Our First Blogiversary!

A Thank You from the Human Artists

This is an important week for Artsy Catsy ... Christmas, then December 28 is our First Blogiversary, then Tuesday we begin a New Year. As we look back over this past year, Rocky has given me permission to share some of my reflections with you, and to open our hearts about how and why Artsy Catsy was begun.

Most of our lives, my sister Suzanne and I have worked in advertising and marketing, using our art and writing skills to promote others' businesses. And all our lives we have loved animals, particularly cats, and have opened our homes to hundreds over the years.

The last few years have been difficult for us. We lost our mother, our grandmother, and our aunt, and my daughter lost her father. At the same time, a series of unfortunate circumstances left us floundering financially. All this led to serious consideration about what we wanted, and needed, to do with the rest of our lives. We both came to the conclusion that it was long past time for each of us to "follow your passion."

It was so obvious! Since we were children, our passions have always been writing, art, and cats. So we set out to find a way to combine those passions with two goals in mind: 1) To make a living doing what we love; and 2) To expand our ability to care for cats in need by sharing that living with organizations that help cats. We decided to devote ourselves to creating artistic products for fellow cat lovers and to donate a generous portion of our proceeds to cat rescue organizations.

While doing online research about cat products, I stumbled across the first cat blog I'd ever seen, The Psychokitty Speaks Out, and on Max's blog I discovered links to a whole world of blogging kitties that I never knew existed. It was one of the most exciting days of my life - I'd found a whole world of people out there who were as crazy about cats as my sis and I!

Though I would never have thought it possible, this first year of blogging has made us love our own precious cats even more! And we have made more friends, all across the world, than in any other year of our lives. You, our wonderful friends, have not only made it possible for us to follow our passions and achieve our dream, you are helping us help cats in need by providing funds to Cat Friends Helping Friends at the Cat Blogosphere, to the Rescue Farm, to animal welfare societies such as Best Friends - and to individual kitties in emergency situations.

Kahlil Gibran, in his book "The Prophet" describes what you've given us much better than I ever could and, for this, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts!

~~ Sharolyn & Suzanne

From "The Prophet":

When you work with love you bind yourself to yourself, and to one another, and to God.

And what is it to work with love?

It is to weave the cloth with threads drawn from your heart, even as if your beloved were to wear that cloth.

It is to build a house with affection, even as if your beloved were to dwell in that house.

It is to sow seeds with tenderness and reap the harvest with joy, even as if your beloved were to eat the fruit.

It is to charge all things you fashion with a breath of your own spirit,

And to know that all the blessed dead are standing about you and watching

... Work is love made visible."