Time Gremlins!

 

Alright…which gremlin stole January/February?  It went whooshing by!  This always happens to me during this time of year.  I remember the Christmas holiday with much adoration, but then comes inventory counting (yuck), tax preparation (more yuck)  Craft and Hobby Association trade show, Tucson Gem Show preparation, teaching and lots of shopping for new and cool things.  It frankly is a blur.  So no blog postings from me, but I will try and make up for gremlin-acquired time.

 

I’ve got so many new things to share with you.  I’ve found new tools, materials, developed new techniques and more!  I just have to figure out how to get them all out there so you can share in the excitement!  I love finding new great things.  I hope the coming weeks are full of tutorials and tidbits to share.

 

So based on that note, I wanted to share a great blog that I try and read weekly.  It’s called www.zenhabits.net.  I highly recommend trying to find time to squeeze it into your weekly reading repertoire. On Feb 7th, Steve, a guest blogger, wrote about Creating the Abundance Mindset.  It resonates with me deeply.  I do try and share my knowledge and time with others in an effort to help make it a little easier for them to be successful.  Our industry is very good at sharing and giving!   I don’t necessarily expect a direct return, but do hope that I create enough good energy that it comes back to me in some form or fashion later.  Isn’t that what we all want?  To have good will, attract good energy and good outcomes?   I don’t think it’s wrong to want to attract goodness.  For the universe to tell you you are on the right path and to keep up the good work.  With the economy in it’s present state, my daily hopes and wishes are for continued success in my business.  To be thought of by new and old customers when they are ready to get more art stuff is of course the ultimate wish and good-will gift.  I am grateful to be able to employ 5 or 6 people at any given time while supplying goodness in the form of WLW goodies to all my wonderful patrons.  

 

It’s so nice when things do come back to you in any form.  I often get really nice comments on orders, in emails, on forum boards etc, which I do enjoy immensely…not to mention the boost it gives to my staff and partner as I share them.  They are the behind-the-scenes key to my success.  They deserve the props!  It’s good to know that someone is getting something good from your toil.  I was so pleasantly surprised (*read*…I fell off my chair) when reading a posting to the Metal Clay Gallery forum by Hadar Jacobson on how to fire BronzClay. The tutorial she released was “How to Speak to Your Kiln and Why It’s Important”.  Take some time to read it.  It’s a really detailed tutorial on programming your kiln for BronzClay.  When you read it you’ll see the very nice thing she said about me.  Yippee….a heart warming special gesture…and gift!  That’s abundance in action coming back to me in an indirect way.  

 

So one of my new goals this year, along with expressing gratitude constantly, is to continue along my path of Abundance.  To also encourage abundant-thinking and gratitude in others.  If we all think of a mind-set of abundance surely we’ll attract it.  Our country, our households, our work environments, our everything… needs abundance and gratitude…of course, not necessarily in the form of more “things”.  Abundance takes many forms (health, wildlife, green things, food, water, love, etc, etc) and gratitude makes this a much lovelier place to live. 

 

In channeling Martha…it’s a good thing.  So I encourage you all today to take a few minutes to create abundance and express gratitude.  So what can you share today?  Post a tip, big or small,  on the metal clay gallery forum or here.  Clean out a closet and donate a small bag of want-nots.  Send an email or snail mail, out of the blue, letting someone know how grateful you are for something they did or just for them.  These things take small amounts of energy and time, yet have great synergism.  Can you give a bit of time, knowledge, money, energy, food, etc?  Leave me a message on what you are up to.  I’d love to hear about what you are thinking 😉  

 

As a digression…Lori Greenberg, an amazing lampworker, started a yahoo forum called Simplify 2009.  Join it…it’s 10 minutes a day for the task…and worth every minute.  She too has a several great blogs to read on lampworking, art, marketing, etc.  If only we didn’t need to sleep!

 

On a side note, it was Megan’s birthday (one of my wonderful team mates) and we missed it last week with all the hub bub of the show.  So we are taking the whole crew out to a birthday lunch.  I’m grateful we can share a meal together, some quality time, and inject some money into the economy.  Hope you all are having a great February.  Don’t dwell on the all the bad news on the planet, but instead rejoice in the things you can…and want…. to be able to celebrate!  

 

Find a little time for some art therapy today.  It does a body good!