Today's Lesson From The Craft Room: Give Yourself A Break :)
It's been awhile since I took a break from posting every day on this blog and I've decided that I am quite in need of a respite :) I take this break with a bit of fear - I hope it won't stop you from visiting when I return. Right now I'm feeling like I need to not have my blog posts on my "to do" list for this week (I'm feeling like a one-week break should be enough to rejuvenate me...I'll definitely let you know if I decide to extend the break).What I really want to do is take a break and go into the craft room and play with whatever I want to play with and make whatever I want to make, without the goal of creating a post out of it. I allowed myself a day of free play last week and was incredibly pleased with how it felt to just "go with it" and grab whatever supplies caught my eye. It was also wonderful to just allow myself to be "in the process." At one point I showed the project to Michael and he articulated what I was feeling about the piece..."It's kind of a mess." He was right - it was what I was feeling inside - but I definitely did not let that stop me. (and let me say that it is a rare thing for Michael to say anything that isn't 100% supportive with my art-making...this time, I'm really glad he said what he was feeling - it was wonderful to watch what I did with the feedback!). I took that mess and kept going with it and it is a piece of art that I am now incredibly proud of - it is actually sitting in front of me as I am typing this :) I am not ready to share it because I'm not sure what the future of the piece will be. It may be one in a series and I may want to think about submitting it (or the series) at some point - so for now, it will remain hidden from the blog. What I can tell you is that the comment that it was "a mess" actually inspired the direction of the piece - it is about allowing messes and experiments and mistakes and risks and getting to a place of unlimited possibilities :) So maybe that's what this break is really about - a time where I can make all the messes I want; experiment to my heart's content; and leap willingly into the unknown of the craft room :) When was the last time you gave yourself a break from your should's and to do's? Maybe the perfect time is now :)
ps I am very excited to let you know that last Friday I was contacted by Paper Crafts Magazine and they accepted another one of my pieces for publication!!!!! Yeah!!!! The piece will be published in the Sept/Oct 2012 issue!!!!! :)
3 comments:
First, congratulations on the publication. How wonderful it must be to see your name in print! Sounds like you have a little touch of spring fever, but I know what you mean about taking a break from the "scheduled" things. I'm not sure that everyone out there knows the amount of time and planning that goes into getting things posted. It can get to the point where you have a little burn out, so take your well-needed break and enjoy yourself. Good things will come of it!
Congrats on being published, I look forward to getting the mag each month. I too agree that we need to just stamp for no specific reason.
Hi Michelle,
In response to your questions on your 3/22 post...I am delighted that you felt better after taking a little break because I love, love, love your blog. I don't have a blog yet, but I notice that I lot of people stress about keeping it up, which is a shame. I think that you should blog as often as feels right without pressuring yourself to post a set amount each week. Maybe you could say twice a week and give us a bonus post once in a while or something. I just want to emphasize that it's so much more fun to read/see when YOU are excited about your own stuff. Much luck to you!
Michelle A
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