Having a nice December, everyone? You should be! In times of turmoil such as this the spirit of Christmas (aka: the brotherhood of man and charity) is essential to being forthright, virtuous and conscientious human beings. 2010 has been a blockbuster year for me for many reasons. I was among the lucky (or at least well-planning) folks this year; I volunteered with an ecological and humanitarian organization in New Zealand, went from being un-employed to being over-committed, became dedicated to two prominent non-profit organizations in Reno, taught my first class, bought a car (for which I did the negotiating, yay!), rescued a stray, started my Etsy store in earnest, and began a blog.
Many of these things were only possible because of the many great people who came into my life. Some of these things I achieved with the support of my family and close friends. None of this year would have happened if I weren't a spendthrift. As much as I hate money (and love barter) it's an unfortunate necessity. Every decision counts - get fast food or eat ramen noodles at home (save $17.25), get your nails done or buy polish at the drug store (save $35.00 including tip), buy a big screen TV for your sweety on Black Friday or have a conversation about Christmas before November hits and decide to save for something big - like a trip to Japan or a wedding ring (save dignity, relationship, $480.52)
This may come out of the blue compared to the rest of my posts, but I can only print if I have paper and ink and I only get ink and paper with money. Printmaking is an expensive art form (compared to drawing anyways) but I am not happy or complete without printmaking in my life. Since I was a child it has been my ambition to become an artist, but I never thought about how to finance such a life. The solution was messily pushed into my face this year as I started at Oxbow Press - do something I love and find a way. Much of my success was networking, luck and devotion of time and muscle (especially a lot of time) but I did need a few dollar signs to back it up. The theme of this post is finding a way to live happy - money isn't the answer but it helps. If you save as much as you can whenever you can you'll soon find yourself able to do the things you love with greater frequency and professionalism. Use your funds to pay for workshops, supplies or studio space, or be a miser like Rachel and hoard until something
REALLY amazing asks you to become involved.
Don't let money get you down. People understand, especially when they've been in your shoes themselves. So even though Christmas was a holiday invented by capitalist pigs in Britain during the mid nineteenth century, don't think you have to celebrate that. Spend wisely, not frantically, and your reward will be sweet. Remember, a gift you make by hand can't be bought in stores - it's special and you can personalize it for those you love. Happy Holidays everybody :)
