New Computer, Old Picture Files, Revisited Ideas

I'm in the process of switching computers and have been subject to a lot of image/picture file transferring and clean up. It's been a nostalgic, albeit, tedious process.  I keep finding more and more pictures of jewelry I made that I had all but forgotten.  This isn't the first time I have been reminded of work of which I was once so proud and that I had gone on to forget almost immediately after it left my possession.  It puzzles me how I could have invested all that time into those pieces never to think of them again. 

I do remember having made the Mariah earrings, but knowing they never sold, in my memory they have remained an idea that was better in theory... until I brought up the old images.  I do really like how they look, and I probably just hadn't given them enough time to circulate before scrapping and swapping them to make them into the more successful necklace pendants.

aren't they presh? :)

I realized something else while doing this clean up: I used to make so much more jewelry.  It almost feels like my passion for it has gone.  I know that today I still make a lot of jewelry, but it's just repeating the same designs over and over again; I feel like a machine. 

When doing what you love becomes a chore of course you fight it, but when you're doing it for the love of it, you are allowed to get lost in it, and for an artist that is a very productive time.  Less and less, over the past few years, have I been privileged to that sweet abandon.  These days I feel like I struggle with the actual work so much, I'm convinced I have put on weight as a result. 

Once I found steady income from the signature series the work became so monotonous I needed to distract myself from the repetition through another creative processes so baking became that outlet.  I have literally gone up 20lbs in the past 3 years.  I believe it to be a combination of the baking and boredom.
I need to do something about this eating to amuse myself.  I would much prefer to get lost in my artwork, like I used to... rather than a loaf of freshly baked bread... smeared  in  herb  butter :/

Antigone

As simple as this piece is I love it! and it's a great example of the kind of jewelry that used to arise from my boredom.  I would finish something big and beautiful and continue on the roll by moving on to the smaller pieces that filled the spaces of time between before moving on to another large project; there was scarcely a lull.  I would get into scrap materials and make something from pieces I thought I had no use for.     

I want to get back into repurposing as much as I used to.  I don't repurpose nearly so much today and rarely finish original pieces I have ordered specific materials to make.  I seem to lack that discipline today; I had less money invested in my business then and I was forced to make due with what I had and to be far more creative; I had to use everything I ordered-almost immediately.

Little Mermaid Cuff. One of my finest examples of using up scrap material.

So I don't know if I'm being nostalgic and viewing the past with rose-colored glasses (as we tend to do) or if I am realizing things were better then and that I should try to get back to that place as far as my creative process is concerned.  I do see many jewelry artists who refuse to keep regular items.  Regular items do compete with your creativity and battle your artist's motivation.
I have thought about putting a cap on how many Signature pieces I would make in a month so that's something I may look into.  Speaking of the Signature Series I believe I found earlier what I feel to be the origin of  the Lady of the Ocean ring.

Queen of the Ocean

This one is from Christmas 2011.  The magical thing about that holiday season was that it was the first year I had a successful holiday sale and every piece I sold was a unique OOAK piece of jewelry.  I did feel pretty terrible, however, for the few customers who felt they had these one of a kind items swiped from their shopping carts while at the checkout.  It's true, you can experience the thrill of the Black Friday Blitz, from the comfort of your own living room.
I'm already getting excited for Fall.  I'm not sure what to expect this fall, though; this is my first fall ever beneath the Mason-Dixon line.  I have been in Arkansas once on my birthday (Oct. 27), it was 80 and the trees were still thick with leaves.  In Michgan the leaves are almost completely fallen at that time-usually by Halloween.  I guess I'm kind of hoping to have Thanksgiving outside:3

At any rate, Fall is the time of year I'm high on life and making crazy amounts of new jewelry.  I always look forward to fall for that reason, but why wait?  These files from the days of of yore are making me want to begin new pieces now, but I think I need to finish the originals I have started and move onto to the others in my head after.

This blog certainly is off to a random start, but at least, I have my Tuesday post in;)

~Julee