My picks.....

MaryAnn Carroll

Boot Camp is more than a jewelry creating challenge. It is also a challenge to help promote the beauty of creating handmade with handmade. Being an artist and trying to do what you love in order to make a living is very difficult. It takes not only talent, but determination, dedication, commitment, discipline and diligence to push through when you are feeling like the world is bombarding people with everything EXCEPT you!

Karen did a great post about being homeless. I will soon follow by leaving Etsy, but I am first working on converting my "gallery" website into a little shop to sell both my husband Bill's and my work.

For those who love handmade and appreciate the beauty of not only the art, but the whole idea of making a small business doing what you love and believe in, please join us with sharing your skills with other fellow artists. Love My Art Jewelry is truly all about everything that goes into creating handmade with handmade. Our next boot camp is tomorrow November 4th. (sorry if I mixed anyone up!) Won't you join us?

Each boot camp culminates in a blog hop. For those who do not have blogs, you are also invited to share your work through other social media networks. Erika Atkinson, for example, has been very dedicated to Boot Camp but does not have a personal blog. That does not stop her from sharing on the day that comes at the end of the six weeks.

You can also share your work throughout each Boot Camp's six weeks worth of lessons, tutorials, etc.  Here are some pieces that were shared on Flickr, since Boot Camp began in January 2013.

Erika Atkinson

Mary Harding

If you don't always read blogs, you can also find updates on

Facebook

Twitter

Pinterest

Lynda Carson

Linda Landig

Lisa S.

Rebecca Bogan

To see more work like you see here or to join our Flickr group, just click the Flickr button on the right and sign up!

As for promoting the love of handmade vs. manufactured products (not that there is not an importance in that), I think of the story about the tortoise and the hare. It may be a long slow road, but your determination, dedication, commitment, discipline and diligence will ultimately prevail.

As always....

Thank-you for supporting artists who create handmade with handmade.

MaryAnn