Balancing Act

As I attempt to successfully fulfill all of my responsibilities and personal interests (ie., full-time job, exercise, cooking, cleaning, art-making, academic pursuits, socializing, etc...) I often feel like a jester tossing pins, balls, and rings towards the sky while maintaining both feet centered and grounded. Somedays I manage to juggle all of life's and my self-created demands with minimal effort and grace. Other days it feels as though every item on my to-do list comes crashing to the floor. 

In an attempt to find that happy medium we call "balance" I enrolled in a short series of stress management courses taught by Jacquelyn Ferguson, M.S., that addressed the following:prioritizing goals, assertiveness (helpful for those of us that struggle with delegating or saying no), and developing and maintaining intrinsic motivation through authenticity of self and honoring ones core values. I highly recommend checking out her website at http://www.letyourbodywin.com 

The first course addressed prioritizing goals taught me to use a technique called "time-mapping" whereby one creates a structured routine and schedule. It seemed strange to make a date with myself to do yoga, make art, write, etc... but it has definitely helped me to be more accountable to my goals. I began by allotting thirty minutes per day for working on etsy related activities including art-making, listing new works, photographing and or scanning new works, etc... After ten days of using this technique, I had surpassed the short term goals and deadlines that I set. Now, I am actually spending closer to 2 hours per day on the etsy business. By the time I got to the final course on motivation, I was already there for each time I met or surpassed a goal I felt motivated to go do it again.

Progress

            How do we define progress? Merriam-Webster gives this definition: to move forward; to develop to a higher, better, or more advanced stage (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/progress).

      How do we know that we are making progress towards achieving our career goals? Sometimes when we embark on a new journey evidence of actual progress showcases itself in small increments with large periods of stagnation in between. This sums up the past year of operating my etsy shop. 

     I have frequently found myself calling upon the lesson slow and steady wins the race taught by the old folk tale "The tortoise and the hare." It has helped me to maintain perspective on the process of building something from nothing. It takes time, but with continuous vested efforts results occur. 

     Although I have not had many sales on the etsy site, a local gallery asked me to consign my work with them. I said yes, of course! Check out the gallery website http://www.green-n-groovy.com . She has tons of amazing handmade work.This, I can say, is progress!

     

     

                       

Fresh Start

In July of 09, I found myself unemployed. I wish I could say that I quit my job so that I could focus on making art full-time, but sadly it was a result of a corporate layoff. Friends and family attempted to cheer me up by telling me cliches like, "everything happens for a reason" and "bigger and better opportunities await you." In those first few weeks, after the loss, it was extremely difficult for me to find any truth to those statements. I was feeling too hurt, angry, sad,and scared to see the positives. It was a true challenge to fight through those feelings and get to the bigger and better opportunities that were waiting for me. The one thing that saved me was ART!

Art has always been there for me. Art listens closely, carefully, and accepts every action and emotion without judgement or cliche advise. Art has the ability to capture our raw, unabashed, ugly emotions and turn them into something beautiful...breathtaking even. It offers safety and comfort when other avenues of expressing ones emotions are closed off or are unavailable. It provides a way to speak ones true thoughts and feelings, no matter how ridiculous, angry, silly, or over the top they may be, without having to verbally articulate them in just the right way so that others may understand. I have never been very good at articulating myself when I am emotionally charged, but with art I can say exactly what I mean.

Art and I rekindled a long overdue relationship as a result of losing my job. Art helped me to process my feelings about the enormous changes that I was experiencing,  aided in concrete visualization of new goals, and guided me towards a path to achieving them. Months later, I can finally say that I am truly happy that I lost that job. I have been able to seize many wonderful opportunities as a result!

The most significant of those opportunities was the gift of time to make art everyday for several months. Another was starting my etsy store and selling my artwork on consignment in the Tarpon Bay Explorer Gift Shop on Sanibel Island. Finally, this experience has allowed me to recultivate my personal identity as artist. And that, I can clearly articulate---It feels AMAZING!