Pampering Myself and I’d Rather Be in the Studio!
I spent most of yesterday in the studio and was pretty productive which felt great. So now you might be wondering where I’m going with this post given the title? Slowly, I’ve started adding inventory to my wholesalecrafts.com artist page, and was pleasantly surprised yesterday to receive an inquiry about my work from an upscale gift shop. My page on wholesalecrafts.com went live on March 13th – and I’m curious how long it might take to get a sale. The owner wanted to know if some of my pieces came in larger sizes – so my quest right now is to make a larger sized pasta type bowl, similar to the one above without excessive warping. It feels good to have a challenge & mission.
Speaking of wholesalecrafts.com, it is not free. It cost $395.00 for a year for artists to join, and is free for screened buyers. I figure a year’s time will be a good indicator whether it is a good avenue for my work. I do a few art fairs every year, and they are exhausting (and not exactly cheap either) – so if wholesalecrafts.com can bring buyers to me, it will mean less art fairs, though I do enjoy connecting with people in person who eventually take my work home.
When I finally came inside the house from the studio, it was almost 5:30 and I decided to take a bath – not something I do very often. It’s self indulgent and I don’t normally feel like I can afford to spend an hour soaking in the tub. Since it was Saturday night, I gave myself permission to pamper myself a bit and headed upstairs with an icy cold margarita and my copy of I’d Rather Be in the Studio! The artist’s no excuse guide to self promotion by Alyson B. Stanfield. I received it over a month ago, and it’s been sitting unread on my night stand since I can’t seem to keep my eyes open once my head hits the pillow. I started reading chapter 13, “Share, Don’t Sell” on building a mailing list. I took one of Alyson’s classes almost a year ago today, and I still don’t have an organized email mailing list – though I certainly have collected addresses. The good thing about Alyson’s book, is that you don’t need to read the book in order. You can jump around and find the information that you need – and there’s a ton of great information packed inside those pages.
Venus of Willendorf, circa 24,000 – 22,000 BCE
Meanwhile, I glanced down at my body while I was in the bath, and realized that I haven’t been taking care of myself lately. Naked, my body resembles the Venus of Willendorf. Okay, it’s really not that bad and water does serve as a magnifying glass. But, it reminded me that as artists, we really need to take care of ourselves. Art takes a lot of energy – both mental and physical, especially ceramics. I’ve gained a little weight over the winter. I think it’s had something to do with the fact that I couldn’t exercise like I would have liked since I suffered through a 5 week long chest cold that resulted in bouts of coughing if I did anything more strenuous than walking up a flight of stairs.
My running season is right around the corner – Denver Fit starts up on April 12th this year and I think I’m going to sign up for the full marathon this year, instead of just the half. Glutton for punishment? Most definitely. My husband once joked that he was going to buy me some Focus Factor since sometimes I seem to be all over the place. I think in tangents. In reality, running causes me to focus. I just realized that’s what I’m missing right now and why everythingl seems a bit off for me right now (and why I’ve put on a little weight). Remember my last post? Deepak Chopra also mentioned that exercise has the same effect as drugs when it comes to feeling happier.
So, what’s my point? Take care of yourself – your body, mind and career. If you don’t who will?
~Cynthia
