Chanukah is Almost Here!- Already??

This time of the year always sneaks up so slowly and then BAM- it's right in my face that I have a ton of work to do! In the next month, I have 3 shows to do, plus a variety of commissions, both large and small that are coming due. Pressure is not my friend. I know it eggs me on to finish projects and odds and ends, but it stifles my creativity to a degree that is scarey at times. My brain just doesn't pop out those ideas when I'm sleepless from anxiety and when my hands and back are aching with fatigue.  Oh well.

The first upcoming show is a biggy- It's the Contemporary Craft Market in Santa Monica, CA. It runs from November 5-7. I've had a booth here for this biannual show for 7 years, I believe, and it's an important one for me, especially for the exposure. It is not in the slightest a Judaic Art show, in fact, I am the only one who shows Judaica as a core of my exhibit. Oh, there are a few others who might have one or two mezuzot or a Star of David or Chai pendant, but believe it, I have it all!!! LOL  I always lead up to this show lamenting that I don't have enough pieces to show, and then find it hard to believe when I set up that I don't have enough room to put out everything. This year will be no different.

The next two shows are on the same day! The first one is also in Santa Monica, at my own synagogue, Beth Shir Sholom. Along with me at the Chanukah Boutique, will be vendors who sell other types of jewelry, maybe some toys, clothing, knick knacks for the home, and even fancy olive oils! Again, I'm probably the only one who has mostly Judaica. Well, I'll help my husband set up early, and then I'll take off to set up at another show, not a Chanukah boutique, but a genuine art show in Sherman Oaks. More details at a later posting. This one will have paintings, drawings, sculpture, photography, and me! Can't wait!

So my friends, I have to go check on my etchings, and then start soldering some bezels, and then...

Be Well!

Creativity, by God!

Burning Bush Mezuzah, bronze- God spoke to Moses

I just came across a fortune I saved many years ago from a Chinese cookie. It's barely readable, but it's message is as strong as ever:

"The greatest joy is in creation"

I used to think about this all the time. Where do these ideas for art come from? What if I wake up one day and have no new ideas? What if I become a blank slate?

Well, to make a long story short, I believe that my creativity comes from the original Creator! It's a spirit that happily flows through my brain and my hands. So if I'm a blank slate or an empty vessel, I no longer worry. I know that the spirit of creativity that flows through me, through my hammer, through my saw, and through my pen, will always be replentished.  I'm not saying that I have nothing to do with this. Of course I have to work hard, and seek new ways of expressing myself. I take classes. I read everything I can get my hands on.  But most importantly, I just have to be open to receive that spirit and let the joy flow!