I haven't added anything to my blog for weeks because I've been scurrying pretty hard to make sure I had some income. I promised my husband I'd come up with some money to contribute to our household expenses on the 10th and 25th of each month, which were my paydays back when I had a job. September 25th was my first payday without a paycheck, and I did manage to contribute about the same as I normally would. Phew! It was challenging, but doable.
Now that I know I can do this, my next goal is to do it with less stress and more joy. I'm going to direct my thoughts to the purpose of my work and spend less time thinking about the money. Both of my ways of making a living (selling on eBay and doing mosaic artwork) bring pleasure and satisfaction to both my buyers and myself, and both allow me to be creative, flexible and independent--that is, my authentic self.
I'm also going to dwell on gratitude rather than suffering, struggle, losses, deprivation, etc. I have so much to be grateful for about my work, besides the money I bring in! I'm going to infuse gratitude (not anxiety) into all of the little daily acts that are involved in making a living. In this instant, for example, I'm grateful that I can share my thoughts about my work openly, something that wasn't always possible when I worked for other people, and I'm also grateful to be entertained by our ridiculous kitten while working.
I got home a couple of days ago from spending nearly a week in Oregon. I spent several nights at Silver Falls State Park in Sublimity, Oregon. It's a lovely 9000+ acre park that I've wanted to visit for years. I used to have mobility problems, but I had a total knee replacement just about two years ago, and I am so grateful to be able to go enjoy myself, hiking around a beautiful park like this.
I met my friend Susan who I went to school with in Eugene, Oregon, many years ago. She and I have done lots of walking together whenever we visit with each other, so I figured she would be up for some hiking. However, now she is the one having knee problems, so we were a little limited in how much trail we could eat up. But that's okay--the park was so beautiful, I'll definitely want to go back and try it again sometime, perhaps with my husband, who would have no problem with a 9-mile hike to see all 10 waterfalls at the park.
It was great having a few days in the woods before plunging into the next phase of my life. It's been a little over two weeks since I had my last day at the job I worked for 10 years, and now I'm completely self-employed as an artist and eBay seller.
On the way home from the state park, I shopped at thrift stores along I-5 and spent one night with friends in Portland.
I listed a lot of stuff on eBay before I left on my trip, so a lot has sold and I've been busy packing and shipping since I got home.
I also got a lot of inspiration for my artwork on this trip. I probably won't be trying to create a mosaic version of a waterfall, but the juxtaposition of water, rock, and foliage made me think of new ways to combine mosaic materials.
My pink Schwinn cruiser on the back of my PT Cruiser--ready for cruisin'I'm still really busy wrapping up the loose ends of my "day job" at the university...but the end is near! I've trained my replacements and tomorrow I am having a final meeting with them to look over their work and make sure they're on the right track. Then the reins will be firmly in their grasp and out of mine! I am so looking forward to that moment. I'm ready to let go.
Walnut Street Coffee, 410 Walnut St., Edmonds, WA
I started my day on Monday morning by going downtown and riding my pink Schwinn Windwood cruiser along the waterfront, then stopping for coffee at one of my favorite cafes, Walnut Street Coffee.
Sometimes Walnut Street can be pretty noisy, because it's so popular, but this time it was quiet enough for me to sit and ponder life and write in my journal, which is my favorite thing to do while I have my daily cuppa Joe. Since I gave up drinking coffee when I first get up in the morning, I've made a ritual of having a cup later in the day, and it's a very special experience. Taking that time to sit and relish life and think about what's important is a large part of why I'm able to walk away from my job.
When the job is completely behind me, I'm planning to talk about lots more coffee shops in this blog! I'd love to get a following of people like me, who love the experience of taking a real coffee break.
I was terribly busy for a while. My "day job," which will be coming to an end by about Labor Day, is at its busiest right now, so I'm working more hours than usual. I've also been trying to up my game as an eBay PowerSeller so that when I'm no longer working a job with a wage, there will be no significant loss of income. And I've been giving my all--all that's left, that is--to volunteer work with my favorite nonprofit.
I looked back over my calendar for the past couple of weeks and saw that, although I'd written in blocks of studio time, I rarely made art. Consequently, life was beginning to feel as mundane and meaningless as it did before I threw myself back into being an artist about a year ago.
So one day last week, I had a couple of cups of strong coffee in the late afternoon and then gave my mosaic studio a good cleaning. I got all of the projects that are in progress on one work bench and cleared the other for new work. I had "parked" materials for new projects all over the studio, so I spent an hour sorting materials by type and color.
A day or two later, I added some things I noticed that I needed while cleaning up--some better task lighting over my main bench and a bigger, heavy duty garbage can. I also prepped my next project, a lamp, by covering the lampshade with a beautiful botanical fabric that will serve as inspiration for the mosaic on the lamp itself.
The pay off came last night. My family was all out doing other things and I had the evening alone at home. I hit the ground running in my studio! I was able to easily gather up materials for the new lamp project--broken pottery, glass marbles, brown beach glass, and red stones--and begin work.
It really helped that I'd spent those several hours this past week preparing the space for creative work. Once I finally got started again, the creative juices were really flowing. What I had intended to be a solid diagonal green line somehow morphed into a stem that blossomed in pink at both ends, setting the tone for a much more organic piece than I had originally envisioned. Ahhh...back in business.
Today I had to drop off some work in Seattle and decided to visit the Fremont Market, which happens every Sunday year-round. It's a diverse market that includes farmers, food and flea market vendors. I was looking forward to finding some things cheap that I could resell on eBay, but I found that the prices were more in line with what I'd expect to pay at an antique store rather than at a flea market. So that was a little disappointing, but now I know! Also, I found one vendor who offers a treasure trove of items I can use in my mosaics--watch parts, Scrabble tiles, and more. The prices were more than what I wanted to spend today, but I can go back some other time when I'm feeling more flush.
Since I've only had time to start doing mosaic art in the past year or so, I haven't yet ventured into selling at any markets or art fairs. I'm starting to think about it for next summer, though, when my "day job" is completely behind me and I've had time to build up some inventory. In the meantime, I'm ready to start trying to sell some of my mosaics online. I know I'm definitely going to need several different streams of income once my job is over, which will probably be around the beginning of September.
I can't believe it's taken me this long to blog about my friend Carol Schillios who is living in a tent on the roof of her Free Trade boutique in Edmonds, Washington, until one million people each send her a dollar and tell her what they are doing to make the world a better place!
Carol is the head of a nonprofit called Fabric of Life that gives microloans to tiny businesses in Third World countries and runs a craft trade school to get young women beggars off the street in Africa. The one-dollar-for-change contributions will go to her foundation's good works. But the main point of Carol's camp-out is to heighten awareness of what we as individuals can do to improve our own lives and the lives of others.
Throughout her rooftop stay, Carol is working on improving her health physically, mentally and spiritually. She has a trainer coming to visit her several times a week. Families and groups are bringing her healthy food to eat, with an emphasis on learning about the cuisines of other countries and on keeping portions and expenses in line with what people eat in developing countries. She's also taking time to journal, blog, and talk with the folks who bring her food.
A week ago, on Carol's first full day on the roof, I brought her some meals from my garden and from doing a bit of foraging on the University of Washington campus. She blogged about the experience. http://www.upontheroofwithcarol.org/category/food-glorious-food/
To participate in Carol's one-person-one-dollar campaign, visit her Website at http://www.upontheroofwithcarol.org
I've been considering doing some life coaching for other artists or artist wannabes...people who are still sitting in a cubicle, wondering how to get out. I'm not sure if that's a direction I want to go. I have considered it mostly because various friends and coworkers have said, "Wow, you have the life I want!"
In my exploration as to whether I'd like to coach other people towards living a more empowered life, I've explored (1) getting some training and (2) experiencing what it's like to be the client of a life coach.
There's a training program in my own home town of Edmonds, Washington, called Invite Change, and I'll be going to an information session later this month. The full-year course is very expensive--over $8000 if you take it in person and about half that if you take it online. So I would need to be very sure whether this is the path I'm interested in before committing.
I've also been following various life coaches' blogs and today I had a free introductory session with Steve Martile, a Canadian life direction coach with a website called Freedom Education. Steve asked me a little about myself, and I told him I'm currently in transition from my day job, which I've quit but haven't quite left behind yet, to being a full-time eBayer and mosaic artist. After a few minutes of talking, Steve told me I basically didn't need his services! He said he usually works with people who have resistance to doing the things that will make them happier, but I'm doing all the right stuff. I appreciated his honesty--he could have tried to make some money from coaching me, and he didn't. Good for you, Steve!
I'm fairly certain that life coaching really isn't for me. I like using my time and energy to explore my own life. I do some volunteer work that seems to fill that part of me that wants to give to others. When I'm able to stop putting in the hours at my soon-to-be-old job, I plan to do more writing about art besides this blog and I'm hoping that will help inspire other people like me who want to live their passion.
But I can't really see myself sitting down with someone who is stuck and helping them work through what the sticking points are. I'm pretty much a "Just Do It" kind of person and I'm pretty sure I would lack compassion for people who want to nitter about every doubt and anxiety they may have about their future. I understand that the training to become a professional life coach involves learning to listen deeply, but I think I probably lack the underlying personal interest and attentiveness that would be required to be a really helpful coach.
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