WHERE
THE HECK IS MY PET ROCK?
HARD ON THE TRAIL SEARCHING FOR “MY NEXT BIG THING”
HARD ON THE TRAIL SEARCHING FOR “MY NEXT BIG THING”
I’m sure many of you, my dear readers remember the Pet Rock. Just to bring you up to speed, I borrowed the following description from Wikopedia...
“The Pet Rock is a collectible conceived in 1975
by advertising executive Gary Dahl. Pet Rocks are smooth stones from Mexico's
Rosarito Beach. They were marketed like live pets, in custom cardboard boxes,
complete with straw and breathing holes. The fad lasted about six months,
ending after a short increase in sales during the Christmas season of December
1975. Although by February 1976 they were discounted due to lower sales, Dahl
sold 1.5 million Pet Rocks for $4 each, and became a millionaire.
With his money, Dahl opened a bar
named "Carry Nations" in downtown Los Gatos, California. Dahl
continued to work in advertising; however, he avoided interviews for years,
because "a bunch of wackos" harassed him with lawsuits and threats.
Dahl said in 1988, "Sometimes I look back and wonder if my life wouldn't
have been simpler if I hadn't done it."”
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Anyway, that is what my husband Bill
and I are up to, looking for a pet rock, a product born out of our brains and
hands that will support us in the manner we would like to live our lives. So far,
we’ve tried CAD Design, and I still love it. I don’t plan to give that up as
long as I can slide a mouse around on a desk. CAD has taken us to many places
on the planet, and it’s been very good to us, introducing us to people, places,
and cultures in 6 other countries and 6 other states. I’m writing about our
journey on my personal website http://annejantz.com
. I call it “Riding on the Back Of The Mouse”.
In
2015 I wrote and illustrated my first children’s book, “Olivia Ocelot Comes to
the Rescue: Adventures in the Rainforest” which happens in Costa Rica. Now I’m
working on the sequel, “Olivia Ocelot Saves the Day: Adventures in the Desert”
in Arizona. I’m posting it in a blog at https://oliviaocelotchildrensbooks.com
. That is definitely a “keeper”, and I will keep on keeping on with the
children’s books. I already have book 3 hovering in my brain, and it will be in
Michigan.
This
past summer Bill and I did a lot of Farmers Markets with my book and the :swag”
I’ve developed to go with the book. I create pillows, backpacks, handbags and
artist aprons out of fabric printed with my art from the Olivia Ocelot books. I
get the fabric from an amazing (POD) Print-On-Demand fabric website,
Spoonflower.com. Eastern Market in Detroit was one of the markets we went to.
Bill’s Dad, Russell Jantz worked there as a teenager for his Uncle Ike Maas,
who had a farm at Telegraph and Plymouth Road. Ike eventually sold the farm to
Detroit Diesel.
So
anyway, the beat goes on. I am a lifelong artist and writer working in
painting, fiber, sculpture, silk painting, Computer Assisted Art (CorelDraw and
3D printing), and Bill is a talented man in wood, lettering, and mechanical
things. Wouldn’t you think we could come up with the Jantz Pet Rock? We have a
full basement and a garage to create it in, we have a decent computer for doing
all computer type stuff for the Jantz Pet Rock, and we have a van to schlep all
the stuff around with. Come on, Muse, where is our Pet Rock?
Recently
I bought the millionth book about my quest for my next big thing, “Your Next
Big Thing” by Ben Michaelis, PhD. Ben has some really great advice in the book,
and he wants to help the reader “Reimagine Yourself- Discover Your Purpose-
Take Action – Live in the Now…10 small steps to get moving and get happy”. Ben
talks about the eternal battle between your inner hero and your inner critic.
Your inner hero “who wants you to dream and move boldly towards a bright and
exciting horizon” versus your inner critic who “wants to slow you down and stop
you in your tracks….You inner critic will be there to set up roadblocks to slow
you down…raise your anxiety, inhibit you imagination and torpedo your plans.”
Hot damn, I sure know what he’s talking about!
Ben
thinks your inner critic means well, and is only trying to protect you from the
world, but she/he can certainly make a mess of your ambition and hopes for the
future. Ben says, “Your inner critic is the part of you that tells you, :You
can’t”” I think we all have heard that creepy little voice. Anyway, I think one
of Ben’s suggestion for dealing with that little voice is especially Brilliant!
Ben recommends that we separate the Inner Critic’s voice by assigning it with
an accent! How cool is that? He suggests a French accent, but you can choose
whatever accent you prefer. Then when the little curmudgeon starts harping at
you, you can tell it, “Thank you for sharing,.” And get on with your day. I
recommend the book if you want to delve deeper.
Well
I guess that’s all for this post. Please check out my websites if you would
like to see my art work. http://annejantz.com
/ https://oliviaocelotchildrensbooks.com
Have
a wonderful day!
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