Getting Stuck Inside Your Creativity

Yesterday Jack came over and we spent a good while sitting at the kitchen table playing with polymer clay. Jack makes sculptures and I mostly make elements for my jewelry. I’ve played around with polymer clay for years but have never put a lot of time into learning new techniques. I do see wonderful things created on Pinterest that I would love to know how they are done. It’s one of my jewelry tools along with metal work and wire wrapping. I really need to increase my skills in all of these. 

This is one of my favorite things to do with clay 

is create these "Royce Rocks". 

They are my faux stones I often use in my jewelry. 

Several new clay molds came in the mail this week and I'm looking forward to using these. I've never used molds before. 

I’ve taken almost no classes, which I often regret. I’ve always thought of jewelry as a hobby and didn’t want to invest a lot of money into it. I understand now that this was a mistake. I have learned a lot on my own but sometimes you just need to peek inside someone else's creativity to get a new edge to your craft. 

So I want to set aside time for just practicing techniques. I’ve all but stopped putting metal into my jewelry. Not really sure how or why this came about. It takes time for me to work new things into a routine, but I must make time to hone those skills. 

I have become a bit bored with what I am making and that’s not good at all. I have a hard time making multiples of a piece, but making everything unique slows me down. I’d like to find a middle ground. 

I have a lot to work on. I have plenty of time and materials. Now to just push myself to do what I need to do. I’m sure after I get started and make a few things I’m proud of I’ll feel more enthusiasm to work more and push myself more. 

My sewing machine is back from the repair shop and now that it’s home and in it’s new area I look forward to getting back into quilting and fiber arts. I really enjoyed that and want to bring it back into my life. 

Keeping It Organized

The last thing I do each year is look over my inventory sheets and save a new version for the new year. Some old designs will be benched, which means I'll take them apart and they will become just bits and parts again.  Every once in a while one that didn't sell might have been a personal favorite and it becomes mine. It moves from the sales case to my jewelry box. 

I don't really mind taking my jewelry apart,

it is almost refreshing. I guess it's a way to release it. 

I also review my supplies at the first of the year. Sometimes it seems I have such a huge amount of supplies. If I overthink that then buying new beads etc. carries some guilt. I recover from that pretty quickly thou. I just must have a good supply of yummy, beautiful things that make me want to create. Some times just looking at a bead makes the entire design spring to life in my mind.

I see all my crafting supplies like this. The closet full of quilting fabrics, the piles of art supplies. They are make me happy and fill many hours of my life with joy. I have a friend who said she might just like collecting craft supplies as much as crafting with them. 

I do have to have my supplies pretty organized thou. I've had people make fun of my bench and the way I keep it, but it works great for me. I'm not saying it always looks like this. In the middle of a creative spree it's a hot mess trust me. Then I have to stop and try to get it back under control. The last time I did major organizing it looked like a bomb went off in here and took a full day. I try not to let it get that way often. 

There are lots of these fishing tackle boxes on the shelves above my bench. 

TIP If you buy these at a craft store you will pay a good deal more 
than you will at the Walmart fishing dept. The quality is as good or better. 

I normally use all the dividers that come with one of these boxes.
I do have boxes for larger beads, and they stay together.
All elements stay with their friends, metal in a box as is glass.
Semi precious has several boxes, they are separated by size and type.

One thing I've had a harder time getting organized is the completed jewelry. I've always just put it away in a sales case after it's photographed, tagged and added to the inventory sheets. Anyone with better ideas please let me know. With a normal inventory of 150+ it's not a quick thing to find the watch pendant that just sold on Etsy. I wish I had room for one of the big old paper cabinets. They cost a fortune too, so that won't happen. 

For now I put all the trays from the sales case on the kitchen table take a photo 

then place them on a letter size layout and keep the printout next to my computer. 

Haven't been drawing too much this past week, 

but I did finish this little drawing. Ink and watercolor pencils.

Olivia and I need to get back to the bench. 

Have a great creative day and

remember you are special