Thursday 10 November 2011

Some Musings About My Muse...

Where does creativity come from? I'm not saying I know, I'm just asking. And while I'm wondering aloud, why do we doubt ourselves when it comes to our creativity?

A couple of years ago I published a book. It was a little book, a travel memoir. The thing is, I started writing that book 13 years before I actually finished it. I procrastinated and dismissed my ability, thinking to myself, "Who am I to write a book? Books are a big deal. No one would ever want to read anything I have to say."  Then I had a total knee replacement. I was pretty much sequestered to my recliner for a couple of months so I decided to take another look at my unfinished travel memoir.

Upon re-reading it I expected my same negative thoughts to accompany me, but for some reason they stayed away. I read what I had written years before and much to my surprise it sounded good! I read it aloud just to be sure and it still sounded good. I pulled a fresh ice pack out of the freezer for my knee and got down to business. I wrote and wrote and wrote and a couple of months later, I had actually finished it. It was a book! Upon the advice of a friend I self-published "Dreaming of Sicily - A Travel Memoir," and it now sells on Amazon.com and in my Etsy store (Pretty Girl Postcards).

But this blog post isn't about book writing, it's about believing in yourself and your abilities as an artist. Don't think that your creations aren't worthy. There may be someone out there just dying to find your product. They may not even know what it is they are looking for, but when they see your fine work they know they've found just what they were looking for.

Here's a little game I play when the self-criticism fairy decides to rain down upon my parade:

I think to myself:

What if Michelangelo had painted the Sistine Chapel, climbed down from the scaffolding and said, "Ugh, who would want to look at that?" and instructed his workers to instead paint the ceiling white. There would be no reason to go to Rome! (Okay, bad example. Of course Rome would be worth visiting even without the Sistine Chapel. I mean, really, it's ROME!)

What if [insert the name of your favorite singer/songwriter/musician/band here] had decided he or she wasn't talented enough to record their compositions. Can you imagine even one day without hearing your favorite song? I know I can't!

I could go on an on, but what I really want to say is... BELIEVE IN YOURSELF. Put your work out there. Listen to your muse and tell that self-criticism fairy to 'sod off!' And who knows, maybe your creations will inspire another artist somewhere down the road to create something beautiful of their own.

Friday 4 November 2011

Don't Give up

Whenever you start something new it takes time and effort to continue it. Sometimes when you're creating, it takes no effort because it's something that just has to come out of you no matter what. Well it's like that for me most of the time :-)


So don't give up on us! We've just opened and are still looking for recruits. The word is OUT and circulating amongst the team. I expect a slight trickle in response.... well actually I hope for more :-)

It has oft been said, give a job to a busy person and it will get done, give it to someone who has a lot of time on their hands and you'll never see it again. I think that's because a busy person co-ordinates their time, or they try to and they do get to it, sooner rather than later.

A word to the team members: The great thing about being able to use this site as a BRAG spot for our creations or wares is that each of us can schedule it to be published at a certain time and day. How cool is that hey! SO  even if you're going to be busy for the next two weeks but have half an hour now, you could create one or two Brags and arrange for them to be published the same day you expect to upload the new listing .. wham!... exposure! YES! :-)


Okay back to our visitors : So please don't give up on us, keep checking the blog out and soon, yes soon we'll have all sorts of interesting things for you too look at... especially if you're shopping for Christmas and other special gifts. You'll be able to see the listings first because they've been BRAGGED about here, with a direct link to the shop to make you lives easier!

Right I must be off now...gotta go and create something .........

Monday 31 October 2011

Etsy, the site that sells!

Once on Etsy you can click on the down arrow next to the search bar and click on any of the various headings listed on the drop down window, then type in a key word.... like painting acrylic and it will bring up all the acrylic paintings listed on Etsy.... kind of mind boggling when you see how much work is actually advertised on this site. Thanks Etsy!
As a seller and a buyer on this site I am a happy camper. They are a great crowd and the site is very efficient. Anyway that's what I've found :-D

Aether Designs by Kimiko
Kimiko is a leader of the team and she makes the loveliest jewelry. Take a peek at her shop Aether Designs.

Cross stitched items for all occasions by Cindy of  Ce Crafts.
Cindy is also a Leader on the Team visit her shop CeCrafts.

Cute Air plants in Corks! found in Constance's shop ArtCain
Constance is very active in the team. This is a good thing in a leader :-D Click here to go to ArtCain.

There is one more Leader. His name is Mike.
Mike also makes Hot Sweet Fire Salsa :-D
Mike is a Welding Artist. He creates Art out of things people throw away. His work is very interesting, worth a visit I think. :-D His shop is called EFace Designs.

Also you'll be able to, on this Blog,  click on any of the thumbnails listed in the :
Cyber Flea Market Hops,
Go to their Shops,
And find solutions,
To all your problems!

So that's my info for today :-D


Friday 28 October 2011

The Birthday of MY CYBER FLEA MARKET Blog Hop for ETSY Shops!!!

Today is the birth of a brand new blog. The blog will be hosted by me, Sylvie.
I am going to be hosting Cyber Flea Market Hops every two weeks for Etsy shop owners!!

I wonder how many people reading this new blog have heard of Etsy.com. Well ETSY.COM is like a HUGE flea market selling their wares to the public, 24/7, world wide. The hand made items are rather innovative and gorgeous. They make wonderful gifts.

The site also has shops that sell supplies to crafters, not only to other Etsy shops but also to the public. Lastly, but not least, there are the vintage shops where all manner of items, older than 20 years, are available.

There is an Etsy Team called "The Flea Market Team".
Every few days  these busy people host a BNR which is advertised and then attended by several hundred Etsians and visitors. Some BNR's are for certain items $10 and under and if you like what you see you can click onto the picture to get an enlargement that also takes you to the shop that sells the item. Once there you can surf the other items in the shop by clicking on the little photo's to the right or on the square that has the total number of items displayed in the shop. This will take you to the shops main page where thumbnails of all the items for sale are displayed.

To get back to the BNR you just back page till you get there. BNR stands for Buy 'N Replace. Which means that once something is bought from the board, it is almost immediately replaced by a new item.
So these BNR's normally run for 12 hours stretches, from 10am to 10pm, which gives the shopper plenty of time to have a good look as to what's on offer. Once you have bought something you review your purchase and in the browser will be the address of that transaction with a number, this you highlight and copy then you go back to the board where you first saw the item and paste it into the comments stating that you have just bought from such and such shop, along with the address of an item ( or if you're not a shop owner then you just name a shop that you like.) This alerts the board Curator and she sees to it that the new item is put onto the board.

It's extremely well organised and rather a lot of fun. Your feet don't get tired and the loo is always nearby :-D

To pay the team a visit look for a LINK listed under "Latest BNR board" . We will be updating this each time we have a BNR running.. Everyone is welcome..when you arrive, go to the comments and say hi to everyone and say how you got there..for example..Hi I saw this BNR on your blog :-D so I came to have a look.. etc..

Happy Shopping and we hope you enjoy the posts to come.