Low Productivity with Results

            The downside of being a self-employed introvert is that I have almost complete control over my schedule. How is that a downside? Sometimes I just can’t be hard enough on myself.

            See, vacations are great and relaxing and all that, but, in other ways, they’re also quite tiring. For people as introverted as me, they’re downright exhausting – I mean, I get tired just thinking about leaving the house.

            So, this week, there isn't much for me to talk about. I got some work done, but not nearly as much as I should have. On the bright side, I finally finished this wonderful chainmaille shirt:

            It has 46 hours of work in it and would have been completed in 5 days if I hadn't needed to wait for more materials. I'm very proud of how it turned out, though – it has a tricky double-layered part over the shoulders and the stag’s head transfers from one layer to the next – a process made doubly difficult by the weave going in opposite directions on each layer.

            Beyond that, my wife and I also took my grandmother out to an appointment and had lunch with her. It was the first time we've seen her in several months and it was great to chat and catch up with her.

            So, even in a week of low productivity, the week wasn't a complete write-off. It’s still strange to think that we’re so introverted that having a vacation tires us out enough that we need time off to recover from it. Hopefully next week will be more productive and I’ll think of something more interesting to talk about.

Click here to find the charity anthology containing a couple of my short stories.

If there's any subject you'd like to see me ramble on about, feel free to leave a comment asking me to do so.

Short Blog, Long Scarf

            Following Toronto ComiCon, I really am far too tired to write a blog. My wife, however, say’s it’s okay as long as I write at least three sentences. There, that’s three.

            So I leave you today with a picture of Colleen in our booth, dressed as the fourth Doctor, featuring the 15 foot long, 3.5lb chainmaille scarf she made. In the background, you can also see the nifty chainmaille Spiderman mask I made and many of our other products.

Click here to find the charity anthology containing a couple of my short stories.

If there's any subject you'd like to see me ramble on about, feel free to leave a comment asking me to do so.

And so it Begins

            This weekend was spent behind the Ringcrafts table at Tri-Con, an anime, comics and gaming convention. Not only was this show the first one of the year for us, this was the first year for this particular show – and I must say, wow! What a great start. If this show was an indicator of how well we’re going to do at shows this year, my wife and I may find ourselves with more chainmaille to make than we can keep up with.

            For a first year show, Tri-Con drew in an enormous crowd. So much so that it will most likely become an annual event – especially with all the press that showed up! It was wonderful to see a small event getting so much attention. This articledescribes it perfectly (and happens to mention yours truly). I can’t wait to see how this event grows over the years and I look forward to a time when I can say I was there from the beginning.

            As always, the fun of a show is followed by exhaustion, and heralds the time to look towards the next events coming up – the most exciting of which is Toronto ComiCon in March, which we were just accepted as vendors for. This is a show so big that I'm expecting the dealer’s room to be packed shoulder-to-shoulder, which is terrifying from my side of the table. With all the ideas I have and extra stock I’ll need, I expect to be very busy for a while.

            My brain tells me that I should be writing more, but I'm too tired. It’s time to go sleep off the effects that large groups of people have on introverts.

Click here to find the charity anthology containing a couple of my short stories.

If there's any subject you'd like to see me ramble on about, feel free to leave a comment asking me to do so.

Introversion

            I’ve known since I learned the word that I was an introvert. Quiet, shy, reticent... if anyone who knows me were to try and describe me, one (if not all) of those words would be sure to come up – although customers who have met me while I was on the other side of a counter might argue.
            When I started taking drama in high school, I learned what I consider to be the best definition of introverts and extraverts. On the first day, we were going around the circle and introducing and sharing some information about ourselves. When it was my turn, the best piece of information I could think of was, “I’m an extreme introvert”.

            What I didn’t expect was that no one else in the class would know what an introvert was. So the teacher gave the following definition: At a party, both introverts and extraverts can have a great time – to a point where you can’t always tell them apart. When they leave the party, however, extraverts will be pumped with energy, maybe even ready for another party, while introverts will be completely exhausted and want nothing more than to go home and spend some time alone.

            After hearing that description, it confirmed for me that I was what I had said; an extreme introvert. I get exhausted just thinking of going to a party (consequently, I tend not to go).

            It really is as simple as that. An introvert is someone who needs to have some time alone to “recharge” their energy levels. They also tend to be people who spend a lot of time looking inwards, thinking and dreaming, which is why they come across as quiet and shy. Or antisocial, in extreme cases.

            That’s also why you’ll find that a lot of authors are introverts. When you live inside your head more than out in the world, your mind becomes full of ideas – eventually those ideas can be written down. There is also plenty of time to write them down during “recharging” times. With no one else around, there’s often nothing better to do.

            Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to go find a cave to hide in; my batteries need recharging.

Click here to find the charity anthology containing a couple of my short stories.

If there's any subject you'd like to see me ramble on about, feel free to leave a comment asking me to do so.