Unstoppable

I saw this on Facebook this week, and shared it:

because I know we all need reminders, now and then, of how the race goes not to the swift, but the steady. How the damn tortoise eventually, finally, plods up to the finish line and gets a...what? Round of applause? The satisfaction of accomplishment? Because sometimes there's no trophy, no cash prize, no adoring crowd. The win comes from within.

I had no idea how soon I personally would need the above quote.

Tonight, on the eve of my first art festival this year, I got some commentary about my jewelry designs that stopped me cold. You'd think it really wouldn't, anymore...after more than a decade in this business, my skin is pretty thick. But it's those damn shots from left field (or hell, behind you when you didn't even know it was coming) that will take you down.

But there's that *other* quote...

"Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall" - Confucious

Time to get up again. Tomorrow is a new day and...well, tomorrow is a new day. Game on.

Simple is Hard.

“Simple can be harder than complex: You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple. But it’s worth it in the end because once you get there, you can move mountains.” 

The drawing(s) are Picasso. The quote, Steve Jobs. Two giants among men, both with vast talents and vision. Both ultimately able to "do simple" so very, very well. 

I have been working, for some time, on a line of "simple" and yet "not dull" jewelry, that will give me a little relief from the constant designing of my one of a kind, un-simple creations. Don't get me wrong - I LOVE making the dramatic, statement-y designs. But they require a lot of time and energy. And there is only so much of either to go around...which is why I find myself straddling that line between fresh, uncomplicated, and yet not done to death. Because everything in design is a line, a dot, a circle.The basics have been with us for thousands of years, in archtiecture, jewelry, ceramics...look around you, and you'll see it too. It's not easy to be original. :) 

So. Hopefully the hard stony ground will yield its own rewards when the time comes...it usually does. But right now, I am reminded of another quote, from Mr Picasso:

"Every act of creation is first an act of destruction".  

Oh yes...tear it down and build anew. I'm on it. :)

David and Dylan

source

This is not what I was planning on posting, but today we lost a light...a light that burned exceptionally brightly for generations. And burned so very brightly, to the very end.

David Bowie kept his cancer a secret from many, and for nearly two years, worked on his last studio album, and by all accounts, valiantly fought the good fight...but today his light was extinguished.

I don't have the words. Part of my growing up - "Let's Dance", "China Girl", "Modern Love" in the 1980s and 1990s in particular, "Under Pressure" with Queen, and so much more...his passing is a stinging reminder that those days are gone, never to return. And while I'm grateful for all that he gave the world...I grieve.

So for today, the most fitting thing I could find is a classic (and old favorite of mine since I first read it in college). Dylan Thomas' Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night:

Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
Because their words had forked no lightning they
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright
Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,
And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight
Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

And you, my father, there on the sad height,
Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray.
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

*I bolded the fifth paragraph as it seemed the most fitting description of how Bowie lived his last days...and indeed, his whole life. R.I.P. 

No Mud...

...no lotus. So the saying goes. And I've had my share of mud in the last year. Which is okay. I don't mind rolling up the sleeves and getting dirty when necessary. It's that much more satisfying when the growth occurs. But...also, "everything in moderation". And there's the rub.

My life has not been my own (or at least it has not felt like it) for the last few years. It's been driven, crazy, exhausting, demanding...and while it's not been without rewards, I am feeling the need to make some major changes. I love what I do and have no plans to stop doing it...but I am looking to change the shape of things. To run my business instead of feeling like my business is running me. To take even more moments to appreciate, to breathe deeply, to pause...to be grateful. Maybe...to even take a vacation at some point. :)

One of the things I miss is this blog. I feel that there's no time to share here anymore. And I'm finding that some of those life changes I want to make are taking the shape of going back to my younger days, when things like reading poetry (and really, reading anything besides Facebook or online articles or industry publications) were a part of my focus. I am also culling my "things" - as I tend to do every year around this time, shedding what no longer works, no longer "fits", and making way for new potentials...or sometimes... being deeply contented with less.

So I thought that I would start sharing poetry and other things that move me, capture my attention, or seem relevant, here on the blog. Doing so will allow me to share the wonderful writings of others, and keep the blog somewhat updated. ;) And of course there will be jewelry too! I have big, big plans for this year and I hope you'll like the fruits of my labors as they are shared here. :)

So here's my first contribution, a Japanese Haiku from a small but beautifully illustrated book of poems (http://www.amazon.com/Haiku-Poetry-Ancient-Jackie-Hardy/dp/0804838585):

the lantern blown out ---

the sound of the wind 

through the leaves

- shiki

Brett and I "blew out" last year's lantern in the company of a few good friends, at a quiet gathering in their lovely home. Such a pleasure to be with people who have known you well for years...everything is so easy and comfortable. Just what was needed after a rather tumultuous year. 

Here's to a wonderfully happy 2016 for everyone! I hope it's filled with joy. I wish you all the best.

-Jill