All good things must end...

as my internship finally comes to a close, I find myself having to do the whole job search process all over again.  Yawn!  In the mean time I will be getting back to my crafts and lampworking.  SO!!!! what this means is stay tuned for new goodies and treasures showing up on Etsy, and more new blog posts (finally)... I have missed my blogging.  Two weeks of internship left and then heavy crafting time.  What has everyone been up to on the weekends?  Me and mine have been fishing (catch and release) and exploring all the little towns around that we didn't know were nearby.  Enjoy the beginning of your Autumn and more blogs soon, I promise!!!

New book, steampunk style!

I've been working a lot lately at my internship so I can finish up my Associates degree in Business Management at MTC.  After work I have been winding down with a new book series by Cherie Priest.  The first book is called Boneshaker, the second one (I'm currently reading this one) is called Dreadnought.  So far this is a really great series done in the Steampunk universe that seems to be becoming so popular.  Next up on my reading list are The Falling Machine by Andrew Mayer, and Dead Iron by Devon Monk.  I do have to say that I am not normally a fan of male writers.  Men just seem to have a different feeling to their books, so I am hoping I will like these next male written books.  More soon...

Is Artist or Crafter a real job?

     Not everyone has the creative gene.  Those of us who are gifted by creativity know that I'm talking about.  They see creativity as a process, as ability.  Creativity leads to your output of an art or craft creation.
     This missing gene seems to cause a blockage in most other people.  They end up, seeing creativity as something they don't understand.  Why worry about it's existence.  This idea usually is accompanied by the feeling that creative output such as arts and crafts are a waste of time.  They see this creation process and end products as a hobby, not a real job.
     An example of this is when asked what I do for a living, my reply of Artist is met with confusion.  This usually followed up with the question of what is my "real" job.
     Get real people!!!  From the dawn of time, Artisans have been creating items like the clothes you wear or the jewelry you adorn your body with.  If you think that this is so easy as to not be considered a job then I give you this challenge:
Want a sweater?  Go out and catch yourself a smelly, dirty sheep.  Sheer the sheep, wash the wool, dye it, card it, spin it into yarn, and then knit your sweater.  Now if you're lucky, you got all the grease and grass out of the wool while washing.  If you're lucky you didn't over wash your wool causing a huge clump of felted mess.  If you're lucky you didn't over cook the wool in the dyeing process, also causing a felted mess.  If you're lucky someone taught you how to card, spin and knit your wool  Now after hours that you've put into this hopefully finished and wearable sweater, tell me it wasn't work, or a job.  Someone is making a living at this, because they enjoy it, just so you can wear that pretty cabled knit pullover you saw in that boutique window. 
     Please think of all the hours of work involved before you off-handed sneer at their "creative" job.  Do a little research and find out what went into that sweater you bought. You may be surprised.

Decisions, decisions... mixed media madness!

     The worse thing about being a mixed-media or multimedia artist/crafter is that you can often be unsure which media you want to work with.  It can be overwhelming seeing the shelves of supplies and materials all equally enticing.  Being a Libra, I already have a problem making myself make choices, so these varieties of choices can actually cause a tidal wave of clutter as I drag out too many things to work with.  Of course this then leads to a loss of focus as I get overwhelmed and sort of wander off to look through magazines or on the Internet. 
     If you ask me I think this whole thing can actually cause a form of ADHD, a crafter's form of ADHD.  Just my opinion.

Book review today

My new favorite author and book is Feed, by Mira Grant  Most books follow a zombie apocalypse from before the point of infection or accidental uprising, until everyone starts dying, leaving you wondering how the characters are going to live tomorrow.  Feed takes place 20+ years later, when zombies are a way-of-life for the average person.  What a fun book!  To read more about this book, click on the amazon links to the side or visit Grant's site at:  http://www.thefeedbook.com
BTW, I just started book 2 this morning and I am already 150 pages in, yummy!

I'm Back!

Sorry I have been absent for so long, but I needed to focus on the rest of school.  I am finally done and graduated with my Associates in Business Management yesterday.  I still have to finish my internship for the paperwork to be done, but I am now homework free!  Which means I can finally start creating again.  There were so many times I wanted to make something, but just couldn't find the time to give anything the justice it deserved to finish a project.  Hopefully I will start finding more creative time now that my nights and weekends are free.  Time to stop and breathe and get those creative juices flowing.  Hugs everyone!! Enjoy your Spring!