It gets really good at the end...

A little over a month ago, I was crumpled over two rejections. The first was just a little disappointing (not getting in to the Twist Fair in Northampton) and the second made me really start feeling sorry for myself (not being awarded a studio space in Artist's Row).

These bummers were followed by Jenn completing her internship requirements with me and making her graceful exit. Jenn was so helpful and efficient (and damn good company!) that her absence left me a bit disheveled. She only worked with me once a week but added much needed structure and organization as well as ambitious new ideas.

As a result, I had a couple weeks of putting Argyle Whale on autopilot while I floundered around trying to make new plans and make the best of my home workspace.

Well anyway, I thought it was time for a happy update because I am beginning to feel back on track. The opportunities I'd counted on didn't come through but (just like all of you wise ones said) new ones popped up when I needed them.

I rearranged our apartment to better suit my workspace needs (Living rooms are frivolous right?).

I bulked up my Craft Fair circuit since I wouldn't be having a storefront to maintain. I am thrilled that I was accepted to be a vendor at Renegade in Brooklyn this summer as well as Mass Market 4.

I took a little break and came out of my house to socialize a bit and made a new friend. Proof that my luck has changed; she volunteered to be my helper on printing days so that I don't lose my mind preparing for upcoming shows! Seriously, I'm always amazed (and thankful!) when people help me out so generously.

Ok... here is the grand finale! This is the big thing that I was trying to keep a secret surprise but I can't hold it in any longer because it is just that wonderful.....

I have my very first liscensing arrangement with a big fun tshirt store called SNORG TEES!
Snorgsnorgsnorgsnorgsnooooorg! I am excited because they are "kind of a big deal". I can't wait to share more details when they are carved in stone.

I'm frolicking.

I didn't think i'd be frolick-full so soon after being downtrodden.

Things work out sometimes. I'll try to remember this.

PS: That happy picture of me is part of my new initiative to not dress like a total frump. I joined the Wardrobe Remix Flickr group to get me out of a fashion rut and I'll be posting outfits with effort there regularly.

Elise + HCB 4L!

I used all the willpower I possess to put on boots and trudge through the snow (leaving my toasty home and mountain of Argyle Whale projects behind) to go to my part time bakery job. I nearly made myself late watching Hodge fuss with his new fort (our coffee table that I covered with a long tablecloth). Propelling myself to work would have been much easier if I'd remembered that hot cross buns would be making their annual debut today. Oh the sweet reunion!

a little big news

If anyone has been thinking, "Where is Elise and why has she abandoned her store and blog?" let me say that I have been too darn busy to devote energy to what I love. Argyle Whale has suffered in this past month of cafe renovating sprees, vacation and my other job at the bakery. I kept cramming things into my life and not letting anything go. The result was that I felt myself become unhappy in all of my usually pleasant jobs. I stretched myself too thin and everything in my life got less than it deserved.

I needed to let go of one of my commitments, so I quit my job at the bakery where I have enjoyed working for the past two years. I am a little sad to be leaving but I'm also filled with a nervous excitement. This move means I can devote much more energy to my creative pursuits!

I'm scared and thrilled at the same time to be heading towards my goal of having Argyle Whale become a serious business that I rely on. I know that making this work will be even more challenging than working three jobs but I hope it will be as fulfilling as I expect. There is this line in a song by The Strokes that says, "I'm working so I don't have to try so hard; tables they turn sometimes." that I always related to. Now it's time for me to try really really hard!

It's business time.

Well, I'll be back to work at the bakery tomorrow and I can feel pretty good about what I accomplished on my two days off. I put a bunch of new things in the shop and also cleaned up the look a little. I brightened my pictures and finally wrote out a thorough profile full of policies. I wrote a great one out when I first opened my shop but I was struck by an extremely frustrating Etsy glitch that erased the whole thing. Of course, I hadn't saved it and I was so irritated that I just put a quick one up and hadn't made a new one until today. I feel better now.

I was working so much that I barely left the house even though the weather was sunny and nice. Justin enticed me out of our cave with an invitation to have matcha lattes at a local cafe. On our walk there, my legs were stiff and I was squinting from the sun. I realized that if I ever get to the point where I can work on my art for a living from home that I absolutely need be forced to not become an apartment bat and to have some interaction with the outdoors. It is sometimes hard to convince myself that there is anything outside more delightful than making things and being in the company of my bunny pals.

Speaking of bunnies; I finally managed to capture a photo of a bunny tongue. It seems like it should be easy and I've seen it done many times but it took me awhile. Hodge and Yoshimi are quick lickers but I caught a flash of pink during a serious bunny grooming session. Thrilling!

It seems to not take much to thrill me. That is probably why I'm generally a happy person.