fanciful devices: Productivity.

A Stone Is Nobody's

A man ambushed a stone. Caught it.
Made it a prisoner.
Put it in a dark room and stood guard over it for the rest of his life.

His mother asked why.

He said, because it's held captive, because it is captured.

Look, the stone is asleep, she said, it does not know whether it's in a garden or not. Eternity and the stone
are mother and daughter; it is you who are getting old. The stone is only sleeping.

But I caught it, mother, it is mine by conquest, he said.

A stone is nobody's, not even its own. It is you who are conquered; you are minding the prisoner, which is yourself,
because you are afraid to go out, she said.

Yes yes, I am afraid, because you have never loved me, he said.

Which is true, because you have always been to me as the stone is to you, she said.

Russell Edson

FAQs

1. Are you a Southeast Asian dancing girl from the 1800s?

No, sorry to disappoint. My avatar and banner images are from an ancient book I found in the depths of my grandmother's cabinets. More on that here.

2. How do you make everything look so old?

First, you need a good oxidizer to brush on every bit of metal you can reach. I'll tell you all about it here.

Then there's this wax. I first mentioned it here. You'll have to scroll down a lot.

3. How can you be so productive?

I'm insanely obsessed and I have no offspring. I do nothing else- I don't have a day job, I don't clean my house or cook, I spend all day in pjs, often completely abandoning personal hygiene... I only interact with other humans when I walk my dog. And I like people! But I prefer dogs.

And I'm sloppy- but I make that sloppiness work for me.

4. Any tips you'd like to share?

No! Except for these 16 posts about techniques and this one about how to find your aesthetic.

5. Would you be offended if I took some inspiration from your designs?

Well, I'd be happier if you outright copied them.

No really, imitation is how we learn. I have enough ideas to go around. And even if I don't- please. No one's going to do this obsessively enough to threaten my business. (Probably.) I learned by copying others and I've seen others copy me as a step toward developing their own voice. So feel free. (I'd love if you tossed me a link in my comments, so I can feel like a proud momma.)

6. What do you look like?

Why, what have you heard? Really? Wow.

7/21/11

Productivity.

Molrowing. Double Wrap Cuf...
To answer your question, Marin, I have no kids and no day job. I don't clean or do laundry- my husband with the full-time job does that when he feels like it.

Molrowing. Double Wrap Cuff.

Mostly there's tumble weeds of dog hair rolling by our feet. And yesterday, for example, I didn't remember to brush my teeth til 11 PM, unfortunately. And when I said I "cooked", hubs chopped all the veggies, I just dropped them in the pan and made instant rice in the microwave. Oh then I opened a can of coconut milk and dropped some curry paste in. And other than yesterday, we live on granola bars and other snacks.

Uruguay.
I think, though, that I am fast because when it comes to creative stuff, my mind works very quickly, so I can figure out what to do at impressive speeds. Plus I work in batches, and that brings a bit of the efficiency of an assembly line into my makings.

But more than anything, I can't stress enough how much being blindingly, life-crushingly obsessed with only one thing does for your productivity. Except in the case of adolescent boys and sex- it destroys their productivity.
At All. Buddhist Reliquary.

At All.
But I mean productivity in the area you're obsessed with. And when it comes to masturbation, I'm sure adolescent boys are unequalled. Wait. What was the question?

At All. Buddhist Reliquary.

Actually one of the meds I take (generic Wellbutrin) contributes to the obsession. In the commercial it warned to watch out for out-of-control gambling or hourly casual sex. So I went into my doctor all worried- "I have one of the side effects!" But when I told him what my particular fixation was he said, "What a wonderful addiction to have!"
And me: "Oh? It's allowed? I get to keep on enjoying it?"

Blazing Tongues of Fire. Buddhist Reliquary.

Blazing Tongues of Fire. Buddhist Reliquary.

Blazing Tongues of Fire.
Unrelatedly, seems none of my sales are from blog readers, as no one's been using the free shipping coupon code. So that's .... Ok, I have no conclusion to reach from that.

Blazing Tongues of Fire. Buddhist Reliquary.

I was slightly less lazy on the narratives this time. I have so much good advice now from the comments and convos! But that means all kinds of things to look up/into and right now its 8:49 PM and I still haven't stopped to eat. Not once since my morning coffee. See what I mean?

11 comments:

stregata said...: I wish sometimes I could just fall into my obsession - but I do have a day job and a husband that enjoys my cooking and a bunch of cats, that - while I could swear they are intelligent enough to open the cat food - prefer to make me feed them, and there is the garden... Besides, my mind does not work at the same speed as yours...; 7/22/11, 12:23 AM
Flotsam Tide said...: I don't know what I enjoyed more on this post...your commentary or the beautiful jewelry. One side kept distracting me from the other. :) That Uruguay necklace is so pretty! Such lovely symmetry, and I can't get enough of those velvet strawberries.; 7/22/11, 12:34 AM
Penelope said...: I get production lines going too- I have at least 12 half-finished projects laying around and I just make up bits and stick them all together till I have something. I'm so inspired by how ragged and primitive these are, really cobbled together even more than usual. You're ace!

Oh and I have just as much spare time as you, and yet...get half as much done. Damn internet.; 7/22/11, 2:13 AM
steufel said...: Awesome, awesome, awesome. And I'm so looking forward to see what you do with Loreleis shadow box btw:-); 7/22/11, 3:18 AM
Marin said...: HA! Awesome! Thanks for answering! I guess all the time I spend between two dogs, three cats, a night job at a bar, a girlfriend opening a butcher shop, and a garden really adds up. Good to know I'm on the right track with the assembly line thing, if Sparrow does it too. The pieces are, of course, stunning and magical!; 7/22/11, 8:22 AM
Spirited Earth said...: All sorrows are less with bread. ~Miguel de Cervantes, Don Quixote; 7/22/11, 9:00 AM
Linda said...: free shipping?? what? when?? besides, when i look at your blog, i can scarcely read it fast enough due to scrolling down to look at all the gorgeous goodies! let's see, what i remember from this entry is that you don't brush your teeth...right?; 7/22/11, 9:02 AM
Pretty Things said...: That strawberry was totally unexpected! Love it!; 7/22/11, 1:54 PM
Unknown said...: Beautiful designs!; 7/22/11, 3:51 PM
In the Light of the Moon said...: Love your work,and your post!!Nice to meet you.Warmest Regards,Cat; 7/23/11, 7:43 AM
Cathamber said...: Hi there! I buy your stuff, in fact my hand 'slipped' earlier on today (oops). I agree with Linda when she says I can't get through your posts fast enough in case I miss the jewelery of my dreams...also figured that International post is different and you wouldn't make any money if you gave that for free. I love your stuff and enjoy wearing the pieces that I've got. Hope your op has made lots of difference to your life. Keep up with the obsessions! x; 7/23/11, 11:47 AM