In The Studio - Wednesday

The fun continues with my "Mr Coffee Candle Holder" mosaic. It's been a slow process, maybe only working for 1/2 an hour in the morning and then after dinner about the same amount of time. I can work in the heat of the day if I wanted to, but I don't. And this piece is for me so it doesn't matter how long it takes. It is super fun to work on, though!

This was where I left off a few days ago.

I didn't get back to this one until yesterday, which means I had a 4 day break from it. That's why I didn't write a blog post on Friday. There really wasn't much to show or share.

Now there's only been a little more added but I'm going slowly and truly enjoying the journey on this mosaic. My breathing slows down as I concentrate on each piece in my hand and where it should be placed. I find listening to New Age music is good on some days, while Classic Rock music works on other days.

These were taken Tuesday afternoon. Hopefully I'll keep going and share the progress on Friday.

Meanwhile, I'm happy to report that I've made a few sales on Etsy and got a custom order from a good extended family member! Woo-hoo! Believe it or not the custom order is for Christmas presents! Yikes!! I can't believe how fast the major holidays are creeping up on us. While I listen to the grandbabies splashing around in the pool below me when I work at my table, it's hard to believe that the seasons will be changing again soon.

I finally packed up all the reward mosaics for the fundraiser (that debt has been completely paid off) and they are shipping out today! Yay!!

Such a pretty sight to me ... 3 mosaics lovingly packed and heading on out to the folks who donated to the fundraiser last year.

Support Independent Artisans, Designers and Crafters for your gift-giving needs all throughout the year. Thank you!



Stay Peaceful and Enjoy the Moments.
Cindy, Earth Mother Mosaics

In The Studio - Wednesday

A few weeks have passed since my last post and I'm not much more settled in than I was then, truthfully. I seem to be mostly in hibernation mode for the winter. I've been handing mosaics to the fam to be placed here and there. I'm grateful to have a place to share my mosaics and in a home that appreciates art so much. It's a wonderful thing!

The Mosaic Muse is sleeping peacefully, slowly stretching her wings, not yet ready to wake up.

The Camera Goddess is wide awake however. I've been taking photos of the area around me, mostly from the porches and am so pleased with the results. I LOVE it when the Goddess is awake!

The weather has been either cold and/or very wet from rain and my bones are just as happy staying in a warm space.

I've been considering what to do and how to do it in this room so I can maximize the space I have available to me. I won't be able to do much or what I see in my head until I've paid off the debt I started the fund raiser for. That will be close to summer time in May or June.

But I am still going to mosaic; as I already feel a slight tug to order more glue since it never made it here with me. I will be working on the fund raising rewards soon so that requires gathering a small amount of cash in the next few months to get the supplies I need to make those. I only need a few things which is great for the budget. I'll be using my bed, a box to hold the glass and other fun things I like to use when I mosaic and watch Netflix with a kitty purring at my feet.

Just because I don't have the dedicated studio space set up, doesn't mean I'm not dedicated to creating. I recently found my doodle pad and a pencil, so I am drawing a little bit. Woo-hoo!

Mostly I'm resting, still looking through boxes that line the hallway toward my room. Not even a small portion of boxes I showed here in the last post when I was packing up have made it to me yet. Those, I truly hope, made it to storage and weren't left behind.

I've had to give up a lot during this move. Just stuff, but still ... my stuff. Pretty sure those wonderful old mosaic stained glass windows I made were left behind due to time restraints and not having the room in cars and vans that were used to transport all of our belongings from one place to the other. My kids, bless their hearts, did what they could to get me in a safe environment and settled enough to be taken care of but I had to let go of so much. I'm in mourning, understandably, for the art I am missing and will be very surprised if I see most of what I am missing ever again.

Art ... so much art ... supplies, clothes. They tell me a lot is still in storage and safe but they don't know exactly what. When I ask about a specific thing, they don't really know if they saw the box, if it got into storage or if they had to leave it behind. I believe this is the Universe's way of telling me to truly start over, fresh, one must cut all ties of the past. Once I am at peace with the loss, I can continue to create new art and feel the renewed excitement once more.

The fam as a whole is now starting to get settled themselves here in our new home and blending in with the rhythm already established by family already living here and who opened their home up to us. What a blessing.

It's been a nice adventure so far, a welcome one. I like learning that I'm not the only elder, no longer alone in my dreams of an artist's life and finding kindred spirits in the young ones as well as the ones older than I am. We've all known each other since before my daughter had my grandson and got along really well. Now we are together every day and have started a few new traditions. One was creating a talking stick and a Gratitude Jar.

Photo credit: Siobhan Comisky

And with the New Year came some new opportunities, with a new job for my daughter's fiance, whom I refer to as The Big Man in his field of expertise --- something he's been struggling to find for almost a year since he was laid off. And night school is continuing for my daughter and of course she's still working too. It's a struggle for her ... makes it hard for her to raise a family, work and be in school, but she's done it so far and I'm very proud of her for it all.


We are all getting the nurturing we need. I only see bright skies ahead for everyone as a group and individually. I'm happy I have food to eat, companionship when I need it, quiet time when I need it, comfort of hot/cold running water. The basics are taken care of and the creative spark will continue soon once more, I'm positive.

Life is good!

Support Independent Artisans, Designers and Crafters for your gift-giving needs all throughout the year. Thank you!

Stay peaceful.

Cindy, Earth Mother Mosaics
 

Personal Fundraising Campaign Update - Friday

My personal campaign continues. I have to say it's been an awesome week. I am positive this debt will get paid through the donations, my own hard work in ways to sell mosaics as the months continue on and through friends purchasing mosaics through my online shops. Almost all I raise on my own will get donated after I've taken out what I need for supplies to keep the business running and a few personal items like supplements.

One friend bought mosaics from my Storenvy shop this week. Another did a little online shopping and requested I hold a few mosaics for them so they could send a check instead of using the online shopping carts.

I am well supported emotionally and lovingly by many dedicated people and I am honored to be in their tribe.

One frequently returning customer is going to offer something special to those who donate in an FB group they run, in association with my GoFundMe campaign at some point in the future. How amazing is that?!

I've been emailing the lawyer all week and we settled on an arrangement. I have 10 months to pay off the remainder of the debt after sending them $1250, which was the first amazing payment I received in the fundraiser. That means on the first of each month I'll owe a little over $400 for 10 months. It sounds reasonable and even possible.

What I love the most about this situation is how I responded to it. Okay, so, I did panic, I did feel my blood pressure rise. I even felt like crying at one point but I didn't. What I did do, after the initial shock, was go into action-mode and ask for help through the fundraiser, create a discount in one of my online shops to promote sales, and started looking at ways to expand on how I sell my mosaics.

I've changed how I look at the obstacles ahead of me. What a wonderful thing! I'm not afraid or scared. I just find the best solutions.

For instance: I'm looking into finding a volunteer to help me for a day in August. I haven't decided I'm going to do this yet, but there is a local craft fair happening that month. I would love to do a few craft fairs a year. I didn't always feel that way, but now I'm ready. Sort of. I need confidence (personally lost a lot when I lost my teeth --- I used to smile all the time and now I never do --- even embarrassed to talk to someone in person --- it's the first thing people see and they focus on it even if they don't realize it --- I'm very sensitive about that!). I need to show my work in places I haven't before and that means spreading my wings a bit. Getting out of my comfort zone a little bit too. Teeth or no teeth. My dental troubles will get taken care of eventually. Who knows, if I do enough craft shows and get a good profit going, I can go to the dentist! Wouldn't that be awesome?! In the meantime, I've started collecting beautiful scarves for a few reasons: to hide the double-chins and if need be, I can use them to distract from the facial flaws I feel I have. Every time I go out, I wear one. They are a confidence booster and I love that!!

I definitely need a few things before I can do craft shows. A lot goes into doing these. I can get the money gathered to rent space, it isn't as expensive as some are. I can get a table from my Dad to borrow for the day but I would need to rent a tent (way more expensive than the rental for the table). I may need things I don't even know about yet. And can't do any of it without a volunteer or two. I know I can't man a table by myself and mosaics are too heavy to carry around, down and up steps and so on. I don't think I could pick up a table and carry it too far today. I no longer drive, so someone would have to do that too. So much to consider but not impossible. How about that?! I'm leaving my comfort zone and I'm okay!

I'll keep you posted on that adventure once I do more thinking about it. It would be nice to get out and share the love.

If you all could take a minute or two to read the campaign, donate to it if you can and share it if you would, I'd appreciate it. Thanks so much and enjoy the moments!

https://www.gofundme.com/2a4bt492

Support Independent Artisans, Designers and Crafters for your gift-giving needs all throughout the year. Thank you!~Cindy, EarthMotherMosaics

My Creative Business Journey

Thanks for sharing the journey with me so far. I haven't accomplished a whole lot this week, but I have been working.

I've got a lot to do: read, watch business-oriented videos and filling out worksheets to narrow down and make clear what I want for the future of my business. "Where do you see yourself in five years?" shouldn't be hard to answer ... but it is for me. I see so much all at once and have to re-train my brain for the sake of focusing on one subject at a time. I really have to work for it. And it is exhausting. Look at this month's calendar!

Some things get pushed to the next week, next month or get canceled out completely (like the trip I was planning to Chicago). But for the most part, this keeps me on track and focused enough to keep moving forward, no matter what.

I mentioned the things I'm working on last week. For the most part, nothing has changed. I'm still working. The "Infinite Possibilities" Project by Mike Dooley is coming along. I don't do each thing daily (as suggested). Sometimes it takes 3 days to get through one daily project but I'm doing it. That is way more important than how long it takes.

The next thing I am doing is watching videos on the Small Business Association. Again, I mentioned this before but it's worth repeating. If you just want to get some free info on some basic business things, this is a good place to start. Sometimes they seem like a waste of time and then they will mention something I hadn't thought of. Worthy of writing it down and researching it further. That's a very good thing! Another good thing is that they have dedicated areas just for women, older women too or those who want to expand their business and aren't sure how. I recommend taking a look around the website if you live in the US. If you don't, there has to be an equivalent to what we have here wherever you live.

I'd like to caution you about contacting their mentors through SCORE. I'm not a fan. I couldn't find anyone who could mentor me in my area either locally or for the business I'm in. I found someone in Northern PA who worked in an unrelated field and she gave me very bad advice. I wrote to her hoping because she was in the same state as I was, she'd at least push me in the right direction toward someone she knew who might be able to help me. She didn't. She was very "matter of fact". I know I've mentioned all of this before. Obviously I'm not quite over it yet, even all these years later. I have moved on, but every so often what she said hurt me so much I realized I had to have had those same thoughts before writing to her. I didn't believe in myself then. So I have thanked her in my mind and am trying to forgive her for hurting my feelings. Not as easy. But I'm moving on and have come to a conclusion about mentoring.

I don't think a mentor should ever tell you not to pursue your dreams. Ever. That is what happened in my case. A mentor should help you find solutions in ways to make your goals a reality no matter how high the mountain is you need to climb in order to reach them.

This framed excerpt from the writings of Edgar A. Guest has been in my family for generations. I had it hanging near me for years but when I was moving things around a few months ago, I seemed to have put it in a "safe" place and can't locate it now. I need to find it and hang it back up, because it's the best!

It Couldn't Be Done

Okay, so ... I had a bad experience, but many more have had good ones with SCORE. Just be aware that not all advice that comes at you through any website, family and friends, no matter the source, is something you should take. Including mine! I do suggestion that you listen to all advice, be open to it all. Take that advice of mine, please. From there, make your own decisions based on how it feels inside when you think about what you've discussed, read or been told. Please don't give up. I did for quite a while and it changed who I was briefly. I have to work on my self-esteem once more but I'm getting there. Just remember: if it deflates you or devastates you when you're told you can't do it, move on and forget their advice! Forgive the person who "means well" but who doesn't understand your passion and continue on. NEVER GIVE UP.

I am always on the lookout for free workshops to take online. They usually get you on a mailing list for paid workshops or other services the people who do these workshops are in business for, but it's worth an email from them once in a while, pitching their services. It's actually a great learning tool in itself and something I might use myself one day. I've taken 3 free workshops, a few were a few weeks long. One came into my email daily to read, download worksheets and work on. Those I do at my own pace and I have found I'm focusing more on these things now than I was before when I first starting thinking about all of this. With each workshop and email I find to sign up for, I am becoming more clear in what I want for my business.

Each step, each thing I do, gets me closer to really knowing what I want. All the suggestions and advice have been wonderful and now I'm ready to take the time, however long it takes, to work on what I've learned and learn more.

I think next year will be a record-breaking year for my business. I predict, in that year, from this day to one year in the future, I will have made connections I never thought possible. I will have learned exactly what I needed and how to get exactly what I want for the studio workshop.

Here is the 3rd Vision Board I've made. For now, I'm not going to make more. I like the three I've done and can work on each one or all three in any given day. Once I feel like I'm ready for another challenge, I'll make the next board.

This board is called "Working On It". It shows one of my favorite quotes, my new logo (soon to be done in mosaic form), a nice template showing what I'm working on, the paperwork I'm doing, a possible space in the future for my studio and workshop (located near grocery stores and restaurants), how to find funding and lastly using online workshops. That covers a lot of visions. And ALL possible.

Those of you who have considered going 'legit' or expanding your business, I recommend using small vision boards. I can't tell you what a great tool these have turned out to be for me. I've done large ones before and gotten upset when I realize how much I want to accomplish and it seems overwhelming to see it all in one spot. Smaller boards, breaking up what I want to envision for myself, is the way to go for me. I printed out 2 copies and posted one near me and keep one in my worksheets and papers I need to read. They really work for me and keep me enthusiastic about the future. Especially on not so great days.

Tomorrow I will share an update about my personal fundraising campaign. If you haven't read it yet, please do. Share it if you would. The wider it goes, the more likely it'll be noticed. All donations are welcome and gratefully accepted. If you aren't comfortable with donating in that way, consider buying a piece of art from one of my shops or ordering a custom made mosaic. Right now all profits go toward the debt. Thank you!!

Support Independent Artisans, Designers and Crafters for your gift-giving needs all throughout the year. Thank you!~Cindy, EarthMotherMosaics

In The Studio - Wednesday

Today I'd like to share the mosaic I made for a silent auction happening in my area locally in April. On March 11th I was sent an email from a Silent Auction Chairperson about donating a piece of art for an upcoming fundraising event. Those who know me, know I LOVE to donate my art to worthy causes. I have gotten scammed twice, that I am aware of, but every other time I've donated art, I've found it to be an enriching experience. Enough so that even though some folks never followed through with their promise to return the art if it doesn't sell for their event, I still love to donate art.

The Gwynedd AMBUCS, here in Pennsylvania is the Gwynedd chapter of the national AMBUCS organization are a national organization dedicated to providing mobility options for individuals with disabilities. The local chapter in particular funds adaptive tricycles for kids and adults with disabilities. The yearly fundraiser is coming up on April 16th at Cedarbrook Country Club, a drinks and dancing event with the fabulous Greaseband. The funds raised at the silent auction help fund bikes for the entire year. The best part is, the chairperson is a pediatric physical therapist. She said she's had the great pleasure of giving away a number of Amtryke adaptive bikes to her young patients and can attest to the absolute joy these kids experience knowing that they now have a bike they can ride outside with their friends and family!

I'm honored she found me and made the request to donate art. And I'll do it again if she asks next time!

This time, I made a mosaic wall art specifically for their event. After chatting with her through email, she expressed her favorite mosaics I've made. One of the things she liked was "A New Horizon", shown below.

This prompted me to start making a smaller version, similar in design. Here is the progress from start to finish.

From A Distance - 8 inch MDF wall art

Stained glass and stones

Support Independent Artisans, Designers and Crafters for your gift-giving needs all throughout the year. Thank you!~Cindy, EarthMotherMosaics

Computer Update

Good day to you!

Yesterday, which was Tuesday for those who like to keep track, I did not have a post. What I did have was a long, long day fixing computer problems. Again it crashed during the night and I'm fairly sure it has something to do with an automated update that doesn't seem to want to update. The final decision was to take all the automated things off and do them myself each week until I get a new computer.

That brings me to the fund raiser for a new computer. While I have been asking for funds to help me keep my business running, I never explained why I've done it this way instead of taking out a business loan or some other avenue that most small businesses do. I am not really a small business. I'm a short, chubby Nana who likes to craft in her spare time. I have no collateral, no savings, no way to pay back a loan should a miracle occur and I actually was approved for one. The upswing with the economy has been great for many but I have not had anything change for me since the end of 2009. I make the most of what I have, don't dwell on what was taken away, nor do I sigh sadly about the missed opportunities because funding wasn't available. What I do is find a way, whether conventional or maybe not so conventional, to find what I need to get through the next 24 hours. Actually I often don't think much past the next hour. So much can change in 60 minutes!

Please don't misunderstand. It's a good idea to dream and plan and set goals and I do that often. I even meet some of them and add news ones to the list. One of the things on the list is to find a few sponsors to help me with costs of running my business, or the business I have envisioned I'd like to have. Finding a financial wizard who can handle funds for said business and who will, in return, accept free mosaics or other craft things I create for life. And the ever popular goal; getting backers and artist type people to gather together with me and find a place to share our art, play together a few times a week, sell what we do ... all in one bricks and mortar building.

After the computer crashed yesterday, all I could think of was how uncomfortable I am asking for money to get a new computer. It's my upbringing mostly to believe that if I can't figure out a way to get it myself, I can't have it. My Dad handed me a phone book (remember those big paper books with businesses and residence phone numbers in them?) when I was 12 and asked for a stereo for my birthday. He said: "get a job". And that was that. I found one and another and another and eventually got a stereo, a car, an apartment, a life by working for it. I wasn't given much because we didn't have much. My Dad was a full time artisan and had been for years by the time I was 12. He worked hard, long, long hours building furniture, repairing antiques and doing shows to sell his wonderful, handcrafted things (he's close to 80 years old and still does all these things - lots slower and with tons more pain in his hands and joints, but he does it). It's no wonder I decided my life would be happier if I continued to do what I do, no matter what the cost to me physically or emotionally. It's in my blood.

My life is very different now that I've reached 59. I have been out of work since the end of 2009 and stopped looking in 2011. I hadn't been on an interview although I applied for hundreds because what I did was no longer useful and I really didn't love what I did - I felt the odds of my being happy doing anything other than mosaics were slim to none. My savings ran out, unemployment stopped abruptly just when I needed it most. I had no where to go, a large bill to pay for back rent and utilities. My art was selling but not steadily. I keep my work priced on the low side except for a piece here and there that really took a lot of time, patience or materials to build and/or create. Truthfully, if I charged $1,000 for a piece of mosaic wall art and it actually sold, I'd have been closer to paying off the bills and would have made 1/2 of what I make during an entire year in selling my art. It's not a bad side business but it's the only funds I get. I'm happy to get it, grateful that I do and feel often very blessed to be able to do what I do at all! I keep the prices low because it's not all about money to me. I enjoy what I do and I want people to get a piece of mosaic art they love at a price they feel is fair. I do crafty things, not fine art pieces (I can honestly say I've only got maybe 5 pieces I'd consider labeling in that way and putting more than $500 on a piece of art makes me uncomfortable even if it's worth it to those who are buying it), and crafty things can be done by anyone who is crafty. If I taught myself, anyone can learn how to do a mosaic. What I find is that people who buy my work like it because they want to learn how to do it themselves. I love that! Everyone should experience the joy I have when creating. No matter if it's inspired by a stained glass candle holder or a dot painted cross. I'd love to have a central location to share my work and have people come to learn how to do it. Or just play on their own with things I provide plus a little experience along the way.

Because the Universe works as it does, during that time, the more I tried to get people to buy my work to help me defer the cost of living on my own, it seemed the more people were really not interested in what I had to sell. Sales dried up for a long, long time; folks claimed they were saving their money and weren't buying non-essentials. Or that they'd say they liked what I was selling but just couldn't afford the $25 I was charging for something that normally would've sold for $50. This is what I do, it's my work, my career, my living. But having to put a price on things I create from my heart and have my followers tell me it's not worth it, made me feel unworthy for about a minute. Maybe two. I understood what they were saying but it made it hard on me. This was/is what I was meant to do - I found my calling - hooray! I had never been told whether I'd be paid for it when I followed the inner voices that led me here. I know it isn't supposed to matter. What is supposed to matter is finding what makes my soul sing. I did that and am happy I did. I knew even then faced with eviction and no where to go at one point, that I was to continue with my crafts, every day, forever, no matter what. The rest would work itself out. And it has.

My daughter and her family scooped me up and brought me here where I am now living, in one room sharing space with stained glass, paints, clothes, too many dishes and the wonky computer plus just about everything from the 3 bedroom apt I could get into one room. Plus all my art - every piece I ever made that hasn't gone on to a new home. And I'm happy. I have my family here with me every day. My grandson and the cats. Life is different but really nothing to be upset about or sad. No complaints. I'm in a safe place, they feed me and keep me warm and/or cool. I'm loved. It's a wonderful life.

But my computer helps me share these thoughts. And my business is done online. When I asked my daughter's boyfriend for help yesterday to get back online before he left for work, it occurred to me that perhaps it was time to ask my family for help. I had mentioned things ... the fund raiser, the things they see online, the fact that my computer crashes every 2 weeks. They knew this. But I never asked for their help. I just reached out to the very giving community I have come to love in cyberspace and got a nice little nest egg for the next computer. I suppose since I like metaphors, this one would be that I reached for the 2013's version of a phone book to try to find what I needed. Just like I did when I was 12.

In asking Mark if his company has any plans to get rid of their old computers, as they sometimes do, he started looking into it when he got to work. The results weren't good and the chances of getting a laptop through that avenue was slim.

Once he spent some time chatting with co-workers, all tech savvy peeps, they suggested he build me a computer. I don't need a monitor, speakers, keyboard or mouse really although if I were to get the funds I asked for, I would get all those things. What I needed was a tower with a OS that didn't crash twice a month, sometimes more. I hope by the end of today, he should have info for me to figure out how much it will cost to build one himself. He built his here at home that he uses, so I know he can build me one too. I also know what he'll need financially is more than I have been gifted doing the fund raiser. It's more than I had when my troubles began, however.

FYI: I have planned to close the fund raiser at the end of this month and give him what I have towards the new build. I hope he will fund the rest because he knows how important it is to me. And of course I will try to find a way to pay him back as I make sales by sharing what I make online each day with a new computer, if he'll take it.

So ends the saga of the computer crisis. And life continues to be awesome!

The fund raiser is still open until the end of September and if you think you might like to donate a little bit or a lot, here's the link. http://www.gofundme.com/49qepk

If you want to donate but don't want to use their methods of payment, you can send it to my email address through PayPal or contact me directly for a mailing address if you'd prefer to send a check or money order, note that it is a donation for the computer somewhere important so I'll see it, at earthmothermosaics@yahoo.com and I'll be sure to keep it separate from the other funds in my accounts.

Now ... so that something besides my goofy grin is shown when I post today, I'll share a few things I did yesterday while watching updates and other fun things being run on the computer to fix it.

This is another dot painted ATC. 3.5 x 2.5 inches. Not sure of a title but I'm leaning towards "Circuits". You should be able to figure out why if you've read the above.

This piece below is 6.5 inches, called "Many Moons" was renewed and updated on Etsy this morning. Some smaller pieces of wall art will be brought back because I never know from week to week what I should do with all my art. Expect to see some you've seen before when I declared they were never heading back to Etsy. I don't know ... I change my mind often ... that's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Mosaic Stained Glass Wall Art // Abstract // Moons // Wall Hanging // Recycled // Wall Decor // Mosaic Wall Art // White Blue Purple Green

AND ... I started some 4 x 4 inch coasters. Peace signs. Earth tones. Groovy.

Stay peaceful,
Cindy, Earth Mother Mosaics