Friday, December 31, 2010
Reflections
Monday, November 22, 2010
Busy, Busy, Busy.....and Christmas fast a comein'....
If you want to see what we've been up to.... pop over and see my blog at http://inspiredbyscript.blogspot.com and Steve's Blog at http://stevesmithsjewellery.blogspot.com
At the moment we are very much concentrating on the business, with lots of making and lots of planning and marketing. We have 3 Craft Fairs booked before Christmas and into the New Year there are plans afoot for BIG changes at the Studio and within the business. It's all go, go, go and we are having a ball :o)
I expect blogging here will be thin on the ground for a little while longer, so please bear with us and make sure you check out my Inspired By Script Blog and Website to keep up to date.
Obviously those of my friends who also join me on FaceBook will be more up to date than ever lol. Oh what fun we have!
Meanwhile, keep creating you lovely, wonderful people.... For Creating washes away from the soul, the dust of everyday life. Blessings xxx
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Happy Samhain....lHalloween or All Souls Night...
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
And, if we only scratch a living from it, At least it's a living worth scratching,
I never grew up wanting to be an artist. I was encouraged as a child to create, and creating was play, and people didn't make money from playing.... People earned money from working...hard graft, drafting your fingers to the bone, working yourself to death....all to pay the bills and put money on the table. This preconditioned belief was reinforced so much so, that a career in Art was never an option. Even at school the subconscious messages slowly drip fed into my brain. I could imagine the Careers Teacher shaking her head in dismay if I had ever answered the question: 'So Susan (that's my Sunday name.....generally reserved for when my mother was really angry) what would you like to be when you leave school?', 'Well I was thinking of being an artist'.... you see I have an issue here....you cannot BE an Artist....or become one for that matter....no you either are one or you aren't. You either feel comfortable referring to yourself as an artist or not. However I believe that EVERYONE is creative.
I have often had it said to me that people would LOVE to be Artistic.... and we all are, but to what degree is only a matter of opinion. But being Artistic is a very different title that actually labelling yourself as one. I Am.....try it....I Am An Artist.....how comfortable are you with that?
For most people, they can only say 'I Am An Artist' once they truly believe in themselves and in what the produce. It all becomes easier once you start to make Art your only source of income. Of course there are exceptions to the rule and I am generalising and my observations are directed at the majority of creative not the minority.
'I Am An Artist' I am fortunate to have taken some crazy risks in my life and ended up making my Art my full time career. I fought against it and tried, without success to be many other things before....But I am inside me a Creative Spirit, and working in any other job would drive me stir crazy. You see, I just can't help the way I am. I get great delight from making a blank piece of paper come to life. I work with words....positive thinking, motivational, inspirational, emotional words that resonate inside me and actually make me 'Feel' that emotion to my very core. My spiritual beliefs and practices give me food for my soul which in turn translates to creativity on a page. You see....we artists 'FEEL'....we have to be moved to create. Our souls need to be fed like a hungry child. Sadness, pain and trauma, somehow stifles our creative souls. We need to take time to look, to think, to meditate, to be still.....and then the magic happens.
When we follow our true calling, our life's purpose, all is well with the world. Artists who choose to make art their living are courageous, risk takers and above all warriors, who dare to go against convention. We are not afraid of feelings, emotions, risk taking....for we do that every time we put pen to paper. We have our innermost thoughts and feelings transparently superimposed on paper. We have nothing to hide. We are who we are and what you see is what you get. We are open to criticism and are ready to take the harsh blows life has to throw at us. Being an artist is not a soft option. Those who think we need to stop messing and get a real job, should change places for a few weeks.....for being an artist is both a blessing and a curse. We have a great deal of self motivation and we learn to ride out the storms. We love to share our knowledge and encourage others to create, for our creativity is part of our soul and we find it hard to distinguish where one starts and the other ends. We work long hours for little return and certainly do not do it for the money.....for if we did, most of us would be doing something else.
No, we do it for the love of it. For the sheer pleasure of sharing our passion with others. We do it to change the world, bring some light into0 the darkness and let the world for some people just stop for one brief minute. Oh and we don't retire...because we are what we are. A concert pianist doesn't stop playing music just because he has reached 65.
We are born to create and will create all our lifetime, it's not something we can switch off....no matter how hard we try. We need to be understood and ask that people go gentle on us....for at the end of the day....through art we gain inner peace and calm and only want to spread a little around.
Monday, September 27, 2010
Sometimes, other things take priority....
I've also bought a new camera, it takes the most fantastic pictures and hoped to show you some on here.....but Blogger is playing up and won't have any of it....so I will add them later. I just wanted to pop quickly in.....explain my absence and warn everyone I will be back very soon.
Monday, August 09, 2010
Doesn't time fly when you're having fun?
Well after professing to never have another man ever again enter my life....one did....one so special and suited to me he was hard to refuse. Just shows you how wrong you can be sometimes....especially when you least expect it. And I am happy to say.... he feels just the same and we spend as much time together as we can.....So almost everything below has been done either with him or as a result of being with him.
Steve's also an artist, so he feeds me on an inspirational level as well as a creative level, both mentally and spiritually. Oh yes, and he's got his own blog, so go and take a look, say hi and follow him at Steve Smiths Art
Finally we got the garden finished and it more than I could have wished for. I have 3 gardens, but the back one is an awkward shape and I wanted a peace garden....so almost a year to the day after I started it....it's finally finished. Just a Japanese Acer to buy when I find the right one......
We have made a couple of trips down to the South West to see his family, for birthdays and special occasions.....
Wednesday, July 07, 2010
Calling All Letter-Lovers NEW BLOG!
I will also use it as a useful resource for UK Calligraphers and Lettering Artists to promote groups and exhibitions, and hope you will link to this blog and let's get Lettering (and particularly Hand Lettering) back on the map.
Sunday, July 04, 2010
Spinning, Twirling and Dizzy Spells
This dizziness doesn't happen forever, we have spells of being blocked, stuck and downright unmotivated.... perhaps its all a question of balance. The Yin Yang, Fast, slow, active, calm, hot, cold, angry, calm..... for without one we certainly can't appreciate the other. People who say they are well 'Balanced' make me cringe.... I see them as emotionally dead people, who have no feelings at all. Without hate we cannot experience love.....or if we do it's on a sliding scale of how deep.
Since Beltane (Feb 2nd) the created juices have been flowing, yes of course I've had my down days and one of these was just last week. I had some certificates to do and my eyes were particularly bad, so much so I feared the worse and thought I had had fresh bleeds... I almost gave up my business for good! But I have now decided that if work comes to me of this kind again, I will find a calligrapher to job it out to for commission or turn it down....either way, it's not worth the low self worth I felt when having to acknowledge my lack of sight.
Thankful (because I don't know where I would be without him!) the love of my life (we'll call him Pan shall we?) came to my rescue and talked some sense into me. A big hug and a swift kick up the asse always works with the Pixie.
Pan is also an artist and so fully understands the ups and downs of living a creative life. Sometimes you win, sometimes you loose, sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. What we need to do is never stop experimenting, growing and loosing sight of why we do what we do....We do it for the Love of it. It's something inside us, it's not something we can stop or ask to go away. I have created since I was a child and I believe that Creators have one thing in common, we are all child spirits.
We know and recognise our strengths and weaknesses.... and it's no big deal. At the end of the day, we feel passion, a passion that comes from deep within and one that cannot be explained or experienced by non-creators.
I do know a lot of Creatives and we all chat about the fact that there's so much creativity around at the moment. To me I believe you are either a creator or a destroyer. Asleep or awake, a giver or a taker....Giving is a creative act, taking is destructive. Peace against War. Do something for the love of it, not for the money it will bring. For if you love it, the money will follow. If you are on the wrong track, be open and awake and your path will surely be shown to you.
So, at the moment I'm twirling..... ideas are flowing.... my business is going to change pretty radically over the next few months and the fantastic thing is, I have the most wonderful man right there beside me, supporting me every step of the way. Now there's something I've never had before!
First I have to plan for a Wedding Fair to be held in September, then we are looking towards Art Shows and a Joint Exhibition. Interest has been shown in my new ideas and ventures, which I will keep under wraps for the time being. But getting out and about (at last) networking and meeting, and being among fellow artists and creatives lately has certainly being motivating.
So excuse me while my postings are a little on the irregular side... It's just I'm Spinning, Twirling and having Dizzy Spells.....With Pan .... Looks like the Pixies in lurrrrve ;o)
Monday, June 28, 2010
Magic in Glastonbury - The Dream Coat
If Glastonbury does nothing else, it makes people smile....lots! Perhaps their ability not to take life too seriously helps. There's a more relaxed attitude to life and that probably what draws me there the most. People have time, no rushing, no deadlines, no panic.....flowing, gentle energy and lots of love and kindness going on. Regular readers of my blog will know my affinity with positive, motivational and inspirational quotations....and it's pretty much a coincidence that on our last day we met Nicola, a beautiful Pixie Spirit with her Dream Coat of many colours....well actually I never met her.....Steve picked her up first, telling me that he had met a girl in the Cafe that wanted to swap one of her dreams for his....Hmmmm....helped along by the fact that she was beautiful I expect ;o)
My first reaction was...Oh yes and what medication is she on....but then she glided out with her coat of many colours and I called her over....And no she was not on medication, nor did she want paying.....and the story of her coat brought smiles all round.
So, the idea is that each pocket holds someones dream.... And you are asked to put your dream in any pocket of your choice, but first you have to take one out......Wednesday, June 16, 2010
A Royal Visit
Hand Made Seating Plan with Calligraphy for Weddings
Friday, June 04, 2010
Personalised Baby Birth Certificates
These prints are personalised with the baby's name, date of birth and weight and finished with hand painted decorated squares.
Size: A3 - 29.7cm x 42cm
All available by mail order, price is £10 including P&P
and comes delivered in a board backed envelope
or £15.00 if you would like a mount adding
which makes the print fit into a standard sized, easily available frame.
I accept Paypal or Cheques
Email me at: inspiredbyscript@yahoo.co.uk
For further details
If you have a new born child to celebrate this makes a unique and personal gift.
Tuesday, June 01, 2010
What's Been Going On...
And are just as suited to the Paler pieces of work....
Monday, March 29, 2010
Life.... and how to live it!
Sunday, March 28, 2010
I'm back....
I did try…so hard to amalgamate The Creative Spirit into my business blog and make them one and the same, but the minute I saw the ‘Inspired by Script’ banner I was filled with dread. Although my beliefs about my spiritual path, my philosophy on life, the positive thinking, self awareness, self improvement and all things connected to nature and spirit form a large part of my business, I seemed to clam up when writing on that blog under the ‘business’ brand. Somehow business head me and the crazy, fun loving but sometimes serious Pixie just didn’t mix…. No matter how hard I tried.
And the friends, the many friends and support system of fellow Warrior Women and Goddesses were missed beyond belief. The times when out lives and synchronicity, no matter where we lived and what our lifestyles were, went by without acknowledgement, because following without a blogroll became impossible.
So, now I (or the many aspects of me….which I should call WE) are back…. And It feels good. I found wordpress almost an impossible blog to use and although I'll still use it for my website, this blog and my Inspired by Script Blog will stay with blogger. PHEW!
I'm always preaching to people to be true to yourself...in the other space I felt I wasn't and that goes so much against the grain I felt I was being hidden and dishonest. And for the main part, loosing the contacts and keeping up with the friends (some of which I have known for over 15 years) was like a mini grieving process, and I've done enough grieving for one lifetime ;o)
Business is business and pleasure is pleasure and I’m back to enjoy the ride in my usual, honest blogger way, back in my world and I love it!….So.....Hello Friends and Hell World! I'm giving you all a great big Pixie wave.
With love and brightest blessings,
Sue xxx
Aka - Granny Weatherwax now!
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Shoot For The Moon - Les Brown - Birthday Card
The inside reads: Shoot for the Moon,
Even if you miss,
you will land among the stars
The quotation by Les Brown is a particular favourite of mine and is suitable for any occasion.
Then it's my Dad's birthday on th
e 30th and his favourite colour is red
These cards can be made to order, just email me at inspiredbyscript@yahoo.co.uk for further details.
Monday, March 22, 2010
NEW - Baby Birth Announcement Cards
Sadly, nowadays, so many family members live a fair distance away and our families are no exception. After designing the new Wedding Cards with the fold over flap, I thought it would be a good idea to also offer these in my shop, so families far and wide could at least meet the new arrival. The design is simple but effective and ordering is made easy. Send us the details of the parents, the name, weight, date and time of birth and a .jpg picture attachment to email….we’ll do the rest. Then is all you need do is peel off the cover of the self adhesive double sided tape, stick down, address, add a stamp and send through the post. A card and an envelope all in one. Sent with a book of stamps, this would make a fuss free gift that will be appreciated by new busy mums and dads. They are already for sale in the shop CLICK HERE TO BUY
And this is my beautiful Granddaughter now…. A few days on and looking more like she’s ready for the world. Still a sleepy head and despite prodding and poking from Grandma refuses to walk up… the picture was taken by her dad… Grandma can’t wait to tell her about Grandmas Magic Tepee and all the adventures we are going to have!
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Special Mothers Day Card
A Mothers Day Card. A 3-fold card with a formal italic cover, complimented with a more contemporary inside. Pink gouache for the lettering. The overall size is 445mm x 105mm, so it fits into a standard C6 envelope. Simple, pretty and just right for mothers day.
Bespoke, Hand Made Birthday Card with Calligraphy
Getting commissioned for special occasions cards is one of the most pleasurable of items we can do as calligraphers. This particular card has been made using white Dr. Martins Bleedproof white on Navy Blue cover paper. Dr. Martins is particularly good for it opaque qualities especially on dark colours. I much prefer this to using white gouache.
The above picture shows the front of the card....sadly the photos don't do the colours justice and it really is the most gorgeous Navy Blue. Other colours are available including Red, Green, Yellow, Tan....and others.
The above picture shows the 3-fold card in its entirety. The inside italic lettering sets the card of wonderfully.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
North Yorkshire Calligraphers - Exhibition at Preston Park, Museum
The exhibition is called:
MAKING OUR MARK
The exhibition runs from the 1st April - 30th April 2010
At the Preston Park Museum, Eaglecliffe.
And will be held alongside a permanent exhibition
'Made In Stockton' Go along and see it if you can! It's bound to be a huge success.
Tuesday, February 09, 2010
Hand Made Wedding Stationery - New Designs
Well as I said in my last post, I’ve been busy working on a new collection on Wedding Stationery. This new Baroque Style Invitation is designed to be both the Invitation and the envelope.
Folded into 3, the top third folds down to form the flap on the back and the address can be written on the front.
Above is a close up of the detailed border and the design is also continued on the flap.
Both the filigree design work and the Bride and Grooms name can be Colour Co-Co-ordinated to match the theme of the Wedding. A more complete range including Order of Service, Place Cards, Evening Invitations, Menus and Thank You Cards will ba available in the shop section very soon.
Inspired by Script - In the Top Blogs for Calligraphy!
And once I get the hang of Blogging in this new programme and have a little less commission work... I'll be posting more frequently too.
Lots of interesting things to report. Waiting for Spring to come along and the weather to warm up. My first Grandchild's arrival in April.... or sooner if my predictive dreams are working right. Oh yes, this is going to be one busy year!
Just wanted to pop in, tell everyone I'm still breathing and share my good news with you all.
Well done Kelly, Cari and Bill for being the top 3!
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Hand Made Wedding Stationery & Calligraphy Service
It’s that time of the year again, when Christmas is over and the New Year has begun and Brides start planning their Weddings. Almost always, the Invitations are first on their list.
My first Wedding Order has been completed and safely delivered to the awaiting bride.
TThis Invitation is a simple design, clearly understated and printed in soft Grey on a hammered background.
Above is the Wedding Invitation and below is the Evening Invitation
You can see more about previous Wedding Commissions, including Cards, Albums and Seating Plans by clicking on the link to Weddings on the left or BY CLICKING HERE
To order Wedding Stationery or discuss your requirements please ring us on 01609 776 866 or 07816 537 275 Mon-Fri 10am – 4pm or alternatively email me at: inspiredbyscript@yahoo.co.uk
You can see many more examples of our Wedding Stationery on our sister site North Yorkshire Weddings