Helping Younger Artists

As an artist I know how a fabric store, big box craft store, local yarn shop, local bead shop, you can fill in your favorite shop if I failed to list it can be like a Candy or Toy store to a kid.  I really get that. Finding projects to do is an art project in it self. Completing that purchased project is another project in it self.  Which leads to the beginning of a conversation with artists over the age of 60. Yes I did say 60.  

Now is the time to evaluate all your art supplies. You need to start asking rational questions like am I going to finish this project? Do I still love the project? Was this project a splurge because you weren’t feeling well? Did you buy the project when your kids were little and you knew you’d find time to make it for them? Do I still want to do the project? Does your kid want the completed project now that they are adults? That fabric was lovely and I know I can find something to go with it, but never did. I love the yarn, but I’ve torn out that sweater three times. I am not teaching that anymore, do I still need to keep the supplies. You can add whatever questions you want here. I know everybody’s will be different. The item was on sale for a really good price.

I don’t expect you to do it in a day, after all it took decades to accumulate all these supplies. However, you aren’t getting any younger. Your spouse and kids are hoping that you’ll get rid of a lot of it. My humble suggestion is to divide your art into different areas. Focusing only on one drawer or one tub at a time will make the job easier. I have a 5 minute Zenning rule that I go by. I set the timer to 5 minutes.  If at the end of 5 minutes I am frustrated, I stop. If at the end of 5 minutes, I am into it I keep going.  I know I’ve been doing this for a couple years now, so I feel like in talk about it. This is an evolving process. You might look at some thing 10 or 12 times before you decide to either finish it or it Has to leave the house or the studio. 

When it leaves you have many options. You can amass stuff and having a yard sale, I did not find this very successful. What I did find successful was gifting to friends. Gifting to mothers with young kids who wanted to learn a craft but had no money to buy supplies, Be sure to try to doing this when we are not on holiday surge postage it will save you about 20%. You can give some of the simpler items to adult day programs.  You can send upscale supplies to younger artists who have no money for supplies. You can Donate to Goodwill. I have a friend who I know I can give lots of yarn to for other weavers.  You can use yarn or material as package padding if you are sending a gift to a crafter. You can donate to church quilt groups, material is so expensive right now. I got rid of 2 car loads this way and the church ladies loved the fabric. 

I know that everyone one will have a different route.  However you choose to go on this journey is fine.  This is a journey that can be gut wrenching at times. Don’t beat yourself up for past purchases. Don’t beat yourself up because your eyes were bigger and faster than your hands. Don’t feel you have to do this in a day. I have been on this journey for almost 3 years. Remember to give bins away so you won’t have the urge to refill them. Redesign your work space. 

This will clear a lot of mental weight off your shoulders. You will start creating more when you know where everything is. You will have less UFO’s. You will feel better about you. You will have more time to create.  This will make you very happy. If it doesn’t, at least your spouse and kids will be happy. 

Good News

 The good news is that if I put the back seats down in my car I can get 17 bags and 2 boxes of donations in the back of my car. Yes we did have just a little bit of room to spare.  Yes, we did overwhelm the drop off site. If we would have used the boxes that they were hoping to be filled we would have filled them up and then some. Since our donation was nicely bagged and boxed we just put it on the side of the donation boxes.  I am sure as the holidays get closer more people will donate too. 

You also know what this means, don’t you? Of course you do. With all that empty space we will be doing a knitting room redesign this weekend. I will get all the light lifting done first and then bring John in for the heavy lifting and rolling. 

Also today at knitting guild they did not care that the gloves were store bought, but I did trigger a lecture for the whole group. No a bad one. Just a don’t feel guilty if your are sick or can’t do the monthly challenge, it’s a suggestion not mandatory. Good to know. 

TTFN

Remembering Eric

Sometimes I think I have everything under control with losing Eric.  Then I will do something really stupid like opening up some mail before bed.  See an unexpected donation made in Eric’s name. I really do appreciate people remembering Eric. Making the world a better place because of Eric. That is totally awesome.  Then the waterworks just start.  Then I think about his smiles and hugs.  Then I feel I was so lucky to be his mom, to be apart of his life and world. More tears.  I think I better stop now before I flood Tucson with my tears.

Fantastic Zenning

Today was a fantastic Zenning day.  I now have enough in trade credits at Bookman’s to get 2 dozen more pairs of socks for my favorite charity project. Which is fantastic because they need more socks from little kids feet to high school size feet. My Zenning is on a roll.  I did not get much else done today. Unless you count a thee hour nap.  As you know I find the actual act of Zenning exhausting. It’s 9:30 and I am ready to call it a night.

Please consider sending a gift card to the Flowing Wells School District so the staff can fill in what is needed in the clothing bank. Target and Walmart gift cards work out well. Please include a note saying what you want the donation to go to.

Please mail to:
Flowing Wells Schools
Iola Frans Administration Center
Attention Superintendents Office
1556 West Prince Road
Tucson Az 85705-3087

Thank you in advance.

Sheri.

Way Under The Weather

I have been sick since Saturday night, bronchitics , laryngitis, sinus infection, allergies and asthma. A little more than a perfect storm.  Eric got eyrpy on Sunday night. Herein lies the problem. Eric will not sleep when he is not feeling good, so Eric has been up since Sunday morning. I need my sleep to rest and feel better.  I am grabbing naps when ever I can, even in the middle of the night when I should be sleeping. Even though naps are good, when I am sick, they should not be my only sleep.

I want to thank Lisa W. at United Cerebral Palsy of Southern Arizona for getting me extra help on such short notice. She is the reason that I have gotten my naps. As you may have guessed from the company name we live in Arizona. The state has been very good at underfunding services for the elderly, school children and disabled. We have been in the news lately. This includes UCPSA who provides services for Eric. If you would like to thank Lisa W. for helping us this week consider making a donation in her honor so that UCPSA can continue to help families like ours.

Thank you. I will write more when we are feeling better.

No More Stitches

The good news is that the stitches came out today. The so-so news is that my hand needs more healing time.  The not so good news is that my hand needs therapy to get my hand in better shape. Knitting and spinning are still on hold until my hand feels better.  Although I can do as much weaving as I want.  John and Eric are happy with the weaving because I will use yarn faster.

So my plan is to take the small loom when I go hang out with friends and use the new bigger loom at home. I don't want to put extra strain on my hands right now. I am a little sad because this is my peak hat knitting time for the Flowing Wells School District Clothing Bank and I can not knit the hats I so love to knit for the kids. If you knit or crochet I ask that you consider making 1 or 2 hats for the kids.. They need sizes from preschool through high school. A lot of the kids come from very low income homes.  You can drop the hats off or mail them to the Superintendent of the school district at the main office.  Other new clothing items and school supplies will also be accepted. 

Divide and Conquer

Yesterday John and I divided and conquered our world. John stayed home and worked with the contractor and workmen to get the stove in place. On the third day of trying it finally went in. The backsplash is looking pretty good too.

I on the other hand spent the entire day at the Tucson JCC for a fundraiser for Eric's Taglit group for special needs young adults. The good news is that I came home with one less 40 quart bin of handmade creations. We raised a lot of money but I would like to have raised a couple of thousand dollars more. If you were not able to make the fundraiser and would like to help you can go to this secure website and donated directly to the program, https://www.tucsonjcc.org/support/donate .On the pull down menu you will use the line that says Other and that will give you a place to type in Taglit. No donation is too small, every dollar helps. This will be a tax deductible donation in the United States.  Eric and his friends would like that very much.

A Partial Day Off

Today John only worked a half a day and the contractors were not do until this afternoon. I took the morning to do a little shopping after I dropped Eric off at his program.  Then I spent the afternoon at Grandma's Spinning Wheel.. I got a good 3 ounces spun and managed to relax. 

I also received a donation of yarn today.  Since I knew the knitting guild yarn stash was full, I dropped it off to a group who knit blankets for kids who are trying to stay in school despite being abandoned by their families. They should have enough to knit 3 more blankets.  Did I mention that commercial yarn cones are heavy?   

I am ending the day washing eyrpy laundry..yes, Eric is eyrpy with a sore tummy.  I think I will try to sneak off for a little sleep after I start the 3rd load of laundry for the night.  As it stands at the moment load 1 is in the dryer, load 2 is in the washer and load 3 is pending.  

I think it is time to start knitting scarfs.