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...?)

Where Do You Get Your Ideas?

  This will be a couple  of postings about inspiration, since I have been thinking often  about the question  in the title...the one I get asked, often more than once, at every market/craft fair/event that I participate in.... thought  it might be interesting (at least to me) to follow through with the beginnings, middles and end results of  inspiration...
I live on  the first floor, sort of, not exactly a basement suite, but partially, I guess, of an old brick farmhouse, and my living room window faces the front yard..where there are various  seasonal things growing that I see...right now it's  beautiful purple iris..don't know why but they really take my breath away, so surreal/strange in shape and  yet so old- fashioned-familiar...always been one of my favourites...I took a couple of photos in the rain this morning, through the window....I'm now thinking about a hat...and maybe a watercolour...but definitely a hat....
So whatever transpires in the next few days, I'll post what I've come up with and the steps to it....

Advice for the Craft-Lorn...

One of my favourite blogs is created by Carol at "The Polka Dot Closet," here's a link...http://thepolkadotcloset.blogspot.ca/

In her latest entry,  Carol has resuscitated a past posting (referring to her own little antiques shop/booth) called "What Sells and What Doesn't," and  thought it would be a great starting point for  my first entry of January 2013...

Because I make what I sell,  it seems like I'm  working just as hard as when I worked full time at a regular job...but the money is certainly different.  I often wonder if  buyers assume that  my work is a 'hobby' or that I really don't need the money..both assumptions are untrue, sort of..
If I had to depend solely on my crafting sales, I would be in trouble.  I am single and self-supporting, so that puts me at a major disadvantage for  being able to ride it out when sales aren't going well.
Therefore,  try and stick to what I know will sell (or what I hope will sell!) all within the loose framework of desire...
What I mean by that is I refuse to start turning out an assembly line of the same old same old just because it will sell...I would get bored, hate myself, etc.  I prefer to be inspired by  my ideas..and I have way too many of them  to keep up.
Still,  I do want to sell what I make, so there is a constant  discussion in my tiny brain about what to do, what to do? This quandary is  thankfully relieved by those who approach me for custom work..which is of course my favourite...
I sell every Saturday at an outdoor farmer's market, and yes, even in the Winter..I live on the West Coast of Canada, so we are usually more temperate than the Prairies or the East., in late Spring and Summer, .I also sell at a weekly market (Wednesdays) in a nearby town called Chemainus, which has a brisk tourist  trade,  and is famous for its murals.  Wish that we could sell there in the Fall and Winter too, since the tourists keep coming all year and I do well there, but the town's business community still feels as if we are 'stealing' business form them..not true, our market is part of the attraction of coming to Chemainus..nonetheless..these are the sorts of things that are constantly changing, so always expect  the unexpected when you sell to the public in a publicly-controlled space...
As for the actual subject of  all this, what sells and what doesn't, I can only say that it ebbs and flows like  the tides...
Hats, right now, are in seeming decline, and I'm selling lots of scarves..and fingerless gloves are finally starting to sell for some reason, after being a waste of time for so long...used to sell booties, too, but they aren't working for me at all since last summer, and kid's hats always seem to attract buyers...the reason, I'm fairly certain, being because they are unique.
Price point is important, and because I spend  lots of time on my stuff, and use the best  materials I can, I charge what seems  to me a moderate amount..but many find my stuff expensive.  As most sellers of  just about anything know, if you can keep your price point at or near $20 or less, you will sell more..but I really can't do that, so have accepted that  the chances of people lining up to pay for my work are gonna be few and far between.  You, as a creator and seller, have to decide what  you need for yourself to  keep  going...
I truly believe that what sells  is what you loved making..maybe not the minute you put it out on the table, but if you are happy with it, it  will find a home.
I've come so close at times to taking certain hats  and putting them in the bin (for women's  fund raising) that I keep , but the minute I'm convinced that a hat is unsaleable, sure enough, that is when it sells. so  if you are interested in instant gratification, one  of a kind creations may not be the  way to go for you.
If you can find a tourist hub, that will probably work for you..I only sell my handmade jewelry in the Summer, but have been selling so many hats in those warm months that I'm starting to believe that I should add jewelry to the mix in Winter, too...who knows?
Part of the job is constantly editing what you have, and  keeping an eye out for what is happening with your work on a seasonal basis..
I also do seasonal craft fairs (indoors) and I'm finding that they are not worth the  much higher costs, at least not last season, but then, the economy may or may not have something to do with that, as all of last year was down from the year before..
If you can, keep records of  sales that you can refer back to..it's astounding how much information these simple  records really can provide.
Whew, this is really longer than I had planned...I  think that to sum it all up, what sells and what doesn't (for me)  is more about what you love doing and the patience and knowledge to offer only the best, because your best is the only thing worth doing.

Should I Stress or Should I Roll...

Oh dear, just looking at my holiday craft fair schedule...and worrying, just a tiny bit...on the one hand, if I do really well at all of them I'll be happy (having written off this year, generally speaking, as a not so great one financially, at least) but if I do too well too soon, what'll I do?
I feel as if I have to quickly create a bunch of new stuff on the off-chance that I may have little to offer by the end of November...on the other hand, if things go as they have the rest of the year, I'll have a bunch of stuff left over...*sigh*
Trying to guess what will happen is worse than the stock market, I don't quite know how to feel about any of it..besides killing myself trying to make things that take hours each to complete is sort of counter-productive...
Here's my schedule (not counting my weekly Farmer's Market, which will be all but ignored for the month of November, since these holiday (and indoor!) fairs happen, always, on weekends)
Duncan Christmas Chaos -November 8 thru 11
Earthly Delights Winter Market -Nov 17-18
Mill Bay Winter Holiday Fair- Nov 24
Shawnigan Lake Winter market - Dec 1st
Did I overdo it? Too late now..everything is prepaid (naturally) so couldn't afford to back out if I wanted to...
Silly, yes?  I know there are people everywhere who wish they had outlets to sell their work...but don't ..
Sometimes too much is simply too much..maybe I'll slow down when I'm 70....
In the meantime, here's the output (so far) for the week...

This ridiculous Weather...

Forget everything you thought you knew for certain about Canadian weather...even if you live in Canada..this time of year, you need a scorecard!
Amidst dire warnings of snow (possibly) or heavy rain (probably) one cannot plan a darn thing more than two hours in advance..and, the weather reports are almost always wrong!
Every time I think it's the right sort of weather to give up on hats and scarves and start getting my jewelry supplies in, sure enough, Murphy's Law (poor ol' Murphy, scapegoat for the universe!)kicks in, and the weather goes into a deep chill...or not..worse than someone who changes their outfit twelve times, never happy with whatever they have on (..guilty!)
Today it was supposed to snow for awhile, and then rain..although it was a bit chilly this a.m., of course neither 'event' happened, and I can only hope, now, that it at least stays cool for a bit, so I don't have to dig out my Spring stuff, yet again, only to have to pack it up and put it away...
Not a huge bummer, when considering world events, I know..but it's my bummer, and I embrace it, fully.

I Wish Every Day Could Be Like Yesterday!

After a remarkably unsuccessful day trying to sell old jewelry and whatnots at my local Flea Market, (where we probably had 40 'customers' come in during a horribly heavy rain day,) I was sore and exhausted on Sunday morning when I woke up...miserable in fact...
But something kicked in, and suddenly I started making things madly, and two bracelets and a necklace, one wild and crazy hat later, I sat back and thought, "Where did all that come from?"
I can remember that conventional wisdom in the last two centuries was that artists had to starve and be miserable to be creative, and if Van Gogh or Beethoven are any example, you could understand where such a theory came from...but was that it? Certainly no one looking at me would ever assume starvation...
Really, when happy and healthy, I want to go somewhere and find some social or artistic stimulation, often as an impetus for creative challenges, later; but maybe I've been going about it all wrong...perhaps aching misery and depression are truly the answer.
It's been theorized before that the baby boomer generation was the direct result of all the horror and death experienced by the world during WW2, an almost reflexive affirmation of life...that could be part of it too..affirming creativity in the face of the world seemingly standing firm against you, at least temporarily.
Whatever the root causes of this little burst of creative energy, I'm grateful for it, because sell or don't sell, I can feel a tremendous satisfaction in knowing that nothing has discouraged the 'process' of creating out of my system.

I Do Feel Guilty..sorta...

Haven't posted in over a week..long time for me, but, really..not much to add to the general creativity going on here in bloggerland..
I am more or less trying to gear myself up to start making jewelry for Spring..and a bit to sell at my weekly (currently indoor) Farmer's Market, but made still another hat instead..well, needed a child-sized one to replace some I sold..
Do you ever get that maker's version of writer's block? Drives me nuts.. keep sitting around, thinking about what I should be doing, but all I end up doing is crocheting..maybe it's guilt-crochet, don't know..other times when I should be crocheting (the Fall) I am obsessed with making jewelry..wish I could control it..
Also, January doldrums are here, full force..I really need some good news, hysterically funny stories..something to wake me up..any suggestions?
(Keep it clean...)

My Guilt is Semi-Assuaged- Part 2...
Read the above, got disgusted with myself and decided to force myself to the jewelry table..
6 pairs of earrings later, here's a couple of the latest ones below...
Too much like work (;oD

Mars, Other Galaxies, and Creation Myths

Two things happened yesterday that had a strange synchronicity..if that word means anything..
Don't know about you, but not only am I a bit of a closet space geek, but get the Discovery News blog and read it daily..two things related and far-fetched came to my attention, and got me musing about creativity and the human brain..
It was announced (in major newspapers too) that the discovery of many Earth-like planets in several galaxies meant that the chances for other life forms "out there" was greatly enhanced.
Last night, I watched what may have been a rerun (new to me) about the possiblility (nope, probability) of Earth "seeding" Mars to create an Earth-like atmosphere that, it is theorized, probably existed several billion years ago..
I won't bore you with the details..it was a one hour program..but it got me wondering..
Could we, on Mars, be repeating what may have happened here billions of years ago?
There are so many creation myths in different cultures that involve gods coming from the skies to bring this or that benefit, always with the promise to return...sound familiar?
Thinking about literally re-creating an Earth, where before, there was only desolation and lifeless cold seems so, ummmm, old school, in the face of the 'new' discovery of multi-earth-like planets and yet, Mars is very close, and would make a great practice site for us, like a Victory garden where we can avoid all our historical mistakes and create a kind of Martian version of Paradise..
Makes ya wonder...

An Ode (and a Cautionary Tale) of Grandmas

My parents had the most interesting women for mothers themselves, and these two women could not have been more different, one creative, energetic and loving, the other...well..not so much..

One came as a child to Chicago, during one of the many anti-Jewish pogroms in Russia and the Ukraine. She had a large and loving family, and met my Grandfather at her parents' dry cleaners, when he came in to get his pants pressed, a quaint but now-obsolete common practice in the 1920's.
She was my mother's mother...

The other, the child of parents who came to New York on the 'fever' ships from Ireland,
a Catholic and a Protestant from 'Derry, strangely and dangerously married...this child's parents didn't survive long, and she was raised in a Brooklyn Catholic orphanage...
She was my father's mother...

My maternal grandmother, Marie, was the creative one, although I don't think most of her relatives appreciated her efforts...she wanted to embellish everything, make everything 'pretty', as she said, but was sadly frustrated in her efforts. She used to knit me those crazy-coloured booties that seem to last a season, then another pair would come, right on time..she was a great cook, and would never let us visit without stuffing us mightily with gorgeous Ukrainian food, the Depression probably not far from her thoughts in this new time of plenty.

My paternal grandmother, Trudie, my sister named for her, was an entirely different article..she spent visits talking about herself almost exclusively, and exhaustively, as if to convince us of her worth, which I never appreciated, since she always sent us, as her only gifts to us, Christmas-time excruciatingly cheap, bad, impossible to wear ugly clothing, which of course we were forced to wear in her presence. She cooked as if the Depression were still a reality, and I actually learned to enjoy such poverty protein as lambshanks (they used to be really cheap, gentle reader!) and fried smelts...
My maternal grandmother was always impressed and delighted with my juvenile efforts at being creative, perhaps feeling I was a chip off the old block. Her various homes, (for she and my Grandfather were, indeed, perennially wandering Jews, a habit that I too was born with..) over-
embellished with floucy furniture covers and lots of little prints of classical art that was actually a good starting education for me, embarrassed my Mother, who was totally without creativity and had no apprecialtion for her mother's attempts to gild the lily..but what Grandma Marie gave me was the ability to ignore boundaries, to colour outside the lines-
probably the most valuable gift I ever received as a Maker-permission to fly...
Now my favourite Grandma Trudie story is a bit shocking, but very telling in some sense..
She was the crocheter, who didn't teach me because she didn't know I wanted to learn, and couldn't have because I'm left-handed...
When I was about 4 or 5, I can remember sitting at a bus stop in Glendale, California (where she lived, not I) and watching her crochet a tiny little baby dress and hat on a rubber baby doll, less than 2 inches long.
Do any of you remember those wee dolls? Usually, they came naked in a little plastic capsule from a gumball machine for 5 cents... At any rate, I thought it was miraculously beautiful, so I was staring at her hands, busy with that skinny metal hook and thread, when a woman with a young son sat down next to my Grandma...for no discernible reason, the son, about 3 years old, bit my Grandma on the hand...
My Grandma calmly grabbed his arm and bit him right back, till he started squalling, his mother, shocked but silent, looking away as if it hadn't happened...no, this didn't corrupt crocheting for me for a lifetime, as you can see, quite the contrary..
When my Grandmother finished the doll, I asked if I could look at it, and she handed it to me briefly..how I wanted that little dolly...well, of course not, it was for a little girl from her church..and this was the other great lesson, and probably what made it necessary for me, later in life, to learn, against all my left-handed odds, to do the damn thing myself.
Now, one grandma came from love and tradition, and one from death and pain, so as I get older, I am more empathetic to my 'mean' grandma, because her life was so horrifying, so young..

Still, I will always believe that, for me, creativity comes from love...