Some things change and some things don't, which is basically everyone's story. I was feeling nostalgic (because 2020 makes me want to remember ANY other time ha ha...) and thought I'd see if my blog was still out here. I really thought I would just retire it, but like boxes of old pictures and letters (those old enough to remember paper will understand) opening it up took me on a journey of remembering. The beginning days of jewelry making, the wonderful friends I've made along the way and how much this new idea of selling art online has changed and evolved over the years. It is quiet and reflective to write a blog post away from the frenzy and insanity on Facebook. So, I guess I won't retire the blog. I miss the days of finding beautiful handmade artwork on Etsy and the long gone 1000 Markets to post about every week. Maybe some day soon another site will pop up for handmade work to shine again. I hope so! Meanwhile most of us are still here, making, but just a bit harder to find among all the mass produced and cheap knockoffs that clutter everything these days. In fact, I'm currently fighting my own Chinese knock-off and stolen image battle, but that's a story for another time. Back to what changes and what stays the same...
I started this blog almost 14 years ago to the day - November 2006. That seems like 100 lifetimes ago! But remembering how I felt about making jewelry then, and how excited I was about starting my metalsmithing journey made me realize what stayed the same. I still love making jewelry every bit as much as the day I made my first pair of earrings. But, around 2010, things really took off, and the 8 years between 2010 and the fall of 2018 were a blur of crazy production and little time for friends, family or much of anything else in life. Except that I did manage to squeeze in a sweet Tennessee Walking Horse named Cloudwalker, who lived on a glorious farm about 15 minutes from my house. From 2016 to November 2018 he was my bliss. Sadly, one of the farm owners passed away and our lives all changed. That period of time seems like a lovely dream now, but I'm hoping another horse will come into my life when the time is right again. Change forces itself upon us sometimes.
More changes... A flooded studio forced me to close my Etsy shop. The studio renovation to permanently fix the water issue was on hold. I realized how burned out I was, and that I had to just breathe. I went part time. I got a "real job" for just short of a year. But my mom's memory and her macular degeneration continued to change. I needed to be at home full time. I "retired" early with the help of Social Security. I found a lovely little part time contract bookkeeping job, on top of part time jewelry. Then...more changes....2020 arrived with a disaster a week. The little contract job went away. Change again. Part time jewelry and taking care of my mom full time now. I love cooking for my mom because she loves to eat - an appreciative audience is a wonderful thing! I'll have to stay part time on the jewelry until I reach full retirement age. Didja know you can't work full time in self-employment (even if you don't make much money) if you are on Social Security prior to full retirement age???? So I have a little over 2 years to create my new, more sustainable, more balanced, jewelry empire that will support me in my old age. Creative change.
I also remain very busy as "staff" to my sweet retired racing greyhound Arkans BD Doc (just Doc for short). I adopted him this past January, and have been in love since the day I met him. Good thing. He continues to expect toweling off if rained upon, regular massages, and he also expects a daily schedule to be maintained. He keeps me in shape on our walks as long as I take him somewhere interesting. If it is not an exciting and new place, he will spend forever sniffing a blade of grass, or staring off into the distance. This is not really exercise for either of us. In this photo he is checking out a cardinal way up in the treetop. Greyhounds are sometimes said to be not "real" dogs. This may be true. They may be cats in disguise. More stories on this later. I never get tired of talking about greyhounds. You've been warned. Check out one of his races - this is one of my favorites - you'll see why. He was a fast boi! I'll also probably talk about Greyhound racing now and then. I've met so many great racing people since I got Doc. I'm sad to see what is happening to the profession. These dogs are loved, and I promise you they LOVE their jobs. A retired racer (or several, more is better, ha ha) is a privilege and a joy to share your life with. I'll end with Richard Skipworth's excellent illustration of "walking" a greyhound....
And yep, I'm working on a lot of jewelry. That will be another post. Theoretically I'll be posting regularly. But don't hold me to that, no promises, ha ha.
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