New Projects and The Very Inspiring Blogger Award

Ferdinand Jacinto of Eye of 1,001 generously awarded me with the Very Inspiring Blogger Award, and it’s taken me much longer than expected to write about it. It’s been a busy month. But I’m still very appreciative and feel honored. Ferdinand is kind and inspiring himself, and I was surprised to see his flattering comment and nomination on one of my posts. Thank you, Ferdinand.

Those awarded are to explain 7 things about themselves. Instead of listing random facts about myself, and since I’ve had so little time lately, I’m going to use this opportunity to write about some new things going on in my life, especially new projects I’m working on.

1 & 2.

I’ve been planning my next endeavor. Well, I’ve been planning it for a few years, but now it’s coming together. It’ll end up being an Etsy shop, but is more appropriately described as just plain art and fashion (finally). I’m beginning with jewelry and other fashion accessories but within time (once I’m more prepared and have what I need) I’ll be including garments and paintings. It’ll be ever-evolving and, simply, my work–work that I can finally settle into and ascribe my name to.

Recently I’ve been working from home through my existing little Etsy shop, Fae Arbor, but it doesn’t satisfy me, not nearly. I’m almost ashamed at what isn’t in the shop, what I’m not making. There’s so much more that I can do and need to do, and I find myself keeping this first shop a secret because I don’t want to be labeled by it. My blog is me, my huge project-in-the-works is me, but Fae Arbor is only partly me. It is doing well though, and has become a great learning experience. I’m letting it grow, and in doing that it’s staying near to my heart–and thank God, because the second something slips to the side, I so effortlessly write it off and move on, a second fact about me in and of itself.

I need to be painting and draping. I miss it. And I won’t be able to feel proud of anything that I’m doing (artistically that is) until I start drawing, illustrating, painting, designing, and draping garments on a dress form again. My fashion degree and fine art background; skipping from one venture to the next all of my life; researching deeply whatever catches my attention and then just moving on–I see now how it’s all going to fit together, even though it’s difficult to explain. What’s seemed erratic is in fact being put towards a purpose.

For I’ve learned so much about myself these past few years–about how I work. And I understand now that my methods aren’t disadvantageous. Constantly jumping from one thing to the next actually works perfectly for me, artistically I mean. I guess it’ll make more sense when I have examples of my process and work to show.

I realize that somehow my identity partakes so completely with what I make that I can perhaps sound a little unstable. That’s just how it is though. And I’m sure that there are plenty of other people who can relate–in one way or another. I know that my amazing husband is one of them.

I really just want to be surrounded by beauty. But doesn’t everyone? I want to create worlds–that’s what a lot of my work is (and has been) about. I’m just incredibly inspired. And I’m inundated with passion. And passion is just such an extraordinary feeling–just loaded with unpredictable power. I’m heated.

6 & 7.

Another detail about myself is that I can be so extremely secretive, and I don’t mean to be. This makes it such a challenge to try to explain anything that I’m working on, verbally that is. I have no problem visually letting people into the deepest parts of my soul. I assume that’s how a lot of people who take to the visual arts are. But I feel I am getting better at explaining myself, now, thanks to Jared, and to this blog.

On the topic of the visual–my last fact is that my memory is just that, wonderfully so. I can’t remember what composer wrote what piece of classical music, even though I’m reminded time after time by my husband, but if I see it written on a CD cover, or on a scrap of paper where he jotted it down. . . . Luckily I learned this about myself while still in school, making memorizing for tests easy.