Art and Life

"Alice," 2010 by Lea Keohane. All Rights Reserved.

Occasionally I feel like being an artist is Too Hard; I feel anxious wondering if what I'm doing is really worthwhile or just selfish; I fear that I'm not good enough to make it. Those are moments I've struggled with all my life, in between bouts of confidence in Who I Am and What I Do. Moments that rear their ugly heads and pop my daydreamy bubbles of All That Could Possibly Be.

I know those moments of self-doubt are perfectly natural (albeit incredibly annoying). They are little tests, poking me with reality checks. Sure, they make me second guess myself at times, but all of that second guessing can either scare you away from your dreams--if you let it--or bring you even closer by helping to focus your energy on what you REALLY want.

It has been 8 years now since I graduated from college, a soon-to-be single mom bullheadedly determined to find her way to being an Artist. I've come a long, long way in 8 years. I recently found an old portfolio that I brought around to shops to try and sell my work and...wow. My work was immature, the photos were bad and the prints of them were even worse. I had no idea what I was doing, but I was determined enough to do it anyway. And you know what? It has paid off. I have been working for myself for over 5 years now, my art has seriously improved and I'm selling more of it all the time, and I am moving steadily closer and closer to being a full-time artist every day.

Lately I've been more focused than ever, feeling like I am on the brink of something important. I'm clearing out my life and making room for all of those daydreamy bubbles to come into existence--self-doubt be damned. I don't know what it all is or what it all means, but I want to share it. I owe a debt to everyone who has helped me on my way, and I would like to pay it forward in my own little way by writing about my experiences as I move into the next phase of my art and my life in the hopes that it will help you with yours.

Being Green!

"What She Becomes," 2008 by Lea Keohane. All Rights Reserved.

I have always been passionate about taking care of the environment. At the same time, I love cute packaging, and I want every one of my customers to know, when they receive their order, that it was packaged with care and that I am grateful for their business! There are some things--like bubble envelopes, for example--that simply can't be replaced for the safety of shipping my items. I wanted to make my business more green-friendly, however, so there are some simple steps that I have taken. Some of them I have always done, others are more recent changes:

*Rather than using the plastic baggies that have a sticky flap, as often as possible I use zip-lock bags. I keep more than one size on hand at all times, and always try to use the smallest one possible for the order it contains. That way I can use as little plastic as possible, and my customers can find ways to re-use them!

*When I receive orders in plastic bags, I store them away and re-use them whenever I can.

*I rarely need to use packing peanuts, but when I do need them, I NEVER buy new ones! I save the ones I receive from the orders I place and just use those. In the rare cases in the past when I have needed to buy them, I went to a fantastic local store--Carton Services--which sells secondhand shipping supplies. I can buy a 6 foot tall bag of them for around $20! Which saves me money and keeps them out of the landfill.

*I used to print out every single transaction receipt. I felt bad about using so much paper (although I do buy recycled printer paper), but I thought it was easier to track and ship my orders, and double-check Etsy vs. PayPal addresses. Then I did a test-run without printing. I found it just as easy to keep track of everything and it stopped me from getting a cramp in my back from being hunched over my orders on the floor for hours on end (now I have to get up and down on a regular basis--yay for my back!). To keep track of packages and correct addresses, I now write my customer's names and the 1st line of their address and zip code to double check agains PayPal when I go to ship. Now I hardly ever have to buy printer paper, and I have saved myself so much filing space! I just print out a CSV file of all of my Etsy transactions at the end of the month--3 or 4 pages versus 2-300!

*My washi sample packs are one of my most popular items. One of the best things about these is that I can save great washi scraps from otherwise hitting the landfills. After I cut all of the best, most usable scraps up for the packs, I donate the rest to SCRAP--an awesome local non-profit that re-sells used craft supplies. I also have a box set aside to bring to them whenever I gather enough un-needed supplies that I can't re-sell. I LOVE that place!

I know there are other things that I do, but they are not coming to mind at the moment :) I always try to keep Mother Nature in mind, though, in business and in the rest of my life. If you have any great tips, ideas, or suggestions for greening your business, post them here!

Vacation!

Ah...vacation :) Indigo and I woke up in the wee hours of Tuesday morning and flew to Denver, where I grew up. It has been quite the whirlwind trip since them, running around with my mom and Oma (grandma), and my aunt who is also visiting. Tomorrow we're driving up to the mountains to visit my dad for a few days, and we're also squeezing in some extra time with my brother, his girlfriend, and my niece, as well as my ex-stepmom. Somehow between all of this family I am also managing to keep my business afloat, checking emails and even shipping supplies, PLUS catching up with old friends!

It all sounds a bit crazy, but I have also managed to sneak in some naps (something I can only seem to do on vacation--normally I can't fall asleep in the afternoon even if I'm tired) and lots of time reading. Now I'm at a local coffee house, about a block away from one of the gazillions of apartments I lived in before I jumped ship for Portland almost 12 years ago.

It is strange, coming back to the place where I grew up. Even though I've been back to visit many times, it feels less like home every time I come here. I am in touch with less people, old businesses have disappeared, the face of the city is constantly changing. More so, my memory has distorted itself. I can't remember names of streets or where they are located, but I give directions to my mom to a post office that I maybe used 5 times in my whole life. I feel odd, comfortable and out of place at the same time. Still, it is good to be back.