From Rockets to Chocolate - Finding your passion

My husband and I took a little vacation like we do every year to N. Carolina to visit his daughters.  They are both grown and in college and both are doing amazing things with their lives.  They are finding their way through this crazy world we live in and although it has not been easy at times, they have muddled through and are shining examples of what hard work and a little sacrifice will get you.  One will graduate next spring the other has three years to go, but will also being doing a 4 month study in Italy.

On this particular trip we just happened to stop in at a shop called Mountainside Chocolates that was on our way back to our hotel and just off the road.  Well, I've got to tell ya, it was one of the funnest places.  Not only were the chocolate creations and ice cream super yummy but the owners were super nice and such congenial people. We ended up hanging out and talking with them for quite a while.  Ric, had his guitar leaning on a shelf by the door and of course we started talking about music, do you play, we play, my step-daughter plays and the other sings and we started jamming right there in the shop, each taking turns.  It was a hoot.


We asked how he got into the chocolate business and he proceeded to tell us with gusto and great enthusiasm about his journey from being an engineer at Lockheed, to his retirement and how he came upon this shop through a friend of his. How he met his girlfriend who also works in the shop.  It had all come about so naturally that it appeared to be destiny.

He shared his recent experiment with us and explained some things about how chocolate really doesn't go bad, but the white substance that forms on it is not mold but it is its reversion back to sugar.  That's my simple synopses. He went into much more detail than that I just can't remember it all.  He talked about how everything is handmade right there, how he learned the skill, showed us the master recipe book.  Oh it was so informative and fun.

An interesting lesson in life.  Back around 2005 when we learned that our company had declared bankruptcy and they were going to close our factory a lot of folks were in a panic as to what the next phase of their lives would be.  I was fortunate that I could retire and I had my music and my jewelry to fall back to.  I just kept telling everyone that this was a golden opportunity to find that one thing that you'd always wanted to do but never had time.  Turn your craft into a business, go back to school, learn something totally new.  Find your passion.  A few of my work mates have and Bravo to them.  I didn't have to find mine, I already had it.

Ric, too, is an example of life after your corporate job.  Who would have ever thought that a rocket scientist would end up making chocolate delicacies in a little shop in Silva North Carolina and loving every scrumptious minute of it.  

Making it happen, Keeping it happening.

 "Either you're working hard trying to make it happen, or you're working three times as hard trying to keep it happening. There's a difference between lifting something up and holding something up. There's two different degrees of strength.” - CeeLo Green

Some of you are familiar with CeeLo Green from the TV show "The Voice" and from the group "Gnarls Barkley" and maybe all kinds of other musical endeavors this talented music artist has been involved with.  I only knew of him from the show and the group myself.  However I just finished reading an article from the website Fastcompany.com with their picks of the 100 most creative people in business in 2012.  Being a musician and artist I like reading about what inspires people and what keeps them going creatively.  This was a very inspiring article for me.  

That whole article and a few of the others in that list got me thinking a lot about innovation and the proverbial box that needs to be thought outside of.  I have struggled with this my whole life trying to balance practicality with expressing what is truly running amok in my being.  There came a point where I said screw the practicality and just go for what is driving you Crazy ( that song by Gnarls Barkley is one that I can totally relate too) 

I am not having much luck on the musical front, mainly finding other musicians who want to  perform music that says something meaningful, matters, and is entertaining too.  I can make music happen but a lot of folks are pretty much stuck in the mainstream rut of "if it ain't played on the radio 40 times a day I don't want to hear it".  Really??? What a shame.  There is so much amazing music out there that unfortunately falls on very few ears, even with the influx of internet and phone apps that cater to personalizing a persons listening enjoyment.  So I guess that's where the keeping it happening part comes in.  

And then there is the jewelry design side of me.  Just like the music business it is very competitive and saturated with expectations on the latest trends and flavors and I've asked myself too many times, " so how do I keep my voice in that genre too".  I'm doing well, reaching out and continuing to travel down new roads.  Building a business takes time.  The learning curve,  the world wide web, fan bases, web sites, SEO.........

In re-reading my last two paragraphs I have to ask myself, "Are music and jewelry design that much the same?" 

The point I am trying to get to is one of perseverance and fortitude, experimenting with different mediums, and stretching the thought processes beyond what is immediately in front of your face.  What about branding and getting yourself out there not just in your designated circles but grabbing on to the fringes and tugging at them too.  That's what I've started to do and will see where it all takes me.  

I'm OK with the lifting and holding up part of both my creative out-of-the-boxes.  I believe that what I've started can only expand and grow because that is the nature of energy.  Keeping everything fresh, constantly, and being aware of my own consciousness and following that spark of an idea that takes me in another direction, again, is what keeps me strong and celebrating my creativity.  

Does that make me Crazy.......... possibly.  

Thanks for visiting my blog
Blessings 
Martie

A cluttered desk.........

Creativity Running Amok

In an article from Flavorpill - 15 famous authors on why they write,  Don DeLillo said "It frees us from the mass identity we see in the making all around us. In the end, writers will write not to be outlaw heroes of some underculture, but mainly to save themselves, to survive as individuals.”  This struck me hard as I believe this to be true for any artistic medium.  There is something in us artistic types that needs to do what we do.  It is not a choice.  It is innate. Creativity runs amok in our blood and the only way to tame it is to get it on paper, canvas, music notation, strung on beading wire, wrapped around a crocket hook........ etc.  

Without our craft we are simply blobs unable to function properly in our everyday lives.  It is our dissatisfaction with the mundane, the conformity, the everybody must be and do what some media or social device tells us is the cool thing to be doing at this moment.  This may work, and obviously does, for so many people.  But for others, not so much.   


I can't tell you how many times people ask me, as a jewelry designer, if I make 'such and such' a thing.  You know, the latest trendy trinket that Everybody is wearing.  I say No.  Because to be honest, when I've done that, I've been so miserable because I felt I 'sold out' and compromised my creative process.  And because my spirit wasn't into the thing, they never sold well.  Lesson learned quickly and I'll never do it again.  


Now, I'm not saying this to dis anyone.  We all have to make a living and if one enjoys and is completely content and satisfied with what they are doing then more power to them.  I respect that whole heartedly.  I believe in and have become intimate friends with what runs amok in me.  I can see no other way.  I can find no other relationship that quells that stirring.  


Being an individual in this world is vital to my survival as a human be-ing.  To tap into the 'amok' is the most freeing thing I've ever done.


Thanks for visiting my blog
Blessings
Martie 

My First Festival Show - Things I learned

Woohoo!!!!!  Just did my first festival show this past weekend.  I had blast.  Did quite well on sales too  :)  I was very proud of myself at how prepared I was but I also learned a lot.  I had read quite a few blogs on tips for craft/art shows, the 'to do' and 'not to do' lists, how they set up their tables, yadayada.  I didn't know what to expect and went in with eyes wide open.  

Should not have left the tarp in the car.  Yup, had a cloud burst and it rained for about 20 minutes which to a degree was good because when it rains folks look for shelter, and I had a canopy.  The ends of my tables got wet but nothing a little time, wind, and sun wouldn't take care of. 

The breeze was gusty and blew over one of my earring spinners and most of my necklace displays so I will try the rolled up packing tape under the base of the displays procedure to secure them to the table, and someone suggested to place a rock on the inside of the earring spinners.  We'll see how all that works next time.  

I think I still need a little more height, a couple more platforms to put the earring spinners on maybe.  I'll figure something out.

I need to iron my table skirts, although once then get packed up they may get all wrinkly again but maybe not as wrinkly as they were.    

I need to make more signs to advertise and draw people into my booth.  Big ones that people can read as they pass by.  Especially for my Guitar String Jewelry, after all, most of the shows I have lined up this year are at music festivals.  

I should have brought paper clips to show how to easily latch your bracelets.  Its in my Helpful Hints section. 

The best part - seeing my customers face to face.  Not that online selling is bad, not by any means, but you don't get that organic rapport.  You don't get to see a customers reaction to a piece - "OMG this bracelet will go perfectly with that dress I just bought", or see the look on their face when they hold a pair of earrings up to their ears and say "I really like these, don't they look great with my hair?"  Or being able to help a Dad pick something out for his daughter, help a customer decide which blue work best with their outfit.  I had a friend purposely come with no jewelry on because she wanted to adorn herself with something from me.  How sweet was that!!!!!  

I've been selling online for over two years but have been designing for over 15.  I've been selling in consignment shops and before I "retired" I sold a lot at work.  But this, well, it was quite validating.  I love every piece that I make and have a so much fun doing what I do.  

I'm constantly trying to come up with new creations, designing pieces that are different than what you see elsewhere.  I heard that a lot, "Your stuff is really unique" "What a cool idea......."  "Oh, these are fun.....".  I'm not making this up.  I purposely listened to what shoppers were saying, there comments about any aspect be it pricing or design,  negative and positive, taking notes because there's always something to learn, some thing that I could do better or make more of, like necklaces, and anklets.      

I know every show may not be as delightful and fulfilling as this one, although I hope they will be.  My next one is in three weeks.  I've got a lot to do.  

Thanks for visiting my blog.

Blessings to All

Martie

50 ways to Cope with Stress

Love This............... It's not that hard really.  You don't have to do all of them but if you can attempt at least half of them then I think you're on the right track.  

My Mothers Voice

A couple of weeks ago my husband found a box in the basement containing old reel to reel tapes.  Holy cow, I hadn't thought about those old tapes in a long time (Some of us over 40 remember what those are right?) Anyway, we had them dumped on to CDs.

A lot of what was on the tapes were recordings my Mom had done off the radio or from her albums by placing the microphone in front of the speakers of our Hi-Fi stereo.  I remember her doing this.  This was pre-everything we know today about home recording.  Pre-cassettes, pre-CDs, pre-cell phones, pre-digital anything.  So I suspected as I inserted the CDs into the player that the quality was going to be less than what I was used to with a lot of hissing and tape noise.  Plus understand that these tapes were over 40 years old.  Well, much to my surprise a lot of the recordings were clean with very little hiss.  Some not so much.  But all in all, according to the gentleman that did the work for us, in wonderful condition.

My Mom loved the saxophone so it was no surprise that a lot of the music was sax music.  I recognized several recordings as that of a friend of hers. The other discs had just a whole bunch of different music.  Some show tunes and some big band.  Plus there were recordings of my bother reciting the nativity and he and my sister singing Christmas carols.  Way cute!!!!

Disc 2 was the one that brought me to tears.  What my Mom had done was tape herself singing along to albums.  I hadn't heard her sing in over 20 years.  And this was the voice I remember growing up.  Warm, deep, full of passion and youth.  She sounded like Rosemary Clooney but with Sinatra-esque phrasing.  She used to sing a lot locally with all the bands in the area and did all the variety shows, back in the day.  When I was old enough we used to go to piano bars together and sing, especially this one that had Sam the piano man.  He was amazing and just a lot of fun.  We'd wait there for my Dad to get off of second shift.  Looking back on that now it was really cool to be able to sing all those old songs with my Mom.

The reason that this means so much to me is that my Mom has Alzheimer's (she was diagnosed about 7 years ago) and she suffered a stroke last November.  Although I know she still remembers all those old tunes as that is the nature of the disease, her experience of that music in her mind only happened yesterday.  She is now in a memory care assisted living community.  She seems happier than I've seen her in years.  She's laughing more and her sense of humor has come back.  They do all kinds of wonderful activities and the "characters" in that place make me smile.  But that's another blog post.

Just hearing her voice on those recordings filled me with so much joy, yet immense sadness. My mind drifted back and I heard her calling us all in for supper from the back porch, talking in Italian on the phone with her sister, singing with us in the kitchen after supper as we did the dishes and cleaned up, and hanging out with her at the piano bar. I also remember the family reunions in Connecticut where most of my uncles were musicians and they would jam in the garage and my Mom would sing with them.  We've talk about those times a lot when I've visited.

Those recordings and my memories are all I have left of the Mom of my youth.  She doesn't remember what she had for breakfast now and that's OK, because when I look into her eyes I see the stories in the years that have passed, the experiences of our lives, and all the fun we had together as a family even if she has a harder time recollecting those days.  I love her as deeply today as I ever did, and the woman I see in that wheel chair is still that same sweet, funny, beautiful woman I remember.  What's even more awesome is that I not only have her voice on tape but in me, and I will always treasure that gift she passed on to me.

Happy Mothers Day Mom.

Love

Your Baby Girl