be careful what you wish for....

or how many things you wish for...you may get them. all. at. once. and usually at the worst time. i should have listened when the gallery owner told me back at the beginning of the month..."i need a dozen pieces." and should have started making a dozen pieces of jewelry. like she wanted. but i've been so enthralled with collage that i didn't want to risk boring my collage muse, lest she flit away. so i didn't make a dozen pieces. i gave her what i had laying around and figured that would be plenty. art doesn't sell in these parts, let alone artsy jewelry. and lo! i sold a piece. then another. then 2 more. in 3 weeks. and there are 2 more definite orders. this is all good, right? and if she called, say, thursday even, and said she needed them for monday, then i could spend friday night and all weekend trying to bang some out (well, i mean making some nice pieces). but no. she didn't. and that seems to be how opportunity strikes...when you least expect it, and usually when your house isn't clean. so i did what any good artist would do when presented with this "opportunity" without the time to accomplish it. i panicked, freaked, swore vows that i would always have stock on hand, and cried. oh yes i got downright maudlin and pathetic. and flowery - "it's like my dream, my dream of all time, is right there in front of me, but my arms are an inch too short to grasp it." you get the picture. and i drove weeping & resentful to work yesterday. sang Rock Star very loud and off-key. then got over the histrionics and got busy. and guess what? last night, i learned how to solder with a torch and make bezels and cut copper pipe and learned about proper ventilation and fire. and made some bezels that i am proud to say "I did that." that would never have happened without this "opportunity." today will be words and resin and doodads and beads and chain. i made an executive decision to work at art today, and give the Big Girl Job part of my saturday. because saturday will be too late for this, but the BGJ grnds on at any hour of any day. so what have i learned: be grateful even when what you wished for comes at an inconvenient time...all the skills and knowledge will be available to you when you need it...you have friends and mentors that will give deliriously of themselves - just ask or accept their offered help...you are stronger than you know, wiser than you think (from Pooh)...keep calm and solder on. now - to step away from this glowbox in front of me and get productive.