I'm totally kidding.
Although at times I do have several ideas churning around, there are other times (particularly after a heavy period of production) where I have a dry spell.
When that happens, what I do is look at my tools and "listen" for an idea. Or I go through all of the materials I have on hand, metals, gemstones and beads and play around with different arrangements of things. Sometimes I just go for a walk and look at things in nature as well as industrial and mechanical objects around me. I take in all the shapes and curves and surfaces and then I go back to my bench. At some point during either of those two exercises an idea comes to me.
What I do NOT like to do is look at any other jewelry. I don't want to risk "borrowing," even accidentally, from someone else's work.
See how these other artists answered the above question:
http://lorahartjewels.blogspot.com/
http://www.creativetexturetools.com/news/
http://www.kaskiles.com/
http://angelacrispin.canalblog.com/
http://penny-candies.blogspot.com/
http://gentrydesignco.typepad.com/jewel ... do-to.html
http://chris-parry.blogspot.com
http://www.lorrene-davis-designs.blogspot.com
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If you suddenly became wealthy and didn't have to sell your jewelry anymore for income, would you still sell it? Would you still make it? and why?
(This question was posed to me and a group of other artists with blogs, to share our thoughts collectively. Links to the other blogs are at the end of this entry.)
I never thought about suddenly becoming wealthy, but growing wealth is something I've been working toward.
Fortunately, I have had other ways to make money, so although my jewelry has provided supplemental income I've never depended on it. I am actually working to shift the balance of my work and income such that jewelry is my only "work." I would of course be very happy to be doing exclusively what I love for a living, and becoming wealthy doing it would be icing on the cake. To have extra money to live comfortably AND do what I most love doing, what a wonderful life. If it happened rapidly via some windfall (winning the lottery for example), so much the better -- more time for jewelry-making!
I would absolutely continue to make jewelry even if I never intended to sell another piece of it. It's an artistic expression, not just about the money. I love making beautiful wearable objects out of metal.
In fact, I love it so much I don't really see myself retiring. I'll continue to make jewelry as long as my hands and eyesight allow. Money/income/time permitting, years from now I may do more teaching. I like the idea of passing on a lifetime's experience to those who are passionate about metalsmithing.
See what the following artists have to say in answer to the same question:
http://lorahartjewels.blogspot.com/
http://www.creativetexturetools.com/news/
http://www.kaskiles.com/
http://angelacrispin.canalblog.com/
http://penny-candies.blogspot.com/
http://gentrydesignco.typepad.com/jewel ... hronicles/
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Warlord ring
fine silver with a 6.4ct (12mm) garnet
You need to view this from multiple angles to really see the design.
It's quite large! Very attention-getting.
Sort of a variation from my All the King's Rings series, this ring seems to have a bit of a dark side, hence its name.
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Over at the Creative Texture Tools blog by artist/instructor Elaine Luther, she's written about torch-firing metal clay, with some quotes and opinions about the technique from yours truly.
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I have recently been acquiring some tools that I've wanted for many years but always passed up at ordering time in lieu of some other supply item or raw material that I needed more.
This is a set of dapping punches with a dapping block -- heavy steel components used to make curved and domed surfaces.
The interesting thing about tools and such is that they have an obvious impact on one's designs... not that people should expect that suddenly I'll have lots of designs with domed shapes, but the capability means that more diversity will show up to bridge the gap between my two different styles of very organic and very geometric.
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