When I left college, I realized what many of today's young people do: LIFE DOESN'T ALWAYS GO AS PLANNED!!!... in capital letters...with exclamation points... I fell back into waitressing- a trusty albeit loathsome way to pay the bills that asks absolutely nothing of myself- and certainly offers no challenges (unless you count smiling sweetly at some of the most unpleasant people ever to eat out when you would really love to just give them a piece of your mind before smacking them upside the head- trust me, your server has more will power in their little finger than you will ever know). When I packed up my life and moved five times in one year, I packed away my dreams alongside the sewing needles and jeweler's saws, put a lid on them the way I sealed away boxes of glittering gemstones full of unrealized possibilities. I touched them again only once... for my wedding... and sealed them off again as we tried to make ends meet...
A week ago, I watched the movie Julie & Julia featuring the Julie/Julia Project by Julie Powell in which she takes something she loves (cooking) and redefines her life by giving herself a goal- to cook her way through Julia Child's "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" in one year. At some point during the movie, I picked up a pencil and a clipboard and began drawing. When the movie was over, the pliers were in my hand and there was no going back.
"Xarata" was the pseudonym I developed as a child as the star of every adventure of the imagination; she was a sorceress and a warrior, an elven princess and a rogue- intelligent, beautiful, and fearless- representive of everything that is creative in me and a guide that would lead my imagination as far as I dared let it roam. The Xarata Project was a quest to release the creative heroine that I knew I still lived in me somewhere.
I made a piece per week for a year, whatever I wanted so long as I was making something. I spent another six months working on my strengths- glass, metal, and fabric. I went to a craft show (failure), traded with friends and family, and then launched myself as a brand with a new name, and a new banner. I've sold roughly 1 item per week since the switch.
For those that followed and supported me from the start, thank you. For those interested in the journey, you can click the centered heading and it will take you to the blog that started it all.
