The Next Chapter; Chickens and Elections

Well, in the past week and a half, I have left Tulsa, OK and driven across country with all my belongings (well, all my belongings that aren't in storage already, but I digress) to Scio, OR to start a new life on my Sister's fiber farm. It was not an easy decision to leave Tulsa because I loved it there, had made some very good friends and some really great contacts, but I had become to realize the trades offs were not worth the barter to continue living there. I won't go into that, my heart is full of gratitude for the time there and besides, that's not what this post is about.

When I got to the farm, I was informed that I would be sharing my bathroom with two baby chickens who had needed to be moved inside. Internally I groaned. There are all sorts of, let's say, substances around this place I'm not entirely on board with yet, but I am the one entering this environment. I am the outsider, and I must adapt to be here.

The first morning I woke up to find the chicks had been moved outside. End of that story. Or so I thought, the next morning, they were back. Let me take a moment to explain, they are living in a giant tote full of clean straw, not roaming free. The female chicken had been injured by something over the night and could no longer stand on her own. All through the day my sister and I took turns going in and standing her back up to encourage her, but by mid-day, it did not look good. I admit, there was a moment there where I really felt she needed someone to step in and just end it for her, but did not act on it. It wasn't my decision.

Then something amazing happened. I was in there holding the water out for her so she could drink and thought, let's try this; I gradually pulled the water back from her bit by bit and she suddenly stood on her own to reach it! I was so excited for her, and kind of proud of myself for having been there to help that first step forward. Throughout the rest of the day, she got up more and more.

This morning, she is on her own two feet, a little worse for wear, but up and moving. She had just needed that time to heal and some gentle encouragement to get there.

Here is where I am going with this; Today America goes to the polls. We are divided politically, but so what? Just remember no matter who is in charge when we wake up tomorrow, just turn to those you love and give them whatever they need to get through the day. No president will ever do for us what we can do for each other so don't give one human being you don't even really know that much power over your life. Just focus on the ones who will cheer when you find your own feet and (as my roommate in Tulsa always said) it will be all right.

Love, Megan AKA Anna Grace

Oh..No.. -or- How I Became a Blogging Cliche

Here I am, hanging my head over the keyboard in shame, about to apologize for "creating a blog and promising myself I would write posts all the time and then dropping out of the blogoshpere because life just got so crazy...."

Nope, not going to do it. Life is crazy for everybody and if I haven't accepted it by this point, well then, that's my problem not yours. I'll admit it, time management has never been my strong point, though working on it is on my list...

Moving across the country seemed like a great idea, a grand adventure, a new start, challenging myself to think out of my box; why, I'll start a blog and chronicle it! Cliches, all of them. Life threw curve balls at me, and never having been the athletic type, I dropped to the ground in the fetal position and waited for the wobbly, leather orb to pass me by so someone else could catch it. Then I threw a pity party for about six months. Plain and simple.

Let me illustrate how I have felt for most of the year;

Like this

or this...

but more like this if I'm going to be truthful

However, there have been some positive steps also;

I have had my first gallery show, "Common Threads" highlighting my fiber jewelry at Your Design in Broken Arrow. Alisa, the owner, is amazing and doing wonderful things for local artists by giving them a platform to get their work seen. I met some very welcoming fabric/fiber artists at the reception which lead to me becoming a member of Fiber Artists of Oklahoma.

 Making fantasy pieces like this for the show really helped wake up my mopey muse;



"The Monarchs At Natural Bridges"
Mixed Media



I was accepted into a great collective of talented people called The Artisan Group. Valerie, the founder, has created a wonderful group that gives artists a chance to market themselves through celebrity gift lounges and charity events, in addition to providing very valuable lessons and support for growing one's business.

I was able to make a special piece for the MS Society Connecticut Chapter's silent auction and help be instrumental is raising over $1800 for their cause. I have made special pieces of jewelry for Jordan Sparks of American Idol, Tyra Banks, and am now working on a huge project for the official gift lounge at the 46th Annual CMA Awards (more on this later). Plus I have met some really great like minded people who act as a sort of family. The camaraderie and encouragement these fellow artists display for each other is truly touching and inspiring.

I also became a RAW Artist and had my first showcase with them in July. It was a great evening and wonderful to be able to get my work seen by a new group of local people and artists. RAW also gives artists great support, opportunities, and advice on the business of art. Kristen, the coordinator here in Tulsa is a powerhouse and does a wonderful job organizing these events.

Tulsa RAW - Mixology

So, all in all, it has been a year of healing, but also a year of discovery and firsts for me. I look forward to taking myself in new directions with my work and business. I continue to learn and grow my knowledge of my materials. Baby steps, you know, to go along with the times I still curl up in the fetal position and swear I can't do it. I can and will.

One thing I won't do though is end this post promising I will become better about posting to my blog, that would be another blogging cliche now wouldn't it?  Aw, what the heck, I really will try... but no pinkie swears!