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June 24, 2009

Wednesday WhyNots- Optimism

I thought Wednesday is a good day for posting something funny, uplifting, thoughtful, head-scratching....food for thought or food for delight. It's just what you need to take a deep breathe and realize you are half way through your work week and you've done a great job so far!

GoMA-Optimism

I discovered this amazing Optimist's Creed by Christian Larson (1874-1954) this weekend. I want to share it with you. I've been starting off my day with it and ending my day with gratitude exercises. Hope it gives you a spark...of Optimism.

I promise myself....
To be so strong that nothing can disturb my peace of mind.

To talk health, happiness, and prosperity to every person I meet.

To make all my friends feel that there is something worthwhile in them.

To look at the sunny side of everything and make my optimism come true.

To think only of the best, to work only for the best, and to expect only the best.

To be just as enthusiastic about the success of others as I am about my own.

To forget the mistakes of the past and press on to the greater achievements of the future.

To wear a cheerful expression at all times and give a smile to every living creature I meet.

To give so much time to improving myself that I have no time to criticize others.

To be too large for worry, too noble for anger, too strong for fear, and too happy to permit the presence of trouble.

To think well of myself and to proclaim this fact to the world, not in loud words, but in great deeds.

To live in the faith that the whole world is on my side, so long as I am true to the best that is in me.

Creative Blessings to you,

T

**Would love to have you leave me a comment. Don't make me beg ;-)

June 23, 2009

Tip Tuesday- Repairs

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At a recent class I taught, a students ring didn't fit quite right.  So we decided we'd try and make it a bit larger.  This is usually not a problem and with repeat annealing, I've made rings two sizes larger with no breakage.  However, this ring It was constructed as a Double Fired Ring and the connection between the band and signet wasn't quite sintered  or connected together.  I'm sure we followed the Theory of Diffusion and fired it for at least an hour on the second firing, but in a hurried class environment, it's quite possible that we did not.  It was also the first time this student had made a ring so it's quite possible that the connection wasn't as good as it will be the next time she tries the same technique.  This is the beauty of learning.  

I am a big proponent of creating learning situations in class.  There is no such thing as failure.  There are only more opportunities to learn.  That's why you are there.  It's not that you want it to happen to a student or to yourself, but truly it is the best thing!   This student did do a great job on her ring.  I was so proud of her tenacity as I know at times she wasn't sure what she had gotten herself into.  Certification is challenging, as it should be.  When sizing up the ring to make it a bit larger, that connection came open.  I told her that I would be happy to repair it and ship it to her at a later date since there just wasn't time to do it during the class. 

As luck would have it, later the next week, a good friend brought me her ring that had broken also.  She also asked me to repair it.  What's the likelihood of being asked to repair two rings in one week!  Obviously another teaching opportunity had presented itself loud and clear.  

Any hoo, I decided to document the entire process for these students so they know exactly what I did.  It's a good thing I did, because I learned a lot and wanted to share my findings with you too.

Step One:
Make the break seam as flush as possible.  I made sure the metal was annealed by heating with a torch and air cooling.  The rings were then wiggled and gently hammered so the seam was a flush and snug fit.  I could have soldered the joint after burnishing the heck out of the fine silver, but I wanted to finish it with metal clay by refiring.  Most students don't have soldering skills but I highly recommend taking metalsmithing classes to round out your skill set and expand your knowledge.

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Step Two:
Using binding wire, I created a tight nest of tension so that when the metal was heated for prolonged periods of time, the joint was not tempted to open.

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Step Three:
I mixed up the Art Clay Oil Paste and flooded the seam.  I haven't used this product a lot, but many rave about it.  So having a plethora of supplies and tools available to me (having Whole Lotta Whimsy's warehouse on the premises has it benefits), I decided it would be the perfect product for this project.  I dried the Oil Paste overnight.  

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**By the way...the best way to stir up any sort of paste is with a swizzle stick.  I always tell my students that their homework after class is to get some kind of fancy drink (alcoholic or non) after class but make sure it's got a swizzle stick ;-)  They are mini pestles!

Step Four: 
I then fired them in the kiln to the directions given by the mfg: 1470F for 30 minutes.  This goes against the theory of diffusion, but what they hey, I follow directions.

Step Five:
Cut off binding wire.

Step Six:
Put on mandrel and gently hammer ring to round it up.  

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Step Seven:
Swear softly when the joint pops open and repairs have to be repaired.

Step Eight:
Cut off binding wire of second ring.  Surely the first ring was just a freak incident. 

Step Nine:
Swear, not as softly, when second ring breaks like the first ring and with not much resistance. 

Step Ten:
Walk away and set intention for repairing the repairs again tomorrow or a later date.  I will try my old tricks and see if they work.  Oh goodie...another learning opportunity ;-)


Second repair...saga continues :-)

Repeat steps 1 and 2 on both rings.  Oh yes, start by filing off oil paste fired metal from ring.  Don't want to ruin the ring by making unsightly blobs over the seam.  

Step 3: Mix up PMC3 Paste with French Lavender Oil.  Let it sit for a bit.  Okay, you are supposed to let it sit overnight or so, but I pretend to be Jeannie (I Dream Of) and give it a cross-armed nod, and we are good to go.  I am now applying this to the seams.  I then, in my state of immense patience, stick these puppies in the dehydrator.

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Step 4: They are now put into the kiln and fired for 1 hour at 1650F.  

Step 5: Remove from kiln and cut off my beautiful binding wire cages.

Step 6: Place on mandrel and whack them back into a round shape.  Wha La....no breakage.  Perfectly repaired seams.  No repairing the repair.  You can get an old dog to try new tricks, but often their old tricks are best.  I'm sticking with my homemade PMC3 Oil Paste.  It rocks!  This homemade product also smelled better, was easier to work with and filed easier in it's prefired state.  It also dried faster and was less expensive.

Step 7: Using half round file, file off excess metal.  Remember, push-lift, push-lift, etc.

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Step 8: Using Trizact 3M abrasives, sand the inside of the ring to smooth out all imperfections.  Don't forget your safety glasses when using rotary tool.  I also where gloves because that ring gets hot!

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Step 9: Using 3M Radial Disks, sand and polish the inside of the ring to a desired finish.  I love it when the insides of the rings gleam at high shine.  They beg to be worn.  No visable seam!  What breakage?  It's awesome!

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Step 10: Finish with Liver of Sulphur or tumbler or use 3M radial disks on the outside to achieve the finish you desire. 

What have been your experiences with Oil Paste or Homemade Oil Paste?  This was a great test of products because it applied force to the repair afterwards.  I'm sure the Oil Paste would have held if not put under stress.  I'd love to hear from you.  Leave me a comment ;-)

June 19, 2009

Carnival Blog-June

The Blog Carnival....a group of jewelers get together via the web, once a month, to post on a topic that has to do with jewelry.  It's a fun way to hear different opinions from wonderful artists.  Hope you'll visit their sites and read their great blogs.
Ferris wheel
This photograph is available in Friendly Irene Suchocki's Etsy Shop.  It's a 8"x10" photo for $30.  

Topic:  The most influential historical metalsmith or metalsmithing tradition (like art deco, thracian, etc).

Hmmm...who thought of this topic?  Geez...heavy stuff to contemplate.  I couldn't possibly pick a style that has influenced me because there is too long of a list.  So I think I'll try and pick a metalsmith.  Of course, I had to do some research to make sure I have considered many possible choices.  So google helped me out by finding an interesting site, Master Metalsmiths.  They have selected 21 masters of which I have heard of about half.  This is a good place to start if you wanted to learn more about the metalsmiths that have had a large impact on the jewelry world.  However, I think there are many of my favorites that are missing from the list.  Future recipients?  I hope so!

I think for me, someone who has been the "most" influential would have to a hand in everything.  Someone who distributes knowledge, someone who influences others to distribute their knowledge, someone who teaches, someone who makes jewelry, etc.  I know there have been influential artists just because of their art, but then to pick someone who has been the "most" influential would in my book need to do a little more than just have amazing art.  

So for me, in my era, I think that Tim McCreight has been one of the most influential metalsmiths.  Yep, he's included in the list of the 21 selected by National Art Metal Museum as the 2001 recipient.  I've heard Tim describe himself as a maker and publisher.    I think that just scratches the surface.  I am touched by his amazing humility and down-to-earth qualities.  He is what Malcolm Gladwell would call a Maven.  He not only has written his own technical books, 19, but also a novel, The Syntax of Objects (which you really should read).  He also taught and was the head of the metals and jewelry department at Maine College of Art for 16 years.  

Tim

He has greatly influenced and had a large role in the success of PMC.  Mitsubishi was very wise to select Tim as their consultant.  Together with Rio Grande they gave us all another obsession with a different and revolutionary metal.  This metal spurred the newest creation of BronzClay and CopprClay which surely will effect the way that these metals are used.  Without Tim, this product surely wouldn't have had the success it has so quickly had.  In addition, he also put together the PMC Guild which has brought artists together from all over the world to further the success of the metal and it's techniques.  I'm sure that with the advent of the web and Tim's help, we have pushed the metal farther in the last 5-8 years than could have previously been done over decades.  The Guild also had the first forum which helped to share that knowledge on a daily basis, before the Yahoo board was even available.

Through his publishing company, Brynmorgen Press, Tim gathers other amazing artists and teachers who can share with us their knowledge and supports them as they work as a team to release their how-to technical metalsmithing books.  Without someone with an interest to get these books out, who has gathered this amazing breadth of information,  our industry would be without crucial information and that would be truly a loss.  There are far too many simple books that look pretty.  Brynmorgen Press books are not only pretty but they have really meaty information that you can sink your teeth into that sometimes makes your head spin.  I like to be challenged and every one of his books takes a place of honor on my bookshelf.

I am in awe of how generous and gracious Tim is and that influences me a great deal to just be a better person.  He is a person that wants to bring others together, to share, to disseminate information, techniques, etc.  He is willing to share at any moment, to further the industry with research and safety information, to head up or be apart of any group or committee.  I could only aspire to be the whole package that Tim encapsulates.  To boot, he is truly nice.  I look forward to each time I see him and can soak up any tidbit of knowledge he has to share, enjoy his amazing smile and his wit.

Who feeds your soul as an influence?  I would truly love to hear it.  Please post a comment for me ;-)

Visit these Carnies blogs:
Tod Pardon - new to this group

May 22, 2009

Carnival Blog-May

The Blog Carnival....a group of jewelers get together via the web, once a month, to post on a topic that has to do with jewelry.  It's a fun way to hear different opinions from wonderful artists.  Hope you'll visit their sites and read their great blogs.

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This photograph is available in Friendly Made's Etsy Shop.  It's a 5"x5" photo for $12.  

Topic: The Most Influential Metal Artist or Teacher

My name is Tonya Davidson and I am an information junkie.  I have yet to find a 12 step program for what consumes me....not that I would want to be cured of it!

I take a lot of workshops and feel that learning is never complete.  I seek out influence by others whether it's spiritual, business, art-related, or political.  I don't always adopt what they are teaching but I am open to new ideas and opinions.  I seek the gem or nugget that is present in each teacher's teaching and expound on that gem, like a necessary ingredient.  I mix it all in the goulash pot!  It then simmers until the day I might need it.  

I also read a lot of books, magazines, and forums to absorb other peoples opinions, gems of knowledge or possible ideas that can be tweaked in my own way.  I must also mention that I am also influenced by tools.  I will often wander through tool catalogs and hardware shops wondering what I could do with that tool or component.  When using a new tool, it will often teach me many things about myself, how it's used and what not to do with it!  Tools and mediums are excellent teachers!  They can teach you resolve, determination, and show you perhaps a new technique that no one has yet tried.  I am definitely an experimenter and if told that something doesn't work, will try it once usually to test the theory myself.  I am possibly my best teacher, often of what not to do!

Here is a long list of teachers that I have had in art, specifically jewelry making, not including my college years.  Frankly I don't remember my college professor's names so they couldn't have influenced me the way that the others on this list did.  Sad, but true.  All of the teachers on "the list" have influenced me in some way or another.  I've learned a lot of things from their collective experiences and hours at their medium.  I don't know that one stands out more than another as the most influential.  The teachers whose work I am drawn too, have influenced me the most I'm sure.  I am drawn to the work of Harold O'Connor, Andy Cooperman (yet to take his class), Bronwen Heilman, Keith Lo Bue, Linda Darty,  among many others who may not be popping into my head at this time.  I am also influenced by artists who are friends, whom I admire and seek to emulate the entire package of their goodness, such as Bronwen, Celie Fago, Tim McCreight, and Robert Dancik. 

I will continue to seek out the next artist or teacher that may influence my work, my character, my dreams!  I recommend, if you can afford it, to also do the same.  It fills my well and feeds my soul!

What feeds your soul?  I would truly love to hear it.  Please post a comment for me ;-)

Visit these Carnies blogs:
Tod Pardon - new to this group


April 29, 2009

Wed Whatnots- Gratitude

I'm just returning from 7 days in NY.  I hadn't been to upper NY before and really enjoyed it.  It wasn't at all what I imagined, it was so much more.  The studio that I had the great pleasure of teaching at was Studio 34 in Rochester.  The owner Marilynne was just the most delightful woman and the hostess with the mostess!  The studio was in an area of town filled with artists, art stores, and wonderful little eateries!  I highly recommend visiting the studio and taking a class there, which is their specialty.  I always encourage everyone to support their local stores.  Without them and all the small business owners, we wouldn't have the fabric that makes up our experiences! 


Rochester NY 

After a rather trying adventure with US Airways (you know I have amazing travel luck...read about my Bead and Button adventure last June), I was able to share my knowledge about textures on Thursday.  We covered tear away, photopolymer, carving polymer, carving rubber, commercial textures, and more.  It was full of ideas and I could see all the bulbs going, 100W + !  The class was filled with lots of my great customers and fellow teachers. It was a great thing to be able to meet them.  That is one of the most rewarding things for me.  It's one of the main reasons I teach and do trade shows.  I want to meet all of these wonderful patrons that help me fulfill my passion of spreading my love of tools, supplies, and metal clay!  

The next 3 days I taught certification class for the Rio Rewards program.  It was a lot of fun and of course challenging for my students.  They progressed amazingly well.  I even had a student who really hadn't done much of anything with the clay and she made the most beautiful pieces!  I was so very proud of her!  I had a couple that owned a great bead store in Canada as well.  There were talented watercolorists, glass artists, metal clay teachers, and a pine needle artist.  It was fabulous.  I've attached a great picture of a bowl that Donna Gentle Cappon made.  The students gave it to me as a gift at the end of class.  I am so touched and have a wonderful new piece of art to hang in my studio to remind me of such a great experience!  Muchas gracias!

Bowl

If that wasn't enough fun, I also taught an Enameling Sampler on Monday.  I had several repeat students so it was great to get to spend more time with them.  They got to play with crayons, watercolor, sifting, stencils, scraffito, hot glue, adhesive transfers, learn about etching, roller printing, and more.  All in a beginner class!  I loved that I had a student, Maxene, who had been an enamelist 40 years ago and hadn't picked it up since.  She had come to get her feet wet again.  Little did she know it wouldn't just be her feet and she left with new found enthusiasm.  I feel very blessed to have given that to her.

Anyway, I wished that I had remembered to take the camera out of the bag that I carried for 7 days to take a picture and share with you.  I was too busy trying to think of great ideas and explain techniques to remember to stop and take a picture to savor the moment.  I regret that.  However, hopefully I'll be asked back (they already asked if I could come back...yippee) formally and will remember to take them to share with you next time.

April 17, 2009

Carnival Blog- April

The Blog Carnival....a group of jewelers get together via the web, once a month, to post on a topic that has to do with jewelry.  It's a fun way to hear different opinions from wonderful artists.  Hope you'll visit their sites and read their great blogs.

Carnival4
This photograph is available in NestaUSA's Etsy shop.  It's a 8"x10" photo for $18.  
This takes me away to a beautiful day enjoying the sun and breeze!

"What is your favorite technique?"

I can never choose one.  Hmmm...that totally sounds like my problem.  An inability to focus.  I'm working on that, but for now, I'll share a couple.  I really like anything challenging and difficult.  Also something I have to work on.  I love box construction, hollow forms, and layers.  This probably is influenced by my college days where I received a BS in Interior Design with a focus on interior architecture for commercial space.  I really enjoyed technical drawing...isometrics, plans, and thinking about how it all would be constructed.  Engineering something that lasts, something that is well constructed, and something visually interesting.

I also love surface and texture embellishment.  I love color and enjoy a lot of enameling techniques.  I also love granulation, Keum Boo, and resins.

What do you love?  Post a comment....I'd love to get to know you better.  Have a great weekend and make something you love!

Read these other great blogs:
Chris Parry
Kirsten Skiles
Tamara Gentry

April 14, 2009

Tip Tuesday-Eye Protection


Green_Eyes It's confusing what eye protection you should wear.  We all know, duh, that our eyes are really important.  We want to make sure we protect them.  It's a no brainer to wear clear safety glasses when we are using the drill, sanding, etc.  What about when we are using the torch, the kiln, etc?  This is a topic often unaddressed or better yet, often riddled with incorrect info.  I wish that I had this information years ago.  

I've looked in numerous books including the top safety books and there really wasn't anything that addressed eye protection other than the obvious safety glasses.  This is unfortunate.  It's such an important topic, one that should always be included.  

I create with many different mediums so my exposure to safety has been more varied than most.  With the exposure to these mediums, my past teachers and much research, I was able to piece together, all the good and the bad information on eye protection.  I was also fortunate to be part of a discussion on a forum regarding eye protection several years ago.  Mike Aurelius who owns AuraLens was one of the participants in the discussion.  He owns a company that sells eyewear to lampworkers, furnace workers, and other hot shop workers.  Through the series of conversations, I have pieced together this information to share with you as he sums it up best.  Below is a some of the information he shared in the conversation.

The Ins and Outs of Eye Protection and Lense Coverage:

"It takes at least 4000°F to start generating UV (although certain metals and glass types do generate uv, based on the elemental composition of the meta/glass).  The major issue is IR, but only when the size of the object being heated is about the size of your fist and the temperature of the surround (such as the inside of the kiln ) is in excess of 1000°F.  Most optical material today does an adequate job of filtering UV rays.  Even plain safety glasses will provide all the UV protection you need.  Since a kiln IS larger than your fist, this is where the welding shades do become important.

Propane by itself burns at 3200°F, propane/air at 3500°F and propane/oxygen at 3800°F.  It's more the *mass* of the heated objected AND the size of the flame that matter.  When you are soldering you are heating a small area and using a small flame.  A flame this 3" long is relatively IR *safe*.  A flame that is 8" long is relatively IR *unsafe*.  

Another point to remember is that the intensity drops by the square of the distance.  The further away you are, the less the intensity.  An easy guideline to follow is that if you can feel the heat on your cheeks and/or forehead, you need protective eyewear.  When you are soldering using a hand torch, as has been noted, there is a very small flame and a very small area being heated.  There are no hazardous emissions of UV, visible, or IR energy that you need to worry about.

PastedGraphic
didymiums on the left and safety shade 2.5 green on the right

Some jewelers prefer to use a filter lens, such as didymimum or ACE (Aura -92).  These filter lenses remove sodium wavelengths (known to glassworkers as sodium flare), also known as sodium yellow.  Sodium flare comes from a variety of sources in soldering, but is mainly in the flux.  If you have a fairly large ball of yellow flame, removing the yellow will allow you to see through the flame and see your work under the flame.  Again there is nothing hazardous about sodium flare.  It is not harmful to your eye.  

There is also another class of filters, called variously Calobar, Welder's Green, etc.  Calobar is no longer manufactured, however, filter equivalent spectacles are available from a variety of sources.  Shade 2.0 is the most used filter number in this particular filter by crafters and hobbyists.  Shade 2.0 allows maximum light transmission (about 35%) and a minimum IR transmission(less than 10%).  This filter is most used when viewing intense heat sources such as kiln, furnaces, and glory holes.  We don't recommend its use for torch applications unless you are actually cutting metal with a torch, and then only the required shade number for the thickness of the metal being cut.  Enamelists will find this filter useful when observing and manipulating their work in a kiln.  

Borosilicate glass (pyrex) works at a much higher temperature than soft glass, plus the colors usually contain metals that burn off during the working process.  On the average, pyrex glass workers usually use a true shade 4.0 or higher, depending on the size of the piece being heated.   Those who do small bead work can usually work with a shade 3.0, while those who do sculptural work generally are working with a 5.0 or better. Additionally, pyrex also has a silica component, so a base of ACE or didymium is also required to see through the sodium flare as well."

At Whole Lotta Whimsy we sell 2.5 Safety Shade glasses.  They only allow 2.5% IR transmission which is the nominal amount.  They are a must have for those with a kiln or Ultra Lite.  Plus they have the side safety shield which is always recommended.  Hope you find this helpful.  Please share it with your students and friends.

April 07, 2009

Tip Tuesday- Fashion Trends

What are you planning on designing for the Spring and Summer or even Fall?  Have you even starting thinking about your fall line?  Do you adjust your designs for the season's fashions or do you have a style and stick to that style no matter what?  Are you designing to appeal to the fashion maven?  If you've done your Position Statement you know who your target market is and you've envisioned your customer.  You know what she wears and whether she follows the fashion trends.  Everyone is influenced to some extent.  How much do you allow it to influence your designs.

Spring-2009-trends-roundup 
photo from www.dujourmag.com

This season florals are big, there are juicy colors of the tropics, graphically designed fabric, Boho with an edge,  military jackets, "boyfriend" pants, baggy pants, bondage shoes and big statement jewelry.  Sounds like fun!  Mix it up and get eclectic. 

Are you ready to go big?  All the trends for spring and fall are big bold jewelry.  Pearls will be hot for fall.  They were shown big and strung on all sorts of things including ribbon, sewn into fabrics and more.  I've always incorporated pearls.  For me they are never out of style, but I'm glad to see they'll be prominent this fall.  

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Good thing BronzClay and CopprClay (avail in 2-3 weeks) are available to expand our metal materials.  This will allow us to work big and yet affordably.  Dark metals are all the rage (think Black Max and LOS patina) and colored metals (titanium, tantalum, gold, and niobium) are becoming more commercially mainstream.  Here's a link to Modern Jeweler, a commercial jewelry trends site which features pictures of beautiful colored metal.  Check out that amazing bracelet cuff on the front page!

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At times when the economy is receding, fashion, like a good marketing coach is telling us to expand.  Go big or go home.  This isn't the time to shrink to pull back.  It's the right time to start that business, expand the business, a time to grow.  How have you taken this time to begin the cycle of growth?  All bubbles pop, all things die.  It's what you do out of the gate that matters.  It's truly a time of metamorphosis.

I'm looking forward to seeing your fall collection.  Start gathering ideas, sketches, materials so that by June you've begun to make your pieces.  Bead and Button Show is a great time to gather those materials and see what's new.  Don't forget to stop by Whole Lotta Whimsy's booths  (733, 735, and 737).  We've got a great give-away planned that will knock your socks off!

A shout out to my very good friend, Lora Hart who celebrates her anniversary on Such and Such, her fantastic blog.  I highly recommend subscribing to it.  Congrats Lora!  I hear she is going to have a give-away to commemorate the date.  Run to her site now and check it out....although, I hope I win :-)

March 20, 2009

Carnival Blog-March

The Blog Carnival....a group of jewelers get together via the web, once a month, to post on a topic that has to do with jewelry.  It's a fun way to hear different opinions from wonderful artists.  Hope you'll visit their sites and read their great blogs.

Carnival 
This photograph is available in BucksCountyFrames Etsy shop.  It's a 10"x10" photo for $35.  
I love the softness and old time quality!  So pretty!


" What was your biggest mistake or worst workbench disaster? "

I've been pondering this question.  I can't think of one single worst "disaster" as far as a piece goes.  I've of course had disasters with acid, dremels, torches and more.  However, these are safety guffaws, that mostly ended okay.  I'm really good at preaching about safety, but I'm certainly not as good as I want to be in this department.  Too much Dickerson in me...thanks Dad!  Living by the seat of my pants when it comes to taking my time having things safely set up. 

I've never looked at a piece I've made as a disaster or mistake.  Every single piece I make is about the process.  It is a learning opportunity.   An opportunity to grow as an artist.   I'm not perfect and so the process never goes off without a hitch.    That's good...that's how I learn.  If the piece doesn't want to be what I originally wanted it to be, that's okay.  It becomes something else.   I learn to make a new plan to adapt and forge forward with a new design.

I do enjoy, like everyone else, when you fall into the zone and things go well.  Maybe even better than originally planned.  However, I've learned the most amazing things from my "disasters".   It gives me an opportunity to discover new things, develop new techniques and to separate your work from others.  I love that!

So forget about the disaster mentality.  Embrace it and look at it as an opportunity not a setback.  

My blogs should return back to a semi-weekly exercise.  Chaos has been the word since December.  I'm trying to start a new me devoted to saying "no" more often and to embrace and manifest "focus" in my life.  What are you working on?  Let's go make "disasters" together....yippeee!

Read these other great blogs:

February 20, 2009

Carnival Blog-February

The Blog Carnival....a group of jewelers get together via the web, once a month, to post on a topic that has to do with jewelry.  It's a fun way to hear different opinions from wonderful artists.  Hope you'll visit their sites and read their great blogs.
Carnival horse
This picture is available in Blandy Snorhal's Etsy shop.  It's a 5"x7" photo for $8.  
Didn't you just love to pet the carousel horses?  The were so pretty!

Rituals- Do you have a particular process that helps you to tap into your creativity, complete projects on time or any other ritualistic habits?


Yes, of course!  I do have to clean my bench first.  Perhaps I studied too much Feng Shui while studying Interior Design in college.  I am not one that can work in clutter.  I also have a small collection of candles from Anthropologie that get my mind in the right place.  I love music but am not an audiophile or savy with the computer so I am clueless about getting the right songs on my ipod.  So I usually have HGTV, DIY or Bravo playing in the background.  It's important to engage the five senses as much as possible.  If you don't have a trigger, I recommend making a list of 5 sensory things that you enjoy to create a trigger for you and your time to play at the bench (bench being referred to as any work space).

Rituals or triggers are important.  I've written about this before, but it's important to have your workspace be a sacred place where you go to work.  A place that's just for your art.  If you use a dining table, it's even more important to have a way to change that table so it becomes your sacred space.  You can have a special table cover, tray, etc.  Triggers are used by athletes, musicians, etc to get them ready to perform.  The baseball player gets up to the batting plate and adjusts the velcro on his gloves and taps his cleats with his bat.  This is a trigger for him to get his mind in the right "frame".  Creating a trigger is encouraged by coaches to youth athletes.  Why?  It works!  We need to be able to signal our right brain that it's time to play.  Go away left brain....go have a nap!

For me the last important ritual to completing a project is yes, a deadline.   Its unfortunate, but I work by deadlines.  I regretfully have such a lack of time that I only work if I have a deadline.  My t-shirt motto is "one deadline at a time".   So many things are created from a place that I wish was more relaxed and it was born from actual play time.  Most of the pieces I create when there are no deadlines, never get finished.  I have tons of ideas, sketches and plans that never are materialized.  I have a whole drawer full of Master's Registry pieces that reallly just need a final once-over and then get fired.  However, the deadline came and went and they went into hibernation!  Now in my mind there is no need to finish them.   Another element for me is that the process in making the art is more important to me than the final outcome.  I have no attachments to pieces because of this.  It's a cathartic process for me to make art.  Another reason for a drawer full of unfired work.  Ahhhh, I digress :-0 

One day I'd like to be able to develop a line of work for sale.  To be able to play to create work that has a final purpose other than for a magazine article, book, or technique sample.  That is my ultimate goal.  I started out as selling artist, moved into a supplier role and teacher, and have had a difficult time getting back to the selling artist role.  It's a goal I've had for many years.  Perhaps 2009 will be the year.  However, with all the exciting things we are planning at WLW, I think it will maybe have to wait until 2010.  I am envious of those of you who can just create to create!  Savor that gift and make something special today!

What rituals do you have?  Post a comment for me ;-)

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