Spring Show Schedule!

Just updated my upcoming show schedule for April & May, with lots of links & info!

See it here….http://elksongjewelry.wordpress.com/show-world/

Update on Moctoberfest Event…

Just a quick update on the show I’m doing March 31st….while I’ve always enjoyed Batucaxe’s performances, I’m actually more stoked that they’ve been replaced on the Moctoberfest performance schedule with Vox Urbana, a Tucson (Columbian) alt/cumbia band….

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=36IW22Xey1s&feature=related

Cumbia music…

Colombian cumbia began as many popular Latin styles began: as folklore. Dating back to the colonial period in Colombia’s Atlantic (Caribbean) coast, cumbia emerged as a courtship dance and music that celebrated the union of African and indigenous people (called zambos), and went on to become one of the most popular dance styles in both South and Central America and beyond.

Traditional cumbia was (and still is) played on drums, flutes and percussion instruments of African and indigenous origins, and featured lyrics primarily in Spanish (although Creole cultures tended to mix in African and native words). The specific drums are the tambor mayor (a carved log drum with calf or goat skin stretched across the top, held between the legs and played with the hands), the tambor llamador (a smaller version of the mayor) and the tambora (a large two-headed drum played with sticks). The smaller percussion include the maracas (larger than most varieties) and the guache (a bamboo or tin tube filled with seeds). There are two specific types of ensembles that play the traditional styles: conjunto de cumbia, which contains the drums and percussion, and the conjunto de gait, which adds the indigenous cactus wood flutes known as gaitas to those same percussion instruments. (The gaitas were named by the Spanish, who thought they sounded remarkably similar to the Galician bagpipes.) One of the most important artists to actively record, perform and document this and other forms from the region is Totó la Momposina, regarded as an authority of Zambo (African-Indian) culture and quite an energetic performer, too.

As cumbia’s popularity spread to the urban areas of Colombia, musicians began to adapt a more modern type of instrumentation and also simplified the rhythm, reducing the number of drums in these new groups. With the popularity of Cuban and other Latin American music being played on the radio and in the dancehalls, orchestras with horns, piano, bass and drums developed the cumbia into a much simpler, more homogenized version, catering to middle class tastes. By the 1950s and ’60s, cumbias were widely recorded not only in South America but in Central America and Mexico as well, giving the style a new adopted home; in countries such as El Salvador and Nicaragua, cumbia is as prominent as the local music, and sometimes even more so. While in Mexico, cumbia evolved and took on an entirely new, Mexican identity bearing little resemblence to the original Colombian form. —Rebeca Mauleon 

It’s spring & Show Season Cometh!

I haven’t received confirmation yet, but I’m hoping to be a participating vendor in Many Mouths One Stomach’s first annual Moctoberfest event March 31st in the downtown Menlo Park area of Tucson. MMOS is organizing the event as a fundraiser for their annual All Soul’s Procession which takes place in November in Tucson. I’ve never participated in the Procession before (not living in Tucson anymore), but am fascinated by it and I believe alot of the same energy will be involved in this Spring-time fundraising event! As will some of the same performance art, such as Flam Chen…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VHu1OTNzbeQ&feature=related

There will also be Batucaxe, a Brazilian-inspired musical & dance group…

…..the WonderFools clown troupe…

….and the Orbital Evolution Hoop Troupe…

All of this artistic revelry PLUS wine & local brewery beer tasting & tents! Whether or not I’m a vendor there, I still want to help promote this “festal event” because people need more opportunities to engage with each other this way….hope to see y’all there!

Mind Body Spirit Expo Fun!

Yesterday was the start of my spring show season…the “warm-up” was the delightful Mind Body Spirit Expo in Sierra Vista’s Windemere Hotel. It’s put on by Kelly Jackson of Tombstone’s The Blue Eyed Witch & Mushauld Smith of Sierra Vista’s Psychic & Spiritual Services. We participated in their Gypsy Caravan event last September and enjoyed it so much, we decided to try another!

One of the things I enjoy about this show is there’s a dedicated group of people who attend, a definite following. Kelly & Mushauld also promote well, so there’s a fair amount of walk-through traffic as well. The other vendors & participates are friendly & enjoyable to spend the day with…I particularly like being set up near Deb & Judy, with their wonderful tie dye & imported clothing…good thing they both like to do barters with me, or there’d go my profits!   Also, Candace & her wonderful, handmade soaps & lotions…a lovely lady & what mesmerizingly yummy aromas!

One of these times, maybe I’ll get my aura read!

Thanks Kelly & Mushauld and all the other folks who put their efforts into this event for providing a lovely, enjoyable show venue!

"Pass through the the glittering veils and enter the Expo!"

"Wonderful body care products, elegant clothing, amazing jewels...just some of the offerings at the Expo!"

"Gorgeously crafted Native American style flutes!"

"The sacred spa therapy stones.."

"Sumptuous offerings from Elksong Jewelry!"

"A delighted customer wearing her Snow Fairy necklace & earrings!"

"An ecstatic Deb of Gourd Dog Tie Dye deciding which earrings she wants to trade for!"

 

A Nest of my own…

Recently, I was reading through comments to a post in the “Frugal” subreddit (for those of you not familiar with reddit, check them out…if you can handle spending laaarge amounts of time going down twisty rabbit holes of an insane variety of posts/comments…seriously, be careful or you’ll spend you life there & end up with a tattoo!) and someone posted the query regarding his experiences with all the less than positive reactions/feedback to his interests in the “Small House Movement”.  The OP wondered “Why the revulsion at small dwellings and simple living?” and mentioned reactions from people accusing him of being “some kind of parasite freeloading hippy” and telling him that he’s crazy, will never find a girl willing to date him, will “grow out” of this, and is not contributing to society because he chooses not to buy a 4000 square foot house.

I can understand people’s confusion with something they don’t understand…I get that. But I think people’s outright negative & hostile reaction to things often comes from the twinge it causes them down deep inside. In other words, if you’re completely & utterly content & satisfied & 100% confident about how you live, your opinions, your life-style choices, your spirituality, what ever, then other folk’s comments expressing differences in opinions on any of those topics aren’t going to phase you. Your reaction is going to be something along the lines of “oh, isn’t that interesting! Not for me, but more power to you!” or perhaps a little head shake of bemusement. But outright aggressive, pissy, angry reactions come when someone expresses something that makes you question your own beliefs…beliefs which are on shaky ground to begin with, perhaps. That questioning in your own mind then calls upon you to examine your beliefs, which may be due for an overhaul, which then might lead to….GASP….change! Work! Effort! Admitting maybe your were wrong in your previously held beliefs. Which seems to be more than people can sometimes deal with…so, easier to angrily dismiss and/or demonize other opinions.

At any rate, that post & comments lead me to spending some time perusing video clips on youtube on the SHM where I found this delightful clip made by a very forward-thinking, rational and conscious young man who’s building his own home at 16…enjoy!

More customized joy…

My last post spoke of the gratification that comes (to all parties involved, I like to think!) from taking on custom jewelry requests…this is another of those situations, or rather the long-reaching result of one. A year or so ago, a friend of a friend in Canada asked me about making her some bracelets. She had specific requests, two of which were pretty straight forward. The third, however, was a bit trickier. She & her husband had enjoyed a recent delightful vacation to Arizona & she wanted something that would remind of our fair state in particular, not just something generically  “southwest-y”. How about a bracelet that would look like the AZ license plate, she sez?  Hmm….

If you’re unfamiliar with AZ’s plate, it depicts a sunset scene, saguaro cactus & jaggedy mountains in silhouette,  the land a very deep purple, the setting sun/sky shading from almost colorless yellow, to a washed-out citron, to a pale greenish aqua and finally, a darker turquoise blue. For me, not exactly colors I would think about using or combining. And cactus & mountains? Charms, maybe? I have to admit, I was stumped at first. Then, I got my vision past trying to (necessarily) include the land features and just concentrated on the colors. And then really started thinking about the glory of an Arizona sunset. So the resulting bracelet ended up being a non-patterned (treasure style) collection of gemstone beads ranging from blackish & dark purple at one end, through pale citrine & yellow green serpentine, to greenish tinted magnesite, to turquoise. It included a sterling tube bead with a raised star (because when thinking of a desert sunset, I usually envision the presence of Venus as a bright single star in the western sky at dusk) and a sterling tab charm with another star. Jill in Canada loved it & so did I!

So much so, I really wanted to make another one. But I wanted her to have a one of kind piece….so I made a necklace, which allowed me to include more of the sunset colors and graduate the shades better. I sold the first one at a show back in November and (again, because I hadn’t gotten to look at it long enough, lol!) here is Arizona Sunset Interpretation #3. Thanks to Jill in Canada for the original, wonderful idea!

The necklace features a freshwater pearl star instead of silver, set where the real Venus sits in the sunset sky; right where the colors start ranging into turquoise hues…

This necklace can also be worn as a chunky, wrap bracelet…’cuz I love multi-use things!

Goddess Speaking….

I’ve known quite a few other artists over the years who have expressed their absolute disdain for doing custom work of any sort….it always goes wrong, the customer’s never happy, they (the artist) always end up getting shafted, etc., etc.  I can see how, in some situations, things could go horrible awry, but honestly….I love doing custom jobs!  I can make what I see in my head, no problem, just falls right out of the ol’ brain pan….but to “see” what another person is envisioning, to get what they’re trying to express in terms of their desire; oh man, I really love the challenge of connecting with that!

I’d like to present Martha’s Kuan Yin earrings with pride….and gratitude. Thank you Martha, for giving me the opportunity to tap into the Mother of all Healing & Compassion’s energy and manifest these for you! It also gives me some very exciting ideas about future “goddess speaking” earring designs ~~~~rubbing hands together in giddy anticipation~~~~

In the background is another Kuan Yin interpretation I was asked to create years ago, this time in lampwork glass. She in the picture is the prototype of the piece the customer received & I keep her close to remind me that someday, I will be able to do my lampwork goddess sculptures again!

At the Year’s end…

Well, it’s been another interesting year here on the ‘stead….in re-cap, we’ve started jobs, lost jobs, rejoiced at losing jobs (lol!), averted disasters, enjoyed good health & lack of injury, felt grief & horror at other’s injuries/deaths, enjoyed financial successes, suffered financial set-backs….pretty much the same as most folks, I reckon.

Last cold season was horribly dry and we suffered an insane cold snap in February (one night, including the wind-chill factor, was -14 degrees!) all of which lead to an early-starting & intense wild fire season. We spent a good month in a state of fearful-hand-wringiness (well, at least I did). The drought conditions took their toll on the land & wildlife; everything suffered greatly & that was horrible to watch. But we didn’t get burned out by the massive Chiricahua fire…

http://www.inciweb.org/incident/2225/

…though it was within about 12 miles from us at it’s southern-most point. Much of the mountain’s been burned out & will be many years in recovering. The fire forced many animals, including bear & mountain lions, from their habitat and we came home from work one night back in May to an interrupted (by our dogs) mountain lion/deer interaction right behind our house! Got to hear the deer being “finished off” by said lion a little while later….very creepy squealing noises in the dark night….

But the rains came, finally, and did not flood us out & tear our roads apart, as they’d done the previous year. We were very happy, both for the land/wild life and for our water storage tanks being filled! We live off catchment water, so precipitation is hugely important to us!

We caught/released quite a few rattlesnakes this year, many of them blacktails (very docile & mellow, as rattlers go) and, unlike summer ’10, had no snake-bite incidents! I even did a capture of two mating snakes; had to get one at a time & was pretty surprised to have been successful…but there’s blacktails for ya!

Both of us were laid off from the Bisbee co-op (their loss) and were actually happy to go, as we’ve been working towards just doing our own thing with our jewelry for years now anyway! Shows have been very successful this year,  online sales are up pretty dramatically and it’s been great to have all of our time to focus on developing our work & getting it “out there”! Thanks to so many wonderful customers & fans!

Everyone is healthy & happy, although another year older..time marches on. Make everything you can of it, never put off ’til tomorrow what can be done today (there may not be a tomorrow!), follow your bliss (or, as another online artist’s profile read, “get yer sugar!”) and make your ultimate goal not to shuffle off the mortal coil full of regrets for the things you never did!

A fantastic New Year to all, may it bring you happiness, love, opportunity and many interesting events!

Sage advice from the dying…

I’ve always thought I’d never just copy/paste someone’s post in my blog…seems like an excuse for a entry. But I really wanted to pass this along….

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Top 5 Regrets of The Dying

Wiki image

Bonnie Ware
Inspiration and Chai

For many years I worked in palliative care. My patients were those who had gone home to die. Some incredibly special times were shared. I was with them for the last three to twelve weeks of their lives.

People grow a lot when they are faced with their own mortality. I learnt never to underestimate someone’s capacity for growth. Some changes were phenomenal. Each experienced a variety of emotions, as expected, denial, fear, anger, remorse, more denial and eventually acceptance. Every single patient found their peace before they departed though, every one of them.

When questioned about any regrets they had or anything they would do differently, common themes surfaced again and again. Here are the most common five:

1. I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.

This was the most common regret of all. When people realise that their life is almost over and look back clearly on it, it is easy to see how many dreams have gone unfulfilled. Most people had not honoured even a half of their dreams and had to die knowing that it was due to choices they had made, or not made.

It is very important to try and honour at least some of your dreams along the way. From the moment that you lose your health, it is too late. Health brings a freedom very few realise, until they no longer have it.

2. I wish I didn’t work so hard.

This came from every male patient that I nursed. They missed their children’s youth and their partner’s companionship. Women also spoke of this regret. But as most were from an older generation, many of the female patients had not been breadwinners. All of the men I nursed deeply regretted spending so much of their lives on the treadmill of a work existence.

By simplifying your lifestyle and making conscious choices along the way, it is possible to not need the income that you think you do. And by creating more space in your life, you become happier and more open to new opportunities, ones more suited to your new lifestyle.

3. I wish I’d had the courage to express my feelings.

Many people suppressed their feelings in order to keep peace with others. As a result, they settled for a mediocre existence and never became who they were truly capable of becoming. Many developed illnesses relating to the bitterness and resentment they carried as a result.

We cannot control the reactions of others. However, although people may initially react when you change the way you are by speaking honestly, in the end it raises the relationship to a whole new and healthier level. Either that or it releases the unhealthy relationship from your life. Either way, you win.

4. I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends.

Often they would not truly realise the full benefits of old friends until their dying weeks and it was not always possible to track them down. Many had become so caught up in their own lives that they had let golden friendships slip by over the years. There were many deep regrets about not giving friendships the time and effort that they deserved. Everyone misses their friends when they are dying.

It is common for anyone in a busy lifestyle to let friendships slip. But when you are faced with your approaching death, the physical details of life fall away. People do want to get their financial affairs in order if possible. But it is not money or status that holds the true importance for them. They want to get things in order more for the benefit of those they love. Usually though, they are too ill and weary to ever manage this task. It is all comes down to love and relationships in the end. That is all that remains in the final weeks, love and relationships.

5. I wish that I had let myself be happier.

This is a surprisingly common one. Many did not realise until the end that happiness is a choice. They had stayed stuck in old patterns and habits. The so-called ‘comfort’ of familiarity overflowed into their emotions, as well as their physical lives. Fear of change had them pretending to others, and to their selves, that they were content. When deep within, they longed to laugh properly and have silliness in their life again.

When you are on your deathbed, what others think of you is a long way from your mind. How wonderful to be able to let go and smile again, long before you are dying.

Life is a choice. It is YOUR life. Choose consciously, choose wisely, choose honestly. Choose happiness.

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I’m very happy that I’ve “owned” my life as much as I have, be it courage or just pure naivete (the later, I think, often times) or nudges from the Universe. But I’ve done what I wanted to do, am living how I’ve always fantasized about living and am so grateful for it.  However rough my life goes sometimes, it’s my life, I own it and it’s success or failure is up to me, not anyone’s expectations.

Another quotes that gives me motivation and the courage to “follow my bliss”.

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“Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back– Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth that ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one’s favor all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamed would have come his way. Whatever you can do, or dream you can do, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it. Begin it now.”

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There seems to be some argument as to the author of this quote…I’ve seen it attributed to Johann Goethe, but others say W. H. Murray (personally, I like it better if it came from a Scot!)…either way, someone knew what the hell he was talking about it!

Choose happiness…follow your bliss…whatever you can do, or dream you can do, begin it..begin it NOW.

New Page…Jewels/Necklaces

Just created a new Page…lots of lovely, one of a kind, necklaces to check out here!

https://elksongjewelry.wordpress.com/jewelsnecklaces/

Handmade Lampwork Glass/Recycled Indonesian Glass Necklace