One of these is not like the others......

by Staci Louise Smith

Last week I did a post on Doing it All (or NOT doing it all, actually ).

In last weeks post I touched on some ways I have been trying to make my time more efficient in the studio.

One of the ways I do this when making beads, is to make molds of them.  

  It is a great way to save yourself some time in the studio- and a way to preserve a design you were really happy with.  Here is a post I did awhile back on how to use a two part silicone compound to make a mold of your polymer clay beads.

http://lovemyartjewelry.blogspot.com/2013/04/i-wanna-do-that-again.html

The only problem is, I never want to have too many beads that are too similar out there in the world.  I want everyone to be able to make unique art with my beads, so the beads themselves need to be different.

I paint them each a million different ways, the colors are never the same twice.  However, there are other ways to change it up too.

I have recently been making these awesome Gold Rush beads, with the gold crackle, and then carving them as well.  The carving of each bead is immensely time consuming, and then you have the painting on top that too.  I just could not make them fast enough. 

So I decided to make a mold of them.  I made blank white beads, and then after curing them, I carved the parts I wanted designed.  Then I made molds.  That gave me the carved design quickly.  Then I was free to add my crackle and other embellishments to each one.

For example- here are some of the molds I made.  You can see the shapes and carved pattern are the same, however, I have added elements such as crystals, and holes and other textures to make each one unique.  They are painted different and the gold crackle on each is a little different.  

At first I felt a bit like a sell out not hand carving each one.  However, I was quite happy with the results, and found it allowed more time for other details to be added!

Also, here is ONE fossil Ammonite (shown at the bottom of the picture) I use as a mold, and all the many different designs I make from it.  The key here is to play, and try things a different way so you don't get stuck in a rut!!!  I mean, you KNOW I love ammonites!  So I am always trying to do them in a new and fun way.

So what is the take away here?  Make a mold, re-create your favorite beads, but you don't have to stop there.  Use your texture tools to add dots, or stripes or embed beads and crystals, layer them on top of patterned bases.  Make each one unique anyhow!!!  There is no limit to what you can do!

(Please note that you may not re-create MY beads.....the carved crackle beads are my design and not to be replicated, as well as the spins on the ammonites.  These beads are not shown to be copied but merely as samples of what you can do to your own handmade beads to make them original while using a mold- THANK YOU for respecting that!)

Speaking of the Gold Rush technique and carving polymer, I can finally announce my two pieces got accepted into the Polymer category of the Bead Dreams Competition, which is held at the Bead and Button Show.  Right now voting is open for the Peoples Choice award.  If you are so inclined, you can vote up to 5x per day.  You just need to create a login or login with Facebook.  Here are links to my two pieces that are entered.  If viewing all the pieces- the polymer ones are one page 6.

Sunset Gold Rush

to vote for this one go here

http://jewelrycontests.upickem.net/engine/Details.aspx?p=V&c=236447&s=83027944&i=1

and Zen Cairn

To vote for this one go here

http://jewelrycontests.upickem.net/engine/Details.aspx?p=V&c=236447&s=83027960&i=1

Thank you for the support!

Let's Talk About Cohesive

by Staci L. Smith

What is cohesive?

How does that apply to jewelry?

First lets talk about finding your voice.  

We all start somewhere.  As we learn new techniques and try out new materials, our styles change and grow.  Eventually, we find our voice.  It should be the goal of every new jewelry / component designer out there.  YOUR voice.  Not someone else's voice that you change a little bit.  Your's.  Your's alone.  

You may not think you have one, but you do, somewhere in there.  And, you may be surprised to find it is totally different then the people you admire.  I know I often admire styles that are just not me.  When I started making jewelry, I went through many phases and tried many things that did not stick.

(I used crystals, shiny rainbow crystals.....lol.  There is nothing wrong with that, but it was not me.  At all.)

I don't' have many pictures from the early years, but I did a lot of symmetrical (gasp) gemstones on memory wire necklaces and such.  Then I got into sea glass and I made what everyone makes with sea glass.

 This was a custom order, it was very very glittery

Over time my sea glass jewelry started to evolve and change, and become more of my own voice.  Below is what I was really wanting to do with sea glass.

It continues to evolve, but I think it still has that same feel that I did even back then.  

Now- this is what my sea glass jewelry looks like.

I remember how good it felt when I finally stopped making what I thought I should made, or what I thought would sell, and started listening to that funky rule breaker inside of me.  I never thought they would sell.  In fact, people told me, "oh, i like your necklace but I would never wear that".  Well, I am glad I didn't listen to them, cause people are wearing them!  It feels so good to create from your gut, from your heart!

Anyhow, when you are done laughing at my early work, we can move on (I know I do.)

I think many new artists are scared, they thing they don't have something special inside them, but you do.  You have something as unique as you inside, and you need to allow yourself time to play so you find it. 

It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are.
– Anonymous

 I am really against jumping right into a business from the start, because I think until you have really found who you are, the business end of things- making things to bring in $$, keeping record, ect.....take away from that time you should be enjoying your art and learning and growing.  Trust me, once you go fully into business, play time is greatly diminished.

Finding your voice is important for many reasons.  The first being, why would you want to make what other people are making?  There is enough competition out there in the jewelry world.  What is going to get you noticed and have stay power, is being unique.  Putting your voice into your work.  Put a little bit of YOU in there, and people will see that.  Since you are unique, your creative voice will be as well.  Like a fingerprint.

Originality is a by product of sincerity.
– Marianne Moore

Second you deserve to express yourself.  Stop thinking you have to do what customers want, or what is popular or what other artists are doing.  You are cheating yourself if you do not let yourself be expressed the way you need to.

He who trims himself to suit everyone will soon whittle himself away.
– Raymond Hull


Every time you don’t follow your inner guidance, you feel a loss of energy, loss of power, a sense of spiritual deadness.
– Shakti Gawain

Once you begin to do this, you begin to create from inside you, your work will be cohesive without too much effort. 

cohesive: cohering or tending to cohere; well-integrated; unified:

a cohesive organization.

Now, when I go to a show and walk in a booth, or I go into an etsy shop, nothing turns me off more then when I can't get a feel for the artist in once glance.  That is right, ONE glance.  If I am online and have to look at picture after pictures, of styles that look like 10 different artists work, I am out of there.  Same with a booth at a show.  I will not take time shopping in a booth that has a little bit of everything.  I go to an art show to find that something unique.  I want to look in a booth and KNOW what that artists style is.  I want to feel like I know who they are a little bit from their work.  Are they edgy?  Tough?  Dainty?  Soft spoken?  Feminine?  Innovative?  Earthy?

I also want to invest in handmade, and that means, I want to invest in YOU.  The artist, the maker.  It is a personal thing.  Art is personal.  You put a little piece of you out there.  And people who like, are people who "get it, they get you".  

Being cohesive in your work only benefits you.  You can still grow and play and evolve.  I hope you never stop!  However, everything you do will have your stamp on it, your little something....your spark.

Always be a first rate version of yourself, instead of a second rate version of somebody else.
– Judy Garland

I would like to share some shops that I think are great examples of cohesive.  Shops where, everything they do, is totally their style, and I can spot it a mile away.

First up, Kristin Oppold of Yay Jewelry

You can visit her shop here
https://www.etsy.com/shop/YaYJewelry?ref=l2-shopheader-name

Another person, who despite growing immensely from just beads to metal work, has not lost her unique style, Nikki Z. of Love Root

You can check out her shop and see the cohesiveness in all she does, here
https://www.etsy.com/shop/LoveRoot?ref=l2-shopheader-name

The last jewelry artist I would like to feature is Genevieve Williamson of Jibby and Juna

She is a polymer artist, and I never get tired of looking at her new work.  It is so crisp and clean, yet earthy and soft.  It marries modern and naturally wonderfully.  Most of all, you can tell its one of her pieces every time she makes something new.
You can check out her work here 
https://www.etsy.com/listing/172263998/oxblood-loop-wearable-sculpture-ring?ref=shop_home_active_13

and if her etsy shop is not open, you can view her work here
http://jibbyandjunablog.blogspot.com/

I think this also applies to bead makers as well.  I also think it is very hard to do- to have a unique stamp that is yours in the bead world.  

Two bead artists that stand out to me are Joan Miller and Lisa Peters

Joan Miller Porcelain is famous for her textures and glazing technique.

You can find her work here
https://www.etsy.com/listing/226191473/set-of-six-colored-porcelain-beads-three?ref=shop_home_active_1

Lisa Peters Art has a way with artsy unique beads, and even as she makes new series and changes back and forth from raku to regular glazes, you know its her work

You can find her work here, and check out her shop
https://www.etsy.com/shop/LisaPetersArt?page=3

What I hope you take away, whether you are just starting, or you have been doing this for awhile now, is that having a cohesive look will benefit you.  You will find "your people", your customers, who get your work, who love your work, and who invest in your work.  And they will find YOU because they know at a glance, that you are their beady soul mate!

I leave you with one more quote....mine: "BE YOU, because you are worth being".  -staci (lol)  That has probably been said before....anyhow....


Have fun and happy creating!

Asymmetry Boot Camp

by Staci L. Smith

Even a 9 year old can do it?
  

Perhaps. Maybe they are better at it then us, because they are uninhibited.  (Or maybe my 9 year old just has my kind of brain, drawn to things a little off kilter, just enough to be interesting. ) I don't know, but it was neat to observe the making of this yesterday.

by Julia Smith- art bead focal by Jenny Davis-Reazor

Julia finally got the jewelry making bug, and her and I sat down so I could show her some basic ways to assemble her bead collection into jewelry. 

I showed her how to wire wrap, and she put together this piece.  I laid out the focal for her, and she selected the beads to go around it.  To my surprise, she made it asymmetrical.  Not even a worry that both sides didn't match.  Then she added the matching droplets on each side.  I liked that touch, that she added something similar on each side to create a little more balance.

(it still needs a clasp- almost done)
I am a proud mama!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Really, I wanted to post today about bead making and buying as it pertains to asymmetry.  I see people post all the time on facebook, asking how many beads they should make in a set.  Do people want even numbers, or odd numbers?  There is never a definitive answer, because some of us work symmetrically, and others asymmetrically. 

So, if you want to push yourself to try asymmetry, I suggest embracing those odd lots of beads, the orphans, the similar color sets that none of the shapes match..........it may help you to try it out.

I make my bead sets that way, all different, usually with odd numbers of beads in them.  I do it, because that is what I would buy, and its what I use in my jewelry.  As a matter of fact, I made some beads sets so big, that I thought, if I just added a few beads here and there, it would be an asymmetrical necklace.

So to test the theory, I made this (also because I couldn't make these sets to sell without using one myself)

focal and organic polymer by me, ceramic spiral pods by marsha neal studio, rustic lampwork focal by Genea Beads, raku ammonite by Suburban Girl Studio and black ceramic rounds by Starry road studio

One strand of my organic mis-matched beads.  A few other art beads, and gemstones, and some fancy arranging.  Voila- asymmetrical necklace.  

So, here are some links to non-matchy or odd numbered sets to get you inspired!!!

https://www.etsy.com/listing/182070680/wing-dings-ocean-beach-stone-jewel?ref=shop_home_feat_4

https://www.ktotten.etsy.com 

https://www.etsy.com/listing/178781845/handmade-lampwork-bead-sra-coral-creek?ref=sr_gallery_15&ga_search_query=art+bead+orphans&ga_ship_to=US&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery

https://www.etsy.com/listing/179820051/handmade-lampwork-beads-free-formed-m-i?ref=shop_home_active_10

https://www.etsy.com/listing/168500025/reach-long-spike-and-cup-handmade?ref=shop_home_active_1

https://www.etsy.com/listing/177166070/artisan-tribal-clay-beads-banded-spike?ref=shop_home_feat_1

https://www.etsy.com/listing/170100608/rustic-handmade-bead-set-tiny-hole?ref=sr_gallery_18&ga_search_query=ceramic+bead+sets&ga_page=4&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery

Another thing you can do is find a fun shop where you can mix and match beads to create fun asymmetrical designs.  My Elements is one of those shops.  Yvonne has a great selection of fun bits and bobs- and she creates many shapes and sizes in similar colors, so it makes it easier to create asymmetrical pieces that are unified by color.  

https://www.etsy.com/listing/161637926/hip?ref=shop_home_active_8

Here is a pair of earrings she has in her jewelry shop, Drool Worthy.  

They have great balance in shape and color, but are definitely not symmetrical.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/173203702/gabriella-earrings?ref=related-0

I hope this has inspired you to try out some asymmetrical jewlery!  Remember to enter your pieces in our flickr group, with a description of what you made - and some reference to Boot Camp in the description or title too.

Most importantly- have fun!!!!