The Process of Art // A Labour of Love

I decided at the start of 2017 that I was going to quietly step away from running the Upcy Shop. While I was still (up until the end of last week) accepting some Custom Orders, I had completely stopped listing & removed ALL the existing items on my Shop Page.

I don’t know if it was the entire concept of accepting or having to ask for compensation in exchange for my Art, knowing full well that I enjoy the challenge of Marketing & Sales in general (as many of your know Cody & Myself also work a Health & Wellness N.M. Business from Home which we truly enjoy!)
or the idea of having to do it... that robbed me of the very reason I dove back into exploring my creative side. The more orders I attempted to fill, and Items I listed online or in a Co-Op Shop - I also had a small Pop-Up style Booth in at the time - the more I felt drained by the whole process.
I used to spend hours creating things & I would document the process as I did so. I made things I wanted to create. Things that I used and wanted to have in my life! I love reaching for something old and forgotten, the process of turning it into something beautiful and new fills me with a deep sense of joy and accomplishment! It became more about creating things I thought other people would want or had asked me for. I stopped getting the same amount of joy from the process of creating when it became all about a perfect end product. What felt worse, was when I realized I was no longer reaching for my paint brush or any art supply as a way to seek peace, calm or express myself.
Cultivated Through The Process of Art.. meaning the practice of being present in the moment & embracing your creative side, Not obsessing over perfection. The Name Upcy came from 

 up·cy·cle 
ˈəpˌsīkəl/

verb

reuse (discarded objects or material) in such a way as to create a product of a higher quality or value than the original.

I truly believe that it is not just materials that can be 'reused to create a product of higher quality,' but also our Mood, lifting the spirit to a higher happier level!

this summer (2017) smiling in front of a tassel & sprinkle photo wall I made for my best friends birthday!

circa summer of 2014 - Shamelessly Happily waving tassels in the wind in front of a hedge on the side of one of Ottawas busiest streets.

To Inspire people to create their own ART, To Share the peace, calm, self expression & love I get from the Process of Art in hopes that it may encourage others to find it too

With today being the First day of the 2017 School Year, I decided it was as good a time as any to officially put a close to that chapter (at least for now)! Never say Never right!

There are so many reasons why I have made this decision but that was probably the biggest! My intention was never to Profit off of or sell my Art. The entire concept of my work (being up-cycled / unique pieces), also makes it very difficult (most times impossible) to re-create.I am always working with new materials & very rarely have access to more of anything I use!
So while I learned a LOT from the experience, I will no longer be listing items for Sale on the Upcy Shop! I will still be Blogging, Styling, & Creating in many ways. I love collaborating with others, to create a Vision! Sharing what we know with one another & learning a new skills together! I want to get back to that! 

summer 2016 in front of wall of my Art cody & I built before moving from Ottawa 

 

I will however have a Studios Worth of Items//Photo Props that I will be looking to get rid  of as I do not have a Studio to store them in! (I have not quite decided on how I am going to go about organizing that however but be sure to keep an eye out for that if you are a fellow Blogger // content creator // lover of All Things Aesthetically Pleasing!)

Cheers to another change of Season! 

Self Love Cultivated through

The Process of Art;

The Practice of Self Care;

 & An Attitude of Gratitude