Art Journaling: Adventures of a work-at-home crafter ...

Hello.

Did you reach me through Suzy of Sea Glass & Sand? 

No, this isn't a séance ... it's a blog-hop organised by Suzy who wanted to mark her newly spruced-up blog with a get together. So - welcome!

And ... because I don't have to look you in the eye when I say this ... I'll brazenly tell you that Suzy has been very kind in letting me know that my Push-Up Bra Blogging series gave her a little nudge toward falling back in love with her blog. So - if you haven't read it yet, and you want some inspiration ... you can browse the whole series [for free] here.

Right then ... let's get on with things shall we?

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Today's project is a spot of art journaling from the journal in which I don't actually do a lot of journaling! It's just more a mix of colours and snippets so maybe it's more of a 'collage with a meaning'?

I don't know ... see what you think:

As you can tell from the date stamp [above right] this is a page I made almost 18 months ago but ... unless you've been poking around on the book shelves of my work room ... it should all still be new to you.

It's like I mentioned in The Doctor Who Approach in Push-Up Bra Blogging, as long as you've never shared something on your blog before  ... it's all new to your audience!

Anyway ... I thought it was appropriate to share it today as now that term's finished on campus, my part-time 'outside-the-house' job is over until October and I'm back at my crafting work desk full time now.

And being in a freelance / self-employed / find your own work / make your own opportunities type occupation is pretty much what this page is about:

The other day I tweeted about having had an offer to write an article drop into my inbox and someone kindly said I had an exciting life! Now then ... I'm not sure I'm in a position to comment on that ... I know I'm fortunate to do the work I do. Undoubtedly. But I also think that what might look exciting from the outside can also sometimes feel quite different from the inside looking out!

A lot of the time I'm looking out for where the next job will come from, the next idea I can develop to keep the work coming in, the next publication which might find room for me, the next kit to put together to sell in the shop. And so on ...

And as I replied to the original tweeter ... the offer of an article to write came as a response to a proposal I originally sent off which was then accepted so ... I  guess I made my own excitement this time round.

And I think maybe that's something which I [we?] need to remember to remember more often ...

• that we don't have to wait for editors; bloggers; creative-collaborators; customers; employers etc etc to come and find us.
• It's not like at school when we had to stand there, embarrassed, while we were the last to be picked to join teams.
• No ... we can pick ourselves and go and find our own team!
• [Read more on this idea from the great Seth Godin here].
• And we can ask them politely; or tempt them; or persuade them; impress them; level with them; entertain them; be useful to them; help them out; or, ever so gently, tug at their sleeves brandishing our best smile while tap-dancing and juggling all our newly polished bells and whistles in front of their eyes! 

And while it won't always end in success ...

 

... when it does ... it is indeed an exciting life!

 

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THIS OFFER IS NOW CLOSED - THANK YOU TO ALL THOSE WHO TOOK ADVANTAGE OF IT!

• Right then ... now I've found you ... I'm offering you 25% off any order placed in my Etsy shop today and tomorrow when you use the following code at the checkout:
• SUZYBLOGHOP25

Maybe there's something you've been planning to buy for a while? If so ... now's your chance to grab a bargain!

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OK, that's all from me today ... as for you .... you need to limber up those knees and then hop on to see Dee over at her Paper Mischief blog.

 

See you soon.

 

Julie :-)