Even though part of me thinks I should be making "grown up" jewelry by now, I still find animal beads irresistible. I especially have fun taking photos. I sold this original pair of earrings, but if you want a pair for yourself, I'm happy to make another. These have silver-plated leverback ear wires, pewter daisy spacers, and glass animal beads. They're $10, plus shipping.
Friday Fun: Just Ducky!
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Shoot for the Moon
"Shoot for the moon.
Even if you miss, you'll land among the stars.”
—Les Brown
Often when we're getting started, we aim low. We submit our work to the magazine that's small, unknown, and easy to get into. We enter contests that don't attract many entries so we'll have a better chance. We hang back when it's time to try for a promotion, preferring to stay in our comfortable, if completely dull, job. I don't mean to say we should never do that. It is nice to have some initial success and build our confidence. But at some point, we need to aim higher.
One of the most inspiring blog entries I've read recently is about an artist who wanted to take that next step in her career and have her printed collage sheets sold in stores. These were products that she had made and tested and were sitting idle for years. She set out to try for 100 Rejections in 100 Days. Two big name places she dreamed about being in for years said yes and are now carrying her work. She now has the confidence to continue approaching new places. (After you read her introductory post, you'll want to read the summary of her experiment on Day 100.)
When I was submitting regularly to magazines, I would identify my top market ("the moon"), the one that would make me swoon if I got in. Then I'd identify several other markets ("the stars") that I could submit to if the first one turned it down. This simple technique helped me publish many projects and articles. Now I'm inspired to try this method to find more shops to carry my cards and jewelry this year. (I'll admit, I do feel a little queasy at the idea of approaching shops, just like I used to feel when first submitting for publication.)
What's the one big, scary ("I'm not sure I'm ready") thing on your list? Is this year going to be the year?
Quotation source: Goodreads. This quote has also been attributed to Brian Littrell.
Pictured here: My motivational Moon Pendant has a handstamped message and tiny copper-plated moon and star charms.
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Tuesday, March 26, 2013 | by Michelle Mach | Quote of the Week, inspiration, jewelry, magazines, writing
A Cure for Artist's Block
"The truth is that work can dry up because it is going so well."
Julia Cameron, The Artist's Way
Has this ever happened to you? You're on a roll making earrings for a craft show or making daily progress on your short story and then all of a sudden, everything screeches to a halt. You can't make one more wrapped loop or write another sentence. What happened? It was going so well!
This has happened to me many times and it's still a shock every time. You think that whatever creativity you had is now gone forever. It's not. It just needs a little nourishment.
In her book, The Artist's Way, Julia Cameron talks about how we draw from the images in our inner well. We need to replenish this well with new images or we will find ourselves blocked. She recommends listening to music, dancing, or repetitive actions like driving or chopping vegetables. Artist's dates, where you go out by yourself for an hour or two and spend time at a museum, shop, or park, are another way to keep your well stocked with images.
I'm fond of thrift stores, where you need to see not what the item is today, but what it could become tomorrow. (A broken watch or cool earrings?)
I also like slightly disorganized home decor shops: dishtowels next to key chains and stationery and frying pans. It's that clutter of unlikely items that can inspire something new, maybe the color of one item and the pattern of another.
Walks outdoors can work, too, even in the winter. I notice more when I'm not distracted by the bright colors of spring and summer; I notice subtle shades of rocks or unusual shapes of branches. I've found color schemes for projects in Italian restaurants, story ideas on the sides of buses, and jewelry display ideas in office supply stores. I don't plan these finds; they just happen.
Spending so much time on Facebook and Pinterest, you'd think we have an overabundance of images and our creativity would be on overdrive all the time. For me, there's something different about the images I find in the real world. Online images can feel flat, empty, distant, posed, artificial. If you're active online, but still feeling blocked, I'd highly recommend a field trip to the real world.
Quotation source: The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron, p.21 (in the chapter "The Basic Tools")
Pictured here: The Mysterious Messenger Bag (Interweave Felt, 2007) that I made after a thrift shop visit, inspired by a man's wool sweater and an old leather belt. I was deep into jewelry and beading at the time, but stepping away momentarily and trying something completely different was very refreshing. (If you download the project, be aware that it's just brief notes about my process and not full step-by-step instructions. There is no knitting or crochet involved, just a little felting, sewing, and embroidery.)
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Challenge of Music: Ragtime Earrings
Do you ever draw, write, or create while listening to music? I never do, which is why I joined Erin Prais-Hintz's annual Challenge of Music. I thought it was time to try something different! This time the challenge was to make something inspired by a piece of instrumental music. You can read the details of the challenge on her blog.
The Music
The music I chose was ragtime. When I played piano in high school, this was my favorite type of music. There was just something appealing about its jagged, happy rhythm that I loved.
I did a bit of research and discovered that ragtime has roots in the African-American community, particularly in St. Louis and New Orleans. It's peak of popularity was between 1897 and 1918. It fell out of favor once jazz came on the scene. The Performing Arts Encyclopedia (from the Library of Congress) has a short entry with some clips.
The most well-known ragtime pieces are by Scott Joplin. Titles you might recognize include "The Maple Leaf Rag" and "The Entertainer." Instead of picking a title I knew, I found a list of titles online (click on "Ragtime Sue") and picked one at random. The tune I picked was titled "Troublesome Ivories" by Eubie Blake.
My Card Design
When I signed up for this challenge, I assumed I'd create a piece of jewelry. But when the time came for me to create my project, I still felt a little stuck. To "unstick" myself, I followed some of Erin's good advice to doodle and write words while you are listening to the music.
Since ragtime music is usually played on piano, I started with something very literal: piano keys. I created an embossed set of piano keys on an ivory-colored card. (You can see the embossing better on the naked card before I decorated it.) I didn't worry too much about the piano keys being perfectly shaped. The uneven, wonky look seemed a better match to the music. (If I had chosen something by Mozart instead, you better believe I would have stressed out over making very precise shapes!)
I layered antique gold Gilder's Paste and several colors of alcohol ink on the keys. (The photo doesn't capture the metallic shimmer of the piano keys.) I hadn't tried Gilder's Paste on paper before, so it was fun to see how well it worked. I outlined each key in black ink and doodled on them as I listened to the music several times.
I also wrote some words as I listened to the music. I've always loved fancy writing, so this gave me a chance to try out some different styles.
My Earring Design
I thought when I finished this card, I was finished with the challenge. I was wrong! Making the card seemed to set my imagination in motion. I started thinking about jewelry and with just a day before the deadline, created these bright earrings.
These earrings feature brass teardrops that I hand painted, along with teal pearl coins, hot pink sari ribbon, gunmetal daisy spacers, gold-plated ear wires, and wirewrapped Swarovski crystals in tanzanite and amethyst. I definitely used some inspiration from my card with the rich, metallic colors and the words such "raindrops" (the teardrop shape) and "swirl" (a pattern on one earring).
I'm especially happy with how the brass teardrops came out. They have a lovely, crackled texture with just a hint of gold sparkle.
I'll let you in on a little secret: I made some bridesmaid earrings last year for a customer and these teardrop shapes were part of an early version that didn't work out. They'd been sitting on my workbench for quite awhile with just a coat of plain teal paint, so I was very happy that they got a second chance at a new life.
Thanks, Erin, for encouraging me to try something new!
More Music Designs
See all the other designs inspired by the second annual Challenge of Music:
Erin Prais-Hintz
Alenka Obid
Ali McCarthy
Alicia Marinache
Amy Severino
Amy Grass
Carolyn Lawson
Cece Cormier
Cynthia Riggs
Ema Kilroy
Emanda Johnson
Emma Todd
Erin Kenny
Evelyn Shelby
Evie and Beth McCord
Gerd Andersson
Holly Westfall
Jennifer Justman
Jenny Davies-Reazor
Jess Green
Judy Campbell
Karla Morgan
Kay Thomerson
Kristina Johansson
Lola Surwillo
Lynn White
Malin de Koning
Mallory Hoffman
Mary K McGraw
Melissa Meman
Melissa Trudinger
Michelle Escano
Michelle Bourbonniere
Michelle Heim
Michelle Mach
Molly Alexander
Molly Schaller
Monique Urquhart
Niky Sayers
Pam Farren
Rebecca Anderson
Sally Russick
Sharon Palac
Sharon Driscoll
Susan Kennedy
Tari Kahrs
Tracy Stillman
Veralynne Malone
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