i want to be free!

i've lived in Chicago all my life, born and bred here, and i love this city dearly with its diverse cultural communities, unrivaled architecture, beautiful beaches along the shores of Lake Michigan, and an art and music scene that just can't be beat.  it's a bustling town, hopping pretty much every day of the week and all hours of the day and night.  while all of that is good and fine, i want to get far, far away from it.  for reasons i won't get into here i'm stuck in the city for a few more years, but i've got plans and dreams and goals of breaking free from it all and leaving it behind.  living in a big city definitely has its perks, but i've found that solitude just isn't one of them.  maybe it's my old age....ok, my middle age....but i'm tired of the fast pace, tired of racing everyone else to beat the clock, tired of being just one of a zillion rats sprinting to the proverbial finish line.  i want to slow it down, lay it back, and mellow it out....

i want to drive (or hike!) leisurely through the mountains and marvel at tall, stately trees....

i want to stroll through a field of wildflowers on a summer sunday morning....

i want to lay in the grass of an open field and gaze at the clouds....

i want to enjoy an impromptu conversation with a perfect stranger during a trip "into town"....

i want to sit on the back porch of a cottage in the woods and serenade the birds with my guitar....

i want my nearest neighbor to be at least half a mile away....

i want to lay in a hammock at night listening to crickets sing while gazing at the stars....

i want to enjoy sunrise in "the country" with a cup of coffee in hand....

i want to ride a bike down a country lane and wave at passing cars....

i want to dance in the rain with my dogs as my audience....

i want to raise chickens, and goats, and sheep.....

i want a garden full of fresh veggies and beautiful flowers....

i want to be closer to and connect with Mother Earth in all her splendid glory....

i want to be free.

so my birthday came and went. . .

happy tuesday, blogville!

i celebrated 47 years of roaming the planet this past Sunday and what a wonderful weekend i had! i did a little supplies shopping Friday night...always fun!; friends took me to see Chicago blues legend Buddy Guy live in concert Saturday night...what an awesome performer!; and on Sunday, my actual birth day, i spent a lovely morning strolling through the forest preserve with my dogs, my daughter, and my camera...pics coming soon! each one of these events brought joy to my heart and a smile to my soul.

you know what else came and went?  the deadline for reopening my Survivor Arts shop on Etsy. i originally planned to reopen during October (Domestic Violence Awareness Month) but pushed it back to my bday, November 18. i'm now pushing it back yet again to November 30 but this time i'm making that date tentative. i tried doing the deadline thing; it just doesn't work for me. as an artist/artisan/designer/crafter i work best when i am in sync with my own creative flow. when i try to force it i get stuck, and aggravated, until motivation slips away and i can no longer focus on the task at hand. when artistic energy flows naturally i create from a stable mindset, something that is absolutely necessary to produce the unique, quality handmade items i strive for. so as of today i am done with deadlines. i will continue to work toward completing projects within a general and realistic timeframe, but no longer will i put pressure on myself or my artistic integrity with hard deadlines. nope, not doing it anymore. and i am more than okay with that.  :)

click HERE for this free calendar template!

getting back to the business of blogging

well hello there! long time no see. last time i wrote a blog post i swore i would be more consistent with posting. well, that hasn't worked out too well now has it? i've renewed my vow to blog more often, and this time i mean it! besides, i've got so many thoughts and ideas rolling around my brain that i absolutely must empty it out to make room for more thoughts and ideas. i originally was going to abandon this here blog in favor of blogging on the official JMO website but decided to stick it out here for the time being. it's not a bad idea to spread JMO all around the world wide webs after all. so let the blogger blog revival begin with a tiny peek at what's been happening in my little crafty corner of the world.

 #1. my new studio is about 90% complete. i installed new flooring, painted the walls, and moved all supplies/inventory in. there's still some organizing and light carpentry to be done, but the space is now the central hub for all things JMO. here's a look at my nice, clean worktable:

#2. after a hiatus of well over a year i'm reopening my Survivor Arts Etsy shop on November 18, 2012, which just happens to be my birthday! i've changed direction with this shop and will now offer hand sculpted clay pieces of a more personal nature. they are the art of this survivor of domestic violence, and each piece will contain my thoughts, memories, fears, and triumphs during a most difficult period in my life. healing therapy if you will. take a peek at one of the prototypes for this project:

#3. i've been spending lots of quality time with my trusty camera lately as Photography Manager for the Alsip (IL) Youth Football & Cheerleading organization. both my tween son and daughter partake in football and cheer and my last nine weekends have been spent snapping pics of them and their teammates. it's more work than i could have ever imagined, but so dang fun! we've now entered post season play with only one of our levels advancing to the second round of playoffs...my son's team lost in the first round *sniff*...so my photographic managerial duties will soon be coming to a bittersweet end. i'll miss the excitement of being on the field with the teams but i'll now have much more time to create. this is just one of about 3000 pics i shot this season:

there's lots more to share, but it's late and i need my beauty sleep. heh. blogging again feels good, so expect to see more updates more often. until then, keep peace in your mind and love in your heart. ~jean