Reach out, Be Fearless!

I've been gone a while, due to illness and family troubles. While being sick and flat on my back gave me time to think. I slowly started looking hard at my life. As one journey of my life is coming to an end another journey will begin. I know what must be done and it's going to be a rough journey.

It is important in times of need to reach out and have people around you that love you and support you, lift you up in prayer. Friends and family to lean on and most of all my faith. There is an old saying that you find out who your friends are in times of crisis. It's so true! So there has been a lot of soul searching and self discovery. I thank all those who have been there and will be there for me in the dark times and the happy times of my life. Sometimes your support network also helps in taking that first step in a new direction.

So I have returned to what I started long ago teaching knitting. I love knitting and I love to teach. So I have started teaching in my local community. I love seeing in a student's face light up when they finally "get it". Seeing them struggle at first then something clicks and they are like a child at Christmas. It warms my heart. I am a patient teacher, whatever it takes I'm there, knitting should be fun!

I have been an artist for as long as I can remember. Being creative is like air to me I can't live without it. It's a part of me, who I am. My creativity has spilled over into many mediums. Painting, drawing, using the computer, knitting, jewelry and many others.

So if your passion is to teach your talent do it! It takes you to the next level in your development as a person and artisan. You'll never know until you try. Whether your talent is sewing, cooking, jewelry making, knitting, crochet or something else you love, there always will be someone willing to learn. Be fearless!

Some good places to start is right in your local community.
Here are some ideas to get you started.

• Make a flyer. Doesn't have to be fancy, just list the information. All you need is the what, where, when and much it costs. Post it in your local shops, ask friends to pass them along.
• Have business cards. Again doesn't have to be fancy. You can make them yourself or go to a site like Vista Print and make one up.Also have a few on hand. Just your name, your contact info.
• Here's an example: 

Jane Doe

Jewelry Instructor

Phone number

Email

website or blog (if you have one)

• Go to your local library, community center or craft store and find out about starting a class.
• See if you can start a program in your church. For example you could teach crochet and tie it in with prayer shawl ministry, or make blankets for a local nursing home or hats for newborns for the local hospital. 

Now you have some new ideas. If you already have established yourself in your own business, why not try teaching?

Be Fearless!

Why Buy Handmade?

For centuries craftspeople were very important to their towns and villages. Townspeople depended upon craftspeople for their goods because they could not get along without them. Talent and skill were a considered a necessity and cherished. The "trade" as it was called gave these skilled craftspeople a chance to train the young willing to learn and earn some money too. The senior craftsperson felt great pride in passing on their skills to keep the trade alive. It was truly a cottage industry.

Today, all artists and craftspeople, including myself, still love and take pride in their work. Although craftspeople do not have their towns depending on them to produce goods, they are always looking for creative and unique ways to bring their art into the world as gifts. Each gift is a priceless treasure that will endure for years to come. Buying unique gifts gives these craftspeople the support they need to continue their work, their craft, their trade, generate interest, and earn a living.

I remember the most thoughtful gift I ever got was a handmade amethyst silver necklace. It was original, unique, beautiful, made with care and attention, featuring the skill and craftsmanship and personal touches that cannot be matched by mass production. Knowing I was the only one to own this precious treasure made me feel special.
Being an artisan, I appreciated the time and skill it took to make the idea in one's head become a reality. Buying handmade makes a statement. It means making a conscious decision to buy handmade products instead of mass produced ones. Buyers appreciate quality, craftsmanship, and supporting small businesses instead of big retail stores.

Most artisans use unique materials. When you buy handmade products you are paying more for a handmade item but it is really an investment. You, the buyer, are helping to support the artist and have a unique heirloom item to be enjoyed for years to come. Meaningful gift giving comes from the heart, what better way to honor someone who is unique with a gift the is as special as they are.

Our society has been encouraged to be consumers, not producers, of our own goods. Mass production has left us with cookie cutter decor, clothing and furnishings. Now with the failing economy more and more people are turning their hobby into a business to earn a living. The cottage industry is now returning. Dining room tables are turned into a work space to cut material used for sewing clothing, stay at home moms are making jewelry while the kids are at school, Knitting and crocheting circles are returning, the artist making paintings that promote a good cause, I could go on.

Just think, back in the remote past craftspeople were needed and appreciated. Today we have come full circle back to our cottage industry roots. Economies were built on the backs of the craftspeople and creative thinkers, until the industrial revolution occurred. Isn't it funny how history repeats itself?

Support your local Artisan today!