Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Living on my Worktable

Finally I'm emerging after this crazy weekend... I hadn't expected very much for my shop, but I was actually busy - what a lovely surprise!

How was your Thanksgiving? Ours was lovely - as every year, we celebrated with friends and had such a nice afternoon/evening together with lots of laughter. The turkeys (yes, we had two, one oven roasted and one barbecued) and sides were yummy, the dessert delicious and of course we had our wonderful pumpkintinis - no Thanksgiving without them!


But I didn't really want to write about Thanksgiving since I already did that in my last post. Today I want to show you what is on my worktable - not what I am working on, but who lives there as permanent residents.

First, there is this beautiful bird that I got from the amazing Kelly Thiel.


I have always loved Kelly's birds, but to call one my own is very special. This bird means so much to me - she is small and looks a tiny bit timid, at the same time she has this expression on her face that is full of courage, strength and power. And a sense of "I don't care what others think of me". Exactly what I need! I wish I could care less what others think of me - I'm already way better in this regard than a few years ago. I grew up with parents who always said "what shall the other people think" - is that really important? What I think of myself, how I see myself and what I want to achieve should be more important - otherwise we just get stuck in mediocreness (is that a word?) and will never be happy.


Trust in yourself - this is what Kelly wrote on one side, exactly the right message for me. So often I do not trust in myself, doubt myself, question what I'm doing. Too often I'm not letting my intuition guide my hand. I wish I worked more intuitive when I'm painting or just creating.

Look at this beautiful bird - who could not love her? I am forever thankful that she has found a home in my studio, on my worktable.


The other "resident" is this little buddha that Kaefer made in sixth grade:

Buddha with all his wisdom and calmness - another "virtue" I'd like to have. Okay, I've given up on the wisdom, but I still wish I was more calm. I'm getting better in telling myself that Rome wasn't built in seven days and that I can take it a bit easier and not do everything at the same time. I don't have to return a phone call or mail right NOW, I can actually wait until I have made the bed, done the dishes or eaten breakfast. Nothing will go up in fire. 


When the computer doesn't work the way I want him to (of course a computer is a HE!), I get restless and sometimes even shout at him, or at least curse like a fishwife (I apologize to all fishwives...). The Geek is the poor chap who gets it all from me, even though it really is not his fault (but he's a geek, so he should know!). I hate myself in those moments.


And my little girl sits there and creates Buddha's toes - just look at that. She is so focused when she works on her "stuff" (she loves to create with polymer clay).


So I need to learn more of this calm Buddha pose. Let go of worries and trust more in myself, and in the future. Sometimes I wonder how much I miss because I worry so much.


6 comments:

Seraphinas Phantasie said...

Das sind wunderschöne kleine Skulpturen. Der kleine Vogel ist allerliebst, aber auch der sitzende Buddha hat etwas reizvolles.
Viele Grüße Synnöve

Dana said...

So fun to see Keifer's work. My 2 never liked the crafty or artistic, :( but they both enjoy photography. I need to let go the worries, too. Enjoy the moment as they say.

Darla said...

The bird is a great piece and how wonderful to have the Buddha that was made just for you. Nice things to remind you life is good.

Darla

Friko said...

“Was sollen die Leute denken”, that’s how I grew up too. I don’t care anymore what people think. I know they are far too busy worrying about themselves than to think about me. If they do, good luck to them.

Be yourself, enjoy what you do and spread love and goodwill. That is what I find important today.

Bleubeard and Elizabeth said...

Thank you for stopping by for a visit to my place. It's been SO long since I was here. I had to go back and see what I had missed.

You created some awesome cards. Much nicer than the ones I made this year. And of course, your star angels and circle ornaments are super. I really love the houses.

I had to agree with you on Thanksgiving. I think everyone should have that day off. I like it SO much better than Christmas because there is no expectation of gifts, and no religious implications. Not that those are BAD things, just puts extra pressure on people.

I agree that this truly American holiday has fueled the entire world with Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and Small Business Saturday. We may live in America, but our lives are dictated by outside forces. I feel so sorry for those who must work on that day. Thanks for pointing that out.

As for your lovely pieces that sit on your desk, they are both quite special. I like them both, personal as they both are for you.

Ginnie Hart said...

Ohhhh. How beautiful, Carola...to learn from the art that sits on our desks! I love this post. Thank you.