EYE CANDY HOOKED BY COLETTE GATES! "DRAGONFLIES BOUQUET" 36" DIA.
Yesterday was all about taxes. The night before I was up until 3:30 getting the paper work ready and wasn’t capable of forming a sentence when I got home. Too stupid to blog. The trip to the accountants yesterday was unfavourable so the mood hung like a fowl stench for the rest of the day. I’ve learned not to write when I’m miserable as the drivel that comes out of my head is tainted with negativity and that isn’t the approach I wished to take. I can’t say I slept last evening because numbers were rolling around in my head like ocean surf, pounding my poor brain to mush. My accountant says every year I cry and wondered where the tears were for 2013, but I’m beyond those now. I think it’s time to face facts. I will never pull a paycheque from this business. Mahone Bay and surrounding area is too small a population base for the traffic I would need to be in the black. I’m not willing to pull up stakes and move to the city so it is what it is….a small craft business with limitations.
The thing that consoles me is that I provide a decent living for my son and get to work with him every day. That is priceless for me. If I wanted to get rich I’d be running a Tim Horton’s or one of the fast food joints that make fast money. For me the joy is being able to play and be creative. Thankfully I have the best husband in the world that supports me and allows me to have the freedom to pursue an artistic outlet without having to worry about lining my pocket. I’m a lucky girl…but if that hunk of man ever leaves me, my door will be closed in the blink of an eye and I’ll be brushing up my resume……so let’s hope I don’t piss the sweetie off!
I’m still reeling a bit from the grey day yesterday so it might be an opportune time to whine a bit about something that’s unfair. Maybe if more folks did this, business would be better so maybe it’s a fitting topic after a bad news from the accountant. I would also like to take the time to say thank-you to those that do this as I wear a smile you could see for a mile!
When you show off your gorgeous hooked rugs and have them printed in various newsletters or magazines it is paramount to list the designer of the rug. This is the way to bring awareness to our work and support our shops to keep us going. Having a rug featured in a magazine is a coup for the both of us. Bringing attention for your excellent execution of the piece, your hooking and colour choices is grand, but it is just as important to the shop, and or designer, to gets a plug for their contribution. That equates to future business; that means helping to keep the doors open.
The last newsletter of our NS Guild posted a picture of a rug that made the cut for Celebration’s Magazine but there was no mention of me or my shop as the designer for the pattern. I only pray that the Celebration editors know the score and I am mentioned there or I might have a bloody fit. Maybe I shouldn’t leave this one to fate and email someone to make sure they know but damn I shouldn’t have too!
Then there was a William Morris rug shown in the same newsletter that has been hooked as a fund raiser and although Will is the designer, I tweaked the pattern for rug hooking and it is sold in my shop so at least a mention of Encompassing Designs would have made me happy. That was two for two in one edition of the newsletter! What is the good of showing off a fabulous rug without mentioning where the pattern came from if purchased, so others can experience the fun of hooking it as well?
I can count the times this has happened to me on my toes and fingers and on Shane’s digits as well, maybe even more. It’s a standing joke around here, not that it’s a laughing matter. But I guess if you don’t laugh, you’d cry. We say, “Yup, forgotten again, hahaha”. I do notice it happens with other designers as well…back me up on this with a comment please so I don’t look like the only unlucky soul…if you don’t I might become paranoid and think it’s a conspiracy against me! I’m on the soap box for all of the unmentioned out there!
Rugs that receive accolades, are featured in shows and articles that don’t mention who designed them is unfair. I never know if it is neglect or done on purpose to claim it as their own. I’ve had that happen to me several times when someone asked me to design a custom rug and then the person says they did it. The design is my artwork, even if you brought forth the basic concept….my artwork, my design. So all I’m asking is to please give the designer credit so their work can be appreciated and maybe help support their shops to remain in business! Word of mouth is a bit of free advertising that we can all use to keep in business. Anyway that’s my rant for today…..
The thing that consoles me is that I provide a decent living for my son and get to work with him every day. That is priceless for me. If I wanted to get rich I’d be running a Tim Horton’s or one of the fast food joints that make fast money. For me the joy is being able to play and be creative. Thankfully I have the best husband in the world that supports me and allows me to have the freedom to pursue an artistic outlet without having to worry about lining my pocket. I’m a lucky girl…but if that hunk of man ever leaves me, my door will be closed in the blink of an eye and I’ll be brushing up my resume……so let’s hope I don’t piss the sweetie off!
I’m still reeling a bit from the grey day yesterday so it might be an opportune time to whine a bit about something that’s unfair. Maybe if more folks did this, business would be better so maybe it’s a fitting topic after a bad news from the accountant. I would also like to take the time to say thank-you to those that do this as I wear a smile you could see for a mile!
When you show off your gorgeous hooked rugs and have them printed in various newsletters or magazines it is paramount to list the designer of the rug. This is the way to bring awareness to our work and support our shops to keep us going. Having a rug featured in a magazine is a coup for the both of us. Bringing attention for your excellent execution of the piece, your hooking and colour choices is grand, but it is just as important to the shop, and or designer, to gets a plug for their contribution. That equates to future business; that means helping to keep the doors open.
The last newsletter of our NS Guild posted a picture of a rug that made the cut for Celebration’s Magazine but there was no mention of me or my shop as the designer for the pattern. I only pray that the Celebration editors know the score and I am mentioned there or I might have a bloody fit. Maybe I shouldn’t leave this one to fate and email someone to make sure they know but damn I shouldn’t have too!
Then there was a William Morris rug shown in the same newsletter that has been hooked as a fund raiser and although Will is the designer, I tweaked the pattern for rug hooking and it is sold in my shop so at least a mention of Encompassing Designs would have made me happy. That was two for two in one edition of the newsletter! What is the good of showing off a fabulous rug without mentioning where the pattern came from if purchased, so others can experience the fun of hooking it as well?
I can count the times this has happened to me on my toes and fingers and on Shane’s digits as well, maybe even more. It’s a standing joke around here, not that it’s a laughing matter. But I guess if you don’t laugh, you’d cry. We say, “Yup, forgotten again, hahaha”. I do notice it happens with other designers as well…back me up on this with a comment please so I don’t look like the only unlucky soul…if you don’t I might become paranoid and think it’s a conspiracy against me! I’m on the soap box for all of the unmentioned out there!
Rugs that receive accolades, are featured in shows and articles that don’t mention who designed them is unfair. I never know if it is neglect or done on purpose to claim it as their own. I’ve had that happen to me several times when someone asked me to design a custom rug and then the person says they did it. The design is my artwork, even if you brought forth the basic concept….my artwork, my design. So all I’m asking is to please give the designer credit so their work can be appreciated and maybe help support their shops to remain in business! Word of mouth is a bit of free advertising that we can all use to keep in business. Anyway that’s my rant for today…..
CELTIC CROSSROADS DESIGNED AND HOOKED BY CHARLENE SCOTT
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CELTIC SWIRL HOOKED BY CHARLENE SCOTT
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