Flashback Friday: Success

It's FLASHBACK FRIDAY!!!!

Yes...this is part of the new things going on here at One Artsy Gals Voyage. Since I am no longer posting over at The Artist In Me, I thought it would be really cool to transfer posts from there...here on Friday's. Of course I will eventually run out, but we won't worry about that now.  The whole post won't be in the past, as I will be giving you all a small snapshot of what went on since I posted last.

Let's jump in.....

I am determined to keep up with blogging this go round…with readers or not! This time it is less about others and more about cataloging my successes, and turning those ventures that fall short of successes into experiences that will make me better as a creative individual.

It’s amazing the inspiration that I find in the smallest of things. Although there was far less dancing than I thought there would be in the movie FAME (a different story altogether), I found a quote that was used about success to be quite inspiring. The quote went like this:

Success is not fame, money or power! Success is waking up in the morning so excited about what you have to do that you literally fly out the door. It’s getting to work with people you love. Success is connecting with the world and making people feel. It is finding a way to bind together people who have nothing in common but a dream. Success is falling asleep at night knowing you did the best you could. Success is joy, and freedom, and friendship. Success is love!

I am coming to understand that success is more grandiose than the small space I try to cram it in. And from this quote I recognized this:

• Success is personal - Success to one individual is not success to another. It is not about keeping up with the Jones' (whoever they are). It is about personal bench marks that are set and met.


• Success' drive is different for everyone - Success' purpose is multi-faceted. The thing that drives one individual could be the thing that totally disinterests the next. For some it is financial, for some it is emotional, for some it is spiritual, and for some it is just about finding joy in a seemingly dismal situation.


• Success should ignite a sense of freedom within - There is something special about accomplishing something that you set out to do. The operative word here being you. It could be a small or large feat, but a triumph for you all the same. 

So this week I was successful on my own terms!

I spent lots of time preparing for my first paint party tomorrow. I got all of the items except the aprons. I believe that I am going to make them in the am from old men's dress shirts. I got the idea from a pin on Pinterest. All of which will be included in this upcoming Monday's post.

There you have it folks! A little bit of the old, and an update on the new. I will continue to rejoice in the small successes that I make. I will remember to give thanks to God for each step I take to fulfill my purpose, no matter how minuscule they may be.

Corner of Gratitude:
The small things in life

Pearls of Wisdom:

Success was never meant to have control of the wheel, but sit nice and pretty and enjoy the ride. 

Your Thoughts:

Are you driving success or are you allowing success to drive you?

Until next time...

Trusting

What I missed these past two weeks! They are learning about shapes and creating robots (K-3) and cityscapes (4-5). They are doing a phenomenal job. I am so proud of them!

It snowed here in my little part of the world last night, much like other places along the East Coast. It took me by surprise. I hadn't heard anything about it on the news last night. And although it wasn't a terribly bad storm, its presence was here nonetheless.

My mother warns me, and my first thought was, "OMG this snow is tampering with my money...my livelihood...my bread and butter...my income (the little that is coming in right now)." If you know anything about working a commission only job, then you smell what I am cooking. And then the thought, "Well GOD, how are you going to make all of this work out because I am at my wits end?" I admit, the second thought should have been the first, but I'm being honest here.

I didn't have clients today, and I have no classes to teach tomorrow...all because of the snow! In addition, my car has been acting strange and my laptop that I work on is on the fritz. All plausible reasons for me to lose my composure.

This is the point where I must exercise the trust that I say I have in DAIDÍ.  There are so many things to get done and I have no idea on my end how in the world they will get done. I have little confidence in myself, my craft or in my ability to travel on this journey...if I am completely honest. However, I do have confidence in the Creator that I serve.

It's said that there is a silver lining in every cloud, and I believe that wholeheartedly. My silver lining comes in the form of experiences that are propelling me into my fine art career. I have one commission piece in progress, and several inquiries of my work. I have a paint party coming up this weekend, and my portfolio is coming along quite nicely. All silver linings!

I will continue to take notice in the silver linings, and have an attitude of gratitude because things could always be worse. The snow and all that it brings is all part of trusting HIM! My clients and kids will be there next week, and if for some reason we have more snow, I will trust HIM still!

Corner of Gratitude:
Trust beyond what I can see with my eyes

Pearl of Wisdom:
"Dependence upon God makes heroes of ordinary men like you and me!"
~Bruce Wilkinson

Your Thoughts:
Are you in a place where you must trust? While you are in the storm, can you identify the silver linings in your clouds?

Until next time...

Forward Motion

Forward motion is happening despite its moments of making me uncomfortable, and it's Monday! 

I know....what do the two really have in common? Well for starters, this is the first week that I am implementing the change that I spoke of in the last post. It's Monday, and this Monday starts the routine of blogging on a schedule. Blogging on a schedule is not foreign to me. I do it when I put my mind to it and have some accountability. You...the readers are my accountability, and me putting the schedule out here will help me to stick to it.  

I can be a sort of fly by the seat of my paints type of lady when it comes to my craft. I've finally identified that me flying by my britches could be where my problem lies. Consistency (showing up on a daily basis) is what moves a person from an amateur to a master. So today I take a stand and start fresh. A fresh start to a fresh week! A jam-packed week at that. All of the snow the last few days kept me in painting. There was no excuse for me not to since I'm not big on being out in the cold.

I took the time to build up a collection of paintings that people can choose from when they host a paint party. I will be instructing my first group of people on Saturday evening. I am both excited and a tad nervous. It's funny, I still get nervous about painting or drawing in front of others (although I have done it several times by now). I like to paint in the comfort of my studio, home or even in a place where I am not on display (i.e. my office aka Starbuck's). Perhaps it's a good thing that just allows me to know that none of what I do is because of me. I am just a conduit for the purpose that I have been given to carry out on this Earth. 

Here are a few paintings that I have done so far:

                                        

                                                    

There are a few more that are in the works, and I imagine that I will continue to work on the catalog even after my first party is over. 

I have other things on the docket to get done by the end of this evening, including looking for art competitions that I can enter within the next few months. I may or may not get to accomplish all that I have on the to-do list, but the effort is surely there. 

I have gotten more done in the last week (fine art wise) than I have in the last few months. It's a push, but a good push. No more comfort zone for me on this side of town. I intend to stay outside of the box from now on! 

Your Thoughts:

What routine (already implemented or need to be implemented) is moving you into a forward motion?

Until next time...

More Letting Go

There is more letting go that is happening. This time not as a shock, as it was definitely just diverting my attention from all that I am a bit afraid of. 

I have referred to my other blog site here a time or two. As a matter of fact, although this blog is about my journey as an artist and creative soul, I have directed you all there from posts made here in the past. And if you have read those posts, you would know that my other blog was connected to my business called Exo31 Art, LLC.

I started the business a few years ago in order to sell wearable art that I was creating from old, broken, and unwanted jewelry. I even added my knitted and crocheted creations about two years ago to the mix. Most recently (approximately 3 months ago) I created new items and opened an Etsy store.

I was excited...really excited. I had fresh ideas and new approaches to how I was going to proceed with business so that it was more successful than it had been in the past. I managed to maintain most of my social outlets, keeping them up to date with the new wearable art pieces that were available.

Then one day approximately a month or so ago I sat still and asked the Creator some important questions. What am I doing here? Where am I going? How did I get here? I know I'm created for great things and you have shown me what to do, but how do I do it? How do I get to the place you have shown me not being able to see the connecting middle pieces?

The answers weren't anything grand. They weren't super exciting or even new. The overall answer from HIM was simply...I haven't changed my mind from what I told you years ago. Do that. Regardless of what it looks like or doesn't look like...DO THAT!

It was simple and complex at the same time because "that" was the very thing I had been running away from for years. I mean, I would do it (meaning "that") here and there. I gave more lip service than anything...saying out of my mouth I was doing more than I really was. I would say things so much that I started to believe that I was on the right track. And in some areas I was. I would get to a pivotal point in the journey when I had the option to sink or swim. Each time I chose to sink because swimming just seemed too hard.  Swimming was going to require me letting go of some things. Things that I thought were fun and loved to do. Things that weren't bad, but just didn't contribute to "that".

So with that being said, Exo31 Art, LLC will no longer be what you all have briefly come to know it as. I will still create wearable art, but I will no longer be selling it how I have in the past. I may do some craft markets once or twice a year, but I won't stress myself if I don't get to it. 

Now I will be focusing on my mixed medium work with a heavy emphasis on painting (the "that" that I made reference to earlier in this post). I will finally apply to some residencies, start looking for supplemental income opportunities, start working on another individual show, and continue a huge project that I started long ago. 

It's another sweet surrender, but let's face it, my ROI (return on investment) was improving since I started years ago, but wasn't great, and more than anything...I really want to be obedient.

So from now on I will also have a strict posting schedule. I will be posting on Monday's, Wednesday's, and Friday's. I will no longer be posting over at The Artist in Me, but I will be transferring some of its elements over here.

There you have it folks! Hello Change! You are here for the better and I let my guard down to let you in. I welcome you with open arms!

Your Thoughts:

What does change mean to you?

Until next time...

Obedience...Better Than Sacrifice

"Do you think all God wants are sacrifices— empty rituals just for show? He wants you to listen to him! Plain listening is the thing, not staging a lavish religious production. Not doing what God tells you is far worse than fooling around in the occult. Getting self-important around God is far worse than making deals with your dead ancestors. Because you said No to God’s command, he says No to your kingship." (1 Samuel 15:22-23, The Message)

Obedience -the quality or state of being obedient, which means to dutifully comply with the commands or instructions of those in authority. 

Submission - 1) the offering of animal, plant, or human life or of some material possession to a deity, as in propitiation or homage. 2) the person, animal, or thing so offered. 3) the surrender or destruction of something prized or desirable for the sake of something considered as having a higher or more pressing claim. 

Changing a pattern and thought processes always deem to be difficult to do (even when they are good)! Over the last few posts I have been talking about major changes that were happening and going to happen so that I can pursue my purpose without abandonment.

So here I am...doing my best to follow who I know to be DAIDÍ (what I affectionately call GOD). And as His love letter to us tells me..."obedience is better than sacrifice". Last night I was obedient, and that obedience hurt to the core.

I'd been praying about the steps that I needed to take in order to get over the fears that are associated with moving forward with my purpose. Some answers came last year, and I took heed. They were things that were a stretch for me, but nothing that was shocking. But what I got in this new year of sleepless nights full of prayer was shocking. I needed to pull the trigger and...let go of this, and that. 

For the last few years I have been connected to a local congregation that has been so instrumental in my spiritual growth. I served on a few ministries, but the ministry that impacted me most was the praise and worship team. Last night I stepped down in obedience to what I know I need to do in order to fuel my purpose. 

The decision to do so wasn't quite a decision as it was a command. A command for me to be obedient regardless of what I felt or even what things look like. I love serving with the folks that I so affectionately call family. There was an undeniable bond formed with them that I don't foresee being broken. 

The reality is I'm diligently working (painting, sketching, commissioned pieces, murals, teaching, looking for residencies, etc.), but there is nothing that is present that would say that I couldn't continue serving in that capacity. The truth is, I don't know the next steps. I don't know how it's all going to pan out. I just don't! 

I'm simply being obedient...freeing myself of things He directs me to in order to be open to ultimately do what He needs me to! A hard pill to swallow, but a necessary one to digest. And this time, I'm not willing to regurgitate that pill. I'm not willing to bail out when fear rears it's ugly head, when the need to be comfortable pulls up, or when the sense of obligation is overwhelming.  

I read something today over at Studylite in preparation for this post that made so much sense. "Obedience springs from gratitude for grace received (Romans 12:12 ). Christians obey God as an expression of their spiritual freedom (Galatians 5:13 ; 1 Peter 2:16 ). Jesus taught that our love for God motivates us to obey Him (John 14:21 , John 14:23-24 ; John 15:10 )." 

So while this time is feeling sad and uncomfortable, the above statement rings true!  I ultimately believe that this time of obedience (no matter how hard it seems) is a result of me wanting to be in His will..showing my gratitude to an amazing Creator!

Your Thoughts:

What is the last thing you were obedient in giving up so that your purpose could go forth?

Until next time...

A New Year, A New Mission

It's 2014 y'all! As a matter of fact, it's 5 days past the new year!

As I stated in the last post, there are some things that are changing. The change won't be all easy, but it will be all good! So therefore...I'M EXCITED!

What have I been doing since the new year hit? Well...I'm glad you asked! I have started up running by cleaning house. New year's day I opened up some mail that I had been avoiding (from Sallie Mae of course). In the back of my mind I guess I figured that I wasn't quite able to pay them yet anyway.

I put my big girl panties on and went to work. I opened all mail and then even made a few phone calls to Sallie Mae to try and settle up some things (since I am now in a better position to do so). How? Well, I have started teaching art (talked about that in a previous post). I have finished phase 1 of a 3 phase mural. I am in the process of having some private students. I have a few commission pieces that I am in the process of working on, and I am revving up to get back on my 365 project.

Phase 1 is all type

So all is well here! Busy...and well! I have a lot on my plate, but so ready to take things to the next level in this new year!!!

Your Thoughts:

What do you expect your 2014 to bring you?

Until next time...