Working Within a Framework

Last night, I found two strands of beads on my worktable at home. The one strand I recognized, but the other I didn't. I'm not sure where they came from. Nowadays, I leave all my beads strung on strands, just the way I buy them, but originally, I use to take them off the strands and put them in divided boxes. I hate to think how many of those boxes have spilled over the last few years. Far too many.

Anyway, I suddenly found myself in possession of a strand of lovely glass beads with a slight chevron pattern on them. They were not quite matched, but close enough to be convincing. Most recently, I've been making all my jewelry out of semi-precious stones and pearls. I have moved away from the glass. However, these beads with the chevrons on them are worth using in a piece of jewelry. I gathered together various strands that I thought might complement them, but I never settled on a combination I was happy with, so I wound up working on something different.

I've been helping one of the other artists with her studio while she remodels it, but soon I would like to spend all my days in my own studio, soaking in the ambiance, and getting use to the routine of being there day after day. I wish the City would hurry up and get there to help me. But it will be done eventually, and then I'll really be there everyday. Things are progressing. I guess that's all we can ever hope for.

I had a vision today of painting a painting that would cover one whole wall of my studio, a great big canvas. I can imagine people coming in to look at it. But really, I don't want to paint right now. Maybe in the summer, but now I'm happy with the jewelry.

One Step at a Time

It's hard to see in this photograph, but there's a lamp there on the table under the window, or actually between the two windows. I got another one to put on the chest beside the door. It may turn out that I don't need any more lights although those little track lights are very nice, especially for jewelry. They make everything look so sparkly.

I find that I'm beginning to have a few customers who come into my studio over the weekend. One of my plans is to get one of the artists in the Village to hang the Dutch door I inherited from another studio so that it opens out. That way, from a distance, you will be able to see there is actually something back there under that arch and that it might be worth investigating.

In addition to the lamp that I bought today, I bought an extension cord and a plug so that we can convert the outside hanging lamp so that it attaches to the extension cord. Then I can hang the lamp around the tree branch and bring the extension cord down so I can plug it inside the studio. I also got a very inexpensive light that clips on to as shelf or whatever, so that I can use it as a spot light, I think. If that works, I could get more of them. They would be cheaper than tracks lights. I'll see whether that makes sense.

I'm at a point where I want my studio to be unconventional, not the stereotypical one that everyone has. A few artists are moving away from the gallery look and I certainly want to. I want the studio to be a reflection of me, of my taste, and to hopefully make sense to the type of customer that I think my jewelry will attract.

Time To Get Back On Track

Here's my studio all ready for the Small Image Show reception last Friday. I had hoped I'd get some visitors to my studio. And I did get a few, but they were only ones I invited in myself. None of the people I called on the phone and invited actually showed up. Well, that's okay. Actually, one friend did come. And that was nice that he cared enough to show up. There did seem to be a large turn out of people, and we now have a musician who plays out in the patio. He was there also, entertaining everyone.

Taking off for Borrego has left me feeling that my schedule is out of wack, and I'm not caught up. It will take me several days to get back into the groove again. However, the City is supposed to come this week to make the repairs needed. So I'm off to get a good night's sleep in preparation for a week of getting to work early.

Cellphone Photographer

Funny how little things can change everything. Here I am, thinking it's Monday night, and I am doing my nightly post. However, it's actually Tuesday morning, so the dates on my entries will look as though I missed a day. I haven't although I will miss making any postings until Friday or Saturday, because I'm going to Borrego Springs for a few days. I think I could post to the blog using my phone, but I'll pass on that technological delight this time. Next time we go somewhere, I'll learn in advance. Besides, it's difficult to type on a telephone keyboard.

Anyway, here's a photo of part of the display I set up tonight in preparation for the Small Image Show opening on Friday. I won't have time to do very much on Friday afternoon, so I tried to do as much as possible today to make it look presentable. There are two branches which are actually pieces of palm tree blossoms. One of the artists in the Village uses the ends to weave baskets, and those branches are what is left. They make wonderful display places for the jewelry, especially for the really long necklaces which don't display very well on the black velvet necks.

Tomorrow we're off to Borrego Springs, returning on Friday. If you see a minivan driving down the road with a trail of ones and zeros coming up through the roof, that's me taking photos with my telephone.

Hanging My Etchings

Here's a photo of my studio with one of my etchings hung on an existing nail, and there's another propped up on the chair. I'll probably take some more and hang them tomorrow. However, I can't find as many as I thought I could. I'm not sure whether they were sold or they're still around the house, and I don't see them. Recently when I looked for some of my enamel pieces, I couldn't find those either. Well, I expect everything will turn up eventually. And if not, I've somehow wound up with a great deal of new frames and recently I came across a large portfolio of etchings. So I can frame a bunch of them.

Actually, it's not my intention to emphasize my etchings or paintings at all, but it's very nice to have artwork to hang on my walls. And I was accepted in to Spanish Village as both a printmaker and a painter. So I can display and sell both kinds of pieces. And one thing I do want to do is make some of my etching plates into jewelry. I already cut up one of my plates and used part of it to make a stand for one of the necklaces that was accepted into the Small Image Show.

This evening my friend and I went back to Spanish Village on the way to dinner. I had forgotten my notebook and need to show it to someone in the morning. While we were there, we were invited to come in and take a look at the Small Image Show. They've almost finished hanging it. My two pieces are right near the front door which is nice.

Getting Ready For Next Friday

Here are two of the three ladders currently in my studio, brought in by various people helping me. That cabinet is to the left of the front door as you face out. It will be a nice place to put papers and other items. There are three drawers on the left in which I can probably file some of my etchings. And I'll use the top drawer for things like price tags, receipt books, etc. It will most likely be the last thing a person sees as they leave the studio, so I can put my business cards there.

The Small Image Show reception is next Friday night. It occured to me when I was working today in my studio that I should attempt to be open during the reception. If I am, I need to get all the work done tomorrow and Monday, because we leave for Borrego Springs on Tuesday and don't get back until Friday around noon time most likely. So I've gathered together some of my etchings and some other items I want to put in the studio.

I want my studio to have the look of Out of Africa or Passage to India or The English Patient, sort of an old-fashioned warm country feeling. I've been looking around at various baskets and things I have in the house. I've started collecting them to take with me. Some of the items are most likely too valuable to leave in the studio, but there are lots of pieces I can take. It's my very own space, and I want it to be a reflection of me.

So far all my visitors are women being led in by children, usually girls, but today there was one woman with a young boy. They were interested in the fact that I was making a necklace out of tourmaline, because they had been to the tourmaline mind outside of Julian not long ago. They were able to mine for the stone themselves. They found lots of nice samples. I've thought about doing that myself for a long time. I'll put it on my to-do list.


Here's another visitor we get frequently, especially in the spring. They come over from the San Diego Zoo. Sometimes only one male comes over. Last spring there were several young males who brought their girlfriends or sisters with them. Besides the peacocks, we sometimes see owls, hawks, squirrels, opossums, skunks, and even on one occasion a coyote. Two years ago, there was a pair of mallard ducks that came to drink out of the dogs water dish at the same time every evening. Upon occasion, we've fed the peacocks crackers and grapes. Another bird we see frequently is the hummingbird. They love the bright red flowers, some of which are always blooming somewhere around the Village.

Short-Range Planning

Here you can see the small desk that I brought from home. It use to be the one my mother used when we were growing up. It's a cute little desk and I'm glad I've found a place for it, because I don't have room at the house. Unfortunately, it's finish is in bad shape. I suppose at some point it could be refinished. However, it's fine for now. I'm guessing that at some point, I'll probably get rid of the small round table although it's very handy to work on, especially because the "pie crust" top, as it's called, has a rim around it and the beads don't fall off.

I still don't know exactly where everything is going to go. I bought a worktable, a Chinese antique, with a glass top. I can't do metalsmithing on the glass. And I'm not sure where to put all my tools so that they're conveniently located, but not too messy. I just have to figure this out gradually. It does seem to be progressing, even though I have setbacks such as spilling beads and findings all over the floor. That kept me busy at least a couple of hours, straightening all that up. And I'm still cleaning up from last weekend, but that part is almost taken care of.

One of my next priorities is to make a necklace for my mother for her birthday. She's 83. Actually, her birthday was yesterday, but we're celebrating it next week when we go to Borrego Springs, to the desert. So I'd like to have something made or well on it's way. And then I need to plan to pack some beads so I can work while I'm in Borrego. We're leaving Tuesday and not returning until Friday. I hope it will be warm over there. So far it's been cold.

Recycling Circuit Boards

Before I got my own studio at Spanish Village, one of the other artists had invited me to join her in her studio. At the Village, I would be called a partner, although the terms is actually used incorrectly in a legal sense. Those of us who are partners are actually tenants of the tenant, sort of like sub-lessees. Since she is having her studio remodeled, I agreed to help her keep her studio open. But the remodeling begins next week. So I'll begin spending time in my own studio, that is until I take a few days off to go to the desert with my parents. But after we return, I will open my studio the full five days per week required by the City. I don't know when the repairs will begin, and I'm tired of waiting. I know I will have to move everything when work does begin, and so I won't bring everything over from the house, but a fair amount.

I did take a small desk over that I had here at home. And I had a metal cabinet in the studio where I expected to become a partner. Because the remodeling begins, I needed to move that cabinet over. I placed it to the right of the door, so it won't be very visible. Actually, now it's the same color as the wall, so it really blends right in. It will be a good storage cabinet. I may get rid of it eventually, but I'll use it for now.

When we moved the cabinet this evening, I spent some time in the studio, beginning to straighten up from the weekend frenzy of preparing for the Small Image Show. As I was cleaning up, I started fiddling around with some of the cellphone innards that I have, a whole box from a friend who worked in a cellphone store. I started taking apart the pieces and considering the possibility of cutting some of the little circuit boards to use on pins.

I remembered how my husband and I use to go to the swapmeet on the third Saturday of the month, when the sellers brought all their old computer parts and we use to buy stuff. Then we assembled all those old pieces into computers. We were taking a class at the Adult Education Complex, learning to build and repair computers. We learned alot. Sometimes we'd see our instructor at the swapmeet with his wife and we'd have fun chatting. And I always looked at the circuit boards and thought they'd make great artwork.

That instructor is dead along with my husband. And when I was cleaning out things in the house, I threw out a whole lot of old circuit boards and cables and hard drives and who knows what else. I wish I had them back now to use for jewelry. But who knows, maybe that swapmeet still exists. I could go back, take someone else this time.

Every Woman CEO Needs a Day or Two Off

Today was a day to work around the house, cleaning out old things. I tend to be a junk collector. I want to make sure I don't bring too much stuff into my studio. I think people will feel more comfortable coming inside if it's not cluttered with too much stuff. My studio is tiny and I've been use to working in it when it's almost empty. I like the open feeling. I like almost empty rooms, but I've never lived in a house that was mostly devoid of furniture.

Night before last, I worked on a home page for my website. I think I may have mentioned that the site is http://www.broomclosetdesigns.com. Tomorrow I will try uploading that page I created which will give my address and phone number. Eventually you will be able to go to my website and see the jewelry I make and also the etchings that I have for sale. Maybe eventually I'll even take some of my paintings to the studio. I will most likely concentrate on the jewelry for now though.

I was watching television this morning and the commentator was talking about Apple's earnings. They were supposed to be announced after closing today. He was of course talking about the IPOD, a device nobody had heard of a few years ago. Now the IPOD has put Apple back on the map so to speak. One of the programs on NPR mentioned this morning about having PODcasts of their program available on their website. Of course, creating a product as popular as the IPOD is every small business owner's dream. Who can say what the next IPOD will be. A necklace that acts as a cellphone. That would be nice. You could just wear it around your neck. Certainly I could design a case on a necklace in which to care your cellphone or even your IPOD. Definitely something to think about.

Time For a New Schedule

I was all set to write last night, but I couldn't get to the internet. My service provider was having a problem I guess or something. And finally after trying for over an hour, I just gave up and went to bed. I was so tired. The stress level had built up as I attempted to prepare for the Small Image Show. I submitted a small enamel "wall hanging" mounted on a bent piece of rabbit wire. That piece was rejected. I also submitted two necklaces, both of which were accepted. One was made from resistors and the other was made from capacitors and part of the inside of a cellphone.

I'm happy I got two pieces in and that I spent the time making the one. The other was a piece I had made previously. But now my studio is all in a mess with tools and supplies spread out all over the place. It's going to take me most of the day to reorganize it again. But anyway, thinking that I was going to do some metalsmithing caused me to take many of my tools and metal pieces and scraps into the studio, something I wouldn't have done until later. And even though I will need to move things when the workmen come, at least I'll have some idea of where I stand with everything. Also, having the tools there forces me to think through my work space more carefully than I might otherwise.

This Week It's Time To Clean Up

Here's a photo taken inside. Things are still pretty messy. I'm trying to get everything organized and put away as much as possible. Yesterday and today I spent most of my time on pieces for the Small Image Show. Really, that's a stupid thing to do because it takes more time to develop an idea. However, I actually wound up putting in two pieces that I had created previously. One is an enamel piece and the other is a necklace. Then this morning I started another necklace which I submitted as well. But in the future, I won't wait until the last minute. Also, I will make it a goal to create work during the year that I consider to be real artwork, not just a craft. And who knows in another year where I will be with my artwork. When I look back at pieces I made a year ago and two years ago, I see that I have improved.

I had a discussion with one of the artists at Spanish Village about art and the Small Image Show. She says she really likes making pieces for the show because she allows herself to stretch as an artist to prepare her pieces. Even if she doesn't get accepted, she knows that she will have some pieces that she put her all into and she gets satisfaction from them. She's right of course. You can't just paint until you have enough paintings to fill up your walls and then sit back and wait for them to sell. You have to keep creating everyday. Otherwise you'll never grow as an artist.

Some days I know that what I create, whether it's a necklace or an etching, is not very imaginative. But I continue to create anyway, because I know that I'm keeping my technical skills in practice and sometimes a really wonderful piece will emerge when I least expect it.

Anyway, I have spent the whole weekend on my submissions and no time on the studio itself. So everything is spread out all over the place. I'm finding that I really like spending time first thing in the morning straightening everything up and getting ready to work. When my work table hasn't been cleaned off, I find that it actually takes me longer to work than it would otherwise. Then I just get frustrated. That's not conducive to creativity.

Time To ReGroup

I'm tired. I spent the whole day at my studio trying to create a little sculpture for the Small Image Show. It was a disaster. It looks ridiculous. So I'll take a few steps back and consider another option tomorrow. I have some necklaces that might work and a small enamel piece that is nice. I have to figure out some way to mount it, but I think I can do that, too. And I had an idea for a new necklace made of electrical parts and hardware. I also have the sparkplugs we got yesterday and I think I'll just do something with them.

Today was not a very busy day at the Village, partly because the weatherman had predicted rain and it did rain for awhile in the afternoon. So I did not get many visitors to my studio, but then I don't anyway. However, I did get a few, so I think my little planter garden and my indoor plant help. My studio particularly attracts the attention of little girls. I suppose because it looks like a hiding place and little girls like places to hide. Also, a cute dog poked his head around the corner. I would guess his owner probably never noticed because he was distracted by the glassblowing that goes on right outside my door.

Tomorrow's another day, as my mother says. One advantage of trying to create a piece for the Small Image Show is that now I have alot more of my tools and inventory in the studio. My friend says he'll help me take my desk over there tomorrow. Things are moving along. I have lots of energy and motivation which pleases me no end.

Finding New Materials

Here you can see my studio door close up. And there's my little garden beside it. Of course, I'll need to do more to attract attention to it, but this is a good start. And the glass blower whose platform is directly to the left of the trees is happy to have the plants there as well. She doesn't mind if I fill up the whole planter around the trees with pots. I'd like to.

I spent the day resting, not even working on jewelry here at home. In fact, that's what I want to do: leave my tools in the studio so that I tend to work on other projects at home. Tonight I went out with a friend to do some errands, and he came up with the idea of using spark plugs for jewelry. Early when we had gone over to the Village, he saw necklaces I made out of fuses and capacitors. So after his mind had worked on the idea for several hours, he suggested the spark plugs. We went to Kragen and I bought some inexpensive ones. Besides the jewelry I make to wear, I'd like to make some that might not be worn at all, pieces that could make a statement of some kind.

Tomorrow I need to concentrate on my entry for the Small Image Show. I'd like to get it done tomorrow so that I can submit it on Sunday, the deadline. The show is one that displays more serious works of art, not the strictly commercial pieces that most artists in the Village specialize in. To be selected for the show, most of us have to make something special.

Time For a Day Off

There it is. My table is there under the window and back behind the tree is my little "planter garden." Having some plants there in that far corner will help it look as though there's something happening, that it's not just a broom closet. I'll add more plants and a sign and some lights around the trees. That will help. Also, I'll move the table out from the wall and further toward the bench, so that I will have an outside place to sit and work.

This is my Friday night. I'm not going to go over to the Village tomorrow. There are things I need to do around the house. I've spent several days waiting for the electrition to come and look at the wiring and how it will be upgraded. If he comes tomorrow, they'll just have to call me and I'll drive over. I live less than five minutes away, something that's very convenient for me.

I've started a new exercise program this week. By this time of night, I find myself ready to go to sleep. I've been up since 6:00 this morning. I'm not getting enough sleep, so tomorrow after exercise, it will be a catch up day. Now that I have a busier schedule, I find that I will need to be organized the way I was when I had a computer job. But I'll get there. I'm feeling more organized already. I moved my metalsmithing tools over to the studio. I got tired of waiting for the repairmen to arrive. So I'll just make myself reasonably at home. I piled everythng at one end of the long table that was built for me by one of the artists.

This evening, I was in the grocery store looking for fat free cheese, an item I enjoy nibbling on. A woman came up and admired my charm bracelet. It's my personal bracelet covered with charms that remind me of my life with my husband. It's certainly not for sale, but I still need to make business cards to give people when they admire my pieces. It's all about visibility, but I'm not quite ready to be seen just yet.

Coming Back Rather Than Starting Over

When I arrived at Spanish Village early this morning, I was thrilled to see that one of the other artists had put three pots of plants in the little "planter" outside my studio. Having them makes it look as though something's going on in that corner. I took a photo with my phone, but when I tried to upload my photos to the service provider website just now, I got a message that site is down for routine maintenance. Ah, technology. It's so great when it works and such a nuisance when it doesn't. But in a few hours or minutes or whatever, it will come back up on line, and I can begin again to get my photos. Actually, it won't be a new beginning; it will be a come back.

Looking at making a come back is more positive than a new beginning. A beginning suggests that you have to start over from nothing while a come back implies that you've already been successful and now you will be successful again. Look at some of the comebacks. Apple had a tremendous come back with their IPOD. Everyone has one now. Well, I don't but everyone else does. But I did have an Apple Newton which was probably the orginal PDA. It was about as big as a brick and about half as thick. I loved it although I found it cumbersome. And I noticed that it was easier for me to look up a phone number or day of the week in a "paper" organizer. I did however love using it to play Solitaire. Now my cellphone doubles as a PDA for me although I know it doesn't have all the features of a "modern" PDA. But they don't have everything my phone has. Next I think they will make phones that double as IPOD's too. After all, there are phones that double as PDA's, or maybe it's the other way around. My father says he's waiting for the day when he can use his to take a shower. I'd like to get cash from mine. Couldn't there be a little slot for bills to come out?

The plants in front of my studio are making a come back. They were discarded in another part of the Park. East India styles and hippie clothes are coming back. I'm concentrating on making jewelry in those wonderful bright ruby, emerald, and sapphire colors. I'm also finding that I like topaz colored zircon interspersed with pearls. Every stone looks wonderful next to some white pearls. I'm sticking to classic color combinations right now.

E-World Pre-dates AOL

Here's my work table in front of my studio, still disassembled after it's trip from my house. But by the time I left the Village this evening, the table was assembled. Now I'll need a chair or stool. I think I have one. I'm looking forward to spending some of my time outside. The weather has been so nice, in the 80's, 70's, and high 60's today. Although we typically have nice weather in January, we did have record breaking highs last week.

I was thinking about the fact that if I make a long necklace, one that measures 60 or 70 inches, by knotting it on silk, I may save money on wire, but depending on the beads, I may wind up spending just as much on extra beads. In the meantime, I made two little bracelets that I will eventually combine into a multi-strand one. I made a three strand one several months ago, and it turned out nicely. This new one will be at least five to seven strands and maybe more. Also, I think I will include some strands that have wire wrapping and some that are knotted. I like trying something new.

Like e-world an Apple service that predated AOL. I remember when I first dowloaded it on Max in my computer room upstairs. The little drawing of the "world" of three dimensional buildings was breath taking. I was one of the earliest users. In fact, Apple sent me a tee-shirt that said "e-world Beta Tester". I'm extremely proud of that shirt and still have it. In fact, I came across it when I was cleaning out my clothes. I put it in the drawer with my shirt that says "I climbed the Great Wall." In those days, the world was becoming global, something we take for granted nowadays.

Time For a New Method

I've been buying a great deal of gold-filled wire. So far, I haven't been able to find a place where I can buy it in quantity online. I'm sure I'll come across a source eventually, after I spend enough time searching. In the meantime, I began to worry about running out of money to buy wire. I use approximately $20 worth of wire for a long necklace. If I make two necklaces a week or more, that runs into a fair amount of money for a little broom closet company. But recently the jury chairperson of Spanish Village says that the categories for jewelry are all included under a general heading of jewelry. So under these new rules, I can make other forms of jewelry. It occurs to me I can use silk and make hand knotted necklaces that would use $1.50 worth of jewelers silk as opposed to $20 worth of wire.

I never was satisfied with the way a knotted necklace was finished off at the clasp. I always thought it wasn't very professional, no matter how it was done. But I have an idea for drawing the long end and the short end of the silk through a bead and then cutting off the short end. That would give the silk some length beyond the knot to prevent unraveling. I'm happy I came up with this idea because knotted necklaces are lovely and in this case will save me lots of money.

Last night my large outside table was disassembled and delivered to Spanish Village. It currently sits in front of my studio in a heap. Hopefully the artist who built it will have time to reassemble it in the next day or so. Then I can work outside. The weather has been so lovely, I'll enjoy it.

When I had my office job taking care of that crazy old printer and exploring the world wide web, I positioned my computer on a table in front of the window. In the summer, I worked with my window wide open. I felt almost as though I were working outside. I always did wonder what all that salt air did to the insides of my CPU, but it didn't seem to matter. And by that time I had my own little dot matrix printer which didn't seem the worse for wear either, sitting there in the open window, the damp breeze blowing across it.

Finally My Own Place

Of course, they talk about having a place of one's own, but in reality, many of us never do have a place of our own. We go from our parents' house to the house or apartment we share with a roommate perhaps and then to one we share with a spouse. We may have our own bedroom or our own office at home or work, but it's still not the same as having a place of our very own. It occurs to me that even though I live alone now that my husband died, I still live in a space that houses his presence. Certainly, I don't mind that. In fact, I am not prepared to leave it at this point. But my studio is my first space of my very own. And I love the feeling. I can furnish it however I want, arrange my tools and supplies where I want, determine the wall color, the flooring material, the color of the furniture, where I want the lights, where I will hang my beads and the jewelry I make.

It's like that first little computer I had that was all my own. I had my own computer at work, and I borrowed my brother's computer while he was away, but it was when I finally got that little Mac Classic that I knew what the term "personal computer" meant. In those days, the late 80's and early 90's, the term personal computer or PC referred to the text based IBM compatible computer. The term Mac referred to the graphics based Apple Macintosh line of computers.

I chose the Mac Classic as my own first computer because I wanted to learn something new. I already used the PC at work and was well familiar with it, including the DOS operating system. I understood how the hierarchy of directories and files worked and how to manipulate DOS to perform various tasks, including how to change the font size that printed out. Now I wanted to learn the Mac operating system. There were some Mac's in the computer lab of the community college where I was taking classes, so I had some familiarity with them, but I learned more on my own, just by fiddling with the computer and trying various operations.

That little Macintosh computer weighed 25 pounds and the whole computer was in one little case, the processing unit on the bottom and the monitor up above. The monitor was only about 7 inches square, but the resolution was so high that there was no problem with the small size. And since the monitor was located on top of the CPU, it was at just about eye level. It was a black and white monitor, but the text was black on a white screen, more like a piece of paper. It was possible to name the hard drive and hence the computer itself. This was for the purposes of networking. I called mine Max. I kept Max all spruced up with different "wallpaper" every week, and my directories with humorous names. In those days, DOS on ly allowed you to name directories and files with eight-letter titles. But even then the Mac allowed for long, descriptive titles.

It turns out the idea of buying and learning a Mac was an excellent one. By learning the Mac, I then understood the concept of Windows. Funny how winding slowly down one pathway will then enable you to progress quickly down another street. Learning something new is never a waste of time.

Remembering a Daisy Wheel

Here's my workspace, such as it is. Originally I sat in a plastic chair, but now I have these two nice Chippendale chairs that I bought at the Goodwill for $20 each. And they're remarkably comfortable. On the right hand side, there in the back, is where I'll put my desk and my laptop computer along with the printer and scanner. The whole setup will be smaller than that old daisy wheel printer that was so attached to me that it would only run after I had come downstairs and caressed it back into service. How I hated the inconvenience of that old thing.

My studio computer won't be hooked up to the internet, I've decided at this point. It will only be for marketing literature, such as tags, brochures, business cards, flyers, information about art techniques, all the information I'll use in my studio. My studio phone will be a cellphone. Of course, I could hook the computer to the cellphone and get internet service, but I'll do my internet work at home.

I do spend a great deal of time surfing the internet. Surfing? How did we ever come up with that term. It certain sounds very California. I remember hearing the term "surfing" fairly soon after the web became so popular, but I've forgotten who first used it. Probably someone on television or NPR. I do remember that Vice President Gore was credited with taking steps to make it available to more people. He called it the information super highway. Is that the right term? Amazing how we forget the details of the old days. Anyway, now we just surf the web.

I think I've only purchased one item from an online store. One night when I was looking at jewelry, as I almost always do, I found a vintage sterling necklace that matched a bracelet I had. So I ordered it. Everything was fine. I think I'll begin ordering jewelry supplies now. I'm familiar with all the items in all the local bead stores, and I find there are items they don't have, like certain small pearls, large qualities of gold wire at inexpensive prices, and Swaroski crystals in certain sizes, shapes, and colors. I'm an instant gratification kind of person, but I would be silly not to take advantage of this wonderful resource we have to explore the possible opportunities for supplementing my inventory. After all, isn't that what those computer gurus envisioned? Who knows.

The End of This Part of the Journey

The three wise men arrived today. I haven't actually seen them nor have I felt an instanteous epiphany, only the gradually developing one I've been experiencing for the last several months.

The feeling would date from early September, when I learned that my name had come to the top of the list and I was going to have my own studio at SpanishVillage (www.spanishvillageart.com). I was accepted as a member of the organization itself four years ago this month. I have been a joint occupant, called a partner, in several other studios, but now I have my own, to share or not as I see fit. Because it is a particularly small one, I can afford to occupy it alone. The biggest adjustment is that as the sole occupant, I'm required by the City of San Diego to keep my studio open five days per week, including Saturday and Sunday. If I took one or more partners to share it with me, I would be required to keep the studio open seven days a week.

I like being in my studio five days per week. Because my studio still needs to have repair work done on it, I'm technically not required to have it open at this point. However, I am determined now that the holiday season has come to an end, to treat the studio as though it is a real, working studio.

On the days when I have sat alone in my studio, I find myself coming up with new ways to make pieces of jewelry and to solve the inherent problems found in the creative process. It's the result of digging deep into the mind that amazes me. When we stop our frantic pace and listen to our minds, they speak to us on many subjects.

Another Time and Work Space

Here in San Diego, we're fortunate enough to have mild weather all year around. It's almost never too hot or too cold to sit outside and work on an art project. The table in the photograph was where I worked last year, when I shared a studio at Spanish Village Art Center with several other artists. Now I have my own studio, and I look forward to working outside, sitting at that table which has been housed in my patio at home for the last nine months.

I look forward to working outside, because I enjoy the fresh air, and also I'm more visible to passersby. For an idea of what Spanish Village is, click over to the website at www.spanishvillageart.com. As of this writing, my studio is not listed among the others, but soon it will be. I want to paint the front door and put up a sign, at least, to show that I am there. Then they will photograph my front door and add it to the site. In the meantime, I have registered my domain name for a website of my own. The address is www.broomclosetdesigns.com. It also is not started, but as soon as I get my new computer running I will use Yahoo's SiteBuilder to work on it. Right now, it will be just a placeholder, but I have big plans for it. Who would have thought when I stared at that first version of a web browser that my life would come to this. In those days our main means of communication was through news groups.

I was writing a great deal of poetry at that time and I joined a news group for writing. I wrote a poem in which I mentioned a rain tree, a tree that grows in Africa. I read about the tree in a magazine and liked the name; however, I made an incorrect reference about it. I shared the poem with the writing group and several days later I received an email from a doctor living in Zimbabwe who suggested a slightly different description for the tree.

Nowadays if someone wrote to me from Zimbabwe, I would be pleased of course, but I wouldn't be so amazed. In those days, the old days, I was stunned and thrilled that my "voice" had reached so far around the world to a man I would never have met in the ordinary course of my life, and whom I never did meet, but who carried on a conversation about writing with me for over a year. And he mentored me through the writing of my first novel. It was a remarkably rare treat.

Time To Step Back Before Going On

Everyone should create a blog, or at least keep a journal. One of the amazing things about writing everyday, or nearly so, is that you begin to realize that you have a great deal more to say than you may realize in the beginning. And the experiece can show you what an amazing organ the human brain is, how full of untapped information, knowledge, memories, dreams.

I spent years trying to keep an ongoing journal. I would begin my journals on Monday and by the end of the week, my resolution to write everyday had disappeared, and I had another journal as a reminder of my failure to keep an ongoing record. It was only I began by telling myself I didn't have to write everyday that I succeeded. In the beginning, I didn't write everyday, but within several weeks, I was hooked and continued to write everyday for four or five years.

Now as part of the develop of my business as an artist, I take this opportunity to explore my own mind, my own creativity and how it mirrors the entire human experience of creativity. After all, we humans are remarkably similar. Just when I think I'm facing an experience alone, I find a kindred soul, usually in the least expected place. So to return the favors the universe grants me, I add my voice to the melee and hope I will speak to one person.

In the Old Days

When my grandparents referred to the old days, they were talking about a time 40 or more years earlier. My parents referred to the good old days as being 20 to 30 years ago. Now when we talk about the old days in relation to the computer, we mean five years ago, or six months ago. It makes me laugh when I refer to the old days of six months ago. Fifteen or 20 years ago is positively ancient history. The world wide web didn't even exist in those days, certainly not as we know it today.

Computer nerds where I worked came around and installed the first web browsers so we could explore the world wide web. I remember opening the program and staring at it. I had no idea what I was looking at, what to do, or why I would even want to. Today I can sit in my car and read my weblog on my telephone screen. I can travel up the coast, taking hundreds of photos with my phone, send them to the my service provider's website, and download them to my computer when I return home. I imagine us riding along in the car, a little stream of ones and zeros trailing out behind and up into the sky on their way to the website.

This evening, in preparation for moving into my new studio, I have acquired a second computer to use here at the house. I am unwilling to disconnect the old computer and take it to the studio until I'm sure that I can access the internet, the web, my email with the new computer. Having proper access is now more important than having a new computer. Although, I'm forced to a new computer to take advantage of the new software that's become available.

So the preparations go on, slowly, but by the time the wise men appear, I will be at least better prepared psychologically to meet the new year.

The Best Day to Begin

Is this a work day or still a holiday? I suppose it depends where you work. If you work for yourself, you could take the day off. It was rainy and I remember all those days in the past when I worked for someone else and only dreamed of spending a rainy afternoon in bed with a good book. Today was my chance.

This is traditionally a dreary time of year. There are no more holiday goodies to nibble on, using the excuse that it's a temporary, seasonal disregard for the usual diet. The oceans of little white lights that make the darkness seem less dreary are all gone. And in fact the days are still remarkably short. They'll be noticeably longer in another four weeks.

When you work in an office, the chances are you can go into the lunch room on any day before New Years Day and find homemade fudge, brownies, cookies, cake. Our old daisy wheel printer was located in the kitchen/lunch room. My office was up one flight of stairs. Everytime I needed to print out a document, I had to walk downstairs to retrieve it. And when I'd get to the kitchen, there were the goodies. At the beginning of the season, I continued to bring my lunch each day. But after awhile, I'd just count on eating baked goods.

It seemed I was the only one who could "fix" that old printer when it went offline. I trained various people downstairs to do exactly what I did, but it never worked. I would go down and turn it off first. Then the paper might be out of alignment so that when you printed your document, the perforation would fall in exactly the middle of your page. Another thing that use to happen was that the printer seemed to ignore the orientation of the daisy wheel, so it printed gibberish. It was "speaking" some outlandish language.

In December, walking down to fuss with the printer wasn't so bad. But as soon as January came around, there were no goodies to provide a collateral benefit. That's when you might try to retain some feeling of the season by going to the snack bar and buying a snack that you hoped would resemble a holiday treat, but I never found that successful.

My husband, who died a little over two years ago, always use to keep the decorations up until after January 6th. That is the day the three wise men arrived at the manger. I like that custom myself. It allows you to eke out a few more days. On this cold, rainy night, I think that's what I might do this year

Late In the Last Century

There it is: my studio. Where? There's a door in the archway beyond the propane tanks. Yes, I agree: it's not readily accessible or even noticeable to the average visitor. It looks exactly like what it was, an old broom closet. The studio number is 20, but you can't see it on that back wall. The trees have grown up and hidden the numbers. But it's my embryo business, and I'm happy to have it.

The early internet was like that, hidden in a corner of a couple of buildings, not visible to the passersby. In those early days, we had email, although I'm sure we didn't call it that. We each had a userid consisting of eight letters and based on our name. We used an old text editor orginally designed by programmers to write code. Once you got to the end of a line of text and hit the return (enter) key, you couldn't go back and make edits. Graphics? There weren't any on the IBM-based computer in those days. Everything was text based. And colors? The type was white on a black screen. If you were lucky you had a monitor that showed green letters on black. That was considered very fancy. And when were those "good old days"? Twelve years ago.