Creative Slumps and Taking a Break
Posted by Administrator on Jul 31, 2006
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.
Happy Accidents
Posted by Administrator on Jul 11, 2006
One of my favorite parts of designing and making jewelry is when “happy accidents” happen when I’m testing a new idea.
I’m sure there are many artists and jewelry makers out there who can relate to the frustration of trying out a great idea that just doesn’t work. You have this great image in your head, or are inspired by something you see, and when you sit down to create it, everything goes wrong. Inevitably, unless you plan your ideas meticulously, all but the simplest reveal their flawed logic midway through a project. I am not a meticulous planner - I tend to get an idea and try it out right away, without taking the time to carefully sketch out the steps it will take.
Although this process has clear disadvantages, it is not without advantages as well.
My first freeform pendants were the result of me trying, before learning all the required techniques, to create an elaborate necklace with silver wire and Swarovski crystals and crystal pearls. Before I was even close to having it finished, I could tell it was going to be hideously ugly. In frustration, I started cutting off bits and pieces, hoping to salvage some of the wire for other projects, and one piece of wire got twisted up around a few beads that had been attached to it in a way that was very appealing to me.
In that instant, I forgot my frustration, and started purposely mangling other bits and pieces of my necklace, attaching beads to mimic the look of the accidental piece, and soon I had finished my first set of freeform pendants. My wire ends were unfinished, and some of the wrapping was pretty sloppy, but for the first time since I’d started doing beadwork, I felt like I’d stumbled on something I really liked that was different from all the projects and techniques I’d learned by doing tutorials and mimicking the style of jewelers I admired. It sounds corny, but that night changed my life. I spent much of the following year developing my freeform style with wire and pearls - examples of the style are on my pendants page (look for curved silver wire in the thumbnails).
I’ve had many of these happy accidents since then, and although sometimes it is still frustrating when I can’t get a new idea to work, many of my creations that I’m most proud of came about when I was trying a new idea with less than complete success. Now I look forward to this part of the creative process, when I’m playing and experimenting with my materials to see what I can get out of them that I like. I do end up with some ugly pieces - but not only do I learn a lot about what I can get various materials to do, I end up with design ideas that I wouldn’t have thought of otherwise.
Here are a few links to work that resulted from experimentation and developing my happy accidents:
Fused/melted fine silver pendants
“Circle” pendant made from fusing wire of several different silver alloys
My design experiment blog, where I actually post pictures of things I’m working on and share a little bit about the process, both creatively and in terms of techniques I’m working with.
Last minute show added
Posted by Administrator on Jul 7, 2006
I know this is short notice, but I’ll be displaying some jewelry at the Art Walk in Sausalito, CA next Wednesday, July 12th, frorm 5:00-7:00.
I posted some new resin pieces at my yahoo blog. Most of my resin pendants are $40 (price includes black cord - silver chains available for an additional charge). Drop me a line if you want one…or try to swing by my table next Wednesday in Sausalito.
