Weekly update. . . AAaaaah

 Yeah, that's just me screaming. 😐 I am making progress on the art framing but booth layout and set up are making me mental. Oh, and there seems to be another hurricane in the works. 😕 

I've got 10 finished so far, but over 20 more to go. 😅 Plus the dozen tabletop easels to assemble.

I am ridiculously nervous about the upcoming event, as if I haven't done dozens of events for years. Part of it is because it's a new venue and "new" events always make me a little nervous, but a much larger part of it is being the first time I'm setting up with just art. I've been selling jewelry for a decade, but I am less confident about my art. I have sold some art at other shows but not usually a lot.  I think that is because it is not usually the focus and not much of it is actually displayed, most of it just lives in its' crates, even in the booth.  

I really liked the crates for storage and display when I bought them years ago, the idea of flipping thru paintings the way I used to look thru my parents' vinyl records was cool. . . But apparently, I'm old and most people don't feel that way. 😅 

It has not been a very effective display or actually led to a lot of sales of the art, so maybe a booth with nothing but art properly professionally displayed framed on easels it will be better. 😇 When I think back on it, most of the paintings that have sold at events have been framed and/or sold off of the front display not out of the crates, most people don't look in the crates and even those that do usually only flip thru the first few paintings not the whole crate.  I am allowed to take the wire trees and a limited amount of chainmaille in the form of ornaments and fidget balls, so hopefully I'll have good sales anyway. 

Weekly update. . .Hurricane Helene

Well, that happened, hurricane Helene blew all the way up to category 4.  I was really hoping it wouldn't, but it did, it also came right into the "Big Bend" again even though I was told when we moved here that it's very rare for hurricanes to landfall in the Big Bend. 😕 😐 I would accuse people of lying to us, but my research backed it up.

However, someone needs to update this because we have now had 3 in 13 months, Idalia, Debby, and now Helene. It went from 3 in 125 years to 3 in 13 months, I'm both annoyed and concerned about living here now. 

We have been lucky each time, but part of that is also about decision making, when I bought this house, I was looking for high ground that wouldn't flood, it had to be a minimum distance inland, I had a lot of criteria that had nothing to do with the closet space. 😅 When I settled on this brick monster our concern became the trees, because "large lot with beautiful mature trees" sounds great but in practice these Georgia pines are a mile high nightmare. So, we decided to get a tree service and have something done, a professional opinion, we ended up paying a small fortune to have several trees removed and a lot of trimming up done on many more, at the time I wasn't thrilled with the expense or the noise and I actually cried over one of the trees they took out, but now 3 storms later with NO damage I think we made the right choices. 😏

We didn't go crazy and denude the whole lot there are still a ton of large trees in my yard just not too close to the house, nothing hanging over the roof. 😇

There is still plenty to clean up. 

Truly, it was the easterly shift that spared us, we got a glancing blow instead of a direct hit. I feel bad for everyone who lost their homes on the coast, for those poor souls that lost their lives, for all the flooding and terrible damage done in other states. 😞

I now have less than a month before the big "Art show" which I am thinking will likely be a disaster for me. I don't have enough of the art framed. I don't know what I'm doing for display in my booth because I'm not used to just showing art. I had ideas and I thought I had a plan but the more I think about it the less I think it will work. 🫤 "Nervous" no longer covers my panicky desire to just move to another state instead of going through with this show. 😨  

I have spent hours agonizing over which pieces to frame and which color of frame for each, I think I have a plan finally, but now I have to find time to actually do all the framing. 😅 More than 30 pieces in less than 30 days does not seem likely especially when I factor in a doctor's appointment and a dental cleaning, oh and my AC is messed up again so service calls and workmen traipsing thru the middles of it all. 😟 I can feel the failure coming from here. I guess no one would be surprised if I said Progress has stalled. 

Yep, he's just lying there half done 😔 wings still not attached, no tail yet. 

Weekly update. . . Progress is slow

😅 My progress on Progress has been slow this week. 😂

So that's a funny joke if you know that my latest dragon project is/was going to be named Progress. 😉 

It is also somewhat funny, at least to me, that he's still not finished, he really should be, but my birthday was this week and I've been busy and distracted with other things. 😎

Although, I really need to get very busy and productive in the immediate future, I have that art show next month and I still don't have enough art framed or much of a plan for the actual booth display. 😕 When I scheduled it I had months, so I haven't really been worried about it or focused on it but now . . . tick tock time is almost up and I'm still not ready, I am also really nervous.  I keep thinking about cancelling but this event is hard to get into and has a waiting list so if I cancel, I'll likely never get in again. 😏 Plus my husband has bragged to many people that I would be there. 😑 So, I will not let myself back out but I'm not currently happy about going, maybe that will change if I can get myself sorted out and come up with a display plan. 

Weekly update. . . blah

While not very informative "blah" is very descriptive of how I feel these days, between the life worries and the weather I'm just . . .blah. 😑

I have deactivated all my michaels' makerplace listings because they put this ridiculous suggestion scroll at the TOP of listings, now I am fine with the "you may also like" standard at the Bottom of a page but to put directly competing listings at the top of the page before the buyer can even see the actual listing they clicked on is a huge "Aw HELLZNO" for me. 😡

Some sellers tried to defend the move saying, the scroll is not that big, or it's just random things, however, on my laptop screen it's pretty big and not random, other sellers said on mobile it pushes the listing well down the page. 

Since it is in fact a 3rd platform for me I don't need this especially right now with more important things in life to worry about. Although I am wondering if this is why I don't have more sales on this platform.  I remember etsy trying this and sellers revolting. The only time etsy does this is if someone clicks in thru a pinterest link, if you click an item in etsy search you get that actual listing, now there are multiple scrolls and suggestions at the Bottom of the page (where they belong) but first you get the actual thing you clicked on. This just comes off so temu, ebay, amazon, yard sale desperate to me, it's pointless page clutter and directing shoppers off the page before they can even look at what they actually clicked on. 

This really reinforces for me how much I appreciate goimagine and the fact that they do not do things like this. 😉 As a matter of fact the only suggestion scroll at the bottom of a goimagine listing is a "more from this maker" displaying my own stuff. 😎 Because unlike other corporate marketplaces goimagine listens to and respects their makers and is not constantly trying to redirect buyers out of our shops or to cheaper things.  😇  

Now that I've gotten that off my chest let's move on to the fact that I didn't get this week's dragon finished. 😏 I have made progress and thanks to my husband's smarty-pants-ness I think when it is finished his name will be Progress instead of TheGreenDragon as previously planned. 

At least his head is attached to the body, which is half covered with scales 😉 so ya' know progress

 

Weekly update. . . 9-8-8

Since it is 9-8 I thought I'd take a moment to talk about 9-8-8 for those that may not be aware of the crisis line, lifeline, mental health help line for national suicide prevention.  It is free help available to all, started just a few years ago, it has saved lives, if you or anyone you love is ever in need . . . I'm ok, I have cried and am processing my father-in-law's cancer diagnosis, it sucks, it's scary and sad but there is a treatment plan and we are optimistic about things. 🙏💞

Of course, for us sci-fi nerdy types today is Star Trek Day, the day we celebrate the tv premiere of the first episode. 😎 Yes, I will be watching lots of assorted Star Trek things today. 

In business news: I am still on my "social media break" and I am finding it helpful to not have to worry about daily posting while dealing with other life events. 😇 I am sure I will return to business as usual eventually but for right now this once-a-week post is easier. I am working, albeit slowly in short bursts. I added legs to the purple dragon and I'm not convinced I like it, it's not exactly what I pictured. 😏

I mean he is still cute, the legs do help stabilize his sitting, but I'm considering removing and re-attaching them different. Also, not sure I love the pattern I used; I may have to try something else altogether. 😅 On the other hand, there is always the next one to try something new with. 

The next dragon will be green, although I don't have the large/fancy scales in green, I do have the smaller ones for his back. So black and mirror large scales for the fringe and wings, which will work great since the rings are a mix of black and shades of green. 

His official name will be "The Green Dragon" like the pub from Lord of the Rings 😁 because I'm a big 'ole sci-fi lovin' nerd. 😉

Weekly update. . .September!

I am still on my "social media break". Although, I did post on facebook about etsy the other day, sometimes one just needs to "shout into the void". 😏 Ironically my instagram has gained followers even though I haven't posted in over a week. 😅

I don't know how long this break will last, initially I thought a couple of weeks, but now there are some issues other than my own mentality and feelings. I don't want to get specific but there are possible life altering things on a couple of fronts. I'm ok, my husband is ok, but my father-in-law whom I adore has been diagnosed with cancer. 😟 We think they caught it early enough and we all have high hopes, but it is scary.  

I plan to continue doing these weekly update posts but otherwise I will be mostly offline. I am working some mostly to keep my mind off of other things. This week has been 'purple, purple, purple!' and if you don't get the Gilmore joke that's ok. 😅 

Annoyingly most of the photos I took make the purple look blue. 😏

Weekly update. . .later

I am on a "social media" break.  I do still log on to check for messages and such, but I'm not posting, and I'm not really group participating much. I am just feeling a bit burnt out on the whole thing, social media, business, life stress in general. 😒  

My plan to give Blue legs is not going well, I was so frustrated the other day I was snapping rings and ended up throwing my pliers down. 😖

There is a certain pressure I feel to create content that I really kind of hate. I mean I love making things, but I do not like the constant need for content. . . photos, posts, engagement. The push the business aspect is crushing my creative outlet with its' daily grind-ness, it is literally sucking the fun and happiness out of making things. 😒 Anyone else ever feel that way?  

There was a time, not long ago, that seeing this laying on my bench would have made me so happy, but now I'm just annoyed the legs aren't going the way I want, and it's not done yet and I can't get the photos I need to post more, blah blah blah. 😫

So, I decided to take a break, but each day that goes by I feel . . .guilt/regret, fear of losing ground.  I am going to take my "me-time" though because I shouldn't feel bad about taking care of myself.  I haven't been feeling really well, it's not serious (I don't think) allergies from the high pollen mixed with joint aches and hot flashes from the menopause, I do have an appointment in a few days.  I also have a birthday coming that is closer to 50 than 40. 😏 

Currently I'm not sure how long this "social break" will last, I don't really have a plan. 😐 Ideally it will only be a couple of weeks of no posts, and I can actually get some stuff done to post about when I come back.