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Friday, October 22, 2010

Home-ly....

books always sustain me along my journey, here are a few favorites that I return to again and again....


I would like to thank all of you who left such encouraging and empathetic comments on my last post. They are so special to me and really went a long way....

So, I've been doing a little here and there type of stuff. Experimenting, making a few things for small orders, getting household stuff in order too. Had to take an impromptu trip to get a tag for a new-to-us car. Since we spend a lot of time around and about, hop on pop type short trips all over the place, I feel like I'm constantly packing, unpacking, cleaning, straightening, organizing. It is actually sort of soothing and methodical, in a way, and lends some grounding to this sort of helter skelter type existence.

I've still been experimenting with projects from Stephanie Lee's Semiprecious Salvage, along with a few other ideas using materials I have on hand like the bezel set marble pendant with the french text. I used to be fluent in French, now I just dabble with a lot of effort and a dictionary. This one reads, un autre or another.

However, it is difficult on my creative process. While I get lots of new ideas from coming and going, my process is usually long and difficult and to fit in these long creative jags amidst the constant flux of my life is even more difficult. It always has been. I don't really see it changing. I just always have to evaluate the process and try to make it smarter. Work smarter, not harder...that's what one particular professor always told me....

How do you fit your creative process into the time your alloted? How do you streamline your process?

Working on a post for tomorrow with a little something home-ly to give away for my 32nd birthday ;)

9 comments:

Pretty Things said...

How do I fit things in? Hahahaha. Hahhaha. Oh. Excuse me.

I'm going to be taking Stephanie Lee's class next month -- eager to see if I can even keep up!

Unknown said...

That work smarter, not harder phrase is always in the back of my head. I always thought it was because I was just a nerd like that after reading Cheaper by the Dozen as a child. Am I more efficient buttoning my shirt top to bottom or bottom to top? Do I finish cleaning the shower walls faster by squee-gee-ing them horizontally or vertically?

Where do I fit in my creative time? Typically in the evenings and my sleep is sacrificed for it. As evidenced by the new burn mark on my studio floor from the past week :|

I hope you have a lovely birthday weekend!

TesoriTrovati said...

Happy birthday Barbara!
I am a night owl to be sure. I would like daylight hours, but I don't have them so I have to wring every last drop out of the nights. After big events, like this show I had on Tuesday, I couldn't do it. Tonight I am easing back in with the computer and blog that I have neglected. Not a whit of creating. But I love your bezels. I really want to be able to do things like that, but am not set up for it. I am considering Stephanie's eclass, but I am not sure that I can commit fully at this time. Maybe there will be another time in the future.

Hang in there. Maybe you are just in a fallow season where your soil is being prepped for being productive with the next planting of big idea seeds.

Enjoy the day!
Erin

Barbara Bechtel said...

@ kelley I used to sacrifice sleep, when I had a day job, but now my sleep is soooo important. Important because it was forsaken for so long working 60 hour plus weeks with odd hours. short days, long nights, vice versa. Now, I relish the sleep...and I've never been a sleeper.

but we're all different and I appreciate what makes us all tick and keep going now...each in our own rhythm.

@Lori....oh lord, we never fit it all in, we're all a mad bunch...pinching and shoving and making it all fit....in the short time we are alloted on this planet.

<3 love you guys...you are all so inspiring to me in more ways than you know. :)

Barbara Bechtel said...

Thanks Erin! I'm an early bird for sure! I'm dying to take Stephanie's e-class but don't have the funds, so I settled on teaching myself from her book...before I commit to a class. There are so many classes online I would love to take, but I live very simply, even down to the last coin...so I settle to study from the book for now. :)

I'm definitely in my fallow season. I'm looking for ways to tend the soil/soul and reminding myself of all the ways that have brought me here. My painting, my journaling, my other work. Experimenting. enjoying the process. Deep breathes. Not the right time of year for this but necessary. :)

Hopemore Studio said...

Barbara, What you have accomplished just from reading the book is fantastic. If you can flood and set bezels you have covered the first week of class! Love that you are filling them with polymer. I did the same for a few of mine too...but with transfers ('cause that's my thing)

My thoughts to your your question about 'stream lining'... I find my mind jumps around from idea to idea when I'm in a creative place. I try to write it all down, but I don't usually start working on any of the ideas unless they are still resonating a few days or even weeks later. This is just an effort to pare them down and save myself the aggravation of wasting time on an idea I lose interest in as fast as it came.

Angie

Barbara Bechtel said...

Thanks Angie! I'm pretty good at dissecting stuff on my own, so I thought I would give it a go before I tried the class. I'm sort of like Rainman when it comes to looking at stuff. I can normally just see something and try it out until it works.

I'm going to try and do different shapes next, besides the pipe. That should be interesting.

Unknown said...

The challenge of life is seeing if we can fit it all in then realizing we can't and then trying to do it all again! Sometimes it's fun others not but we can try to laugh at ourselves along the way!

I know you have a lot on your plate right now but remember what is important and you will get through it!

Hugs

Chris J said...

You are really enjoying on the beach...Nice pics..