What has been your toughest call?  Are you pleased with how things have turned out?  Did you second guess yourself for awhile after making the choice?

As it relates to jewelry, I’d have to say that my toughest decision was to be extremely selective in the commissions I accepted.  There was a temptation in early days to be so grateful to anyone who asked me to make something custom for them.  After getting burned a few times though, I learned to be much more selective.

It is always alright to say no, but it’s hard to do.  “No, I don’t think I could work with someone like you” doesn’t come off as very nice!  But that’s often the honest truth.  I’ve learned that if someone comes to me because they love my style and the things I make, and they have some general ideas about what they want, we’re most likely going to get along just fine.  However, if someone wants to micro-manage the process…well, not so much.

Guess I’m just a typical tempermental artist that way!  Give me the guidelines and then get the heck out of my way!

Post from: Jewelry and Beading

Artist: Irene Lenihan
Blog: Flights of Fancy Creations

I take a lot of photos of things. Indoors and out. I love to try and duplicate the color combination that I find in the photos. I am attaching a photo I took (I scrapbook them) and the jewelry piece it
inspired.

No trees were killed in the making of this email…however, a large
number of electrons were horribly inconvenienced.

Post from: Jewelry and Beading

As part of our on-going emphasis on education this year, I want to share some previous posts that may help you fill in some gaps! From creativity to color, from design elements to jewelry school, these resources can point you in the right direction.

Do you want to design for yourself?
This is the conclusion of my series of articles, with links to all the previous articles

Beadwork basics online

Dictionaries, glossaries, and encyclopedias of jewelry making info online

Creativity online

Color training and tools online

Jewelry design tools and articles online

Jewelry class listings by geography

Beading shows with classes

Design school directory

Post from: Jewelry and Beading

It’s not that easy to do ugly. I mean to do really gut-twisting ugly.

It’s easy to make a necklace that isn’t that great, but how about to make one that breaks all the rules of good design and leaves your viewer feeling squeamish? I can’t show you a picture of my entry from two years ago here, because I used plastic vomit as the base. If you’d like to see it, it’s on their website as a semi-finalist from 2007. It’s called “Queasy”, and you’ll have to scroll down just a bit. You’ve been warned!

The Land of Odds has been sponsoring this contest for 7 years now, so there are plenty of…wonderful?…examples of ugly art to look at to inspire you. But please, enter this fun contest and see how hard it really is to do ugly! All the information you need is here.

The deadline for submissions is March 15, 2009. Here’s last year’s winner to get you going:

Julia Vogl

Post from: Jewelry and Beading

Artist: Jamee Jones
Business name: Jonara Blu Maui
Location: Makawao, Hawaii

Websites & Blog:
http://www.jonarablumaui.com
http://jonarablu.etsy.com
http://www.jonarablumaui.blogspot.com/

How do you describe your work, Jamee?
Fresh and Funky with an island twist. I also create romantic, feminine beach bride jewelry that has a beachy-organic appeal.

Originally my sister Kimberlee Aihara partnered with me before she became a wedding photographer here on Maui and so Jonara is a mix of our last names: Jones and Aihara. Add the Blu to represent the blue ocean that surrounds us and we’ve got ourselves a cute little name for our jewelry business!

What is your creative process like?
I think creating is quite emotional for me..I really have to be in the mood to design my most favorite pieces that I’m extremely proud of. At times like that it’s usually late at night when I’m way over tired and I become inspired by color and the music on one of my playlists. I find putting together a piece to be sort of like a puzzle…finding the right balance between color and shape is very exhilarating and leads to more creative ideas. It often takes me from days to weeks to complete a piece as I come back and rearrange beads until it finally looks right to me.

When in that ‘design mode’ you will find bead containers stacked all around me and probably 20-30 different strands and little piles of single beads strewn across my beading area. I end up using not even half of them when I finally make a decision. Usually whilst in the middle of deciding on what looks best for one idea I had..I often get inspired by the beads themselves and stick aside my original idea for another time because the excitement from the new idea is begging to be done right then and there.

Of course being surrounded by such amazing beauty here on the island of Maui goes with out saying..it’s a constant inspiration that is always there for me to pull from. The many brightly colorful flowers are a big inspiration, the ocean and it’s sea life and especially beach weddings. They really inspire me and have allowed me the opportunity to create jewelry for many of Maui’s blushing brides as well as other beach brides around the world.

What kind of training did you have which helped you achieve your current level of artistry?
I started creating my first jewelry pieces when only 9 years old. I had this babysitter named Jenny who watched me and my brother on Monday nights while our mom and dad were at lamaz classes preparing for our little sister Kimberlee to arrive. Jenny would bring this shoe box over full of little bottles of beads and findings and she would teach me how to make necklaces. I was in heaven! At the end of the last day she watched us she gave me the whole box of beads! I still vividly remember the excitement I felt as the new owner of those tiny colorful candy-like wonders and I often pull that memory out when my hobby has started to feel a little too much like work.

And I am both happy and proud to say that is exactly what my hobby has become…my job! In 1996 I started working for a local Maui ceramic jewelry artist. Having taken many art classes and having the knack for painting, I picked up right away on how to paint intricate designs on ceramic beads for this artist. I was also trained how to string the very well made heavy jewelry designs that this artist sold in local galleries. Having learned a little about the business side of jewelry making and being constantly inspired with new ideas for my own line, in 2002 along with my sister Kimberlee (because of course I taught her all about beading as a kid), I branched out on my own, selling at local craft fairs. May of 2003 I launched my online shop through RubyLane and since then I have added my Etsy shop and have enjoyed becoming part of the Etsy community. My sister Kimberlee left the world of jewelry making a few years ago to pursue her very successful wedding photography business.

Is there a tool or material that you can’t imagine living without?
I cannot imagine living without pearls…they really speak volumes of time and natural beauty and are a lovely reminder of the sea. My other favorite is Hill Tribe silver sea creature and ocean themed beads and charms.

What inspires you to keep going when the work gets frustrating or tough?
Besides what I mentioned above..just remembering my original excitement for the craft and fascination of beads themselves..some of the other things that inspire me to keep going is seeing what others have created, hearing how much people enjoy my pieces, the friendship it’s brought me from meeting fellow beaders and getting to know special customers, and also the ability to help my family out financially. Sometimes when I need a real kick in the pants I look over my work and accomplishments as a reminder to what I am capable of.

What is your best piece of advice for those who would like to rise in their level of artistry?
Well I am kind of all over the place and have a hard time focusing when it comes to learning new things. So I would have to say take a class if you can..it helps you to focus. I collect tutorials and purchase videos and can’t seem to ever actually sit down and do it. A class has set a definite appointment for you to spend time on that new aspect of your craft..plus it’s fun and inspiring to spend a few hours w/ others interested in the same thing.

What takes up the majority of your time besides your art?
I would have to say my family and spending time with them. While creating it’s easy to bury myself in my studio and not come out for hours..but I have made it a point to always spend family time throughout the day. Family time is addicting..so I often find that I have to pull myself away from them to get back into beading mode again!

What are some of your other favorite things?
Comfort food: Chocolate…Dark…always gotta have dark chocolate! My favorite color believe it or not since I was 5 years old was black. I used to get teased in school about coloring w/ the black crayon and told that only boys liked that. I liked other colors too, but I liked the way black made the color look. I remember my kindergarten teacher showing my mom a picture I colored. We all had to color a star…my star was black with multiple colored flowers growing out of it and evidentally the teacher thought it was pretty nifty. Since then my tastes have changed and I can’t say I really have a favorite color…I love them all and how each one can have an effect on the other. One of my favorites to work with though is brown…I like to put it along with a bright color combination.

Post from: Jewelry and Beading

Artist: Phaedra A. Torres
Business name: Lluvia Designs
Location: at a bead show, preferably, but in West Covina, CA when not.

Website:
Lluvia Designs

Phaedra, how do you describe your work?
I usually like to say that I specialize in “unwearable” jewelry. Mostly because it’s the easiest way to describe it, and partially because I just like to see people’s reactions to that. When I tell people I make jewelry, I usually add the disclaimer of “but not normal jewelry” because I can see the pictures forming in their heads of the jewelry they think I make. If I don’t steer them away from that image, they usually don’t know what to say when they actually see some of the junky crazy stuff I make. I spare us both the pain.

Lluvia Designs was born because I always liked the name and decided that if I had children, one would be named Lluvia, which means “rain” in Spanish. Well, I decided not to have real & human kids, so the name was adopted by my jewelry.

What is your creative process like?
I sometimes have an idea for a piece of jewelry rattling around in my head, but mostly I just pull out beads and they magically arrange themselves. I’m not that disciplined and very rarely plan and sketch out an idea. I grew up in a loud family and am loud myself, but strangely, when I’m being creative I like silence, so I usually don’t play music. I like working at night while everyone else is sleeping, and I talk to my dog (and myself) about what I’m making.

What kind of training did you have which helped you achieve your current level of artistry?
I really haven’t had any formal training, mostly informal “on the job” training! I’m not a very good student, unable to sit still in jewelry classes for long periods of time, so I’ve mostly learned by myself, and by trial and error.

I remember making jewelry “to sell” and I felt very much under pressure, always wondering if it would sell, would people like it, is it fashionable right now, etc. A little over 4 years ago I took a big risk and quit my comfy, familiar full time job, traded it for a part time job and began making jewelry full time. I knew I had to stand out, so I challenged myself, and I saw my jewelry morph into what it is today. I stopped making jewelry “to sell” and started making jewelry that came naturally from me.

Is there a tool or material that you can’t imagine living without?
Beads, of course! I use a lot of suede lace, so I’d be hurting without it. If I couldn’t fish through my boxes and boxes of found items, collected over the years or handed over from my mom, I would seriously be hurting…like “I need a margarita” hurting.

What inspires you to create?
I can’t pinpoint what inspires me to create, only that something leads me to my workspace in my garage and holds me captive there for hours on end. I’m very drawn to things I find in the street. I love to look on the side of the road for discarded gems. A simple bottle cap will inspire me and a necklace will be born around it.

I still remember what initially inspired me to make jewelry. When I was about 15 years old, my mom, who makes quilts and other sewn objects, had a booth at a small craft fair – and I was recruited to help her. There was a girl in the booth next to us selling jewelry and my mom bought me two pairs of earrings. After taking them home and inspecting them, I decided I could do it myself. And the rest is history.

What inspires you to keep going when the work gets frustrating or tough?
The beaded jewelry business can be tough, because there are so many of us out there. I focus on what pleases me. It’s very selfish, I know, but it works.

What is your best piece of advice for those who would like to rise in their level of artistry?
Challenge yourself. Take a step back, look at your work, does it “wow” you. Are you amazed? Forget about what you think will sell or please the masses, challenge yourself to make something above that, something that takes your breath away, something that you can’t stop looking at, something that you are truly EXCITED about, something that doesn’t let you sleep at night. Use materials that you wouldn’t normally use. Sometimes we buy materials and supplies we’re familiar with and it leads to the same types of designs over and over. It wasn’t until I stepped away from certain items I used over and over again that I was able to really experiment and develop my style.

What takes up the majority of your time besides your art?
I’m lucky that I only work part time right now, it leaves plenty of time to wander the world. I work in my garden, take my dog on hikes and walks, and travel. I took a 3 week trip to the Yucatan with my sisters this past summer. I always read voraciously and I like to grill things.

What’s your favorite comfort food?
I love traditional homemade Mexican food (believe me, it’s not the stuff you’re eating in restaurants!). There’s an Indian place I crave on a regular basis, which requires a drive through L.A. traffic, but so worth it. I’m lucky to be surrounded by so many great Asian restaurants here, so I have my choice of Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Malaysian, Vietnamese, etc.

I love my job, my dog, my tortoise, my family, public transportation, and playing with clay.

Post from: Jewelry and Beading

Imagination Prompts
Are you looking for some random writing prompts or story starters for your journal, blog, or other creativity-related project?

Oblique strategies
A handy online version of Brian Eno’s creativity tool

Creativity and the periodic table
Roll your mouse over the table to see examples of each strategy

Excellent articles

Don’t wait for the muse
Apparently you shouldn’t sit around waiting for yours even if you do happen to believe you have one!

Creativity. We could all use more.
References three good articles on living creatively

Judith Reilly’s creativity page
Twelve life lessons for creativity

Six myths of creativity
This study may change how you generate ideas

11 tips to suviving a day job with your creativity intact
View your day jobs as the blessing that it truly is!

How to get your day job to leave you
How to naturally outgrow your current life right into the one that you desire

Best sites for a general pick-me-up

Creativity Portal

Tera’s Wish

Artella

Creating Minds

Post from: Jewelry and Beading

Artist: Olivia Competente
Business name: Jewels By Olivia
Location: San Francisco

Website: Jewels By Olivia
Gallery: Museum of Craft and Folk art in San Francisco

Olivia, how do you describe your work?
I have always loved sparkle and color. I started out with beads and they have always been my first love. What I do now is and extension of my bead work. I love the art nouveau movement and Egyptian adornments.

What is your creative process like?
Sometimes I render a piece, but mostly I like looking at what I have and what will fit with it. I work very organically – it cannot be forced, it will work itself out and be or not. Then I show the design to my mom and she has a great eye and gets me to finish a piece.

What kind of training did you have which helped you achieve your current level of artistry?
When I was 9ish I lusted after a pair of earrings at Macy’s and my mom wouldn’t buy them for me. Instead she took me to the oldest bead shop in San Francisco and bought me beads and started my life long passion for jewelry. Then in 2001, the industry I worked in got hit bad by 9-11 so my mom told me to go back to jewelry and I started my formal training on metal fabrication. I am now a PMC certified artisan, teach enameling, fused glass and bead work at the Sharon Art Studio in San Francisco.

Is there a tool or material that you can’t imagine living without?
My original Cress kiln.

What inspires you to create?
The light as it plays across the ocean or trees of Golden gate park, new colors in beads.

What inspires you to keep going when the work gets frustrating or tough?
The fact that great work is giving life to an idea, and collaborating with my mom.

What is your best piece of advice for those who would like to rise in their level of artistry?
Practice, practice , practice, and have fun in the end.

What takes up the majority of your time besides your art?
Cooking for my family and my pets (4 cats and 2 dogs).

What are some of your other favorite things?
I love a good hamburger, read fairy tales, and right now I love a blue-based red color!

Where else can we see your work?
I will have a piece in the up coming Show for the Northern California enamelist guild at the Oakland Museum.

Post from: Jewelry and Beading

Artist: Billie Sanchez
Business name: Wicked Oak Designs
Location: Flagstaff Arizona

Website:
Wicked Oak Designs
Wicked Oak Designs Etsy shop

How do you describe your beadwork, Billie?
I do mostly OOAK jewelry pieces and beaded objects. I love creating and building 3-D pieces and larger cabochon necklaces.

What is your creative process like?
Well, I usually start with a focal piece or a color scheme. Sometimes I have an idea in my head and I draw it out, others I just mess with it until I like the end result. I usually have the radio or TV going (good time for me to catch up on TV shows I enjoy), also, my 3 year old is always running around and adding to what it going on. I work when I can as often as I can. Sometimes I can sit for hours and work other times is 15 minutes here and there.

What kind of training did you have which helped you achieve your current level of artistry?
I had many years of art classes. I found that I like beads better then paint. I found that I had a much easier time creating what I wanted in beads then in paint. I decided one day that I felt I could recreate a lot of the basic pieces that I was seeing around me, but with my own personal touch. It just kind of snowballed from there and 9 years later I am still creating and designing.

Is there a tool or material that you can’t imagine living without?
My beads, of course, My Ott Light and my Fireline…I use it for everything.

What inspires you to create?
Sometimes it is something I see in my daily workings, sometimes it is a piece created by another artist. I just try and keep my eyes open and remember what it is exactly that grabs my attention in something and try and use that and give it my own spin.

What inspires you to keep going when the work gets frustrating or tough?
Mostly just the thought of being finished with the piece. It is always easier once you reach the halfway point. So I try and focus on getting to that point when I am having a hard time.

What is your best piece of advice for those who would like to rise in their level of artistry?
If you love what you are doing, keep at it. I have been doing this for 9 years and am not rich because of it. I keep going because I love it and it is a great way for me to relax and create things of beauty.

What takes up the majority of your time besides your art?
Being a Mom and Wife. I have 3 wonderful kids ages 11, 6 and 3. Also a wonderful Husband of 11 1/2 years.

What are some of your other favorite things?
I love sushi. My favorite color is pink. I love finding time to read a new bead book or a bead magazine (Bead and Button and Beadwork are my favorites).

Post from: Jewelry and Beading

Artist: Bernadine Stoopman
Location: Brisbane, Queensland (East Coast of Australia)

Websites and Blog:
Bridal Jewellery & Hair Accessories by Bernadine
Designs to Love: Bernadine’s gallery
Handcrafted Jewellry & Special Occasion Creations
Hooked on Wire blog

Bernadine, your work is so unique. How do you describe it?
Inventive and inspired are probably the first words that come to mind when describing my wirework.

What is your creative process like?
Sometimes I pull bits and pieces out of my storage boxes to see what goes together but that’s not always successful for me as I don’t have an unlimited collection, so I leave it for a couple of days and surf the net for interesting beads and components or go to a trade show if there’s one on and from there I’ll pull the design together. I sometimes design on paper for customers who’d like a couple of different options, but mostly I’m given a few descriptive words such as, Black, Crystal and Glitzy and left to my own devices. Many of my designs just kind of evolve as I go along. I like to listen to music whilst working, usually just the classical radio station. Some of the pieces I’ve created, e.g. my free form wedding Tiaras, take several days to complete, sometimes I have to put them aside and work on other things as wrapping 26g wire for a couple of hours at a time is painful on the fingers particularly in winter.

What kind of training did you have which helped you achieve your current level of artistry?
I have no formal training in jewellery design, I did study art in high school though. I’ve been creative from a very early age, painting and drawing, sewing, mosaics, and later on Photography when I did a short course. Above all I love colour, texture, and shape.

I also spent 26 years or so working in corporate environments in Office Management and Finance. During that time I project managed several commerical office renovations where I got to play with colour and reasonably big budgets among other things.

In Sept 2005, the International Mining and Resources company I worked for decided to relocate its divisional office from the East coast to the West coast of Australia. I walked away with a large redunancy and thoughts of a nice holiday and a new start . In March 2006, I went along to a basic stringing class just for the fun of it and was instantly hooked. From there I started making earrings, (basic techniques learnt from a book) and then really got hooked on Wire. (that could be a good title for a book…lol) The more I played around with it, the more I discovered that there’s not much you can’t make out of wire. In Nov 2006 I hosted my first jewellery viewing, with 50 or 60 people attending and did fantastically sales wise as well as collecting some wonderful repeat customers. I got alot of practice making a couple hundred pieces of jewellery for that party, as well as using my artistic skills and photographs (taken in Tasmania on that holiday I mentioned) to create swing tags and a website or two.

Is there a tool or material that you can’t imagine living without?
That’s a really easy question… Wire. Playing with wire is my passion and I’d be lost without it.

What inspires you to create?
I’m inspired by Nature. I adore Frogs, Geckos, Lizards, Rainforests, The Beach and Ocean and all that it holds. Many of these things can be seen in my jewellery creations.

What inspires you to keep going when the work gets frustrating or tough?
My will to succeed and knowing that if I give up, I’ve let it beat me.

What is your best piece of advice for those who would like to rise in their level of artistry?
Read, Read, Read….as much as you can get your hands on. Most techniques can be learnt from books so join a Library, join a Beading Forum or group, enter as many competitions as you can afford. Experiment with new techinques, make things up as you go along, who knows what you might stumble on. Submit photos of your work to Beading magazines, get printed. One or two might ask you to write projects for their publication. Worked for me.

What takes up the majority of your time besides your art?
My beautiful Border Collie Pup – Bojak Mister Remarkable or Remy as he’s known and oh yes that dreaded housework.

What’s your favorite comfort food?
Love Italian Food… My mum’s parents came to Australia from the Province of Brescia – Lombardy in Northern Italy. That might have something to do with it.

What’s your favorite color and other favorite things?
That’s a truly difficult question for me to answer. Love colour of any tone or description generally. But to say I’m not overly keen on Yellow. Its a difficult colour for most people to wear.

My other Hobbies are Photography, Gardening – I grow orchids, Painting with Acrylics and Cooking.

Post from: Jewelry and Beading