Many Thanks for Thanksgiving

I truly have so much to be thankful for in my life at this time.....I'm doing what I love for a living; enjoying good health, friends and family; and getting back in touch with my long-neglected Inner Child who had been nearly buried with my oh-so-adult-like-serious approach to life.  Since my "freedom" date of 11-1-11, I've been bouncing out of bed around 6:00 a.m., ready to take on the new day with a happy vengeance.  I'm going to bed around 10:00 p.m., enjoying a few moments of reading before falling into a peaceful sleep.  My patience level has gone from a negative number to nearly a 10.....and the month of November isn't even over yet!  Money-making opportunities have been falling into my lap, and as of this writing I am officially showing my art in 6 galleries.  I'm getting my property management business back on line and am looking into going to Philadelphia in February for a conference about the art business.

I've exceeded my modest expectations and am basking in the knowledge that "I did it!"  I really, truly did it.....after all this talk of leaving my comfortable day job, I have jumped off the comfort cliff to do what I know I was meant to do, and it's all working out gloriously.  I'm eternally grateful to each and every one of you for your support and friendship.  I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving and enjoy the time you spend with your friends and family. 

They're back!!

Every year since I began fusing glass (1999) I have designed a Christmas Ornament.  In 1999 I began with a Santa on clear glass then did a Rudolph ornament in 2000.  The Christmas Tree on clear came out in 2001 and the Snowman appeared in 2002.  To be honest I've lost track of which ornament happened in what year afterwards, but I'm happy to announce that the 2011 ornament is an adorable happy little penguin!  Special thanks go to dear Rachel Stark for her wonderful suggestion :-)

I'm also thrilled to announce that I've been super busy since I "quit the day job" and became a full-time working artist!  My ornaments have been instrumental in getting my work into 4 new venues since 11-1-11:  Christmas & Company in Old Sacramento, CA; The Flower Farm Inn & Nursery in Loomis, CA; and both the Folsom & El Dorado Hills stores of Fire & Rain Galleries! 

I am looking for more stores to carry my ornaments as well as other fused glass items; lampworked bead jewelry and paintings, so if you know of any galleries or gift shops that might be a good fit for my work, I would love to know about it!!  Just shoot me an email at jjjacobs@comingabstractions.com or comment below.  If my work gets accepted into your suggested store, you'll get your pick of 3 ornaments signed by me!!

It's Happening!!!

Today is 11-1-11 and this morning I awoke, basking in the knowledge that it was officially the first day of my being a full-time artist!   Wanting to hit the ground running, I filled a bag with a bunch of my fused glass Christmas ornaments, garden people, jewelry, and other JJ-designed items and headed out to meet with Patty, the owner of The Flower Farm in Loomis, CA.   Patty loved my items and will now be carrying them in her fabulous gift shop :-)  Not a bad way to start my first morning of self-employment! 

Feeling excited and inspired, I decided to hit another uber-cool gallery called Fire and Rain Gallery in El Dorado Hills.  As luck would have it, the owner Judy was there.  I asked if I could show her my glass Christmas ornaments and she agreed -- after she saw them, she asked what other types of items I made?  So I went back to my car and brought out the items I had shown earlier that morning.  I'm happy to announce I'm going to be in both the El Dorado Hills Fire and Rain Gallery AND her newest store in Folsom!! 

It is amazing how easily these opportunities have come to me recently......last Wednesday, my office took me to lunch to celebrate my new adventures.  Afterwards, we visited Christmas & Company in Old Sacramento, which happen to be tenants in one of the buildings my former company developed and built last year.  I showed some of my ornaments to them and they want to sell them too! 

I truly believe these opportunities are the Universe's way of telling me I did the right thing, leaving my "secure" job and following my passion.  I honestly can't wait to see what happens next. 

Stay tuned......