You Cannot Go Home . . .

. . . or so they say. I am not so sure. Recently my family had a double hit; my husband passed away and the death of a close friend of one of my children back to back. Our family is awash in grief. It is funny what you learn about people when faced with one knockout punch, let alone a left jab and an upper-cut delivered at the same time. I discovered there were life-long friends who did not have the good manners and decency to say; "Sorry for your loss.", despite your support under similar conditions. I discovered how an adult child feels when a parent does not respect their wishes. I discovered how adult children still want and need your approval, and how hard it is to show them support when they make choices you would not make. You love them even more for having the courage to share, even when they know your choice would be different. And for the love of Mike, please people, do not lecture them, just tell them you love them any way you can get it out. So, can you go home? If as they say; "Home is where the heart is." Then I think yes. Not to the old house owned by a stranger but to the heart of those who stick by you for better or worse, in good times and bad over space and time. I had the unexpected good fortune to have that demonstrated to me in full, living color, recently. I had to travel to my hometown to address family business. The death of my former spouse left me raw and adrift emotionally. An old friend stepped in and took charge, taking care of not only me but the adult child who was also bereft of the love of her life. This after more than twenty-five years of going our separate ways? Yep. For two days, I was more myself, less the stranger I see daily in the mirror and not hating my hometown. For two days I was the young adult who's life had not gone haywire yet, I saw myself as I was, not who I became. I liked that girl, she was still sortof a loner and wandered off to pursue her own interests apart from the tribe, but not alone. She was still rootless and open to adventure and exploring the world but she had hearts to come back to, who were interested in what she brought to the table. The adult woman's spouse is gone; the Mother has children but having them no longer defines her. The body may be creaky but the spirit thrives and is ageless. The daughter draws every drop of wisdom and love from her Mother because there are precious few days left to do so. The old friend re-evaluates who is important in her life. Sometimes it takes the ripping at the seams of your life to show you who you are. Sometimes it takes the ripping at the seams of your life to show you who really loves and supports you. On a rare few occasions, you see both at the same time. So to have I been blessed.

PowerTwitter: just do it.

Following up on the Twitter as a tool train of thought, I discovered PowerTwitter this morning. PowerTwitter is a browser AddOn. Here is the URL to add it: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/9591 Note: you will not see a nice little button in your browser like other addons. However; after you login to Twitter, you will see a tiny little popup in the lower right-hand corner of your browser window. If you do not see it, look at your address bar and make sure your Twitter URL reads: http:// not https://. If you see the 's', just highlight it in the URL and delete the 's'. Click the tiny 'settings' link, make sure all the options are checked, put your password in the password field on the left under your twitter username, save it., You\'re done. NOW you can see linked URLs, and a much nicer boxed link to your ArtFire page when you post your shop link. I think this tool will become invaluable when checking out who is linking to you and what their posts are about. Eliminates the step of opening a user link in a new window to see what they are all about before granting them a follow. I hope you find this useful.

Tips for Hadmade, Artisans & Crafters

I was working on my ArtFire Fusion Studio this morning, decided to pop into the forums for some inspiration, answered a post and realized I had enough content in that answer to write a blog post. Susan Sheehan, fellow Blogspotter & ArtFire Lampwork artisan, has written a terrific series of posts on marketing and promotion using Twitter, so I'll just give you her link [here]. Could not do a better job than she has! However, I thought I would share some thoughts on the soft side of putting yourself and your work, out there. It is no easy decision and for some like me, mentally challenging. Everytime I have to set up for a local show, I get terrible "stage fright". Anthing that could go wrong is buzzing around in my head, if something significant does go wrong, I am a mess inside untill I find a way to resolve the tension. Of course you cannot let the buying and observing public see you are shook up. How to deal? The most important thing I have learned is; I am not my jewelry, weaving, Artist Trading Cards or other artwork. I am the artisan. My work is my work. Second; Of my favorite pieces, if I am not ready to let them go, I should either have a picture in my portfolio or not include them in inventory until I can detach myself from them. Detaching from my work is sometimes challenging. See the above comment. Having said that, I understand for some like me, parting with a piece I am especially proud of or when the piece's theme is personal, is tough sometimes. Two weeks ago a piece sold for which I have no portfolio picture, and the theme was personal. I created a Raggety Ann mask which sold very fast. I was not aware it had sold until some time later. I experienced a real sense of loss for a day or two despite the fact I told myself I could always make another. Third; If I have an "ugly duckling" piece which is not selling, I remove it from inventory for a while and wear it myself. If I am not willing to wear my own work, why should I expect anyone else might? Fourth: I strive to present a unified context for my work. What does that mean exactly? I am always trying to create a setting that does not distract from the jewelry. For example, black or neutral displays, raising the products up to eye-level whenever possible, keeping the table clutter-free and my food & beverages OFF the TABLE! Moreover, if I am eating, I try to do it away from the table alltogether. I can think of few things more unprofessional and embarrassing than trying to talk to a customer while eating messy fair food. 'Nuff said. Fifth; As for my Fusion Studio on ArtFire, the unified context applies there as well. My color choices, banner, user icon and other fixed elements are all within the same color family. No neon colors, only dark text and so on, make for easy reading. The idea is to make the products; jewelry and artist trading cards, the elements that shine, not the shop. However; I put my best foot forward when it came to my banner. It reflects exactly what is in my shop, wire jewelry and artist trading cards. If I had not the ability to produce an appealing banner, I would have put in a forge request for help. Fortunately for me, I have that ability. My work normally is seen only locally during ArtWalk in the Heartside neighborhood of Grand Rapids MI. ArtFire was everything I was looking for in an online venue. I hope these tips have given artisans and crafters something to think about.

ArtFire Fusion Studio - updated

Spent the stormy night updating my ArtFire Fusion Studio. Added some jewelry to the collection. Below is a link to ArtFire. I like this crazy banner: Updates will be forthcoming.