Glass ornament with tree inside sitting on desk

How It Started

This is not a story about how everything started. It’s more about this specific project and a few things I learned during the doing. This project started with a gift from my son and daughter-in-law. They gave me this beautiful glass ornament that has a tree inside of it. I just so happen to love colored glass and this was one of those gifts that was absolutely perfect. But…

The ornament is big. And glass. And I was pretty concerned that there is no trustworthy way to hang it without a real possibility of it breaking under its own weight. And so it began, the planning for some type of base to hold it securely and, hopefully, in a manner befitting how beautiful I think it is.

Pregaming

This past November, after Thanksgiving and several years of waxing and waning interest in consumer grade CNC lasers and with the encouragement of my partner-in-life, I bought an xTool M1 laser and blade cutting machine. I might, at some point, write more about this decision but it doesn’t matter right now. I bought this machine with the idea that I would be able to use it to create things which is something I enjoy doing. I set about reading and watching videos; joining a couple Facebook groups; and trying some thing out.

One of my first actual projects was to make Christmas ornaments. I made some for the Executive Committee board members for Evergreen Indiana as well as my admin colleagues. I also made some ornaments for loved ones that had a recipe worth passing down. It was fun, and I was proud to be able to share these things.

Cut file for xTool laser

first layers of base dry stacked

Mistakes are progress

And that’s when the (almost) inevitable happened. I started thinking “I could turn this into a side hustle.” That’s something I’ve done over and over in this life. I crocheted angels to sell. I made cards to sell. I made t-shirt quilts and jewelry. I’ve even sold art. In fact, anything that I’ve created has always been accompanied by the thought, “Maybe this is the thing that makes me rich.”

I know. That sounds awful, and I don’t really want to be rich (not exactly). I just don’t want to worry about putting gas in the gas tank, buying groceries, giving gifts, or the myriad things that money helps with. And I’ve always looked at those things I could do and those things I make as a possible mechanism to alleviate that worry.

As I was working on this base using this new tool that provides new opportunities, I was first thinking, “How do I make this thing pay for itself?” I felt guilty for having bought this thing that I’ve been interested in for years. And then it occurred to me that it is okay to just have hobbies for oneself. I could play around making things with this machine until it falls to pieces and never make anything for anyone else or sell anything I made. And it would be okay.

The Journey

I’m coming to a point in my life where I’m laying down a lot of the preconceptions (and, likely, misconceptions) I used as guide rails until now. In particular, I’m laying aside the idea that my purpose is to be productive. Does that mean that I won’t make things as gifts? No. I enjoy giving gifts, and I enjoy making…and making gifts. Does it mean that I won’t ever sell anything? No. But I don’t have to. I can experiment and mess up and experiment some more.

The End isn’t the End

When I started planning the base for this globe, the Tree of Strength, I thought I had a pretty clear vision of what I was wanting to accomplish. It turns out that for all my planning, I didn’t really know exactly what I was doing. Several times along the way, I had to make decisions about continuing, adapting, and accepting. In the end, it didn’t turn out very close to what I determined would be “a success.” But what did happen is that I made something something I’d never made before that did exactly what it was supposed to do – safely display that orb of glass.

Even now I look at it and think, “that wasn’t the plan. Thank goodness it didn’t go to plan.” Thank goodness every time I thought I could turn my hobby into a gig, it didn’t work. Thank goodness I didn’t get consigned to the “artist” category or the “custom laser product” category. Thank goodness I get to explore and experiment without the expectation that I must be productive or even generative.

And while I’m thanking goodness, thank goodness for loved ones who know I love shiny, fragile things.

Tree of Strength globe on assembled base

Cover of The Artist's Way book by Julia Cameron

What the heck is “the Artist’s Way?” About six months ago, I had no idea. I could think of answers to that question that would satisfy those not in the know.

Maybe it was having to come up with techniques to differentiate between the cup holding coffee, the cup holding drinking water, and the cup holding coffee. Something better than remembering the coffee cup because you just spilled it, but don’t don’t want to change your pants and aren’t sure how to clean the chair cushion. So the artist’s way now includes a coffee stain on the chair cushion and the smell of coffee permeating the next hours of your life.

Maybe it’s seeing roller ball pens and fountain pens and ultra fine markers and Sharpies and alcohol markers and colored pencils and watercolor pencils and your favorite Pentel Quicker Clicker pencil with .5 lead and India ink pens and dye pencils and still not being able to find the green paint marker you literally just set down.

It could be a lot of things, I suppose. But, it is also a fascinating and, dare I say it?, nurturing book by Julia Cameron. Despite it having been first published in 1994, and me having been both around the arts and in libraries, I was only just introduced to The Artist’s Way in the past year (literally 2023). And, as soon as I began reading it, I knew it was the real deal. And I also knew that I wasn’t ready to actually take the journey yet.

Why? Because I’m an overplanner and overengineerer (is that even a word?) and a chronic overthinker. The Artist’s Way is essentially a 12 week course meant to help creative people break through the overplanning and overengineering and overthinking by just doing something. And those somethings are fairly regimented and a little time consuming. At least in the way that I’m envisioning them.

There are two MAJOR components and then the actual “coursework.” The components are honestly some of the best things for all people I can think of. First, there are what are called “morning pages.” Morning pages are exactly what they sound like – pages written in the morning. According to Cameron, a person following the regimen of “The Artist’s Way” should just start writing whatever comes to mind, three pages, every morning.

I’ve given this a try and have only good things to say about it. Of course, there are millions of people who journal and the idea of having a writing practice is not novel or innovative. But, I guess sometimes we need to be reminded WHY it is important to not only know something but also do it. The stream of consciousness aspect of the morning pages definitely does take practice for someone like me. I tend to have an idea and then get fixated on that. The morning pages let me have the idea but have no expectations to figure anything out.

The second major component of “The Artist’s Way” is the “artist date.” It is a date you make with yourself. Creators do not create from bottomless wells of inspiration. Those wells have to be refilled. In fact, it is best that our wells are to the point of overflow. The artist date is a specific time set up by the individual to go do something on their own that captures their interest or curiosity. It can be very humble or extravagant and is completely self directed but also very purposeful. The goal of the artist date is not to create something. It is to purposefully recharge one’s soul and spirit without any need to accommodate another person in the endeavor.

So far, I got through ONE week of the Artist’s Way on my own, and then the responsibilities of life and many, many transitions (buying a house, getting married, preparing to move cross country, leaving a two-in-one job, figuring out life with FIVE grown children and their families)…well, that’s taking a second. But, I’m VERY glad to know about “The Artist’s Way” and to have my own copy of the book.

Since being introduced to the book, it’s been cropping up all over in my awareness. I found out that a friend has been periodically leading individuals through the course. I found out that my bonus son was in a book discussion group for it. That is exciting to me. It is exciting to see other people interested in nurturing and developing that creative spark we all have.

And I have “great plans” to fully embrace the 12 week plan put forth by Julie. I’ve got my notebooks ready. Now I just need to have a little more schedule space. That’s going to happen as my jobs here in Indiana wind down, and I transition to living solely in Virginia with my partner (yay!). In the meantime, I have taken to heart the ideas of “just do something” and “just write” and “just go someplace beautiful.” There is a lot to be said for setting aside our own judgmental attitudes toward ourselves (and others) and getting over the paralysis of perfectionism. As Miss Frizzle said, “Take chances, make mistakes, and get messy.”

You can find out more about The Artist’s Way course at Julia Cameron’s website. If you want to buy your own starter kit that includes a morning pages journal, you can do that here and I’ll earn a little Amazon Affiliate cents commission.