Happy (creative) New Year!

The other day someone asked what I like most about the start of the new year. Jokingly, I answered "consignment checks." I'm relieved to say that it seems like the economy (in our little corner of the world) showed some signs of recovery this holiday season. But what I really look forward to in a new year is the prospect of some quiet time (after all the wonderful holiday noise) for creating new work.

And it's a not only a new year, but a new decade. So what are you going to do to cultivate your creative life? That's what I've been asking myself this week. I'm not much of a "New Year's Resolutions" person (if you want to do something-just do it). And big resolutions are often difficult to keep anyway. I prefer to think about what steps I might take to shape the year ahead. "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." - Lao-tzu.

This year, I enjoyed making many new "art friends" (and got to know some others a little better). I'm looking forward to those associations with the hope that we can all encourage and inspire one another. "Encourage" seems to be the word I keep using lately. Maybe it's my "word" for 2010... seems appropriate for a teacher, doesn't it? Here are a few of the steps that I hope will shape my creative journey:

Make more time to experiment. While I already do this to some degree, I want to make it a regular practice. At least once a month, I will try something new or do something I haven't tried for a while, just to shake things up... it doesn't have to be a grand project.

Visit the art museum. It's a great source of inspiration. I am ashamed to say that I went to our amazing museum once this year - once. It's 10 minutes away (and free). This year will be different...

Draw more often. I used to be really good about this, but have been less so in recent years (especially last year). Gotta work on that.

Use my camera creatively and not just for documentation. This past year I found some time to do that a little bit. It's a chance to shift your focus - especially doing macro photography. And I like to manipulate the photos too... all this can inspire other ideas. Watch for some more of that.

Remember to keep it simple/don't over do it. For me, this includes not overcommitting and having reasonable expectations of what can be accomplished in a certain amount of time. Sometimes I thrive on creating under pressure, but other times it just creates more pressure. Mostly, it's just tiring. THIS is going to be a challenge. =)

Blog more regularly (at least once a week) and read more blogs. It's tough to keep up with all the wonderful blogs that I discovered this year, but I will to try to read a few more than I do now.

And of course, I want to continue working toward being the best teacher I can be.

Wishing you all a happy, heathy, joyful, prosperous, creative New Year!

How many months does it take to start an Etsy shop?

For me, the answer would be 10. For most people, I'm sure it was less. Last January I joined Etsy and in February, set up a shop. Soon thereafter, I shot pictures and little by little (over several months), I worked on making a banner and setting shop policies (shipping, payment, etc.)... today, I finally got around to listing some items.

Over and over, I debated opening the shop, but finally decided it seemed like a good thing for those times I get requests or interest from people who aren't near a gallery, or for after a show. And if new people find my shop and buy, of course that's a good thing... I don't know how much time I'll have to promote it, but I do hope to be good about adding more items. I don't have unrealistic expectations for work to fly out of the shop, but hey, you can't win if you don't play... sound familiar?

It's a fact that I love making earrings. So no matter what, I see the shop as another possible way to spread some joy... if just one person buys earrings that make them happy, it will all be worth it.

For now, I'm just putting earrings in the shop. I may add some larger items like pendants or pins down the road. We'll see what happens. Anyone have an Etsy experience to share - as either a buyer or seller?

The joy of making earrings...

Some of you know I've been making a lot of earrings for my upcoming show. These images represent just some of what's in production. I get lost in the process of earring-making and especially love making bunches of earrings. It's another kind of meditation for me. The parts for the earrings are made a dozen or more at a time, over several hours (with breaks). This might sound like mass production - it is, but it's much more than that. As I make each metal or metal clay part - form or shape it, file or sand it - however I might handle the piece, I think about that earring finding an owner or being a gift, and wish it to bring joy to someone.

Not everyone might agree, but I believe that the energy and thought we put into our artwork comes through in the finished product. And I like to be mindful of the quality of my work and in touch with the process of making. Some people have suggested I hire help so I can make more jewelry. At least for now, I can't imagine not making each of the pieces I sell, though on occasion, I have had help with adding the ear wires and such. This total involvement may not be for everyone and sometimes there are reasons to have others make your work. Even putting your energy and positive thoughts into the design of a (mass) produced item will probably have this effect also. Personally though, I really like to have the hands-on contact.

From time to time, I encounter a person (a stranger) wearing a pair of earrings I've made and I engage them in a conversation about them. I don't tell them that I've made the earrings. The response is usually how much they like/love them, and I might hear the story of how they were a gift or that they got them at a gallery or show (maybe years ago). They often say they were made by an artist, but most of the time they don't remember the artist's name. I don't really care - if they're happy, I'm happy. Depending on the circumstances, I might identify myself as the maker at the end of the conversation, but not always. I'm not in it for the notoriety (if they happen to remember the artist's name, that's a bonus). I just like to hear the stories and see them smile.

Maybe all this energy-putting and joyful thinking is for naught, but who's to say? It seems the responses to my work support the theory... and in any event, doing it makes me happy. When people lose an earring, they contact me (or the gallery) for a replacement and are always glad hear I'll make one. So I'll continue to put my positive energy and joyful thoughts into my work (with all pieces, not just earrings). The bottom line: I really want those earrings to make someone happy - to make them feel good. The payoff is when I know I've done that. If I hear someone say "these are my favorite earrings," then I know they feel good when they wear them.

I'm sure many of you treat your work (or gift-giving) similarly. If not, try consciously sending some positive energy with your gifts or artwork. In this upcoming holiday season, think about each gift you're giving and the person you're giving it to. Give the gift with joy. Send your holiday cards with good thoughts towards each recipient. If you're a jewelry maker (or other craft maker), think about what you're making and your reason for making it. Be aware of the making, rather than just going through the motions. Think about the person who will be wearing/receiving that item and wish them well. If nothing else, it will make you feel good to think that way.

Spread the joy! I'd love to hear from others who think this way about their craft.

ArtCraft Holiday Sale

This is probably my favorite show of the year. I'm happy to be one of the guest artists again this year at the ArtCraft Building Open Studio Holiday Sale. This popular show features over 20 ArtCraft Building artists, along with more than 30 other regional artists–now in it's 22nd year (though I've only been a part of it for the past several years). It's a wonderful community of artists, a great atmosphere filled with positive energy–not to mention amazing artwork for sale. If you're in the Cleveland area, put this on your list of must-see Holiday shows.

December 5 & 6 2009. For more information and a list of participating artists, please visit the show's website: http://artcraftstudio.wordpress.com/

Fall Kaleidoscopes

I just couldn't resist a little creative procrastination yesterday. When I looked out the window, the trees just seemed aglow with color. So, I grabbed my camera, went outside, and shot a few pictures. Then I wondered how the images would look in a kaleidoscope program I like to use. If you've been reading this blog, you know I love Mandalas. Watch out, it's rather addictive to create these amazing images. You can try it with your own images by following the instructions and links below.

Enjoy!

(Note that some of these were cropped into circles with Photoshop and background color fill was added - matching the image)

To make your own kaleidoscopes:

For the Mac, there's a "hidden" program in the development tools on Tiger's install disc called Core Image Fun House (and it does a lot more that kaleidoscopes). This link will tell you how to install it.

For the PC, you can download a filter that works in Paint or Photoshop. You do have to put it in the folder with your other plug-ins.

Smooshing it all into one post...

So this could probably be about 4 blog posts, but since I'm so busy trying to keep up (is that still, or again?), I'm gonna smoosh 'em all into one... (for my students - yes, that's a reference to my favorite "smooshy" tool*).

I got a little grief from friends for not blogging about my recent article in November's Art Jewelry Magazine (I admit I'm not very good about self-promotion). The article is about inlaying BRONZclay and COPPRclay. It was fun to write and I hope people enjoy trying the technique. AJ did a great job laying it out - there was a lot of info and many pictures to fit into the layout. I couldn't believe it was 7 pages!

Zipping around the state... the weekend before last, I had the opportunity to teach two workshops for the Columbus, OH Chapter of the PMC Guild. One day was on water etching (my favorite technique and the subject of my previous Art Jewelry article), and the other was on the inlay process from the current article. What fun - and such a great group!

My blog post "Showing up and playing..." has touched several people who appreciated the encouragement and who have shared their stories about facing rejection. I was recently contacted about reprinting it, so I'm pleased to be able to share the post with a wider audience. I had the happy experience of seeing that advice in action this past week... someone whose piece had been rejected from a book just submitted the very same piece to a juried show and was accepted. Congratulations!

I recently listened to a couple of blogtalkradio.com interviews. One was with Michael David Sturlin and the other with Tim McCreight. Definitely worth a listen. Both are talented metalsmiths, excellent teachers, and thoughtful about process and art-making. Both had many interesting experiences to share. I liked Tim's suggestion for metalsmiths to consider using metal clay as a design tool. Many of them are hesitant about (or averse to) the possibilities of metal clay. It doesn't have to replace traditional techniques, but might prove to be the right material for a certain design. And Michael said something that resonated with my philosophy of jewelry making - about how we get to make things that bring happiness to people - be it the gift giver, recipient/wearer, or the viewer. He said "we're pretty much in the happiness business." I think that's true of the teaching part as well... and from what Michael said in the interview, I suspect he'd agree.

COPPRclay and enamel update... because I don't have enough other things to do, I'm teaming up on some research with COPPRclay and enamel that will be presented at a later date. For now, I decided to put the other enamel data I was working on aside, as this new study should produce new and up-to-date information. More on this as I am able to share it.

I'd better get back to "the happiness business" - making some jewelry for upcoming shows and gallery events... I don't know how some of you who blog regularly manage to do it along with everything else you do, but I'm very impressed!

*a "smooshy tool" is known to some as a Colour Shaper =) and despite the Urban Dictionary's definition of "smooshy" as crappy and messy (and worse), WE use a "smooshy tool" to make things neater and better...

It's Show Time...

'Tis the season for Holiday Shows to begin. It means a lot of art-making and the fun of all the associated cataloging and organizing (can I say "ugh" about that part?). At least I know I have a lot of company in the "very busy" department.

And to kick things off, I'm thrilled to be a part of a show of Cleveland artists in Cincinnati called "north/south" that opened just yesterday at "indigenous, a handcrafted gallery." It was curated and organized by the energetic and talented Cleveland artist Mark Yasenchack. Mark is also the gallery manager at River Gallery.

Mark is really wonderful about encouraging and promoting local artists. He's a big part of the driving force behind the ArtCraft Building Open Studio Holiday Sale that will take place the first weekend in December, with over 50 studio and guest artists (more about that as is approaches). I know that he, and some of the artists in the "north/south" show, along with many others, join me in busily working towards the ArtCraft show. Then, there are the local galleries with their own events, in which many of us also take part. Heights Arts has a wonderful Holiday Sale at their gallery featuring the work of local artists from November 7th through December 30th.

There are many, many wonderful artists in the Cleveland, Ohio area... I thought you might enjoy seeing the work of just a few of them.

Michael Romanik

Stephanie Craig

Lynne Lofton

Kris Barnes

Brandon Holschuh

Catherine Butler

Mark Yasenchack