may 1 is the day i feel like i really started my residency. up until then i was busy with previous commitments and preparing my studio. may 1 marked the end of those things and the beginning of something very new. i don't even remember the last time i could just make whatever i wanted. however, the excitement of not knowing what i would make quickly gave way to feeling unmotivated, frustrated, stressed, and disappointed. the next four weeks were full of struggle and lots of staring at the ceiling. i still had several deadlines and i did meet them all, sort-of, but i can't say it was easy and it wasn't often enjoyable. the projects included 5 pairs of one-of-a-kind earrings for
earrings galore at heidi lowe gallery,
june's jewelry of the month piece, a few fabric pieces for a show application (plush jewels at
fancy in seattle, wa - pictures are forthcoming), and my
artist-to-artist piece. i began may thinking these deadlines were realistic but by the middle of the month i already felt like i was running out of time. days went by without moving forward, without making anything, and several projects took days longer than i had anticipated.
when i think back now i realize i was being pulled in too many different directions. trying to make new work takes a lot of energy and focus, much more than i planned. then i threw in some constraints and the pressure was on. still, i am pleased with what i made and more pleased with what i learned about myself, how i work, my expectations, and so on. it was a good learning experience for me and i'm now not disappointed in the least, although at the time it all felt very, very bad.
as for taking the month off from online activities. that was very, very good. i enjoyed not having to even think about my various web commitments. it was also nice not to have to pause in the middle of something to take a picture or turn on my computer to update my status. i'm glad i put it all on hold last month and put the focus entirely on my studio. now that i am back, i feel a renewed sense of enjoyment. i don't feel as much of the "i HAVE to or SHOULD do this" and more "i WANT to do this." i'm trying to be a bit more loose with the blog, too. i give myself 30 minutes to write a post and that time frame really helps.
here's where you can find me:
facebooktwitterflickrplease visit my
flickr site to view pictures of what's been going on lately.
well, my 30 minutes are up.
thanks for reading.
here's the brooch i bought at yesterday's radical jewelry makeover sale. it was made by stephanie voegele, a grad student at the university of georgia at athens. i just love this piece! 
i just got back from the radical jewelry makeover show. it was got busy in there right away and much of the work has sold already! i bought a brooch which i do not have a photo of yet. i'll post an image soon. 
last night i helped susie ganch and christina miller, the RJM instructors, price all the work. i was impressed with the pieces they made and how many they were able to crank out in less than two weeks. when i left at 11:30 the class was busy installing the show. i am looking forward to the show today and plan to be there early to choose the piece i will take home. i donated some old jewelry so i have a coupon to redeem. 
as i mentioned the other day, my birthday was in may. for at least the past 5 years i have bought myself a birthday gift of jewelry. this year i got this necklace (above image) by hanna sandin, a new york based artist who is mainly a sculptor. recently she started making a line of jewelry called, "samma", based on her larger works.
i spent the day in the radical jewelry makeover class yesterday. i started by looking through the many containers of sorted donated jewelry. i didn't take a lot because i did not want to overwhelm myself with choices. i just chose a bunch of stuff that caught my eye at first glance. then i got to work. it took me awhile to get going but i made a delicate necklace from a bunch of broken gold-tone chains and a pair of circle earrings. now i am working on an assemblage necklace using a sparkly brooch, a single clip-on earring, a broken sterling chain, and recycled sterling sheet metal made from some other donated sterling jewelry.
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