Making Connections

There are many types of connections in jewelry making, cold connections, soldered connections, fabricated connections, etc. etc, but those aren't ,the kind I'm talking about here.  I'm talking about human connections.  How do artists connect with other artists, especially if their immediate circle isn't creative, doesn't get them, or even disapproves...

One way you can connect is through forums like http://www.metalartistforum.com/ .  You can chat, message,  post and connect with artists doing amazing things like this tortoise sculpture.

Another idea is to search your area for a Meetup group.  You can find meetups about almost anything...or you can start your own.  I've seen them used for groups that just want to hang out together, for people trying to start up a business, and for people offering classes.  I recently joined a meetup about turning your hobby into a business.  I met a sculpture artist, two painters, a photographer, a zentangle instructor, a fung shui instructor, a stained glass artist and a glass slumping artist.  The meetup was led by Debra Wilson Guttas of http://www.youniquegems.com/ .  Debra is an amazing woman who left a corporate job to travel coast to coast in a motor home selling her handmade jewelry at art shows.  I intend to tell you more about what our group is learning from her in my future posts.  Debra says if your inner circle disapproves...just don't go there, find other support.

Another great way to meet other artists is to take a class.  This past weekend I took a metal clay class with Jonna Faulkner who does beautiful Art Clay Silver work.  Incidentally, I met Jonna because I asked her husband Steve Rossman to do some professional photos for me.  That's just one example of how the connections you make build on top of one another and ever widen your circle.  At the class I met a potter and a naturopath who dabbles in just about everything he can.  If there are no classes to take, why not teach one?  You meet fellow creatives either way.

You can also do shows.  Many of our previous posts on this site talk about the wonderful camaraderie at shows and making lifelong friends with fellow show artists.

 If you've got kids...teach them some art, they learn to create and you create instant art buddies.  Some of my fondest memories growing up were shopping for patterns and fabric with my mother and her teaching me how to sew.

Making art can be isolating.  How do you make connections that sustain, inspire and motivate you?