Saturday, October 10, 2009

What I do not know, exactly



I have been wondering about Divine Guidance lately. Are we born into this world to meet up with certain people, to develop specific inner gifts, to leave behind a pre-ordained list of accomplishments? I do not know.

What I do know is that the success that I've had in the past year could not have come about except as a reaction to what seemed like a tragedy at the time, and that I prayed, meditated, visualized, and asked for Divine Guidance continuously in the first month after my husband lost his job last year. It's almost funny to me looking back, because I was, at the time, a news junkie, so my daily routine consisted of reading blogs and watching cable news reporting on the international economic collapse and impending Depression. I needed prayer to deal with the fear!

I was also living inside many faulty beliefs, such as that no one would buy pottery online and pay all that extra shipping, that selling to high class galleries was the pinnacle of accomplishment and so selling my own work would be backsliding, and that I couldn't stand out amongst the millions of internet shops and sites anyway.

So I only tried Etsy out of sheer desparation, and because it was healthier to immerse myself in a world of artists and vintage sellers as opposed to the paralyzing unemployment statistics, reports of new layoffs, home foreclosures, and corporations going bankrupt. As a bonus, I had my husband at home full time, a former operations manager, now executive VP of Operations. He set up the sales tracking, packing, and shipping systems for my Etsy store, and once all that was running smoothly, he found another job.

I also found a freedom on Etsy to sell more indie, one of a kind experimental pieces, which I've always preferred making. These are harder to market through galleries because of the gallery mark up, but I can sell these easily and affordably on Etsy. I am much happier working now, more excited to go into my studio, and I've close to doubled my income!

The luminary above, titled SUCCESS, has a bee and a dandelion, which are symbols of happiness at work, and spreading fertile seeds, or growing one's resources and wealth. I surrounded myself with these images as my Etsy store blossomed.

Did these images help guide my life? Did The One Who Sustains Us darken my world, and then illuminate the path that lead to my highest and best good? I do not know exactly.

6 comments:

  1. very profound... and there is room in this for a series of discussions, yes?
    do i believe that it often takes hitting (very) low points to redirect us and create growth? absolutely... do i feel that our choices and thoughts play a major role defining our life's path... again, yes... in different ways it has happened to me as well...
    i for one am very glad that you meandered over to etsy... wonderful for you and for those of us able to find you and purchase your work... it was very good for me too - and this blogging community... i have said before that it feels like a virtual artists' commune... with the support, encouragement & sharing all available... it is wonderful that you are leaving the restrictions of the galleries behind to pursue the 'you' in your work... i know for me, i am going through an evolution... picking up more tools, learning techniques, that allow me to put more of myself in the designs... my/your raven dish is treasured - it has a place with my 'special' pieces where i can see them, where the prism i keep in my window guides a spectrum over it in the late afternoon...
    i love your luminary as a tribute to your journey... these are favorite motifs of mine as well... and this is a real beauty...
    i will leave you with one other thought that i have read in numerous places - that it is those who can handle the challenges that rise above them and become more... i don't know whether your world was darkened on purpose or if life just happened in its very bittersweet pattern... but you grew and your world opened up - that is the important thing...

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  2. Marie- Thank you! Yes, I really am inviting everyone's thoughts on this one! It has been on my mind lately, and I seriously don't know what to think. It is interesting that you are also going through a creative evolution, too- it's a great feeling, isn't it!

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  3. growth is the best feeling ~ leaving your comfort zone... i have had pretty low self-esteem my whole life... i try to live by eleanor roosevelt's words 'we must do that which we think we cannot' ... this community and past 3/4 of a year have been huge for me... i think that some of life's mysteries will always remain just that... it is what you do with each situation that really matters... thanks for being patient with my lengthy comments!

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  4. So insightful, we don't and probably can't know if there is some power putting these challenges and opportunities in our path. But as you are both seem to be saying, our lives are about learning and growing from the darkness and being thankful for the goodness that comes from it.

    As one that has been reading your posts for the past year, I am so happy it has come to this for you!

    Love and light.

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  5. good reminder that what we initially deem 'bad' can actually be the vehicle for new things that are even better than before!

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  6. The answers to all the questions in the first paragraph of your post are "yes" - that is what I firmly believe right now. I, too, suffered a profound rattling of my core (my Mother died in April and I watched her die) but my belief in those precepts never shook and I think got me through it. Now my Mother continues her own work on this earth (from over there) while I continue mine (from over here) and we remain in concert. I communicate with her through my work and my actions....your event just refocussed you, Wolfe Woman - it sounds very much like you had a solid spiritual foundation already...ox

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