The Pain of Designer's Block

For those of you who don't know, I have pseudo-tumor, also called intracranial hypertension. It's a nasty neurological condition that has no real cure, and it means I work with an almost constant lurking headache when I'm not working with a full-blown migraine in my eyes. The treatments are nasty -- I won't talk about that here.

I got diagnosed last summer, and it's really dampened not just my spirit but my creativity. Many times I've sat down at my work bench and stared blankly at beads and not had the slightest idea what the heck to do. "SPEAK TO ME!" I shout silently. Normally, the beads tell me what to do, but more and more, they can't be heard for the pain in my head.

I've been preparing for a huge show that takes place over three days the end of March, and I have to bring a LOT of inventory. Last year, I nearly got wiped out of everything, so this year I know I need twice as much. I want so badly to bring new, innovative things with me -- but my head hurts.

Don't get me wrong -- the jewelry I'm making is pretty and it'll sell. I'm just not FEELING it. The point of this year off was to explore, and I knew that I wouldn't be able to really start doing that until after this big show. But I didn't count on feeling so tired and in pain.

So what to do?

What to do.
Well, let's see. I can focus on the craft show. I love the crowds and the energy, and my customers just rock out loud. I'll be exhausted the week after the show but that's a welcome exhaustion -- I earned it. I'll get to see vendor friends I haven't see for months. I can think about that.

I can buy new beads. As if I really needed them -- but really, maybe a new medium (ceramic? clay?) will have a louder voice and can shout down the headache. Let me try a little retail therapy.

I can allow naps. Naps can help. I've been working HARD and it's ok to nap when I need it.

I can enjoy the loveliness around me -- a quiet moment with a good book, knitting, restful moments of yoga or stretching.

I can breathe, and remember why I'm in this business -- for the beauty and joy of it. If I lose that, there's no point in it. I haven't lost that. I refuse to let a headache take that from me.


So I've got a plan. I'm the sort of person who NEEDS a plan. Just writing this made me feel better. (Deep cleansing breath inserted here).

Curious -- what do you do when the weight of the world is on your shoulders?


(Lori Anderson designs jewelry at www.lorianderson.net. Her other blog is www.PrettyThingsBlog.com.)

Interview at ShoozieShoes

ShoozieShoes of Etsy interviewed me last night -- if you're interested, click here!

I Know, I Know....

I said that I was only doing five shows this year, but since my show this month was canceled due to the Great Blizzard of '10, I accepted an invitation to participate in the McLean Holiday Craft Show in McLean, VA. These are the same awesome folks that put on the Jewelry Showcase that unfortunately had to be canceled due to that mega-snow we got.


I figure it's a wash -- it's still five shows, right? And it's a new show for me, even though it's in an area I'm used to. I'm excited because this fall I should be launching some really neat new things (that's the plan ... yes, indeedy do!).


I've been busy preparing for one of my biggest shows of the year that occurs in March, so here are a few simple things for your viewing pleasure:

You can see more of my work at www.lorianderson.net, and read more of my blog at www.prettythingsblog.com

An Interview

Ever want to know a little more about me? Head over to Sweet, Mysterious Feast to learn a little bit about what makes me tick and what I'm all about.

My First Beads

I wonder -- has anyone seen any of "the greats" show their first beads? I know Corina Tettinger has, and the lovely Z-Beads recently did. But anyone else? I'd love to know and to see?


Want to see mine? I despair of every being anything other than a Spacer Queen, but head to Watch Me Create to see what I've done.

Bead Soup Blog Party!

On my other blog, Pretty Things, I ran a blog party called the Bead Soup Blog Party. Each person got a partner, got a pack of beads, including a focal, a clasp, and some coordinating beads, and was then tasked with making something with them. The only thing we HAD to use were the focal and the clasp, but there were lots of creative packs sent around! You can visit all the 80+ participants by clicking here.


I had three pieces to make as there were two late-comers to the party that I could not would not turn away -- I am NOT that kind of hostess!


First, my piece made with beads by Libby Leuchtman. I've long been a fan of Libby's flowers, so when she asked me what I liked, I secretly longed for one. I told her I really loved all her work (and I do) but I told her I have trouble designing with donut focals.


So she sent me a donut focal to make me push my designing skills. Smart girl.


Her work is stunning, and I loved the challenge I had. I told her that I love pink and purple and blue, but I always have trouble with yellow -- another design challenge (and I love a challenge)! There's nothing quite like working outside your box in things that aren't what you normally would have chosen, with things that are gorgeous.


Here's the result (click the photo for a larger shot).



I've never quite worked with donut beads other than sling them on leather and call it a day. Of course, with this beauty, that just would. not. do. So I dug out some seed beads I had in my stash, created a holder out of them, and then used some of the bead soup for the neckline. The trick was not to go TOO overboard with the beads since there's a fine line between the desired funky-beyond-all-reason effect and the ouch-my-eyes debacle. So I made the top of the necklace less bright than the bottom -- besides, the back of the necklace hides under most people's hair, anyway.


I had some beads left over for earrings -- one pair was in my ears at photo shoot time.



Thank you, Libby! You can visit Libby's blog at LibbyLeu and Glass, Too.




Next, a mix of gemstones from Dee. She sent dyed jade, horn, silver, and moukite. Moukite is one of my favorite earthy stones and I was excited about using it. I knew EXACTLY what I was going to do with that faceted focal as soon as I saw it.

I wanted to stretch my wire skills so decided to make some components that I have never done before. First, a herringbone weave I learned from Eni Oken ....

Next, a J-section I learned from Connie Cox...



Next, a smaller component that I've used and taught often with larger focal beads -- this time with much smaller beads....


And the final result (click for a larger photo) .....


Not only do I love the deep cherry reds in this piece, but I love how this forced me to finally get off the stick and learn some wire techniques I've been wanting to learn for a long time. I also pulled out the liver of sulphur gel I got from Fundametals.net and oxidized the entire thing, then brushed the high points for depth. Like?


Thanks, Dee! You can see Dee at Runako Designs by Dee.




Finally, a piece that traveled all the way from Korea. I used to live in South Korea, so I have a fondness for this one. Dale sent me a mix of metal pieces she made and some pretty bead soup. She gave me instructions for how the parts were supposed to go together, but when I couldn't find the screws I needed, I got a brain storm as I dug through my watch bits and bobs.

I've long been interested in the steampunk craze, and have a nice collection of old watch parts, but have never used them. I mean, we're talking TINY gears and such. So I pulled those out and used them to connect the frame to the sandwich of silver and brass. See how she stamped "PRETTY" into the silver? Then, I dug even further into my stash and found a Volcano Swarovski crystal to go with her green and purple seed beads and crystals and filled in the frame.





I can't tell you how tickled I am that I even thought of this. I am NOT this type of jewelry designer at all so this really did stretch my horizons. I love it!





It's going to take up permanent residence in my office, on my dressmaker dummy. I made the length of the necklace out of a huge bowl of bead soup I already had, using bits of Dale's green and purple to make it all come together.



Thanks, Dale! Dale can be found at Flights of Fancy.




So there you have it -- my contributions to the party. I hope you liked them. Now go to www.prettythingsblog.com and see what the other 80+ participants made!

The Shipping Muse

My office, my entire house, really, is full of artsy beauty. My postage scale is no exception. This functional piece of necessary business machinery has its own muse, this lovely mannequin I bought from a neighboring vendor at a craft show. I like to think that every package I send out has first been touched by this sweet headless Victorian Venus de Milo.


Yeah, I'm silly. But silly is good.

I'm here....

...plugging away at making jewelry for the next two shows....
... working like crazy on preparations for my new web site -- there is a LOT of work involved, but I'm excited about this next step up.


... sending in jewelry for magazine tutorials -- I've got a good line-up for next year.


... writing pages and pages of book outlines in my head. I can't wait to get started!

So many things are going to happen after March 29th, which is not only the day after my last show until September, but is also my 41st birthday. How apt -- newness all over!


Stay tuned for more!


Lori's web site is www.lorianderson.net, and her other blog is www.prettythingsblog.com.

A Productive Weekend

I got a lot done!


Click here to read!

Chain Maille for Dummies

Chain Maille for Dummies . In this case, the dummy would be me.


I've made basic chain maille since I started beading. Chain maille is the art of weaving silver jump rings into a repetitive pattern to create a chain, and it was developed hundreds of years ago to create chain maille armor. Lots of traditional patterns translate well into jewelry.



Believe it or not, I don't own a chain maille bracelet. I haven't made myself one even though I've made dozens and dozens for customers.


Enter Chain Maille for Dummies.


I often bite off more than I can chew. I look at something and think, "oh yeah, I can do that". Chain maille patterns are either in the public domain or there are tutorials on line for them, so there are directions for every weave you can imagine. So I set out to make a byzantine ladder weave, feeling a little smug because, after all, I've made a bunch of the most basic of bracelets -- The Byzantine.

The ladder weave, however, nearly bested me. I didn't have enough hands, or enough fingers, and most certainly not enough patience. I made all the byzantine lengths, but couldn't hold them in the right orientation to hook them together. I'd hold the pliers, open a ring, and hook the pieces together, then drop the whole mess before I could scoop up another ring and get the orientation back again.


ACK!

I sat in the local coffee shop when I started the bracelet, fully expecting to get it pretty close to done by the time my mocha was finished. Instead, I left in a foul mood with nothing done except a bunch of short Byzantine bits that mocked me the entire way home.


At some point, though, the light bulb went on.


I don't know how, but I got one ladder bit made. Angels sang, martinis were passed, all was merry. And as with most chain maille projects, everything went fast once that first piece of the pattern was started.


Here's what it ended up looking like:




Click the picture for a better peek.


The clasp is an amazing vintage Swarovski crystal:



All in all, worth it. Frustrating? Oh yes. I very nearly quit. In fact, I DID quit at one point and put the whole mess away for a while. I took it out again when I had a fresh mind and had successfully completed some other projects to bolster my confidence - something I think is important to remember when you're facing a fear of tackling a new technique.




Lori Anderson's jewelry can be seen at www.lorianderson.net. Be sure to visit her other blog, Pretty Things.

I made beads today!

A very fast post because I am exhausted -- not nearly enough sleep this weekend as I worked and worked and then worked some more almost all three days of the long weekend.


BUT!


I finally braved it. After my friend Kendra hooked up my propane, I went out today, took a deep breath, and made beads.





They're still cooking in the kiln, and they are just wonky spacers -- nothing to write home about -- but I DID IT. I conquered my fear of blowing up things and just DID IT.



If you know me well, you know that's HUGE. If you don't, stick around long enough, and you'll realize how terrified I am of trying new things. I want to be able to get it right the first time. I hate failure and flub ups -- I get embarrassed easily. But in the quiet and peace of my little studio, I found myself saying to myself,


"You are going to be good at this."


I hope so. I hope so.

Oh my word.

I need to get my eyes checked.


I wondered why I wasn't getting any comments on this blog. On my other blog, I get an email letting me know I have a comment that needs approving and I go and read it and approve it. But nothing at all ever came from here.


"How can I have all these subscribers and no comments? I must be REALLY boring," thought I.


Then I checked my account.


And realized, I am indeed either blind, an idiot, or more likely, both.


Because you guys have INDEED been commenting, and have been so incredibly kind and thoughtful and encouraging in your comments. I just forgot to put my email address in and never turned on the "comment approval" thingee.


THANK YOU, from the bottom of my heart.

New Year, New Look

One of the things on my list for the year is to change the look of my web site, www.lorianderson.net. I designed my original web site in Microsoft FrontPage, and then traded a bunch of beads for the look you see now. It's worked for a while, but now I want to change it up. I'm changing, my jewelry has improved so much over the years, and it's just time.


Launch time won't be until summer -- it's a pretty intensive job, and I'm not doing it, thankfully! -- but I'm so excited, and so looking forward to it!

How to Store Art Supplies

Part of getting ready for new artistic ventures is getting my proverbial ducks in a row. Even as I prepare hard and fast for two of my five shows for the year, I'm gathering the goodies for the classes I'll be taking. Paint, metal stamps, glass - it's accumulating fast.


One of the issues is figuring out how to STORE all this stuff, these growing assortments of beautiful things that await metamorphosis into a different type of loveliness.



I've started random collections throughout the house. Here, lovely jars from Pottery Barn full of yarn, waiting for a class in sock knitting....



The yarn was just too pretty to put away in a box, so for now, they're filling up these jars. Speaking of jars, I found a vintage fruit jar and I'm using it to hold a treasure-trove of glass rod ends that I was given by a lovely blog reader. I'm holding on to them for a bit, just waiting to mash them up and turn them into frit.





Storing your art supplies this way may not be practical. Don't get me wrong -- all of my stash is most certainly NOT on display. Most, in fact, is packed into boxes and unceremoniously shoved under beds or into closets. But considering the beauty we make WITH the tools of our trade, doesn't it stand to reason that they would be beautiful, too?


So choose a few. Find an unusual way to make them an everyday part of your decor. Who knows? It might just be the gentle nudge you need to try that new project you've been meaning to start.




Lori Anderson's jewelry can be seen at www.lorianderson.net. Her other blog is www.prettythingsblog.com.

Another class -- enameling

(enameled heart by Barbara Lewis)

Keeping true to my word that I'm going to stretch my skills, I've signed up for yet another class, this one with Barbara Lewis of Jewelry of Distinction. She was recently featured in Belle Armoire magazine, and I'm so excited to get to take this class -- not just so I can learn metal enameling, but because I'll get to meet some of my online blogging friends!


I'm pretty proud of myself for jumping in with both feet and signing up for classes. With five classes scheduled already for this year, I'm taking as many as I've taken in the past five years! I think the next class I'll be looking for is a lampwork class, but I'll wait a while for that, taking the time instead to explore and play on my own for a while to get the basics handily under my belt before venturing into a classroom setting.


I'm on my way, baby step by baby step.


So how are you doing?


You can see my work at www.lorianderson.net, and read my other blog at www.prettythingsblog.com.

Wire Woes

Aaaaand, this is what happens when you clip the beginning of a spool of aluminum wire without holding onto it.

An Artist Needs a New Look

Not only do I want to reinvent my jewelry, but I want to reinvent myself -- just a bit.


I've already been working out, something I used to do with a slightly frightening passion in my 20's but dropped with astonishing suddenness in my 30's. Changing my body is just going to take too long, though, so the next thing on the list? The hair.


My hair is naturally dark brown. I've always secretly admired people who rocked purple hair, wild streaks of bright color -- women with rebelliously beautiful locks. I've never felt cool enough to try it out myself, and honestly never wanted to draw that much attention to my face. Crazy jewelry? Sure, I can pull that off with no problem. People notice the jewelry, not the person wearing it. But do something to draw attention to ME? Scary.


I have a super stylist, and last appointment, she gave me highlights in the auburn color I craved -- just a little taste to let me get used to the idea of fun. Thursday, I took the plunge and went for it. I'm now officially auburn with strawberry blond highlights.


The photo doesn't do the color justice, but I can tell you that it did take me about a day to get used to. I'd catch a glimpse of myself in the rear view mirror and think, "Woah. What did you do???" But now, I like it. I feel like an artist. I feel
like just because I have red hair, by default I'm fierce and confident and creative.


Amazing what a bottle of hair color can do.

Where to Start?

Over the past few years, I've collected what seems like tons of tutorials and books -- everything from wire work to lampwork, metalsmithing to beadweaving. I have a huge three-ring binder that houses only a portion of these tutorials, and facing that notebook, the shelves of books, and my clock can be daunting.


Where in the world to start?


Out comes the trusty day planner.


I started flipping through the weeks, writing down on random days random tutorials. "Try spiral beadweaving" reads one. "Experiment with etching metal" reads another.

(Etched charms by Jeannette Blix).

I already use a lot of wire work in my normal day-to-day designs, but I want to use more intricate designs, so I didn't write this down, knowing that after my show in March, trying those techniques will just be a natural process.

Ditto for lampwork. My work bench faces the glass doors that lead out into the backyard, and I face the glass studio every single time I sit at the table, so it's hard to ignore that building calling to me. Besides, I know that once I light up the torch for the first time, the siren call of glass rods and colorful frit will be impossible to ignore.

(Shed before it was rebuilt for the lampwork studio.)

Starting anything is usually the hardest part, whether it's starting a diet, starting a marathon, or starting a new chapter in your life. If you're new to jewelry design, don't wait. Don't tell yourself, "I can't". Make an appointment on your calendar, a date with yourself, and start. Take that first step.



Lori Anderson's jewelry can be seen at www.lorianderson.net. Her other blog can be read at www.prettythingsblog.com.

Organizing the Day

In order to make the best of my days and not waste too much time, I've decided to organize my design time and other activities with a daily calendar.


As with everything in my office and studio, I had to find a pretty one. I settled on one from Papaya Art.



I think it's the perfect daily journal for a year of exploration, don't you?


Instead of just writing down "make jewelry", I drill down even further. "Make larimar jewelry", or "make earrings". Then I have a focus, and can get more done than if I just opened up my many drawers of beads and got lost in all the possibilities. Too often, I realize I've gotten distracted and have hardly made anything.


I'll also write down "appointments" for reading my art books, and once I get past my two craft shows, I'll schedule deadlines for trying new techniques. Once they're committed to paper, it's harder to ignore or forget about them


I hope this new way of organizing my time will work. I'm an avid list maker, but my lists tend to become huge and therefore completely overwhelming. By using a daily calendar that only allows a few lines, I think I'll be able to stick to it.


Let me know if you've been using this method, or plan to try this technique. Think it might work for you?




Lori Anderson's jewelry can be seen at www.lorianderson.net. Her other blog is www.prettythingsblog.com.

A Production Day

Even though this is my year of exploring new techniques, there's not a thing wrong with doing what I've been doing. I make pretty jewelry (at least, I think so!) and I do have two shows coming up in February and March. My inventory is practically nil, so I have to work hard to get ready. The good thing is that once the show in March is done, my next one isn't until the end of September -- lots of time to experiment and play.


So today I spent some time making my normal style of jewelry, but I've found myself looking at it all with a new eye. As I make things, I see ways that I can change them down the road, and I'm drawing designs in my sketch book for later.


Not a bad day's work.

You can visit my web site at www.lorianderson.net and read my other blog at www.prettythingsblog.com.