Various Methods of Procrastinating

Isn't part of life and work procrastinating
This week I daydreamed of planting flowers as a stress reliever while i did My Fed and State Taxes
No it's not so bad when you get into it - it's the starting that is the most painful!

Unfortunately I did not get any flowers planted
ALL i got done was taking photos approximately 300
editing photos
adding items to Etsy Store
researching more shows to apply to
applying to said shows

ALL of that takes more time than you think it would
PLUS of course remember Im not in a hurry to finish it

NOW i REALLY must do my taxes
Don't mind paying my fair share I just wish the paper process wasn't so painful

The upside
when it's all done i get to get into the studio and JAM for 3 weeks before my first local show!

Strange but True

Ideas and inspiration come from some unlikely places for me
Last night I saw a bit of leaf on the floor and it instantly have me the idea for a new pair of earrings
The leaf did have a shape that I use in my designs but until that moment I saw it on the floor I had not had the idea for these particular earrings -
I am very grateful I have a suggestive mind!
I also saw something last week which struck me as beautiful which most people would think ugly
A beautiful pattern and design on the side of a work truck !

DONE and Done!

Last weekend I spent that entire time in front of a computer or a camera - took a class on how to run an Etsy shop. Learned ALOT but was too far out of studio for my sanity!

FINISHED and mailed the custom piece which i was struggling with last week

it is for some kind of meditation and HAD to be

1 & 39/64ths inch at the two horizontal pieces furthest top and bottom
in addition also had to be
1 & 39/64ths inch from the center of bottom and top piece to its corresponding top point of each triangle

THEN it had to be 1 inch from the top and bottom piece to the closest tip of the other triangle

THIS is MUCH easier to type than do!
WOW

i have all the measurements CORRECT
however it isn't perfect

it is as PERFECT as i can get it!
and that is good enough for me
Here's hoping the clients think the same thing

I can be comforted in the fact that they do NOT have magnifying glasses which magnify ALOT
so hopefully they won't see what i KNOW is there!

this is a test!

to see if my stating my intent 

keeps me honest and helps me to stay on task 

TODAY i WILL finish this piece which i have procrastinated for a VERY long time

It is always hard to make something which is not in your usual repertoire 

for me at least it is like pulling teeth to focus on something which is unchartered territory 

However I did Start said piece yesterday SO this gives me confidence 

NOW i just have to do the really hard part once again and FOCUS on one thing 

Here GOES! 

So far so good!

So my blog did exactly what i was hoping it would do on the 13th, tuesday this week.
I could not focus and just get this bracelet done - i put it out there on my blog that i needed
to focus on this bracelet and even if no one read it - i KNEW that i had stated in publicly
and really did want to make some head way on it.

After i published my post i shut my computer off, went into the studio and worked on it non-stop
until it was done!

I finished Wednesday night and mailed it to the client on Thursday!

On a completely different note i wanted to also use this blog to talk about design and ideas

My boyfriend has his car in pieces in garage SO he needed my car to go to work on Saturday morning and dropped me off at the gym parking lot 30 minutes before they were supposed to open.

The owner showed up 45 minutes after i got there so i went treasure hunting in the parking lot!

TREASURES found 3.17 Conviction Crossfit Parking lot!

 I am already making two of the large headed nails in top right corner into a pair of earrings!
and am thinking about making the large piece on top left into a wall piece somehow...not sure how
but that is what i am thinking....

Custom bracelet

It was lots of fun making this custom to order bracelet for a customer in Florida -

 she wanted a hybrid of two different bracelets she had seen on my Facebook page.

The bracelet is reversible with different details on the reverse side but since 

i LOVE rusty metal i like the washer screw side best! 

The tricky aspect about bracelets is you cannot size someone's wrist like you can for a ring.

she told me the measurement for her wrist but still not sure if this bracelet will be a little big 

if so she will have to mail it back and i will remove a link or two to make it the right length! 

FINGERS crossed she loves it AND it fits her perfectly!

Desperately Seeking FOCUS

It seems my mind and energy are either completely focused on the task at hand
OR
thinking of one million and one things i need to get done and not being able to focus on one for longer than 5 minutes

So here is to finding that FOCUS i desperately need today and hoping to report back later today that I did indeed SUCCEED!

TO DO:
find some focus
work on custom bracelet
replacement earrings for someone who lost their favorite go to earrings
print out photos and drop off for show deadline which is in two days

bracelet in progress

TMI = overstimulation

I find myself battling all these ideas and images in my mind not knowing where to start or which thread to follow...  Even though it is a life long struggle for me to find FOCUS I seem to thrive on my chaotic brain chatter

For the first time ever I am trying to attain a CPA to do my yearly taxes - I am stubborn and even though it is like pulling teeth I do my own business and personal taxes every year. Hoping not to this year - it takes so much time away from making work! 

I saw these steel beads that were only a couple of dollars a piece but a great design - I'm interested in seeing if i can make something similar out of Sterling 

When I was making dinner 

I noticed how beautiful the very center of the sections of leeks were! 

For the first time ever I am trying to attain a CPA to do my yearly taxes - I am stubborn and even though it is like pulling teeth I do my own business and personal taxes every year. Hoping not to this year - it takes so much time away from making work! 

This week I spent hours researching and compiling supply orders - I was out of almost everything - AND I ordered some new materials to try mostly for this one earring design which I came up with last week - 

i cut bottom design out of paper about 4 times before i was satisfied with shape and size

Normally I use Sterling for everything, but don't want the earrings to be heavy and even if large are still very comfortable to WeAR. 

I cut out the design in Aluminum but that didn't look quite right. So i ordered some Titanium and a few other options to try out. I am excited about this idea - hope it works out this week! 

What I actually finished this week 

The piece for show at Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts - 20 years of the Artist in Residency program - I was fortunate enough to be a resident in 2002-2003

http://www.arrowmont.org/artists-in-residence

on my plate for this week 

1. wedding band - first one came out perfect first try - it's mate is on the third try! 

2. custom bracelet - still haven't gotten to that

3. custom piece for spiritual purposes 

4. still need work to fill an order 

As in Life and Art; there is always a challenge and a lesson to be learned - Here's to learning something this week!

Rotary Engine

inspired by

Sometimes it seems the easiest way to tap into what you believe is when someone asks you a pointed question.  About five years ago a college student from out west contacted me about an artist profile for a class paper, and she wanted to write it about my work. One of the things she me about was my favorite jeweler, and what jewelry did i look at for inspiration.  I told her i had lots of inspirations; African and Egyptian art, architecture, nature, anything and everything around me, but that i thought it was most important to look outside of your own medium to avoid the trap of your work mimicking other artists in your medium.  The most inspiring thing i saw this week was a detail from a railing. This is definitely going to inspire some work from me! I can't get over how amazing this piece is, i found the picture on David Norrie's website, a blacksmith who lives about an hour away from where i live now.
I adore this piece and plan on paying homage to it real soon in my own studio!

www.davidnorrie.com

Taking Care of Business!

One of the things I struggle with as an artist is the business side and doing multiple different aspects - I either work on paper work and nothing else or I work in the studio and forget EVERYTHING else like eating and following through on jobs and all these various tasks which keep me in business

1. Deadline for filing quarterly taxes for Colorado - a first time for me!

2. Send a small order to Miya Gallery, my favorite gallery in Weaverville NC. If i can't be there at least some of my art progeny can. - they have customers waiting for a shipment to arrive. However for the last two weeks I forgot to look up from the piece i was working on and it slipped my mind.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Miya-Gallery/87805201702

3. Send my new favorite piece off to one of my best customers in South Carolina he wants to try it on and see if it's a "fit" (first i have to make chain longer)

4. Start working on components for an awesome lady in Florida who wants a custom bracelet similar to one she saw on my Facebook page.

5. Also really need to start amassing a collection of work to take to my newest gallery, Boulder Gallery of Arts and Crafts, which has been on my list for weeks and I REALLY should get it there before the second week of February
www.boulderartsandcrafts.com/

6. Mail off my trade for one of my best friends Sondra, who is an amazing artist who I got to trade with
her necklace is made from a washer i found in the alley behind Miya Gallery and it is completely unique - I have never seen a washer that looks like it! Picture coming
www.sondradorn.com

My biggest hurdle getting it ALL done and getting work in studio done AND life maintenance on top of that

getting started

...never thought i wanted a blog, but today i just starting making one. i realized it could be like a sketchbook for me; enhancing awareness of my process and maybe it will keep me on task and honest about the steps i need to take next.