R is for

I don't exactly know when you will read this post, but safe to say it is probably not going to make it for actually being posted on 20th February 2014. I have to say that the techno gremlins are trying their hardest to knock me off target, tonight was a lack of internet; in fact a lack of anything that could commuincate with the outside world. At this point it would be so easy to give up rather than battle on but guess what...?

Today's letter is 'R' and I could have gone for 'Random' because that is how my computer works - 'at random', or how about 'Refuse' as in technology refuses to co-operate with anything. But I had already decided on today's word which is 'Reward'.

To me a reward is something you have earned and it doesn't have to be huge. It could be an extra biscuit with your tea because you told yourself that's what you would have if you completed a project within a certain time limit. It's almost like goal setting, with a treat at the end when you reach the target. Whatever the treat, and however it is earned, the reward should be given for some sort of positive achievement. It's an upbeat thing. What it should not be is something which is given irrespective of whether it is deserved or not. Bonuses for poor performance, payoffs for doing the job badly, paying kids to go to school (huh??). Why should we honor negative outcomes?

I think we all deserve to reward ourselves for our artistic achievements, however large or small. Being kind to ourselves does not always come easy, as I have said before we are our harshest critics.

My artwork today is another hybrid tag.

 I suppose this is almost instant crafting. Take a tag with a pre-printed background, add another design on top of that and finish with dimensional embellishments. 

Ok, so I created a new design over the Vintage Tag background, but you could equally stamp on this and then colour in the image or you could stamp onto a self adhesive label, colour, cut out and stick on.

I actually like this form of crafting, its not cheating its embroidering on what you already have to produce a new piece of art; and if you sometimes struggle with creating the background using something that already has a design on it sets the creative juices going. Try stamping onto old dictionary or book pages, patterned paper or even brown wrapping paper.

If we want rewards in this world, whether it is applause for our art, a comment on a blog post or that extra biscuit with our tea, we really need to work for them so that when they do come there is a real feeling of achievement. After all, anything that leaves us feeling positive and upbeat is a reward in itself. 

See you tomorrow, or should that be later today?