I Did It!

That step-outside-my-comfort-zone thing? Yeah, I did it! :)

My first ever resin class was held last Sunday afternoon, and I think it went well, or at least as well as I could ever have imagined. 

Everyone said they had fun and learned something. And even I learned a thing or two. For one, I learned that trying to teach some seriously creative people something creative is both frightening and fascinating and a little like herding cats. :)

I guess I should have kept my own self in mind when attempting to figure out how to put together a Beginner's Class because I do this same thing: Creative People don't come to the table as beginners, even when they really are. They've already thought outside the box about a material and can see its potential in spades. 

Nevermind that they're not familiar with your medium; they have colorful and complex creations in mind and they want to get started already, dammit, so don't bother introducing them to Mr. Safety Glasses! They're already way ahead of you. They've taken your medium and run with it. They're halfway down winding paths that you weren't planning to take them down yet and they've already discovered new vistas there. They're showing YOU a thing or two you didn't know, Miss Smartypants Teacher....

A little humbling....

 













If I had to use one word to describe the day I'd choose 'color.' From our host's cheery studio to the students' vivid creations, color just screamed from everywhere. Color and energy. I was almost tempted to sit down with them and create a little something myself, their energy was catching. 

I'm glad James was there with me -- between bouts of being our 'mixologist,' he helped me remember important information to impart and kept me grounded. When the class was over for the afternoon, he congratulated me on a job well done and asked me what I thought of it all and I said, "I don't think I want to do that again."

But it didn't take me long to change my mind. :) 

And now I've already got plans for future resin classes. How does a 'Tea at Tumbledown' event sound to anyone? Open to four people at a time (because four is all I can fit around my table) and complete with tea and homemade cookies?
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Baby Steps (it's not what you think....)

You thought I was going to write about grandbugs, didn't you? Surprise! :)

Tomorrow I teach my first resin class. Which is really my first class about anything. Ever....

It really is a baby step for me because 'teacher' isn't a word I'd use to describe myself.

But, surprisingly, I'm not too apprehensive about stepping out of my comfort zone and doing this tomorrow. Probably because my students are James's fellow glassworkers, people I know and are relatively comfortable with. Plus, James will be there, too, and I'm confident he'll pepper my presentation with humor and fill in any blanks I fail to cover.

I'm interested to see how it goes, actually, and am looking forward to an afternoon spent with creative friends who I'm sure will take any info I give them and spin it into their own unique magic.

And who knows? Maybe this baby step will really be a giant leap for me. Maybe even into something altogether new.

Keep your feathers crossed!
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Etsy or Bust!

An example of my resin work

My 'flat art' (meaning two-dimensional work that can be framed and hung on a wall) is really what I'm known for.

 

I was originally juried into the MN Renaissance Festival with it over 25 years ago and, as a result, it's technically the only kind of work I can sell there. My customers know me. They expect to see drawings and prints. And at the moment Fest is the only place that I really show my work. 

 

However, in recent years I've begun playing more with materials other than papers and pencils. And even though I've since been granted permission to do so, the little oddments I'm making are ones that are difficult (for me, anyway) to sell at Fest. And, to make matters worse, Technical UN-savvy Me has yet to figure out how to sell them from my website.

 

SO. I'm thinking they might just be ideal for an Etsy shop.... 

 

The idea intrigues me.

 

Fest is my only show now for a reason. I'm naturally reclusive, for one thing. I love my weekends and dislike venturing too far from home. And, I'll just say it: I'm older now and just not fond of the travel and set-up and tear-down (not to mention the expense) that goes with doing a show.

Over the years, in an effort to get my work out there and still not wander too far from my cocoon, I've occasionally thought of opening a little local storefront. Sounds quaint and fun at first glance, but then we're talking again of uber-busy weekends and the worries of covering expenses. :(

So how much better is the idea of a virtual storefront? A virtual art show? Where the lease/entry fee is minimal, the customers all warm and cozy shopping in the comfort of their own homes, the upkeep and maintenance and utilities all non-existent? And Happy-Artist Me behind my virtual counter in my comfy clothes?? (Awesome!)

Granted, 'if you build it, they will come' doesn't apply. Because they won't, necessarily. As of right now, Etsy has a million bazillion quillion virtual stores all offering amazing products. Being noticed at all will be a dang miracle! But no one ever said this will work as well for me as it does in my imagination....

But it can't hurt to try!

Anyway, I've done boatloads of reading since I saved a spot on Etsy for myself a year ago, and I keep revisiting my 'shop space' there and sticking a tentative toe in the water. But now seems like the time to get down and dirty with it. My Eldest has put the pressure on, for one thing, by suggesting an Etsy shop in the first place and daring me to get one up and running. She offered to do all the set-up for me recently when she was home for a bit, but I disliked the idea of putting her to work on her visit.

Plus, I wanted to show her that I can DO this. (Because I CAN!)

So since her departure a week or so ago I've been knee deep in all things Etsy. Black Friday/Cyber Monday are big incentives. I've taken a crapzillion digital photos of my creations. I've written and rewritten copy until it no longer makes sense to me. I've researched shipping charges and Paypal accounts and packaging ideas, blahddy blah. It's all been a baptism by fire, but I think I'm making some teensy progress.

Or maybe I'm just facing the right direction!

But that's progress, too, right?

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