Finally Fall

Fall is finally here!  I was so relieved to see the rains come right on time, like Mother Nature knew exactly what we needed.

The fire was extinguished and peace is restored!!

As is the norm, I have been spending Sept. and Oct. preparing for winter.  Getting the rest of the firewood in, cleaning the chimney and wood stove, gutters, and now raking leaves.  

I have pruned the trees and brush as well.

We've had some really nice days this late, 60 degrees and sunshine!  Unusual.  This week we're dipping down into the high 30's at night and waffling between the 40's and low 50's during the day.

The mold season didn't last long, thank goodness!  But I found that my air purifier that I purchased when it was so smokey came in real handy during that time.

I made my trek out to the Washington coast in mid Sept. and thoroughly enjoyed my short but very fulfilling stay out there.  The weather was fantastic, perfect clear mornings for shooting and way less people on the beaches.  I really enjoyed experimenting with my infrared filter and the film camera.  Shot over 300 images!

copyright 2018 All Rights Reserved Jeni Gray Photography

copyright 2018 All Rights Reserved Jeni Gray Photography

 When I got back I narrowed those down to about 60 for the website. You can view the rest of them at www.jenigrayphotography.com .

This will be my go to site for this year.  By early next year I'll have a stand alone site where I'll have more control over the printing process.

I changed the name of my facebook page from J Gray Design where I primarily promoted my jewelry creations, to Gray by Design so I could share all of my creative endeavors.  I don't get a lot of business from facebook, so it seems logical to invest less time there.

I did create an Instagram account, however, as I heard it was a great way to promote yourself.  So find me there @jenigrayphoto where I am posting one black and white image a day.

I didn't get as much done on the old house this summer as I wanted to that couldn't wait till next year.

This winter I might paint the kitchen, it's nearly time.   

I'll be working this winter on my newest blog Gray By Design where I'm writing about the creative process.  I'm still creating jewelry too.  So it will be great fun to have lots of projects on those long dark days of winter!

Hopefully by early next year I'll have LightRoom for editing photos on my new computer.  That had to be upgraded first, have I mentioned that I think I've been living in the dark ages?  LOL.  Artists should upgrade their equipment and skills from time to time I guess.

I turned 62 last month so I'm happy to report that I don't feel like it!  Or at least how the masses portray it.  I have very physical work, exercise, walk, eat healthy and sleep great.  I cannot financially "retire" until I'm 70, so I best keep up the great health!  I live simply, affordably and will even have my house paid off in six years!  

Thanks for following along this journey with me!

Till next time.

Summer Happenings

It's been a long summer here.  We are dealing with a huge fire in the Olympics which is stressful in itself, but the smoke is overwhelming now, added to the Canada fires smoke blowing south.

So today I shot this from the canal, can you spot the sun?  Pretty eerie!

The Maple Fire started about the 4th of August I think.  They have it contained on every side where there are people, at the forest roads.  I'm only 6 miles as the crow flies, so I'm keeping close tabs on it.

In more joyful news, I think I have all the winter firewood in.  This fun dump truck delivered.

I get a good workout stacking it!

My plants are mostly native to the cooler Pacific Northwest temperatures, so this long, hot, dry summer has been a little stressful for them!  But the tomato and Clematis seem happy.

The swallows finally got their turn in the nesting box.  There was a tenant dispute with the chestnut-backed chickadees early on and the latter won.  But the swallows persisted and eventually got a late hatching in.  

This little guy was the last to fly the coop.

 I was busy in the Spring planning and creating new work for both my jewelry business and the supply shop.  I have a lot of new work up in the Etsy shop, which can be viewed here www.jgray-design.com .  I spent a few days creating some new hand dyed fibers for ribbons.  It was fun to hang them outside on the deck for the first dry run.

I later cut these into ribbon widths and rewash them for a frayed edge look.  They are a great supply for all kinds of DIY projects from jewelry to floral arranging.  You can see them in my supply shop here www.jgdsupplies.com .

As Fall approaches I'll be wrapping up the outdoor projects and planning my annual trek out to the coast.  I plan to take a zillion photographs!  I need some new work to add to my website at http:j-gray.pixels.com .So be on the lookout for those toward the end of Sept.

So that's a wrap for now!  Thanks for following along.

Pond Project

I started this Pond Project at the end of Spring, but things take time and other things needed to be done.  This was mostly for fun!  

I relocated the small pond form that was a little further back in the foliage, with just enough open for me to see the birds.  It's really my forest version of a bird bath.  I get more warblers and ground scavenging birds this way.

I used to have a large, tall bird feeder in the clearing in the back, but have decided to let the ecosystem re-balance itself for a while and took it down.  There are plenty of berries and bugs for the birds to eat.  I'm still providing water and habitat to qualify for my Backyard Wildlife Habitat status.

I started with this rough layout.

Then moved the pond in place and added the plants.  I wanted some color back there so I added some colorful blooming plants for the hummingbirds and bees.

I'm still tweaking the rockery, I want to hide the pond rim completely in the end.  Next year the plants will fill in and I can divide and add more.

Another extremely affordable project, all I purchased was the plants and some dirt.  I had compost dirt and rocks are available everywhere here.

More photos when things change a bit.

How Time Flies: Spring Update

Many, many apologies to my readers for my absence.  I honestly didn't realize it had been two whole months since my last post!  And the last couple of them haven't even been about my place.

I do not know if I can make up for it, but I can recap some of what I've been up to.

The door to nowhere finally has steps!  This sat undone for almost a year after a friend and I took down the old dry rot porch.

I also painted the side of the garden shed a light green, although pictured here is just the white primer.

I have been out in the yard doing whatever presents itself as far as weeding and maintenance goes.  It's been a lovely cool Spring here, just like we like it!

I'm thinking about some artistic paint projects for when it finally quits raining, like a couple of fun murals on the garden shed walls.  I also found some lovely yellow paint I'd like to add on the house for accent color.

I'm building a very small deck off another back door that will require some design tweaks for the steps, stay tuned!  I will also add some potted plants back there as it gets great summer sun.

I think my front porch / mud room will hold up a while longer.  It's not settling anymore and the structure seems sound.  The dry rot was replaced a couple years ago and the steps and deck are new.

Robynne if you're reading this, I lost your email!  Contact me, I'm curious as to how your mudroom is going.

 Last week the majestic Pileated woodpecker stopped by to devour an old piece of log I had sitting around.  What an amazing bird!  I did also get a shot of him on the tree.

 Well it's a great day to stay in by the fire while it pours outside.  Hope you're having a good weekend.

Serious Art Business

I just read a fantastic article for anyone who is serious about their art business.  Here is the link:  

https://atp.orangenius.com/document-your-artwork/

Artrepreneur is an outstanding resource for artists.  I believe it was originally started by a lawyer for the arts, so it always has in-depth reliable information for artists that you just don't get other places.

This article covers the aspects of documenting your artwork.  I can't stress enough how important it is to photograph and save your images of your artwork in several places.  You can insure it, but as someone in the article pointed out, isn't always practical.

For visual artists this is imperative.  The digital age makes this easy and difficult at the same time.  If you shoot film you always have your negatives, but you should also keep digital files of those images. Digital images run the risk of being deleted through computer crashes or the like.  I suggest backing up to an SD card, DVD disk and a Cloud service.  Keep one of the back ups in a different location than your home.

For my jewelry work I started out needing a photo log for inventory, so I use an Excel spreadsheet to add a thumbnail image, SKU number, description, price and a box for where it is, which could be on Etsy, in a gallery or sold.  Very helpful!  I also use this list to accompany my artwork installations as the inventory sheet.

At any rate, taking your small business seriously will include a reliable bookkeeping system which includes tracking your work and safeguarding it.

Successful Self Employment

A lot of people wonder how I survive out here in the toolies without a "real" job, lol, so I decided I should write a few posts about what I actually do to survive.

What I don't do, or have, is any kind of disability income, SSI benefits from former spouses, retirement funds or inheritances.

I actually work for a living, and am completely self employed.

You'll hate this part of course, I actually fell into it about 25 years ago.  I came to this county about 27 years ago with an art degree and a background in mostly office type work.  The opportunities were few and I was actually planning on moving out of the area when a friend of mine suggested I work with her doing commercial cleaning.  I figured it would be a short term thing, keep the bills paid till I figure out where I was going.

Well the years go by and while I did enjoy running a small collective gallery, I really didn't have any better opportunities come up.  My son was still young and as a single parent I needed to work.

I always stayed in the arts, in some form, whether volunteering in a group or creating a space for artists to show and sell their work, but it never made enough money to drop my day gig.

I was supporting myself in my own small business in just two years, cleaning businesses and homes.  We were able to move to a nice place and enjoy our life.

A marriage and a divorce and two houses later I'm on my own.  Son is grown and gone, and I'm here at Huckleberry Hollow.  

Looking back I realize that success is something you build, slowly.  You have to decide for yourself how much money you want to make, where you want to live and who you want to hang out with.

I chose more peace, simplicity, nature and basically just an easier life.

So now I have only commercial cleaning work, and one caretaking job for a vacation home nearby.

The latter gives me a chance to keep my management skills sharp but the landscape maintenance keeps me outside.  The other jobs are good exercise as well and I really like working alone.

The balance to what may seem like a boring job is that I get to have another business in creativity.  While I've always kept my love for photography, and do sell some images through online sites, I also took up metalsmithing about five years ago.  Once I got proficient I began selling my work locally and then online.  

This developed into a second business in no time and last year I started a third business in jewelry supplies.  

So while I tell people I only work 20 to 30 hours a week, it's more like 60 to 80 when you count all of the behind the scenes work.  There's a lot of bookkeeping to do, and I shoot all of my own product photography.  I still work with Excel spreadsheets and easily track inventory and all expenses for all of the businesses.

I do my own taxes.  I'm a one person business!  This keeps overhead down.

It's not for everyone.  Most people want the weekend off.  I used to work nights in the commercial work but I don't have to anymore.  My jobs are all done during the day when they're closed.

What's that saying about what you really want doesn't always turn out to look like what you thought it would.  My dream was to run my own art gallery - full time.  So far it hasn't happened.  But I did succeed at being self employed and self sufficient, which I did want.

The other thing that's vital, is keeping the expenses down.  My needs are minimal and I live small.  I still have running water and electricity and a phone and internet though!  I have a fairly new car too.

I just live lean.  

I keep email and Facebook off my cell phone.  I have office hours on my landline and cell.  I buy clothes that I can deduct (work clothes that can be worn elsewhere).  I can claim part of my phones and internet for work, as well as home improvements, office supplies, etc.  

There's a discipline to this lifestyle but it certainly isn't torture or grueling at all.  It's complete and total freedom!  No bosses to belittle you, work colleagues to contend with, not to mention unstable work, lay offs, low pay.

I just figured out what works for me and eventually it all fell into place.  There are no get rich quick methods to fulfillment.  

I'm not selling anything here - well except my own creations, made by me, but there aren't any affiliate links or ads or scams.  Most of my sales are on Etsy and I do promote my jewelry through my Facebook page and a link box here.  But I do it all with integrity and transparency.  

In upcoming posts I can dive a little deeper into making a creative business prosper and how to keep good records.
If you have any questions, please feel free to leave them in the comments!

One Last Blast

Apparently I spoke too soon in my last post, hasty to get on with Spring in the middle of January.
Mid February has brought some really cold temps and snow, perhaps making up for the easy mild winter we were having.

It's not a lot, just a lot of days.  Lows hit 22 this week and highs are barely reaching 32, very unlike the Pacific Northwest, but becoming more common as the years pass.

So I carry on with work anyway.  I love being self employed, having your own business is very rewarding, but you do question your sanity when you're working outside at 27 degrees cleaning a clients hot tub while it's snowing.  But as good natured as I am, I laugh at the bizarre-ness of it and add it to my list of fun stories I can recount one day.

Having a car with optional all wheel drive and even four wheel drive, gives me more freedom to actually make it to my jobs in winter, however the courage to do it sometimes wanes.  Fortunately I haven't had any negative experiences yet, but have some more stories to recount about driving uphill in deep snow or downhill in a blizzard, neither of which I recommend!

When I'm at home I work for the birds, they want to be fed and have fresh water, so I keep the feeder full and take out some warm water to break up the frozen birdbath from time to time. 

If I slack off there is a particular Towhee who will fly at the window and sit on the BBQ and stare me down in the kitchen window until I hop to it.  

I keep the fire going in the wood stove almost 24 / 7 during these cold spells as the furnace was surely built for some other climate.  I sympathize with anyone who lives in a vintage trailer that has to rely on electric heat.

I was really inspired at the beginning of the year to finish the latest photo book, poetry book and to start shooting black and white film again, and I will get to them, but the inspiration is limited right now.  Extreme weather makes me uncomfortable, and it's best to just get through it, and wait till it's "normal" again, before starting new projects. 

More snow expected this afternoon but hey, at least the power is still on and I can take tomorrow off from the work that takes me away from the house.  There's another perk, you may sometimes work 7 to 10 days in a row, but when you do finally get two days off in a row?  You think you're on vacation!

Till next time~

PS:  Hey did anyone else notice?  I just hit 35,000 visits!!  Woohoo!  Thank you all for sharing my journey!

Think Spring!

My sister blogs about gardening and this month she wrote about getting out her seed catalogs and planning out her garden.  She said she gets out last years photos to use for planning. 
I think this is brilliant and gave me the idea to do the same.

Normally at this time of year I dread looking outside as it is cold or wet or just plain unattractive.  Actually the native vegetation looks nearly the same year round, so that's a save, but the ornamental grasses and flowers are dormant.

I did move quite a lot of plants around last year, so not sure how last years photos will help, but they sure are inspiring! 
So here are a few for you to enjoy while you're waiting for winter to pass.

2018 Projects

Happy New Year!!

I hope this finds everyone rested and ready to head into the New Year, clean slate, refreshed and optimistic.

I made most of my resolutions and goal setting lists on the winter solstice, but have already added, subtracted, and tweaked them to fit into my overall plan:  Keep It Simple!

I have two little businesses and too many hobbies for one person so I have to stay organized and on track!  I support myself and need to make every dollar count, as well as my precious time.

My main business is Hood Canal Services which keeps me busy 5 mornings a week. I currently have three commercial cleaning accounts, basically I'm the janitor, plus one wonderful job where I am an off-sight caretaker for a vacation estate.

This is my favorite account because I get to do all the landscape maintenance and oversee other services and repairs.  I'd love to just do this kind of work, but alas times have changed and one must be diverse to stay self employed - so.....

What I'm adding to this business for 2018 is Landscape Design.  I am still in the program, but hope to graduate with a certificate in a few weeks.  

I want to focus on small spaces, natural landscaping and enhancing wildlife habit.  I have no idea how to advertise this or where the new clients will come from, but like everything else I have done, I'll just put it out there and see what happens.

In my Jewelry business I will continue to create large wearable art from metal and other natural materials.  I have been offering these on my website at www.jgray-design.com and they are available at the Fusions Art Gallery in Ocean Shores, WA. 

In 2018 more of the large pieces will only be available at galleries and I am planning to create some smaller more affordable pieces for the website.

I will continue to make handmade jewelry supplies for my other shop:  www.jgdsupplies.com .  This is where I hand dye 100% cotton fabrics and make them into scarves and ribbon.  I also make Mala tassels and offer other jewelry supplies there.

My hobbies are going to get really fun this year as I revisit Photography!  I have some new equipment that I want to experiment with, a film camera and a longer zoom lens.  I will still shoot with the digital as well.

I've been thinking about some black and white landscapes of our area and I might even delve back into people candids.

I've expanded my photography website so that I can offer all of the best images as prints and products.  You can visit there at http://j-gray.pixels.com .

Currently I have a few images there such as this one  from a photo shoot I did for a local gardener two years ago.

 I almost forgot to add that I am working on a new photo book and a new poetry book!  Due out later this year.  I still have the other books, listed on the Publications page here on the blog.

 The hobbies list got expanded, so I'm not sure if I can cover it all, but it includes learning how to make beeswax candles, learn how to do fermenting, and add more gardening space in the yard for vegetables.  

I bet you were wondering if I was going to work on the house this year.  Well yes, I need to install a window in the back bedroom and I'd like to install those insulation panels inside the skirting.  I can probably just afford to do the back end of the mobile first, later this summer, and then do more as funds allow.

I think that's plenty to cover in one year!

Hope you all are making plans that will keep you happy.