Holy crow where have I been???! (and thanks to all who've inquired to be certain I haven't vanished 3 miles east of Deliverance on a country explore!)
October was one wild crazy ride of a month with mixed blessings, fresh opportunities, and "pinch me" moments, but I have emerged unscathed and thankful. Very appropriate for the most thankful month of the year. So exactly WHAT have I been up to?
In early October I was approached by a publication for a feature story on my artwork. If you follow me on Instagram then you already know the magazine... but for the rest of the world, mum is the word for now. Though they fell in love with my autumn pumpkins, the story will run in December.
No worries they said- just bring your holiday items to the shoot in a few weeks.
Cool. I got this. Go home check stock.. There's a good healthy start. Enter Etsy and that anomaly all artists pray for: someone loves the inventory shown and buys it all. Really?? All of it??? But I neeeeeeeed it!!
Rut Roh Raggy.... Houston, we have a problem.
Confidence turned to panic as I said farewell to the existing inventory. Out came bin after bin of fabric. Snip snip snip! My sewing machine remained on turbo stitch day and night. Any moment not filled with my day to day responsibilities was consumed in conjuring a reasonable holiday stash.
What does enough look like? How much more can I create in the time I have?
How can the cat possibly be so calm in times like these???
Before I knew it, Halloween arrived and it was GO time. The photo shoot would take place at Hendley Market in the worst of circumstances: the Lone Star Biker Rally had the Galveston Strand completely impassable. I would have to park 5 blocks away. And then adding insult- it was pouring that kind of windy rain rendering umbrellas useless. Avoiding puddles was a futile effort. Rolling up my jeans, I tossed my shoes in to my bag and hoofed it barefoot through ankle-deep water. Hair that was styled just so was straggling in my eyes. So much for the well-coiffed look.
Weeks of nervous worry melted away when the photographer arrived, equally frustrated by the weather and traffic situation. She put me at ease and I knew my work was in the right hands.
I found my first photo shoot to be much like that first school picture day so many years ago with my daughter. Dressing, prepping, making sure she is comfortable and the smiles aren't too posed. Looking on with careful caution. Relaxing when the final shots are taken and knowing all has gone well.
Alongside my own inventory build-up, I've been working closely with Hendley Market and getting invaluable insight at what goes into prepping for a major holiday show. After two months of supply packing, pricing, and prop planning, Hendley is on the move to setup at Houston's Nutcracker Market. In the next week we will recreate the store inside Reliant Stadium for one of the biggest holiday shows Houston offers. All of this knowledge I will employ in my first official show November 30th during Galveston's Art Walk and Hendley's Artifact Show.
It's a good thing us Hendley folk know how to blow off all that steam!!
Here's to an amazing October and an awesome November unfolding!
LOVE & CREATIVITY!
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