Christmas Delights - Take a 5 minute break....it's storytime

Take a little break - just 5 minutes. Sit down and listen to this little story. It's less than 5 minutes long, and you'll be glad you took the time. It'll warm your heart and make you feel like you've had 30 minutes instead!



I have a few little Christmas things to share with you.. this is just the first.... And if you have a favorite story or video, do let me know..... Would be good to find some new ones....

Merry Go Round - What is your next chapter?

It's time for another ride on the merry-go-round! Jump on and join a group of 9 artists/crafts-women as they link around the world and tell you a little about their lives in art and craft.

This month's question that myself and other merry-go-rounders are answering is: What is your next chapter?

When selling hand crafted items, people want to know your story....how did you start, why did you start, what did you do before, how do you sell?.....Our "story" is very important - a personal connection to a potential buyer and a significant part of selling. It's what makes a difference between buying from an artist/craftsperson and buying a mass produced item. We are individuals with our own story.

Our merry go round question this month is here to remind us that sometimes we need to update our stories. Are we just telling the same story every time? What about it has changed this year? ....the world has changed this year, have we?...or have we changed direction since we started and "wrote" our story but not updated what we tell people... and what is our next chapter....where are we going?

Anyone can change direction

I know I am guilty of telling the same old story - and it is time for an update. I like where I am now and don't want to go back to that original story - so it's time to tell it. Here are a couple of new chapter headings.....

1. One of the biggest changes is that at least 50% of my business is now commission work. Some of that is just variations on pieces I have made previously but the majority is totally new pieces. And most of the time it starts with "I want something for a friend...dont' know what". Like the bookmarks I just made - that was "I want a small gift for 12 friends for a reunion...what can you do?". I like these sort of commissions the best as we then get to start off the creative process by my asking them what emotion they want to convey and what does that person mean to them. And then I get to hear their story.

2. Another big change is that I spend just about all my time working on my business - either creating or promoting or.... It's more than a full time job. When I started, it was just a small part.... now I feel it is "me".

3. I am happy selling exclusively online. I've done the gallery thing and never liked it, tried a few shows which are fine but you need a lot of stock, but now my online selling is reasonably consistent so I can work steadily throughout the year and regularly add new pieces - but don't need to work in a sweat shop to prepare for a show or deal with the impersonal side of selling through a gallery. And my increase in commissions fits into this schedule well too.

4. I only do jewelry. No more knitting and felting and other things. Jewelry fills my time.

5. In future chapters, I want to be talking about other mediums with the silver. I've been experimenting and trying new things...but I'm not where I want it to be yet. Finding time to experiment is tricky but I do love to learn so there will be color, there will be unusual things you don't always see with silver...but there will still be silver!

6. I enjoy working with other artists.... I can see more collaboration chapters in the future....It makes you look at things in new ways.

7. I think the trickiest next chapter will be about how I keep growing my business.....I can't add more hours to the day, so I need to work smarter, not harder. Not sure of how this chapter will go..but it needs to be written.

I end my little story update today with a big thank you to all of you. One thing that hasn't changed is that I love creating and making whimsy in silver. But if you weren't there, reading what I'm up to, buying what I make, supporting me in what I'm doing, my story would have been a sentence. Thank you for making me multi-chaptered!

What about you? What is your latest and next chapter? Read the other merry go rounders below and see what they have to say and if you write yours on your blog - do link to back here so we can read it.

Fabienne at Easterya http://easterya.blogspot.com
Wendren at Wren http://thewrendesign.com/
Sara at Sara's Texture Crafts http://sarastexturecrafts.blogspot.com
Marian at Florcita http://florcitasart.blogspot.com
Agathe at Le Bar du Vent http://lebarduvent.blogspot.com
Charlotte at FancyPicnic http://fancypicnic.blogspot.com
Lily Pang at Lily Pang Art http://lilypangart.blogspot.com
Jenny at Jenny Karlsson design http://designjennykarlsson.blogspot.com

Anyone can fly

"Anyone can fly" is a necklace made from fine silver (.999). It shows a little bird about to make his first flight - but he is a little scared so is still hanging on with his feet. But his wings are spread and he's ready to take that leap........This little bird's story is:

I made this piece in the summer of 2007. I had just finished participating in a Chanticleer workshop. Chanticleer, as you may know, is a wonderful group of 12 male singers - "an orchestra of voices". They are a great ensemble, not only to listen to, but to get to know. At the Chanticleer workshop in Sonoma each year. a group of auditioned singers have the opportunity to sing with, learn from and become friends with the members of Chanticleer, their music director, Joe Jennings and other singers from around the world. It is such a inspiring experience and the summer of 2007 was no exception.

One piece of music that was selected for this workshop was "Leonardo dreams of his flying machine" by Eric Whitacre. The text explores Leonardo da Vinci's dreams of flying and Eric Whitacre has a great use of music to create visual images of flying...using not only words but also "noises" from the singers to conjure up the sound of the wind etc. At one point we sing about Leonardo watching the pigeons and figuring how they do it...and then he builds this machine...and the climax of the piece, with the notes rising is that "he leaps!" - and the air carries him and he manages to fly, despite his own and everyone else's doubts....

So after this uplifting workshop, where the singing and friendship was just incredible...I sat down one day to create something, not having any plan at all...and a bird came first with his wings outstretched and then "anyone can fly" was born. It is a piece that I hope inspires people to take that leap - to have courage and just try. So it seems a perfect piece to being my blogging experience with. I'm taking that leap today with my new blog "inside the artisan" - listening to the stories behind our creations - and believing the anyone can fly!