1. the course or line along which a person or thing moves, points, or lies
2. management or guidance
direction - something that provides direction or advice as to a decision or course of action
The other day, I was on my morning walk. It was a windy day and in the sky there was a bird flying into the wind.
I know you have seen this…
A bird flapping his wings with all he has but he just remains suspended in air, going nowhere.
He keeps trying, flapping his wings even harder. Still going nowhere and he only gets fatigued.
If he only knew that with the slightest change of direction, he can start his journey with a little more ease.
And with a completely new course, his journey will be easier or even effortless. With the help of the uplifting wind under his wings, he will be able to glide onto his new course.
We can learn from the bird's struggle with the wind as we enter into the New Year!
2008 for me, was to look at all aspects of my life and fine tune, streamline. I looked at what was important to me and the kids, what was taking my energy away and made adjustments for a better balance.
This was a slight change of direction for me. A better course, but still struggling with the wind.
2009, I will look for the uplifting winds to give me direction with greater ease on my journey!
I ask you all to reflect on areas in your life that may be hard, taking away your energy or are no longer in line with your values in life…..
Step back to see if a change of direction is needed!
1. Something that is bestowed voluntarily and without compensation.
2. The act, right, or power of giving.
3. A talent, endowment, aptitude, or inclination.
tr.v.gift·ed, gift·ing, gifts
1. To present something as a gift to.
2. To endow with.
I get many opportunities to reach out to people on a daily basis because of my store.
Whether it is when I am teaching a workshop, greeting customers, or just through emails, I get to have that contact.
While going through my processing with my divorce, I have had some pretty low days.
At times, it has been all I can do to get through the day.
I received an email from a sister of a customer who had visited my store when she was in town several years ago. When I received this email, it was not such a good day for me.
She emailed about trouble she had been having with soldering her pendants under glass.
She had soldered before but it had been a while. She listed her problems.
I was overwhelmed. Overwhelmed with my personal issues, overwhelmed with her problems with soldering which are not easy to solve via email…….
But I took a deep breath and started in with my best solutions to her problems.
I got a thank you response for helping her and I thought that was it!
Well, last Sunday (12/7), I decided to go to church. I have not been to church in a while and my friend had been talking how Crossroads Church, around the corner from me, really helped her through her divorce.
So I went.
The message that Sunday was about Re-Gifting, a 3 part series. Re-Gifting the gifts that Jesus has given us. The Re-Gifting subject for that Sunday was about Love.
The pastor had 5 main points about Re-Gifting Jesus' Love for us to others: 1) Say it to those we love 2) Write it in a note to those we love and appreciate 3) Touch, A simple hug, touch of the hand to those we love 4) Show kindness always to all 5) Celebrate Life & Mourn with those we love
Life gives us nuggets of wonder every day! It can be subtle! But they are there.
In my store blog post, I talked about some personal issues I have been dealing with.
I don't want to pour my personal garbage on my blogs but it is important to know how this LIFE'S NUGGET I had recently played a role in the current status of my happenings.
My husband, Ian and I are getting a divorce after 19 years of marriage. We have 4 wonderful boys.
Honestly, this was not my choice initially but as I have processed, open my heart with truth and honesty to myself, I realize that this is a wonderful gift he has given me!
I am on my way to discovering my true, authentic self! I will blossom into the person that I am meant to be!
A Life's Nugget about feeding my Passion…..
For those of you who know me, I have been talking for a long time about making art for me! Spending more time in my studio, creating for me!
But have I done that?
No! I always put myself last!
During the beginnings of processing the divorce, I had opened myself up to honesty and truth. With this honesty came the realization that I have been busy doing everything else but what I am passionate about. I have been avoiding creating, even though this is what I so desire!
How messed up is that?
As I discovered this about myself, and as I am thinking about the underlying issues that I won't bore you with, this happened to me…
It was Sunday November 2nd. It was the last day of the Dia de los Muertos Art Challenge show at the store.
I had in the show my piece I created at Michael deMeng's Oaxaca trip in 2007.
Titled "Life's Passion" How appropriate!
The saying "Let your values be your Compass to Drive Your Passion" on this piece was a phrase I made up. I wanted to continue to keep my focus on values, while running my business The Artists' Nook- living my passion.
A couple came in. They were on their bikes riding the lovely terrain that surrounds my store's location!
Once they stepped into the gallery space, she said "I want that piece for my office" pointing at my Life's Passion piece.
Not taking her seriously, I said "I would gladly sell it to you, it is my piece and I will have to tell you the story behind the piece." Then I quickly, showed her around the store, over to the ofrenda we had set up and talked up all the other art and artists.
We came back to the gallery and I explained that the Life's Passion piece was created in Oaxaca. Behind the Sacred Heart, I embossed words that I am passionate about into metal. And told her the story about the saying.
She handed me her credit card.
As I was ringing her up, I asked "You said you wanted this for your office, What do you do?"
She told me "I am a therapist and I specialize working with those who are going through grief."
This was profound for me because I had been working on my emotions of the divorce. My therapist and supportive friends have been reflecting with me that a divorce is a grief process.
WoW!
So that in itself let me know that my passion creating art, needs to come to the forefront in my life and that grieving is ok.
But it gets even better….
Since she was on her bike, she had to leave the "Life's Passion" piece to be picked up later.
Right at close that day, A group of people came through. I gave them the tour and mentioned that piece was sold.
When I got home and opened my email, one of the people from that group had emailed me about that piece.
Asking about the saying, if I would ever make any more, etc….
Can you hear the universe screaming at me……
CREATE MORE ART!
Sometimes Life's Nuggets are not so persistent but they are there,
1. A powerful emotion, such as love, joy, hatred, or anger.
2.
a. Ardent love.
b. Strong sexual desire; lust.
c. The object of such love or desire.
3.
a. Boundless enthusiasm: His skills as a player don’t quite match his passion for the game.
b. The object of such enthusiasm: Soccer is her passion.
A friend of mine recently said to me, “I want to find passion in my life”
Find Passion?
Is the something you shop for at the grocery store or is it found at a specialty shop?
Is this something that if we seek for, we will never really find?
It depends on where we look for it. Many times through life, we look outside of what we have to find something!
Really, it can be right in front of us and we don’t know it! We cannot
narrow our sights so much that we don’t see and appreciate the
abundance we do have.
We look to other people to make us feel happy, feel loved, to find passion. But it is our responsibility to create these things in our lives, by first loving ourselves.
Then change our thoughts to “I want to create passion in my life!”
Create your own Passion! Embrace life and all that is present in it!
Open your sights to all that is around us! It truly is beautiful!
Look beyond the narrow sight of what is immediately presented to us!
We meet so many people everyday. Not necessarily a formal introduction.
You may be standing in the same line at the coffee house. Or the clerk for that matter. Or introduced by a mutual friend. Everyday these opportunities are in abundance.
We have the choice at these encounters to engage them beyond the simple pleasantries,that is if even we reach out that much to complete strangers.
Sometimes, a simple joke to provide comic relief to the cashier who sees person after person. To just asking more about the person who you were just introduced to. Or sometimes it is as simple as saying a sincere “Thank you so much, have a wonderful day!” when someone holds the door for you, merges the right of way in the aisle at grocery store, or those who wait on you at stores, restaurants, or wherever.
I try to look beyond what is presented in front of me as I meet people throughout the day. At my shop, I meet many people. After greeting them, I take that extra step to engage the person.
What does that mean? Engage the person?
n·gage(n-gj)
v.en·gaged, en·gag·ing, en·gag·es
1. To involve oneself or become occupied; participate: engage in conversation.
It would be so easy to just say, “Hi, Welcome to The Artists’ Nook, give them the “blah, blah” about what we do here, let them look around then say Goodbye as they leave.
When I take that extra time to engage them, by asking something about them, I get sooo much in return.
Today was an extra busy day. The leaves are changing here in Colorado and it is probably one of the last weekends to see the colors. Along with a wonderfully warm fall day and a little craft show in the Grange across the street, there has been groups of people in throughout the day non-stop.
(Thank, God for saving as draft so I could start this post as the moment hit me and save for later to finish my thoughts)
At one point, I had a few groups of people in the store. I gave my spiel. Some looked around for a bit and went on their way. There was this couple in with their elderly mother. They looked around at the weird found objects, bottle caps, electronic resistors and other oddities I have. Then they got to my antique typewriter, I have sitting around just waiting for the day (and I do mean day, cuz that is how long it takes to rip apart one of those suckers) I will disassemble it for an art project.
“My mother here used to type on one of these years back” the gentleman said about his mother who was with them.
Will I ever see them again? Would they ever come take a workshop, or buy my goods? Probably not, but that does not matter. I love people!
I decided to engage them, even though this busy day of Welcome, blah, blahs could easily overtake my desire to care. By the way those are the moments when you need to engage even more!
I talked to the lady about how much stronger people’s fingers were back then using manual typewriters. She went on to tell me should could type 120 wpm on one of these and she can remember when they got their first electric typewriter. She remembered the dates, but I don’t.
I asked her how did that feel the first time typing on an electric typewriter? She told me, like it was yesterday, “It was weird, I felt out of control, I had to lighten up my touch.”
We went on to talk some more about how she did shorthand. I mentioned that we collage artists would love to find old shorthand books to add to our collages.
I then picked up a book I just got from artist Christine Mason Miller called “Ordinary Sparkling Moments” which is her life insights written over her collage art.
I showed the lady the old ephemera that was sprinkled throughout the book’s artwork. She just loved it, and reminisced about past memories. For me, Truly a moment worth cherishing!
This would never have happened if I just said, “Good bye, Have a nice day!”
Ok, I not going to start from the very beginning of my life. So, stop rolling your eyes!
I am going to talk about my journey as a mixed media artist to this point in my life. Recapping the moments that brought me to where I am at today!
I was not necessarily creative from the beginning. My mom was always doing some craft, sewing or something creative. So I guess you could say that I was surrounded by creativity.
I remember my first introduction to rubber stamping at a home party. I was intrigued. I like the fact that you did not have to draw to get an image on paper. But the cutesy stuff did not resonate with me.
But knowing there must be more. I started looking a magazines and found one that was WOW, now this I like. Collage, and projects with more than just stamps and ink filled the pages. This was for me!
Fast forward a bit, In July 2000, I decided to open my own rubber stamp store as the cool one in our town closed that Spring.
My friend, Christi Wich’s owned a store Timeless Creations. Timeless Creations was a shop that had crafter’s handmade items for sale on consignment.
I started my store The Artists’ Nook in the basement of this cool store in this wonderful old house built in 1925. A great beginning!
I was able to have central checkout through Timeless Creations. I could come in on weekends to teach workshops, stock or whatever needed to be done. I was able to work around my family’s schedule.
I would create projects for workshops I was teaching. I was just beginning my discovery to the Altered Art, Collage world I now live in.
I traveled every couple years to take workshops from these fabulous mixed media artists. But it was difficult to travel with 4 small boys at home. My husband would have to take time off work so I could go.
I decided to invite these artists to come to me, to teach at The Artists’ Nook.
That is how it all started! Over the past 8 years, The Artists’ Nook store moved to several location finally finding it’s current location in a country retreat setting just minutes from Fort Collins. Now, The Artists’ Nook is finally home, in a place where creativity is inspired by it’s surroundings.
Ok, enough about the store! What about me as an artist?
Well, I have always created to come up with a workshop to teach, while taking a workshop but never just played! A few times, I have played but not to the extent that I would like to.
Just a suggestion, if you want to open an art store so you can create more art, DON’T!
I have been vowing for years to create more, to discover my own art style. But years go by and……..
"Let your Values be your Compass to Drive Your Passion"
Welcome to Life’s Passion- The Inner voice of Mixed Media artist Christine Webb
I have encountered many moments in life that I have wanted to share but it did not seem to fit on my Artists’ Nook blog or email announcements.
This Life’s Passion blog will give me the opportunity share with you my inspirations, life moments, struggles and Epiphanies as an Mixed Media Artist, Mother of 4 & business owner!
Here is a little bit about how I think:
I consider myself an optimistic and intuitive person. Here is how a friend of mine, Bev, who is full of optimism describes herself "When I walk into a room full of horse poop, I immediately start looking for the pony"
This Pollyanna approach to life is positive but I feel that we do need to notice the horse poop in order to appreciate the ponies in life!
Where we get into trouble is when we let the horse poop consume us!
Also, I feel it is important to notice things that get presented to us in everyday life. I now call these "Monkey Moments" since reading Michael deMeng’s blog post
We need to make sure we are not in such a hurry that we don’t notice the monkey at our feet, that monkey that we were so desperately needing.
So come with me on my journey, discovering my life’s passion as an artist, mother, friend……
-r
k
sh
n, d
-)n. 
g
sh
j
