Confidence

warp for Big Project #4 ready to be rough sleyed

Confidence:  Firm trust; assured expectation; self-reliance; boldness, impudence; telling of private matters (as a secret) etc...

Have been thinking today about why I started blogging.  The answer is a rather long list beginning with the thought that, in August 2008, I was over my health issues and finally on the road to recovery.  How wrong I turned out to be.

At any rate, I started blogging partly as a celebration of life, partly because I wanted to share my weaving experience with others without running afoul of those whose experience differed from mine, partly as a boost to my confidence which positive feedback provides.  Blogging also allowed me the freedom to post photos, drafts and diagrams along with my text which chat groups (be they on yahoo or elsewhere) doesn't.  It allowed me to ruminate upon other things going on in my life than just weaving - e.g. sharing what I am currently reading.

I knew that some people valued my experience from feedback received while I was travelling to teach so I had confidence that those people would welcome my pithy comments.  Blogging also allows me to share things in this semi-private forum that I no longer share in public forums (like how long it takes me to do some of the processes involved in weaving).

Ultimately my blog became therapy as I did the cancer detour and badly needed the support of more than just my family, who were stressed out enough as it was without my turning to them when I felt weak, helpless as they felt already.

But just because a person is confident in some areas of their life doesn't make them confident in all areas.

Most recently I 'published' a booklet on my experiences dealing with the marketplace selling my textiles.  It was with a certain degree of trepidation I pushed the 'send' button and I have been kind of waiting with bated breath for feedback.  One person said that it was 'thorough', which pleased me because I tried to at least mention everything I could think of about being in the business of selling hand woven textiles.  But the email I got this morning from Karen Donde of Sutherland Weaving Studio really warmed my heart:

"Ok, opened the file and couldn't stop reading. Goose bumps. I sure hope we get some time to talk in person in March.

Thanks for sharing all this experience. The download was $8.95; the lessons learned...priceless.


Karen"

There are still spots available in the one day workshop A Good Yarn being held at Sutherland Weaving Studio March 17.  I'm looking forward to meeting Karen, her weaving partner Barbara and weavers in the Asheville NC area for the first time.  :)