Pearls? Just hang on it I will explain.
I made it through to the end of term and then had a lovely run up to Christmas and Christmas Day thanks to close friends and family. Although as you can see I did do things I'm not supposed to do like sitting on the floor.
I then decided that I really needed to get myself organised and develop the on-line side of my business and so I invested in a couple of books, began reading and soon felt thoroughly overwhelmed.
Not good!
To add to this it's nearly January 1st and so thoughts go to New Year Resolutions and the like. Now I don't know about you but I hate these and with them all the diet and exercise ads that start appearing. However my first "crafting" Christmas has taught me that I need to get organised and if I want to do this I need to plan ahead and think about how to grow my business.
I thought about setting myself "SMART" targets ( Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Time limited) as I do for children at school but this didn't feel right. While this is a business, albeit a fledgling one, I still want it to be enjoyable.
But planning is important, I don't have as much energy as most people of my age and need to also factor in the impact my real job has on me physically as well as mentally. My problem is that when I am rested it is all too easy for me to forget these, take on too much and end up getting frustrated with myself and my body, letting people down or bringing on a flare or attack of fatigue.
So this year I am going to make pearls.
P is for planning. Basic and a bit boring I know and because of this it's easy to forget about it. However the result of this can result in leaving things to the last minute or not doing things as well as possible.
E is for enjoyable.
I don't want to loose sight of this as I get so much enjoyment from making and selling my jewellery but with the usual target focussed approach I felt I was in danger of loosing this and with that the benefits I get to my mental health as a result of being creative (for more on this see my previous blog post). I also feel that doing things we enjoy is good for all of us and that it is easy not to make time for this.
A is for achievable and goes with R for realistic.
I have to plan less not more in a way, make sure I don't "push myself" too hard as I have learnt the hard way that Arthritis doesn't like this and will get it's own back. So for me this really means thinking about what I know I can manage, turning down opportunities if they may be too much, and not judging what I can do against others.
If I think about what is achievable and realistic I know that I am likely to get more done as I have put less pressure on myself.
L, is for liking and loving.
Liking and loving what I do, the people around me and importantly myself which is not always easy, especially on a bad day when I feel frustrated by the limitations my body places on me. A day I drop or knock things over and it is hard to believe I could fold such intricate flowers for my jewellery.
Don't forget either that just as not all pearls are the same, so PEARLs will be different from eachother.
Pearls can be different sizes
Pearls can be different colours
Pearls can be different shapes.
In fact some types of pearl such as Baroque or Keshi pearls this imperfection is part of their beauty.
My first PEARL a small one. I've bought a wall planner and put it up in my studio/workroom so that I can put markets etc on there and then plan my preparations for these better and also check that I"m not putting in too much for me to manage.
So this year instead of making resolutions or setting yourself targets why not try making a pearl or two instead? And if you do I'd love to hear what they are!
So Happy New Year and happy PEARL making
Gilli