Hi,
As you can see, the latest miniature bird-themed collection is growing, with 17 so far. I will be making them available soon, since I've already had some inquiries.
This challenge is very focused whereas that first challenge back in March was quite random; feathers, snow scenes, teacups, and even food. But hey, ya gotta start somewhere, right?
It's like the old joke, "How do you eat an elephant?" The answer, of course, is "One bite at a time."
This is usually told by 3rd or 4th graders just discovering the subtleties of humor, after which they repeat the joke over and over until they drive the adults in their lives to within a hairbreadth of their sanity.
And yet,...there's a bit of wisdom in there.
Now I've never eaten an elephant. Don't plan to. But I have tried to tackle any number of monumental tasks before that were so far out of my comfort zone that they seemed impossible.
For me it's nearly always about the fear of looking stupid. It's why I've waited so long to start approaching galleries, for example.
But even scarier than that is learning how to use Instagram's Live feature.
Remember that I said I wanted to do a few live segments during the residency? My younger friends just seem to jump right into this kind of social risk-taking while this old gal might ruminate for months.
But then, they grew up with technology at their fingertips,...while I grew up impressed with a rotary phone mounted on the wall. The scariest thing about that was getting that long curly cord untangled.
Anyone over 50 can relate.
The technology around us changes so fast.
Things that used to fall in the realm of Sci-Fi are becoming reality. Remember Sean Connery as James Bond with his car phone? A phone..in the CAR!!! At the time that was mind-blowingly sophisticated.
What makes the Instagram Live thing even scarier is that I tried once to go live on Facebook. Something did not connect and I sat there like an idiot while several people tried to join me and all I heard was crickets. Humiliating!
Well I didn't try THAT again for a very long time.
I finally did it though...this week in fact.
Because it was worth doing!
The chance to connect in real time and let others enjoy the Art Residency along with me is too great an opportunity to let a little fear get in the way. But unlike that Facebook flop, this time I had the good sense not to announce it. That way, if it flopped, I could delete it right away and avoid the embarrassment.
And I started with what I knew. I tried only one or two things; hitting the go live now button and the end button. That's pretty much it. I didn't try any fancy filters. Nor did I invite commenting.
Ever try multi-tasking with an elevated pulse?
It was enough just to start.
So this week I am planning a few more practice runs with the Live feature so that I can be more at ease when I do this in Maine. Hopefully by then I will have tackled a few more tech options that will make this experience enjoyable and inspirational.
If you are following me on Instagram you may see these if you happen to be on when I go live. You can also ask to be notified. It will usually be early morning or late afternoon.
What about you? Have you been holding back from doing something you know is worthwhile because it's a little scary? What is your scary thing?
Just choose one aspect of it that you know works and start with that. Don't worry that it's not perfect right out the gate. It won't be! But it'll be a step in the right direction.
Just....START!
...and do press HERE if you'd like to see a replay of that first attempt at going Live on Instagram.
I wonder what birds sound like in Maine? We'll find out soon!
Have a wonderful week!
Jan
P.S. Some of the teacup paintings have been purchased by people here in my private email list. I still have the following available. I will offer them to the rest of my followers on Instagram and Facebook this Monday morning.
