Figuring It Out

I think I may have figured out where I want to take my career; I just need to figure out how to do it. I've been thinking for some time now, I would like to use my love of food, natural living, creativity, and natural health in my profession as a social worker. I would love to work with people and teach them how living a natural life can benefit them. I love to share how creativity can be a form of meditation, a way to actively meditate. For the first time, I share my dream out loud. I have shared bits and pieces of my dream with others, but this weekend, I finally told my husband my full dream. I told him how I wanted to do something with gardening, creativity, and natural health, or maybe even work with others who have the same belief system that I have. I was even telling him how I'd love to work with people who have lower incomes and teach them how to shop and cook healthy and natural on a budget. I need to research more, but there is information out there about how the microbes in dirt actually help with depression. Imagine having a garden that you can go out to and get your own food, and make your own meals. You don't need to go to the grocery store. You know what was planted and how it was grown. Imagine how much more inexpensive would it be to grow your own food and how healthy it would be. I really believe that being creative is very important, however you define being creative. I do like the idea of knitting, sewing, drawing, coloring, but I also believe that being creative in the kitchen is a great creative outlet as well as a way to keep healthy eating from getting boring. I love the process of creating, but sometimes I love the end product, especially when you are creating something that you can use. Creating clothing, quilts, hats, scarves, etc is a way to put love into something that is useful. I am thinking that since I shared my full dream with my husband, this is something that I should really start to research. I wish there was some place that I could work and get some experience, before actually doing it on my own. The other thing I would love, is to find my "tribe", people who share my vision and my passion. Its time to start moving toward my real dream and passion instead of just working to make money. Here's to healthy living and sharing that belief with others! Amy

Changing Careers

I met with my friend Holly this afternoon and we talked about how I am thinking about changing careers, or at least changing the focus of my social work career. I was thinking that I needed to go back to school and get another degree, but after talking to my friend, I am thinking that I just need to do a lot of reading and research and get myself educated on different diet philosophies. I think my social work background is totally going o help. I've been trying to think of a way to focus my social work career away from nursing homes and the medical field, now I just need to make the change. I think my biggest focus is going to be clean eating. I have been trying to figure out what is the best diet for me and my family. I have thought about being Palo, vegan, vegetarian, and so many others, but what I am thinking is a mix of different diets. I really want to learn the ins and outs of eat diet and learn how they work in the real world. In generally, my thinking is that a balanced diet including meat, veggies, raw foods with limits to dairy, sugar, and starchy carbs. I tend to shop the outer perimeter of grocery stores already and I truly believe that is the best place to start. As I learn more and start making changes, I will share things here. I want to make changes in my life as well as help others learn to make changes in their life. I am hoping to start to be more adventurous when it comes to figuring out new recipes and ideas to make for my family. I would love to start my own therapy business with the focus on food and healthy eating, but I think I may need to initially start out working for someone to learn more, but maybe not. I'm still in the beginning phases of figuring it all out, but at least I have a small plan. I'd like to also teach people about gardening and where their food really comes from. In grad school, I helped to write a grant to get inner city kids to gardens so that they could learn what whole foods are and where real food comes from. I loved watching Jamie Oliver teach people about cooking their own food and learning what real food is. Now on to research different diet philosophies and clean eating! Amy

New Year, New Goals ( or same goals but just a re-focus)

It's February 2, 2015 and here, just north of Boston, we are having our 3rd snowstorm in just over a week. The first one was minimal, the second one was a blizzard, and this one is just a long storm that is giving us way more snow than I expected. I have to admit that I am not hating the snow, but now that it is February, I am looking forward to spring coming. I'm ready for warmer sunny weather, flowers, bright days and everything new that Spring brings with it. With this this weather, I have been reading Facebook. One of my friends posted about growing scallions on her windowsill. It really motivated me to start thinking seriously about my garden, both flower and veggie. There was some talk about growing potatoes inside and she mentioned how she had potatoes growing in her basement. She has a blog post about it at her blog Journey Toward Simplicity (http://journeytowardsimplicity.blogspot.com), I just haven't had a chance to read it yet. After writing this, I am on my way to reading her post. I have also been doing lots of thinking about my career, at this point in my life, and where I want to take it. I've written before about needing to refocus my career goals, but I still haven't figured out how to move forward with my goals. If I had more money, there wouldn't really be an issue. I would love to learn more about nutrition, gardening, and creating and how it all pertains to your mind, body and spirit. I would love to have a place for people to go with a creative arts studio, a kitchen and an outdoor gardening spot. I have an idea in my head, but it would take money I don't have an not sure if I ever will. I want a place where people can come and relax, learn about health and nutrition, and learn about things like yoga, meditation, and things like that. This will remain a goal for the future if I ever have the resources to do it, but for now, I will have to think of something else. One of the reasons why I was inspired to write this blog post is to re-energize myself and remind myself of my beliefs. With the superbowl this weekend, I bought a lot of processed foods that I am trying to get away from. Now that the superbowl is over, I need to get back to my goal of eating clean. I also want to start growing some plants in my basement. I had wanted to start earlier than this, but I haven't yet. I would love to get a couple of chickens, but I'm not sure that will happen this year. I want to start making my own foods instead of buying things like yogurt at the store. I'm sure I will still eat out, but I am going to try to limit that. If I do eat out, I want to make sure that I make good choices. I want to start eating less meat. I'm not sure I still have the goal to be a complete vegetarian or a complete vegan, But I want and need to neat more veggies, less meat, more non-animal protein, less starchy carbs, less sugar, and limited dairy. I need to start meditating more and doing yoga and even start running as well as some core exercises. I need to get my body moving and strong. This will help with getting my mind and body into a good place. As well as getting my body back in shape, I want and need to get my mind active and relaxed. I am hoping that I can use creativity for this as well as exercise. I'd really been enjoying my bird feeders at my windows and finally got a cardinal at the window for the first time (at least that I have seen) the other day. I need to start doing better at getting off Facebook and other social media and start spending more time doing things instead of just reading about things. I'm ok with spending time online researching things, but I need to start doing! I need to get my butt outside and enjoy being outside; in my backyard, on a hike, going for a walk, and other things like that. I want to enjoy my garden and my bird feeders. I am also going to try to get involved in a community garden project that my town is trying to start.

I wish I could find a job that I could use my love of natural health, creativity, and healthy eating. I have been using my own handmade soap, my own handmade deodorant, my own toothpaste, all using coconut oil as the main ingredient. I have started using coconut oil in my coffee and am loving it. I need to find more ways of making my own things. My next goal is to make my own laundry detergent. I've made it in the past, but I didn't like the recipe I used. I'm going to look St my friend Jenny's blog, http://journeytowardsimplicity.blogspot.com and see what I can learn from her. She inspires me to continue on my journey to living the life I want to live. Amy

Happy New Year!!!

Good-bye 2014, and welcome 2015! Thankfully, unlike some of my friends, 2014 wasn't a bad year. My big accomplishment was testing and passing my LICSW test. This was a huge accomplishment and one of my major goals that I had set for myself. Another thing that I started was the 100 mandala challenge. I am loving creating these different mandalas. I finally learned what the zentangle method is. Since starting this blog more than 5 years ago, I have been trying to live a healthier, more natural, handmade life. I have had some ups and downs while I've been working on that. As much as I hate to admit it, there have been more downs than ups, but that is going to change this year. With the start of 2015, I am planning on putting forward my intentions for the new year and beyond. I am not going to make resolutions. I think using the word intention sets you in a better frame of mind and is a more positive way to embrace change. Within the 100 mandala challenge, I am also choosing a word of the year. I am hoping that my word/s of the year will help me with my intentions. Without further ado, here are my intentions for 2015: 1.) My word/s of the year are balance and passion: I intend to figure out my passions and how to follow them both personally and professionally. I think I know what they are and I will write more further down, I also want to have balance in my life, again, both personally and professionally. 2.) I intend to continue to create mandalas and go beyond 100. Creating these mandalas is my form of meditation. Along with creating my own mandalas, I want to learn more about the practice of mandalas. 3.) I have decided to join a 100 days of real food challenge. I intend to get rid of the processed foods that I still have in my life. One of the goals that I had when I started this blog was to eat healthier and more natural foods. I have had some great moments and some really not great moments. I intend to learn more about how foods affect out mind/body/spirit as well as taste good and also how our food and how its gown/raised affects our environment. I want to see if there is a way to use food in my professional career as a social worker. 4.) I intend to treat my body the way it deserves to be treated. I intend to start looking at my body as a whole and look at it from the mind/body/spirit connection. 5.) I intend to make being creative a priority. One of my friends started a Facebook group called "make art everyday" and asked me to join in it. I intend to make time every day to be creative and make something handmade. My intentions for 2015 follow along with my intentions of this blog. I am hoping that I 2015 will be the year that I start making changes and start following through with what I see as my life goals and dreams. I plan to share what I learn about food, mandalas, creativity and the mind/body/spirit connection, and my journey through this year. Amy

Re-Inspired

It's been a few months since I've posted here. I seem to always start trying to post more of my creative things on another, separate blog but I always seem to come back to here I have recently become re-inspired to start posting here again and following through with why I created this blog in the first place. When I started this blog about five and a half years ago, it was to start living a more healthy and natural life while creating handcrafted things. Through the craziness of life, my follow through waxes and wanes. I have started creating mandalas and "zentangling". I have finally learned what zentangling is and love that I can be creative and do meditation at the same time. I have been posting my creations at my other blog, http://pixiewindow.blogspot.com. My latest creations are below:

I am also re-inspired to change my eating. I have been working on changing what and how I eat, and it's been a challenge. With the new year starting, I am joining up the with the 100 days of real food challenge. I am also trying to work more on how to add why I write about in this blog into my professional life. I love who I work for, but I don't love working in the nursing home arena any more. I want to do something more with nutrition and creativity and now that I have my LICSW, I feel like I have more options. I feel like I need to make more changes in my personal life so that I can be more credible in my professional life. I would love to have a place where I can have a creative arts studio and a kitchen and garden where I can teach about nutrition and where food comes from. I would love to have a place where people, especially children, can come and learn how to eat healthy and learn where food comes from and what different types of foods there are and how to create healthy delicious food that they will enjoy. I also want to teach ways of being creative and how to use creativity for relaxation and meditation. Someday, if I keep trying to figure it out, I will find a way to have my passions be part of both my personal and my professional life. I'll, hopefully be writing more about my plans and what I learn. I'm sure I'll continue posting on pixiewindow.blogspot.com, but I will be sure to continue to be active here and post about my mandala, zentangle, gardening, and cooking and eating healthy.

Best Wishes on living a balanced, handmade and natural life< Amy

Life

I'm still trying to figure out what I want to do with my life.  I am hoping that I can test for my LICSW sooner than later.  That would mean that I would have so many more options with in my career as a social worker.  I am trying to stay positive about remaining a nursing home social worker, at least part time, so that I can make money and then maybe do something with my love over creating and natural foods part time.

I have figured out that I do like to being a social worker, but I want to pursue a career in fiber arts and maybe even nutrition.  I know that I need to get some more education for both of these to be a career.  My 3 kids will all be in school all day in the fall, and since my husband is a teacher, I hopefully will be able to go back to work during the day starting in July.

I am hoping that when I go back to work during the day I'll have more time to work on things that are hobbies now and then maybe they will be more than hobbies.  I need to have a focus, and I need to get some more education on how to use my hobbies in a professional way, especially within my social work career.

I do know that I need to be better at following through with things in my personal life.  I  have been better at eating more naturally and less processed, but I really need to do more.  Today is the last day of winter, not that it means much in New England, but I am hoping that warmer weather is on its way with the Springtime.  I am hoping that with the warmer weather and starting our garden, I will be able to keep eating more naturally and be even less processed!

Welcome Spring!

Crocus from my garden!

Creativity and Careers and Life

In my last post, I wrote how I was going to move out of my comfort zone, by joining a local artist group.  Well, I joined, but I haven't sent any pictures of things that I have worked on.  I still haven't allowed myself to call myself and artist.  I am still having a hard time thinking of myself as an artist versus a hand crafter.  While I consider hand-crafter's in general to be artists, I haven't thought of myself in that manner.

I started a new blog, http://reids-design-corner.blogspot.com, to document more of my creation as an "artist".  I am still trying to figure out my artistic point of view.  On one level, I just plain and simple, love to create.  On the other hand, I want to take my creating to a more significant level than just hobby.  I would love to find a way to make money doing something creative.

I have thought about going back to school for art therapy, but then I'm not sure that I really want to do therapy and art in the same job, maybe.  More recently, I have thought about going back to school and starting  whole new career.  I am thinking about getting a degree in fibers and textiles.  I could still be a social worker, but I could maybe teach or do something else in the fiber and textile field.  I live so close to the mill town and a quilt museum, that I could maybe do something there.

Life is still up in the air regarding careers, but I am trying to make a point of being creative.  unfortunately, I am so exhausted, that I don't always get to it.  One of these days, I am hoping to teach a class at a local craft studio.  I think once i got over my anxiety, I would love it.  I just need to get over my anxiety of failure.

Amy

Thoughts!

So here it is the beginning of September, the start of a new school year and almost the start of fall.  At this time of year, I start to think about new goals, new beginnings, and just new everything.  I love the fall.  I love the cool crisp weather.  I love the colors.  I love the energy.

With the start of fall, I am starting to think about what changes I need to make in my life.  What new beginnings I want to have.  What direction I want to lead my life.  With these thoughts in mind, I have been trying to really work on figuring out what direction I want to take my career.  On some level, I think I should just stick with what I know and remain a nursing home social worker.  The thought of not making a change is comforting in the fact that I like stability and I don't like change, as well as knowing that I know my job and can make money at it.  On the other hand, the thought of remaining on the exact same career path, really depresses me.

I recently watched an episode of "Choppped" on The Food Network.  They were interviewing one of the chefs and he talked about always thinking about food and cooking, and that was how he figured out that he wanted to be a chef.  Then last night, I was watching TV, and there was a commercial (I think it was a commercial) that talked about a woman who wanted to be a potato farmer.  Her father talked her out of it partially for the lack of money and partially for the time involved in farming and she went to school to be a nurse.  Ultimately, though, she ended up being a full time potato farmer and a part time nurse.  Both of these things got me thinking about my life.

What do I keep thinking about?  If I were to be asked about my passions in life, how would I answer?  If money were no object, what would I want to be doing with my life?

These questions keep bringing me back to health and wellness and creating.  I love making things.  I love how I feel while I am creating and when I finish creating.  I love the idea of "alternative" health and wellness.  I would love to be a part of a group of people that used "alternative" methods towards health and wellness.  I want to use my social work education and experience to to be creative and help people.

Maybe I can, once I have my LICSW, try to help people by using crafts as a therapeutic tool.  Maybe I can help people feel the same way about creating as I do.  I don't necessarily need my LICSW for that, unless I want to call myself a social worker when I am working with people.  I also think that it will give me a little more credibility for this type of work too.

I could start now by teaching a class at a local craft studio, but there is the issue of money.  I would love to give up my part time social work job and if I could make money, I would do so in a heart beat.  If I could get a full time job doing something I love, and make enough money, I would go back to work and put the kids in full day preschool.  The problem is I can't make enough money doing what I love.  So, for now, I will stay home with my children (which I love and truly appreciate), homeschool them for preschool, create with them and maybe with their friends, work part time in a nursing home, and create in my spare time.  I will make time to create as often as I can, while I complete my other responsibilities.

I will keep putting out to the universe: my dreams, my goals, and my desires.  I will try to be open to what opportunities I am presented with.  I will try to get enough courage to teach a class at my local craft studio.  I will spend the next couple of years trying to research getting information on how I can make my dreams a reality.  I will start using this blog as a way to teach others that being creative is a great way to reduce stress and live the good life.  I will share how things are going with my research and where my dreams are at.  I will share projects that I create, as well as some healthy food recipes and some wellness ideas.  I will try to follow my heart and live a creative and passionate life!

Amy

Hand Piecing and Traditional Ways of Creating

I've written about how I am addicted to English Paper Piecing.  Along with actually making things, I love to read about how to make new things, the history behind it, and now especially with blogs, I love reading about other peoples experiences with creating the things that I am learning about making myself.  While I was reading about English Paper Piecing (EPP), I started reading about how people love to hand sew pieces instead of using the paper templates that are required when you use EPP.  I was interested in hand sewing as a portable project prior to learning about EPP, but then I thought EPP was an easy, more accurate (at least for me) way to piecing things together.

Now that I see how much people like hand piecing, I am interested in trying it again.  I have, once again, done a ton of research about how to actually do it.  I think it will be a great way to sit with my husband and watch TV, sit outside with the kids while they play (I had actually bought a smaller sewing machine so that I could sew outside, but that would only be at out our house not at places like the park or when my daughter is at speech therapy), and [what I feel is even more important] a connection with the past.

I love the idea of having a connection to the past.  Of course, sewing machine have been a part of sewing and quilting for a while now, but hand sewing is a connection to the past when there wasn't electricity, an actual sewing machine, or even the finances to buy a sewing machine.  It is a connection to the past when people created quilts, not for their beauty, but for the warmth and comfort that a quilt can bring.

I love learning about the history of handcrafts.  I've been  thinking about what I ultimately want to do with my life, career wise, and when I think about what I am passionate about I come up with a couple of different things.  I actually do like being a social worker, but what I love about being a social worker is partly the mental health piece, but ultimately I love the getting to know someone while doing their social history.  I love being creative and crafting and learning about crafting.  I have been trying to figure out how to combine my love of crafting, creating, and social work as a career.  One thing I came up with was going back to school for art therapy.  I then thought about maybe becoming an art teacher and using my social work as a secondary piece to my career.  Then, one day while I was driving, I thought about how awesome it would be to be able to interview crafters and then either report on it in person, or even better write an article about it.  The only problem is, I don't know that there is a calling for something like this.

How awesome would it be to actually interview someone about a handcraft that they love.  I would get a chance to do the interview piece that I love about social work, learn more about a craft and how/why someone loves their craft, maybe even learn a new craft myself, and then pass than knowledge on to others more likely in writing (since I enjoy writing more than being in front of a group of people).  Maybe I could do it as a small educational piece too.  I could teach others about the history of a craft and why it is so attractive to some people.

I think I will continue to learn about different craft and their history.  I like a lot of the modern crafts or the modern spin on things, but ultimately I love the traditional crafts.  I wish I could better put in words why I love the traditional crafts, but I guess it is just the history behind them.  I'm not sure that this will ever be a career, but I would love to make it more than just a passing hobby.

Amy

Goals for 2013

Do I dare even write this down for all to see?  This summer I am going to be 40!  Sometimes I can't believe that I will be 40 and then other times it doesn't phase me in the least.  I recently found a blog someone decided to make and give away 36 quilts this year since she turned 36 January 1st.  The blog I found was at http://dailydog.typepad.com.  It has inspired me to create and give away 40 things by the end of the year (If I have to I'll give myself until I turn 41 next summer).

As some of you know, I am the MA National Chapter leader for http://enchantedmakeovers.org/category_28/National-Chapters.htm.  I recently got my first donation to send to a local shelter.  The goal of the National Chapter leaders is to: "Enchanted Makeovers is growing across the country one sewing project at a time! Each state has a chapter, led by a coordinator who will answer your questions on our three sewing projects and collect/deliver the hand-made pillowcases, capes and dolls to shelters for women, teens and children. Hand-made items are a big part of our mission because we believe each gift carries with it the love and positive energy of the crafter. We have seen first hand the impact this has on those who are re-building their lives while living in a shelter. Please join us by donating our sewing projects to your state chapter. The National Chapters only represent our sewing projects."

I now have to find local shelters that would like to have these donated items.  My goal is to make at least 40 pillowcases, dolls, and/or capes to donate to the shelter that we partner with.  My thought is to find a smaller shelter as the larger more well known shelters more than likely have a lot of donations coming in.  They probably don't have items like this, but I'm sure they have more things donated than smaller less known shelters outside of Boston.  I love this idea and it is inspiring me to do something in my own community, I just have to actually formulate a plan and put together something that will fill the needs of my community.

I am thinking that we have a local food pantry and that maybe they would like to have handmade hats, scarfs, mittens, and blankets.  I can only imagine that if they can't afford to buy food, they probably can't afford other things either.  Also, having something handmade to comfort them and keep them warm is always nice.  We also have a large population of people with mental health issues.  I was thinking of tapping into that area to for areas to donate handmade items.  I think I had another thought, but unfortunately that has left my conscious memory right now.  I was also thing we have a local hospital, and hospice agency that could benefit from handmade craft items, like chemo caps, prayer shawls, etc.

This is one way that I am trying to merge my love of social work, community, and crafting.  One of the things that I would love to work on is figuring out how to make this into a career.  I was thinking of at some point looking into grant writing for some funding.  I am contemplating working with my local farmer's market to have a place to have collections of handmade items to donation to local agencies that have needs, maybe even a knit, crochet, sew out.  They do a plain aire paint out every year and have the wakefield collaborative there.  This may all be a pipe dream, but I really want to utilize my love and passion of my social work career, community involvement, and crafting in my career.  I don't want to not do something for fear of failure, but I want to make sure that what I do has the thought and time that it needs put into it.

Before I do anything, I do need to do a community needs assessment to figure out what my community needs.  I certainly can start small and see what I can do even by myself and hope that it will grow in to something larger.  I have a lot of thoughts spinning around in my head.  I also have a part time job, 3 kids, a husband, and a house that need my attention.  I do need to find something for me that I enjoy though, and have it maybe even be something that can grow into a career.  Lots of research to be done, but I am looking forward to it. (I wish my iPad didn't get ruined.  Maybe since I don't have a ton of money I can look into a windows one.)

Amy

PS- I also have the goal of getting healthy.  I want to eat healthier, exercise, and have good mental/spiritual health!

Dreaming

Sometimes, I feel like a broken record.  Sometimes, I hope that if I repeat myself enough, maybe I'll actually follow through with my dreams.  Sometimes, I think if I repeat myself, my fear of failure, my fear of people making fun of me, my fear of anything negative will go away.  Sometimes, I think that I should just give up and just keep going as a hobby crafter.  Sometimes I feel like if I remain a hobby crafter, I will not be being true to myself.

I keep having this dream of, one day, making some money off my love of crafting.  If it a pipe dream, maybe.  Do I realize that I will probably need to continue being a social worker, yup!  Do I realize that the likelihood that it will be a success, may be slim to none, yup.  Do I realize with that statement, I am being very negative, yup!  Do I realize that there may be some truth in it though, absolutely.

What I keep dreaming about, is owning a studio and gallery where people can create, learn, and exhibit their work.  I would love for there to be a cafe with healthy food too.  I love to create and I would love to share that passion with others.  I would love to offer a place to create for people who can't afford to go to a regular studio as well as for those that can.  I would love for it to be a place where anyone can feel like an artist or that they are creative!  I would love for them to feel comfortable and mot judged.  I would love for children to have a place to come and create.  I would love to offer a place for those with mental health issues.  I would love to offer a place where people can come and create and leave a legacy for those they leave behind (that's the social worker in me).  I actually did a major paper in grad school on scrapbooking and social work.  I would love for this to be a way to have my career and my dreams meld together.

Maybe if I keep talking about it, it will happen.  I should am going to stop saying maybe and I am going to start saying, "When I have my own gallery and studio, it will be a place where both young and old and everyone in between can come and create.  It will be a place where people can come and create something, that can be given to those they love, wether it be a scrapbook of photos or an object that they have created.  It will be a place where I can share my love of creativity and my social work career. I will love my job and be able to make a living at it.  I will use my education and my passion to create the life I love."

From this point on, I will continue to pursue my dreams.  I will continue to create and I will continue to try to make some money by creating.  I will continue to be positive and not focus on the negative.  I will stop feeling like I'm going to feel or be laughed at.  I will remain positive!

Amy

Wishcasting Wednesday

It's Wednesday once again and once again I am joining in with with Jamie riddler at http://jamieridlerstudios.ca where she asks; "What do you wish to learn?"

This is an both easy and a difficult question to answer.  My broad answer is any and all creative thing I can learn.  I want to learn more about holistic health, aromatherapy, herbs, bath and body products, as well as more crafting creative ideas.  I currently am looking to learn about batik dying so that I can dye my own fabric to use in my sewing projects.  I want to learn to dye my own yarn.  I want to learn more about art and crafting as a therapeutic tool (for my professional career), I want to learn more about all the creative things that I already know and  do.    I could go on and on.  The reason that this question is difficult to answer is that there are so many specific things that I want to learn.  I guess, on some level, the most important thing for me to learn will be how to use art and crafting as a creative tool so that I can use it in my professional career.

As an aside, I am officially the chapter leader for Massachusetts for "Enchanted Makeovers".  I am the go to person for MA for people who want to donate dolls, pillowcases, and/or capes for children who are living in shelters.  This is my first way of introducing creativity and community involvement into my life.  Hopefully in time, I will be able to do more of this and branch out on my own with community involvement and crafting. Over the next couple of weeks, I will be posting more about Enchanted Makeovers and what I will be doing in the state of Massachusetts!

I recently went to an art therapy conference and it definitely made me want to do more with the arts and crafts with my social work practice!

Amy

Wishcasting Wednesday: What Do You Wish to Share

It's again Wednesday and I remembered to join in with Wishcasting Wednesday at http://www.jamieridlerstudios.ca.  This week we are asked "What Do You Wish To Share?"


For a long time now, I have been looking for a way to share my love of creating and my love of my career as a social worker.  I have tried to find a way to get continuing ed credits by taking conferences that are more creative driven vs. clinically driven.  They all have a clinical component, but they also have a creative component too.  I have taken an art therapy workshop, a journaling workshop, a yoga worksop, and next I am taking an art therapy for grief and loss next month.

After reading a couple of books, specifically "Craft Hope", I have been trying to find a way to craft for charity.  I figured this would be a decent way to combine some community work (social work) and crafting (creating).  I've been trying to find a way to go about doing it.  I was hoping to start in my own community, but didn't know where to start.  I was reading Facebook and saw a post about "Enchanted Makeovers" looking for dolls.  I still have to create some and send them off, but I looked at the website and noticed that they have national chapters and my state is not listed.  They are looking to have a chapter in more states, so I contacted Terry Grahl, the founder of "Enchanted Makeovers" and have a phone conference on Monday to talk about heading up a chapter in MA.  I am a little nervous about this phone call.  I haven't told my husband about it.  I have sent e-mails to over chapter leaders hoping to get some inside info on what being a Chapter leader entails.  I figured that this may be a good way to start to share my love of community (social work) and my love of creating.  It would be an established program and I guess I would just be a liaison to the company for local people who have questions or donations for area shelters.  I wish it was a paid position!  I would love to have something like this as my job.  I do think that this will be a great addition to my resume for when I have the ability to start my own type of program.

I don't want to be the person that has dream that never get fulfilled.  I don't want to look back on my life and say "I wish I had followed my dreams and passions".  I do like being a social worker, but I don't just want to do clinical work without creativity.  I want to share my love of creativity with others as well as my love of social work, but more the community work of social work, not individual clinical work.  I want to help my community by sharing my talents and gifts, both as a social worker and as a crafter!

What do you wish to share?

Amy

Dreams, Passions, and Goals

For the longest time, I have been trying to figure out what my dream, my passion, and my goals are regarding my career.  In the past, I have wanted to go into private practice as a social worker.  After getting my BSW and my MSW, I have decided, much to my husband's dismay, that I don't really want to have a traditional private practice.  I am considering going back to school and getting my art therapy certificate and then when I can go into private practice, I can do art therapy.

My latest thoughts have been spurned on by reading a couple of books and finding a website about crafting for charity.  Wouldn't that be an awesome way to use my social work degree as well as my love for crafting?  Now I need to research exactly how to go about doing something like this!  I'm sure there is a lot that goes into doing something like this and is not something that I can take lightly.  I'm sure that there are a lot of things that I need to learn.  I have no business background, no marketing background, and limited supervisory background.

I have certain ideas that I am thinking about based on my love of sewing, making jewelry, knitting/crocheting, making bath and beauty products, paper crafts, photography, and pretty much any craft.  What I need to do, is find out more information on non profits, see if there is anything already started to get information or even see if there are any positions that I can get hired for.  I need to find out what population I want to work with. I also need to figure out a business plan and maybe think about grant writing.  My social work background will definitely come in handy here!

I really need to find a part time job and I will be heading back to work full time with in the next couple of years.  I am hopeful that I can spend some time researching what is needed and maybe find someway of making my dreams, passions, and goals happen!


My latest crafting pleasure has been making a doll bed for my daughter's doll as well as a quilt to go with it.

doll bed made out of a recycled clementine box with hand sewn mattress and pillow

doll bed with quilt (I still have to bind the quilt)

crocheted rag rug for under the bed!

Amy

Being Creative

I have been trying to make a point to be creative often, almost every day if not every day.  With the weather getting nicer, I am spending more time outside with the kids.  I have been able to bring some projects outside with me, which has allowed me to create as well as allow my kids to be outside which they love.

Recently, I have been making dolls, or at least attempting to make dolls.  I remember loving dolls as a child, especially the Raggedy Ann and Andy dolls that my grandmother made for us.  I remember having life-size Raggedy Ann and Andy dolls as well as small ones.  I was lucky enough to have a Raggedy Ann doll for my daughter and a Raggedy Andy doll for each of my sons, made by my grandmother.  I actually have to make a Raggedy Andy outfit for my twin son's Raggedy Andy.  I am hoping to create some dolls for charity, as well as for fun.

 My attempt at a Waldorf doll

Baby Bows Doll in the outfits that my twins came home from the hospital in. I still need to make one for my oldest!

A sleepytime doll that I made for my niece for her Christening

The more I create, the more I realize that I love doing it.  I know that I need to make time to have this as part of my life.  I am hoping to make being creative a major part of my life, and not just something that I do when I find the time. I know that I need to start spending time actually getting good at a craft before I move on to something else. There are many times that I think that I have ADD, seriously, and the creative arena is o different. I flit from one project to another, never committing to fully learning and fully succeeding at the one I am working on. I want to stop being average at the things I create and start being proficient at it.

 I also want to start getting more creative in my cooking.  The farmer's market in town is starting in a couple of weeks and I hope to start buying more local foods and start being more creative with it.  Between my BRCA2 gene mutation (I think I have decided against surgery, at least for now) and my son recently being diagnosed with PDD NOS, I really need to watch what we are eating.  My goal is again to eat more local and to eat way more fruits and veggies (little to no animal protein for me due to the BRCA2 mutation), and decrease, maybe even totally eliminate gluten and dairy (we again have greatly reduced it, but not totally eliminated it, both my oldest and I are sensitive to it).  Part of my problem with cooking lately, is that I am bored and not feeling very creative with my cooking.  I am hoping to get inspired by going to local farmer's markets and even just walking around.  I am hoping to find some good cookbooks and some good online sites that can help to inspire me.

I am hoping to find a job at the end of the summer that will be able to take into account my love of creating.  I am under no illusion that there may not be anything out there like that, but I would love to try to find something.  I still have a few more years before I go back to work full time.  I hope by then, I can figure out how I can do work that I love instead of just working for a paycheck.  I do like being a social worker, but I don't love it.  My husband thinks that it is just because of fear of doing 1:1 counseling, but that is not it.  I don't know that I want to do 1:1 counseling! I'm not really sure I know what I want to do, but I really want to wake up and want to go to work.  Hopefully I can figure out a way for that to happen.

Amy

Wishcasting Wednesday: What Do You Wish For Your Future?

It's Wednesday once again and I am joining in with Jamie at http://www.jamieridlerstudios.ca.  This week Jamie asks: "Wishcasting Wednesday: What Do You Wish For Your Future?"


This is kind of an easy answer for me.  I wish to be doing what I love.  Right now I am a stay at home mom.  I love it, but in a few short years I need to return to work.  Right before I got pregnant with my oldest son, I had just graduated from grad school and got married.  Now, almost 5 years later, I am trying to figure out what I want to do with my life.  I love being a social worker, but I don't want to be a traditional social worker.  I want to use my experience and my education to do something a little less traditional.  I have lots of thoughts, but I can't seem to figure out exactly what would make me the happiest.  I wish that over the next few years, I can figure out my career, how to fit it into my family life, and how to make sure that me and my family are living a happy healthy life and how I can make sure that I am following my dreams and being true to myself and my beliefs!


For my future; I wish that I can live a life that is true to me and my beliefs and makes me and my family happy!


What do you wish for the future?


Amy

Jobs and Careers

I keep thinking about returning to work.  Not anytime soon, but I know that it will come soon enough.  I so don't want to go back to work doing the same old boring mundane thing, yet I am so scared to branch out and try something new.  I keep day dreaming about what I would what to do if I were given a choice with no holds barred.  Would I really want to be a social worker?  On some level, probably. I do like being a social worker.  I do like the whole psych piece of things, but, that being said, I have so many other interests that I would love to do something else.

My biggest question is what would I ultimately like to do?  I think I would love to do something with natural health.  The problem is, I have all these beliefs, but I never follow through with them.  We were over a family members house tonight and someone started talking about things and all I could think was "you are all talk.  You don't actually follow all these things that you say that you believe."  The problem is, neither do I.  If I really did what I believed, I would be eating a total vegan diet, no meat, no diary.  I would also not be eating any gluten related foods.  I would be drinking my water kefir.  I would be making non dairy milk kefir.  I would be making more kombucha and using it.  I would be using more natural cleansers.  I would be studying more about herbs and essential oils.  I would be studying more about art therapy.  I would be creating.  I would be learning more about spirituality.  I would spend more time outside with the kids.  I would not be watching tv.  I would not be on Facebook all the time.  I would not be checking my e-mails.  I would be either doing more with blogging to help with what I believe in not just reading people's blogs. I would journal more, and by journaling, I mean literally writing on paper.  I would learn more about set journaling. I would learn more about soul collage (which I actually learned about in grad school for social work, so I know that there are ways I can use more alternative means of therapy vs just literal talk therapy.  It has been done.  there is a precedent for this type of thing). I would be better organized.  I would cook more.  I wouldn't drive as much.  I would take the kids for walks more.  I would try to be more of a part of my community.  I would attempt to do charity crafting and maybe try to make it a community affair!  I would try to follow through with what I believe, not just spout off at the mouth, like i sometimes feel that I do!

That was one long paragraph to basically state that I think I have all these beliefs and I think I want to use them in my career, but if i am not following through in my own life, how can I make it a career.  I guess, I need to take a look at what I want out of life and try to figure out how to get it.  I have about another 3-4 years before I am back in the work force full time.  I keep writing about these things because I am hopeful that if I put it down on paper, I can figure out how to make it happen.

I am going to finish up by saying that I am going to try to follow through with my beliefs.  I am going to watch less tv.  I am going to read more.  I am going to research the things that I am interested in and see if I can figure out how to make it into a career.  I am going to create more!  I am going to continue to follow through on my beliefs such as using handmade items, beauty products (soap, toothpaste, deodorant, cream),  household cleansers, etc.  I am going to research about herbs and veggie gardening.  I am going to journal in a notebook more.  I am going to read and learn more about soul collaging, meditating, and yoga and how all this relates to social work. There are so many things I want to do.  I am hoping that taking time to write all this down is going to be helpful.

Amy

Where Am I Going With My Life?

I joined in with creativeeveryday.com to try to help force myself to make time to be creative every day. Overall, I did much better than I thought I would. I was able to work on more things than I actually posted, which I suppose makes sense. I would much rather be creative and not post than try to make time to post and not have as much time to be creative. I keep thinking that I am going to try to seel things I mark, but I haven't gone that way yet. I still have so much fear about failing, that I don't really try to peruse it. I really need to think about letting go of my fear of failure and go for it.

My latest sewing project for my 20th reunion.  I hand sewed it quick to have something to bring, but now I need to machine sew it so it lasts better.

I also really need to think about what I am going to do when I go back to work. I still have plenty of time, but if I don't start thinking about it, I'll be needing to find a full time job and I won't necessarily be Doing something I really want to do. Will I ever be able to make a living doing something I love vs something I like? Will I be able to be creative in my work instead of just following regulations? There has to be a way to use my social work degree, my love of creating, and my love of handmade and natural things in my career choice!

I really need to focus on what I want my personal life to be and maybe then my professional life will follow. I need to start eating right. I need to start making time to be creative and maybe making time to sell thinks I make. I need to continue to live a handmade and natural life and increase or even start practicing certain things like yoga, meditation, vegan/vegetarian eating, etc.

I will keep the focus on figuring out where I want to go with my life and figure out how to make sure that I can maintain a great family, a house and maybe start a new professional career in time for when I go back to work in the next 3 or so years!

Amy

Creativity and Fear!

I have been thinking more and more about creating things and selling them.  I really love being creative and feel so relaxed and just plain and simply enjoy myself.  I keep putting off the selling piece, mainly because of my fear.  I am always afraid of failing, of people looking at what I make and thinking that there is no way that they would even consider buying anything that i could make because  it is not good enough to sell.  I am afraid people will laugh at me for even considering something like this.  I am trying to get a plan in place to start so that I don't waste my time and money.  Thankfully, I have a ton of supplies so I don't have to dish out a ton of money to start up creating.

I have been trying to come up with a name that will be creative and also say something about me or what I create.  Part of the problem is that there is just so many areas of creativity that I love, I can't decide where to focus what I would make.  Part of me just wants to focus on accessories and small thoughtful gifts, but I don't want to box myself into a specific medium.  That may be a mistake, but maybe not, as long as I make sure that what I create follows some sort of theme, such as accessories and small gifts.

I have been thinking about a name for my "company" for a long time now, and I just can't think of something really creative.  I have tried to think of things in my life that I love.  I have loved rainbows, mythology, and fairies , and dragonflies, and butterflies, and nature.  I love kind of more bohemian style.  I am finding that I love rich, deep, earthy, colors.  I guess I'm just throwing out ideas for me to have them written down so that I can come back and seeing if anything strikes me.

I would love to start with selling my creations, maybe move on to classes and parties, and then when I have time and maybe money get certified as an art therapist.  As is my brain, this post is very haphazard and kind of all over the place.  At this point, I need to write down my thoughts, maybe have others comment on them, and then maybe I can come back and read my thoughts and come up with ideas.

Amy

Making Time!

I'm still trying to figure out what window opened after I lost my job.  Granted it was only a part time job, but it brought in enough money to make life a little easier.  Now, we don't have that extra income, but I am home for dinner and hopefully to make life a little easier from a functional stand point.  I am trying to ask the universe to wither give me another opportunity that is the same time wise, or to give me a knew opportunity to take advantage of this break in work.

I am trying to make time to be creative.  I am hoping that I can make some Christmas gifts, and that in the process, I can hone my skills so that I can maybe sell things.  I keep thinking about what my dreams and passions are, and how I can make them a reality.  Do I really want to create and sell?  Do I want to just hold classes and teach crafts?  If that is the case, I really have to hone my skills and learn how to teach.  I would also have to learn how to market myself.  I think in reality, I would love to teach classes, or have something more like open studio time or simple craft parties where people get together and create while spending some quality time with each other and/or learning how to use creativity for stress relief.

In either case, I really need to make time to create.  I need to create for my own sanity and stress relief.  I need to create to hone my skills and really be sure that what I do is worth giving as a gift and worth selling.  I need to create to actually make things to sell.  I really need to spend some time getting creative!

The other thing that I really need to make time for is my health.  I have been really bad with my diet.  Have I spent time eating the way I should?  No!  Have I really taken the time to eat healthy?  Some what but not really where I should be.  Have I spent time planning out our meals so that I know what we are eating, so I know we are eating healthy, so I am spending money wisely?  I have been better, but not as good as I should be!  I really need to plan my meals and really work on making food that is enjoyable to eat, healthy, and cost effective!  I really want to learn more about herbs and essential oils and how to make beauty products that will help me and not cause problems due to different additives.

All of this means that I really need to prioritize my time so that I can hopefully take advantage of any window that opens (as well as taking care of my responsibilities), now that the door has shut!

Amy