It has been soo long since I've written. Of course, I'm saying that as though I've kept an on going blog for years. As you may have noticed, I've only made two entries. Yup, just two. My travels on the internet have been sparse this past year as my little family has moved to the edge of town on a 50 some-odd acre plot and only get dial-up. Yes, it still exists. And yes, it's all I know now. To play a bit of catch-up... Last month I was finally able to get my etsy shop up and running. For the time being only my jesters are dwelling there, but I hope to add much more to it this year. Go to www.etsy.com and search under usernames for: candicewestberg. There I will be! Today was a wonderful day for me in retail art land- I sold my very first jester! When I opened up my email and saw the payment notice from Paypal I ran through the house and shouted to all the world of my fortune. Okay, so it wasn't quite a fortune, but it was a joy none-the-less. The money was exciting, of course, but more than that, I was thrilled to have a stranger purchase something that I created. Something that I made touched them in such a way that they felt compelled to buy it and voila, a new piece of whimsy for their wall. *sigh* It is a slow process, this getting my own business off the ground thing, but it is possible and it does happen. I am certain that it will happen for me, I refuse to settle and I refuse to give up!
It was an interesting thing quitting my nine-to-five. I've worked in retail for more than ten years and wasn't quite sure if I could exist without it, but I knew I couldn't exist within it. The stale glare of retail lights have an amazing power to suck creative life out of your very soul. I pushed myself quite a bit last year and was able to attend the Eugene Saturday Market on a few weekends. From there I received several party requests that rolled into other parties. I'm so excited for this year as Tony and I will do all we can to be there EVERY saturday this year. At the market I am a balloon twister. Now this is not your run-of-the-mill twister who hands you an animal that is a dog, or a cat... or perhaps a giraffe? No, I learned from a very talented twister in Vancouver, Washington and am putting my best foot, er, balloon, forward. Patricia Bunnell taught me most of what I know. I only wish that I could have learned more and spent more time with her. I sort of fell off the radar there for awhile. Life happens.
I have discovered that there may be balloon competition this year so I am dusting off my old drawing arm and have been practicing caricatures again. I drew caricatures on a nearly daily basis for two and a half years with a very amazing company in Las Vegas www.artenterprisesinc.com . I'm a bit rusty, but I'm hoping that it will be just like riding a bike!
In lieu of my five month old son I have taken to creating a number of baby-safe toys. I wish that I was able to post pictures of them here. I will figure that out one day, but until then, I'll let you know when you can find them on etsy. One of my creations if of a baby-safe dragon. In my wanderings all of the stuffed dragons I found contained faux fur, hard plastic eyes, sequins, glitter and any number of ornamental items that were potential choking hazards. I set out to create something safe for my son to put in his mouth and I created My First Fantasy Friends. They are led by My First Dragon. I intend to include a unicorn, pegasus perhaps a gryphon, hippocampus http://www.lizaphoenix.com/encyclopedia/hippocampus.shtml . I am still playing with several patterns and have yet to work out numerous kinks, but the few prototypes I have have been a hit with friends who have small children. And not to mention, my son loves them!
I'm off to Powell's tomorrow. I'm in town perhaps once a month and have a gift card I must spend! I intend to finally pick up Laini Taylor's Faeries of Dreamdark Blackbringer. I have been a fan of her artwork for several years now and that she is recently published, I am not a true fan unless I indulge in that too!
No comments:
Post a Comment