Happy Halloween!

The Angsty Artist herself, about to go trick-or-treating with her older brothers. I think 1969. The darling costumes were made by my mother:) Thanks Mom!

The Angsty Artist Again

Last week I felt such a sense of accomplishment from my work with the wire, almost as if I had 'arrived' at my destination. I achieved many of my wire wrapping goals, even if I had set them unconsciously. This week, I find myself resting from the wire and waiting until my next set of goals come forth from the muse.


I'm also trying to deal with a rebellious pouty-ness on my part over how much responsibility life has. Issues about my priorities and how I want to spend my time and what I value are on the table and I would like to shove them off the table but they won't go:)

It is difficult to fit wire wrapping into a life with a full time job, home ownership, and family and social engagements. Dropping wire wrapping for me is not an option on the table. I have often been a dreamer in life who was full of wishes to play guitar or have some skill or ability but never had the desire to do the hard work of practicing. I tend to give up when things get hard.

My life would be easier if I didn't try to make time for wire, but it is important to me that I stick with something and see just how far I can go with it. I do have a mini goal of seeing 'what one year of sustained effort' will produce. That year would end in June of next year, so I at least have to get to June:)


So how do I get to June without destroying myself in my health with not eating right and not getting some exercise? I sit all day at a computer and than sit with the wire at night. How do I get to June without driving myself crazy trying to fulfill every real and perceived obligation and expectation that comes my way? I don't know yet!

One nice thing about having full time work is that I am not dependent on the wire for any income. I would like the wire to produce income one day, but for now I have the luxury of exploring the wire and doing whatever I please without worrying if it is sell-able or whether another person likes it, except when I do the occasional commission.

So at the moment I am floundering around trying to figure out the 'next thing' the muse wants to do, and while I wait for her I am trying to figure out my game plan for living. I hope my muse doesn't get too weird and make stupid or odd things. I have often judged and mistrusted her rather than embraced her. But she seems to be doing Ok so far;)


So for your viewing DISpleasure today, we have....

ODD THINGS FOUND ON MY DESK

Happiness

On Friday night I finally felt relaxed enough to approach the wire and the 'creative moment'. If I know I have to be somewhere soon, or have some obligation to attend to, I can't get into working the wire or allow myself to get too involved. Since most of my projects require a great deal of involvement, the wire tends to be an all or nothing proposition at my house.

If I get involved deeply in a project, you can forget about groceries or anything that requires cooking. I have always been this way about any project I get into, balance is something I never got the hang of.

When I was raising my daughter the pain of this unevenness on my part was too much for our household so I stopped crafting or attempting any detailed or demanding projects. I started to buy the books that promised 5 min or one hour projects. It served me well to just give up those creative wishes for many years.

But now I am back, able to do as I please again:) So I worked for 15 hours straight but for the sleep part in between. I completed two projects, both for Year Of Jewelry, so I will only post one of them for now.

This is painted wire, copper and coral.

A couple of months ago I spent 15 hours just trying to get this pair of earrings done http://theangstyartist.blogspot.com/2009/07/audreys-earrings.html. A few months before that I designed this locket in 28 hours.



Both projects I did this weekend required all new techiques that I had to innovate and design from scratch. Both projects were fairly detailed. Both projects hit bumps in the road where I had to rethink my design plan and rework the wire more than once. I can't beleive I got them both done in so little time!! So little for me anyway:)


So why is my blog post titled "Happiness"?

In those 15 hours I noticed I was completely happy:)

But now I need some groceries.

Organic and Art Nouveau

It was a very busy week at my company and I had to work overtime, so I only completed one piece of jewelry this week. (edit, as of this morning I managed to make a second piece). Next week appears to be the same so wire production has been curtailed quite a bit:( Boohoo - But yay that we are busy:)

Last week I purchased an organic ring tutorial from Zaplecione. She makes the most wonderful organic wire rings. I have my own method for making wire leaves but I preferred Gosia's method over my own for making uniform sized leaves with a more organic shape. The overall construction of the ring in my opinion is quite brilliant, it's an excellent foundation for making all sorts of rings using one's own imagination. You can buy the tutorial on ETSY http://www.tutorials.etsy.com/ if you are interested.

True to my own form, I did not actually make the project, though I do read all tutorials carefully and study the mind of the writer:)

Instead I made another upper arm band using Gosia's leaves and I used a modified version of her weave. I modified it so that I could add on more wire at any time without disrupting the pattern.

I have actually tried to make organic looking wire jewelry before but they ended up in the trash. I think I am improving because I really like this one:)

This is copper, kyanite, and sterling. Only bad thing about it was that it put a big dent in my kyanite stash (sniffle)

This pendant was finished this morning. I had started it earlier this week but lost hope I would complete on time. This art nouveau style pendant was use for my YOJ submission this week.

Edwardian Pendant

I joined the Year of Jewelry project, and this was my first offering. It was based on the theme 'Edwardian Jewelry". It was very easy for me to be inspired by that type of design. It gave me alot of new ideas.

The Angsty Artist

I was raised in an environment where being creative and thinking for oneself was not actively modeled. Being more the compliant and people pleasing type by nature I readily went along with that.

Don't get me wrong - we created things all the time and worked skillfully with our hands often, sewing, knitting, crochet and musical instruments were a big part of our lives, but we played music written by others, and we crafted patterns that others sold to us. I thought of us as crafters, not artists.

In my 20's I was with a friend in a ceramic store, buying figurines for us to paint. This friend found what he wanted exactly except for some bit of detail he did not want. He thought nothing of modifying the figurine and removing that plaster bit to make it his own. I was astounded that someone would even think to do that!


I was half way into my 30's before I really began to own my own mind and think for myself. I've grown alot these last 10 years and have become more comfortable in my own skin. I've been creative in many ways these last 10 years, in raising my daughter, in fixing up the old run down homes I have lived in, in bringing creative solutions to my lifes problems. But I have never tried to be creative in the area of my crafting until recently.

I know for some people, working artistically and creatively is like coming home to something familiar and comforting; but for me it is like exploring some unknown land with unknown dangers and pitfalls.

I am unsure exactly what my tastes are. I like vintage, modern, eclectic, ornate, simple, chic, rustic, victorian, tribal, gypsy and exotic jewelry. Sometimes I do not know what direction I ought to go in, or what my style is.

Having so many different interests is causing me to stumble lately. Recently I made these two upper arm bands for my niece. (My niece is the one who made all the wonderful banners in my Etsy shops.)They are very different styles and I actually like and appreciate both styles. I could not decide between one style and the other for my niece so I ended making her two of them. I wasted a great deal of time in indecision over her design.

I am now trying to fulfill a commission and having the same trouble making up my mind as to what the design will be. This indecision is a huge stumbling block and time waster to moving forward. I don't know how to solve my inner conflicts right now. I could have had 3 or 4 more pieces made with all the time I have been stuck being conflicted.