Michon Jewelry Blog

Creative people all have slumps - periods of time where nothing seems new or exciting. This can be really depressing, and for people who depend on their creativity to earn a living, it can have financial consequences as well.

Something that is easy to forget as an artist is that what we do is work too, and occasionally we need to take breaks from our work and our usual routine.

This could be an actual vacation, or if you don’t have time to get away for a few days, it could mean taking an hour or two to go do something fun that you don’t always have time to do. It always amazes me how much I feel recharged just by breaking out of my normal routine for a little while.

Last week I went on a real vacation, and got to do all kinds of things I never have time for - I went on a hike, read most of a novel (Seek My Face by John Updike), cooked some great food (and ate too much), tasted wine, swam every day, played card games, visited art galleries. In contrast, my routine for a week when I’m not on vacation involves work, both at my ‘day job’ and at the studio, a few trips to the gym for yoga, eating take-out meals and things I can heat up quickly, lots of bad tv and sports, answering emails…you get the idea. These aren’t all bad things; other than work, which I have to do, these are things I do by choice. But it’s still a pretty predictable routine.

Last week during my vacation, I started getting lots of ideas. I wouldn’t say I was in a slump before, but it’s been while since I’ve had this many new ideas at once. A beaded neckpiece combining wirework, seed beads, and large gemstones, the details of which I’m currently working out in my head; handmade beads and pendants using paint, paper, and resin; a fused bracelet in the style of the fused rings I was making before I left on my trip - just to name a few.

Now I can hardly wait to get back to my studio. I’m considering, next time I have a real creative slump, turning off the TV for a week to make time to get out of my routine.