Camping

Tomorrow I go camping. I'll be armed with my journal and my camera. Plus, if we go to the same spot as last year, I know some nice rocks to sit and meditate on. I absolutely cannot wait to get away.

It's a Thursday at work before a holiday, so in reality, anything could happen. We could have no business, or we could be hopping all day. We shall see.

My boss and his wife (the only other 2 in the office with me) are going on vacation next week. So, me and a fill-in. Yay.

The spot where we are going is a lush, green, mossy wilderness. With a stream. I hope to get a ton of photos, so be watching out for new ones in my shop next week! Also, still working on some new items for etsy. Those are about a month off though.

I am having a really difficult time getting motivated this morning. It's like I'm awake but my brain is not... *sigh*

Sometimes in life, things just pay off. All those hours of non-stop marketing. I have gotten several sales in the last couple of days, two to people that I've never directly talked to before. What a good feeling that is!

I'll be trying to find a balance this summer. Trying to market some, but still fully enjoy summertime! I'm also teaching my middle son how to sew journals. I am pretty excited about that! Perhaps after this summer, he will never sew a journal again.... or maybe it'll start him on a journey that I never imagined. One never knows.

This weekend, if all goes well, we will be camping near the Nehalem river. No cell service or internet for the whole weekend. We camped there last summer, and it was amazing! I'll be sure to have my camera handy, there is no end to the amazing sights in that area!

I have the application to the art gallery. It's daunting. I've done no more than stare at it since I picked it up. I just need to decide if now is the right time to take a leap.

Home Again

I am really tired today. I made great time on my trip yesterday, but it's still such a long drive.

While on my drive yesterday, my blackberry blinked that I had a message... I looked and I had sold a journal!!! How awesome is that?? I'm mailing it off this morning!

There is no real 'routine' in my life during the summer. Well, I will have my mornings to blog and drink my coffee... and I'll have work. But every other morsel of time seems to be accounted for. That's ok... just need to adjust and accept.

Unfortunately, when a million things are going on around me, I miss a LOT of it. Luckily my camera is my constant companion, and that will help to capture more of it!

A long Day

I took this photo at a farmer's market on Saturday. I took it specifically for a new product I'll be adding to my shop... I should be creating them within the month if all goes well :-)

Today I have 11 hours of driving ahead of me. Yep, a round trip, each leg is about 5 1/2 hours. It will be a long day. And of course, I didn't sleep very well. But it will be fine. I'll be wide awake for the drive there, then on the way back I'll have some excellent company, so it's all good.

I'll be leaving for a camping trip Friday afternoon. Shooting off fireworks at the coast. Camping in an area with no cell service whatsoever. I'll take the opportunity to unwind and recharge.

I have roughly a million things to do before I get on the road this morning. I hope today is a wonderful day for all of you!

Taking a Leap

Yesterday my best friend popped in to visit me at work. She came to see me on a mission. A mission for me to submit my photography to a local gallery.

I was oil painting a few years ago, and had taken my work there. The reception was cold. I left that experience pretty badly bruised. But apparently a lot of things have changed about this gallery and as she was talking I realized that I really want to be a part of it.

When you are an artist, seeking out a gallery, it's a total catch-22. Galleries won't generally accept you unless you've been in other galleries. Unless you are totally established as an artist. Unless they know your name. It makes for a very frustrating experience. She assured me that they are wanting to work with amateurs... they are helpful and encouraging.

I may be able to pick up an application for the gallery tomorrow. Otherwise, definitely Saturday. At this point, the worst thing that will happen is they won't accept me. But I will know that I tried.

Healing

This teddy bear is on the sidewalk near our Holocaust Memorial in Portland, Oregon.

Yesterday, a murderer was sentenced to 77 years and 10 months. I did not know the 2 year old that he murdered, but I was very involved with the family (how to disclose without totally disclosing everything?)... I was with the baby's grandmother when she got the news that her angel had been murdered. I sat through the funeral where they sang "You are my Sunshine" and even now, still tear up at the thought of it.

I hope for healing to begin. I hope that the family can move on, to a place where they can love and trust again. I hope her memory lives forever in their hearts, but becomes a memory of her sparkly smile... of the love they felt for her.

I hope that they pull closer together with this, and don't let it wedge itself in between them. I hope that in the end there is love... always love.

Allowing the flow

I am going to be doing quite a bit of editing on this photo today. I should be able to get some done at work, along with writing in my friendship journal. I have definitely felt a creative surge lately. Brought on, I believe, by walking away for a bit. It was feeling forced, so I stopped. I didn't allow myself to 'work' at it for several days.

I didn't market my shop. I didn't go to buy paper. I didn't make journals. I withdrew. Then, much quicker than I had imagined, it pulled me back in. I made several journals over the weekend. I went to the rose garden to take photos.

I'm still not feeling completely comfortable getting back into the amount of time that I was "marketing" before. I think that's a good thing! I was getting so sucked into 'pushing my wares' that I was no longer enjoying the creative process.

I have a friend who is doing very well with his online shop. He pops online throught the day, markets, then goes about his day. I think he has good ideas. I am going to try that. Get the most bang for my online time. Not to say I won't interact with my online friends... but I will not be present to market constantly.

I am on a mission. A mission to find what balance works best for me. I can't stop creating altogether, that's not an option. And I can't market constantly because that sucks the energy from my creativity.