn't meant to be a designer after all.

But this time, I just took it in stride and put my energy into something positive. I saw it for what it could be--another door opening. The new catalog opportunity might not turn into something immediately, but it WILL turn into something. I insist on it.

What door has closed recently in your life?

Instead of looking upon it with sadness, look ahead--up there, through the hazy fog of your imagination.

Is that a door, bright with sunlight? If so, walk confidently towards it, grab the handle with a firm grip, and stride out into your future.

A Promise...

"If we could see the miracle

of a single flower clearly,

our whole life would change."

--BUDDHA

I love that this time of year brings the promise of possibility.

You can feel it in the air that things are about to change.
Isn't it a miracle? This rebirth of the land, of the sky that I love? I am in awe of Mother Earth's ability to transform itself and in doing so to transform us.

I have been busy adding new work to the site, much of which is inspired by the promise of spring.

What I mean by that is that like Mother Earth, there is the promise in each of us that life will be transformed; that we will grow new shoots and leaves, gaze up at the sun and allow her to shine light in our lives.

But to get there, we must also be willing to accept the gray skies, pregnant with rain, to douse the land with cold wetness. We must first endure cold, harsh windy days. And when the sunshine of spring finally arrives, it is like it has been there all along, wrapping its blanket around us and giving us shelter and warmth.

I look to the season with promise of a new life; the promise of better things. I have often been told that I am a pessimist. But I realize that if I can still have hope that today will be great, and if it isn't, tomorrow will be better, then that doesn't really make me one, does it?

I love the colors in this season's collection and hope you do, too. Lots of etched work coming--I promise!