Updates!

Can you believe 2016 is almost rounding to a close? And what a crazy year it's been!

I've been a little quiet in the blog-o-sphere while some personal passion projects occupy my time, but I'm hoping to get back into the swing of things with my "This Week in Words" posts... a casual look into the world of a wire wrapper. So definitely expect to see more of those in the coming weeks. Though, I'll admit, there may be a few "This Month in Words" when I forget to post regularly! Still, writing is a joy, and I'm making a promise to myself to do more of what makes me happy.

And that's the gist of it, right? Doing what makes us happy? I've allowed some of my most favorite past-times to wade into the deep end of the pool and slowly struggle for footing, and it's time I threw a life vest its way. Sketching, poetry and fiction will all make new appearances in 2017, hopefully regularly, though photography is (and has been) a pleasant constant. Wire wrapping is always a joy, and I'm looking forward to experimenting with new techniques in the days to come. I'm learning to worry less about "getting it right" and more about "getting it done", because the learning is in the doing. I'm reminded of the parable from Art and Fear:

The ceramics teacher announced on opening day that he was dividing the class into two groups. All those on the left side of the studio, he said, would be graded solely on the quantity of work they produced, all those on the right solely on its quality.

His procedure was simple: on the final day of class he would bring in his bathroom scales and weigh the work of the “quantity” group: fifty pound of pots rated an “A”, forty pounds a “B”, and so on. Those being graded on “quality”, however, needed to produce only one pot”albeit a perfect one”to get an “A”.
Well, came grading time and a curious fact emerged: the works of highest quality were all produced by the group being graded for quantity. It seems that while the “quantity” group was busily churning out piles of work”and learning from their mistakes”the “quality” group had sat theorizing about perfection, and in the end had little more to show for their efforts than grandiose theories and a pile of dead clay.

So, I'm trying not to drown myself in the details. The worry and stress comes from that, don't they? And simplifying my life is the goal for 2017, reducing stress, learning to enjoy the "doing" without thought to the "result".

Also, because the end of the year has taken its toll, on a personal level, I've had to postpone the "Finish It!" contest scheduled for November. At first I'd considered moving it to December, but that seemed an undertaking best suited until after the holidays. I have three tentatively scheduled for 2017: February, June and October. So keep an eye out for those. If you aren't already subscribed to my newsletter, please feel free to do so, as I'll make announcements for contests and giveaways through the newsletter and social media platforms. You can find the subscribe form in the right side bar!

I've got a few wire wrapping projects planned for 2017 that are still in their infancy... just vague ideas floating around in the mental jumble, so more announcements will be made soon as ideas come to fruition and I get them all sussed out in my head. But one is a video series and the other is a PDF series, both of which have me quite excited.... even now, while they are both still incorporeal ideas. I'm also hoping to have the means (and space) to offer local workshops, here in Michigan, in the 2017 year, though likely late in the year. So I think December is shaping up to be a month of ideas and planning! Keep your fingers crossed things come together for these projects smoothly!

And that's really it for now... just a small ramble, mostly to get my fingers moving on a keyboard, which is an act and art I've missed of late, and keep you all in the know.

Until next time, happy weaving!

Nicole

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