In this blog, I will begin by documenting my decision to leave teaching full time and trying to make it as an artist in a gig economy.  I am piecing together the quilt of jobs to sustain me and to allow me to devote time to my art and poetry.  Most of my blogs include links to associated websites for more information.

 

Who's Driving?                                                                                                                       Sept. 5, 2025

I have a recurring dream where I am in a car and it is going down the road, but instead of driving the car, I am in the back seat. I quickly dive into the front seat and take control, but not without a huge dose of anxiety. 

 

In June of 2025, I decided to leave my teaching position at a Montessori school and have a go at being an artist. I am sixty six and the demands of teaching were beginning to wear me down. I already had a few clients for pet sitting and I had been hired to teach one class a week at a new art school for children. I hoped to pick up some work at the Wellness Center across the street, do some substitute teaching and maybe teach additional pottery classes and maybe a poetry workshop.

 

It is all in the works and I feel like I am still in the back wondering why there is no one in the driver's seat of this car hurtling down the road.  I spent June, July and August looking for additional work, but have not yet found all the pieces of gigs that I need to feel financially stable. During the summer, I also worked diligently on creating art inventory for fall festivals and I hope this work will pay off. I created the website you are visiting now and also started business Facebook and Instagram accounts. I have picked up some more clients for dog sitting and will be substituting at one school ,and I hope to find more opportunities. Currently my art is in four local galleries, but in this unsteady world, consumption is down and understandably; people are thinking more about their grocery bill than buying art, so sales are slow. 

 

I am keeping track of my expenses and income to see if I can really drive this thing, make it out of the back seat to the steering wheel. Being in the back seat is comfortable, but it is a completely passive position. Crossing over the front seat to take charge involves a lot of work and timing. We will seat what the road will bring. 

 

The Fool's Journey                                                                                                            Sept. 6, 2025

I read tarot and take inspiration from the deck. Like dream analysis, the tarot provides a grid for the daily aspects of our lives so we may gain perspective and understand our deeper feelings. Right now, I am identifying strongly with the first card of the deck, The Fool. Now, before you suspect self deprecation, like all tarot cards, The Fool is complex. At first glance (I use the Rider Waite deck), the fool appears to be stepping off a high cliff, his head in the clouds. But look again, and he is just pausing at the edge  to capture these first moments of his journey. He is happy with his face lifted to the rising sun. He has on festive, road trip clothing in bright colors and patterns. He is leaning back as if to breath all this freshness in. In one hand he holds the staff, (the wand manifesting), and this staff holds his sack stuffed with what he needs for the journey. With the other hand he delicately holds a fragile flower hinting at the beauty he will find and protect.  His traveling companion, a small white dog, dances at his feet,  more than ready for the journey. There are snow capped mountains in the background and adventure awaits. Sure he is young (even at 66 I consider myself an emerging artist!) and perhaps a bit too romantic for the challenges of the road, but at least he is beginning. There is so much he will have to learn along the way and so many challenges, but also friends and supporters from the physical world and beyond. So, this is the perspective I am trying to hold as I set off on the adventure of doing what I love to do.

 

The Spiral                                                                                                                               Sept. 7, 2025

I think I have always been drawn to the symbol of the spiral, the delving down deep into the center. The spiral reminds me of centering through meditation and mindfulness. In 2020, my 35 year career in arts in healthcare came to an end in the chaos of covid. I spent most of my time at home looking for more work and taking walks with my dog. I also found a box of wood  and ceramic crafts and paint in my daughter's old bedroom. For my sanity, I spent a little time each day painting and decorating the wooden boxes and holiday ornaments and clay birds. I ended up with a table at a church bazzar and made a little extral money. 

Around the same time, I had to change my computer password and the phrase "spiral dance" came to me. The spiral was a symbol for the way I was trying to manage the disruption of covid in my life. I had to be flexible and keep moving as in a dance and I needed to be centered. My computer passwords are mantras for me. The spiral gained more significance. 

Eventually I found some work in a factory but I kept working on art projects and came back to the spirit I had made many years ago. I also began making jewelry with polymer clay working with the spiral design. I got the courage to be a vendor at a street festival and realized I needed some branding. Spiral seemed perfect as it encapsulated my time of spinning as I tried to reshape my life.

 

Connections                                                                                                                        Sept. 8, 2025

When I first moved into Rosemary Place, one of the first neighbors I met was Gail. We were fast friends and ended up bartering cat sitting (me) for haircuts (Gail). Gail is a hair stylist at Fringe Salon on Weaver Dairy Rd. in Chapel Hill. I was lucky during covid to have great haircuts! Gail would just stroll over and cut my hair in the kitchen. 

I was heartbroken a few years ago when Gail decided to return to her home in Britain. But after three years, she returned and picked up her career at Fringe. She came back with wonderful styles and products from Europe. 

Well, maybe my website is already working! Gail came over yesterday and I showed her my site. As luck would have it, my home is full of inventory as I prepare for fall festivals. Many of the things she saw on my website were just steps away. Gail did her Christmas shopping in my living room! And I am bartering  a couple of pancake syrup pitchers for a haircut (which I sorely need!) So, here's to connections and to perhaps connecting you to Gail and her beautiful salon. She is a bright light in hard times and an artist!

 

Bolin Creek.                                                                                                                            September 9, 2025

We lived on Bolin Creek for 15 years. Our property descended to the creek and our family hikes often began there. We waded, swung on the rope swings no longer allowed, let our dogs play and swim, and hunted for treasures. My daughters' American Girl Dolls were baptized in muddy water with leaves and twigs matted in their hair. I actually had some contractions on the banks as my first daughter played on the foot bridge. Ah, the footbridge, a source of controversy in our Bolin Creek neighborhood. Some neighbors wanted it removed as it created access from the public paths to their property. Others wanted the bridge to provide access  to the natural setting so treasured by many. One time one set of neighbors actually removed the bridge and the next set gathered to build a new one. 

Erosion was always as issue, but yesterday, I saw the results of our July flood. A path that once allowed for easy running and biking was treacherous due to all the unearthed, jagged rocks. I worried about stumbling at my age. There has been talk for many years to pave more portions of the path, and for the first time I thought it might not be a bad idea. Maybe a path would be safer, allow access to more people and limit future erosion. 

As on many of my hikes, I gathered cedar limbs for my art pieces. I often attach wood to the back of my spirits so I can then screw a hanger to the back; most of my spirits hang.  The wood pushes the spirits out from the wall a bit so that the figures create interesting shadows. I like cedar because I can identify it and I know what it does. Cedar lasts. Often on hikes I encounter fence posts from the farm or pastures from the time before our homes encroached. The posts are leaning, a bit worn, but even in full exposure, they last. I hope the paths along Bolin Creek and the chance to hike all our local paths will last, but I can't say I am not worried. I fear Chantel brought one flood with so many more to follow. Yesterday I found a few branches and also some beautiful turkey tailed mushrooms with their unfolding concentric beauty. These will serve as crowns for some of my spirits. I took a few of the mushrooms thanking their community and thanking the forest for the branches.

 

 B-3 Coffee                                                                                                                                                  Sept. 10

This morning I am going to a friend's house. She received a donation of beautiful cards and we will cut and collage bookmarks for the local non-profit, B-3 Coffee.  We are supporting B-3 Coffee in its effort to raise funds for a clubhouse. In case you have not noticed, B-3 Coffee is located in the front lobby of the Chapel Hill Library. As the library website claims, Coffee and books - could a better combination exist?  The cafe is open Thursday- Sunday from 10:00 am till 4:00 pm. They offer all the favorites: expresso, drip coffee, chai tea and hot chocolate. You may take your cup to go, or enjoy it at tables in the  lobby perhaps leafing through the new books you checked out. Members will be selling the hand made bookmarks along with coffee and tea.

 

B3 is a nonprofit that provides social and vocational opportunities for people of all abilities. Using the way coffee brings people together, we aim to facilitate community between people with and without disabilities and ultimately advance disability justice, allyship, and inclusion. For its members, B-3 offers meet-ups, special events, art classes and parties. It is a strong community with hopes of raising funds to build a permanent club house for these gatherings. So next time you are in the Chapel Hill Library, check to see if they are open, have a coffee and  tuck a bookmark in your fresh reads. 

 

Stamp, Stamp, Stamp!                                                                                                        Sept 11

I love teaching esepcially art and poetry. In November, I will teach two workshops in making stamps and molds to add texture and design to clay, in both handbuilding and thrown forms. We will make our own stamps and molds, learn techniques for the best results, work with the slab roller and make a design sampler. These workshops will be a lot of fun and you will leave with new tools and design ideas. Please come! I am not sure if the Arts Center has set up registration yet, but here is the info so you can call and request the workshops:

The Arts Center,  400 Roberson Street, Carrboro  919. 929. 2787

Nov. 1st:  12:00 - 3:00 pm.  Make stamps and molds, created sampler, work with slab roller.

Nov. 15:   12:00 - 1:30 pm.  Pick up stamps and molds, play with new tools, explore iron oxided and learn glaze painting.

 

The Community Garden                                                                                                Sept 13

Since I left full time work and chose this path to explore art and writing, I have been cutting a lot of corners - keeping the AC low, the lights down, not going out to eat or traveling. One thing I am depending  on is bartering. I love the Carrboro Community Garden for this reason! On Saturday mornings, I work for three hours along with other volunteers, weeding, watering, and planting. Some of us harvest what is ready and at the end of the session, we divide the food between the number of volunteers. In addition, we donate a portion to the local food banks. It's a good workout and I meet interesting people. I have been gardening all my life, but I learn something new each week. Today I left with the last of the summer's mini tomatoes, lots of green peppers, garlic and a butter nut squash. I also cut some purple Thai basil for a new version of pesto. The garden is open usually one night during the middle of the week and each Saturday. If you get on the list serve, they will email you each week to let you know the exact times. You can link to the website by clicking the above title.

 

Festivals                                                                                                                        Sept. 15, 2025

The number of festivals in our area can make even a seasoned arts vendor dizzy.  How to decide which ones to invest in? (There is usually an entry fee to sell and then there is the sweat equity of loading, unloading...) Which are best attended? 

How to price items so they repay at least a little bit of what you put into them, but keep the price friendly so your work will sell? 

I decided when I left teaching,, that I would get more serious about vending at shows. I bought a tent and a table, a banner and some special table covers. Whew. 

I went to the Carrboro Bazaar yesterday to shop and to check out the booths. I noted that almost every vendor had two tables arranged in an "L" shape. For some reason stepping into the space forme by the "L", seemed much more welcoming than just walking up to a single table. Of course it gave the vendor a lot more display room, but the arrangement seemed to be more than the sum of its parts. So now, do I buy another table to draw more folks in? Probably. My inventory is growing quite a bit.

I have to admit I am a little nervous investing so much already. I usually do fairly well at crafts markets, but people just seem hesitant to buy these days. Understandably. No one has any idea where the hell the economy is going. My hope is that my spirits will bring good feelings even in these troublesome times and that people will think even more about buying from local artists. No tariffs! So come out, enjoy the fall air, do some holiday shopping. meet your local artists and support them.

Come out to Centerfest, one of our largest fairs and come by to see me. I will be at the booth in front of Fusion Gallery on Sunday, September 21. My spirits will also be there on Saturday, September 20. 

Centerfest.             Fusion Gallery

 

The Booth                                                                                                                   Sept. 18, 2025

I find myself thinking a lot about the booth, thinking and over thinking, unthinking, rethinking. I am at once excited and apprehensive about my setup. I go to festivals alone so there is a lot of thinking about the packing and unpacking, the lifting and dragging. The weather forecast for my first festival this fall is rainy. I bought the wrong tent, a sun canopy, not knowing that meant it is not great for rain. The company says to take the tent down if it rains. Can that be for real? I have bought a tent that can't handle rain? And that is after I did a fair amount of research.

I have a friend who can give me a weather proof ten foot tent but I have been reluctant to go get it. The tent I bought and all my booth equipment fit so nicely into my coat closet right now. How will I find room in my tiny place for yet another tent?

How heavy is that tent?  I have one table, but should I invest in another? Should I have wire sthands? How do I stabilize them?

Of course I have taken to the internet for answers and there are so many amazing looking booths that vendors have put thousands of dollars into. I am trying to make it on the fly.  These vendors have their logo printed on everything, their bags, their adorable aprons...They prepackage to inspire impulse buyers, cute boxes with ribbons. Maybe I will be there one day, but not right now. 

So I keep thinking and rethinking, sketching plans,  setting up my booth in my head and then taking it apart again. I want to make my booth welcoming.  I want to get to the decorating stage after I have figured out how to make my products most visible, my setup stable, my sandbags filled. 

I did make a cute garland after seeing one on the internet. I had some vintage tatting from the Scrap Exchange and I also bought some fabric scraps. I cut the swatches with pinking shears and looped them through the tatting. It's pretty cute. I like to think about having my booth all set up and then stringing my banner as the final touch. That is the part of planning I really like. 

 

Uncenterd Fest                                                                                                                            Sept. 23, 2025

I feel pressure from Face Book ("Just keep smiling, show us your best face!") and from toxic positivity to keep this blog a thumb's up only production. After all, I am living my best life, right, doing just what I set out to do - trying to make it, or at least part of it, as an artist and to spend more time on my writing. Alright, no more disclaimer. Centerfest on Sunday was a bad day for me. It began lovely. I was helping out with Fusion Gallery's table and promoting my work. The. Fusion team had staged my spirits front and center! I was enjoying watching the folks go by, though there did not seem to be as many as I had imagined.  I decided to treat myself with a muffin from Ninth Street bakery and that is where trouble began. My wallet which is attached to my car keys was not in my back pack. After waiting in a long line, I left empty handed. I went back to Fusion and everyone helped me look around and I dumped out my bag a few times, but nothing. I was terrified. All my cards and id's were in my wallet, not to mention my car keys. I panicked and everyone was so supportive. I decided to walk back to my car in the parking deck and there were my keys, right on the front seat where I could see them (and anyone else.) My car was locked up tighlty. 

Well, at least I knew where they were. I helped customers and chatted them up, but was also racing through my head to think of someone who could get me from Centerfest back to my home where I had another car key, or so I thought. I did not want to pay a locksmith. This was Centerfest, my first fall festival and I had hoped to make some money, not lose money.

A very kind woman offered to take me home to get my key and bring me back to Centerfest. Her husband was doing a painting demonstration and she was just hanging out. But when we got to my house, my spare key was not in the junk drawer where I always keep it. We both started emptying out other drawers and baskets, but no luck. I was really panicking now and my new friend did everything she could to calm me down. On the way back to Durham, I accepted the cost of the locksmith and the fact that I would be losing rather than making money at Centerfest.

AFter the locksmith, one of the Fusion owners invited me back to the gallery. She knew I had not eaten all day so she picked up snacks and water. She offered me a free Fusion fused glass session and I sat down to create. The food and the art calmed me into bliss. I sorted through buckets of beautiful glass and my design unfolded. Everyone had taken such good care of me all day long. People had gone out of their way to help. I created a glass tile with a dark sky but with a new moon rising. Thanks to everyone at Fusion for helping me get through this day. Fusion is a gallery but also a community of artists committed to supporting one another.

 

Rain or Shine                                                                                                                                September 25

All week my living room, about 20 x 20 feet has been dominated by my 8 x 8 foot canopy tent. The cat is really pissed and refuses to come downstairs. She says I have really done it this time. I am planning my booth for the Last Friday in Hillsborough and so I have my tables set up with my products and I keep moving it all around, searching for the best configuration, my head bubbling with all the tips I have gleaned for staging your booth on Yahoo.

For the past month, we have had little to no rain in our area. We have all been wanting rain and now rain is in the forecast, the heaviest slated to fall during Last Friday. Last Friday is a rain or shine event.

It's a lot, packing up the tent and tables and all my products and getting them to the event, even without rain. I am afraid the tent I ordered in June is not that prepared for rain, my mistake. If it is raining, people are less likely to attend and if they do, they will head for the inside events.

So, what to do, do, do? I guess it will depend on how heavy the rain. I have already paid the vendor's fee, so this would be my second festival and my second loss after Centerfest. This is the game, this is the territory, this is the risk you run. I have to back up and look at the whole picture. I am not counting on just festival income for my living. I am also pet sitting, planning to teach a couple of classes at the new Children's Art School when it opens this fall, hoping to substitute and looking for other part time gigs. I have a dog coming on Saturday and cats to feed next week. Still the numbers add up to a bleak September. On to October and better luck. When it comes to rain or shine, it is only luck. 

 

Womancraft                                                                                                                       October 5, 2025

 

Womancraft Gift Shop in Chapel Hill is known for its handmade art. I joined this art co-operative three years ago. The shop is run and managed by the artists who sell their work there. At the first business meeting, I got cheeky and asked about our name. I wanted to know why the name specified female artists while some of our consigners are male. 

Last year, Woman Craft celebrated its 50th anniversary and highligted the co-op's history and  I learned more about the reasoning behind the name.  Womancraft Co-operative was conceived by a six member "consciousness raising group"  in 1973  as part of the women's empowerment movement. At that time, there were not many venues for female artists to show their work and there were hardly any businesses run by women. With the beginning of the women's movement, female artists were finding support to enter business and open their own shops and companies.  

So while the name does not reflect the current diversity of its artists, it remains, marking an important milestone in the history of the Women's Movement.  Womancraft is a great shop but also a community of mostly women sharing and supporting each other's work. You can still find the member-artists behind the counter stitching or weaving, painting works in progress. In between customers, we share ideas for new pieces, share marketing strategies and discuss our goals. While it might seems like just another gift shop, Womancraft comes from a strong movement of women creating new opportunites and gaining power.

 

Festivals 2.  It isn't always about the money, right?                                       Oct. 20, 2025

Thanks to Ben Marklin and the Alliance for Historic Hillsborough for a fun day on the lawn of the  Dickson House. Every fall, the Alliance puts on a Halloween theater show and a creepy ghost tour of the Saint Mark's cemetary. This year, the Alliance added four vendors to the event, three craftswomen and one tarot reading. As folks waiting for the next show, they visited our tables and did a little seasonal shopping or had their cards reader. As far as money making, it wasn't a thrilling day, but I made two new friends, saw lots of old friends, had my cards read, and enjoyed the amazing fall weather. 

It was actually great to have a slower, more relaxing venue and to have a chance to talk to fellow artists. Most of the time festivals are so hectic and crowded and you never get to visit the tables and artists that intrigue you. On this day, I chatted and networked exchanging festival opportunities and tips for setting up booths. Ben and the Alliance could not have been more helpful! I have never had organizers help me set up my tent and tables, but there they were pitching in to unload my car and reload it at the end. I called it a day and headed down to the Yonder for a beer and some wonderful country music. 

 

Fork in the Road.                                                                                                           October 24, 2025                                                                                                                

I wish it were a fork with cake. It has not been an easy road from leaving my teaching in June until now.  First there was the flood and losing my car. So many people helped me, but it has still been a setback. The Children's Art School where I was supposed to begin teaching in September had its inspections and permits delayed. After the flood, repair for already established homes and businesses took priority and the town offices have not been able to keep up with (pun intended)

the deluge.  I had several jobs in mind that I thought I could just grab to fill in my mosaic of side gigs, but none of those have worked out. I have been applying for substitute positions and I am hopeful, but that process has taken its own sweet time. 

And the economy! The festivals have not brought in the income I hoped for. People seem to be attending them just to walk around with friends and see what is there, but so few purchases. I understand! You don't see me rushing to buy either! Folks are so nervous about finances these days and with good reason. Holding onto money seems like a great idea right now! But this crazy state does not help me either. Petsitting is good and rewarding, but I could use a couple more families. 

I continue to look for other part-time jobs, and I hope that during the holidays, sales will pick up. This is an interesting time in my life even if it is stressful and I am doing a lot of artwork and writing poetry as I had planned.