Creative Chaos, Inpiration and Some Awesome People

Spring shows are barreling down on me- next weekend and the weekend after are two of my biggest shows!

I am always excited to get back out in my tent!!!

Of course, production of new jewelry is in full swing!  Yesterday I worked from about 9am until well after midnight.  I got a lot done, but it just takes soooooo long to complete pieces.  I spent two days last week just making clasps for everything!  

It does feel good though, to be in the assembly stage.  I posted some facebook updates yesterday to break up the monotony of jewelry making.........and the response was great.  I showed off my chaotic work space.

When inspiration starts to flow.........(and it was slow to come this time around) I have to run with it.  That is hard with a house full of people to care for.  So I had a full day yesterday, no one around, and I created and created.  By the time 10pm rolled around, I was REALY inspired, and began to make NEW unplanned things as well.  

The thing is, among all this creating and laying out designs...my studio.......well, it looks like this.

Can you relate?  

I just keep getting more and more stuff out, and nothing gets put away.  It gets to the point that I work in my lap cause there is no more room on the table!

I like this, it makes me feel better.

I lay my designs I want to assemble out in trays.  Two reasons, one, I can move them until I am ready for them, and two, because I can actually see them that way- among all the beads and wires and such on my table!

These are my Artfully Adjustable pendants- all ready for chain

AND I lost my bead reamer on the table.  I know its somewhere under all those beads.  :sigh:

Creative chaos.  I love it.  I need trays of beads and piles of sari silk around me for inspiration to come.  

how do you work?  Can you relate to the mess?  Do you love it?  I was surprised by how many could relate to my mess on facebook!!!

Anyhow, here are some of the things I made.  The pics aren't that great, I will take good ones in my photo tent before the show.  

These chunky long ones were coming very easy to me.  

I actually had a tough time getting back into the swing of my traditional style of wired chokers.  I had to re-do quite a few until I got the feel for them again.  Once I did thought, I kept adding more to make.  I finally got into a groove and am quite happy with what I made.

I hope the weather is good the next two weekends- I can't wait to share time with artist friends.  I also can't wait to see my customers who come back each year.  I work so hard to have new things for them to look through!  They keep me pushing the limits- and I am soooo thankful to have found people who love their jewelry as weird as I do!

Since I am tired, and rambley, I will share a little something that has been on my mind.  I had a couple people who made a huge difference in my jewelry making journey.  One is a fellow artist name Marlee Page, who was so very encouraging, and inspiring to me.  And she REALLY took time with me and even taught me some soldering.  She is an amazing soul, and influenced me more then she may ever know.

The other is one of my regular customers.  Her name is Amanda.  See, I made jewelry that other people wanted for years.  I did shows, and made what people suggested, or what I thought they'd buy......but my soul was screaming to make different jewelry.  So I'd make crazy artsy pieces for myself, and people would compliment me on them at shows, and always add, "but I would never wear that."  So I never felt that I could sell them.  Well, one year, I finally put out some of "my" necklaces.  The crazy ones.  I was getting into PMC and making more of my own stuff, and using a lot of Lisa Peters Beads in my pieces.  It was the first year I put out some of my big chunky chokers.  It was also the first time I was selling things for over $50!  lol! Which was a scary jump.  (yeah- i basically didn't pay myself to do this for the first 10 years of business, but that is another story!). 

Anyhow, Amanda came along, and she picked up all my favorite necklaces, the WEIRD ones!!!!!
And she tried them all on, and she bought one, without blinking an eye.  She said something along the lines of, "this is just my style!".  It was such a pivotal moment for me.....to find someone who LOVED what I made as I much as I did.  I finally knew, there were people out there who could appreciate it.  I never looked back.  I never made things again that I personally did not LOVE.  I lost customers, but gained new ones.....the right ones.  The ones who see my jewelry as art- the way I do.  I am forever grateful!  Because now I love what I do every day!  I get to pour my soul into each piece...and know somewhere out there, the right person is going to find it, and love it. 

Now I must get more coffee in me and get back to work!  Busy night with the kids tonight.  Aiden's first middle school dance (be still my heart), and a project fair with the younger two!  No time to make jewelry tonight.

Thanks for hanging as I ramble on and on...............