YouTube, Boxes, and Gouache (Oh, My!)

“You can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have.” – Maya Angelou

It has been quite a whirlwind of a week.

Right after I posted my blog here last Sunday, I learned that the video podcast that I had recorded a couple of weeks earlier with influencer Lindsay Weirich (The Frugal Crafter) was going to be published that day. To say I was nervous was a little bit of an understatement.

A couple of months ago, Lindsay had approached me to ask if I would be interested in talking to her about my creative business.

Um . . . YES!

There is no other subject that I would probably feel more comfortable with talking about. (Well, maybe “cats”… but that is another thing.)

I was so flattered that Lindsay would choose me to interview, as I have looked up to her as well as her previous guests for many years. I was quite taken by surprise.

As the invitation sunk in and I began to think about it more, I began to feel a little bit of fear. Not because I didn’t feel that I would have nothing to talk about. Those of you who come here to read every week probably can figure that finding words isn’t usually an issue with me. But doing a video interview is something that I had never felt comfortable with. I have never been one for ‘selfies’ let alone talking to others on camera. I find it a bit petrifing.

But the invitation came at the perfect time. I was just in the process of wrapping up my “Ginger All The Way” project and as you know from last weeks’ post, it was getting ready to launch. A plus was that I have been so busy pulling all the loose ends together with it that I didn’t have a lot of time to think too much about the interview, and thus I didn’t have time to worry about it. That was probably for the best.

I came to the conclusion that I am what I am and my passion for what I do helped me overcome my fears. Also, I really liked Lindsay. I feel she is honest and thoughtful and talented and somewhat like me in that her passion for what she does is great. It always shines through. I had always thought if I ever met her in person we would have a nice visit over a cup of coffee. This was my chance at the next best thing.

So without laboring on it more, here is the video interview:

It turned out to be about an hour and a half long, so if you want to watch the entire thing, grab your own cup of coffee and put your feet up and enjoy. (I hope you will, anyway.)

The rest of the week was also busy. With the official launch of my new Treasure Box, I have been back to my busy routine. While I have been working behind the scenes these past several months, it has been difficult for me to feel comfortable about things.

Creating this box was a huge risk for me – at a time when I was already somewhat struggling. As those of you who have read my posts know, I have felt a bit ‘meh’ in the past year or so and I was wondering if things would ever turn around for me.

As artists and creatives, many of us go through this. I think that it is part of the process of creating and that sometimes we just need to back off for a bit and give our heads a chance to reset and rest. But for me, it seemed like it was a long time in coming. I was actually getting to the point where I questioned if anyone even liked what I did anymore.

But what else was I going to do at this stage in my life?

As I mentioned before, with the help of my creative friends and cheerleaders, I was able to get out of my fog. I quietly worked on these 16 patterns for the box set and it made me realize how ‘different’ it felt to create something without the encouragement of you all. It was difficult not to show what I was doing and it was pretty much all-consuming. I began thinking you would all think I was just getting lazy when I was working harder than ever. Not to mention, the fear of failing and no one liking what I did. That was probably the hardest thing of all.

But the last week or so has been incredible. You can probably all hear the huge sigh of relief that I have breathed in seeing how well-received this project has been. I am simply astonished at the response. It has given me the confidence and hope that I haven’t felt for quite a while now and has sparked other ideas to come. I am walking on air at the moment.

I sent out the first large batch of orders mid-week. These were the pre-orders from my Facebook Group which got the first peek of the project. Their enthusiasm and encouragement as well as their orders meant so much to me. Maybe I was really on the right track.

After the first set went on its way, I needed to take a couple of days to catch up on the house and do some shopping and also just to ‘be.’ I have been so focused on this project for the past month especially that I haven’t taken time to do anything else art-wise. I needed to do something for myself.

I had found a ‘new’ (to me) teacher who offered online classes using gouache. It seems that every time I use gouache, I fall in love with it more. There is something about it that is so much fun to paint with and the result is so satisfying. However, you have to learn the characteristics as you do with any medium. I really want to do that.

I had painted this little fox on my own just before Christmas:

He was quick to do and I loved how he came out.

I recently purchased some more Holbein Irodori Gouache – actually four sets of 12 colors – one for each season – and I now have a beautiful collection of colors. I so want to play with them! I have grown tired of just looking at my beautiful supplies and I want to use them. They are pretty in their boxes, but that isn’t what they are meant for. They are meant to be used and I need to stop admiring them and watching others create on YouTube and do some things for myself. I feel I earned that.

So I sat down on Friday afternoon and even though I had other things to do I shut that out and took a class with Ruth Wilshaw, whose community I joined last week. Here is the result of that first class:

(Yes – it IS that dramatic!)

By using just four colors plus white, we created this magical forest scene.

I think I am in love all over again.

It was fun, relaxing, and so much easier than it looks. And the best part of all is that she teaches us the core skills so we can apply them to other things. I really love that.

So that is what I did this week.

In the meantime, I have a long list of orders of Ginger All The Way boxes to fill. I have been printing patterns and all the corresponding documentation for this next batch all weekend and will probably spend today working on them for the most part and preparing the next large batch of wood for cutting tomorrow. Then sanding on Tuesday and packing and shipping. It is fun and exciting and I once again love what I am doing. It isn’t that I didn’t love it. I had just felt a little bit lost.

All the while, I am planning the next Treasure Box…

This one will be only available until August 1st, and then I will be presenting the next. So in between filling orders, I will be planning, designing, and creating. I may not be able to share what I am doing with you until then, but I hope it to be better than ever. I already have several ‘surprises’ in store for the next box and have been ordering supplies for it. I am very excited.

The point of my post today is that I am glad I didn’t give up. We know that without darkness, we cannot appreciate the light. But when we are experiencing the dark times in our lives, it is sometimes difficult to think that they will ever pass. But if we keep pushing ourselves ahead, they usually do. That is what I call ‘faith.’

I wish you all a wonderful week ahead. I hope you like the video if you are inclined to watch it. And I thank all of you who already purchased your Treasure Boxes from me. I hope you are absolutely delighted when you receive them. There is a part of me in every box.

For those of you on the fence and procrastinating, I urge you to order them if you really want them. I had no idea at all how well they would do and when I am unable to replenish the supplies, I will no longer offer them as a full package. I am not saying this to pressure you, but I don’t want anyone to be disappointed. I am doing my best to keep up with the supplies, but we all know how things are these days. One day you can get something and the next you cannot.

I will stop selling them on August 1st regardless. After that, the patterns and ornament surfaces will be available on my site individually, but they will cost a little bit more and there will no longer be free shipping on them. But you will be able to get the ornaments you want if you don’t want them all. The extra treats will not be available.

Thank you to all of you who have been so kind. I hope you know how much you are appreciated. And, as always, thank you to my friends who never lost faith in me. I am so grateful.

Until next time…