Merry go round - Time management

It's the last Friday of the month, so join us on our merry go round for a quick spin.  The merry go round is where a group of 11 artists/craftwomen link together around the world and tell you a little about their art and craft, through blogging on the same topic.


This month's topic is "Time management: How do we organize our working time"

So what exactly is time management?  Wikipedia defines it as "the act or process of exercising conscious control over the amount of time spent on specific activities, especially to increase efficiency or productivity".

One of my favorite sayings that helps me with time management is "work smarter, not harder". And so I look for ways to not waste time.  I am a very focused person. My husband says " you are the most focused person I know". When I make a plan and want to achieve it, that is what my mind concentrates on.  I definitely don't prevaricate and put off until tomorrow what I can do today.
 

Photo by John-Morgan

I have a lot of flexibility in my schedule so this focus really helps with that. Some weeks, for example when my family are visiting, I don't do any work, apart from blogging. Other weeks, I spend every day in my studio or doing computer work for my business. But at the beginning of each week, I know roughly how that week will look and I rarely change that.

There are few hints that help me with my time management:

1. Blogging.One important thing that has changed my productivity significantly is blogging. At the beginning of 2010 I decided to blog every day and I did that all last year and am continuing this year too.  This really encourages me to create new things. I want to have something to share with my blog readers each day and thus, I work at finishing off new pieces.  Some weeks when I know I will be out of the studio for a few days, I make sure that first day is a day when I finish lots of things so I have something to share each day on the blog.  I like it. It really keeps me going and gives me a push to continually create something new.
2. Lists.  Something that does help in my productivity- especially in encouraging me to do tasks that I am not keen on, is writing lists.  I don't do it all the time, but when I realize I have a few things that should have been done and I am reluctant to do them - I write a list and sure enough - it gets done and checked off the list in no time!  It's a great prompter for those unwanted tasks.
3. Get sales packaged first thing. Whatever my week or day looks like, one thing that I always strive for is that I try to get my orders ready to be mailed or shipped first thing in the morning.  Many days of the week I have to leave the house by 9am so my goal is always to get my sales for that day all ready and packaged up before 9am so that while I am out, I can call into the post office and send then off.  This is especially important as most of my sales are to Europe so I need to visit the post office rather than just put them in a mail box.  Not only does this get me organized, but it is also encouraging because by the time I have had breakfast, I have already achieved something.  As an aside, I recently read that for people suffering from depression, one of the best things you can do is try to achieve something before breakfast.  It doesn't have to be big, or difficult - just something. Then at the end of the day, if everything else went badly, at least you can look back and see that you got something done!  That wasn't what prompted me - but it does have the same effect.  

Photo from http://www.wishfulthinking.co.uk/

I wonder what you use to help in your time management? Do leave a comment with any suggestions.  And I hope you'll take the time to read how the other members of the merry go round manage their time by clicking on the links below.  We all live in different places around the world, so time differences may impact when we all get our blog post up.

Samantha at Vintage is for lovers - http://www.vintageisforlovers.com/
Jen at Painted Fish Studio - http://paintedfishstudio.com/
Bethany at Dirksen Dabbles - http://www.dirksendabbles.com/
Laura at Blue Terracotta -  http://blueterracotta.com/
Monika at Red2White - http://red2white.wordpress.com/
Mitsy at ArtMind - http://artmind-etcetera.blogspot.com
Kim at Vilt a la Kim - http://viltalakim.com/blog/
Sara at Crafts of Texture - http://sarastexturecrafts.blogspot.com
Mariana at Florcita - http://florcita.eu/wordpress/
Agathe at Le Bar du Vent - http://lebarduvent.blogspot.com
Ruth at Birdland Creations - http://insidetheartisan.blogspot.com

Or else you can click on the blog hop below.  If you are a merry go round participant, please add your link if it's not already included. You can then copy the code and put it on your blog post too.


PS. Happy Royal Wedding day!

Creativity sparks - ideas to inspire : A quote

OK. Today's creativity spark is short and simple. It's a quote from Juan Ramon Jimenez, a Spanish poet (1881-1958):

"If they give you ruled paper, write the other way."

So give it a try! Let me know.

Creativity sparks - ideas to inspire: left and right

In one of my yahoo groups this week a suggestion was made on a trick you can try if you are having problems deciding what to create and want to "unblock" your mind. I hadn't heard of it before - so thought I'd share it with you!

The suggestion was made by Robert Dancik. I met him this past summer when we were in a bronze clay class together at a conference. He is a guy with lots of cool stuff! He seems to find or create all these difference materials to use - and then puts them together and tweaks this and tries this new thing here and voila! Something totally unique! And he's a great teacher too. Sign up for any of his classes if you ever get a chance!

Check out his website http://www.robertdancik.com/ - and you can learn about his product faux bone there too.

Anyhow - back to inspiration....

His idea is that you switch the hands that you work with - so if you are right handed, try making something with your left hand - and if you are left handed, try it with you right hand.




So - who is up for the challenge? Want to give it a try and see what we can do - and more importantly - see what it sparks in our heads?????

Creativity sparks - ideas to inspire : Music

If you look at my jewelry, you'll notice that several of my pieces are entitled with music lyrics or song titles. Music is a big part of my life - I sing a lot and listen a lot. A whilst listening to an old Beatles song or some CD may spark works like "driving along in my automobile" and "fly me to the moon".....music can do so much more.

Take for example just sitting back and listening to Ralph Vaughan Williams' "The Lark Ascending".....

Here is a link to it - just play it as you continue to read..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbcuteYm-EA

or else just stop for a while and close your eyes and listen. I first heard this piece live at the Three Choirs Festival in Gloucester cathedral. It was just so breathtaking......

Or another piece is Barber's Agnus Dei........I find it takes me on a journey that is difficult at times but at the end, I am so uplifted through going through the difficulties......

Here's a link to it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KkObnNQCMtM

Just getting lost in music is a wonderful thing. To help you get into it, as the piece starts, imagine yourself starting to walk on a path and then see where the path takes you and what colors appear and......expect nothing, just observe....

Take the time. Sit comfortably and do nothing but close your eyes and listen.

Is there a piece of music that you get totally absorbed in? Something that shifts your mind....do tell us. Please add it in the comments section so we can listen too......... Let's share our experiences...

Creativity sparks - ideas to inspire : The unusual

On the metal clay yahoo group this week, someone posted about an unusual thing that inspired them. That someone was Sue McNenly who lives in Canada and makes lovely boxes, amongst other things, that you can see here.

I asked her if it was OK to share her cute inspiration tale and she agreed, so here it is:

"Last year I went to Scottsdale and fell in love with a wall I saw in the
changing room of a store! I loved the wall so much that I took a picture
of it...I often do things like that. Anyway, I knew I would use it one
day, and last weekend I made a box using the wall as inspiration."

Here's a photo of the wall:


and here is her box inspired by the wall:

It's just beautiful Sue. I love it.

It's a great example of how the most unusual things can inspire us in life! Thanks for letting me share it. Anyone else have an odd inspiration that they've followed up on??

Creativity sparks - ideas to inspire : A series

For today's 'ideas to inspire' I'd like to consider creating a series of items. Maybe you can look at one item/design you have created and then think about expanding on that either in terms of the object or the idea or as part of a story...... and thus create a series.

For example, quite a few years ago I created my first "anyone can" necklace which was "anyone can fly" with a bird hanging upside down. For a long while I liked the idea of an "action" series using the 'anyone can' idea - but I wanted it to be a person and not a bird and couldn't decide on how to design a figure that could be male or female and pose-able. Move forward two years and I came up with a person - "anyone" and then created my "anyone can" series with people "accomplishing" different things like whistling, or training a dog, or falling in love, or flying a kite. And the series has proved popular and will continue with some new ideas soon...

So if you've created one piece that you like, look at it in different ways and explore how a series could be developed from it. It could be the color that you select (eg the blue series)...it could be the subject (eg all my shoes!) ...it could be a design feature (eg all lariat necklaces)...it could be part of a story (eg characters in Old MacDonald had a farm)...it could be using one motif somewhere (eg every piece has a pentagon shape in it)..

As you can see, there are lots of ways to explore this. My latest series that is just beginning is my bracelets where I now have an animal tracks bracelet and a bird tracks bracelet. I want to do a safari animal one with elephant, giraffe, lion etc tracks.....but then also a story one where each square tells the next part of a story, like a cartoon strip...then I've thought of doing grape leaf shape variations, as I live in wine country...then....and so the list develops. It started as animal tracks...followed that subject to bird tracks, then will go off in a slight sideways tangent away from animals but using the same design.

And the benefit of a series of items? I think the main benefit is that it creates a type of "collectible" and something that people may want to get more than one of. It also helps to create your artistic identity and something that you can then be known for. Additionally, when it comes to displaying your items at a show or exhibition, having a series if often more eye catching.

As an artist, it also encourages you to explore something in more depth - whether that is a color combination or a technique. As you do more and more with one thing, you will look at it in a different way and learn more about it. I think this may be one of the reasons why many people view artists with a "series" as being more credible? What do you think?

One thing I would recommend however is don't start a series on something you don't love! Otherwise you may end up making lots of something that you don't enjoy doing, because they become really popular!!!

So chose one of your items you love and think around it in terms of a series and see what comes up. If you have a series of items already, give us the link in the comments so we can see how it developed and progressed.

Creativity Sparks - Ideas to inspire: Chores

OK - so the title may not be glamorous in terms of chores - but doing something mundane that requires little brain power can really help your creativity if you are feeling stuck.

If no ideas are coming to mind, get on and do the job that you are currently putting off - like the ironing, clearing out shelves in the kitchen, cleaning the inside of the fridge, tidying your studio, or doing your annual sales tax return that is due at the end of the month ( yes...my current procrastination!).

That total distraction from creativity, either just letting your mind go where it goes or focusing on something like the sales tax return can spark of lots of ideas.

A couple of weeks ago, I was hoping to spend just 2 hours or so in my studio but when the time came to it, I just didn't know what to make. So instead, I started clearing some of the food cupboards in my kitchen, in preparation for our kitchen remodelling project that was due to start the following week. Not only did I quite enjoy the rummaging around and throwing things away that were past their sell by date and also seeing all the baking items I had forgotten about - it just cleared my mind completely. Clear mind AND clear cupboards! And the next day, I was full of new ideas.

Of course, the added bonus is that when you next sit down to create something, you not only have some good inspiration but also a clear conscience that a chore you've been putting off is finally done!

So get those chores done! (And yes, maybe I'll get my sales taxes done this week........)

Creativity Sparks - Ideas to inspire: The Elements

In the ancient world, Philosphers used a set of classical elements to explain patterns in nature. The Greeks elements were Earth, Air, Fire, Water, and Aether/Void. These same elements were also used in ancient India and Japan where they formed a basis of analysis in Hinduism and Buddhism. The Chinese used a slightly different series of elements, namely Fire, Earth, Water, Metal and Wood which they understood to be different types of energy in a state of constant interaction and flux. The Elements have also served as powerful symbols and metaphors.

The Earth alludes to the land of the world - its soil, dirt, clay, caves, mountains and also to the animals, vegetables and minerals that is sustains.

Air is all that is about the Earth, space and atmosphere, as well as breezes, swirling winds, hurricanes, and tornadoes.

Fire is the sun itself, giving warmth and light, helping plants to grow but also fire causing damage.

Water is essential to life and also the dew, dampness, fog, rain, ice, snow, oceans, lakes, rivers and streams.

Aether or often referred to as Void or Quintessence, meaning fifth was added to relate to 'heavenly' things. It was reasoned that whereas fire, earth, air and water were changeable and corruptible, no such changes had been seen in the heavenly regions and thus the stars and heavens had to be made from a different, unchangeable, heavenly substance.

Earth, Air, Fire and Water can have both positive and negative forces: water can be refreshing moisture to the dry parched ground or it can be a torrent of destructive floodwaters; fire can burn out of control or purify; air can be stagnant or a refreshing breeze, earth can be barren or fertile.

As subject matter, the elements can provide an endless source of inspiration for artists... from the jagged mountains and canyons created by years of erosion, to monsoon rains or gentle drizzle, reflections in a pond, a fiery sunset, lightening and wildfires.

From what I've learnt recently, it seems that each individual seems to have one element that inspires them more than other. Dale Chihuly, the glass artist says that he is inspired by water. He says he lives in the North East because it rains so often there and thus is a constant source of inspiration. He loves to take walks in the rain and come up with new ideas or else sit by the window watching the rain come down. When he travels and the weather is dry, he says he takes lots of showers and baths each day, as he feels he needs the water! And in fact, every DVD I've seen of Dale Chihuly and his work has shown him lying in a bath. I hadn't quite figured out why until I learnt of his "water" inspiration!!

I think personally, the Earth is my main element for inspiration. While mountains and caves don't really do it for me - the life that the earth sustains does - the animals and the birds and plants. If I look out of my window now as I'm typing, I see a little gopher sticking his head out of the ground (don't tell my husband - he gets very annoyed with them!)....He's busy uprooting our plants (grrrr....) and running around......and he makes me think of making a little animal something with a whole big plant in his mouth - roots and all.....

Or else there is the moss growing between the slabs - it has found it's own little place, it clings on in there, has no real nourishment, but it hangs in there.....the moss could inspire a "hang in there" piece of jewelry or something nestled into a tiny crack - just peaking out.

So what element inspires you the most? Do you get your best ideas when you are by a pond or the ocean or in the bath tub like Dale - or do you gaze into a sunset or cycle fast to feel the wind in your hair? Consider the different elements and see what comes up in your mind.....

Creativity sparks - Ideas to inspire : Review of the day

As a regular feature in my blog, in keeping with the core of what "inside the artisan" is all about, namely where I tell the stories behind my creations, I'm going to start posting about how I find my inspiration to create my pieces and also name them. Sometimes the idea for the piece comes first and sometimes the name comes first. It may well be that I end up not making the piece - or maybe I will one day, months later...... but I will explain how an idea comes to me - and then maybe you can use a similar process for your own creativity - whether it be in art or craft or whatever......

So as I write this - I don't have any idea in my head at all....so if I want to come up with a new idea - (something unique so that it follows my word of the year, from yesterday's posting :-D!), I'd begin by thinking about what I have done, said, heard, and seen today.....and noting anything that sticks in my mind.....

My day started with a man coming to our home to measure up and look at the feasibility of us converting two of our fireplaces into gas fireplaces....General chat - although occasionally the guy would just stop talking, right in the middle of a sentence, and look out of the window - and then comment on how many Jack Rabbits he had seen hopping through the vineyard.....He did this a few times...

Then I went to a board meeting and lunch for the Sonoma Newcomers group and during lunch we spoke of movies and the such.... When I got home my husband wasn't in, but shortly after, he came home and told me he'd been to a card shop and saw two funny cards - one of people in a restaurant and one of rabbits with big ears.....And now here I am, sitting at my computer...

So as I'm writing this blog, I wrote as a stream of consciousness - just writing what came into my head - just those couple of paragraphs. If I wasn't writing it down, I would just replay it in my mind.... just think back on my day and see what comes about.......

Immediately as I've finished my "review", the rabbits stick out, as rabbits came up a few times today........and I think of large ears - as our Jack Rabbits have enormous ears....and then moving to the board meeting..... the movie I was recommending to everyone over lunch was "The Reader" which I absolutely loved.....

And voila! How about creating a rabbit piece with really big ears and calling it "The Listener"??

The next phase is to check that it would fit in with the themes of my jewelry creations...... I've recently changed my themes of jewelry so the categories are that the jewelry evokes one of the following feelings: Playful; Happy; Loved; Comforted; Young at heart; Homey; and Serene. So would a rabbit of some sort with big ears who is a great listener fit into any of these? Yes - I can see him fitting into "comforted" - we all know the great feeling when someone really listens to us, and he could also fit into playful or happy. He has a touch of whimsy - big ears suggesting he's an excellent listener........and so now I'd just go forward and think should this be a necklace, charm, earrings or what and then look at the structural design elements that are necessary for hanging etc etc .

So - "The Listener." I'll now write down this idea in my little book and maybe one day.....watch this space - he may put in an appearance .....

In comparison to "The Listener", here's a photo of a rabbit we saw in Washington state. I don't think he'd be a good listener! Whatever happened to his ears????


Now as I'm thinking about Jack Rabbit....other thoughts are also coming into my head, like Jack in the box and maybe I could do a rabbit like a jack in a box - but the rabbit is coming out of a top hat - like a magician's rabbit....the rabbit could sit on a spring....the top could be a magician's glove with a hinge and when you open it....out pops the rabbit....... Definitely playful...so that will also go in my little ideas book.....

If you are a creator, try the above technique and then email me and tell me your story - I'd love to share it here on my blog.

Call for artists - and share the creativity

I'd love to hear the stories behind some of the art or craft that you have created and where your ideas came from. They can be simple stories or more meaningful ones - just a way for people to get to know the artist a little better. Please email me with you stories and photos . I look forward to publishing them on this blog.

A study has recently be published by the Northwestern University entitled "The Participation Divide: Content Creation and Sharing in the Digital Age". The research found that men are more likely to share their creativity while online. Men and women were seen as equally like to pursue creative endeavors over the internet, but women were less likely to post their creations.
The researchers concluded a possible reason was a "lack of perceived skill is holding women back from putting their creative content out there"....but there was no clear reason for the discrepancy. So let's make an effort and share that creativity!!