Message in a bottle

A friend of mine who is a writer named Lizzie Newell was talking in FB about how she seems to be in stasis. waiting for her first sales of her new novel waiting for the op ed piece she was invited to write to come out in the local paper. Another friend called it the message in the bottle feeling.

You get an inspiration, you turn it into a vision, then a plan, then work, then you put it in a bottle and toss it out into the world and hope that someone sees your message, relates to your vision, appreciates your work, and responds favorably.

Sometimes you have to step back a bit and think about other things, the dirty dishes, the neighbor, the  next load of firewood to bring in... Still it lingers in the back of your mind and it is difficult to accept that things will happen sooner or later and you will find out how you message is received.

I do have one thing that help distract me: The next inspiration to become a vision to become a plan...

inspiration: a coaster at my friend's house
the vision:

The mother of invention

We all know the phrase about necessity being the mother of invention. Invention is also a child of creativity so maybe creativity is invention's father.
Not all things that are necessary are in need of reinvention. And yet through the competitive world of economics they often are. Feminine hygiene products for example don't need this constant state of reinvention except to keep convincing women that our natural bodily functions must be kept secret. And the more discreet the better.
I keep seeing advertising for things that are not a real problem but because some one invented a way to solve the non-problem there are millions spent of convincing us it is a problem. body hair, wrinkles, sheets that don't smell like they were dragged through a field of blue bonnets...

Oops got a little side tracked there.
Where I was going to go, was to talk about a possible up-coming issue for myself and one that does effect others. Incontinence, night sweats, menstrual over flow and sexual body fluids have a way of making sleeping uncomfortable and ruining mattresses. Now there are already solutions out there. disposable pads, leakproof mattress covers, and reusable bed pads that you can toss in the washer.
So why reinvent something that already has a number of solutions?
Because I want something that is pretty. 
I want something that is not industrial, bleachable, but still shows stains, institutional, "I should be ashamed of this", white.

One of the symptoms that often arises with my form of leukemia is drenching night sweats. So I will focus there as a reason for my need. I am looking at buying all the stuff I need to make a couple of pretty bed pads with with lots of color that would hide staining better than white.

(another side note: I once met a woman who had expensive Persian rugs over her carpet in strategic points and she explained that kids spill things, with the Persian rugs and all their bright colors they did not show the stains as much as the regular carpet and these would last much longer and they could always pass them down in the family.)

Anyway her logic has stuck with me and I am ready to invest in the three types of fabric it will take to make a good size, pretty, reusable mattress pad or maybe two. I just need to find the space to do some sewing one of these days. 

💸🌸🍀

The care and feeding of an artist

I believe most people have an artist in their lives. Or maybe they are the artists, but we seldom work in a vacuum so chances are we know other artists.

1. Artist do not create out of ego. They do not paint, sculpt, perform, shape, dance because they are bragging. They create out of a deeper need to express a vision, a shape or a feeling.

2. They are often fragile beings in that critiques can elicit harsh inner doubt in what they do.

3. Sometimes they must be reminded to eat, sleep and bathe if they are in the midst of the creative process.

4.They need stuff, stuff for inspiration, stuff to model with, stuff to create with. Art never happens in pure austerity. Organization of this stuff may be secondary to their process.

5. They may have a different perspective when they look at things. Be prepared for comments on color combinations, feelings, and patterns.

6. Anyone has potential to be an artist. They look like regular people most of the time. You never know if you are about to meet an artist.

7. Most artists have regular jobs, but wish they did not have to.

8. When you discover you have an artist in your life, do your best to support their strengths and their weaknesses.

9. Cherish the artist in your life, they bring joy and depth to the world with their creations.

my favorite TV shows

I think I have an odd interest in TV shows. while many of them are competitional they are almost all about creative passions.
Using Roku more than broadcast TV and being without access to cable I have some freedom to pick and choose what I want to watch in my few moments of time when the TV choice is mine.
Living in a 1 room cabin with a male person means I seldom control the remote. 
but programs I watch are things like sewing and crafting shows on PBS, Shark tank, master chef, and other cooking competitions, and project runway.
Everyone seems to have a real enthusiasm for what they are doing. and it is not always about the money, but the opportunity to show off their creative abilities.
Sometimes it is how they adapt to the limitations like certain ingredients or design constraints, other times it about selling themselves and their own visions and getting feedback that validates those passions.
In real life finding that validation is often much tougher. for our own part we often focus on the shortcomings and how we changed the design because we ran out of... or could not find... or had to make do with...
And if we end up in a competitive setting like a market selling right next to similar products our buyers and other vendors will compare us with a sharp eye and possibly a sharp tongue.
Still if we follow our passions and keep trying we will gather positive reviews from ourselves as well as others. 
I watch shows where the passions are deep and even with the harsh light of criticism, the creators march forward with heads held high.