Intentional Stones

Get ready, get set, dash!

In a exercize to get ready for the day's creative dash, I'm sketching.  What am I talking about?  Well there's a huge show coming up October 8-9th.  And as much as I try to get ready in advance, there's nothing like realizing it's a month and a week away to motivate me. 

And with school starting, I need to be in best form. 

Other things I'm doing to prepare?  I've ordered a bunch of metal, reviewing my gemstone stash and carving out time with a sharp pointy stick. 

Pointy sticks?  That's how I imagine the barrier around my basement when school's over, it's not dinner time and I'm in full work mode.  They're loving and understanding pointy sticks.  I've learned the hard way that sending people away harshly doesn't have any positive effects.

I just need to make sure there's room for non-work fun in my days, or I'll burn out.  I've got my re-read, a video game, friends who come over, and games with the family.  Not a lot of getting out, but I can work on that on the weekend. 

Meanwhile I've got to manage all the rest that happens between then and now.  Last Sunday's Pumphouse show was a good day, but my tent flew away and one of my trees was damaged.  I need to get spare parts and glue.  I've promised myself more wall displays, but while I have a start, I'm not all the way there.  Hopefully a fall fabric sale will restult in something I can use. 

So in the morning, I will sketch.  To clear my mind and focus for the days.  I need every bit of focus I can find.

-Simbelmynë

Getting serious

I need to work on that saying "no" thing.  I went to my last show saying I wouldn't accept any commission pieces and then took on two.  I mean, when somebody comes just to ask me to make something how on earth can I resist?  I did tell them I was in super slow mode right now, so this is good.  I'll feel better once the kitchen stuff is done tonight.

In actuality, I never ever want to say no when someone asks for a custom piece.  So I need to work on my communication.  (If I have stones of yours and it's taking me forever to get done with them, I am deeply grateful for your forbearance.  I'm trying to keep in touch.)  My plan is to have my backlog cleared by the end of the first week of September. 

If you're an artist reading this-how do you manage commissions?  I'm uncomfortable with my own level of life-involvement interfering with getting done in a timely fashion.  And people who commission artwork or artist made anything- what is the best way you've seen commissions handled? 

And yet I really want to keep going!  Artwork is really a moody thing.  I don't want to give my patrons anything less than a beautiful piece of art, but sometimes my muse will only speak to other projects.  And if I force it, things come out terribly. 

I am grateful for the shows in Homestead.  Getting to know people face to face has been wonderful and reassuring.  I find it easier to get a good idea what people want this way. 

-Simbelmynë

Choices, choices...

The copper in the splashguard is going to take two forms- a thin strip that runs along the edge of the entire countertop and squares.  We just have to decide what they'll look like.  There's room for 13 squares along the walls.  Here are two sample squares.  I think we'll choose 1.

The family has voted, I'll tell you the result tomorrow. 

Want to offer your own opinion?  Please drop a comment!

-Simbelmynë

Copper in the Kitchen

We walked around and around the tile store.  This dumb backsplash was the most difficult design choice we'd made, way harder than whether or not to remove an entire bathroom.  It needed to go with the countertop, made of natural materials and therefore sort of unpredictable. 

Our tile store is a place we know well from our bathroom labyrinth project- Accent on Tile, in Bloomfield.  They have thousands of choices, everything from simple tile, building blocks for complex projects and ready-made patterns. 

The gentleman helping us is a long time interior designer and has always responded well when I walk in with crazy ideas.  And it was no different this time. 

We'd been looking at a small accent tile with a white subway (rectangular) tile and we had originally liked a thin glass tile in pale green with slashes of gold and brown.  But that really wouldn't have worked with the countertop. 

And then Dan said "Wait, there's a jewelry maker in the room!" and asked whether I'd considered making something.  He showed us these:

And they really are a perfect look with the browns, golds and creams of the countertop!

He showed us another with bright copper plated over pewter and a hammered texture.  And I thought, hey, I can get copper, and  I can have hammered and patinaed!  Or shiny!  And I could have skinny!  Or square!  or....

And so, this is how I, who swore that This tile project would not be made by me, was made into a liar.

-Simbelmynë

Cultivating Creativity

I'm back at the book again (Launching the Imagination, Mary Stuart)

And the second part starts with this title.  If there's anything that this blog was meant focus on, it's cultivating a creative life. 

The author describes requirements for creativity.  The combination of new and old, being receptive to all creativity, and creative thinking.  Also means of motivating yourself as a creator, by setting goals,  keeping expectations real and taking advantage of your strengths.  The importance of a good work area with the resources you need and an environment that inspires your creativity.  And the influence from other artists, gaining inspiration by working with others in order to push yourself creatively and to better communication.

Finally a chapter that's not completely new to me. 

These last few weeks have been very much crazy for me.  Between the end of summer and children and everything, I'm not at my bench much at all.  But while I've been away, I've been collecting a lot of affirmation by being at these fairs at the local mall.  I'm deeply grateful for the people I've met there and who have had confidence in me and in my jewelry. 

In the next two and a half months, I'll be working as much as I can in between getting our cyber school environment established.  The materials to complete our kitchen have just arrived as well.  And the metal work I promised to myself is about halfway done.  I'll do my best to stay sane and pop in to write as often as I can. 

I need to keep my creativity together and energized.  And my body.  So I'll be thinking a lot on the lessons in this chapter.

-Simbelmynë