Inspiration Monday - Knowing when to say no

I tend to embrace whatever opportunities come my way. I think saying yes to good things make more good things shimmy down the highway of life. But I also think that being in a relationship, job, or situation you don't want to be in anymore is bad karma... and not in a multiple lives sense, but in a "you're going to just invite more of this into your life now by sticking around" sense.

This episode of This American Life is about quitting. I'm a fan of quitting in small doses. I think it can dislodge you from a big rut and help you realize that you can be in charge of your own life and destiny.

Vanessa
Kali Butterfly - Aluminum Chainmail Jewelry
Handcrafted aluminum chain mail jewelry

Inspiration Monday - No risk, no reward

Success requires believing in the value of your dreams and desires no matter what other people tell you.

Vanessa
Aluminum chainmail jewelry
Handcrafted aluminum chain mail jewelry

Inspiration Monday (Tuesday edition) - A Year in Review

On October 1, I celebrated the anniversary of a big change in my life. One year ago, I embarked on my year of freedom project. My plan was to pour every ounce of energy I had in me into creating the foundation of a meaningful, joyous life spent doing what meant the most to me. The goal was to create a jewelry design business that would bring in enough income that I could support myself. A secondary goal was to establish myself as a designer. In the past year, I accomplished the following:

--I published an article on critical theory and feminism in Current Perspectives in Social Theory.
--Three wearable art pieces were exhibited at SNAG's Exhibition in Motion at the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, TX.
--My beaded talons were accepted into a national juried exhibition: "Extremities: Exploring the Margins of the Human Body."
--I won the People's Choice Award and 2nd place in the Wirework competition in the 2010 Bead Dreams competition.
--My "Squares with Flair" project was published in Step by Step Wire Jewelry.
--I took home the grand prize in the Fashion Fever sewing and fashion design competition at the CHA Craft SuperShow.
--I was awarded first place in the Pendants/Necklaces category in the 2010 Jewelry Arts Awards and had my piece published in Lapidary Journal Jewelry Artist Magazine.
--I am now represented in 8 stores, with two more orders in the works.

Looking back is always a little bittersweet because I wish that I had a sense earlier of what could be accomplished with a lot of dedication, passion, and hard work. In the course of a year, I have fundamentally changed the shape of my life. I am a professional jewelry designer. I think that's incredible.

Now that I've gotten my freedom mojo going, I've been thinking about what to do for this following year. My goal for this year is a) to establish myself as the aluminum chainmaille jewelry queen, and b) to purge myself of all my procrastination and anxiety. This is the year of fearlessness.

Vanessa

Aluminum chain mail jewelry
Handcrafted aluminum chainmail jewelry