She was more than my sister

 I write today to let you know my sister passed away on August 15.  She had been diagnosed with pancreatic Cancer and underwent surgery.  I spent a week with her during her hospital stay, a precious week, that I am so blessed to have had.  She lived in Michigan, and I am in Minnesota.
We had many conversations about our faith, and quiet times just being together.  The nurse in me says "I'm in the anger stage" I am pissed off about everything.
I have chosen to express my anger on the big black dog that lives in my house, and makes my life miserable.   The dog hair has always been a source of contention, well I have elevated my discontent trifold.   This dog (lab/Shepperd)  100 lbs. 3" long hair - black!
Next it was my son who took care of the house, or lack there of, while we were gone.  He's 21 years old.   And you'd think under the circumstances, he could have had the house partially clean. Of course not, my fault bad mothering.
 Next, I moved to my husband, and complained about the two screen doors that have been in need of repair...for over a year, the curtains in our bedroom still laying on the banister, ready to be hung, for a year, an  old bicycle that sits behind a bush - 3 years.  Well, you catch my drift.

In my mind, I had already planned, I would  increase my hours at work  at the hospital, find a studio apartment close to the hospital, it's not like I'd miss our interesting conversations, cause they do not exist.   I was enjoying, no, fantasizing, the thought of  no dog hair.  No traffic jams and 24/7 (365 days) on my 45 minute commute.

So there you have  it.
As far as making dolls...   I have no desire right  now.
It seems you need a degree in promotion and marketing, blog, web site,  twitter, pod casts, and many others that appear on a daily basis.

Well, I'm gonna wait until my anger subsides.
Please understand,  I will continue to follow your blogs, even if I  don't comment.








 

Why Do You Create Art?

Why Some People Create Art?
First you really have to love what you are creating.  I don't mean you have to love every piece you create, but you have to love the process, of actually, "doing it".  It is work. It can be challenging, but you can't imagine not doing it. There may be some aspect of the process you enjoy the least, but the end product is worth it.  You'll here people say if you're being true to who you are, your work will be authentic.  I agree with this.
      Thankfully, I don't  have to depend on my art work to fund my living expenses.
This is freeing to me.  If I had to depend on it to make a living, I know I would always be thinking..."what will sell?"  what's the next trend I can hop on to make money. I would then be creating for sales, letting the sales dictate what I create.  "I am just speaking for myself here"  Don't get you panties in a bunch if you make a living off of your art.  Good for you, many of us out there would love it, if we could too.

A perfect example of creating for sales, is an artist who shall remain nameless, makes the most wonderful pieces, when you see the photos online, they tempt you to want to make a purchase.  So I did, when I received the piece, it was exactly what I saw in the photo.
What was kind of disappointing was all the short cuts they took in the process, less than quality workmanship, you could tell, it was put together quickly.  The price was right, if I had paid more for the item, I would have been upset.  Do I like the item, yes.  But I would love it, if I saw that much care was taken to make sure  care had been put into the detail and you couldn't see glue.  It's like how I used to fix my hair when I was a teenager,  I just fixed the front, I couldn't see the back, so I didn't bother.

I do try to make a quality piece.  I work on improving my skills.  It's certainly not perfect to be sure.  You won't see me at  NIADA asking for a critique,  I KNOW where I need improvement.  I do my very best, I take my time.  I feel a connection to the doll. many artists say that when we create dolls, it's an internal expression of ourselves.  I find that so very interesting.
Sometimes, after spending hours online, admiring the doll artists on Art Dolls Only and Cloth and Clay Dolls,  and Etsy.  My inner critique creeps up and says, "Oh my goodness, they are all so good, why do you even try"
 And I gently remind myself...

because I want to. 

And that's enough of a reason.   

                                             How do you Feel about your Art?