Box of Memories

My Grandmother's charm bracelets.

To those who have collected jewelry all their life, a journey through the jewelry box is a trip back in time. 

My collection is like a photo album.  When I hold necklaces that belonged to my grandmothers I see their faces shining back at me.  My favorite pendants from childhood remind me of a particular age, outfit, holiday or feeling.  Some pieces are from my first trip to San Francisco, gifts from friends and former students, visits to street festivals, and special vacations.  My jewelry box also contains a record of different phases in my life; the 80’s, my rhinestone period (before "Bling"), the Goddess years, world culture hippie, and “small and delicate”.  I have a few necklaces I made when I was little and many I’ve made as an adult. 

For me, the value of a piece of jewelry is not its materials or artistry, but the story it tells.  This explains why I have so much trouble clearing away the clutter.  As long as I have space, and can keep it organized, I don’t mind.  Every so often I get rid of things because their sentimental value has slipped away and I know I’ll never wear it again.  But I don’t throw them out.  Necklaces and earrings get disassembled and added to my workshop to be repurposed into new wearable art.

Synergy

 

Synergy is at play in my life.  According to my dictionary widget, synergy is “The interaction or cooperation of two or more organizations, substances, or other agents to produce a combined effect greater than the sum of their separate effects.” 

I am more joyful, playful, energetic, and creative than I have been in a long time.  It must be the combination of having a job I love, a creative project with clear goals, connections with warm, creative, interesting people, all the wonderful art events taking place this month, and major planetary shifts (we are now living in the age of Aquarius). 

Author Tama J. Kieves recently quoted Brother David Steindl-Rast on her Facebook status; “The answer to exhaustion is not rest.  It’s wholeheartedness.”  This really resonates with me.  I am busier than ever and have more energy than ever because I’m excited about what I’m doing.  I am giving my life my whole heart, living it deeply and fully.  Momentum is increasing.  Who knew it could be so much fun? 

Making Progress

The list!

I’m at about the halfway point on my September/October goals.  I ordered some supplies for my new designs.  I’m still waiting on the mail; UPS misdirected my package to San Marcos, CA, between Los Angeles and San Diego.  Whoops!  So I’m not “making” anything yet.  I might have bitten off a little more than I can chew with blogging 3 times a week.  Soon I will start teaching two after school art classes, making me extra tired when I return home.  I also find that writing is a slow process for me.  If I blog in the evening I don’t have time to work on anything else.  Still, I’m going to stick with it for as long as I can. Twice a week might be a little more doable.  I have been carrying around my little notebook for a couple weeks and only wrote in it once.  Either I forget I have it, or I’m too busy to jot things down.  I think it will take some practice and discipline to make good use of my new “tool”.

Wigging Out

Don't mess with me.

This weekend I have been thinking and planning ahead with my jewelry project. Eventually I will need to photograph my necklaces for my Etsy shop.  It is important to have excellent photos of each necklace and very helpful for shoppers to see how each piece looks when it is worn.  I will probably ask a few friends to model for me.  But what if that doesn’t work out?  That is when I had the brilliant idea of being my own model!  I can do a series of self-portraits.  My timing couldn’t be better.  With Halloween around the corner it is very easy to find inexpensive wigs.  So today, I drove down to the Halloween store and did a little shopping.  Here are a couple photos shot with the Photo Booth app on my laptop.  Can you say “self-entertainment”?

This one reminds me of Kate Bush.

Resources

"Donated" necklace, store purchased seed beads and shell pendant, tree pendant made from silver clay, beach pebble pendant, and acorn pendant made from a shell and wild cucumber seed.

After looking at the picture in my last blog entry, you might be wondering how I came to possess so many beads.  Well, I’ll tell you!  They came from all over:

*The bead store!

*Bead catalogs and the Internet

*Leather, Native American, craft, Tibet, and second-hand stores

*Gem and bead shows

*Old broken necklaces

*Donations from friends who are cleaning out their jewelry boxes

*Garage sales

*Sidewalk finds

*The beach and woods (shells, rocks, seeds and sticks can be drilled to make beads)

*My own making (from clay, plastic scraps, etc)

I’ve been collecting for a long time, over 15 years.  Collecting beads feels somewhat addictive to me.  I’m a sucker for little, tiny, beautiful, and precious things (like sea glass).  String those treasures together, and you have a work of art!

Organization

Organization is key for beaders.  Over time I’ve collected thousands of beads. Most of my beads are organized by color and type.  I like to think of them as my palette.  I need to spread them out, or at least have quick access when working on a design.  The question is how do I store them so I can find what I need?  Some of my beads are in the storage cases pictured above.  The ones with the plastic wrap are seed beads.  The wrap is to protect them from spilling all over if the unit should fall.  I hope it works.  Living in earthquake country, I fear the inevitable.  The storage units are secured to the bookcases they are in, which in turn are secured to the wall.  Still, I cringe at the thought of picking up all those mixed up beads off the floor.  Knock on wood! 

"Commitment"

I splurged on a set of Angel Cards the other day.  I’ve wanted some for years.  I love how simple they are.  Tiny laminated cards, each with one word and a tiny angel drawing.  When I got home I took them out of the box, mixed them up (upside down) on the couch, closed my eyes, emptied my mind and picked one.  I got “Commitment”. 

Instantly this word brought many thoughts to mind.  First, I thought about my marriage commitment.  Could the card be sending me a message about that?  No, that vow is as solid as can be.  Certainly not commitment to my job, I’m a dedicated teacher through and through.  But what about the promises I’ve made to myself?  To be true to myself, live my dreams, and be kind and compassionate towards others.  Those are the personal commitments I think about every day. 

Then there is the commitment to my current project; setting up an Etsy store by the end of January.  That takes perseverance I didn’t have until now.  I have a plan of action, clear goals, and steps needed to get there.  I’ve been thinking about it a lot lately.  How I will refuse to give up when I get to the difficult, boring, or not fun parts (if there are any).  This project is about much more than starting a hobby-type business; it’s proving I can finish what I start and that I’m devoted to my art.

So, if I feel my art and I are one in the same, then am I not committing to myself as well?