Finding Purpose

I struggle with creativity and 'making' as most artists do from time to time.  With me, I am more often struggling than creating; this has been the case ever since I can remember.  Usually, I have to have external motivation to get going - an occasion to give a gift, running the craft fair and feeling like I also should have a table, or a custom order coming through my Etsy shop.  It makes me sad that I am not naturally motivated and prolific, but that is just who I am and maybe one day I will square with that.

Last month, I was clicking about on YouTube and a suggested video came up.  It was one of the hardest things I have ever watched, but I made myself do so because it is important to be informed about what really goes on in the world.  The video, a BuzzFeed mini-documentary, highlights the work of Marc Ching, founder of the Animal Hope & Wellness Foundation.  The documentary shows how Marc and his foundation are working to save dogs that are caught in the brutal Asian dog meat trade.  If you don't know the realities of the torture and butchery that goes on on a daily basis, then you too should make yourself watch the video, here.  Be advised it is heart-wrenching.

I have never been one to champion causes or go out of my way to be preachy about something.  But, this has hit me harder than anything has before.  I am not a wealthy person.  I don't have a lot of free time, and I don't live near the AHWF headquarters to do anything hands-on with them.  And I sure as hell don't have the stomach or mental fortitude to go into Asia and do something on the ground.

But what I can do is dedicate my creativity to this cause.

I have, therefore,  pledged the net profits of Brandee Blank Art to AHWF starting this year and have their blessing to use their name and logo on my websites and during craft fairs.  I feel really good about this decision. I feel like my art has meaning now.  I have been inspired to actually clean up my disaster of a craft room. I have a notebook filled with ideas and experiments - it is the first time I have even cracked open my notebook in months.  I even finished a couple of "no rush" back-burner custom pieces that I really didn't want to deal with.

All in all, I feel like this is one of the best decisions I have made.  It is helping to soothe my broken soul by giving me a way to help the Foundation and at the same time lending me inspiration where perhaps I wouldn't have had it otherwise.

Thank you, Marc.

Coming out of a slump... I hope

I hit a real slump in January - not feeling creative and quite unproductive.  I may have burnt myself out with the craft fair again.  It happens every year.  I don't know why I am surprised by that.

The other thing was having two fairly crappy things happen.  First, I had someone return an octopus they purchased from me.  Seriously?  Returning art?  I have on my Etsy site that I do not take returns, but I'll be damned if I am going to allow someone to keep a piece of my heart and soul when they didn't want it!  Still, I'm quite taken aback by the ignorance.

Second, the foray into having my things at a brick and mortar store didn't work out.  I had my things in there for two months. I thought nothing sold and I got bummed out and informed the store owner I would pick my items up. When I got there, it turns out that several pieces and a lot of earrings sold.  I almost broke even so it wasn't as bad as I thought it was.  I am not sure why the owner didn't tell me she sold anything (when I left stuff there she said she would tell me when anything sold) but I took it all anyway.

It's all good - the leftover stuff is up at Etsy.  I still have 6 necklaces to add up there that I haven't gotten around to yet.

My enthusiasm was a bit rekindled though when I got two neat custom orders back to back just last week.  First, a steampunk octopus.  I have not done anything steam punk yet (just being stubborn.  Long story) but I think it came out adorbs:

Of course, the whole time I was making it, this song was going through my head:

Hmm maybe the story wasn't that long after all.

The other interesting piece was a octopus cuff bracelet that is to be a V-day gift from a husband to his wife.  They just got back from a trip to Shark Island in VA where they saw an octopus on a scuba dive.  He wanted something to commemorate the trip.  I ended up doing an image transfer of the island and making it look like a framed photo on the cuff, thusly:

And now, I have 2 more commissions to work on 1) a set of tokens for an MTG deck that has lots of creatures.  and 2) a fairy.  Yep, I have to see if I can make an art doll.  I'm skert!  Luckily, the person who has ordered it is an old friend and we have an agreement that if I can't pull it off, it's ok :)