I have a confession to make.

I have a new fiber interest – felting.

I joined the felting study group in my guild and have been really enjoying the process of seeing wool transformed into fiber much more quickly than spinning and weaving. Felt is easier to shape as well. Members of the group have made so many amazing items – I am in awe.

Our current project is making felt beads with fabrics and yarns incorporated into the felt.

Part of what I like about the process of making felt is that it’s pretty physical – at least for me. Rolling those fibers is similar to making bread dough. It’s good for my upper body and is both process oriented and intuitive. But unlike bread, if I mess it up the first time, I can always try again. (The top left piece is a second try.)

I’ve also re-dedicated myself to a daily practice of learning copywriting. And then trying to directly apply what I’m learning to my particular pursuits as an artist and storyteller.

I’m working on a series of reels right now for my new YouTube channel that I hope will direct more traffic to both my website and my Printify store. It’s a lot when I think about everything I have to do. For now I’ve broken it down into manageable chunks of filming a video a day.

And while the campaign may be based on a very recognizable Christmas song, it’s actually a made up holiday – in the spirit of Byrd Baylor’s I’m In Charge of Celebrations.

Because I finally figured out the primary purpose of my YouTube experiment. It’s not just to show off my puppets, practice short storytelling, and get comfortable with sharing videos, but also to share fun with like minded puppet fans, including caregivers of kids (at least for now).

I’m figuring out my why’s and my audiences. And making art.

Last night I went to Desert Garden Gallery for the opening of the current show. I have three pieces in it – two paper stars and a basket made from repurposed Christmas lights. It required a lot of mental effort to get there and I didn’t stay very long. I was there long enough to see a lot of awesome winter based art and to hear someone say, “that’s gorgeous” about my basket.

It made the trip worthwhile.