One more step to get the blog ready to enter the scene. Thanks to a sweet promotion, I have ordered more Moo mini cards. They arrived a few days ago and I think they look great. The paper is smooth and heavy weight, the colors are vivid. The same great quality that I am already using for my artist cards and that my retailers love very much. I am really excited to have something to give around so that people can find me on the web.

What do you think?

XOXO
Patricia

I would like to introduce you to the newly redesigned rainbow Happy Loops bracelet which features even more colors and the new s-hook clasp.

A few months ago, I have replaced the toggle clasp with this new clasp that has several advantages.

1- It allows to ship the bracelet with extra rings at the other end so that the gallery can customize on site the length of the bracelet for their client. Just cut off the unnecessary rings with a pair of regular pliers, and voila!

2- It is prettier and makes it easier to attach the bracelet around the wrist. The toggle clasp was a bit of a struggle.

3- As I make the hook myself in the same wire than the rest of the bracelet, this also has benefits for me. I am not limited by the two basic silver and gold colors and can make a s-hook clasp to match any color.

The bracelet is made of enameled copper wire which is hypoallergenic and does not tarnish. And I have plenty of earrings to match.

This bracelet and the earrings are available exclusively through my retailers.

A day will come when the animals, winged ones and those who swim will begin to disappear. The eagle, bear, wolf and buffalo will be scarce because people will become greedy and will not love each other. The sky will become black and the trees and plants will die. The beautiful rainbow will disappear because people will not remember to keep the Mother Earth sacred and will destroy its beauty.

Children of the Rainbow Warriors will come and they will love the trees and the animals. They will love and respect each other and they will help people to live in peace with all creation. The rainbow in the sky will return as a sign of the Creator’s grace.

American Indian prophecy

XOXO
Patricia

I thought writing a little note to tell you that I am still here and kicking
The blog is still alive… the business is still alive… I am still alive… barely somedays!

Although I am still running the A/C, we have entered the Holiday season and I am swamped with orders from my retailers. I am crazy busy and thrilled about it.

Hopefully I’ll find some time soon to post about some new work I have created, improve the blog and work on the online store. Where are the elves I ordered?

A bientôt!
Patricia

I have been recently attracted by the process of hand engraving on metal. After conducting some research on the web, I came across Bryan Bridges.
Bryan is a master engraver with more than 30 years of experience and, oh lucky me, he happens to live in the Phoenix Valley and gives private instruction in his studio.

So far, I have spent a couple of mornings with Bryan learning the vocabulary of the trade, the tools (and there is lots of new tools I’ve never seen before, nor ever imagined they could exist) as well as the basics of hand engraving.
It is not that easy and there will be for sure a learning curve for the humble beginner that I am. But I am very excited with the wide range of options, from very simple to sophisticated, that this technique is offering me.

My only concern is… will I be able to wholesale this type of work? The simple designs made with low tech equipment… very possible. The more sophisticated designs involving a couple thousand dollars of investment for the equipment… that I am not sure and I’ll have to think about it. In the meantime, chop chop to practice with my chisel and chasing hammer. Stay tuned for photos of my first projects!

A bientôt!
Patricia

On this last day of the year, I am grateful for all what 2010 brought me and can’t wait to jump in 2011 with new projects.

So, what were the 2010 highlights?

• A big change of direction in my work. At the end of 2009, after 10 years of working with glass, galleries significantly slowed down their orders because it became too expensive for their customers and too pricey to ship. This became obvious after the flop of the ACRE show 2009.
  As I was also exhausted to work in the heat and feeling trapped with all these heavy tools, I decided that a new direction was just what I needed. This is when I heard a voice whispering in my ear that making chain mail jewelry with just a few pairs of pliers and my 2 hands will give me back the freedom I wanted so badly. I listened to the voice!

• The birth of Invincible Art to symbolize my new direction. As I was coming back from a place where many would have given up, a few friends told me they were seeing me as invincible. A light suddenly popped up over my head and Invincible Art was born.

• The take off of my new identity with a new logo and a new web site with a private area for retailers.

• Learning new techniques in chain mail, working with colors and having a lot of fun in the process.

• Landing close to 30 new accounts.

• The decision to go seriously into blogging by signing up with the A-List Blogging Boot Camp (dear readers, do not worry about my sanity and well-being, the boot camp part is not as scary as it sounds), and rebuilt a new blog which I hope you will enjoy.

• Falling in love with the minimalism concept. My first action was a de-cluttering of my home. I have a lot (really a lot!) of stuff that accumulated during the course of those last 10 years. This is far to be finished (I just started earlier this month) but I really enjoy very much the first results.

• On a more personal note, 2010 was also the year where I did a past life regression and a life-between-life (aka LBL) regression. I had the opportunity to meet Catherina Severin who is a wonderful therapist and student of Dr Michael Newton. What I learned during those sessions literally changed my life and the way I see the world.

Now, about my 2011 road map… I do not have a formal business plan per se or even a list of goals. Instead I have what I call my road map… general directions that I write down and update along the way.

2010 was the year of the rebirth, 2011 will be the year where I’ll develop and improve what I have started.

• Establish a better communication with my current accounts by publishing a regular newsletter.

• Be proactive in my reach of new retailers. Implement a more direct marketing approach.

• Learn new techniques of jewelry making, make new work and have fun.

• Embrace blogging and social marketing.

• Complete the operation “de-clutter” and organize a paper free office.

See you next year!
A bientôt!
Patricia

I have been blogging on and off since about 2 years. Well, more off than on, let’s be honest and if I had to explain why, I would say with great honesty this was because I did not have any direction.
The last 2 years have been a bumpy ride… the realization that I was going nowhere I wanted to go… how trapped my glass work made me feel… re-inventing myself through chain mail jewelry… yes, indeed, a lot of things have happened during those last 2 years that I was not feeling like writing about it at the time.
I remember this quote of Nicholas Boileau “whatever we well understand we express clearly, and words flow with ease” and I think I was just at the opposite end of it.

However, I enjoy the act of sharing through blogging and recently I have been compelled to type frenetically on my keyboard again (seriously this time, no, I’m not kidding myself!).
I have signed up for a few online classes with established bloggers that I admire: Darren Rowse from Problogger.net and Leo Babauta from Zenhabits.net. It had the immediate effect to get my mind clearer and my writing flowing.

And here I am today… with a new blog title and brand new ideas. But still with a great dilemma… what do I do with all my old posts. Keep em’? after all this was a part of my journey… Trash em’? why carrying the past over, especially when it is not that brilliant… Or compromise? keep some good stuff and trash the rest… ummm…

Still pondering what I was going to do while scratching my dubitative head and staring at my screen, I heard the little “ding” telling me that a new email was waiting for me. Although I thought this was another junk that found its way to my inbox, I had to check. Good idea, because this was not a junk but a post titled “how to destroy your past lives (starting over)” from Everett Bogue of “Far Beyond the Stars”. Once again, I asked and the Universe sent it to me. Although I am used to it, I am always amazed when it happens

In this post, Everett explains how he burns the notebooks where he writes stories because “the reality is that the past is dead, it happened, it shaped who you are, but it’s gone now”.

Sounds very cathartic! that’s was I should do and that’s what I did without any second thoughts this time.

I trashed all my old posts excepts the one I wrote last week. And, oh yeah, it felt so good. As Everett said “You have a choice, you can either let the pain and joys of the past build up until they’re too heavy of a burden. Or you can let everything go. Burn your notebooks, let your friends go, leave the souvenirs at the shop.”

I’ve chosen to let go of the past, then suddenly all is perfectly falling together and life is right where it should be. Amen to that!

A bientôt!
Patricia

Invincible Art is a one-woman operation. It does not come without its challenges but this is how I like it…

1- I report to no one nor depend from anyone

2- no one report to me nor depend from me

3- I am the one responsible for all my decisions and actions

4- it full satisfies my control-freakishness

My goal is not to be rich and famous. My goal is to feel the wind of freedom beneath my wings. And it does not take much to feel it… just 1-2-3 (4 is just the cherry on the cake).

While talking with other artists friends who have employees at their studio, their point of view is that being “only one” will limit my expansion and that I will not have enough hours in the day to do everything.

As to limiting my expansion… I do not think this is an issue for me. As long as I have enough, I am happy. Having more will not make me happier. I am able to generate this “enough” income I need just by myself.

About time management… this is an ongoing process that revolves around a few basic principles:

1- I do not waste my time in useless activities like watching TV, reading the news, tweeting or participating to forums.

2- I am surrounding myself with tools, products, companies, people that I can count on.

3- I delegate the best I can all the non-business related tasks like yard maintenance, house cleaning and laundry. I do not like to do that anyway.

All of this give me the time and the energy to focus on what matters to me: my jewelry, my business, my family and myself. Also, slowly but surely, I am leaning toward a minimalism lifestyle which I believe will free me even more time. More on that on future posts… stay tuned!

As a side note, I have tried the “plan your day like a military operation” that some professional organizers recommend and I just cannot do it.

Before ending this post, I would like to point out that being “only one” also has great benefits for my customers. They are in direct contact with the person in charge and from the feedback I get, they really appreciate it.

Voilà for today.
A bientôt!
Patricia