I'm Back!

Hi, everyone! So sorry for the long silence! Life has been crazy for the last few years. I've been through carbon monoxide poisoning which absolutely drained me of all energy for doing shows and left me exhausted and unfocused. Everytime I tried to pick up my pliers to work on a new piece I simply couldn't do it and quickly packed it all away. Inspiration and energy was gone and the joy I usually get from creating was nowhere to be found. Add to this, there were other personnel stresses being lived though and when one ended another one started.

For years, I've had the proverbialy 'day-job,' and, while not where I wanted to remain, it used to be at least somewhat enjoyable. I worked at a library and, as anyone who knows me in real life can attest, I absolutely love books! You know that library in Beauty and the Beast? I want one!! First I worked as a library page, both before and after college, and later I moved up to a part-time library clerk position. I spent 6 months there before going to college for my A.F.A. degree, and then another 7.5 years after graduating. I've worked with some great staff and patrons alike, and, on the whole, it was a good job to have. At least it used to be. Remember that part where I said I'd been under a lot of stress? Sadly to say, the library became the chief source of that stress. I was born with significant hip dysplasia in both of my hips. It was never caught when I was young though my parents knew something just wasn't right. Hip dysplasia? I know, you're thinking that's only a condition large breed dogs get, but it isn't. It's actually a fairly common birth defect in people also and highly debilitating. And, over the years, mine's been getting worse. It made it so that shows had become difficult for me to manage physically with everything that needs to be done for set-up and take-down, and it was making work at the library a challenge to continue. Without going into the details of what went wrong, let me just say that not all work-places are understanding about the nature of hip dysplasia or especially willing to adjustment, not necessarily the work, but the method of working to accomodate you. This brings me to where I am now. Last year, praise the Lord!, I was finally able to have the first of two surgeries to address my hip dysplasia. I'd been fighting doctors over it and praying tearfully over it for years, and last September I had my first hip surgery. It all went well, the only thing was was that, because of my weight, I ended up with a much longer recovery time due to some complications with stress fractures. However, the Lrod used this to answer another prayer I'd been praying for a long time: leaving the library. My recovery time went on longer than the library wanted to hold my position for and so, just before Christmas last year, I was released from my position and moved to a substitute clerk. It wasn't the way I'd imagined leaving the library, but oh the relief to know that the stress I'd been under there was finally over was imense! Sure, I miss the steady paycheck and the others that I'd worked with there, most of them for years, but I'm so much happier now to be out! I'm nervous, excited, and, yes, a little bit scared, about what may be coming next, I know the Lord wouldn't have answered my prayer of leaving before the time He would have me do so. And that is what has me excited!

So what am I doing now? Well, I still have the second surgery to go (I'm hoping/praying that that will be in just a few months from now) so that slows down some of my slither, but, after a lot of thought, prayer, and talking it over with family, I finally feel that I'm ready to pick up my pliers and start making jewellery again. During the hiatus years, I was also able to start some gemological training through G.I.A. (The Gemological Institute of America), and am now half-way to getting both my Graduate of Pearls and Graduate Gemologist diplomas. I've also since become a self-published author and that is something else that I'm excited to see where it might lead. So this is what I'm working on now: 

• I'm returning to my jewellery with fresh eyes and new ideas.
• Growing my Patreon and Social Media following.
• Seeking to finish off my GIA courses.
• Writing my second novel and pursing other story ideas.
• Exploring the world of digital art because I loved creating the book cover for my first novel.

This year, will also be my first year exhibiting at a Fine Art show in 4 years! If any of you happen to be near Tawas, Michigan the first weekend in August I'd love to see you there!

Anyways, I just wanted to share what's been going on with me these last few years and assure you that I'm still here. The website has not been abandoned and, in fact, I've just finished a few new pieces that will soon be posting to Patreon and here in the coming week or so! Thank you for reading this and for supporting me, if you'd like to reach out, I'd love to hear from you!