Becoming a teacher and a student.....

This week marked the beginning of my 34th year on this planet. As a gift to myself, I decided to take a class given by new friends and fellow teachers at Bali Studios. For a long time, I think at least the last year, I've felt in a constant state of flux, a feeling of transition that I haven't been able to put my finger on exactly. This class was a celebratory act in moving towards that direction, this direction I've been feeling pulled towards but couldn't quite see yet...sort of like trying to orientate one's self to a compass.

One of those steps is teaching and in terms of magnetic poles, and compasses, an aspect of that is also learning...learning in a broad sense, both teaching and learning. Learning about myself, about teaching, and of course, learning from others.

Now, I don't think it's a secret that teachers learn as much from their students as they teach them, right? It's sort of one of the basic philosophies of teaching....This part is the part that has me most curious. This two way avenue of learning....this teaching and being taught.

I haven't taken a class in years....maybe since college. I'm a very visual, hands-on learner....and I'm quite content to teach myself....so I think this class for me was a very important step in this journey to becoming a teacher....to also learn and to UN-learn. To learn from other artists, their own approach, how it differed from my own approach and to do it by another method.

final gathering photo by Deb Taylor

Our class was about creating a personal soul passport, a handmade book. In this case, it was already something I was familiar with, art journal-ing and bookmaking....There was much emphasis on creating a finished mostly blank book in a very safe, welcoming environment in which we were able to create.

I put it in my mind before I even went that I would push myself into this with my whole heart and create something very different than what I was accustomed to....

As I was learning and as I begin to teach new classes, there is this thread I feel between students and teachers....

Students are often reluctant to take a class because they either feel:

A) They WON'T be able to learn what's being taught.

or....

B) They won't be able to learn anything new.

and teachers often similarly feel the same anxieties about teaching....they won't be able to teach anything right and students may not "get" it or their students won't learn it.

So, as I sit here with my heart full of teaching and of learning, I've been asking myself, "what is this common thread?"

For me, it becomes creating this safe, loving, sharing, environment.....This place, where as a teacher, I can enable my students to feel safe and confident learning....but also a sharing environment, where we'll all be able to receive and bring our collective experiences together as a community of learners and makers.

snippets from my soul passport and beauty of a day of learning....

If you are (mostly) a teacher, what has been your greatest learning experience?

If you  are (mostly) a student, what has been the best learning environment?

If you've never done either, what types of experiences would make you feel the most comfortable?

emerging from the fire

mary jane dodd

literally

and figuratively...

it is through the use of fire that i am able to best express myself... 

is there a medium or tool that if it were taken from you, you would feel as if you had lost your ability to speak?

what aspect of your work makes your spirit soar?

makes you feel like you have tapped into what you were born to do?

guest post - riki schumacher

Whom teaches who?

By Riki Schumacher

When asked by one of the amazingly talented contributors to Love My Art Jewelry blog, to write a post

as a guest artist, it was kind of a struggle to think about to say. What inspires me, what story might be

interesting to you about my life as an artist?

A journey, or an opportunity, or maybe a process, were fabulous suggestions. And after this recent

weekend’s experience of teaching, it flashed on me that I could write about all those things, and hopefully

you will find it useful.

I would like to share little insight about the “journey“of going from student…to instructor, and what I

learned from it.

Here are some pictures from this weekend’s class I taught with another instructor.

I hope the pictures speak a thousand words. Teaching is amazing!

Here’s a mom and daughter team.

Already friends.

Making new friends.

How have any of these students gained by taking this workshop?

I don’t know what each one did for sure. But from these smiles, they were having a ball. I can share what

I took away. Each and every time I teach, I am reminded of how important it is to “pay it forward”. After

about 12 years of traveling, taking workshops, and soaking up every blessed word I could from endless

instructors, it is finally a wonderful time to give back to this amazing industry. Making Art Jewelry is my

passion and teaching it is incredibly rewarding.

After taking classes with lots of instructors, you start to have your favorites, and your not so favorites.

From each class you have taken, did you walk away feeling the teacher was impartial? Did you learn

what you hoped to, in numerous ways? Did you have a blast? Were you disappointed for some reason?

Or were there too many students so you never got the attention and help you needed after traveling and

laying out much money?

I have had all of these things happen to me. And now, since teaching a couple years now, I try to reflect

on how my instructors shared, and how giving they were/are. I’m trying to learn from what I think were

their mistakes, which didn’t happen often. We are in an interesting and opportune period I think, this

day and age. There are thousands of baby boomers retiring every day, and given an opportunity to seek

out what they want to do in their leisure. I understand many students are not retired, and have limited

time to access classes. But, there are a lot of women, and men, following their passion from their youth,

whether they are retired or not. That means there are more opportunities to teach. That’s why it is really

important, to me, to get it right. After retiring from my profession of 20 years, I ran to the nearest jewelry

workshop I could find! I felt like a little sponge, soaking up every word that was fed in, and wanted to

master every technique I could wrap my little brain around.

So if you are a teacher now, or considering a career in instructing to the craft world, the main thing I

would like to stress is how rewarding it is. I learn so much from each class I teach. I gain as much, or

more, than the students. I am so grateful that each student has put their trust in me for one or two days,

and I know that they expect me to deliver as advertised. Each person in a class, paid good hard-earned

money to learn what techniques I promised to share. And not only learn techniques, but be made to feel

welcome and have fun. How can you possibly live up to all the expectations of each student?

After all the classes I’ve taken, and all the instructors I have learned from, as well as my history as an

instructor, here is my two cents on a little recipe for success in teaching. A little dash of each, leads to a

fabulous gourmet class!

listen

laugh

say it

show it

be passionate

you can’t be perfect, stop trying

If you listen as much as you talk, you will answer all their questions. I often tell my grand

daughter, open your ears and shut your mouth. She doesn’t but that’s okay, she hears it!

If you are having fun, they will. You set the tone of the class.

If you are practiced and honed your craft, you can demonstrate each technique with ease, 

and explain it well.

If you believe in what you are doing, they will share the passion. Be sincere in your intentions.

And don’t act like you are perfect. You are going to make mistakes so embrace them. We all learn

from mistakes, and who needs the added pressure?

And for people taking workshops who are reading this, let your instructor know what they did right, and

where they really kicked it in. Feedback is so important, we will learn from that, hopefully!

This can be a successful recipe for on line and e-workshops workshops as well. As an instructor, you can

bring all these elements to your students on line. You just can’t reach out and touch them. But you can

share equally, and deliver the same quality of teaching as if you were there in person.

Look at yourself; look at the way you instruct.

Would you want to take your class??

Happy instructing. And have fun attending workshops. Have fun doing what ever you do.

You really never know if you’ll be here tomorrow.

Love and hugs,

Riki

-----------------------------------------------------

you can learn more about Riki in these places:

blog

etsy shop (where you will also find tutorials)

forever learning

mary jane dodd

this necklace (which is my submission for the art spark this month) is a result of years of practice and 3 techniques... 

i love learning... i love books and tutorials... the leaf above was born because i bought charles lewton brains's fold forming book, barbara lewis' enameling tutorial (though now she has a fabulous book) and took a class with ruth rae... not all at once of course, they built upon each other during 'what if' moments... 

but the first things i tried to do on my own were those that could save me money - like making my own hook clasps, ear wires and ball end headpins... once i figured those out - i got inspired to try more things on my own... it's addicting... 

there are so many wonderful retreats and large teaching venues - like some of you, i sigh and wish i could go... because of distance or money, some of us simply cannot... 

but what i have found is that there is a wealth of teaching out there... and most of it is very affordable... 

www.beaducation.com - has some really great online video classes... like bodacious bangle with kim st. jean... 

www.fundametals.net - has tutorials that start at $4

you can learn how to patina metal with missficklemedia for $20... this is an incredibly comprehensive tutorial that has taught me about more than patina... it was a great investment...  shannon has other tutorials on her site as well for $10 a piece... 

because i love books (and had some sales on etsy) i am going to treat myself to stephanie lee's 'handbook of elements' online class... 

our own patty lakinsmith has lampworking technique tutorials... 

one of my new personal discoveries is  nancy l hamilton - her videos are terrific... 

search etsy for all items - tutorial and there are 17,809 results... 


how about 'creating beautiful bead caps'? you can find it here...

purchase a jewelry magazine like step by step wire, belle armoire jewelry, or others and you will get stepped out directions and often photographs for each project... 

and what about youtube? free!

afraid to use a jeweler's saw? get some tips from susan lenart kazmer 

www.riogrande.com has over 100 videos there... 

the point is, there is so very much to learn and know - and you can do it at your own speed... at your financial comfort level... 

another nice thing about the videos is that before spending money on tools and supplies, you can get a feel for whether something clicks with you or not... 

personally, it isn't usually about the projects that i get excited (though they are beautiful and inspiring) - it is about the technique or some wonderful tip that takes me to the next level... 

and that is what i love so very much about this community - sharing and supporting so that we all can reach our potential... 

joys of learning/teaching

mary jane dodd

last spring, i got up the courage to ask a bead shop about 30 min from my home if i could propose classes for their schedule... and so i got to teach my first class... 

the fall schedule is getting ready and i wanted to come up with some fun classes that would not be too complex, yet would build on the basics of the etching class i taught this summer...

i wanted to use layering on a cuff, but to somehow do it a bit differently - after all, cuffs are very popular right now and they are the perfect kind of bracelet to use riveting on... resin is one of my favorite materials to work with - but ice resin (my resin of choice) takes a bit too long to work with in the time frame i will have available... 

enter staci's blog post from last week about magic glos... i picked some up... the sun broke through yesterday after a good number of days of rain - and so i was able to try it... this is definitely a resin that leaves you with a more rustic type effect, which is fine with me... and it was very well suited for my idea... 

i also tried it in some rustic bezels that i made and will offer instruction on... 

and then there will be a class on using a butane torch with sterling... making a rustic fused link bracelet along with things like ball end headpins, ear wires, clasps... just a practical class designed to expand one's ability to construct  their own components and save money... even learning how to ball end headpins is such a valuable skill in terms of design and cost... i remember being so excited to be able to do that and not have to buy headpins anymore... to never run out of them because i could always make more...

confidence grows when you learn how to do things, leaving you ripe to take on bigger challenges... it is a beautiful cycle, really.... learning how to do-it-myself has been really important to my growth... and you take it with you in to other parts of your life...

** etching is a really great technique... i first learned from stephanie lee's book 'semi-precious salvage'... but barbara lewis has a great section on it in her new book 'torch-fired enamel jewelry' ... perhaps i should do a tutorial on it... 

student teacher

mary jane dodd

'curiosity is the wick in the candle of learning.'

~ william arthur ward

etching is one of my favorite techniques... you can take plain metal and give it a life of its own... at a bead shop i began noticing the possibilities for a lot of the components they had displayed - trays of vintaj, boxes of brass and copper shapes... so i asked if she would be open to an etching class...

the pieces above were made to place around the store so that people could see another side of what was available... i thought about just asking her if she would like me to etch some for sale... but i thought that teaching people how to do it would be so much more fun... 

and, girl, was it!

busy... i love that about classes... how focused everyone becomes...  how people talk and work together... these 7 wonderful women and i spent 3 hours together... (& i learned that 3 hours is not enough time...)

my favorite question - 'what if...'  it is drives me daily... and i love to hear/see that in others... learning something new by whatever avenue then integrating it into your personal arsenal is magical... 'what if... ' is why i keep a journal for my work - because surely i would forget everything that flits through my head... 

it was a fantastic way to spend my friday... i feel badly there are no images of finished work... i had forgotten about taking pictures  as the class went on... 

the concrete jungle of zen

'move and the way will open.'

~ zen proverb

the weather is getting nicer, the kids are getting outside... and that now means trips to the skate park... and when one arrives, they do not want to leave... 

watching the kids, many doing the same moves over and over again, i came to a great appreciation of what was going on here... mind - body balance... overcoming fears and trying new things... pushing themselves forward... 

being... 

the rhythmic sounds of wheels rolling, decks grinding, boards jumping... 

as the hours passed, my mind got to wander... both settled and energized by the young people out there who were making efforts - going home with personal triumphs and lessons learned... i got to coach nick through a new move - understanding the physics of skateboarding, i always lamely think that the kids will just be so interested to know that they are applying science at their play... (they like 'mythbusters', i try)... 

we all have things we are afraid of - things that might be looming... but just remember, it is in the practice of doing that we conquer our fears... i don't tell my kids not to be afraid - that is ludicrous... i suggest that they own it - and overcome it... and then rejoice... 

find something you fear - be it a technique or medium - and go for it... and if it all goes amiss, you learned something from that... if there is a tutorial you might want to see, let us know... in fact, you can do so now... 

skateboards and sweatshirts and pads, metal working tools, your mind, whatever you exercise - here's wishing for you something to look back upon with pride at the end of the day... 


and some days it's ok to be pleased with the fact that you just got through it... 

lessons learned

mary jane dodd

'nature is an endless combination and repetition

of a very few laws.

she hums the old well-known air

through innumerable variations.'

~ ralph waldo emerson

this is how i feel about rings - a few basic techniques needing to be learned well which are then repeated - but after that... well it's about raising the bar to whatever inspires... this week i added small gemstones to them... 

here inspired by conifers... 

here by the promise of spring... 

i was working on a version of a rustic engagement ring - using brass and nickel - soft silk and a raw diamond... 

lessons learned - 

the engagement ring is the second one i made... the first one taught me that even with the heat required to apply patina, soft solder will lose its hold... 

this engagement ring has a circle in the middle of the etching, so it has to be redone... as there is some etched pattern visible, i am thinking it must have sunk to the bottom of my container...

copper is a very friendly metal, it likes to snuggle - when it comes to chemical techniques, keep your brass and copper separate - unless you want plated brass... which is kind of cool, but not what i was looking for... 


** i just want to add here that i know these rings are simple in construction - i marvel at the skill of smiths creating truly magnificent pieces... one of my personal goals is to expand my knowledge in this respect... 

any casualties this week in your work? while they can be frustrating, ultimately we learn from them and keep moving -