Thursday, October 1, 2015

working girls

A lot has been going on since my last blog post a month ago
I've taken a day job in a small boutique in my home town
... so I'm a "shop girl" most days ...
At times I feel like an "Original" and  "I Am The Queen" of juggling my responsibilities 

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At other times I feel like I am "In Full Bloom" and full of all loveliness
But mostly, it's a struggle.
It says: 
"Today's Struggles Create Strength For Tomorrow "

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I often have all of these feeling all jumbled up together in one day, or one hour, or one minute
... just like this jumble here ...
In my spare time (ha!) I created these 3 metal shrines with "shop girls" this month.
Working in metal helps me when I'm processing things - perhaps it's the bending of the metal to my will - the hammering and piercing and shaping of something outside of myself.

Here's a quote that really spoke to me about this recent change:

"When we make a change, 
it's so easy to interpret our unsettledness as unhappiness,  
and our unhappiness as a result of having made the wrong decision. 
Our mental and emotional states fluctuate madly when we make big changes in our lives, 
and sometimes we could tightrope across Manhattan,  
and other days we are too weary to clean our teeth. 
This is normal. 
This is natural. 
This is change." 
-Jeanette Winterson 


8 comments:

amy of studio four corners said...

these ladies are lovely! I've been creating in metal lately too...I like your analogy of why it speaks to you. Lots of change happening here too...hopefully it will turn out well for both of us...

quirks59m said...

Thanks for sharing these wonderful quotes - my son will soon be starting a new position at his company and I think they could help during trying "training" times. Good luck "shop girl".

Elizabeth said...

What a wonderful post -- all your own wise words, the photos of your art and then the marvelous Winterson quote. Thank you, dear Kim.

Anonymous said...

Bending metal to your will sounds like a fine way to get it all out. Love to see some photos of the shop that you are a "shop girl" in. Would be fun. xox

Tammy said...

Working in a small boutique sounds lovely. My big change was quitting my job in June and it was the best decision ever. Such a relief dropping my son at school knowing I can drive away. It was such a toxic work environment there for so many years. Now I have peace of mind (though honestly, I always feel slightly guilty about something and can't always put my finger on what). Your art is always inspiring! Have a great day!

Kim Mailhot said...

Going though some big changes here too. Your choice of quotes is so perfectly timeley !
Wshing you easy and light transitions, Dear Kim !

Jill said...

This quote also reminds us how we can't always rely on our emotions to discern the best or right way. I sure hope your change does turn out great for you in time! I always like the idea of "shaking things up". Keeps us fresh and on our toes. Now I want to go pound some metal, ha! I have an iron pounding block I picked up a few years ago so I could hammer in my sewing room as hard as I want, yes!

Annie Cholewa said...

Just catching up here. Congratulations on the new job, and I love the tin shrines/shrine tins :o)