Creative Obstacles

My friend Annie Singer came over on Friday. If you don't know Annie, she's an amazing Minneapolis jeweler who works with found objects and unusual materials to make very unique pieces. Pictured is her Frieda Necklace--an upcycled jewelry masterpiece!

Annie and I have lots in common, but one of my favorite things about her is that she's one of those "raven people". You know, people who find something on the street or at a junk store, bring it back to their nest, and place it in a beautiful display box along with the other thousand of that same type of special thing. Keys, shells, watch parts, beach glass, vintage buttons, etc. It's like "artful recycling" or "purposeful trash collecting"...

Anyway, Annie came over to check out my Dremel tool. She's in the market for one, so I told her to bring stuff to drill and she could try mine. Of course when she got here we realized my bits are all totally shot--not even sharp enough to drill metal. Ugh. But then I pulled out a bunch of plastic farm animals I'd found at the Target Dollar Spot. Annie was telling me about an e-i-e-i-o necklace she'd been wanting to make, so she seemed pretty happy as she turned pigs, chicks, and cows into beads. Thank you, Target, for saving the day.


It was great to spend time at the workbench, just chit-chatting away. We talked about growing up and raising kids and travel. We also had a really compelling conversation about how easy it is for artists to become self-defeating. This rings so true, not only for me but for so many creative people I know. I think being true to your creative self is one of the most difficult things to do. We often do what we think we "should" be doing--whether it's our job, our art, our lifestyle--when in fact those things may be working against our creative nature and dreams. The conversation definitely left me ponderous...

I'd be curious to know what you think about the subject. What real or imagined obstacles do you have in your life that make it difficult to foster your true creative self?

Digging in

I'm trying to switch gears after being in sci-fi/fantasy/writing mode the last few months. I've got lots coming up and need to come back down to earth!

After I turned the book in I hit the ground running by working on Beadwork magazine's August/September technical edits. You know as I edit these pieces, I'm struck at how much the beading community has matured artistically. Man, when I started Beadwork 11 years ago there wasn't anyone doing this kind of off-loom stitching. Pieces by Jamie Hogsett, Lisa Kan, Nancy Cain, Marcia DeCoster, Gwen Fisher, Tina Koyama, Barbara Ellis, and Scarlett Lanson have all passed my desk the last week, and I'm amazed, not only the technical prowess, but by the beauty of the work. It's a great time to be beading and I learn something everyday.

I finished my Beadwork DOY project for August just in time to add it to my edits (it's just plain weird to "edit" your own work). It's an Autumn-themed necklace that's very fun to make--combines both freeform and circular/tubular peyote-stitch techniques. I'll be curious to find out how readers like it.

On today's to-do list is a bunch of Q&As from Fire Mountain Gems customers. If you haven't checked out their site lately, do! Their Resources section is filled with great articles, how-tos, and wonderfully thorough and well-written answers (couldn't resist the horn-toot) to pressing jewelry-making emergencies.

Another item on the list is to write a post for an upcoming Beading Daily. I'm really procrastinating on that one, though, since it will involve an office clean. I figure you probably shouldn't write about organizing your studio when there's only a small trail of open rug from the door to the your chair!

Mama's Got a Brand New Gun

Ah, the wonders of spray paint and hot glue... I turned this Nerf dart gun into a wicked Steampunk ray gun yesterday. Used it as a prop for a hilarious photo shoot I had with Emma yesterday--she's turning out to be quite the photographer!

I think this little baby needs a name--any ideas?

Book Written? Check.

I sent my Steampunk book text off to the publisher yesterday and I'm simply jubilant! The sky looks sunnier, my kids seem taller and smarter, and my mind has wandered to thoughts of baking and reading and other things very non-writing-related...

I'll have to say that despite living like a hermit for 3 months, I'm still over the moon about this one. The publisher is working on the cover, and once I get a copy I'll be sure to post it here so you can get a sense of what's inside.

This one will be VERY different than any other book I've done in that it focuses mostly on jewelry-making techniques and not beading in the traditional sense. But I think anyone who likes making interesting jewelry will enjoy this book. The line-up of artists included is quite stellar and the sidebars on Steampunk will be a great education for anyone not familiar with the trend.

To celebrate I went to the Ax-Man and picked up a bunch of cool widgets and thingamajigs to fashion a pair of time-traveling goggles for myself.



But then I turned the corner and found these completely perfect snow goggles, just calling to be modded, for the low price of just $4.95! Guess I'll just have to make a couple pairs. Maybe one for everyday time travel and another for mad science projects?



I was sad to miss Santa Fe this year, especially now that people are coming home and sharing their stories. Hopefully next year! Instead I went to Uncle Joe's surprise 90th birthday party, and it was so much fun. Wow--I hope I'm half as energetic when I'm 90! I guess Joe was the last one to leave the party and was cleaning the beer bottles off the tables before he left. Amazing.



All my siblings came into town for it. We haven't been together as a group for a couple years, so it was a 3-day party! Great food and late nights with stories and laughing. A huge St. Patrick's Day party on Friday, of course. And the music--oh yes, the music! My sibs are musically gifted and love to perform together, so we had great entertainment, too. Dylan, of course, was in heaven, especially now that he can keep up with them on lead guitar.




I really needed a boost, and it seems like this weekend did the trick. I feel so lucky to be surrounded and loved by such amazing people.

Multi-tasking

I am in the final throes of writing my Steampunk book and have the gray hairs to prove it. Haven't slept much in between the sidebars, materials lists, technique info, and the herding-cats qualities of gathering photo permissions forms. So, to get a little exercise in the other day I turned on The City of Lost Children--a visually breathtaking French Steampunk film with costuming by Gaultier--and jogged and sit-upped and leg-lifted while watching.

I really look forward to just exercising or just watching a movie someday. And I just know there's a cold fruity drink with an umbrella in it waiting for me at the end of this post-apocalyptic Steamjunk tunnel!

Facebook

Oh...my...goodness. I just joined Facebook at the insistence of my sister and it is so absolutely dangerous I can't stand it. It's 11:00, I haven't showered, done the breakfast dishes, or started one itch of work, even though the dogpile is literally up to my knees.

But in the hour and a half since I joined, I reconnected with my old pals Jillian Moreno and Joe Coca, got an invite to Lemon Grove, and my brother is itching to buy some pieces from me! Wow. I could do this all day long.