Transitions: September News from the Studio

One good thing from 2020: A successful pumpkin patch.

I knew that 2020 was going to be a year of changes, but I could never have predicted the tumultuous twists and turns the year has taken. We knew that we’d be moving our first born, Maddie, into college this fall; but we did not foresee that exactly one month and one day after we moved her into the dorm, we’d be moving her back out. It was tough watching her miss the end of her senior year, have a very modified high school graduation and then decide to skip the planned party due to Covid complications. But I think this past month has been the worst (maybe because it involved so much physical labor.) She spent a good deal of the summer (and graduation money) planning the perfect dorm room and the move in was very smooth. We all had high hopes and held our breath. Maddie came back home, the first time, after one week with a suitemate in tow, because her own roommate went to get a test. The entire suite had to leave the dorm until the results came back. The test was negative, they went back. A week later she thought maybe she wasn’t feeling well and came home, the next morning she felt fine and headed back to the dorm. The university announced all classes were going online and her roomate left for good. Three days later a suitemate, a cheerleader, had a routine test come back positive. The remaining nine girls in the suite got tests and evacuated to quarantine housing. The tests were positive. Facing ten more days in the isolation dorm, Maddie and a friend chose to spend the rest of their quarantine at the girl’s family home on Emerald Isle. In the meantime, the university closed all housing. Maddie stayed safely at the beach taking her online classes and texting up a storm, while I scrambled to figure out where she could live. Because now, to all four of us, her coming home felt like a let down we couldn’t really bear. Her grandparents came to the rescue: offering up their rarely-used Raleigh apartment as a residence for she and a roommate. Now she and a good friend from high school, herself an evacuee from UNC Chapel Hill, are comfortably ensconced (and seriously upgraded) at an apartment in North Hills. She has a car, privacy, and lots of cushee amenities. I dropped by yesterday and she proudly showed me the neatly arranged groceries in the fridge — everything she needed to make a big batch of low mein. It was a good scene — two years earlier than I ever expected such a scene, but you’ve got to take the good when you can get it.

Bayleaf Market in progress . . .

Needless to say, these events and the corresponding roller coaster of emotions have dominated my life lately. But, I did do some other things. Also in August, my friend Courtney Pernell signed the lease on a space that she will turn into a studio and marketplace for art and handmade goods. Very exciting news and a lot of work for Courtney as she converts what was basically a glorified farmer’s vegetable stand into a year-round studio and display space. I’ve helped out some — the floor boards in the picture at left were laid by yours truly. When it’s done it will be a lovely space; I’m looking forward to having creative work for sale in the market, and possibly teaching some art-themed classes and workshops!

I’ve also listed some new items in my Etsy shop, The Muse and the Magpie, and will be posting more throughout September and October. I’ve really enjoyed creating small scale collage on handmade gift tags and will definitely be creating some tags and cards for the upcoming holidays. I’ve listed a couple favorite pieces that have been a little hard to let go . . . I’m making new work — there’re projects underway and lots of plans. I’m crossing my fingers for a more routine schedule and a lot less drama for the rest of the fall.

I also have blog posts in the works and plan on publishing three between now and the end of November: a tutorial for some cute and easily crafted organizers; tips on creating gallery walls with an update on the mini gallery I created in my half bath (in lieu of putting up wallpaper); and in November — some simple tips on how to create art from special objects and memorabilia. In the meantime, here’s a post from last year to help get you in the mood for the changing seasons.

Trusting the Journey

card by Kelly Rae Roberts

I have been blogging for nine months. A portent number, I should have something major — a launch, a pivot, a huge new project, to announce, right? Well, no. When I look back over my 13 posts I see creative scattershot: seasonal vignettes, making books, doodling flowers, crafting with shells . . . There is a theme, all posts center on making pretty things and/or decorating with pretty things, but the methods are all over the place. This is accurately representative of my creative endeavors to this point and when I look ahead, I see more meandering road — disappearing behind a curve, reappearing further ahead, ending up I’m not sure where.

A little of this and a little of that does not lend itself to the mastery of a particular skill set, and it definitely does not make for a cohesive “brand”. But when I start to feel bad about this, and I sometimes do (there’s a snarky little voice that pops up in my head now and then to whine “what are you doing?), I repeat to myself the words on the card pictured above and remember: I’m choosing to do this. To not go down this path would mean trying to evade one of the most significant parts of myself— a certain path to unhappiness, and missing the joy in the journey.

Have you ever felt like there’s something you want to do, maybe even need to do, but you have doubts about how it will turn out or if it’s even worth your time (maybe from other people’s perspective)? IF it’s not something you can let go, it will either nag at your peace of mind indefinitely or you put aside the doubts and just go with it. It’s easier maybe for a single project or event than something ongoing, where the challenge is in sustaining the energy to quiet doubts and keep at it. This is what I’m wrestling with right now. I really have done a lot of what I said I wanted to do this year but I’m no more clear on exactly where I’m going with what I’m doing.

I thought I would share some of the inspirational quotes and general thoughts I return to when I need a motivational boost in the face of so much uncertainty — just in case you sometimes need that too.

I made a promise to myself that as my mothering job became less time-intensive I would, for once, put my strong creative drive in the front seat and let it lead. I may zig zag around for a while, but I’m confident a coherent pattern will emerge. Or if not a recognizable pattern, at least a pleasant abstraction which could be titled “A Full Life.” The point is to stay true to the promise.

This blog is a manifestation of that commitment. It’s a way to hold myself accountable for actually doing the work. It’s visual proof that I’m getting something done. And maybe most significantly— writing, ostensibly to other people, about what I’m doing helps me explain it to myself. I know that I have yet to develop an artistic “voice” (my own distinctive style). Writing about my work forces me to reflect on it; I can then take that insight (ideally) into my next project and grow as an artist. (Also, as it turns out, I enjoy writing the blog and making graphics in Canva.)

Time management gurus say that the best way to get something done is to schedule time for it on your calendar. I know to truly honor my commitment to creativity I have to give it time. So I’ve been marking off blocks of time in my planner: time for doing general tasks and chores, time for projects around the house and yard, time for art, time for “marketing”(baby steps) art. This has actually worked for me. Scheduling time for an activity is more effective than planning on getting to it “whenever you have time.” It’s a way to prioritize something that always seems to fall to the bottom of the “To Do” list. The pandemic has made it easier to find time (silver linings) and I’m now in the habit of creating almost daily and consistently sharing my work online. 

As an aside, I know there are all kinds of digital apps and such out there, but I swear by the old-fashioned (some might say anachronistic) paper planner.

So — find tools that make it possible to clear space in your busy life for this particular walk, and for holding yourself accountable for going the distance. Other essential gear for the journey: 

• Recognition that we each have our own path; don’t look over your shoulder and stop dead in your tracks because you see someone else speeding down a different road. Comparison is the death of happiness and productivity.

• Pleasure in the process, because there are no guarantees about what you’ll have at the end of it.

The “no guarantees ” is tough. Not only do I struggle with my own doubts, but there is the inevitable fear of what other people may or may not think/feel/see in my chosen path. But I’m keeping at it and finding that having made the choice and committed to the walk, the most important thing to keep close on a long and wandering journey may be trust — trust that wherever the road is going, it’s where I need to be.

How about you? Is there something you feel you need to keep working at even if you’re not sure where it’s going?