Just when you think nothing is happening

Just when I thought there was not much hope of getting into a really great Atlanta gallery, I get a call. Of course, the timing is going to make my life a little crazy. I'm getting ready to go out of town and most of my work is out in other galleries. I am going to have to call my consignment gallery to see if I can borrow back some of my pieces to take to the gallery in Atlanta. And then, I'll have to work like a mad woman if the Atlanta gallery decides to take some of my work. I have gone from having a bunch of things sitting around in my studio to being in a panic to make more.

I guess this is a really good problem to have, I shouldn't complain.

Signing off - going to work
Christina

Road Trip

My husband and I are getting ready to drive from Georgia to Kansas. We will be visiting my family and taking a much needed vacation from the stresses of home. We don't always travel well together. My driving makes him nervous and his driving scares the &*(% out of me. I am the designated navigator and if we miss an exit or turn, he gets huffy. Thank goodness for the GPS this time so if we miss a turn or exit, he can get huffy with that thing. He also likes to drive until he's about to fall asleep and then turn the driving over to me, which by that time, I'm also about to fall asleep. All I can do is pray for a pleasant uneventful trip.

Signing off,
Christina

On Hold

You know the feeling when someone puts you on hold and you're pretty sure they have forgotten about you? Well, that's how things feel around here. My house is on the market, I know, it's a ridiculous time to have a house on the market, but we need to down-size. We have had some traffic through and even had prospective buyers come back for a second look. We've been told they have it narrowed down to 2 houses, one is ours. We've been waiting for, I think, 2 weeks now for them to make a decision. I'm ready to move forward but this is out of my control so I'll wait. I'll even try to patiently wait.

Signing off,
Christina

Do I have what it takes?

The question I have for myself today is: Do I have what it takes to be a working artist, actually making a living making art? Does it take discipline? I would say yes, you have to go to work everyday with an agenda and goals. Does it take determination? Yes, you have to be determined to create not only for yourself but to share it with others. Does it take luck? Yes, sometimes being in the right place at the right time is the thing that generates a paycheck. So, do I have what it takes? I probably need to beef up the discipline. I am determined, the proof is in the stack of rejection letters from galleries. Am I lucky? Yes, I am in several really great galleries and have been selling. I think there is one other question and that is Do you have to think outside the box? Yes, and maybe I need to take the lid off the box.

So, here's to successfully making a living as an artist. I will continue to ask myself the questions and strive to answer truthfully.

Signing off,
Christina

The Evil Twin is Gone

The evil twin is gone and my sweet grandson is back. I picked him up from daycare yesterday and he was an angel. It must have been the call I made to Super Nanny!! Actually, I did get on the Super Nanny website and it has a lot of good information. Mostly it reassured me that he's a normal 2 year old. "1 in 4 one to three year old children have temper tantrums two time a day", we're so lucky we got that one.

I got in the studio yesterday and finished 1 piece and started the second one for the order. Will finish all three by end of today!! Also got inspired to try something new.

Thank goodness for the weekend. I can regroup and recoup from this past week. This is why God intends for parents to be young when their children are young, it's tough on old people. I'm looking forward to watching the news instead of the movie "Cars" over & over & over or the second choice "Word World", even though they are very educational.

Signing off,
Christina

A New Day

After my pity party yesterday, I'm feeling more optimistic today. I received a call from a gallery with an order for 3 pieces, yeah! Now I've got to get in the studio and get to work.

There's a lot on my plate right now. The art center that I'm affiliated with has just gotten a new building and we are beginning to get the building ready to move into. Lots of work ahead.

Next, my grandson (2 years old) who lives with us is wearing me to a frazzle. He has a fit in the morning because he doesn't want to take his pjs off, he doesn't want to put his clothes on, he doesn't want to get into the car, he doesn't want to get out of the car, he doesn't want to go to day care . . . Then in the afternoon he doesn't want to leave daycare, he doesn't want to get into the car, he doesn't want to get out of the car, he doesn't want to go inside . . . He doesn't want to take his clothes off to take a bath, he doesn't want to get into the tub, he doesn't want to get out of the tub, he doesn't want to put his pjs on . . . And then we start all over the next day.

I should be locking myself in my studio.

I am looking forward to getting a lot of work done today.

Signing off,
Christina

Finding Inspiration

I have not been in my studio all week. I need to be working, I have a couple of orders but I am not motivated or inspired. So, I decided to blog. I'm a blog virgin, it's my first time.

I hope to hear from some other artists who have suffered from sculptor's block, potter's block, or whatever other kind of block. I've looked in books, magazines, on the Internet. I've been to galleries and art festivals. But I still can't seem to get inspired. I think I could be inspired if I sold one of my sculptures??? Maybe that's my problem, too much rejection lately. I've been trying to get my work in galleries and have been unsuccessful.

Signing off,
Christina