Thursday, March 26, 2009

Resistance is futile...

Hi! It's been almost a week since I've posted, and my last post about wonderful Paytonology was something I reprinted from a Facebook post. So what's been going on this week?

Well, over the weekend I got a lot done for Glint Gear. I made some coin pouches, finished an awesome round bag that the hubster and I named together (Pinball Wizard... look for it soon. We haven't taken pics yet), starting making a messenger bag,and painted some canvas in purples and yellows for a special order pyramid bag. Not too bad for me, I suppose!

Side Note: Chip asked me in a comment if I'd be willing to share my process for painting the Glint Gear fabric - absolutely! I need to work on a post for that. On my Facebook I posted a note that talked about it a little with some pictures.

One major theme has popped up this week, and that is of creative resistance. I was even resisting writing a new blog post! I'm curious as to how many of you experience it as well. Is it something we all experience, and if so, how do you deal with it?

What I noticed for myself this past week, is that it's more than just "creative" resistance for me... it's "joy" resistance. I can think about different domains of my life - family, friends, work, art, marriage - and the resistance is pervasive. I can think about something I truly enjoy doing, and this feeling of "yuck" and "I don't wanna" and "why bother" comes over me. It happens every time I think of going on a social event with friends, planning and managing a really fun event at work, having a romantic date with Ocean, and sewing a groovy new Glint Gear piece. These are all things that give me joy and pleasure while I'm in the midst of it. But before I engage, it's almost like I'm about to have my toenails pulled out with pliers one-by-one.

Once I've chosen to proceed, there's a moment of what I can only describe as an odd "emotional pain" right before I commit to that first action. And then I take one small step, then another, and slowly begin. The "crossing over" from resistance to joy can sometimes be intense, depending on how much joy is waiting on the other side. Sometimes it's subtle. It used to take me weeks to work through the resistance to get started. Sometimes it does. Sometimes it only takes days. Sometimes hours. The past week I've noticed that if I focus on what a brilliant singer/songwriter friend of mine,
Terry Allan Smith, calls "beginning mind," then it only takes minutes to get through the cross-over. Beginning mind is emptying your thoughts of how it will go and all those fears of disappointment, being stuck or whatever, and just take action. I focus on each step of what I'm doing and just give in to it.

For example, when I'm working on a Glint Gear piece that I know will be time-consuming and have resisted sitting down to sew, I commit to just doing it, empty my mind of all those negative thoughts, put fabric under the presser foot and just start stitching. One stitch at a time... whirrr... whirr.... whirrrrrr. It's a meditation. I give up how I'll do this part or that, and take it one moment at a time. One stitch a time. Giving in to the process fully. And before I know it, I'm so into it that time stands still and my joy is bubbling over. And I always think, "Now why was i resisting this??? I LOVE this!!!"

So that's my theme as of late. Breaking through resistance to feel joy.

What are your thoughts on creative resistance?

Friday, March 20, 2009

I Heart Paytonology

I'm an artist. I LOVE all things creative. I had one wacky "spiritualist" tell me she saw my aura and that I am the physical embodiment of "Art" and that's why I have this Alien Silver Hair and color-shifting eyes. Well, I don't know about all that. Sounds to me like she had sniffed too much patchouli oil and ate too many funny 'shrooms. But I DO know this - I know true ART and pure creative talent when I experience it, and Mary Payton Daniels, an amazing fellow artisan and Etsy seller, is the embodiment of pure creative talent and a beautiful spirit!

I had the true joy of stumbling across Mare's showcase on Etsy, and knew from the moment I saw her work that she is something special. Those who know me know I am addicted to handcrafted artisan glass jewelery. I'm addicted to the yummy colors, and it truly expresses me. I literally have a little over 7 dozen glass pieces not counting earrings or bracelets! I bought 3 pieces from Mare, and we became fast friends. (And she became a Glint Girl and bought several of my bags!)

Anthony's birthday was coming up. Anthony said he had always wanted a custom leather bracelet made with a huge glass piece that would reflect his love of the ocean and water. I had no idea if Mare does anything with leather, but thought it couldn't hurt to ask since Anthony fell in love with her work too. Mare jumped on the project, embraced it and totally blew us away. She "tapped in" to who Anthony was and somehow created THE perfect glass piece that embodies Anthony. I won't say any more... I'll let the photos speak for themselves.

But I highly encourage you to check out Mare's work. Send her an email to say hello. She's a doll and I know you'll love her. She's BIG on customer service and making sure you fall in love with Paytonology. Anthony and I have, and it's now a lifetime of love with Paytonology.


Etsy: Your place to buy & sell all things handmade
glintgear.etsy.com

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Thanks for Glint-ing!

And my-oh-my how you glint and don't even know it!

Welcome to my blog! This is my first blog (notes on Facebook don't really count...) and my first blog post! People "in the know" say blogging is where it's at, especially when you have a business, so I'm a-doin' it!

As we get to know each other, you'll learn more about me and my creative side, and hopefully you'll let me learn more about YOU and yours! I will also feature other fabulous creatives on here as well.

You'll hear LOTS about my amazing artist husband, Anthony Ocean, who will from this point on be referred to as Ocean. We live in beautiful South Austin. We turned 90% of our house into a studio! The living room with the lovely wooden floors is our main studio, which we have dubbed Liquid Star Studio. (The first person to ping me with why we call it that gets 10% off their next Glint Gear purchase!) Our master bedroom is the media room with the TV, Ocean's massive (and growing) DVD collection, computer and random art stuff. The smaller bedroom is currently being transformed into the "finishing room" for photos of finished pieces, product storage and packing/shipping area. The garage is where we often have fun making Glint Gear fabric and working on large paintings. I even use part of the kitchen counter while making bags!

I will coax Ocean into writing some movie reviews and including those as well for fun. We never ever watch network TV (although we've gotten hooked on some favs we've heard about and watch on DVD such as Smallville, Heroes, Battlestar Galactica & Lost). But we are HUGE movie fans!

As for Glint Gear... about five years ago, I decided that I love making handmade stuff and also wanted to use paintings in a way that were wearable. It took me until about a year ago to create a process where I can create large sheets of painted "fabric" in a way that's faster than just brush strokes and is unique and groovy. I decided on bags and purses because I never cared for the look of "high fashion" bags such as Coach or Dooney & Bourke, (I'm probably saying that wrong),
and would have a hard time finding fun unique bags. I actually told my husband in Macy's one day that if he ever bought me a Coach bag, I'd file for divorce! No offense to anyone, but I think they are not attractive. And an expensive price tag, does not a swan make...

As for my sewing ability, it's in my blood! My grandmother was a seamstress and worked in a garment factory in a tiny Louisiana town. My mother is a master seamstress as well and gave me the wonderful legacy of sewing talent and creativity. And I'm SO happy that she did! I LOVE to sew! And I LOVE to paint. (I got her started on drawing and painting, so I'm returning the favor!)

It's been a fun challenge learning to sew with the unique qualities of artist canvas painted with traditional artists acrylic. I am constantly working on developing new designs that work well with the Glint fabric. I take a lot of time to carefully construct each piece up to my high standards. If it doesn't pass my scrutiny, it doesn't make it to out into the world!

That's enough for now! I'm not sure how often I'll post, but I'm really excited about this blog and about sharing all the fun Liquid Star happenings.

Oh, and be sure to check out the Carried Away Bag Team's Bag of Luck Giveaway for a chance to win!

Keep Glint-ing!