Thankful Thursday #6

The Mentor: Ed Levin, production jewelry company, Cambridge, NY.

The Lesson Learned: Knowing what you don't want to do with your life is as valuable as knowing what you do want.

Along with the thrill of my anticipated graduation from college in June of 2001 also came the anxiety of stepping out into "the real world" (blahblahblah) …having to get a job, make money, and prove myself to myself. I knew I wanted to pursue jewelry but still wasn't sure quite how I was going to make a career out of it. Moving home to Lake George, NY was the most realistic option at the time given my post-college financial state and so I moved back in with my parents and applied for a job at Ed Levin Jewelry whom I learned had a production company located an hour from LG in Cambridge, NY.

I remember after my interview (which I had convinced myself had gone HORRIBLY) someone said to me that even if I had nothing else to offer them (which of course wasn't true) I possessed something very valuable to them as an established company: my youthful enthusiasm. I was willing to work and work hard, learn and succeed. Perhaps that is ultimately what got me hired.

I began work immediately as a part of the design department team, by far the friendliest, coolest department with the best taste in music/radio! Ann Kearney was the head designer at the time (who has since left Ed Levin to pursue her own gorgeous jewelry line) and she was such an inspiration to me. I also worked one on one with Ed Levin himself, who at the time still had a hand in the F+ Series that I was in charge of - vintage Ed Levin line. It was quite an honor.

After about 6 months with the company I decided it was time to move on. I learned a lot working at Ed Levin, particularly the ins and outs of the production jewelry manufacturing world. The most important thing I learned in my brief time there however, was that I didn't want to be just a pair of hands and work for someone else for the rest of my life. I didn't want to make the same design over and over and over again. I didn't want to design based on target markets and seasonal trends. I decided I wanted to make ART jewelry, not just fashion jewelry. In learning what I did not like about production, I was able to narrow down the field of jewelry further and focus my energy on my own art jewelry designs.

Someday I may end up just like Ed. I may change my mind and decide production is the way to go and desire to employ a team of 50 artisans or so to help produce my line of "wearable, everyday designs" but for now, I like my little art jewelry nook. It's comfortable here, and helps me remember I'm not just trying to make money, but also trying to make Art.

the Ed Levin signature bracelet

'The Shop' is almost open for business!

D and I have been working really hard to meet my self-imposed deadline of June 1 for getting 'The Shop' on my website up and running. It is soooo close now, we just have a few more kinks to work out. Boy, it is not nearly as easy as it seemed like it would be to get this going, but overall, I have a feeling it will be worth it in the end. How great that people will not only be able to browse my website and see all the work I sell through my galleries, but also click and buy a piece of their own right then and there in the shop section!? It's pretty darn exciting. Here's a sneak peak at one of the pieces for sale in the shop:

Eye Earrings, avocado & teal
sterling silver, plastic, pigmented epoxy resin
$150

Planet Magazine

Planet Magazine out of California has run a feature about my work on page 19… (hooray for one that's in English finally!) Click on the image below for a larger view.

Another bit of foreign press…

I've been waiting on this one for quite a while. It was a feature published in Maison Franscaise - Turkish edition, about NYC design, way back in March! Looks like a fun magazine, and I love the color scheme used for the cover. Thankfully I have received scans of it at last. Any translators out there… please?!

Thankful Thursday #5

The Mentor: Biba Schutz, art jeweler

The Lesson Learned: I am the only one who knows what's right for me.

A few months back, I had a phone conversation with the successful, talented Biba Schutz. She was kind enough to spend over an hour on the phone with me discussing all sorts of concerns I was having, such as… did I always have to procure the sale of a "special order" through one of my galleries even if it was unassociated with any of them? The answer: no, I don't have cut out to my galleries if they had nothing to do with the sale in any way, shape or form. In the past I always gave my galleries their percentage on custom work regardless of how I received the order, because I assumed that was what I was supposed to do. I also asked Biba, was I allowed to sell my work on my website in conjunction with consigning at the galleries? The answer: yes, it would be essentially just like owning my own "store" or gallery, and as long as the prices remain consistent, there's no problem. I've been so concerned about not tarnishing my gallery relationships that my business has been suffering and has not been able to grow in the ways that I would like it to. However, it's impossible to know all the answers to this stuff and it's ok to fumble through it at times. You live and learn.

The biggest question I had been wrestling with for quite some time, was whether or not to pursue wholesale. I had asked one of my galleries their opinion on the subject (about a year prior to my conversation with Biba) because I had been getting a lot of inquiries about wholesaling my work… their answer: it wasn't a good idea. Their reasoning: because the type of work that I do is "really more appropriate for one-of-a-kinds." I took their advice, blindly, because I assumed they just knew better than me.

hmmm.

Fast forward a year… I'm unhappy at the slower pace with which my one-of-a-kinds are selling and frustrated at the idea I may need to have a part-time supplemental job for the rest of my life. Wholesale was becoming more and more appealing as a concept. I began to wonder: why was I letting someone else decide the direction of my work and control my economic stability? Many art jewelers tend to either hold teaching positions or wholesale their work in conjunction to one-offs because it makes for more consistent income.

Enter Biba. Her advice and guidance regarding wholesale was invaluable. Most importantly, she stressed how it was a big decision to make and that there were a lot of aspects to consider and that only I could know whether wholesaling my work was the right move for me or not. After our conversation, I had renewed confidence in my ability to decide the direction of my jewelry line as well as a restored belief that ultimately I am the only one who knows what's right for me.

Wholesale world, here I come.

brooch by Biba Schutz

Signs of Life Pics…

I promised I would share images from the rest of the work I made for the Signs of Life exhibition once it opened in Seattle and here they are at last… (many thanks to D's Uncle Bob for the last minute photo shoot!)

Queen E. Necklace

The Kiss Necklace

Like Breathing Necklace

Alice's Moon Necklace

Red Lipstick Brooch

The Whisper Brooch

Smile Ring, blue

Smile Ring, aqua

Smile Ring, green

a busy week

I've been absent this week as far as blog posts but it's been an incredibly busy week for me! We returned from Cape May on Monday night and went straight to Webster Hall in Manhattan to see LCD Soundsystem in concert (awesome show but surrounded by annoying, disrespectful fellow concert-goers, more on that another time) and then on Thursday night D and I went to see Andrew Bird and Joan as Police Woman at Webster Hall (again)… and being that Andrew Bird is one of my favorite favorite FAVORITE musicians of course it was an AMAZING performance. We missed Joan though, but thankfully we've seen her play before.

(Andrew, but not at the Webster show)

Then on Friday I left NYC again and am visiting with my mom and sister upstate for the weekend … I'll likely be posting regularly again starting Tuesday. I realize I skipped "thankful thursday" this past week so look for it this thursday instead.

Cape May!

D and I are just settling back in to Brooklyn life after a long weekend vacation in Cape May on the Jersey Shore. We had never been there before and it was so much fun! What a cute little seaside town filled with old Victorian homes, great restaurants, cute boutiques for shopping and quaint B&B's. We stayed in a B&B called the Carroll Villa which was attached to a yummy restaurant called the Mad Batter where we ate breakfast outside on the porch every morning. These past few months have been very long and stressful so it was fabulous to get away without a care in the world! It was relaxing and fun and just what both of us needed.

On the beach, our first night there, facing the promenade

The lighthouse we climbed to the top of - 199 steps!

view from the top

view from the top, just one of Cape May's beaches

top of the lighthouse

I think I may need those sunglasses!

the houses and B&B's all looked like perfect doll houses

winning big at Skeeball!


happy on the beach

Thankful Thursday #4

The Mentor: Susan Kasson Sloan, jewelry artist and teacher.

The Lesson Learned: Ask for guidance from someone who knows.

In 2003 I took a two week workshop at Haystack Mountain School of Crafts with epoxy resin artist extraordinaire Susan Kasson Sloan. Not only was the workshop life changing in terms of my work and the introduction and development of the epoxy techniques I employ in my work to this day, but also because it was my first real experience with something crucial to my business… establishing my prices.

It was the last day of the workshop and there was a school wide "exhibition" held throughout each craft department, exemplifying the fruits of our labor - two weeks worth of uninterrupted, focused devotion to our various crafts. During the exhibition, I was approached by a woman interested in purchasing (GASP!) one of the bracelets I had made (the very first of the eye bracelets, Eyes in Line)…

I was caught off guard for a couple reasons. One: I was dumbfounded that I had an opportunity to actually make money at a workshop I had barely scraped together enough money to take, and two: because I had absolutely NO IDEA what to charge her!

…Susan to the rescue! Susan was/is amazing, as an artist and a teacher. She keeps it real and is so confident, and accessible and easy to talk to. She taught me more in those two weeks than most of my college professors did in four years. When I told her someone was interested in one of my pieces and asked her what I should charge, she was very frank and did not hesitate at all with what she thought the bracelet was worth. Ultimately, I have no idea how she came up with that number but I suspect like most of us, she used a completely arbitrary pricing system and chose the number roughly based on my level of experience, the originality of the design and, well, other completely random factors. Regardless, it was a starting point for me. I quoted the woman the price Susan suggested and without hesitation she wrote me a check. From then on, I had my price point. I knew the approximate amount I should charge for a bracelet based on the advice of someone who knew the field. And thus my pricing structure began.

It's changed quite a bit since then, but if I hadn't asked someone who has had more experience with pricing jewelry art I would've been clueless as to where to begin and I might have been all over the place, either charging too much or too little. Pricing can be one of the most difficult tasks, but once you get to a place where you know the general range for which your work will sell it starts to feel a little less daunting. Art is worth what someone will pay for it after all. So thank you Susan, for your help in getting me started, in more ways than one.

(Susan came to my first big exhibition opening in 2004 at Julie Artisan's Gallery in NYC and brought me a Barbie doll as a gift - too sweet!)

A different kind of pencil…

Does anyone remember these?! (I wonder if they still make them?) My grandmother passed away quite a few years ago but her house on Lake George is just now getting prepared to be sold. This past weekend I went through the remaining "junk" household items with my mom and D and unearthed this old stained glass window art I made as a kid!

My gram used to sit my sister and I down at the kitchen table and let us go nuts with colors, filling in the various frames with small plastic beads and then baking them in her oven. I can remember the excitement and anticipation I felt while awaiting the reveal. She proudly displayed these "artworks" in her windows for years to follow.

She was a really fun grandma and very creative. An aspiring painter herself, her home was filled with lake scenes and nature inspired works she had painted throughout her 93 years of life. (I like to think both my red hair and creativity came from her, so perhaps I'll also inherit some of her longevity.)

I wanted to show this because I think it's kind of cool and strange to see the connection between the epoxy resin work I do currently, and these "window art trinkets" from when I was a kid. Strikingly similar concept don't you think?

Oh, and I've not forgotten about today's "Thankful Thursday" post, but it will have to wait until later today… stay tuned!

Seeking #2 pencils…

Jewelry/sculpture artist Harriete Estel Berman is creating a sculpture about standardized tests and is trying to collect 30,000 used pencils for the piece… sounds pretty great to me! I've been gathering up the old #2's from around our house. If anyone would like to help, here's the info:

Seeking #2 pencils:
Any and all used pencils, including
broken, chewed, stubby, or erasers worn to a nub.

I need over 30,000 pencils to assemble a new
sculpture about education and test taking.

‑‑Clean out your junk drawer of leftover pencils;
--Rub out memories of erasers too small for mistakes in life;
--Protest the tyranny of standardized tests.

Ask local schools, students, or teachers to help.
Share or send this email to anyone and everyone else who might like to participate and contribute pencils.

Send pencils to artist:
Harriete Estel Berman
www.harriete-estel-berman.info
657 42nd Avenue
San Mateo, CA 94403-5059


If you include your name, address and email, I’ll send you a card of the finished piece. If you would like to write a comment about your experience with standardized tests, send a statement with your pencil contribution.


SMALL PRINT:
· The testing industry is calculated to be a $400 million to $700 million industry.
· In 2001, the New York Times reported that the U.S .Department of Education set aside $400 million to help states develop and administer the tests that the No Child Left Behind Act mandated for children in grades 3 through 8. Among the likely benefactors of the extra funds were the four companies that dominate the testing market .
· Do you know that Educational Testing Service (ETS), best known for its administration of the SAT college-entrance exam, won a three-year, $50 million contract in October 2001 to develop and score California's high-school

sneak peak…

My favorite piece in the Facéré Signs of Life show…

Like Breathing necklace
sterling silver, plastic, and pigmented epoxy resin

I really didn't want to sell this piece once it was finished. I thought long and hard about putting a "Not for Sale" sticker on it, but decided it was OK to part with it after all.

You'll have to wait until after the show opens to see the rest of the photos of the new work, sorry. This month I'll be busy updating my website with all my new work and recent press as well as finally opening my web shop! Yes, finally! An etsy shop may also be in my near future so stay tuned!

Thankful Thursday #3

The Mentor: Todd Reed, jewelry artist.

The Lesson Learned: Meet your deadlines.

Fresh from college and recently relocated to Boulder, Colorado, I boldly emailed an introduction of myself to art jeweler Todd Reed to ask if he would mind reviewing my portfolio (also hoping he would want to hire me as a production assistant in his studio) He said yes to a review, and I spent an afternoon at his house with my jewelry portfolio (aka: a shoe box full of pieces wrapped in paper towels) listening gratefully to all he had to say. He encouraged and appreciated my Barbie work, and offered some interesting tidbits of advice leaving me with many things to ponder. When I left that day he said he would call if any freelance production jobs came up that he might need assistance on. I kept my fingers crossed.

Let me also just say that Todd is one of the nicest jewelers out there. SO approachable, friendly and willing to share information. Many artists are guarded about what they do, living in constant fear that their ideas will be "stolen!" Not Todd, which I find admirable. Knowledge should be shared! So when he finally did call with a freelance jewelry job for me I was thrilled. Honored, really. I met with him for instructions and then he sent me on my way to produce the bits and pieces for a sterling and ruby custom neckpiece at my own studio. But before leaving his house he asked me, "so when do you think you'll be able to have the work finished?"…

"mmm, I could probably have it finished by Friday."

Famous last words! Well, I didn't finish them by Friday. And when Todd called to see if they were ready I had to fess up that they were not. even. close. He was not happy. His rationale went something like this: if he had taken me on my word that the work would be finished by Friday, then what if he had told his client the piece would be in their hands by Saturday? Everyone loses. It's not professional. And just like being late to meet someone when you say you will, it's rude and really when it comes down to it, selfish. He was diplomatic about it all: hard on the problem, soft on the person (as a wise friend of mine likes to say ;-) I think ultimately he realized I was a straight-outta-school-youngster at the time who wasn't quite ready to take her life too seriously yet and still needed to learn a thing or two about what works in the real world.

It's a lesson that stuck with me. He was right. I never got over feeling like I blew it with him, BIG TIME. (Although somehow later on I still mustered the nerve to ask him for a recommendation on a grant application?!) Todd Reed is extremely successful, there's no doubt about that. He obviously keeps his word, and meets his deadlines.

(sterling silver, 18k gold and raw uncut diamonds: the work for which he's known)

PS. This is my 100th blog post! wow, weird. I really had no idea it would last this long.

Another bit of foreign press…

"&Life" is a travel, lifestyle, design and trend magazine out of Istanbul, Turkey. I was featured in tehir March issue and I just received a copy yesterday. Again, if anyone out there can translate…!

(cover)

(inside - two page spread! pg. 32 - 33)