Intentional Stones

All You Need is Love

Art is love.

I mean it, seriously. When I first started making things all the time, I would flit from craft to craft, to the point where any time someone wanted to do a project, i could very easily go down into my basement and get them anything they needed. Never committing, never getting serious, because I knew it would never go anywhere.

I almost got serious with book binding. I even focussed on book preservation in Library school so that I could work on books practically as well as artistically. One intense Christmas season of making books for my relatives caused the relationship to lose it's luster.

Then I met Jewelry. At first I was surprised by sparkling, speaking gemstones. Then natural colors just kept coming. And friends liked jewelry too, so I knew it would fit into my life. So I went deeper, into metal. I became absorbed and all the other crafts disappeared, excepting where they made my jewelry better. Jewelry opened my world to new friends and new experiences.

Jewelry and I have been in a long term serious relationship ever since. We're building a life together. Sometimes we need a little time apart, but we always come back to each other. When I look back at my life, jewelry has always been there, sometimes i just didn't know it.

I realized this month, in the middle of the winter blahs, the ups and downs of Art Show applications, and a difficult commission, that this is a relationship. One with extraordinary rewards as well as difficult times. And so, today, instead of writing about those things, i would write about my love.

(And No, the human Spouse doesn't mind. In fact, he empathizes with every triumph and defeat. Love is wonderful.)

-Simbelmynë

 

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Stress!!!

I had a great conversation on twitter today. It went like this:

 

When i say "vapours" I mean the deeply uncomfortable feeling I get in my chest when i relax or try to go to sleep. Which I originally thought was solely caused by a non-drowsy allergy medicine, but came back to a lesser extent as life got busy this year. I even went in to the ER one night to make sure i wasn't having a heart attack. Two doctors agree that my heart is fine. But seriously, body? Is this anxiety over not being able to do all the things I "should?" Is this the next in a line of physical ailments my body uses to tell me to slow down? Because i seem to have solved the migraine problem and a flu shot seems to be keeping me healthy this season? And we have to find new ways to force me to take a nap?

Ugh.

Look, I am pursuing a lifelong dream. And trying to keep up with duties to my family. And be a good support person for my spouse. And have a home we can all enjoy and share. And maintain friendships...

Is this all too much to ask?

Maslow and I need to have a conversation about this. Because he wrote all about his hierarchy of needs, and said that doing something fulfilling would make me happy and sane! Not crazy and stressed out!

So I have cut way back on artificial stress...er, I mean- caffeine.

I am exercising when there's time and workout buddies.

Maybe, I am blogging to let the things bouncing around in my head out more often.

I am making a schedule and sticking to it.

I am asking the people in my house to respect my schedule and keep their own with regards to me.

I am streamlining processes that cause me problems, like comission work and photography.

I an letting things go. And learning to let other people do the things "only i can do".

And I am believing that the best I can do is Good Enough.

 

Will it work? We shall see.

-Simbelmynë

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New Sketching Habit

Free from expectation-that's what the morning pages have always been about.  Work for long enough to scrub my brain of the bits of dreams or old feelings or doubts. 

In days past, I've tried to do the Morning Pages suggested by Julia Cameron, but writing is not really doing it for me.  Recently, though, I've busted out a little sketchbook and I'm slowly filling it up with doodles.  Some have even lead to very interesting jewelry ideas.  Those I've transferred to my "main" sketchbook.  One with graph lines to easily gauge size and metal needs.  It's pretty cool. 

Homeschooling is gradually feeling like it's under control.  I can work during school hours on little brainless things-like weaving that's repetitive and calming, or sketching that's easy to put down and take back up again.  Especially if it's these little morning pages type sketches.  Who cares if you start a new idea and lose an old one if you're not sweating the finished product? 

I'm on to something here.  Even if I'm not in midst of a formal course like the Artist's Way.  It's helping me to live more visually.  When did I ever learn these habits of pushing the visual away?  It's so natural to me.  Some of my earliest memories are of shape and form and exploring them. 

Now that school's done I can get back to the bench.  Filling my table for the Chili Event won't happen without lots of work!

-Simbelmynë

Because I want to be more in touch

Life is overwhelming.   Whose isn't? 

I promised writing today, here I am.

It's the time of year for things to be waking up.  The flowers, the birds and animals, me.

This year I'm working much harder.  Period

I'm working to be more true to what I really want to be doing.  Working in gemstone.  Working in metal.  You won't see anything from me that's metal that anyone else has made, unless I've had it a while and I've drilled holes in it or added findings to it or taken it apart and put it together.  (see bracelet above, yes those beads were pretty, but only one hole?  Really?  for such a large bead?  they're almost an inch wide!  So I fixed them.)

I spent today working on findings and on the trinket rings that people seem to love.  Thank you all! 

I'm also working much harder on the kids' school.  It's like I have three full time jobs. 

Hence the blog falling off the face of the earth.

We went to Florida and saw breathtaking things, above and below the water.  I hope I'll have time to write about that. 

And the summer is starting to shape up beautifully. 

Save the Date on April 14th, we'll be showing at the Soutside Works I Made It Market's Chili at the Works!  More on this tomorrow.  I'm really excited.

 

My Mean Subconscious

It sent me a really bad dream this morning.  The Censor was in it. And she was at her worst.

In persepective, I got some extra sleep and my subconscious always hates that.  "You should be up getting school started!" Also, yesterday at the Pumphouse, we had a great show and followed with finding a new bead show in town.  Very energizing!

Then this morning I woke from a dream of a nasty art teacher. 

She hated my artwork and wanted it all redone!  And she really reminded me of Sue Sylvester from Glee. 

Good to know that the Censor has a face.  Sorry, Jane Lynch, my conscious mind thinks you're hilarious.

I think it's time to take up morning pages in some form or another again.  Maybe they'll be morning sketches sometimes. 

-Simbelmynë

Strands and strands

I have to reassure you.  If there's nothing posted here, it's due to the fact that I'm very very very very busy. 

Project Runway is on the TV on thursdays and it's vitalizing to see the design in process.

One last Sunday show is coming up at the Waterfront.  Look for us from 11-3 in the Pump House! I'll be there for their holiday market in late November, but I'm skipping the Biketoberfest on the first.  Maybe I'll stop in with my bike!  What a concept!

But, most of all, I'm getting ready for holiday shows.  I have many great pieces that I've started but need those last finishing touches or a necklace to hang from.  I have planned improvements to my displays to complete.  Photographs to get into the portfolio.  My tent needs repair or replacement.  (One gust of wind from Irene took it out [the storm never touched Pittsburgh, except that pesky wind]) And I need weights to keep that from happening again. 

Bedford's Fall Foliage Festival will be here in no time!  October 8th is coming up very very fast.  This one's a big time show and everything must be hand made!!! 

Then there's the listings.  I uploaded some photos to facebook, but they're not written up or listed yet!!!

School is in full swing around here.  Which is the primary reason for being too busy to blog.  It's like I have two full time jobs.  And while it's filling a lot of my time, I feel like my life is finally back where I want it to be.  We're having the most rich time working together and learning together.  And we completely back in control of our lives. 

Today in the studio I have strands of tiny stone beads getting ready to support beautiful stone pendants.  Woven chain with me all day long.  I'm finishing commissions and making a few larger gemstone rings.  OK, I'm overwhelmed by my aspirations.  

Still.  You get the idea. 

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

Design part 2

The first part of the book is getting put away.  So many concepts, so much to think about.  Maybe I should give it a weekly review to see if anything clicks over time. 

So, let's get on with part two.  Page one may be as far as I get.  Exploring, exerimenting, evaluating, implimenting.  That's a pretty great breakdown. 

For the beginning part of the year I was exploring a whole lot, with the Artist's Way, art books, jewelry magazines and my classes.  I'm always exploring as I travel and even at home taking walks.  But it got a little out of hand.  Of course I need to explore constantly.  But how can I possibly keep it all in perspective?

For the most part, I already practice these steps.  The thinking parts frequently get rushed or I'm easily distracted.  The end result is I'm not satisfied with the ways I've worked out for myself.  I could be getting so much more done.  I could be creating a vision.  Right now, I'm letting tiny little bits of vision out each time I create, but larger things only escape on the rare occasions when I have a greater reason to focus and let go of other concerns. 

On the very first page of this section, Stewart suggests that 10 answers to any one question are required to create a truly well thought out answer.  Thinking back, it's completely true.  Teachers have asked for 10 designs for any one problem.   Even when most of the ones I come up with are throw aways, they help me think it out.  Sometimes I come up with solutions for other problems as I'm attacking the first. 

I need to work on my evaluation.  I am quick to jump to a favorite design and sometimes it's hard for me to think critically about it.  Thinking about the positives and negatives of a rejected design takes me away from the piece I must work on.  Why don't I look at them later? 

This section looks like it will help me.  Or at least get me asking the right questions.

-Simbelmynë

Images, Weight, Symmetry, Motion

They pack an incredible amount of information into the chapters of a design textbook.  Only one chapter and I'm reading about perspective, frequency of images, frame and orientation, emphasis, scale, relationships, location and symmertry.  I feel like I need a book in order to read this book.  It's no wonder I've been working on this one for a month. 

Luckily, the author has used images of jewelry and from Mulan, nice of them to take into account my obsession and my regular life stuff. 

Ok, Words are hitting a wall again here.  I think I'll just blurt things I think of when looking at the concepts.

• Unity and variety- A piece, jewelry or painting, is one thing.  All the elements and images must coordinate and work together.  But there must be differences to create interest. 
• Continuity-even elements that are dramatically different can contain similarities that create w sense of connection in the piece.
• Similarity-As mentioned earlier, this is the simplest way to create continuity.
• Visual Systems-using a pattern to connect elements in an image.  Would this work with jewelry?  Frequently it's a collection of pieces.  When it's not it's usually small.  Working in minature would give me the opportunity to create an individual piece with a system.  Naturally, several parts of a necklace or bracelet form a pattern. 
• Closure-the tendency of the viewer to complete patterns and lines that are implied.
• Weight and Gravity-It's very easy for the central element of a jewelry piece to have the greatest impact on the design.  Balancing the weight along the entire length of the piece gives the design interest all along it. 
• Balance- can be created with symmetry or balanced asymetry and color and brightness or darkness.
• Scale can create motion, emphasis, perspective.

Allright, there's too much here for one blog entry.  I'm going to chew on these ideas for tonight and get to making jewelry. 

It's no wonder I had so much trouble with this stuff in college!  For me, understanding of these concepts has come through experiencing art and creating it over the years.  How can one expect a young artist to grasp everything in one week, lesson, chapter?  I imagine I'll be coming back to Chapter 2 many many times before I'm done studying this book.

(Referring to Launching the Imagination: A comprehensive Guide to Basic Design. by Mary Stewart. McGraw Hill Higher Education, 2002)

-Simbelmynë

 

A little playing with pink

Thinking about color from last week, I was experiencing a bit of a dry patch at the bench, so I decided to jump right in. 

I had pink on my mind.  Several ideas I'd had before Mother's Day really wanted more pink beads and most of what I have is a pale peach pink.  Still it's a lovely color, so I grabbed everything I could find.  Pink's a color that can come in every darkness and hue.  Some pinks are very purple, while others are nearly orange.  Pink can be intense and pale.  They're all in the piece I completed.  

 

The donut beads contain a golden rutile and slashes of pink.  The pinks are tourmaline, which is more purple, quartz that's very pale and orangish.  I balanced the different tones with whites and greys of botswana agate and rainbow moonstone. 

Pink is a gentle color.  If you're "in the pink" you're at the height of good taste and quality.  It's a relaxing and content color.  It's also a big favorite of little girls everywhere.  (My daughter's wardrobe is at least half pink, only half because I shop for her.) 

Whenever I wear pink, which is rarely since I think it's not one of my best colors, I remember the childlish glee of a bubblegum ring. 

There are a lot of shapes in this necklace, geometric and rough.  I think my next experiment will have to do more with that aspect of the design. 

The necklace is very long-50 inches and can be worn long or looped around several times or knotted.  It has a sterling silver lobster clasp, just in case you want to wear it close to your neck. 

-Simbelmynë