If the Deer are Here, it's Summer...

Summer's here, as this  young lady, so daintily nipping at the apple tree leaves, is happy to tell you...
This is the view out my back door, didn't want to scare her so took it through the rather spotty windows...
First deer I've seen this year, very unusual for  us, usually 3 or 4 nights a week they are in the back, munching away on all the nice grass and plants..this year, not so much..
The Farmer's Markets are also finally creaking to life, thank goodness...I was beginning to look for a part-time job because sales were so poor...attendance down, everybody supposedly poor, etc...
Its been really hot here, which some enjoy (not me!) but hope you all are having a great season, whatever you may be up to...

Where Do You Get Your Ideas...Part 3

As mentioned, here are some shots of the completed project...a faux straw crocheted cloche with a tiny brim and a 'colourful' assortment of pansies as a focal, with a bit of black satin ribbon around the base of the crown....
I am keeping this one for myself, as it took way too many hours to try and price it  at this point, but I will probably add it to my Etsy store as a special order, if anyone  wants to actually pay me for my time....
Two full days worth of work, around 16-20 hours I'd guess, and  I am  happy with the results, though not at all what I had  in  mind to start with...
But isn't that the way design often goes...

Where Do You Get Your Ideas, Part 2

So the next part of my dissertation on inspiration (!) will be on the materials  to create...
In my case, this time, yarn...as is evident in the pictures of  the various skeins and little blurbs of colour I already crocheted in preparation for the pansies I'm making...pansies?  Did she say pansies?
Whatever happened with the iris, the original object of her inspiration?
Don't know how  everyone else's mind operates, but mine has a tendency to roam, quite a bit in fact, as I consider all the possibilities...and if you think about it, pansies have a similar sort of colour structure as irises...sort of....and wavy shaped petals...so somehow, my idea went from an iris to a bunch of pansies..not to say I won't try an iris, later, but the pansy presented so many difficulties, and it's a much simpler structure, that I felt it might be better to take baby steps on this one...at least for now...
So, here are my materials and colours:

  And, in the next image, are the  close-ups of my starting shapes...

Finally, after a couple of hours, I have finished three of them, with some embroidery involved, as you can see
in the last image, below...

 Thought I'd include the tools I used as well..a needle threader is a fussy and annoying tool but absolutely critical when the yarn is fatter than the needle, and it almost always is...

These flowers took way too long,  was thinking I would be making a good dozen of them, but it'll take much longer than I thought, so that is all for now...
When I've finished them, and the requisite leaves, I'll be back with the finished project (of course, a hat, what did you think...?)

Paradise's Pitfalls and Possibilities

  Since my last posting, much has happened...
I have switched to a drop-in situation at  the Saturday Duncan Market, since the powers that be decided to ignore my requests for a shady spot and stick me in the most brutally hot area of the Market...a message that has definitely been received...so  they lose all that seasonal money from me...oh well....
I will still be in a  seasonal spot at the  Chemainus Market on Wednesdays...
I am currently exploring other Markets in my area, as they are plentiful and seemingly welcoming to new vendors....
One of the issues with many Markets is controlling the numbers of certain items in the crafting category..such as jewelry.  There are lots of people who wish to  sell it, but  no Market wants too much of anything...I understand this, yet,  because I sell primarily  seasonal creations like hats and scarves, I need to have an alternative to round out my sales for Spring to late Summer..and that, for me, has always been jewelry.
Unfortunately for me,  many Market Boards won't let me sell it, so I am limited to the ones that will...
Tonight I am going to an adjudication for a Market in the Greater Victoria area..
(For those of you  not Canadian, Victoria is the capital city of British Columbia, a Province in Canada, and it's located on Vancouver  Island where I live.)
I am confident of acceptance, but a bit worried about their attitude regarding jewelry..everyone wants me to sell my  hats, but few want the jewelry sales that I depend on...Ironically, the busiest times for sales are the Summer months, when we get lots of tourist traffic...the time when  hats don't sell as well for obvious reasons, and jewelry sales  blossom...people are wearing less so have  a place for jewelry to show, like bare arms, necks, ears when the hair is pulled back, etc....*sigh*  It can be very frustrating, but that is a part of the Craft/Farmer's Market reality, so I have to adapt....
Wish me luck tonight...I have often read that setbacks (like the Duncan Market) should be viewed as opportunities for expansion and change in a positive way, so that is how I'm trying to approach this  year's adventures in crafting..now if only gas were  a whole bunch less expensive....

Autumn Has Been Unavoidably Detained...

It's a weird Autumn here in Paradise..no leaves turning beautiful colours, warm days where folks are still in shorts and sandals...
The only evidence of the season so far is cold mornings, and it's a good thing that I make big comfy circle scarves...I needed one  while setting up my booth at the Duncan Farmer's Market this morning...
Thought I'd share a  few pictures of the people selling near me...the colours of all the lovely vegetables and fruit will have to stand in for what is normally going on this time of year..we aren't sure when, if ever, the rains and cold weather are coming, but our lakes and rivers are drying up too...so the only people happy about what is happening right now are the farmers..it's been especially nice for pumpkins...
Right next to me from the local corn maze and pumpkin patch farm is McNab's, and Halley is covering cashiering while Bruce is BSing in the back with another farmer...isn't the colour wonderful?
Then there's Ben's Backyard, with Ben nodding and smiling behind his bumper crop of tomatoes, etc.
Finally there's Dina, who has been at this Market for many, many years..she makes beautiful sheepskin-lined slippers and polar fleece  Canadian Maple Leaf  Flag Coats, baby sized to big adult...
Finally, a glimpse of my Autumn/winter booth (last two images)..no jewelry this time of year, strictly hats and scarves...
To my few but fabulous readers, have a wonderful Thanksgiving..we celebrate ours on October 8th..early I know, but then we are farther from the Equator, and have a shorter growing and harvesting season than the US...

It's that Time Again-My Top Ten...

Now that I  am back outdoors selling  my hats and jewelry every Saturday (that  it isn't raining)  I would like to share with you, once again, some of my favourite (!) lines, you know, the ones that you hear over and over and over again..some are golden oldies, and some are new, or modifications of oldies..keep in mind that my jewelry and my hats are original designs, no patterns used (or available) and I only make  one of everything.  That, of course, doesn't matter to every buyer, but why would they pay more than the cost of an Asian import if it doesn't?
I can't  be this sarcastic (well, most of the time I control myself) when dealing with people who just mostly aren't very original in what they have to say...but I do try and remember what it is like to be a buyer or potential customer, and to not just look at certain comments from the viewpoint of a seller. So, I'm giving you my answers to obvious ones, and their questions in others..the game is to figure out which is which...
 After all, we may all drive, but at one time or another, we are all pedestrians too - and these all too typical comments couldn't be more pedestrian....

1.  Yes, I made all this stuff
2.   Yes, I'll be here next week, if it isn't raining..
       "Hey I came by last week and you weren't here" (it was raining)
3.It's crochet, actually (when they ooh and ah about my 'knitting')
4.  "Oh, I knit too "  (No, they don't, or they would know the difference)
5.  "I'm just looking for ideas" (!)
6. "Oh, my mother/aunt/grandmother knits all this same stuff for me" (see #3 above)
7. " How much is your jewelry/How much are your hats?" (they are all clearly marked, and the hats have big paper tags..sometimes asked after they've been reading all the tags on several hats) and as if they were all a single price...there is no Dollar Store sign in my booth...none....
8.Will you hold this for me 'til next week-I don't have any money....? (of course, without a deposit)
9.  These hats are cute but they're too big (they are looking at newborn sized baby hats)
      These hats are cute but they are too small (see above)
10.  Well, this other vendor is selling hats for X$ less than you..(I always tell them that if price is their only criterion, they should definitely go and purchase from "that other vendor")
Still, love being outside, and actually quite enjoy the social aspects of Markets..great to see friends I've made, and to meet new people, hear some good live music, and eat far too much of all the things I shouldn't...stop by and say Hi...I promise not to bite your head off..

Adventures in Selling, Part 345.63222...

 I began blogging here by discussing what it was like to be a craftsperson, or as I like to call what I am, a Maker, to sell, both indoors and out, and to talk about it from a personal angle..but sometimes Mother Nature throws curves...

Our last Farmer's Market, was, 'not to put too fine a point on it,' a disaster..
It wasn't supposed to rain until late afternoon'/early evening, but, of course, at about 9:30 a.m., once everyone was all set up and ready, the deluge began...and it didn't stop until about 15 minutes before closing time(naturally!)
And then, while driving home in my open-back pickup, the rain again beat down upon the land.
No customers, leaky canopies everywhere, and my stock, composed, this time of year, of yarn, yarn and more yarn, of course was a mass of damp articles needing to be spread all over my little place (home) to dry/air out...
sometimes even the lemonade you try to make with the lemons Life hands you turns out extra sour, too...
I'm only posting about this because, in retrospect, there was/is nothing I could do about whatever Mother Nature chooses to throw at me..all I can do is hope for the best...and prepare for the worst.
Anyone reading this who isn't prepared for disaster dilemmas should think twice about getting involved in outdoor selling..but then, when it's good, it's very good...so it's definitely worth pursuing, to me.

Duncan Market - Alive and Well...

Recuperating (muscles very sore, it's like I'm really not 20 years old anymore ( :o\)
after my first outdoor market..actually had a great time, reconnected with a few old friends and had lots of positive feedback on my hats and scarves from customers, as well as some actually paying customers! Yippee!
It was a cold and blustery day, but I don't mind, just happy to be back outside after the three month winter hiatus..there is something about fresh air, tabletops flapping in the wind, the colours and scents of the market that make it a joy to return  to every season...and of course the opportunity to pet and  gush over everyone's dog..the market is a kind of social place for what we call the dog people, who come here to parade about with their puppies, as well as purchase from our market...I've seen some gorgeous pooches here, and it's an aspect of the market that I enjoy...unintended consequences
Had some great positive feedback from a couple of professional photographers who bought baby hats..and they promised e-mails of  their work  when available..
I'm starting up a "Rogue's Gallery" of pictures of past customers in my hats to display in my little 'shop'...folks always fret about how the hats will look on people when they are thinking of gifts, so having some concrete examples can only help..and it will be fun to have previous buyers come by to show off their pics to others, etc.
Happy Making and selling to all of you....

It's the Great Outdoors For Me...

It's gonna be that time of the year again..when we go back outside for our Saturday Farmers/Crafters Market..and I can't wait!
I'm getting to the point, usually about this time of year, when I can't bear to be inside all day, trying to sell  and trying to take a decent breath..it must be the antsiness of Spring, but, personally, if I lived in a place where I could sell outside all year, I would be happiest there.
Just spent way too much money buying some really outrageous yarn from a store going out of business here..it's one of my main locations for yarn purchasing so all of us  who are involved in fibre arts are really feeling nervous about where we will go in the future, since we live on an Island (albeit a big Island, not exactly the UK, but still, big) and we have few choices within an hour's drive...and with the cost of fuel, our options are shrinking..
Tried buying online but the shipping charges are prohibitive too..we may end up doing that again, this time hopefully  in co-operative mode,  buying in quantity to save a bit of cash on supplies..I really hate raising my prices!
It is one of the costs of living in Paradise, I guess...
Happy Making, everyone, and wish me luck for the coming season...♥

New Models

I have been trying for a long while to figure out how to find models to photograph in my hats..this may not sound too onerous to some folks, but I live alone in a rural area, don't know many people, and can't afford to hire someone either to model or to take pro photos, so I lucked into this mother and daughter team who agreed..
Only the first of hopefully many other people  who do this.., I want to create a rogue's gallery  in a frame for my outdoor market kiosk, since people often ask me if I have pictures of people in my hats...they want to get one as a gift, but need to  have an actual person to visualize I guess..
As well, I want to be able to have a few real people in my listings on Etsy, for the same reasons...

They always want what you don't have....

I have recently started making booties and maryjanes, and even fingerless gloves, because it seems when anyone comes by my table at the Saturday market, they ask if I have them...of course, they also ask for washcloths and patterns, neither of which will ever happen, but the booties are sort of fun, and the fingerless gloves...well, kinda boring to make, but gotta give 'em what they want, yes?
Here are some examples..can't figure out a way for the gloves to actually look decent without my big ol' hands in them..

Everybody Wants What Won't Work For Them..Even Me (Inspired By Bunny)

The Fall Market at Duncan (my weekly Saturday Farmers' and Crafters' Market that is) is in full force, and I've put the jewelry away until Spring, concentrating strictly on hats and scarves, in keeping with the weather..
A woman came rushing into my booth, first thing, and told me that she had been searching for me, since I wasn't in the spot I was last time (they move me around all the time) and that she was surprised I was there, because it was 'raining' (just spittin' a little, I don't come if it's heavy rain) and immediately bought a hat for her baby son who she said had a huge head, although I told her it would probably be too small.
She came back, son and 11 year old daughter in tow, and told me, sure enough, the hat was too small, didn't ask if she could exchange it, assumed she could (of course she could, still, would have been nice to have been asked) and then fussed over everything else that did fit him, finally settling on something, and trying a bunch of hats on her daughter who really wanted a bunny hat (didn't have one her size) while Mom thought she should be getting into something less childish...
I wondered at that, is 11 now considered no longer to be a year in childhood? So many parents complaining about their children growing up too fast, but what do I know?
All kinds of teenage females love animal hats, it's a 'thing' and has been trendy for a few years..I tried to explain this to Mom, who finally let her daughter settle on an adult sized bear hat, which I can't keep in stock..
Then Mom turned to me and said that she had no more money, and told her daughter that if I still had the hat next week, she'd get it then..
I have a feeling that this Mom will be returning to my booth next week, and have her son's exchanged hat in tow, because it won't be "quite right".
Well it sure beats the other little girl, her Grandma distracted in the booth next to mine, who was carefully picking her nose, scrutinizing it, then trying to grab my hats....
But then, these are the joys of selling what you make, yourself.
I don't mind, really, it's sort of part of the entertainment to explain their children to these often bewildered parents, and I'm childless...
As I was packing up to leave, two (count 'em, two) young dads came by, seperately, just a few moments apart, looking at the hats, picking up everything sort of randomly, saying nothing, and finally I asked "What gender and how old?" They were each so relieved, I pointed them in the right direction and within two minutes both had bought a hat, almost grateful that I hadn't needed an explanation beyond my two questions..I love it when men shop my booth, they don't waste a lot of time second-guessing themselves and just want to get the right 'something,' pay, and get out as quickly as possible..
I had another Mom come in with three little girls in tow, first one tried on a hat, after asking politely if it was okay (that almost never happens, especially with kids) and then the second daughter wanted to try one on too, so I picked one that would fit her, and the baby, one of the most beautiful, sweet little girls I've ever seen, about two years old, was tugging on her Mom's skirt and looking at me beseechingly, saying nothing, so I asked Mom if I could put a hat on the little one, I did and showed her what she looked like in a mirror, she gave me the greatest smile, took off the hat, handed it to me, and as they left each one said "thank you" unbidden by Mom...No purchases, didn't care....
And, not for the first time, I realized that these lovely, polite, well-mannered children would have been a great asset in my life.

Front Page of ArtFire? Why, Yes....

Of course it's nice when a collection makes the FP on any site, but the irony here is that it's my first front page on ArtFire, and the Collection contains nothing of mine...
The funniest part about it (if you have a twisted sense of humour, and, yes, thanks, I definitely do) even if it had contained a piece from my studio, and someone, say, fell in love with it, wouldn't matter...our Post Office is locked out in a labour dispute *sigh*
I'll just have to accept the fact that it is nice to be acknowledged..apparently it's been FB'ed and Tweeted already *sigh*

A Saga of Epic Disaster....

Hello. dear Readers!
Last Wednesday was my first time at the Chemainus Street Market, and quite an experience was has by all..
Personally, had a literal river running through my booth, as an out-of-nowhere flash flood decided to leave us a deposit, a big one, and soaked customers went flying off back to tourist buses, every seller ran to their vehicles to grab the supposedly unnecessary canopy walls to protect their goods...and I sold absolutely nothing that day...
Despite the epic weather and lack of sales, I met some nice people and it's always interesting to start at a new location; gonna try not to let myself get too discouraged.
In the pics I've included, you can see the unique pottery of Pogie, a man with a lot of charm and blarney who is a retired art teacher..I think his things are like no one else's, and I'm a big fan of the original..
The Holdens were selling next to me at the last Saturday Duncan Market, and here they are at Chemainus, too, with their fragrant (but not overpoweringly so) milled soaps and lotions..very pretty, and very reasonable, and milled soap lasts forever..
Maggie..what can I say, in another, wealthier lifetime I would love for this woman to tailor-make my clothes for me. You should see the delight on peoples`faces when they first arrive at her booth..
I`ve saved Bill, (looking down to make sure I get the full effect of his printed apron,) standing amidst the colourful flowers and produce of Providence Farm..I`ve blogged about the Farm before. Last year, I did a Christmas Fair at their pretty chapel building, in the middle of acreage and horse paddocks..they are a wonderful organization..but trust Bill to not be looking into the camera..
Well, off to the Duncan Market tomorrow, better weather, and hopefully some sales..
Canada Post began rotating strikes at Midnight last night (Thursday) so the giveaway will have to wait...

A Weird Day at the Market in the Square

Granted, yesterday wasn't my first day back outside, maybe my third or fourth, but the weather was so strange that it seems the average shopper thought better of it and stayed home..
It started out gray and chilly, but here on the West Coast of Canada we dress for that, this time of year, and a very grim Spring made us wary of throwing on the shorts and sandals just yet...
Later it was cloudy, windy, with the odd peek of the sun, lasting maybe five minutes, maybe less..and then it got downright epic.
The fun started- hail, and plenty of it, impossible, in an open canopy, to dodge or protect against it..what had already been a not so great day, financially, got worse by the minute, as everything was soaked..remember, I sell crocheted stuff, and it sucks up moisture in the air like a thirsty sponge, and rain and hail don't help either..great for keeping you warm and mostly dry, but...
I am currently sitting here surrounded by hats, on every available surface, that had to dry out overnight..just one of the many joys and sorrows of outdoor selling.
Because I sell alone, I can't always wander around and see what's going on, but it was slow yesterday, so took a few pictures to bring to you so you can get a sense of the people who create things to sell..a bit too early for the farmers to be here with their vast bins of produce, but i will produce more images as the season progresses..happy creating!
The first image is a side view of my little booth, no point in boring you with details of that. The next is Danusia and her wild mushroom booth - we are kinda famous here for having a wide variety of wild and edible mushrooms on this Coast- and she picks, dries and sells these in a dizzying variety.. the next is a booth of the woman who makes beautiful dyed silk scarves..and if you look to the left, you can see, besides their smiling faces (Mum and daughter) little whales and some other toys- so cute!
On to the main stage, where musicians, some good, some loud, regale us at every Market Saturday..then the woodworker behind me, whose little 'stove' would have made my heart sing as a child..love his stuff..
More later, as the season and the variety progresses.

Being Creative in Bad Weather

We were just gifted with a freak snowstorm lasting a couple of days and for dessert we were given an icy Arctic outflow that, although the skies are crystal clear now, lends a fierceness to the air you breathe...
About the only advantage to this sort of stuff is that I seem to get an awful lot done when I absolutely can't go anywhere..
Made lots of new jewelry and a couple of hats, which I'll show here, but the thing that I like the most was a little photo I took this morning during breakfast. It's a beautiful sunrise reflected in the next door neighbors' patio window.
I've often nticed this over breakfast, but most of the time I'm too sleepy to get up and get the camera..not today!
This shot was taken across my houseplants, who live on my dining room table..and it's kind of a neat effect to have the plants inside, taking a picture of a reflection outside, and all of it through glass, too.
My hanging art glass things are in there, too, and I'm quite pleased with the way it turned out..tell me what you think?

In the Rain Forest, No One Can Hear You Scream...

Just kidding...sorta. I am a constant subservient victim to the weather forecast- I have Environment Canada's widget on my Home Page, I watch two different newscasts (with totally different weather reports about 50% of the time, both often wrong) and every online newspaper I glance at daily (quite a few, actually) again have their own educated but wildly differing opinions about the weather..
This is usually only critical to farmers and skiers, but for those of us who attempt to sell weekly, outdoors, the ever-changing weather of the Northwest Temperate Rainforest can make me intemperate at a moment's notice..
This week, my entire apartment has been draped in hats, in a canopy top that is 10'X10', 11'X11' bug curtains that go around the sides of my tent and marginally protect from showers, but not heavy rain, and all of them needing to be dried out following the disaster that happened last Saturday, about half-way through the Market, when a perfectly acceptable cold but clear day turned into Noah's flood..
The thing about yarn is that it absorbs moisture from the air, so even if, technically, it doesn't actually get wet, or rained on, there is still a bit of the wet stuff trapped within it's folds, so each and every hat on display had to be left 'out' in my fortunately overly dry apartment until all traces of dampness were excised..
This Saturday, our last outdoor Market until March of 2011, the weather has been predicted to be, from Monday to today (Wednesday, Dec 15) by turns rainy, sunny, windy, and now showery..and I have to reserve a spot three days ahead..not really doing anything but guessing what the weather will be doing..hoping against hope that, whatever the prognostication, they will either be very wrong in the case of rain, or very right in the case of clear and possible even sunny (the forecast for Friday, of course!)
The ancient Romans gazed upon the entrails of birds, or you can cast coins and avail yourself of the I Ching, but even the Farmer's Almanac is strangely silent on long term guessing games for my locale..
A fortune teller with her crystal ball or Tarot cards would probably be just as accurate..
Fingers crossed...

Holiday Presents to Myself...

I said in a previous blog entry that I would share my few purchases from that semi-disasterous first craft fair- and here are the first ones..
the woman who created these used tiny bits of stained glass the way most people use tiles in mosaics-glued to a piece of glass, then grouted when complete! With such a beautiful result, each approx.5X7 inches.....When I first saw them I was surpised they were framed, with backing cardboard and easel-type stands-it seemed to me that you would want the light to pass through them-so that's what I did with mine-removed the backing stuff, and, though I tried to remove them from the frames , it couldn't really be done without damaging the edges, so for now, they'll stay framed until I can arrange to have them redone or find the wherewithal to do it myself- my idea was to frame them in thin black metal, one on each side of a centerpiece of clear glass (patterned) with hanging eyes at the top, so it could be suspended by clear strong fishline in a window..but till then, I can see them this way, more or less through my wildly blossoming Christmas cactus..another picture of which I included, just because.

The Vagaries of Online Selling..

I know that many of my readers sell/and/or buy online and I wish they would talk more about it, but they don't..
In shopping sites like ComeandGetsy or Artfire, there is much deliberation in the Forums, by sellers, about specific problems or experiences, but very little that isn't emotionally-based about what I consider the most important question..is there any point in continuing?
Many fellow Makers that I speak to at my Farmer's Market are astounded that I even bother to try and sell online- they all have the same things to say..that they either tried but got nowhere, that there is no reason to bother because there are too many people trying to do the same thing online, the stuff they make won't "sell" online (I know that one well) or they find it too daunting to even make an attempt, as they don't feel computer-savvy enough to give it a try...
I used to argue with them, and tell them how much easier it was than they suspected (not being terribly tech-savvy myself, I was a noob authority) or point out, as so many in the Forums do, that they have to be patient and not expect instant gratification..that semi-terminal affliction that many of us suffer with...
We are all programmed for this..too much TV overstimulation as children, is my theory..since when did the delicious experience of waiting for a good thing to come to pass become so toxic?
I still love anticipation as much as the next dreamer, but find that I am getting impatient for sales online-I admit it..
After trying to be patient for a couple of years, I am realizing that economic recovery isn't the only reason for many of us selling little, if at all, online..
An odd thing happened earlier this month..I finally made an online sale..the first since last March..but the problem was, even with the Paypal receipt verifying payment, couldn't figure out what sold..or where!
When the e-mail from the site arrived, I was doubly astounded to realize that the sale was from a site I'd completely forgotten that I'd set up shop in..and had ignored ever since I did so-many, many months before..so many in fact, I had to go there and try and remember doing any of it.
It was of course, one of those free for a limited number of items, and pay as you go..
I recently re-signed up with Artfire, because of their $6 a month 'deal'..permanent, no fees for sales etc...I had been away from that site seemingly forever, but since nothing at all was happening with Etsy, despite 'buying' spots in sections and relisting to death, the
Artfire deal seemed a whole bunch more rational..
Recently Etsy castigated me by e-mail for calling some other posters "cupcakes"..didn't realize that the Tea Party had taken over, but remembering that Etsy has completely lost track of it's original intent, and seems to be turning into eBay by the day, I am not surprised..just done..
After the holidays, or when my listings expire, whichever comes first (no point in shutting down while my money is already spent and not recovered) I'm leaving ComeandGetsy for good as a seller..and I'm not the Lone
Ranger..
By the way, 2 weeks after I re-upped with ArtFire, I made a sale there..
go figure...

Autumn and a Return...

Yesterday marks the first day of real rain all summer - and the lack of singing birds at 4 in the morning, or the hint of chill for my morning view on the balcony, looking out at a fog-tinted sea...The screaming yet oddly welcome blue jay who always appears in early September..the cooler nights and shorter days...
Can the trees, slowly dropping their leaves with infinite seductiveness, be far behind?
It's time for me to gather up all my hats and neckwarmers, and head out to, or should I say back to, the Farmer's Market once again..
Crafting as a business venture has it's own set of weird realities, almost as if the act of creation is in direct opposition to the act of selling..or bartering, as sometimes happens...
I am rather affable with the public, enjoy being outdoors, discussing my creations, and rarely get the kind of nasty critiquing so common with paintings at an exhibit..the competitiveness is confined to a certain extent, so the aspects of trying to earn your way are not so onerous as, say, a factory job, when you are the factory..but it is difficult to keep changing 'hats' (pardon me, please) from creator to salesperson and try and maintain an emotional distance from my work.
I do have 'favourites', and others that I sell with relief, because they make me uncomfortable for whatever reason...I meant them to turn out differently, or the colours weren't quite right..my issues, of course, the hats sell as well as any others..as I always tell reluctant women who say they "look terrible" in hats- you just haven't found 'your' hat yet...
And I will never find mine, thankfully..perfection is an ideal, and not strictly a possibility, and since all my hats are one of a kind, I can never get bored, or obsessed with just one.
As summer turns inevitably to Autumn, I wish you all happy creating, and for those of you that sell your work, a good season...