Crafting rabbit hole

First, I was looking at my copy of the book The Art of Forgotten Things by Melissa Doerman. (I am certain that when I bought it, some five or six years ago, that I wasn’t ready for those projects. While I’m not certain that I’m ready now, I feel certain that I can at least try about few things.) I love the look of the ribbon links, but I do not understand all of the steps. It could be that I just need to try it and see how it works. You know, like turning a heel on a sock. No matter how many times I do it, it’s still nothing shy of pure magic!

Anywho, I thought to myself, “Why not google her and see if there’s a way to reach her and ask about it.” I found that she’d died. Right around (or just before) the time her book came out. I don’t know her age, but she looked way too young to have died. (That’s a stupid thing to say, and I know it.) Anywho, I found several mentions of her online in remembrances. She seemed to have been loved and admired. I think that’s all that most of us can hope for.

Because I’m ready to try some of the bead-weaving techniques presented in the book, that one is a keeper. I also looked through a metal techniques book during the same lunch out. My passion does not like in working with metal, but there were just enough tips and good ideas to make that book a keeper, too.

I stumbled into the second rabbit hole later that night when I decided to look at Sally Jean Alexander’s Pretty Little Things. I took a soldering class with her years ago at my first Art and Soul. I’ll be honest, I was pulling some single-white-female action on my friend Jonna who was (is) a Sally Jean fan. It was the time when soldering was all the rage. I’d also taken a class at Fusion Beads around that time. Even though I had (still have!) all the fixin’s for soldering, it was something I never dabbled in on my own. Now that its no longer *the* craft to do, I’m ready to get back to it. Classic me. (I think I’ll have some time on Sunday to give it a go — if not a small bit of time this afternoon. As I recall, it was attaching jump rings that really broke my spirit. Let’s see how my patience holds up five years later. Will my flux still be good? So much remains to be revealed, and I’m looking forward to this new/old/new craft adventure!)

Anywho, because soldering isn’t the “hot” trend it was back then, I wondered to myself: “What is Sally Jean Alexander up to these days? Is soldering still her main thing?” I went to her site/blog, and it hasn’t been updated since 2013.

One link that does work on the site is the link to Mr. Sally Jean’s Etsy store for cut class. It’s taking a lot of self control to not reach out to him and ask, politely, for answers. In my search for answers I found some complaints online about no services/products for money given to her. There was also a suggested search of “What happened to Sally Jean Alexander?” so I can’t be the only one to wonder.

I am genuinely curious and truly hope that she’s well and just in need of some quiet time. Being the youngest in my family and having an MLS means I feel it’s my birthright to know what I want to know.

But, thinking about Melissa and Sally Jean got me thinking about celebrity, even craft-world celebrity, trends and what it really means to be a published author. What about this world of (over)sharing and how people like me start to feel like we know people through blogs and social media posts when we don’t know them at all. At best we know of them and of their work.

In any event, my tumble down that rabbit hole left me thinking that everything is so fleeting. Isn’t it?

So, add to the goals of being loved and admired/respected, the goal of doing what you love and having that be enough. (hmm … the German world for aim or goal is Ziel. Does the English zeal come from that? And what part does one’s zeal affect one’s Ziel?)

The lesson of letting the satisfaction of creating be enough is one I still struggle to master. Just last night the boyfriend and I talked about some collages I’d done. I won’t lie, I’d love it if he loved everything I do, but I know that’s not really the ideal. I’d much rather that he be honest about what he likes and why some things don’t speak to him. He isn’t really my customer, so I need to learn to hear his thoughts without feeling deflated. I need to learn to hear *everyone’s* thoughts without feeling crushed if there’s not a glowing review (or purchase). People like what they like and that’s the bottom line.

That is not to say that my learning journey is done and I can be satisfied with the knowledge I have now. I intend to keep growing, keep expanding my skill set and keep working on not taking everything so personally. And if people like what I do as I change and grow, great. If they don’t, it’s really OK too.

And, for me, part of the key to accepting feedback is to keep putting my stuff in front of people. Whether it’s via the market, through Instagram posts or by posting pictures here, it’s a good exercise.