After one tough week, I was really down. I had donated an evening to the Academy of the Sacred Heart for a Party/Jewelry Instruction in my studio way back in May, for their annual fundraiser, 'Chemin de Fer'. Vicky Robben, one of the ladies who comes to the biking club at ASH, won the auction item, and the day that worked out best for them was Friday, July 12th. I would have never guessed I would have had the most stressful week leading up to the party, yet I did nonetheless.
All morning I had a furrowed brow. Without going into detail about events from the past week which I can't possibly tell the world in detail, I will just say that I was disheartened, and massively disappointed at the way things were going with a business relationship that I thought would be so much more in terms of harmony and prosperity, and everything really. I'm not new to the business of art, and things falling through, disappointments, nor rejections, yet this one situation really had me wrecked. There was a lot of drama, and a lot of 'she said, you thought, he said...' and a lot of other baloney I can't go into.
I tried to focus on what I was supposed to do, yet it was hard. The monkey mind was going. Additionally, I had my kids on Friday and they were still messy as ever- so I spent a lot of the day just trying to clean up the house, and clean up after them all day as we don't have a bathroom in the studio, so I have to clear the laundry room, and make the kitchen presentable. I asked myself over and over again if it was worth it- all the cleaning and the work not even for the studio was a lot. On top of putting all my things away in the studio to make spaces for everyone to work. I do what most everyone else does- put all the junk in drawers and hide it to make everything look clean!
There is a reason why we are all here, and there are gifts that each individual person has that we are meant to share with the world- this is one of the philosophies of yoga. After feeling downtrodden from the past week, these women who came to this class, really made me feel loads better about why I am here on the planet. Use your strengths and rely on your strength - and this will get you past the tough times. I pushed through mentally, and tried to welcome them with a giving attitude. I wanted to be there just for them, and not think about business, or the 'hard sell', or pushing for future business. This is why artists generally speaking aren't that great in business endeavors- it makes us uncomfortable. We would much prefer to be hermits in the studio creating great things, or teaching others how to create great things...we love that!
Time flew by for me the entire evening. I made homemade sangria as well as a roasted pork loin with a blackberry and sherry reduction that I served on Companion rolls with a chili-lime shaved carrot and cabbage slaw. I always say that guests won't stay long if you don't have good food. We started our evening over cocktails and appetizers as this makes everyone feel more comfortable- in fact I almost didn't want to get to 'work'.
I did a short explanation on options and then tailored each project for each person to meet her individual needs. I asked for input from the others for each project and tried to step in when needed, and refrain when I felt someone was doing fine on their own. And, gosh they made me feel really good about myself and couldn't have been nicer with giving me compliments on my work and my technique. I felt useful again, and felt like I was helping them to use their creativity to make them feel good about themselves, which ultimately is my main goal whether I teach painting, drawing, jewelry, or anything art related.
Once everyone got going, they chatted while they worked about their kids and school- and it was really nice to observe and listen to all they were saying. My monkey mind was focused on the good, and on the present. I was glad that they were relaxed and could catch up about things. I learn so much from the moms of older Academy students, and truly enjoy just listening or receiving any advice they give!
Here is the awesome work they created:
Indonesian Beaded Necklace by Lainie Ives.
Beaded Shell Earrings by Kathie Hammell.
Sterling Silver Necklace with Labradorite, Indonesian Circle Charm, and Beaded Teardrop With Garnets by Vicky Robben.
Vicky Robben: She designed the beaded garnet teardrop, and then we worked on tweaking the design a bit. I love this one, and how the Labradorite stone fits into the teardrop at times. This turned into an exquisite, yet eclectic piece that she created to match a dress she brought, however, this could be worn with so many things. We also put an extender on her necklace so it can be worn at different lengths.
Marguerite Stewart created a long beaded piece similar to one of my 'Diana' necklaces, and she took her necklace home that night, as she was going on a vacation and wanted to be able to take her necklace with her. Marguerites necklace was lovely as well, and I think she enjoyed the meditative aspect of the creating. She worked very diligently the whole night.
