Framed works

I've been working on a couple of things to frame for the Halewood CultureFest Arts and Crafts Exhibition. And here they are! 'Fly' and 'Seek the Light'. The differences in colour in the photos are because some were taken with my phone and some with my camera and at different times of day. Amazing the difference it makes.

Value

How can you expect others to value your work if you don't value it yourself?

I don't know about you, but I find it very hard to price my work. There have been times when people have asked me to make things and when I have given a price - less than minimum wage per hour for the amount of work I would need to put in - they have said no because it was 'too expensive'. So I started to charge less.

Recently I have started to wonder when I stopped valuing what I do. Why are my time and talents worth less than anyone else's? So this year I am pricing my work in a way that reflects the time invested. Those who value it will recognise and respect that.

Workshop prep

I've been doing workshop prep this week. There's a local arts event that happens in June called Halewood CultureFest and I'm doing a workshop called 'Here Comes Summer' as well as entering some work in the arts and crafts exhibition.

The pieces here are for the workshop. I'll be teaching people how to use stencils in a variety of ways, along with collage and drawing to make an A3 piece of art. This means I've been busy making stencils for the participants to take home, plus printing up a whole bunch of papers for them to use. The gelli-plate has been seeing a lot of action ;)

Journal flip-through

I've just finished a journal I started in October 2018. In lieu of a flip-through video, here are the spreads from the entire journal, so be prepared for a photo-heavy post! They are listed in chronological order, so you can see the entire journey for that period of time. As usual, there are a lot of pages that I feel are quite 'meh' but some that I love. I wonder if you feel the same about them as I do.

Ladders

What does success look like?

We all, in some way, are looking to climb a ladder, to be a success. But what does success look like? Are we taken in by society's ideal - you can have it all? You can be all you want to be, we are told, but really we can't. I can want to be six feet tall, but it isn't going to happen. Instead, I learn to be content with my 5 foot and a bit.

Some days success is getting through the day without snapping at anyone because you feel lousy; not taking that out on anyone else is a major act of self-control - a success.

Success should be about the person we are. It's about character not achievements. You can be the most 'successful' person in the eyes of the world - making lots of money, winning awards, becoming a celebrity - but what does it all mean if you are not kind, loving, gracious, or humble? Which kind of person would you rather spend time with? Which one is there when you need them?

Lots of ladders appeared on this page. The major one was made by slapping on black paint and then removing some of it through a hand-cut stencil with a baby-wipe. That's when the page came together for me.

As I evaluate what I have achieved, I need to have proper perspective. In the eyes of the world I'm not much of a success. I don't have a career, having been a home-schooling mum for all my daughter's educational years. I'm a clergy wife who does a lot of admin etc. on a voluntary basis. I don't bring in a wage. I'm not massively popular with thousands of followers.

But...

I am loved.

And because I am loved, I am learning to be more gentle, more kind, to hold my tongue when my words will not be helpful. I am slowly becoming less judgemental and more fruitful, even though that is an uphill struggle most of the time, and sometimes my knees get dirty when I fall down. I am trying to use the gifts I've been given to encourage others. I am a work in progress.