Artist frustrations...& Miniature bird book pendant

I recently finished this miniature bird book pendant, with wire wrapped hook, and listed it on Etsy in my Etsy shop . The link will take you directly to the item. It came upon me as a whimsical type of idea, with things I had previously made but did not have a use for- such as the too large miniature book above. Made with black leather, aging techniques, and with blank pages, it measures about 1 1 /2 inches high. I created the webbed pendant attachment from golden wire, and added the tiny handmade tassel for interest. I modeled in the picture with the pendant on a leather cord necklace. I am really pleased with my first try at altering some wire wrapping techniques and creating this little piece...currently on sale now for $15 with free shipping in the USA, $5 for shipping internationally. I have begun to create jewelry pieces and add them to my Etsy shop Pumpkin Hill Studios, with a few items specially done for dolls as well, under the moniker Atelier Lisa....

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I have really become enthralled with Pinterest and I was surprised to see how much time I spend on it- I have about 36 boards right now. I love looking at other's pictures and work, and love to share them. I have laughed because Pinterest has been referred to as 'electronic hoarding'...I don't know about that concept, but I find it a wonderful place to relax in the early morning with my cupof morning coffee, browsing beautiful pictures. Because of the heat, I have been looking at gorgeous pictures of Autumn and fall....If you haven't browsed Pinterest and are having an artist's block, I encourage you to browse, it is quite easy to get signed up or get an invite.

My artist frustrations have come about because ultimately, we all get to that place where we feel like we are on a creating treadmill...gotta make the ...whatever, to bring in the greenbacks. Though I love the dolls, the doll furniture I work with, eventually there is so much one person can do over and over before they are wanting to spread their wings...My biggest problem in this vent is time, to experiment, perfect and contemplate new art techniques and ideas. They do not happen overnight, and many times I am overwhelmed with my time limitations. At this point, my feelings of being trapped and stifled creatively come to a head, and I have to constantly find myself pulling back from things I enjoy doing, to regroup, and think more clearly, and focus.

I decided that a list was in order of how to manage my time and creativity, and put soem perspective on what it is exactly what I would like to do- and a changing of habits seemed to be in order. So here are the goals- such as they are for now!

1- Go back to my 'grass-roots'. Use materials on hand to create, instead of buying new to create something you are displeased with. (I am famous for this with craft supplies that end up never used.)

2- Get visually inspired. This means I am going to start taking my camera with me even though I have a camera phone. See the beauty in the everyday and ordinary, whether it is a ramshackle barn or a bird in flight, or puddles of water on the sidewalk.

3- SLOW DOWN........and begin to notice the art and the beauty in the world around myself. I did this today, and was amazed at how many gorgeous photos I could have taken. New inspiration came to me and new ideas for projects and pieces came to me.

4- Write it down...an idea may not be able to come about to be immediately put on the table and begun, but if I begin to write the ideas down, they all might evolve into a GREAT idea.

5- Practice practice practice....which is going to be my hardest goal. Practising is not my strongest suit, and I hate to waste product just to get displeased with it and throw the item out.

...right now this is what I have come up with to organize myself and loose this feeling of inertia and artistic frustration.  I came to wonder if other artists had this same feeling as I do, so I hope I am not the only one here experiencing this sense of intertia....the extreme temperatures of summer here in Virginia haven't made it easy- even in air conditioning my hands sweat so it is next to impossible to work with clay, metal, or paper because of sweat stains. sigh....

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~Lisa