keeping your eye on the prize - staying focused

Resolutions have been made; the big ball has dropped in Times Square - and now it's time to get to work.
Here on the Lonesome Road, the big buzz this year is "Staying Focused." I joke about having the attention span of a flea, but the time has come to quit using that as an excuse for not getting things done, for not staying organized, for not staying focused, and for not keeping my eye on the prize. This will be the decade of determination, and even harder work to achieve my creative and business goals.

How do I plan to accomplish this?

• De-clutter! I've already begun de-stashing unneeded supplies and it feels great in two ways. 1. - I get rid of something I don't need and 2. it's a good feeling to know that it will be used by someone who wants it.
• Don't jump on bandwagons. I've experimented with other online selling venues and ended up feeling scattered and spread thin. What works for others doesn't necessarily work for me, and I've eliminated all but one online venue. Yes, at some point I will actively create my own website but for now, owning my own dotcom domain name re-directed to this venue is a start while I forge ahead creating my branding, relationships and own successes.
• Focus on your talents and improve on them. Sure, I'd love to learn lampworking, basket-weaving, soap-making, and much more (actually I do know how to make soap but don't). But I simply just don't have time and I'm already too easily distracted. I don't need to invite the things that undermine my focus.
• Throw away one thing every day. This isn't as easy as it sounds, but I've been good so far. Yesterday's throwaway was a gimme: my 2009 day planner.
• Learn to say no. Also not as easy as it sounds.

I hope 2010 finds everyone keeping their eyes on their own prizes, whatever that prize may be. Good luck - wishing you success in the new year and new decade!
Angie

fun and funky beads and jewelry findings from Soul of Somanya

Last fall I discovered the most wonderful artisan beads at a fiber festival - of all places. The one-of-a-kind beads are the product of Soul of Somanya, a grassroots organization dedicated to enhancing the standard of living in the town of Somanya-Krobo in the Eastern Region of Ghana, West Africa, and its surrounding area. For a complete description of their mission and how Soul of Somanya is successfully accomplishing it, read about it on their website; the story will inspire your own soul and touch your heart.

In the second photo above you can see the recycled powdered glass Krobo beads combined with one of my polymer clay pieces in a fun-to-wear bracelet. The colorful beads coordinate with all types of other glass and metal beads, as well as ceramic and polymer clay focal pieces, almost anything you can dream up, in fact.

And as much as I love the Krobo beads, Soul of Somanya's sterling silver jewelry findings are quickly becoming a favorite of mine as well. In the first photo, I've combined my polymer clay hearts with the artisans' Adinkra symbol headpins, conveying their message of "Safety, Security and Love."

Not feeling crafty? Soul of Somanya has several unique finished jewelry pieces available. Or, maybe a custom order is just the thing. You can even beautify your home with distinctive Soul of Somanya decor!

If you're looking for something fun and different while benefitting a great cause, stop by Soul of Somanya and browse around; their fabulous products are also available in their Etsy shop.

metal clay 101

What an amazing and empowering experience it is to attempt something totally new, outside of your realm... and make it happen!

Yesterday I attended my first-ever metal clay class.

Creating a piece of 99.9% pure silver jewelry was an amazing journey, something I have been wanting to try for so long. Now that I've tried it, I want to master it.

There is no way to learn this from a book as far as I'm concerned, and I'm glad and fortunate that a class was scheduled in my area. So many thanks to our instructor, brilliantly creative Art Clay guru Robert Reckers of Salt Creek Pottery in Elmhurst, Illinois, and to Amy Irwin of Imagine on Main in Oswego, Illinois, for making this opportunity a reality.

Above is my finished take-home piece, the Lonesome Road's maiden voyage on the metal clay highway... it won't be the first ride.

This morning, as I adorned myself with my new little silver friend, I remembered the excitement of the others in my class as our creations emerged from firing, scrubbed to a silvery shine by the wire brush, then emerging gleaming from the tumbler. (Okay, the liver of sulfur stunk up the place, but every cloud has a silver lining, pardon the pun.)

I'll just bet that I wasn't the only one proudly sporting a lovely new piece of jewelry today, handcrafted with excitement and wonder; a testament to personal growth and the love of learning.

lucinda williams in concert at chicago's park west

What an opportunity! On October 14th I saw Lucinda Williams live in concert at the Park West in Chicago. All the elements were there for a great night: one of my favorite performers plus a fantastic, intimate venue... it was a fabulous evening! This show was the second in a three night series covering three different eras of Lucinda's music; "Sweet Old World" (1992), "Car Wheels On A Gravel Road (1998), and "Essence" (2001) were featured in this set, with bits of other albums (and some of Lucinda's own eclectic favorites) mixed in.

Park West is located in the area of Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago, and I can say that I had never been to a venue quite like this. Hubby and I were in the front in the "dance" section... mere feet away from the stage. Like five or six feet.

(Sorry that I haven't posted actual photos of the concert... I overhead a cocktail waitress tell someone that Park West was unappreciative of flashes on cameras and I became a bit paranoid. I did take a little film footage, but nothing to get excited about. So, you get a photo of my t-shirt with lyrics from one of my favorite Lucinda Williams songs, "Joy" from "Car Wheels On A Gravel Road.")

The first thing that struck me as she walked onstage in her low-key way, was how petite Lucinda Williams is. Her overall stage presence is at once powerful but subdued and reserved, almost shy and humble. Dressed in slim black pants tucked into some rockin' black leather boots, with a pink and black leopard print bustier peeking out from her short black jacket, she looked as gorgeous as her voice sounded. The venue and show format was ballad-friendly and she seemed pleased to perform songs that aren't typically part of the show set at larger venues. But when she rocked, she rocked! Lucinda is touring with the band Buick 6, and they were powerful, riveting and funky!

Hearing all of my favorite Lucinda Williams music performed was incredible enough, but to hear her perform Jimi Hendrix's "Sweet Angel" accompanied only by her guitar was also amazing. To my husband's "joy" and hilarity, the show ended with what Lucinda called one of her favorite rock songs: ACDC's "It's a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock n' Roll). The hilarity lies in the painful fact that one of my favorite performers was covering a song by a band that is in my top ten most-hated bands of all time, LOL. Irony is such a weird thing sometimes. *shakes head.*