Stuck in the House All Day... with a Bunch of Kids

Ok... this isn't even funny. Four snow days and it's only January! What's up with that and why don't schools stay open anymore?! Actually, today can't even be called a "snow day" because I can see GRASS!! I think they're calling it a "too cold day" or some other kind of nonsense. Heck, when I was a kid, I had to walk a mile to school in freezing blizzards (wow-- just sounded like my mom there for a minute).

Don't the schools know that Wednesday is MY workday. I recall telling them when I recently registered my 3-year old for an extra day of "play school" that he goes to school and I get to work, hassle-free. Man, five hours of uninterrupted work/quiet time shot... all because schools can't seem to remember that this is WISCONSIN and we need to teach these kids some cold-toughness here. If nothing else, they've got to be able to tell their kids those "we walked to school, in the snow, uphill, 10 miles, 10 below, with no shoes..." stories. Now all they'll be able to say is "my eyes hurt from LOOKING at all that snow"!!!

So needless to say that I'm not going to get much work done today! But I have broken up 20 fights, fetched a dozen snacks, showed countless videos and it's only 1pm!

So glad that I named my business "MAMA Mayborne Designs" to remind me what my first job is, especially on days like this!

Oh and P.S.: Since I'm one of the only stay-at-home moms in my neighborhood, I've also received the privilege of babysitting another kid too!!

The Mundane Side of Art Business

Today is one of those days that I find it hard to be an artist.

Not quite sure why, but it is. I feel like I've made a lot of progress with my work and business lately. I've designed my spring collection and have the majority of the designs fabricated. I've recently given my brand a face lift. I've set up this blog, an online photo catalogue and an online store. Heck, I've even made a few sales this month which is very unusual for January.

I get very excited after putting several hours into designing, fabricating and promoting my work (especially when it turns out the way I wanted). But then there is the inevitable lull when waiting for an opportunity to show it off or when the non-creative side of business comes a-calling.

Right now that side of business is calling loudly and I feel like I must force myself to pay last quarter's sales taxes (bummer!), clean my studio (pointless!), file papers (yuck!), order supplies (boring!), etc.

Does anyone else feel this way about the mundane side of creativity?? I know I'm not alone here... but here's what I'm going to do about it:

• turn my music up loud and throw my own little "get-this-junk-done" party.
• eat chocolate until it hurts!
• bribe myself to get motivated with a promise of retail therapy.
• think about not having to do it again for a while (or at least a day).
• thank God that I've had sales that gave me taxes to pay, a studio of my own to clean, important papers to file, and enough money to order supplies that I need!

Wow, feeling better already!!!

I'm Zoomin' Now...

I feel like I just entered a new age of technology and it feels GREAT!

I just got a high speed DSL internet connection yesterday and the world just became a little smaller... and faster! Shedding the confines of the dial-up world has me feeling like it's a brand new day. I still feel like breaking out into a song and dance like Dorothy in "The Wiz" after killing Evilene (actually, I am dancing now and will probably watch that movie tonight while I work!).

But I never want to be accused of not remembering where I come from, so here's a few thoughts to memorialize my 10-year relationship with dial-up:

• Gone are the days of choosing between working on the computer and being able to get phone calls. (that one is for you Mom!)
• Gone are the days of working late when connections are a millisecond faster.
• Gone are the days of waiting an hour to upload a single picture.
• Gone are the days of being 2-3 versions behind on all software because I can't wait for the updates to process.
• Gone are the days of getting through several magazine articles while waiting for a page to refresh.
• Gone are the days of having my email box telling me, "You want me to send that? With an attachment? Are you nuts?!?"

But even though I can move around a lot faster, I have found that (at least today) my time on the net has quadrupled. But that's because I'm having a ball zipping all OVER cyberspace!