Some thoughts on where I have been

So lately I have been thinking about how I came to jewelry in the first place, and why choose that over something else. I certainly had many other talents I could have turned into a full time job, career, what have you. So why jewelry and not something else???

Here are my thoughts on it. I have always had art and music around me, starting with my early childhood. Both of those were kind of a natural progression having a mother that did both. Plus I seemed to be able to learn those things as if they were natural to me. And I started learning both very young. By the time I was 5... I was already a student of music learning how to play songs on a guitar. And I always drew, ever since I could remember. Actually to be honest, I don't even remember learning my first chords on the guitar. So it seems these would be a natural path for my life, I loved them both, was good at both in whatever I applied myself to either instrument or medium. So why jewelry then????

Well first let me tell you how I got started making jewelry. I was pregnant with my son, and the smell from paint was not good, my guitar was not really as easy to play with my growing belly... there is a reaching around problem there. So one day I decided to go into a bead shop, and I got a few things that day, and started playing with my new things. In no time flat I knew, this was it, this is what I wanna do! I told my then boyfriend, he thought I was crazy. But I knew. I think even though I have made money as a musician, and had a lot of fun doing it, it was something I did because it was taught to me. This is something I came to on my own, not because my mother was this same thing. Plus there are a lot of things about jewelry that I love...

When I was a little girl I used to dream about having gorgeous jewelry(really what little girls doesn't dream of having fabulous jewelry?), but never having and money I didn't have any. Of course now I have a collection of fabulous jewelry! So I made that little girl dream come true, and I think that has a lot to do with my happiness as a jewelry artist. My inner child can come out and play, and not only does that make me happy for the time being, but being that my inner child has been beaten down for so long, this is like giving her new life. Letting her be a girl, and her feeling loved for it(something new and much needed for her). So I guess you could say it is a healing job for me in a lot of ways as well. I am grateful that I have something I love, that is healthy for me, and that pays the bills, and being able to work form a home studio gives me a lot more time with my son.

I also think about the fact that I started less than 7 years ago with a few crappy beads, and no sales to what I have today... a studio stocked, a mind full of ideas and abilities, and money coming in enough to meet my needs. If you would have shown me some of my current pieces then and said, "You will be making this in 7 years." I would have laughed, and said boy wouldn't that be great, but never would I have believed it! I am excited to see where I go in the next 5 years... 10 years, 15 years.... etc. I know that jewelry, and metalsmithing in general give me a ton of room to grow and learn, so I know this will be a lifelong journey of learning, doing, and learning some more. Something I look forward to very much!

Neglected blog....

Um yeah so my blog is severely neglected yet again!!!

Part of it was getting adjusted to the new living arrangements, part of it catching up on things that have needed catching up on for a while now. I think I will be able to get a better schedule in place now though... and hopefully squeeze some blogging time in each week at least! More? Maybe.

My broken toe has finally healed I think, although during my run this morning my feet were numb, and tit started to throb a little, but that could have been the numb feet thing.

I am going to one store at least this week with some jewelry and see what they say. Hopefully I get a consignment deal or whatever.

I am also about to submit my first tutorial to jewelrylessons.com, just gotta convert it to a pdf now, it is in her format, I did that last night. I gotta make more, like soon!!! the more I pump out of those I think could be good... esp with Eni's site, which is heavy in traffic!