My name is Jenni Robson and I'm an artist, author, designer and maker - well, I thought I was. Nothing like a milestone birthday and a dollop of covid to help me reflect during the shed loads of time spent lying in bed (that didn't seem to be as cosy as a Sunday morning lie-in), coughing and feeling a tad grumpy at life.
When I started my blog I was very excited (I still am really as I love to chat) and I thought I'd write every couple of weeks. Ok, so I think I told a mini porky pie because it's been months! My working life, you know the employed sort where you get paid regularly to pay the ever increasing bills, seemed to take over, I was cream crackered, lost my mojo, went to someone else's birthday celebration and got ill along with a load of other folk. So where's this going you ask? I'm not sure but feel free to send flowers, I really won't mind :0)
Watercolour Illustrations by Jenni Robson
This week's question is how to get the cyclinders back on fire and be inspired - at what point does a person decide enough is enough or go for a second, third or fourth wind, I don't mean the trumping sort, and pull out all those blocked stopper things (seem to be on a toilet theme here, sorry).
To Make Or Not To Make, That Is The Question?
I am a determined woman (to the point of stubborn perhaps - actually very stubborn) and I think many would say I'm more positive than negative. This is my third creative business over many years, yet I seem to be quite good (excellent actually) at paying for websites, accountant fees, suppliers and everyone else's bills. I pay on time as I like to treat others as I would be treated but ... I'm not running my business to just pay for everyone else's business to succeed. Charity work I happily do voluntarily but business?
I saw this line on an old Instagram post and I saved it as I really resonated with it:
'Build Your Own Dreams Or Someone Will Hire You To Build Theirs'
...so true and I need to sort my stuff out!
Because all of my textiles are handmade, using the best quality fabrics it takes time to create and I think like many makers it's a challenge to get prospective buyers to understand that something made en mass in China/india etc cannot be compared in any shape or form to something handmade in UK.
I am coming to the conclusion (many covid hours later) that I'm going to be steering away from making, particularly small things that have small profit margins (if any), or perhaps just less making, full stop - I'll let you know when I've decided.
Mini Doodle Kits by Jenni Robson
This Week's Message
"I can't change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination."
Jimmy Dean.
I believe I'm in the process of adjusting my sails! Maybe the boat needs a lick of paint too.
What do you do to create change in your life when you feel you are going the wrong way up the river?
If you want to snap up a piece of my work before, I change what I'm doing, these are the places to go:
www.jennirobson.com (there are also links to the relevant shops on each product page)
www.etsy.com/uk/shop/JenniRobsonShop (Etsy has very little of my work now)
I'm also on social media: @jennirobsonart
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