Joining

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I’m not a joiner. I don’t do clubs and only belong to one “society”. Yet, I think that once in a while we all need to join. I join my family for lots of gatherings and even plan a “join” now and then. I also enjoy “joining” with friends who share a common interest or endeavor.

I think it’s the rules that usually come with clubs and societies that bother me. I also find that as these groups plan events there are often conflicting opinions of how to do or run things leading to hurt feelings and sour faces. I guess that’s why I enjoy the “Faux” bead group that I meet with monthly (no dues, no officers, no minutes, no bylaws . . . get the picture?) This enables to group to be dynamic and continually bending towards the needs of those who are participating at the time. I wrote a brief description of this group  http://www.magpiegemstones.com/san_marcos_faux_bead_society.html  

I guess I’m thinking about “joining” because I’ve been working on joins with my jewelry designs this week. Perhaps it’s a stretch, but I keep running into parallels between the two types of “joining”. Just as groups have rules and procedures, soldering has them too and when I don’t follow them, the join usually doesn’t work. I guess there really is a need for them. This week, it seems that each time I tried to skip things in the soldering process, I failed and had to return to the rules.

I did, however, realize that at times, when I’m trying to create something new and different, I must come up with my own rules and procedures. Often what I’m doing doesn’t exactly follow the guidelines for soldering and I just have to figure it out. In other words, this process is also dynamic and that’s what makes it intriguing.

My thought is that both types of “joining” require flexibility and problem solving. Just as I have to step away from the soldering at times in order to get a fresh perspective, I think I often need to step away from groups that cause consternation. But then, if I enjoy the metalsmith “join” perhaps I should try a bit more of joining with a group. What do you think? . . . (no, I think I’ll just keep soldering – ha!)

Articles, Creativity, Earrings, Metal Work, Philosophy, soldering, Techniques, Torch Work 4 comments

Positive Comments

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Isn’t is wonderful how a few truthful and positive words can provide a great moral boost? When I show my work to someone, I’m really just sharing and not necessarily looking for accolades. I think my family should just know what I’ve been making. Luckily, they’ve learned to accept my “show and tell” without feeling any real obligation to like what they see. I’ve tried to encourage them to view my process and growth rather than just the art.

Today, I spent a good deal of time trying some new torch enameling techniques.

I’ve been working in my comfort zone for quite some time following the class that I taught and decided that today was the day to stretch. (sometimes stretching is hard)

First, that little bird pendant gave me fits. It’s difficult to tell the details on her from this photo, but suffice it to say they are there. It takes numerous firings on this type design and several times after I applied the enamel and set the pendant on the trivet for torching, the whole thing fell off on the floor. Then I had to start anew. I think it was a test to see if I really wanted to persevere. I worked through the frustration and when I brought the pendant to my spouse he actually knew what it was supposed to be. That provided a positive stroke. He even told me that it was an orange tanager. (If I had been on the ball, I would have said that was what I planned – but I wasn’t on the ball.) His remarks made me forget my frustration.

The final pair of earrings for the day was the orange and purple pair which I designed based on a piece of fabric called dimples. I thought they were really ugly, but when I showed them to my husband he said “great colors”. That helped me see them differently and I accepted another positive stroke. I guess they are rather funky.

My adult piano students used to say they always knew when I was going to correct something in their playing because I started with a compliment. I think some of them secretly wished I would just get to the correction. Yet, it helped me to find the good in what they had done rather than just searching for something to fix. I now need to find the good in my own work before worrying about what went wrong.

I wouldn’t want to hear “fake” positive comment, but once in a while a sincere one is really welcomed. Focusing on what turned out well can help me retain that part of a piece while seeking to improve the part that wasn’t so good. Oft times I only see the problems in the piece and need someone else to point out what worked well.

I am thankful for a supportive spouse who is always truthful and helps me see the good when I’ve missed it.

Earrings, Necklaces, Pendants, Philosophy, torch enameling, Torch Work 2 comments

Tipping Point?

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Year’s ago my son told me about a book, The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference by Malcolm Gladwell, first published by Little Brown in 2000. I was intrigued by the tenet of the writing, but fear that I have turned the idea more toward my own interpretation. Gladwell suggests the tipping point is "the moment of critical mass, the threshold, the boiling point."

As I’ve tried to reorganize my studio this week I’m reminded of the “tipping point” and have used it to describe the positive force at work in my own little productive world. I’m trying to become less shambolic.

My tipping point yesterday came as I began collecting the many nice jewelry components I found just sitting around waiting to be used

The photo shows a small pile of those components. I’ve learned that I seem to enjoy making these more than putting things together for finished products. Yet, I now have too many components and not enough products for an upcoming show – thus, I’m at the point at which I must do something different. I guess this is my “critical mass”. (with apologies to Gladwell for this misinterpretation).

There comes a point in every designer’s life when you just have to stop and put things together; I’m there! Let’s see what I can do now that I’ve reached this threshold or boiling point. . . . to be continued . . .

Philosophy 2 comments

It’s Come to This!

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There’s a new word that has been popping up in my mind and on my lips since the Christmas holidays. The term shambolic was used by someone during a CNN discussion about Congress. Liking the sound of the word and curious about it’s full meaning, I consulted Webster.  It means “obviously disorganized or confused”. This is not a word that I would like as an adjective for Karen. Yet, you might think it appropriate if you saw my studio.

I think artists often work from a chaotic, but productive, state. The seeming disarray of materials and tools in a studio can lead to wonderful juxtaposition of colors and designs and result in art. What seems disorganized to a visitor may actually be exactly what the artist requires for productive creativity. Still, today I don’t want to be shambolic.

The old saying “too many irons in the fire” could easily fit my upcoming week; so I decided to get organized. In one corner of the studio I can find the materials needed for the three classes I’m teaching this week. The materials for these are also spread out (or organized?) on the dining room table.

Another corner houses the metal that I’m cutting for next week’s torch enamel class. When I announced to the class that I would bring the metal components I didn’t really think about the fact that we are making several sets of earrings. Let’s see, that’s ten people, 20 ears and two sets a piece = 40 discs.

It was a good holiday season for most of the boutiques I serve, but I’m wondering if they gave away the earrings. Where did they all go? I’m in high production on earrings at the bead table and wishing that I wasn’t so particular that I feel the need to make my own ear wires.

Finally, I have trays of partially completed jewelry sets to be offered at the Methodist’s Heart Warming Affair on February 9th. Let’s just hope the pieces all have hand made clasps by that time.

The moral of this tale is that I keep hearing “shambolic” in my mind dueted with my great grandmother saying “just do the next thing.” Today, I’m organizing, doing the next thing and hoping it pays off during the next two weeks. How about you . . . shambolic?

Philosophy, Teaching 2 comments

Sharing Hearts

Filed under: Cold Connections, Metal Work, Necklaces, Pendants, Philosophy, soldering, Techniques, torch enameling, Torch Work, Wire Work | Back to: Homepage

It isn’t even February, yet, I’m making heart shaped pendants. It just seems like the thing to do! I prepared the two in the photo because I wanted to experiment with making bails for an upcoming meetup of designers.

The bail for the heart on the left is made from a small piece of copper sheet soldered on the back. The one on the right utilizes a bail made from wire, also soldered on the back. My grandson told me that this heart has heartworms! Hmm, I really didn’t see it that way, but I’m not three years old. I used my new leather sand bag as a base for creating the doming effect on both pieces. I dimpled them with dimple pliers. By the way, thanks to a talented friend, I was able to saw the heart shape from the middle of each piece. Thanks Adele!

Following is another photo of a heart pendant made for the same meetup. I torch enameled the copper rectangle and riveted the heart, cut out of the center of a piece shown above, to the metal. I used a tube rivet which gives it some dimension. The back shows the small piece of tube I soldered to the metal for a bail.

The photo below doesn’t seem to fit with this blog entry . . . yet, it is the essence of “heart”. It was commissioned by one adult sister for another in remembrance of their girlhood when they watched the cardinals together. I’ve shared this previously online, but wanted to repeat. Wouldn’t you say the giving sister was “sharing heart”?

As Valentine’s Day approaches, I hope that commercialism doesn’t remove the heart from the giving. It often seems that men, in particular, are harassed by the advertisements to a point where they feel they must spend a good deal of money for their sweeties. I hope the men I know will understand that this woman just wants a little “heart” in one form or another.

Cold Connections, Metal Work, Necklaces, Pendants, Philosophy, soldering, Techniques, torch enameling, Torch Work, Wire Work 4 comments

Coping

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I’ve tried to avoid writing this entry and I do so now, not because I want to, but rather because I need to.

Home alone last weekend as the news of the school shooting rang out, I chose to ignore it. I didn’t turn on the television or radio and avoided the internet news and posts per the subject. Two days later, when my husband returned home and turned on the TV, I left the room each and every time reports of the shooting were aired. I simply ignored them, worked frantically on my business and avoided the inevitable. It was as though I put up a concrete wall to protect my emotions from the pain so many felt. Yet, that wall was a porous, constructed subconsciously as a useless shield.

I managed quite well until Monday when the funerals began and I finally cried. It was as though the faces of those young children shown on television were those in my own classrooms so many years ago. Those faces still reside in my memory box although the children are now grown or well on their way to adulthood. I remember all the angels and the rascals and would have protected them with all my might.

I cried not only for the parents and grandparents of the lost children and adults, but also for those at the school and what they now face. It is possible that some of those children will never resume the emotional stability that is their birthright. The spiral of evil, initiated by a single young man, will likely continue to effect many in ways we will never comprehend.

As I think about my own former students, I cannot help but recognize my own fear of and for a very few of them. As a teacher, I approached mental health carefully yet forthrightly, speaking with parents and counselors when I sensed deep seeded issues in a child. While parents usually listened to my concerns, I don’t know of any instance where they took action to seek professional help for their children. Now, I cannot help but wonder what type of people these youngsters became and whether I should have pushed harder to get help for them. Yet, it is a rough ride on the horse of guilt if you choose to consider the “what ifs”. What if I missed a child who called out for help? Was he or she the one capable of horrific deeds? What if I missed the actions of a parent toward a child that I might have saved? What if, I was just too wrapped up in my own life to recognize problems that grow until they become destructive?

It’s too late for me; my days in the classroom are past; yet I hope that teachers will always care enough to trust their instincts and that parents will care enough to listen and act if things do not seem quite right with their offspring. I believe we are all trying.

. . . and so I write because it helps me recognize what I’m feeling. I write because it guides me toward healing. I write because I care.

Philosophy, Teaching 2 comments

Vining

Filed under: family, Necklaces, Pendants, Philosophy, Wire Work | Back to: Homepage

I enjoy making handmade chains. If my hands would hold up, I could sit for hours twisting “S” links and making jump rings; yet I wanted something a bit different for the design below. As it developed, I began to picture a vine running along one side toward the wearer’s neck. First I made the chain without beads on the vine, but now I think it’s better adorned with them. See what you think.

My friend from Magpie Gemstones , made a few suggestions and I think the design is working now. Another friend named the above necklace “Sweet Pea”.

Below is another version. You can also see that I’ve played with the use of different size jump rings to add a bit of interest.

My analogy for the initial necklace may be a stretch, but here goes any way. As so many of us gather with family members and/or friends this special time of the year, it seems to me that we are vining. Vines often reach toward their nourishment whether it is sunlight or water and it seems that people do the same. We lean towards those who nourish us by listening, caring and sharing our lives. While we may originally “vine” in one direction, later that part of the growth may wither and we vine in another direction depending upon our needs. I watch my ivy houseplant do the same thing. It grows well in one direction and then I notice it withers and needs trimming. Once trimmed, it angles off toward something else. It doesn’t seem to inhibit the plant as it takes the process in stride. As we traverse our own growth including changes in relationships and in families, it may be important to consider new directions or perhaps to better nurture those old ones. I think we just need to keep vining.

family, Necklaces, Pendants, Philosophy, Wire Work 5 comments

Rude America

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The Today show on TV this morning had an interesting segment about Rude America. It really struck home with me and I wanted to think about it through this writing. The piece basically referenced emails and group posts, focusing on whether what we write online is the same as what we would actually say to someone face to face. I wondered if I was braver about saying things in print than I am about saying things in person.

I appreciated the fact that the professionals in the segment noted how face to face someone may start to express negative feelings to another person, but then read the person’s reaction. Certainly if I began to tell someone about my frustration toward them and they immediately begin apologizing or admitting that they were wrong; I would simply stop my words of negativity. Unfortunately, online we do not have that face to face read that tells us we’ve made our point with just a few words. At times, I’ve likely written posts and emails that continued past the few words that needed to be written for the other person to reach understanding. Yet, I continued since I couldn’t feel or see the other person’s reaction.

My other concern about Rude America is the possibility that I sometimes jump on the Rude Bandwagon. Do I agree with another person’s negative comments and add my own when I would not have originally thought to write them? I hope not!

While some Facebook and Yahoo groups are designed to foster contrary discussions, many others are meant for healthy, helpful advice and communication. I’ve just got to remember which is which. I do, however, believe that I can write in the former without being rude. We learned as teachers to comment on the actions of the student and not on the person. The negative actions can come from good people and I never wanted to hurt the student but simply correct the behavior.

Rude hurts! I’ve felt it online much more often than I’ve felt it in person. While I cannot control what others type, I can control my own fingers. I am trying to carefully read what I write prior to pressing post or send on my computer. . . . AND, if I forget to check, there’s always that little delete post possibility on Facebook. Since I don’t have that luxury on my emails, I guess I’d better read them twice before sending. I really don’t want to be a contributor to RUDE AMERICA. Do you?

Articles, Philosophy 4 comments

Life is Like a Crooked Road

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When I was a girl, I thought that life came in a straight path. If I just behaved myself, studied hard and sought the goal, everything would pan out. Work = results – right?  If I didn’t get the top score at a piano contest, it was probably because I didn’t practice hard enough. (Remember that day I went to the drug store with my friends instead of practicing?)  If my African Violets didn’t bloom, I probably over watered them. If my children acted up, I must have not taught them properly. If I ate too much, I gained weight (now that was is actually true!) Even now, if a piece of jewelry doesn’t sell, I think that I must not have polished it enough.  I could and probably still can justify most everything through cause and effect.

Now, I’m grown up and I know I’m not responsible for every occurrence in my life. Today, I’m coughing and sneezing because of the allergens in the air. Is it my fault? . . . I don’t think so. As confident as I am, I don’t really think I can control the elements. One of the classes I offered didn’t have enough participants. It’s not all my fault; people are just busy. My favorite dog is growing too old to last much longer . . . it’s not my fault; things just happen on this crooked road.

You can practically drive yourself crazy by trying to avoid the inevitable and working hard visioning what might come next. My former idea that life follows a straight path from A to B is absurd. Life is just plain crooked.

When we first bought the ranch, every day something broke; an animal got in the wrong pasture or something else initiated a crook in the daily routine. We wondered when we could just get on with the plan. The fact is that these things were the plan; we just didn’t know it and we learned to expect the unexpected like the pit in a cherry. If the young bull fell in the well (as he did one night), you just get the tractor and pull him out. After all, it’s not my fault he fell in!

There are tiny crooks in the road and enormous ones. There are crooks that narrow to the point that you feel yourself being strangled while other crooks pleasantly open up to a plethora of possibilities. I think the trick is to accept all the twists and turns both ahead and behind us and embrace the road. I remind myself that life would certainly be boring if it were totally predictable. Do I really want to be able to manipulate what comes next? (actually, some days I do)

If life is a crooked road, my current thinking is “give yourself a break.” I can’t straighten the road by working hard or caring more. Let’s just hope my best efforts help to smooth out a few bumps on those hard turns.

Here’s hoping all your crooked roads lead you toward happiness.

Articles, Philosophy, Ranching 1 comment

Coming Together

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Families and friends often find themselves spread hither and yon both physically and emotionally. We may live in the same city as someone, care about that person, want to be with them and yet never find the time. Others live across states, oceans or continents, but make the time for one another when it counts. Those meaningful times build the memories we store in the albums of our lives. Last week was one of those times for our family.

While the bride’s family came from across the waves in Germany, we packed in Texas and converged in joy for our son, the groom. San Francisco was a beautiful backdrop for the wedding, held on a 7th floor terrace overlooking the Bay Bridge.

We all dressed in our new duds and enjoyed the sights and sounds which were significant in this merger. The first photo below shows my husband, daughter, grandson, son in law and son. Below that you see my husband with my son and then with his grandson. My daughter sewed the little guy’s ensemble. Don’t the red shoes just make it?

I was delighted to hear my daughter sing “Make of our hands, one hand . . . “ from West Side Story. She was unaccompanied and the notes were clear and lovely. Later, at the reception, the couple sang a duet followed by Brad’s rendition of Lyle Lovett’s “She’s No Lady, She’s Your (MY) Wife.” Someone captured both of these and put them on youtube.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZvOaGrC9_c&feature=youtu.be

So, now there is a new Mrs. Meador. I gladly welcome daughter-in-law Erin to our midst and appreciate the energy she brings to this merger and the love she gives to my son. It’s difficult to describe how I felt the day of the wedding. Mixed with the joy, was the simple sadness of giving an only son to another woman. Yes, he’s been in her arms for a long time, but now it’s final. I’ll still be his mother, but she is and should be the main woman in his life. . . . and so, a new cycle begins for us as it has for others. Coming together is more than a trip across the miles that separate us; it’s the beginning of new feelings, new relationships and new happiness. For that, I say “thank you Erin Connolly for becoming Mrs. Brad Meador.”

family, Philosophy 7 comments