A heartfelt Happy New Year to you! I hope you manifest your wildest dreams this year. I hear the planets are willing! My astrological friend, Lisa Zimmerman, says it’s a time for great beginnings, creativity, starting something new. Â How about taking a little chance on your own intuition, and create something from inspiration, rather than what you think you should do? Feel it, rather than think it?
Just last night, I taught a mother-daugther duo how to make their own silver rings, in their own styles. How inspiring was this pair? Let me count the ways! No fear, no worries, no competition, no regrets. They just did it, and left with lovely new rings. Rings that adapted to the situations they were in, and came out perfect!
I forgot to take pictures, and so I was pleasantly surprised with I received a text from Janet, the mom-student, that contained a picture of her ring. It’s pretty! It fits! It came out perfect!
I’m reminded that I love to teach a willing student whatever they wish to learn. And, at the same time, I am still a student of the world. I love the give and take, the offering and receiving, that this sets up in me. A pretty sweet existence, and a great kickoff to 2013.
While it’s great to reflect on accomplishments of 2012 – and I will – I’m much more passionate about possibilities. And I feel it’s going to be a great year to create them. In order to grease those skids, I’m getting my intentions and plans in line with that. All with a generous amount of wiggle room thrown in so I can take advantage of unexpected opportunities, happy accidents, and windfalls of good along the way. That’s where creativity comes into play.
Creativity happens when we take the ability to prepare for many eventualities, get ready, get set, then let go! I hope that appeals to you in 2013, and that you’re able to take advantage of some creative opportunities in your life. And let me know about them – I’d love to hear from you!
Tag Archives: new year
It’s January 9, and this is my first post for 2012. Huzzah! It’s been a whirlwind fall and wonderful early winter, and I cannot thank my friends, family, clients and fellow metalsmiths enough. This summer was a difficult one for many reasons, but the past few months have more than made up for it. My faith in my ability to stay on this creative path has been renewed, and the New Year has served to energize me with enthusiasm that is fairly crackling!
Specifically, my dream journal is full words that have been translated into meanings, and meanings are translated into imagery. The birth of a new line, even a new direction in my work, might be taking place. Who knows where this will lead?
In 2012, I hope you are full of renewed enthusiasm as well, and inspired to rededicate yourself to your dreams, whatever they may be. I wish you peace, health, and all the energy you need to follow your path.
Please keep in touch, share your journey. Comments are welcome. That is what blogging is about!
Did you make a resolution for the New Year? Perhaps you waited until today, January 11, 2011. (OK, by the time this is posted, it will be “yesterday”). Perhaps the numerologically mystical “1-11-11” may provide you and me with some surprises. It’s definitely gotten me thinking about 2011 being a year of creation, especially after my return from Daytona Beach, where I participated in a week-long metals workshop sponsored by the Florida Society of Goldsmiths and paid for in part though an Individual Artist’s Grant through the Indiana Arts Commission.
Are you thinking of creating something special in your life in 2011? Mystical or not, it has me thinking of creating abundance and freedom. In the past, I’ve thought abundance or wealth could only be created by struggle. This year, I already think differently, and we are only 11 days in.
My phone has rung all day long with opportunity. My emails are chock full of good stuff. All I need to do is reach out and say yes. What a great day for anyone to have! As I sat a reflected on this, I wondered, what if I haven’t even thought up some really terrifically good stuff that I want in my life? Because all that I am asking for is showing up. What a blessed challenge this could be!
And I am always interested in what’s going on in the hearts and minds of others out there. Metalsmith or not, artist or not, you are still the creator of many things, including your life. What do you want to create this year? Ask, and you just might get it.
In my practice of creating beauty, I often make mistakes. Incorrect engineering, melted components, successful joins soldered beautifully backwards. It’s part of my life as a metalsmith. Sometimes these are correctable. Other times, they are additions to the scrap bin. On occasion, certain remnants remain with me on the bench, providing companionship as the perfect piece they were supposed to become a part of is completed.
During that time, we have conversations. We wonder if something else is in store. While I ponder the piece in progress before me, I sneak glances at the castoff keeping me company. I cannot bear to get rid of these bits of memory. They seem to want a life of their own. Not merely as a melted spherical decoration on a ring or a pendant, but as the centerpiece of something truly special, something so lovely that no one would be able to guess at their past. This is what drives me to give them voice and value in this throw-away world.
In my art, there is no big political statement, religious iconography, or scream for sexual equality. Just the respectful use of the materials at hand to create an idea of beauty, its meaning left up to the viewer. Statements simply made from the soul, crafted to last a lifetime.
That is why I decided to begin naming these special works “Soul Statements.† There have been previous Soul Statements. But the significance of prior works has been left a mystery to their owners. Who knows – maybe you own one!
There is no way to predict how many pieces will be created within this line of work, no way to know how many will be available at any given time. The only thing that can be promised is an offering of beauty direct from the deepest part of me – a Soul Statement. The meaning is left up to you.
I humbly leave you with a favorite Calvin and Hobbes cartoon quote:
How do you deal with mistakes? Are they to be forgotten, or learned from? An embarrassment or a journey towards an ideal? What follows is a simple story, with quotes from smart people to make it seem important.
- 1
- 2