Craft Show.....Not!

So. That craft show I said I might be participating in? Doesn't look like it's happening. We now have to pay a fee to rent a booth and my co-worker and I can't quite justify the cost of shelling out all that money in return for very uncertain sales/profits. We'd also have to take leave from work since the Fair starts at 5pm on a Friday and you have to be there early to set up your booth.


I dont know how I feel about this actually. I'm a little disappointed. I'm also a bit relieved as well. I was starting to feel pressured about having enough jewellery on hand. And I must say I also had visions of sitting there and not selling a thing. If I'm being honest with myself, it's a reprieve from having to confront my fear of failure and self-doubt. That little part of me that shies away from the limelight and which thinks what I do isn't good enough is probably doing cartwheels with joy right now. Which, come to think of it, really isn't such a good thing. 


What is a good thing is that I made tons of angel earrings. So I'm pretty much set for gifts and stocking fillers come the holidays.

Charlatan?

Warning: this is not an upbeat post. If you're looking for sunshine and flowers, you'd do better reading another blog today. But please check back next week. Regular service should resume then.

I don't usually voice this out loud but, a lot of times, I feel like a charlatan when it comes to my jewellery-making. Growing up, I never thought of myself as being creative. Truth be told, I used to fail most of my art assignments in secondary school (high school). And by fail, I mean really badly - like 30/100 badly. I couldn't - and still can't - draw. Or paint. Or sketch. Or any of the things you expect creative types to do. I appreciated art though - art galleries are some of my favourite places - but I decided early on that I couldn't do art. After all, that was what my teachers repeatedly told me. And good student that I was, I listened to them and believed.

Until I was in mid-twenties when I began dabbling in crafts. To save my pennies, I made presents for friends and colleagues and got seriously into stencilling and decoupage. I stopped when work got hectic and I found I didn't quite have the time. Then about 3 years ago, in a bid to add something else to my life apart from work, I took a beading class at a community centre. I've been hooked on beads and jewellery-making ever since. But even now, I find it difficult to tell people I make jewellery. I'm regularly visited by self-doubt and I almost always question my design ideas. I still don't think I'm creative and I certainly don't see myself as an artist. I'm sure this perception holds me back. In fact, I know it does.

But I then I read this blog post about what it takes to be an artist. It was something of an eye-opener for me and although I'm not quite at the point where I can confidently announce to the world that 'why yes, I am an artist', I think I just might be on my way there.

I'm going to stop my navel gazing and post some eye candy now. Partly to thank anyone out there who waded through my rambling. Partly to add some colour to an otherwise boring post. But mostly to reassure myself that I am capable - on occasion - of thinking up (fairly) original and pretty designs.