Oh Daddy!

Accompanying me in the studio today is Big Bad Voodoo Daddy. I am not sure if I am discovering them or rediscovering them, but either way today is better because of them. I had the opportunity to see them last fall and now I totally regret opting out. Do yourself a favor today and make them your Pandora Station. But first listen to this song I discovered. It is now officially my song of the day. 

http://youtu.be/S5IEt63qOSI 

Today's Motivation

This is what I need. Motivation! Here is my first installment of Today's Motivation. 10 years ago I was in Paris. I stumbled into the Rodin Museum and was awestruck. Creating such flawless, languid bodies out of stone is nothing short of amazing. To look at them is truly an experience. Rodin's works have such movement and feeling. Here are some pictures of my favorite of his works.

"The Eternal Idol" by Rodin

"The Kiss" by Rodin

And now for a bit of literary inspiration. I was watching "Much Ado About Nothing" yesterday and I can not get this out of my mind.

"be you blithe and bonny converting all your sounds of woe into hey nonny nonny"

-William Shakespeare

Boss Me Around Please

Since I was a little kid, I knew I wanted to be my own boss, run my own business, do my own thing. I had all sorts of business ideas when I was a little girl and I was quite enterprising. I sold paintings to my moms friends when I was 5, beguiling them with my talking to them about "the importance of balance in abstract art". Yes that is a quote. Once when I was about 8, I decided that I wanted a garden in my back yard. Now at 8 obviously cash flow is a bit of an issue, so I went through my things in the basement, put a table in the front yard and turned my old toys and books into cash. I promptly went through the Frank's nursery ads and circled everything I needed to buy keeping in mind my budget. Turns out I was not born with a green thumb but the point is I had a goal and was determined to achieve it. I got myself into magnet schools for both middle school and high school studying art and dance. I went away to college throwing myself into the art department and an amazing study abroad opportunity (where my goal was actually to find Colin Firth and make him fall madly in love with me...in this, I failed). Fresh from graduating I took over Moon River Art gallery, even being featured in the Evansville Business Journal for my accomplishment. I then decided I wanted to make myself a working artist and have been doing that ever since.

I have lived my life setting and achieving goals for myself. In any management situation, my take charge attitude has worked well for me. But in working for yourself, by yourself, I have found self-discipline to be the most important thing to posses. Generally I am very self disciplined but lately I am faltering.

My time has been spent with my nose in books where it should be spent at my work bench. The last two nights I was up until 3:30 am reading. READING! I have set my alarm to go off at 8 but lets be honest, that wasn't going to happen.

For the first time in my life I feel like I NEED someone to boss me around. I can not even believe I just typed the words, but there they are in black and white. How do I rectify this situation? Where to I rediscover my self-discipline? It is an odd thing for a somewhat bossy  take charge individual like myself to suddenly desire someone else to hold the reins. Even if it is only long enough to ruffle my feathers and put me back where I am comfortable.

I Am Having A Lonely Moment

They do not happen that often, but I am in the midst of a lonely moment. I suppose it is natural to feel this way when one's partner is gone for an extended period of time but at least most people have co-workers and or children to socialize with. When you are childless, save for one ridiculously entertaining dog, and you work from home, there is no one there to stop you from a bout of melancholy. My house was so full of people this past weekend and now with everyone gone, it just feels so quiet and empty which most of the time I enjoy. Not today.

Last week my friend and I stumbled upon a bar in Pasadena called Brian Boru and it happened to be Lady's Night with music and $5 drinks. We joked that we would make it a Thursday tradition. Perhaps, this will in fact happen. I could use something super fun to break up the week.

Well I will get back to making bridal jewelry and hope that creating pretty things will yank me out of sulkiness. I am being a baby. Someone call me and yell at me!

Another Birthday Has Come and Gone

Saturday was my birthday. Since hubby left in February and will not be back until May, and no other good looking men have been coming around to do my yard work and then whisk me away for a romantic dinner, It was up to me to make my birthday something that stood apart from any other night. I threw myself a little party and it was so much fun! I can honestly say it was one of the best birthdays I have had in a long time! 20 or so friends from here there and everywhere all came together in my back yard and bonded over beers and s'mores. Several people brought me flowers and I am just beside myself with how pretty my home looks now that it is clean and filled with fresh flowers. They sure made this girl feel loved. I thought I'd share a few pics from the last two weeks. Between my energetic birthday, an exploratory jaunt down Ritchie Highway from Baltimore to Annapolis and a trip down to Florida to visit my Aunt I have a lot of inspiration to keep me occupied in the studio for weeks to come!

My Soul's Bones

Last night my neighbor and I were sitting outside by the pond drinking some wine, building a fire and talking about art and music and of the silliness in life. I had recently been telling him about my recent musical obsessions so we were listening to them as we hung out. I was trying to explain to him how some songs just get inside and sort of fester. I was stumbling on words trying to make my feelings clear when I finally told him that some songs just get down in there, deeper than my heart, deeper than my soul but like in my soul's bones. He understood me immediately. Soul's Bones has become our new phrase for something that moves you to that point where you can do nothing but feel and maybe cry a bit....or a lot. Music takes me to that place. It always has. 

The hammering in my studio is incessant. All day long the sound of metal on metal fills my home. Then I use my tumbler and it is worse. It is filled with 2 lbs of steel shot and rotates and vibrates until you are sure the floor is going to collapse. But when the sounds of hard work subsides and the house is quiet, I fill that void with music that touches me to my soul's bones. I have a couple obsessions currently. Nay, I have a undying love for a couple musicians as of late that rival that of everyone else I have ever listened to.

First and foremost,  Mumford and Sons. I discovered them on Pandora on a Flogging Molly station. Every time they came on I perked up, saying to myself, who are these guys. I eventually changed my Pandora station to Mumford and Sons and then just bought the album. I could literally weep while listing to them and I am pretty sure I have. Their lyrics are just amazing and their sound in general hits me deep. Their voices alone...amazing! I listen to them and feel home. I don't know how else to put it. Heartbreaking, honest, beautiful are just some of the words I can use to describe them.

Check out http://youtu.be/Xd8tOAJMA8Q This is the song that lead me down the rabbit hole. Check this one out too http://youtu.be/oMO4xdOS5jY . Screw it just buy the album.

Next is Gotye. He is my most recent obsession. His sound is so strange and beautiful and really haunting. Talk about reaching my soul's bones, listen to http://youtu.be/8UVNT4wvIGY . After hearing this song I bought the album. When I listened to the rest of it, I was sort of on the fence, but the more I listened to it the more I loved it. There are so many great songs on that album that carry with them so many different musical influences that you wouldn't think would go together. Oh but they do!

Anyway this is my piece for the evening. Maybe these songs will touch your soul's bones maybe they wont, but they make me want to create, and love, and be loved, and be a better person in general so it is at least worth a shot.