The kindness of ..... patrons?

So! A couple who bought one of my 'quilts' at last summer's festival recently sent me a photo of it all framed up nicely. I included it in an earlier post below. Normally (and I have a reputation) once I sell a piece (or have it wrenched unwillingly crying and kicking from my grasp!!) they disappear from my concious. I've been known, in fact, to wander by a piece of framed art and mutter "that's sorta okay?" only to have the owner roll their eyes skywards and mutter in exasperation "Well, duh, it's yours!". Kinda explains why I don't sell much doesn't it. Anyways, my only critique of the piece is my own fault - I wish my edges had been straighter and then that little crack of white cotton wouldn't be showing so much (my finishing leaves a lot to be desired - but I'll leave that self-lashing for another day). So, somewhere, someplace, a wee bit of my DNA (needle pricks) is hanging on someone's wall!!!!! Still freaks me out a bit. Anyways, I bring it up only because they sent me another email asking for something else. Here is the thing though. I HATE commissions. DREAD them. Can't stand them - and I have 7 at the moment - let me repeat for those in the back of the room - SEVEN! That quiet sobbing you hear in the background... my sewing machine! I leave you with....

An absence of art

I am caught in one of those time warps of creativity - where I want to be doing stuff - but the day to day details of existing on this planet are preventing me from doing anything! Seriously! Frustrating! Truly!

In the past, when I get this way, I start purging (with a vengeance). Old supplies, scraps, WIPs - all get tossed. I'm trying to avoid that this time, because there is always a sense of regret about it - especially the WIPs! I'm also so behind on my course. 'Stress stress stress stresssssss'! The big mental thing I'm trying to work on right now - is to switch my thinking about my art from "indulgent" to "daily practice". It is easier said than done. I'm going to try and set aside an hour every day where all I do is something creative - instead of just 2 hours on a Monday at guild or a couple of hours on the weekend (haven't even managed that!).

Alright, enough griping, back to the arty stuff! Since I don't have anything to post - I'm posting links! Since some people gripe "Where the heck to you find all this stuff" at me - I'm posting some of my regular visits. But first - go to the following website:

Miscellaneous Inspirational

http://www.ashesandsnow.org/

It has remained at the top of my favourites! Oh, and turn your sound on!

Other links (I'll update over the course of the next few weeks).

Podcasts and Blogrolls
Stitchworks http://stitchworks-jackie.blogspot.com/
Faery Di's Fibre Feats http://faerydi.blogspot.com/
Studio Threads http://www.studiothreads.blogspot.com/
Magstitch http://magstitch.blogspot.com/
Layers of Meaning http://www.layersofmeaning.org/wp/
The Art Biz Blog (includes Podcasts) can be found at http://www.artbizblog.com/.
Outside the Artist Studio Blog and Podcast can be found at http://www.outsidepodcast.com/.

Websites - Inspirational and Educational
Home Sewing Association - lots of free educational materials and projects (not that I do any of them) can be found at http://www.sewing.org/educator/educator.html.
The Costume Manifesto at http://www.costumes.org/

Shameless Promotion of Projects I'm associated with:
Here is a video uploaded to YouTube by John Sabourin. He's an NWT artist whose work has cost me a few paycheques so far! The video is from the Great Northern Arts Festival 2005. I'm hiding in there someplace.



Great Northern Arts Festival - http://www.gnaf.org/
Travel Blog for GNAF - with a link to a video of a man whose singing makes me cry! He's also a great artist. http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/Canada/Northwest-Territories/Inuvik/blog-192391.html

Northern Art and Artists (including some reference sites)