The Lifting Fog

“No effort that we take to attain something beautiful is ever lost.”

-Helen Keller

It has been a pretty good week.

As usual, it went by rather quickly. It seemed like yesterday that I was writing my previous blog and it is difficult for me to understand how quickly these past seven days have passed.

But they were full and exciting days for me. The response to my new Treasure Box adventure has been better than I could have imagined. By some people’s standards, it may not seem as if it is that explosive or successful. But by my own standards, it is wonderful.

And it is just the beginning…

It is at times such as these that I am reminded just how much importance ‘attitude’ and mindset plays in our everyday lives. I truly think that people grossly underestimate the impact having a positive attitude can have on – well – just about everything. After months of feeling kind of ‘blah’ and trying to get out of a not-so-perky place in my life and questioning my choices (etc., etc.,) it has only taken a small turn of the tables and a minimal amount of success (along with some wonderful support from a dear friend – are you reading, Vera?) to give me a completely different outlook on things and just feel better about everything in general. What a gift that is!

And although the physical changes have been small, the impact on my attitude and outlook has been enormous. I can’t explain it.

Only a few weeks ago I was still feeling a little bit lost emotionally, not knowing which direction was the right one to head regarding my design work. It was somewhat of an effort to get moving each day and stay motivated, as I didn’t know if I was on the right path or heading out into the weeds. I admit to you all that I was questioning just about every decision that I needed to make and wondering if investing my time and effort into one project or another would be wise and fruitful or if I would wind up at another dead end. This is something that I believe most designers experience at least some time in their lives. Some never recover from it.

But my other choices for a vocation are not plentiful right now. I am not at a place in life where it would be feasible for me to scrap this career and start over and do something else. Besides – I don’t want to start over. Even though I have been in a fog, art and creating are as important to me as breathing. It isn’t just a job for me. It has been a part of me as long as I can remember, and I truly feel, as corny as it sounds, that my purpose here on Earth is to create and make things. And I love sharing the process with others.

So even in those darker days when I didn’t feel inspired, I pushed ahead. And little by little, the fog lifted. And then – all of a sudden – it is much clearer and I see the bright sun shining. I feel much more confident in my choices and purpose and I am excited again and look forward to getting up each day to create. It is a wonderful place to be.

The response from last week’s “Ginger Treasure Box” was really nice. I still haven’t aggressively promoted it besides mentioning it in last week’s blog post and posting about it in my “Let’s Paint (and CREATE!) with Sheila Landry” Facebook group. I wanted to give my “Groupies” (as I call them) the first shot on things and they were very receptive and positive. I am truly grateful. (At the time of writing, I have only had just over 125 views of the little Promo Video I created about it on my YouTube channel.) Yet, enough boxes were sold to give me the boost that I needed to know I was heading in the proper direction. (And far beyond!)

So I spent the week gathering supplies, writing patterns, and creating worksheets. I know this is going to be my “best project ever!” I can’t wait until the boxes begin to ship and the recipients open their “Treasures”! It is going to be quite a lot of fun!

What you hear about ‘positive reinforcement’ is certainly true. Knowing that even one person wanted to paint these little guys and join in the fun inspired me to want to do the best job I knew how to create the boxes, explain the process, and fill them with some delightful ‘surprises’ to make it the best experience ever for all of us. And somehow that feeling fueled my creativity so now I have at least FOUR more projects lined up after this. I will be busy for quite a while!

Each day I had more ideas to make things ‘better’ or to add a little something extra. With each addition, I felt better about what I was offering and things just snowballed in a good way. Excitement is always contagious, isn’t it?

I will be completing the writing of the 16 patterns that I am including with this Treasure Box this week. Then I will begin cutting the many wood pieces that will go with the patterns. By that time, all the supplies will have arrived and I can start packing and shipping everything out. I expect before the end of May. Then the REAL fun begins!

Every step of the process has been a joy for me! I have always been one who loves to wrap gifts and present beautiful packaging. My customers can attest to that. I often receive notes from my customers after receiving their orders that it was “like Christmas” when they opened them up. That alone makes me smile!

So there isn’t much ‘new’ to share with you other than that. I hope I am not building things up too much, but it is hard not to be excited about everything and want to share. But I have to hold off with sharing the little ‘surprises’ or they won’t be surprises after all. But eventually, you will see them.

In other things, we were able to take a beautiful walk this week before the dreaded black flies emerged. (I am highly allergic to them!) We chose a place about 10 minutes from our home here along the ocean, where there are lovely cliffs and crashing waves. It was a beautiful, warm evening and it couldn’t be more perfect. The place takes a while to walk to – I imagine it is about 3-5 kilometers from the road – but we didn’t encounter any bears (although we saw lots of wildlife “poop” LOL!) and we had to walk in the sometimes swampy grasses a bit to stay far enough from the edge of the cliffs.

We wound up where they filmed the movie, “The Scarlet Letter” with Demi Moore many years ago. All that is left from the ‘set’ is the shell of the old barn. The house is long gone – as Keith said it turned into a hangout after the film crew left and eventually was destroyed. But what a beautiful place…

. . . and here is the remains of the barn:

Isn’t it a beautiful paradise? I certainly think so!

The cliffs are much higher than they look, and there are no rails or any ‘tourist-type’ people or things around. A place that is truly unspoiled and untouched.

It was a sometimes brutal hike to get there, which is probably why it is so pristine. But it was worth every step, scratch, and slip to get there. I felt it in my old bones the next day, but don’t tell anyone. I hope to go back again several times this summer.

So I will end this post with a ‘life is good’ feeling.

No – my life isn’t ‘perfect’. I still have things I am working on. But in the big picture, I have embraced all the wonderful things that I have and the wonderful people (and Wolf Blitzer) who make my world complete.

How could I ask for anything more?

Until next time…