Heads up! This weekend and next weekend the West Austin Studio Tour begins! I will have a fair amount of work displayed at stop #14 thanks to Laura who has done a tremendous amount of work organizing, publicizing and readying her studio for this event. You can find out more by going to her blog. THANK YOU LAURA!!!! I invite anyone who is in Austin to stop by, say hi and check out the variety of works she and other artists will be exhibiting!
ps I'm happy to say I did finally get all of my work back from the PA Gallery. Not really thrilled with the way it was packed and returned, a few things a little worse for wear but given the lack of proper packing I'm just glad nothing got seriously damaged. Who knows why things happen, that certainly seemed like a complete waste of time, effort and money. Chalk it up to another life experience and move on.
4/6/13
.
per the last blog post about the gallery stuff. i guess i just have to assume/trust i'll get my work back eventually. since it is coming back very prematurely it would have been nice to get it back when she said she was sending it (nearly 2 weeks ago) as i do have a friend in austin who would happily show my flowers and boxes in the austin west end studio tour that she is partaking in. that is just a few weeks away. yeah i have other stuff i can get to her but the flowers were my tallest/best put together and most income making of them all. breath. open my mind and remember i cannot control anything and everything just IS. (i feel i should reiterate that i bent over backwards to get art to this gallery and then they didnt even open up the boxes for 3 weeks. now they are ignoring me when i ask to please send me delivery confirmation info so i have a clue when its coming. i sent the check to have my boxes shipped back and there really isnt any excuse for this sort of behavior. but then, i'm just a peon who isnt making 10k pieces)
the new mexico (taos) gallery. while they loved my flowers. loved my clocks. now i'm hearing they are such a small gallery that they dont really have enough wall space for a 'collection' of my clocks and since my clocks are inexpensive it isnt worth their time or my dime to ship them. the flowers dont take up wall space but they thought they were too expensive.( i gave them a high end quote since i was talking about making taller ones). again, not really worth it for them OR me. i liked that place, they wished me well and were really honest sounding when i called to follow up on their rejection email. i said i just want to know if i'm doing anything 'wrong' or my prices are totally off the map etc. basically it boiled down to them being very small and my work not being quite right for that space.
so that leaves austin possibilities thanks to my friend down there. she is willing to do anything as far as me shipping stuff there for retail. (my god the woman has even offered to drive here and pick up a bunch of stuff. WHO DOES THAT) she has found a gallery that might want some stuff but at this point we BOTH are thinking galleries suck. then i stop and think am i going to do this again? and am i going to ship pencil holders for a retail shop that out of context just might not make any sense to a consumer (and only get 50% for it minus costs to get it there?) people on etsy 'get it'. and they see my whole shop and know the variations and theme of my work. out of context who will know that that is a pipe from the scrap yard that i salvaged? that i toiled over to make into a reusable container? sometimes...honestly...i think what i'm making is just the shitz beyond belief. and then sometimes i get that creeping paranoia that this is all just a joke. it boils down to doing what still brings me joy. at this point the mindless vases and pencil holders are more an 'easy buck' and they arent as interesting to me unless its a very cool patina or shape. (although it is time consuming and expensive to do the vases since they needs coats of rust converter and latex paint) but i'd still rather pump some out to make a buck than do something other than my own thing. i'm mostly interested in making more flowers and keepsake boxes. those are very rewarding. oh and clocks. and furniture. and and and
sometimes, honestly i am so tired i think i can't go on. my challenge is to NOT look even a day ahead because when i do i can get a crushing sense of a life that is constricted beyond what i think i can bear. and then i think well even if there were a job i could do what use would it be if i spent my time loathing every minute or panicking the whole time. i did ask the apartment peeps if there were any units to clean (you know i'm feeling desperate when i do that cuz frankly its just the foulest fucking thing i've ever done...i still can't believe the gross conditions people live in) alas, there are none. i was relieved. (and again, i should reiterate lest anyone think i'm just a spoilt artist... i was starting to make good income on etsy but they changed stuff recently and myself and others are scrambling to try to get seen/sell again. i've had other artists/sellers on etsy tell me what was once a part time job (etsy sales) is now not bringing in anything for them....its not good right now)
i did just sell $20 worth of brass empty bullet casings. take out what it cost to buy them and % etsy and paypal takes...still its about 2 hours of min. wage that i didnt have to do something soul crushing.
i feel like i'm in my own way and i dont know how to get out of my own way. i'm pretty sure that selling art online is the way to go. i'm pretty sure i have to find other ways to do that aside from etsy. i did just join a site called 'custom made'. i havent uploaded 3 projects yet and they keep sending me emails reminding me to do that and i find myself getting irritated cuz i want to THINK about this and not just put anything up there. and then i think wow i just dont work well with others do i....i can't stand being told what to do or being bugged, my god when did i become such a difficult person?...perhaps i always was, which is why i am an artist. who knows.
i can't imagine that this interests anyone but there you go. my little world.
the new mexico (taos) gallery. while they loved my flowers. loved my clocks. now i'm hearing they are such a small gallery that they dont really have enough wall space for a 'collection' of my clocks and since my clocks are inexpensive it isnt worth their time or my dime to ship them. the flowers dont take up wall space but they thought they were too expensive.( i gave them a high end quote since i was talking about making taller ones). again, not really worth it for them OR me. i liked that place, they wished me well and were really honest sounding when i called to follow up on their rejection email. i said i just want to know if i'm doing anything 'wrong' or my prices are totally off the map etc. basically it boiled down to them being very small and my work not being quite right for that space.
so that leaves austin possibilities thanks to my friend down there. she is willing to do anything as far as me shipping stuff there for retail. (my god the woman has even offered to drive here and pick up a bunch of stuff. WHO DOES THAT) she has found a gallery that might want some stuff but at this point we BOTH are thinking galleries suck. then i stop and think am i going to do this again? and am i going to ship pencil holders for a retail shop that out of context just might not make any sense to a consumer (and only get 50% for it minus costs to get it there?) people on etsy 'get it'. and they see my whole shop and know the variations and theme of my work. out of context who will know that that is a pipe from the scrap yard that i salvaged? that i toiled over to make into a reusable container? sometimes...honestly...i think what i'm making is just the shitz beyond belief. and then sometimes i get that creeping paranoia that this is all just a joke. it boils down to doing what still brings me joy. at this point the mindless vases and pencil holders are more an 'easy buck' and they arent as interesting to me unless its a very cool patina or shape. (although it is time consuming and expensive to do the vases since they needs coats of rust converter and latex paint) but i'd still rather pump some out to make a buck than do something other than my own thing. i'm mostly interested in making more flowers and keepsake boxes. those are very rewarding. oh and clocks. and furniture. and and and
sometimes, honestly i am so tired i think i can't go on. my challenge is to NOT look even a day ahead because when i do i can get a crushing sense of a life that is constricted beyond what i think i can bear. and then i think well even if there were a job i could do what use would it be if i spent my time loathing every minute or panicking the whole time. i did ask the apartment peeps if there were any units to clean (you know i'm feeling desperate when i do that cuz frankly its just the foulest fucking thing i've ever done...i still can't believe the gross conditions people live in) alas, there are none. i was relieved. (and again, i should reiterate lest anyone think i'm just a spoilt artist... i was starting to make good income on etsy but they changed stuff recently and myself and others are scrambling to try to get seen/sell again. i've had other artists/sellers on etsy tell me what was once a part time job (etsy sales) is now not bringing in anything for them....its not good right now)
i did just sell $20 worth of brass empty bullet casings. take out what it cost to buy them and % etsy and paypal takes...still its about 2 hours of min. wage that i didnt have to do something soul crushing.
i feel like i'm in my own way and i dont know how to get out of my own way. i'm pretty sure that selling art online is the way to go. i'm pretty sure i have to find other ways to do that aside from etsy. i did just join a site called 'custom made'. i havent uploaded 3 projects yet and they keep sending me emails reminding me to do that and i find myself getting irritated cuz i want to THINK about this and not just put anything up there. and then i think wow i just dont work well with others do i....i can't stand being told what to do or being bugged, my god when did i become such a difficult person?...perhaps i always was, which is why i am an artist. who knows.
i can't imagine that this interests anyone but there you go. my little world.
3/29/13
try again
i do not feel efficient. i feel completely scattered.
over a month ago etsy made what was kinda a big change to things and i have been trying to recover from it view wise. sales wise. its a slow time of year anyhow but to have suddenly get a huge loss in views because of their change has been completely overwhelming. were it not for a few repeat customers i would be fucked. JUST when i was getting lots of views, consistent sales from 'new people'....the rug got pulled out from under me and i feel like i'm starting from scratch again. i spend HOURS AND HOURS AND HOURS screwing with keywords, marketing, trying to get seen online again.
to top it off, many of you know i have help with $$ and that got cut a little and probably will more this year. i try to live in the moment so i dont wake up sweating with panic and fear. everything is falling apart...you name it. from clothing/shoes/car/computer stuff, camera, tools....ME. i'm not 20 anymore. menopause picked the worst time to come get me. there are days i am so tired i feel like moby dick is taking a nap on top of me. but no one is going to do it for me so i have no choice but to keep doing whatever it is i do.
i got into a PA gallery this year but that was cut short. i guess i'm responsible for that debacle. it leaves a sour taste in my mouth but what can i do, move on. i personally found it frustrating that this place wanted my work ASAP for a feb 1st friday art walk. i shipped 2 boxes PRONTO. i never heard a word. granted i am not showing 7k pieces, and they wanted my work mostly for (as they put it...)
'spontaneous purchases', still, would it have been such an onerous deed to say hey paula got the work thank you. it arrived safely. love it. hate it. whatever. but no. nothing. so i checked in. the first friday was literally days away from when the boxes arrived. i waited a week and then said well how was it? they wanted to put several of my big flowers outside. 'oh it rained'. i waited 3 weeks and inquired again, their response....OH THE BOXES HAVENT BEEN UNPACKED YET. huh? are you kidding me? so basically you lied to me about even getting the work out in time for the first friday.
i then decided to find out how long they wanted my work because i'm trying to get a feel for my inventory and find other venues instead of depending on online sales. what i got back for a response was 'please confirm your shipping address i will return everything next week'. wow. so the 3 month stint i was to have turned into 3 weeks.
bitter taste. i'm sure in their eyes i was just an annoying person who is a nuisance. i cannot imagine, i really can't, receiving art from an artist and not saying a damn word about it.
anyhow. onward. my life feels so constipated sometimes.
another etsy friend in new mexico kindly gave me the name of a gallery she is in in taos. i called them yesterday and the woman seemed warm. human. communicative. she asked me to send images. i did. i got a response immediately saying in a few days the owner will look but she is NUTS about my clocks. (i'm hoping they are nuts about my keepsake boxes and flowers too). so i'm paying for my shipping which is expensive ...i was under the impression the PA gallery was paying for shipping both ways. initially i said i am very tight with money and if she wanted the work she could pay for shipping since it was such a rush job...anyhow, now i find she is having me pay for shipping if i want my work back. and now i will be hopefully shipping more stuff elsewhere. and shipping stuff to austin that another etsy friend wants to help get my work out there. she has been so kind offering to take my work places and get us both into retail or galleries. the biggest problem is i dont make big expensive things and it is a huge challenge for me to wrap my head around getting only 50% of say a $40 item. but if i can't make enough sales online right now i have to do something.
it very difficult for me to have a feel for what should be online, what should go here or there. how to handle all the things i make and figure out where to send it. how to pay for all that. how to afford life. i work my ass off and i just hope i have enough to buy coffee and food and toilet paper and hardware supplies to keep making art. i dont feel i have a choice, living the way i do. i did reopen my 3rd etsy shop which sells 'destashy' type stuff. i sold $6.50 worth of bullet shell casings this week (and that is before etsy takes their cut). I WAS THRILLED hahaha. and with that....back to it.
over a month ago etsy made what was kinda a big change to things and i have been trying to recover from it view wise. sales wise. its a slow time of year anyhow but to have suddenly get a huge loss in views because of their change has been completely overwhelming. were it not for a few repeat customers i would be fucked. JUST when i was getting lots of views, consistent sales from 'new people'....the rug got pulled out from under me and i feel like i'm starting from scratch again. i spend HOURS AND HOURS AND HOURS screwing with keywords, marketing, trying to get seen online again.
to top it off, many of you know i have help with $$ and that got cut a little and probably will more this year. i try to live in the moment so i dont wake up sweating with panic and fear. everything is falling apart...you name it. from clothing/shoes/car/computer stuff, camera, tools....ME. i'm not 20 anymore. menopause picked the worst time to come get me. there are days i am so tired i feel like moby dick is taking a nap on top of me. but no one is going to do it for me so i have no choice but to keep doing whatever it is i do.
i got into a PA gallery this year but that was cut short. i guess i'm responsible for that debacle. it leaves a sour taste in my mouth but what can i do, move on. i personally found it frustrating that this place wanted my work ASAP for a feb 1st friday art walk. i shipped 2 boxes PRONTO. i never heard a word. granted i am not showing 7k pieces, and they wanted my work mostly for (as they put it...)
'spontaneous purchases', still, would it have been such an onerous deed to say hey paula got the work thank you. it arrived safely. love it. hate it. whatever. but no. nothing. so i checked in. the first friday was literally days away from when the boxes arrived. i waited a week and then said well how was it? they wanted to put several of my big flowers outside. 'oh it rained'. i waited 3 weeks and inquired again, their response....OH THE BOXES HAVENT BEEN UNPACKED YET. huh? are you kidding me? so basically you lied to me about even getting the work out in time for the first friday.
i then decided to find out how long they wanted my work because i'm trying to get a feel for my inventory and find other venues instead of depending on online sales. what i got back for a response was 'please confirm your shipping address i will return everything next week'. wow. so the 3 month stint i was to have turned into 3 weeks.
bitter taste. i'm sure in their eyes i was just an annoying person who is a nuisance. i cannot imagine, i really can't, receiving art from an artist and not saying a damn word about it.
anyhow. onward. my life feels so constipated sometimes.
another etsy friend in new mexico kindly gave me the name of a gallery she is in in taos. i called them yesterday and the woman seemed warm. human. communicative. she asked me to send images. i did. i got a response immediately saying in a few days the owner will look but she is NUTS about my clocks. (i'm hoping they are nuts about my keepsake boxes and flowers too). so i'm paying for my shipping which is expensive ...i was under the impression the PA gallery was paying for shipping both ways. initially i said i am very tight with money and if she wanted the work she could pay for shipping since it was such a rush job...anyhow, now i find she is having me pay for shipping if i want my work back. and now i will be hopefully shipping more stuff elsewhere. and shipping stuff to austin that another etsy friend wants to help get my work out there. she has been so kind offering to take my work places and get us both into retail or galleries. the biggest problem is i dont make big expensive things and it is a huge challenge for me to wrap my head around getting only 50% of say a $40 item. but if i can't make enough sales online right now i have to do something.
it very difficult for me to have a feel for what should be online, what should go here or there. how to handle all the things i make and figure out where to send it. how to pay for all that. how to afford life. i work my ass off and i just hope i have enough to buy coffee and food and toilet paper and hardware supplies to keep making art. i dont feel i have a choice, living the way i do. i did reopen my 3rd etsy shop which sells 'destashy' type stuff. i sold $6.50 worth of bullet shell casings this week (and that is before etsy takes their cut). I WAS THRILLED hahaha. and with that....back to it.
3/25/13
change
everything always changes. i whisper that to myself often in the midst of angst. and i am also acutely aware of it the seemingly sparse moments that i feel like something is wonderful. everything changes. things that i dislike will change. things that i like....change. change is the one thing i can count on. change is the one thing i fear. change just IS.
sometimes i do not believe it. sometimes i think i will always struggle. but if you took all of the minutes in each day and siphoned them through a filter which discriminated moments of joy, acceptance....laughter, like etc. vs moments of said struggle, fear, exhaustion and uncertainty... there would in fact be, almost always... a few grains heaped up in the more desirable category.
i seem to be tired of my blog. tired of posting the new items which i also post on my facebook fan page and pinterest and a new site i just found out about called 'keep'. (I have colorized those hyperlinked sites but for some reason they arent showing up as a different color) guess i'm thinking i will give the blog a new flavor by writing. who knows. i personally think blogs are dying. even google reader is ending soon (which was where i received all of my blog feeds and have recently learned that google reader is going to say bye bye so i went ahead and deleted everything and just lost touch)
so why bother. i dunno. i know nothing. it is the one thing i know. oh. and that everything changes.
my life is small. my days are almost always spent alone. making art. marketing it online. looking for objects to make it with. i rarely see people or talk to anyone unless i force myself to go out there and plop into their lives. often when i do take the time to visit with people i find i have little to say. art is my joy. it is my life. how little anything else means. except connecting. hugging. laughing. i am perhaps more comfortable with who i am but often feel rubbed the wrong way when i feel like life is about making the next buck. surviving. i detest it. i am often frustrated beyond belief. life isnt about money. but when you dont have it. it is. i want to bypass that. i want to live. i dont even know what that really means. life isnt what 99% of all that shit out there is. my life is about creating. and yet, i have not been able to create a life that is sustainable. peaceful. spacious.
i am hoping that too will change.
sometimes i do not believe it. sometimes i think i will always struggle. but if you took all of the minutes in each day and siphoned them through a filter which discriminated moments of joy, acceptance....laughter, like etc. vs moments of said struggle, fear, exhaustion and uncertainty... there would in fact be, almost always... a few grains heaped up in the more desirable category.
i seem to be tired of my blog. tired of posting the new items which i also post on my facebook fan page and pinterest and a new site i just found out about called 'keep'. (I have colorized those hyperlinked sites but for some reason they arent showing up as a different color) guess i'm thinking i will give the blog a new flavor by writing. who knows. i personally think blogs are dying. even google reader is ending soon (which was where i received all of my blog feeds and have recently learned that google reader is going to say bye bye so i went ahead and deleted everything and just lost touch)
so why bother. i dunno. i know nothing. it is the one thing i know. oh. and that everything changes.
my life is small. my days are almost always spent alone. making art. marketing it online. looking for objects to make it with. i rarely see people or talk to anyone unless i force myself to go out there and plop into their lives. often when i do take the time to visit with people i find i have little to say. art is my joy. it is my life. how little anything else means. except connecting. hugging. laughing. i am perhaps more comfortable with who i am but often feel rubbed the wrong way when i feel like life is about making the next buck. surviving. i detest it. i am often frustrated beyond belief. life isnt about money. but when you dont have it. it is. i want to bypass that. i want to live. i dont even know what that really means. life isnt what 99% of all that shit out there is. my life is about creating. and yet, i have not been able to create a life that is sustainable. peaceful. spacious.
i am hoping that too will change.
2/26/13
new clocks and jewelry hanger
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| reclaimed wood pallet jewelry holder |
 |
| desk clock |
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| wall clock |
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