6.20.2012

Expanding My Art

I used to write publicly a lot. About random things. Things I noticed about people. My feelings. Ya'll used to like it. I also write quite a bit in private. Just for me and my future self. I've been keeping a journal since...high school and I can go bakk and read about who I was and still be able to identify with that person now. I'm still me. I was a wonderful teenager. Funny. Smart. Wise beyond my years. And in truth, at least in my personal experience, as we grow older, we simply become more like ourselves. We keep what works and get rid of the rest. Well now, considering where I am in life, having just lost my mother and doing a lot of things on my own for the first time, I feel like I'm at a fork in the road....or some kind of symbolic place that denotes an opportunity to change your course.


Everyone reaches THAT moment at a different time, but for me that moment is now. It's a BIG DEAL. I'm actually documenting it...some publicly, some privately. What's interesting is that I had stopped writing (privately) sometime after mommy began treatment. Maybe a year. In my journal, I slipped mommy's funeral program in right before I started writing again. It's like B.C. and A.D. Things are different now. Mommy didn't crawl out of that hole 3 days later (THANK GOD!)...but just like Jesus, she's still with me. However, there's a change in her being...and I marked it with a program. Of course, that also means I'm changed too. So, all that to say, I'm looking forward to sharing that with ya'll. Because it just may be extraordinary. It feels normal. Regular. But, like a friend of mine told me, it's about perspective. Of course it's normal to me. I'm accustomed to it. I live with my extraordinary on a regular basis. Superman doesn't feel strong. He feels normal. He knows he's not, but he's the way he's always been. It's not special to him.


Of course, like cancer, everyone's process is different. Mine feels special. Maybe because I'm experiencing it differently than most. Maybe they could have experienced it this way, but were too grief strikken to notice. Maybe it just feels different because whoever felt it before me didn't say anything. But it's probably different because it's me. All in all, this affects everything, and that includes my art. So bear with me while I try to make some BIG decisions. All I can promise at this point is to continue to deliver AWESOME...no matter what direction I choose.That's pretty normal for me. I can't help it. I came out the womb like that. :o)

6.18.2012

Beading! I did it!

I never wanted to like "do" jewelry. That's not my thing, but as you may recall, I love bracelets. I thought making them would be an easy way to get some new stuff for myself. But of course I had to sell some to justify that "need." And that's how it started. I'm particularly fond of bangles, but I did that. So, after I moved into mommy's room I needed a fun project that I could do and not make a big mess. I decided beading might prove fun enough. I bought lots of beads. Starting projects tends to make me go a little overboard.

Once I found a little something that worked, I stukk with it until I got tired of making bracelets. I do that too. Jump into something head on...then move to something else when I get bored. I'll probably make more bracelets later, but right now I'm bakk to painting (on canvas). I'm tired of shirts too. I found beading to be oddly relaxing and it gives me that pleasure of completion that I enjoy so much.

Here's what I did:

 I made this one as a gift, but I may offer it for sale again later. 



This one is my fav. It was inspired by a Betsy Johnson bracelet my bestie had. 



6.17.2012

Last chance to own a SYM1 tee???

Things are a LOT different than they were when I first started. Shipping has gone up like 18 times. Shirts went up. Even at the wholesale store. Paint went up. Bags, onesies, and pretty much everything else. Even the thank you cards!!! It's hard to just quote and run to the store and grab something the way I used to. I had been taking a lot of Ls. I really need to revamp my pricing and such. I'm actually wondering if I want to continue doing apparel at all. It's a thought. I haven't decided yet. That seems to be a theme lately. Sometimes I feel like my entire life is up in the air. There are pros and cons to that. But anyway...

I asked you all a couple of months ago for suggestions for 1 word shirts. That's how I decided on the shirts that are currently in the store. I kept the price exceptionally low, as I am really interested in and determined to clearing some of my inventory. There are piles and piles of random items limiting my space for personal storage. I want to take care of that. I have BIG plans for that space. I started with the tees, but later items will include polos, onesies, bibs and bags. I still have quite a few of those items left. Of course there will be more paintings, but those tend to take a little longer, so there won't be as many of those in the beginning, but they're coming!

Here are a few of the new shirts:






Have you been to the store yet? No? Well...clikk HERE.

6.15.2012

I'm BAKK!!!!

It's been a long time since I've done this. It feels good to be doing something..."normal" for a change. Not that the things I was doing weren't normal, they were just different than MY normal. But here I am blogging and painting and selling again. You heard right. The store is OPEN! #POW

I'm excited to finally have it up and running again. I was trying to take some time to get things together here at home before I really got bakk into it, but truth be told, I was getting bored. I mean, I had things to do, but they were all dealing with surviving mommy's death. Call these people...mail this...go here...buy that...clean this...blah blah blah. I know all of this is a part of the process. It was healing, in the sense of moving forward and making progress, but not fulfilling. I decided to get bakk to work. I never stopped painting/creating. I just cut bakk considerably and I wasn't in a position to sell and ship the way I had been. I already had a few items that were just ready to post. So opening the store proved to be a little easier than anticipated, as was most of these things. Yay to that!

I know some people were concerned as to if I'd be ready to deal with this added responsibility, but I have it all worked out. I think. This store is considerably smaller than the other. This way I don't have to have all my inventory posted at once. Now, I can add new stuff from time to time and not always feel like I HAVE to make something new to post. I already HAVE new stuff to post and I'll restokk the store regularly. All I have to do is keep up and complete a few new items every week. I think this will work better for me as I still have a long list of things to take care of around here. Also, I'm not taking any custom orders right now. I'm thinking maybe next month. Haven't decided yet. We shall see. For now, just head on over to the store and see what I've done since I've been away! Push the button >>> BUTTON!