Learning patience, and computer skills

I have been having a few days off, after posting on Facebook how dissatisfied I have been feeling and coming to the realization that I had broken a promise to myself that I would no longer push aside, ignore, and downplay, my creative ideas or my creative self.  Since then my mind has just been in overload as I finally let ideas and images have a free reign.  I have a notebook with tear out pages so that I can draw, make notes and try to record those things that have been pushed aside for so long. These then get written up properly in a large art journal with other notes about the idea.

The one thing I knew for sure was that I had to learn how to put pictures on my blog, or everyone would get sick of my posting so many times a day on Facebook.  This way I can just mention an idea and direct them here if they are interested.

So after my son showed me how to transfer photos from my tablet, which is how I take most of them these days, onto my computer, I took the time to calmly - and without swearing at myself or the computer - investigate the blog page that you post on.

And  low and behold, it worked! No swearing, no threatening the computer with the chance to learn to fly, nothing.  Maybe there is hope for peace between my computer and I at last (but I am not holding my breath! )

Downsizing, how much 'stuff' do we really need?

We have been told we have to move again in March next year. On my last move I swore I was downsizing. Yea right!

Well this time I have heaps of notice and I'm not sure where I'm headed. I have been toying with the idea of moving out of Perth, but stay in WA. I have also been toying with the idea of packing myself up into my car, buy a trailer and travel around.  But in either case I still want to drastically downsize. So how much 'stuff' do we really need, and what can we live without.

So I have decided to do the 'if I travel, what do I really want to take with me'.  Well that downsizes my wardrobe to almost nothing! Books? I have been slowly buying and exchanging my paperbacks etc to downloads, and also my magazine subscriptions. I will need to go through my craft things and only keep things that can't easily be replaced, Make a storage box, lined with sponge/foam etc for my sewing machine. Only keep one embroidery machine so I can make my own laces, for my quilts etc, also boxed. Furniture etc would go into storage, I may decide to get a place if it is too much. And there are some items to precious to let go, memories treasured that cannot be replaced.

I'm not planning for a caravan because then you can fill it with 'stuff', and believe me you would be surprised just how much stuff you can stash in a caravan, I know! And the object is to par down to what is essential to my physical and mental wellbeing.

So how 'stuff' do we really need?

Is it just comfort, extravagance, want - not need?  Well I am about to find out, and it is going to be hard, because I am one of those people who hoard.  I was brought up by grandparents who went through the depression, who never threw anything away, upcycled everything, and used something until there was no possible use for it.

I have to unlearn, let go, and not shake when getting rid of something. Close my eyes at clean-ups, drive past roadside drops and just, keep reminding myself that I cannot possibly take this on the car or trailer.

Wish me luck, I'm going to need it

Ba humbug!

Ok I've done Christmas in July. It was over 20 years ago, in the Snowy Mountains.  Australia doesn't have snow at Christmas and that was a wonderful theme for our long weekend ski trip.  Was great fun, small presents, lots of laughs.
But now somehow it seems to have been taken over by the retail trade.  Not only do we have Christmas shoved down our throats from around October onwards. Now we have it shoved down our throats in July and earlier.

I am not anti Christmas, even if I am not of that religious persuasion. I did the whole Christmas thing when my Children were young. gifts, decorations, tree. The whole works, and I loved to see their faces when they saw under the tree and opening their presents.  Now my children are young adults we still do the tree, the presents and when not at their dads we spend time enjoying each others company.

But now we have this whole commercial Christmas package not only pressuring us at Christmas time but in July also.  Lets go back to the way it was, just a non commercial fun excuse to enjoy being together, and sharing.

The difference between WIP's and UFO's

When I talk about wips and ufos people get confused as to what I mean.

Here is my working definition.

Wips, things I am working on, at various stages, that I pick up, do a bit and put down.  These are projects that may take awhile to finish but at least I have the satisfaction of getting something done.

Often we have small amounts of time that we waste because we think that we don't have enough time to do ........   But if we have things set up, lying around with supplies attached or accessible, we can often do bits and all these bits add up to a finished project.

I have these all over the house. Lounge room, sewing room, dining room.  I have them in ziplock storage bags or whatever they will fit in, with all the bits I have rehearsed on them and decided to use.  Sometimes I find something that may go with a project but not have the time to rehearse it, so I put it in the bag with the project and then when I do have time its there to try.

I have things I can carry with me already bagged that I can do if I am going to be sitting somewhere waiting for awhile.

All these things are my wips.

Ufo's are things I am frustrated with, waiting for inspiration, waiting to purchase something for - that I usually cannot find.  Or just something that is not working out the way I picture it and I have to walk away and give it time, before I go back and look at it again. I wrote about this process in one of my others posts 'Most people I know think that I'm crazy'. I have to walk away and give myself time to rethink, re-visualise.

Or they got forgotten, misplaced under piles of other things etc

These are my ufo's.

Most people I know think that I'm crazy - and that's ok

I have had the song lyrics "Most people I know think that I'm crazy" running through my head since I woke up this morning.

Well that isn't anything unusual, most of the people I know probable agree with this, and love me anyway.

But this is why those particular lyrics are running through my head at this moment.

I was talking to a friend I haven't seen in years, and catching up on life, children, what we are doing now, etc and she asked why I have so many works in progress (wips), and ufo's.

I tried to explain over the phone, and I am sure had she been here she would have done the 'back away form the crazy lady' routine. As it was she stated that this was an 'unusual (read crazy) way to work. So I thought I's put it into words and see if it made any more sense. It does to me. Does anyone else work like this or am I really crazy?!?

Firstly, because of back and neck injuries, as well as osteoarthritis, I find it hard to sit for too long, or be in one position for too long.  So I have projects that I can do bits on when the hands and back aren't in too much pain, so I can progress bit by bit.

(Also sitting for too long drives me nuts!)

Next I have a mind that will not focus on anything else if I have an idea floating around in my head.  I am unable to focus on one thing if I have another idea in there. I've tried writing it down, and this sometimes works.  What is better, is if I make a start, put things together, buy the bits for it etc, then I can say to my mind, "I will focus on this, (whatever I am doing), at this moment because I have made a start on the other idea, and I will move onto it later"  Then I don't get frustrated that I am not working on my next idea, because I have at least made a start. I did say I was unique (weird).

Another reason is that I have a certain picture in my mind on how 'it' will look.  If it is not working out, and I am getting frustrated, I walk away from it. I go back occasionally to see if I like how it is turning out now, or if I have an idea how to change it to the way I pictured it.
Often I will get an idea flash into my head of what to do and I will go back and try that. Sometimes I accept that no matter how I try it is not going to work out the way I want.  If I can accept that I will move on with the project. If not, I let it go, learning from my mistakes.

Or I will put something aside until I find the 'something' that just says 'Yes', that's what I needed. Sometimes it is just a case of learning something new that will make the project work.

And lastly - I think - when I see something new or read about a new technique, I just have to try it out asap.

Sometimes as creative people we have ideas that are ahead of their time, and just waiting for something to be invented.  Sometimes we can invent them ourselves, and other times we wait for those a bit further along the creative road to invent them for us. I do love these people so much. They do the inventing, and I get to play!

This works for me, and if it takes awhile to finish, unless there is a deadline, so be it.

So am I really that crazy?
Actually I think that I am, and you know what, I love it!

Being the 'Weird Kid'

Ok. So there are going to be a few posts each day until I get out of my head what has been meandering around it.

Another picture on Facebook about being your unique self. When I was at school and growing up it was called being weird.

I could look at things and see shapes and pictures others could not. I had an incredible imagination and was a favourite among parents as I would tell the smaller children stories about fairies,witches, make believe that I made up on the spot to keep them amused.  The school bus driver loved me, because I would keep all the younger kids quiet as I told them my latest story.

I was more comfortable in my holey shoes and pants, than I was in getting dressed up to go to school, and I insisted on wearing trousers under my dress, so that I could spin around the monkey bars, and beat the boys many times. I was probably the only 'tomboy' in my age group all the way through school and was always on the outside.  I hated dresses, and as long as my hair was tied up I didn't care what it looked like.

But the hardest part was the fact that I was so different.

I talked about how there were not enough trees on the farm, and got patted on the head by all the (male) farmers. I spoke about the need for green belts, undisturbed land, crop rotation.  I didn't know how I knew these things, but I knew it was important. Now I would be called an environmentalist, not a know it all little brat.

I made things out of bits and pieces and loved bringing things home from the tip and making things out of them. Now it is shabby chic, and upcycling, not being a scab.

I would walk in the bush and feel the land around me, lay on the ground and feel the earth beneath me and feel the breeze wrap its arms around me.  Now I would probably still be called weird but I still feel these things, and know that I am one with nature.

I hate shoes, noisy parties, and I don't drink or smoke. My grandparents, who I grew up with were chain-smoking alcoholics who grew up in the war and depression. Most of my life was spent on a farm, and I only saw other kids at school. This meant I grew up fast, so I never could see what the other kids carried on about, and honestly I thought they were weird to.

Now I keep to myself, have a small group of friends who accept me for the unique person I am,
still don't go out to parties, and the only places I am happy shopping is in craft, material, art and hardware stores.

And you know I don't really mind being called weird now.

Ok, so this is me.

I thought I should start a blog because sometimes I do tend to go off on a tangent, hence the name of my blog.

Here I will go into detail about my artistic experiments - whether they work or not, get feedback from others interested in the same things, and also thoughts that tend to meander through my head, from things I observe, see on Facebook, or hear. This is not a comment on such things so much as my thoughts and memories, often brought up by what is around me.

Like a few days ago I saw on Facebook a picture about children in the outdoors, or lack thereof. it reminded me of being a child, white frosty morning, holes in my shoes, pants etc, and getting a sheet of tin, running to the hill next to our house (well caravan attached to shearing quarters, on a farm actually), and running to the top with all the dogs, and sliding down. Dogs all running along beside me.  Then hauling the tin back up again, over and over and loving every minute.   No worries about soaking wet shoes and clothes. No worries about cutting myself on the tin. Tumbles were exciting and my playmates had four feet not two. And I was so happy, and never thought about how cold I was.

But I was not encouraged to make messes in the house, my creative attempts were laughed at and put down.  And drawing and scribbles were not considered to be a career choice, or a life style choice.

I hid my writing, stopped creating what was not acceptable, and grew up.

I have two children and I let them dig in the back yard, draw with chalk all over the paths and walls, took them out to jump in puddles, climb trees, and run in the house and outside with no shoes.

I hugged them often, held them when they cried, and laughed when they were filthy dirty from being creative outside. My son is 20 and hugs and kisses me each day, and my daughter is 18 in September, and she still comes to me to be held when it just gets too much. Each day we tell each other and show each other how much we love each other.

We always had messes in the house even in summer.  the place was full of empty boxes waiting to be constructed. Paper laying everywhere with drawings on them and I always found money for new pencils, string, tape, chalk, etc.   They were never bored because they were too busy creating.

And now I have two children who are talented and artistic. My son with computers and graphics, my daughter with drawing and graphics.

Now it is my time to reclaim that which was hidden for so many years. It will be a long hard road as I learn to be that creative child of so many years ago. As I learn not to be ashamed of the mistakes I make, the writings that need to be rewritten, and that there is no such thing as a mistake, only the way not to do it next time.