Multi tasking

Im sitting at my desk this morning trying to make a list of everything that needs to get done this week.  I have a parttime job as a computer lab tech at an elementary school and I have to install 9 new computers. I make lampwork beads and jewelry and need to get ready for a big spring show.  I'm costuming the Musical 'Hair" and need to make 35 hippies come to life!  My husbands Grandmother is turning 100 tomorrow and we need to do something fun for her.  I need to start the school yearbook and theres at least ten other things that need to get done. 
So, because im a little ADD and these are all rather big tasks that cant be completed in an hour (my attention span) I need to get out the timer again and spend an hour on each big task each day... ok going out to spark up the kiln for the beads and then walking my daughter to school.  One hour of beads, one hour of costumes and off to school to install those computers.

a new computer

so I got this new computer... and its taken about 3 days to get all my stuff loaded and transfered from my old computer... its done now and Im back on track.  I leave Friday for CHA and I may get one more new collection done before I left.  THe new compter is a Dell Studio xp and so far its great.  I am having a few issues with windows7 and my old photoshop cs2 so I downloaded a trial of cs4...pretty cool stuff on the new one but Ive just used it for a little while yesterday. 

Im working my but off on new art and now it will come together much faster with the new computer and I'm very excited, I always dreaded hiting that photoshop button on the old computer and waiting FOREVER for it to load.  Now it just pops right up and my whole attitude has changes about doing my portfolio pages! 

Now to raise the money I need to purchase the upgraded cs4.  Ive put everything on my etsy store on sale for the week and if I sell it all I will have enough to purchase my new upgrade.  http://www.kirstenpmcgrath.etsy.com/

Use less, make more

My new years resolution... Use less, make more.
Use less procrastination, make more time
Use less restaurants, make more dinners
Use less plastic, make more totes
Use less gas, Make more exercise
Use less 'new', make more recycled

Weve spent a few years in a 'downturn' in our family and have been doing less with less... my goal is to do more with less. I have a studio full of fabric, glass and tools. I can make some really cool stuff with what I have without getting anything new. Every month I will force myself to 'use up' a particular box full of some thing. This month its old jeans. Along with those jeans will go some of my fabric stash too. I will make totes and backpacks untill they are all gone.

The Timer experiment

Well its not really an experiment but a re-alignment. I tend to waste a lot of time when I get overwhelmed, worrying more about what to do instead of actually doing something... ANYTHING. So last week for the whole week I used a timer and I gave myself an hour to fully concentrate on each task that I had to do that day. I tutor kids in the morning and in the afternoons so most days I have 4-6 hour window to devote to my creative work. I started on Monday by making a list on my calender of the things I wanted to work on for the day...
clean the studio, make beads, work on purses, and work on portfolio pages. Cleaning the studio of course is a 6 hour job in its self, but I freak out when I know that I'm going to spend my whole day cleaning and not get any 'work' done.

So, its Saturday and the studio is almost clean, it got 4 hours worth this week, I made 200.00 worth of beads, I got 3 sets of portfolio pages done and painted 1 new collection, and I worked on three purses all about 50% complete. I also spent the extra time in my schedule to teach myself how to do a repeat pattern with a tutorial I found on line (4 months ago) and experimenting with a new tool I got for jewelry design.

I'm setting the timer again today. And I'm including my household work I never want to do, clean the bathroom, organize my closet and put away laundry. Ill let you know how it goes!

this years valentine

My daughter totally outdid herself this year. Every year she does something creative on a pretty big scale for valentines day, I photograph or scan it and print cards for her classmates for valentines day. I was driving home from work in the pouring rain thinking how is she going to do it this year, and after a little brainstorming with her we decided on an altered photograph. We did two (she insisted that the boys get a different one than the girls...) her dad cant stop laughing and she is very proud!

Ok, so Im a week into this new direction and Ive worked up one collection of love/valentines. I have a coffee design and a tea design that need supporting pieces and ideas for more. Im working off of single word sentiments and building around the word...thanks, calm, dream, friend, love, family, joy, peace, anything that comes into my head and Im looking for more single words to work from... maybe some silly ones like boo, yikes, chill... I wonder if there is a place I can go to find more words, besides the dictionary.

CHA and a change of direction

I just got back from the CHA trade show. Inspired and tired. I saw some great new products, my favorite being a personal (but really professional) silk screening machine from Provo Craft. Its a super cool all in one machine that is about the size of a personal copier complete with a light system for exposing the film. I'm really excited about this thing! I have been silk screening for a long time (probably 20 years now) and although I don't do it daily or as an income stream, I still get out the screens and inks to do something about once a month or so. If I had this system I think it would be more like once a week!!! I will be watching the Provo Craft website for launch info and saving my pennies!

I also met with my reps at the show. We found a quiet corner and they gave me the "you know what you should do..." talk. (they should charge for that, by the way) I walked away from that with a completely new and freeing direction. My art has gotten stiffer and flatter as I have gone on this year and nothing was really very good (good ideas maybe) but no heart. So, I'm going to try something a little crazy and all of my art is going to come straight from the sketch phase, no cleaning up, no machine type, fast and furious and full of my heart and soul. I'm excited and happy and a little scared... whats the saying... Feel the fear and do it anyway!