We  are well on our way into the new year and if you think I am a bit behind in getting started with  our birthday celebration,the organisation of new projects,updating workshop schedules and pretty much everything else then you would be right. I havent quite been able to shake the holiday feeling yet but in all honesty I really have been busy working on all of those things you have been waiting patiently for but as you all know,things always take more time than you expect. With my first workshop for the year completed I am almost 100% ready to go. The interest and readiness of people wanting to get started on the workshops already is really encouraging and there will be lots of new and exciting things to keep them busy.
I am hoping to be more active on facebook as well this year and encourage more interaction and participation from our likers. There will be some more challenges so get ready to join in and have a go.
This year is going to be all about inspiration and motivation so be prepared fto be inspired. As an artist one would think that inspiration would come  easy but believe me, the way my brain works I get over inspired  and come to a stand still so to help me along, this year each month I am going to  choose one word that will help inspire and motivate me and hopefully you as well. This month I have chosen 'BELIEVE'

"Believe you can and your Half way there

This will get me started on the year and be my motivation to challenge myself, to believe in myself and to accept that creating that comes from the heart is magic.



 

Sometimes the only way to make something real is to say it out loud.

There comes a time when you have to put your best foot forward and follow your dreams. Suck up the fear and bust through any insecurities in order to get to a point where you are living the life you want and deserve.   All my life, as far back as I can remember I have been creating but I have  never been confident enough to call myself an artist until now.  Back in the days when I first started you were never acknowledged as an artist in many circles unless you were a painter or sculptor or followed an accepted genre ridgidly and that just was'nt me. It is only in the last few years that I have found the confidence to speak my name in the same sentence as Artist. And now I have business cards that say I am so it must be true. Seriously though this  has only come with heaps of encouragement and suppoprt from  my husband and family as well lots faith and belief in myself. It hasn't been easy to accept that maybe I actually have a talent and it still feels wierd saying that, I have had to do a great deal of sucking up my fears but I knew that it was the only way I would be able to continue to do what I love and now when I am in my studio I feel 10 foot tall and invincible and nothing  can stop me now from being the artist I am.

No matter how hard I try I cannot for the life of me work in a tidy, orderly manner, it just doesnt feel right, I have to have everything out at my fingertips to feel realy comfortable when I am creating. It does mean I have to spend a bit of time, well a lot of time really at the end tidying and cleaning but thats what works for me. I see pictures on websites of other artists studios that are pristine and it makes me wonder how their creative juices flow in such
a tidy space I have purchased heaps  of drawers and containers over time so thought I would have a go at some sort of order in my studio  so I recently spent hours sorting and labeling them so that everything had a place. For a short while it all looked pretty neat and orderly but in my world of structured chaos that was very short lived. I think it could have something to do with my unique filing system (Take it out of one draw and return it to wherever it fits).

 My motto at this point of my amazing life is if I want to do something, if I want to go somewhere, I plan my time so I can, half the battle is starting.
 I used to spend hour upon hour doing nothing, wasting time, worrying about not having enough time to do something then I woke up and realised every moment wasted was a moment lost and I made the choice from then on to treasure every single minute of every day.
 Don't get me wrong I still haven't stopped being one of the biggest procrastinators I know but I kind of like that. Now I'm a planned procrastinator LOL I plan what I'm going to put off and leave until tomorrow.
I must admit that being brought up with a very strong work ethic has helped me immensely over the years to fulfil all of my  commitments. It was instilled in us that once you put yourself forward and accept a challenge then it is your obligation to carry it through to the end so if I put something off today I know I have to pick it up again and finish it tomorrow (or the next day). That's how I was brought up, it's that simple, my Dad would be proud of me from wherever he's watching from now knowing I am still following this practice. It sounds quite harsh but it has made me the person I am today, I don't give up easily, If I commit to it I complete it and failure is just an unfinished success.

6 Months ago we had a vision, our dream was to make a place where art and creativity would happen and today that is exactly what we have and that is what is exactly what is happening here at Verdigris.
I am so grateful that good sense and logic did'nt come into it when we were deciding whether or not to take this on otherwise we would probably not have done it. Sensibility & logic are real idea killers sometimes, thats why I tend to think more with my heart these days, it seems to be more reliable.
I am so proud of how far we have come in just a few months, the door is open, the welcome sign is out and the people are coming, it is time to celebrate. (Bring on the Wine).

 I am so thankful to be able to share what I love doing and have it
appreciated by so many.
 It is easy to believe in yourself when you have the support of  a wonderful husband  who also believes in you.