Learning Experiences

I didn't want to let the last post occupy the top spot for too long. There are other, more important exciting/positive developments which are more deserving of my time and attention right now. I'm really glad that I am in a position in my life where I can close the Etsy shop, temporarily or permanently, without feeling as though it is a defeat or a major set-back. The shop **WILL** re-open and when it does, I'll be in a better position to run it well and give it the time that it deserves.

During this time of change, I want to spend some time re-organizing my studio set-up so that I'm in a better position to make the time that I spend working work for me. I need to find a better way of organizing my stock. I want to set aside areas in the studio for photography and shipping so that I can more easily do all of the things that I must do as a one-woman operation. As things stand right now, there are too many things that can (and often do) get in the way of completing the day to day business operations of my studio. I find it too hard to address those things on the fly while I'm trying to get other work done. This time should let me use my experience and hard-earned lessons to put everything in place that I need for smoother operations.

I recently had a really wonderful learning experience. When I started doing bead shows, I thought that eventually I'd work my way up to doing shows like Bead and Button or going to Tucson. Two weeks ago, I found myself unexpectedly in Milwaukee for the Bead & Button show. It was amazing, but also eye opening. I'm just not prepared to have so much riding on one weekend. I'd love to teach at a show like B&B, or to attend and do demonstrations or something, maybe as part of a BoC group thing, but that show represents a significant portion of the annual revenue of the artists who show there and a bad show can translate into a *REALLY* bad year.

I love making beads and what I do in the studio, and I have to sell the stuff because if I didn't it would bury me alive, but I'm not sure how to wrap my head around all of this in a professional context.

New Goodies

I've been reading the One Hour Craft blog for quite some time and decided to take some time this morning to respond to the One Hour Craft Challenge. I've had these faces in my bead box since before I made Oya and Innna.

I also got some studio time in yesterday and got new spindle whorl pins made and some new stuff listed in the MysticSpiral Etsy shop. I finally got around to listing some of the scribble pins in the shop and posted shawl pins. I have 4 more scanned and ready to post sometime in the next few days.

I had so much fun making the mask pins that I think I'll probably be making quite a few more of them in the next couple of weeks as well.

My next show is an indie craft faire held at a local night club. I'm not sure what to expect from the show but it should be a fun way to spend a couple of hours.

My kingdom for a niddy noddy

It's hard to describe how rewarding it feels to have made my own yarn on my spinning wheel. The fiber is CVM (California Varigated Mutant) roving that I picked up at Wool Gathering. I had about 4 ounces to play with and absolutely loved spinning it up. I'm still getting the hang of adjusting the tension so that it winds onto the bobbin. And, speaking of the bobbins, I didn't do very well at getting the amounts on the two bobbins equal. I haven't had much luck with Andean Plying and the Handy Plying method from KnittySpin is not going so well for me yet either. Since there's not much left on the bobbin, I'm debating either plying it with thread and using it as an accent somehow or using it as an opportunity to learn how to handle singles. It's all about the learning experience.

And, speaking of learning experiences... I don't, yet, own a niddy noddy. This invaluable piece of spinning equipment enables you to wind your finished yarn off the bobbin and turn it into a skein. I have a very limited number of bobbins and/or drop spindles (although I'm making myself more of the drop spindles to play with so that won't be as much of a problem) so the products of my spinning efforts must go somewhere. Although the quality of the image above leaves much to be desired, the yarn is obviously in the form of a skein. Obviously, I've come up with a solution. In the spirit of sharing, I thought that I'd post my (temporary) solution here in hopes that it will help someone else... If you combine a CD drop spindle and my improvised solution to the niddy noddy problem, it is actually possible to begin spinning for almost no capital investment beyond the fiber itself.

Looking at the image above, you see a rectangle. This rectangle is intended to represent a hardcover book, although any rigid, rectangular object will work. (I just happen to always have a book at hand, and there was one there when I needed it so that I could unwind my yarn and free up my drop spindle for the next project.) The illustration should help, the rectangle is supposed to be translucent so that you can see how the yarn wraps around the back as well as the bold pink lines that show how it wraps on the front. The pointing fingers show the path of the yarn around the front of corner A, diagonally across the back to emerge and go around the front of corner B. The yarn then goes around the back of corner C and diagonally across the front of the book and around the back of corner D. This should bring you to where you started, in the middle of the short side of the book, to wrap around the front of corner A and repeat that path until you're out of yarn. It is a kind of elaborate figure-8 which allows you to wind the yarn around, and around, and around the book. Once you've finished, you can usually slide the yarn off one corner without too much difficulty.

More Studio Stuff

I spent some time today listing new pins in my Etsy shop. Tonight I'm bisque firing the stuff that I made to replace the items that I lost in last week's explosive firing. (I should try to take a picture of the debris inside the kiln before I clean it up but I doubt that I'll bother.) I'm really very excited about the pieces that I'm working on. I'm practicing my carving skills and making press molds which will keep the finished pieces as affordable as possible.

I'm still working on the needle felted project that I posted about yesterday. In addition, I'm about to start a needle felted hat. I found a beautiful wool hat for $1.00 at a thrift shop. I'm going to embellish it with needle felting and take photos at each stage of the process. I'm thinking that it will work up into a fun tutorial. If I get my act together, I may be able to have it finished in time for the Whiplash deadline since the September theme is Hats.

My other big project right now is that I want to re-write my artists' statement. It's probably because of my recent obsession with fiberarts but I've got all of these philosophical points running around in my head about "Women's Work" and the whole Art vs. Craft debate and what gets called "craft" and the value placed on crafts as opposed to "Art"...

I'm sure that reading statements from clothing designers, weavers, and other textile artists talking about their struggles to have their work accepted into galleries and validated by the "establishment" has influenced my thinking about all of this. It's just interesting to me that since I've decided to turn my attention more toward incorporating my beads into finished objects that compliment my interest in fibers and textiles, I've acquired a broader perspective with which to view the Art v. Craft groupthink.

However, if I find myself too tempted to indulge in pointless woolgathering, I just remind myself that I have a show to prepare for next weekend, and beads/pins to make.

Still more baby pictures

I didn't say much, in my earlier post, about what I got done today while I was working at my "Clay Date." I added handles to 5 of the 6 mini-amphorae that I'd started. I ended up destroying the 6th by putting the handles on crooked and being unable to correct the problem.

Once I'd finished the amphorae, I turned my attention to some beads. After the Cincinnati bead show, JJ suggested that I might want to have some of my beads strung in sets. I spent some time today working on the "Yarn Ball" spacers that I sometimes make. The idea was that I could string 10 or 20 of them together to make a strand which can be sold as a unit.

I'm going to limit the strands to certain types of beads. I'll probably do them with my shell spirals. Maybe with some of the carved or polka dot beads. The strands will probably be $25 or $45 depending on how many beads are on them.

I need to finish my current doll project so that I can get it in the mail before we leave on vacation. Other than that, the next week will probably be largely focused on getting ready for my trip.

These are probably the last two of the pictures of Sprout from the most recent photo session that I'll be posting. I may try to post some snap shots, if time permits. Otherwise, I'll post a couple pictures from vacation after I get back.

I don't know if I'll have much time for updates between now and then, or if I will have access or opportunity for an update from the road.

Aromatherapy

Continuing the post-bead-show processing, I'm aware that some of the things that I've been "meaning to do" should move up on my priority list. Amongst other things, a great many people walked away from our table this weekend with my business card. Likewise, I imagine that quite a few will be walking away from Melanie's table at Bead & Button with my card in hand. I ****NEED**** to finish what I started with my website and get the new front page online by the end of the week.

One of the things that has slowed my progress is that I haven't felt quite equal to the task of writing the articles, etc, that I wanted to have up before the new front page went online. Which brings me to the subject of this entry.

When I engaged the people who stopped at our table at the bead show, many of them expressed the belief that they wouldn't really know what to do with the vessels which are the majority of what I do. By conversing with them, I was able to share some ideas which stimulated the interest of at least a few customers. I know that Heather's experience was similar. I'm too tired right now to write an article. One of the great things about keeping a blog, however, is that it allows a drafting process to occur which gives readers a glimpse at what you're thinking as you're thinking it.

One of the suggestions that I made for the use of the vessels is that they are great vehicles for aromatherapy oils. Whether you're quitting smoking, trying to loose weight, trying to become pregnant or simply trying to reduce stress... aromatherapy may help you to achieve your goals. I'm not a doctor or an aromatherapist, I'm certainly not qualified to offer advice or treatment, but if you're seeing an aromatherapist, my vessels can be filled with oils and will allow the scent to naturally diffuse.

Here are some of the links to sites which have come up as I've started my research for an aromatherapy article for my website.

• http://www.aworldofaromatherapy.com/
• http://www.naha.org/index.html
• http://www.naturesgift.com/

I'll poke around more but this gives me a place to start. On a purely capitalistic note, it might make some sense to poke around the provider links on the first two sites there to develop some contacts and possibly some wholesale relationships.

Well, it has been a long day, following a longer weekend and an even longer couple of weeks. I didn't even try to go into the studio today but should make an effort to get out there to work on the keychains for Abe at CUADP and the commission for Heather.

The show is over... Nothing to see here...

I've survived my first bead show. In many ways it was a great experience and I can't help feeling as though I've somehow passed through some imaginary barrier and I'm now, officially, a **REAL** bead artist. (Thank you, Velveteen Rabbit) Having Sprout with me was wonderful and she really is an amazing baby. She was so well behaved and sweet tempered that I doubt anyone knew that she was teething, let alone that she cut her first top tooth this weekend.

The show was not all that I might have hoped. Having done everything to get ready for it in the space of two very hectic weeks, I walked in the door with a list of I should have's and I wish I had's. I had some very clear ideas about what I wanted the display to look like, but wasn't really able to pull them off. The boxes need to be better sealed so that they don't develop splinters during the show. Everything would have looked better if I'd had tidy, printed signage. There were too many price points on the table. There weren't enough containers or ways to distinguish items from one price group from those of another price group.

That said, I've learned a lot.

• I honestly think that the current set-up can be improved and worked with, rather than feeling like it should be scrapped, all knowledge of it erased, and any mention of it denied.
• Because what we have to offer the patrons at these shows is so different from what many of them have seen before, the opportunity exists to really foster some enthusiasm about artist-made ceramic beads and jewelry. (Yippeee!!! Jeff is almost won back over to the earth side... We may yet seduce him back to the mud, away from polymer clay...)
• Because what we are offering is outside the "mainstream" we need to offer our customers more and better ideas about what can be done with artist-made ceramic beads.

I talked briefly with Kim. Jeff seems interested in doing the fall shows with us. I'll try to arrange for the 3 of us to get together and do a post-mortem on the show. All of that will have to wait, however... I am beyond tired and Sprout is hungry. I'm going upstairs to bed and if I don't write again for a month, it may just be because I haven't gotten out of bed yet.

Ancient and mysterious boxes

I spent a significant portion of my day sanding the wooden boxes that I will be using as the foundations of my table displays. These boxes started their lives in a factory as storage for assorted cash register parts. I'm not sure when they were built (I removed a nail that was sticking out of one and discovered that the nail was square) but they have decades worth of grime worked into the wood. The result is a wonderful character, with a beautiful patina.

Unfortunately, after power washing them, I had to deal with a great many splinters that had been worked loose by the high pressure water. Since I didn't want to risk anyone getting splinters from my table displays, I sanded them and then applied paste wax. They look great. I'm leaving them in the sun at my mom's until tomorrow night to allow the solvent smell of the past wax to evaporate some.

The bisque kiln is going now. I need to turn it up to medium before I head up to bed and then arrange to turn it to high about 2 hours after that. With any luck at all, the kiln will be cool enough to open when I get up in the morning and cool enough to unload when I'm ready to leave.

Kim's husband is bringing me the results of her firing tomorrow, along with the contents of her various bead boxes. None of this stuff is actually priced for the show, there's not even an inventory. Kim says, "Price them as you see fit and take whatever percentage you need to take." The problem with this is that I have my own work that needs to be inventoried and priced for the show. There just isn't enough time to do everything.

I picked up some tissue paper for wrapping purchases and brown paper lunch bags. Since the tissue paper is so large, I cut it down to quarter size. I used the fact that I was quartering it to justify spending the extra money for tissue paper with a little glitz to it.

I'm still trying to figure out what I want the tablescape to look like. I have 3 of the wooden boxes right now. I will probably prop one at an angle at each end of the table and set one on edge in the center. The show rules state that the table must be draped to the floor. I've got a couple of options for fabric to drape the table and I'll use the brass dishes that I bought before the first "Art to Wear Fair" last fall. I'm thinking about digging out the frame corners for some extra display oomph.

Show progress update

A word of warning: I'm feeling a bit whiney right now. Don't take anything I say too seriously.

The shells came out of the glaze kiln looking great. The three mini amphorae are really nice. If I had a month, I'd probably feel really good about the odds of getting ready for this show... as it is, I'll do the best that I can.

The half-moon vessels are ready for the bisque kiln. I made 8 goddesses as well. I'll bisque fire them tomorrow and then focus on glazing. I need to start my inventory for the show as well. I haven't heard from Kim's husband about her contributions. Her son had an appointment in Lexington to get his cast off on Monday so, if I don't hear from her husband tomorrow I'll call him. We're on a deadline here and since she wasn't going to price her work or do any kind of inventory, I really need to have a bit of time to get stuff ready.

I'm getting new glasses. The ones that I ordered at the eye doctor's office should be ready in a week or two. I need replacements for my current glasses before that. I'm missing one of the nose guards and tonight, while trying to steal them off my face, Sprout nearly lost the other one. I bought stick-on pads that should help but it's still rather uncomfortable.

I should have gone into the studio this evening to try to get some work done. I have a bit of a headache still from the eye appointment and just didn't feel up to it. I'm just going to have to make do with what I've got.