Business Mums Network Conference - Change of Life

This past weekend I attended the Business Mums Network Conference.

BMN is a organization that I belong to for business mums here in Australia.

As you may or maynot know (seeing this blog is an artjournal), not only am I an artist but I am also a graphic and website designer.

I provide both services (my artworks and design services) as part of my business and if you have read anything about being a professional artist you will know that one of the first things they tell you is to start treating your art as a business.

I wanted to make this post about what I learnt about this conference in the hope it might help someone in some small way. And also bit more selfishly to remind myself all that I have learnt from such a fabulous group of people lessons that I don’t want to forget.

What did I receive and learn about from the business mums conference?

- Connecting with people and making Friendships is so important and even just the act of going has given me the confidence to do this more and make more of these important friendships in the future.

- Encouragement – inspired me to push forward, not to give up even when everything feels like it’s failing apart.

- Understanding – from other members knowing that I can’t do it all and to ask others for help as everyone is pretty much in the same boat.

- Permission to allow myself follow my own values, beliefs and thoughts and ignore all the other guff that keeps being put my way.

- Actually changed the way I “speak” and communicate with others, all of the networking really changed my way of thinking and speaking about myself and my business and put importance and value to it. Something which I haven’t always allowed myself to have.

In particular the words of keynote speaker, Kathie Thomas touched me significantly. Much of what Kathie spoke about gave a voice to my own thoughts and beliefs, things I had heard before but I didn’t allow myself to listen to. As I was listening to her seminars I was thinking “hey this is what I have been feeling / thinking all along”. Here is the remarkable woman who essentially has been had much the same issues and thoughts as myself and yet look at where she is all because she believed in herself and pushed forward. My next thought was: I can do this all I need to do is listen to myself!

FAMILY: I have always believed that family life is extremely important as has my own family. My mother was always home for us kids when we came home from school and especially as when we were older even though we probably didn’t always appreciate it then, it was always nice to know deep down that mum was there. It wasn’t until discussing all my various issues recently with my own father that he mentioned how he always felt it was important that my mother was there for me and my brother and it was an intentional choice for her to be there even as we were getting older. It is something that I have always wanted for my children, and when others have discounted this important issue I have tended to agree with them but in hearing Kathie speak about how she has done it and how important it has been to her and her daughters especially as they were teenagers and growing up, I can see that it can be done and I am going to try my hardest to do it! A big part of the weekend has been for me to challenge where I am heading and where I want to go and this is definitely one of the most important decisions I am sticking to.

DIRECTION: The truth is I enjoy what I do, I like designing and coding and I really do enjoying being in business for myself but what I also did realize is that I do also enjoy mixing with people and in essence supplying them with something they can be happy with. From an art perspective I love hearing that someone has enjoyed sending one of my greeting cards, or what an artwork they have bought reminds them of every time they look at it. This is such an important thing to me and is one of the parts in life that give me the most satisfaction. I need to remember that this is essentially what I am trying to achieve with everything I do rather than just getting through the day. There is something much more important here I am trying to achieve this gives focus and direction to my actions and allows me to have something to align myself to (if that makes sense).

Kathie’s personal stories in particular really touched me, to the point in her seminar on Are you working for your family or because of your family? I had to fight back tears when she read her poem as her words spoke so clearly from my own experiences. I came out of that seminar emotionally drained but also uplifted finally understanding and giving direction of just where I want to go from here and why I am doing it. I might not have all the answers right now, but i know i can search for them and they will come.

Helping others and enjoying the importance of giving is something I have always done. During my personal life and the 12 years I have been in business, circumstances and people have often taken advantage my giving nature. In turn recently it has meant that I have pulled back from that slightly as a defense strategy and tried to inwardly cope I guess sometimes provide the bare minimum. I think following the conference I have realized that giving is as much for me as it is for them. I enjoy it, its part of why I write this blog, do my art, and share my experiences and knowledge with others. Connecting with people is something I realize is I must do in order to survive and move forward not just with my business but with my art, my children and is a good place to be.

All in all I learnt so much from the conference, I am still absorbing it all and I think I will continue to do so for weeks and perhaps months to come.

When I came home my children looked just that little bit cuter, that little bit bigger and that little more innocent. I spent the day giving them extra special love and attention and vowed to continue to do this as much as possible in the future and not let all the other stuff get in the way of that. They are my strength, and are so precious, they really are a gift I must protect and nurture and help grow and I am so lucky to have been given them. Now it is up to me to do all that to make my life and theirs as happy and fulfilling as possible.

Business Mums Network website is: http://www.businessmums.com.au/

Kathie Thomas 's website is: http://www.kathiethomas.com/

Kathie's new book "Worth More Than Rubies: The Value of a Work at Home Mum " has recently been published one i will be devouring over the next few weeks.

At Crossroads - which way to go?

Sometimes in our lives we come to crossroads and events that change the direction of where we are heading. I have reached that point in both art and life recently but now i am struggling which way to go?

As for life, well i wont go into that on my blog, that would be a story that would lean itself to a very typical soap opera which i don't want to embarrass you all with. *sigh* Lets just say its made me assess my life, my relationships, my strengths and how i am existing in the world its been a good step forward despite the angst and heartbreak of it all. And has made me realise i am a much stronger person than i give myself credit for and all i can do is do my best and that's an ok thing to live by :)

As for art, i feel like my style is changing my techniques are changing and what was once a satisfying subject is now not measuring up. Which don't get me all wrong is good, in fact its GREAT as i know its how I move forward but the pitfall is now that i am stuck ! not knowing where to turn what to tackle next, where to make that mark on the page, what materials to use?

I have ideas of what i want to paint in my head, but i cant finalise them, i start to sketch and i feel like my skills aren't strong enough or cant get down what i want so i move away to something else but ends up that being the same thing. I have been looking at many other artists websites and styles and i get discouraged as i have all this self doubt on being able to do anything remotely decent.

I feel like i have lost that freedom which comes with just creating something fun as i am always trying to make it look "real" or a certain way rather than just having fun (you know how expensive the materials get .. i don't want to waste them). I think i need to just let go rather than trying to "achieve" something everytime i do anything!

As i read through this all it sounds silly and i know this is something all creative people go through and its just a matter of working through it. So i am hoping just writing this post will help me do that and you know what i feel better already !!!! wooT

inspiration

I think i have an urge to give oils another whirl!!! I have been looking at a few artists work recently who just have such rich colours and textures i would just love to try to achieve which is i think alot harder to do in acrylic. The messiness has put me off as has the drying time especially with the two littlies running around. But i am thinking i am at the point where i want to experiment. I think first tho i am going to make myself finish off this piece i started at the beginning of the year .. its one of my goals is to finish works before moving to next ones so i have this and my pears to do before going further. So nag me to see it!!! Cause i need someone to make me do it!!

While we are on inspiration one of my favourite artists who i have admired for years is an Australian artist and photographer David Baxter - http://www.studiobaxter.com/

Last night i was revisiting his work and i just love it not only the way he captures textures and lighting but also his subjects are just so interesting. He just comes up with some fabulous things its just fabulous. I particularly love the way he does his skies something i really want to give a go working on as i cant seem to get them right with cp or acrylic. On his recent works page he has a "step by step exposé " of how he paints. Its very interesting to see how he works very similar to the old masters, well worth a look especially for oil painters but also for other artists as well.

One more thing i am excited about...BOOK -"Masterful Colour" by Arlene Steinberg

I have just seen this promotion for Arlene's new book which is due to come out in March 2008 which i will definitely be purchasing and so excited about...

Arlene is one of the people responsible for my love of CP's she first dazzled me with her wit and her CP techniques (through her tutorials on WetCanvas and then on SribbleTalk). She is an absolutely fabulous teacher and definitely knows her stuff so i am excited about this you can preorder the book via paypal or just go to see the front cover here. http://www.arlenesteinberg.com/MasterfulColorPage.htm

Beautiful Skies

sky from our backyard 5-6-07

We have had some beautiful skies here recently. They unfortunately occur right about 5pm which is the war zone here at my house .. with the kids' dinner and bath and tantrums and mess and everything else that goes along with it .. its a busy time of day but sometimes really nice just to remember the beauty that is going on around us.

Today i managed to take a quick photo and stopped to take a moment pointing the colours and the patterns out to my 3year old. He talks about the colours and shapes alot now, i figure thats a great way to start "seeing" the beauty in things. The other day he was talking about all the different dinosaurs in the clouds.. so i guess thats a great start i couldnt see any t-rexs there tho :)



So just thought i would post this one for you all to remember no matter what is going on around us there is beauty everywhere .. and it goes on without us even knowing it :)

One year, one month and one day challenge!

I thought i would post this one, which has gotten me thinking, its from a blog i have recently been catching up on from time to time (i think Kasie i got it from your blog) :)

The blog is written by Kal Barteski who is a designer and artist and her site is beautifully done as is her work. She has come up with a challenge which involves a bunch of artists creating a scrapbook and passing them onto one another - which sounds fantastic but i just dont have the time for that atm. Involved in the challenge is an idea i really like which is to write a letter to yourself as if you are one year one month and one day away from today. It is to be detailed to be written the present tense of what you have seen in the past year and bit what you have achieved etc.

I have a bunch of other life stuff going on atm and i just really have come to the realisation that you REALLY do need to plan and take steps to achieving things otherwise life just passes you by and you never get there.

Take a look at the challenge :) Above anything look at Kal's scrapbook for the challenge it looks stunning !

A Friendly Butt-Kicking from Your Favorite Blogging Artist

Yet another post from Maggie Stiefvater who just seems to be able to say all the right things to get your art but in gear. If you are wanting to become a professional artist have a read of it and get your but moving !!!

http://greywarenart.blogspot.com/2007/04/friendly-butt-kicking-from-your.html