Plunging deeper........

Creating a wishlist has been an blessing to me. First and foremost, it has saved me from making a lot of impulse purchases, A BIG THING FOR ME! It's saved me $$$ and allowed me to make choices that I can live happily with. Gotta love that! So, yesterday, I plunged even deeper into the world of unmounted stamps and placed an order for some stamps that have been on my wishlist for a quite sometime.

It has been a while since I've purchased anything new, as I've been trying to organize and use all the supplies I'm accumulating. I must admit, I've become quite notorious for purchasing supplies to try new techniques and to learn new things. Then, I'm on to making another purchase to try something totally new and different once again. I think this something all artist's tend to do while learning. So, for now, one of my main objectives is to actually use what I have and to make better choices regarding the purchases I do make.

Like so many artist's, my taste and style has changed. It is hard to learn to let go of those things I've simply outgrown. I feel this is something many artist's struggle with..... The need to hoard, LOL! Somewhere, in the back of my mind, I always think "but what if I need that?" LOL!

Now, mind you, some of the supplies I'm talking about have been sitting unused for quite some time. I look at them and wonder "What in the world was I thinking when I purchased that?!" While other items, I've simply developed an emotional attachment to. Some of my wood mounted stamps fall into this category. I see them laying there upon the beautiful acrylic trays within my stamp cabinet, and take a trip down memory lane, "remember when I used this stamp for my mom's birthday present/card/mixed media collage..... {insert any completed artwork project here} then, grab whatever I was after in the first place and close the cabinet doors. I think it is the fact that I've tied up a small fortune in my supplies that really inhibits me from purging through them. Then, there is that thought that it may be awhile before I'll be able to make any new purchases to replace an item. It is a vicious cycle!!!

I've recently come to the conclusion though, if I ever desire to be truly happy with my art, my supplies, and my studio, I really must take the LEAP to learn to let go! Creating my wishlist truly taught me a few things. To give myself permission to enjoy what I have, to carefully consider the purchases that I do make, and to realize that by letting go of some of these items truly will free my creative muse in the end.

So, whether I'll RAK a friend or someone who like myself who cannot always afford something new due to other finacial obligations and desires, or sell some items for a discounted used price to purchase some additional items on my wishlist, for now I'm simply content with the idea of Letting Go. Imagine the room I'd have for all the things I'd learn to treasure..... {smile} and resolving some of the storage issues that plague me now.

I'm truly learning to love this idea of "Letting Go!" It is freeing me, allowing my imagination to once again take flight, and hopefully "letting go" will provide someone else with the pleasure, sense of accomplishment, and satisfaction that an item once gave to me. What a wonderful gift to myself and to others!

So, after so much careful thought and consideration, what did I purchase? Some unmounted stamps from Above The Mark. Perfect for my style now and the collage work I'm looking forward to creating. A keyhole {since I love and use the one I currently own!}; a handel music stamp {that will work perfectly with so many themes}; a Fleur de lis {that I absolutely love}; a number scroll {something I don't own}; a beautiful scroll-style compass point,
{perfect for a masculine or collage theme}; a Lion's head {it simply drew me right in}, a crown {for all those vintage photos}; a looking bird --- {ok, it's a crow! an adorable crow}; and something I flipped over when I saw it, a knife, fork, and spoon set! {perfect for collage!!!} I feel I made some excellent choices and am so proud simply to be ME!