Alumni Press

Juxtapositions is the alumni publication of the Maryland Institute College of Art (my alma mater) and the current issue features an article on wearable Art jewelry made by MICA alumnae.


Additionally, on the MICA website I'm featured in an extended interview, answering questions such as: "What are your thoughts about the idea that jewelry is wearable sculpture?" For the full feature and to read my interview visit: fyi.mica.edu

It feels nice to be recognized by my old college, however it's slightly disappointing that the concept and validity of jewelry as Art --with a capital A-- still requires explaining in this day and age (particularly to an Art school *sigh*)

Jewelry/metals unfortunately was not offered as a major at MICA, however there was an off-campus jewelry center, which always felt a bit like the red-headed stepchild of the school. The work that was created there was not given exhibition space in any of the main campus galleries and many students didn't even know the center existed. Alas, perhaps our alumni insights will shed some light on the world of Art jewelry for Juxtapositions readers and give the MICA jewelry Center the attention it deserves.

Wood Jewelry

The above earrings were an experiment I finished today during the last day of our Wood Jewelry class, a two-day workshop I've been taking with incredibly talented artist Julia Harrison at the 92nd st. Y in Manhattan. Julia makes absolutely breathtaking, carved wooden figurative jewelry:

© Julia Harrison
She Who Hesitates

brooch in maple, gouache, lacquer, wax, nickel, magnet.

© Julia Harrison.

She describes her work in this way:

"I look for the stories being quietly told by human bodies: a child’s pout, a furrowed brow, a flash of cleavage, a clenched fist, a fading bruise. Our bodies express and illustrate our desires, needs, and concerns. We are our own ornament; my work draws attention to this relationship. Most of my pieces are hand-carved from hardwoods or fruitwoods, such as maple and cherry. I find wood to be convincingly fleshy and a pleasure to wear. It is smooth and slightly warm, and, like our bodies, can be bruised or marred by experience."

I first met Julia back in 2005. We were both featured in an exhibition at Julie Artisans' Gallery in the city entitled Body & Soul. When I heard about her wood jewelry class I immediately signed up because I admire her work and because I thought it would be fun to play around with a medium so vastly different than what I'm used to (wood could not be more opposite than plastic Barbie dolls!) It's nice to go out of one's comfort zone and just play.

I definitely would like to fiddle around more with the many fun techniques Julia taught us. She was a fabulous teacher; a wealth of information, very thorough and forth-coming in sharing her knowledge and skills. If you have a chance to take a workshop or class with her in the future, I highly recommend doing so!

Check out Julia's jewelry blog here. Also check out her "sweet travel" blog, which explores another one of her many varied interests: sweets!

love to know

My interview with LoveToKnow.com is now up on their website; go check it out if you get a chance. Many thanks to Adrienne Warber for the feature.

Well, 2009 is off to a good start! I've been a busy bee finishing up a bunch of custom orders taken before the holidays and have been designing, sketching, plotting and scheming for a bunch of projects… there are lots of exciting opportunities in the works these days, but you'll just have to wait to find out what I'm up to! (cue mischievous laughter and hand wringing)

In other news, I took an all day workshop at the 92nd st. Y this weekend with metalsmith Erin Daily. It was a six hour class called "How to Buy Stones" and it was awesome! I definitely feel much more confident heading into the diamond district for some wheelin' and dealin' with gem dealers now. There's so much to stones, it can feel really intimidating, especially when you're not informed about what to look for in a gem, what makes it valuable, what questions to ask about it's treatments, origins, etc etc . Erin was a wealth of information.

It was the first time I had seen the facilities at the Y and wow! being there made me wish I was in school again. I miss the focus inherent in learning new techniques and engaging with teachers and students. There's nothing more inspiring at times.

Reflecting on 2008

As many of you may know, I'm a big fan of Alyson Stanfield of artbizcoach.com and one of her recent Art Marketing Action Newsletters included her annual "Acknowledge Yourself and Celebrate" checklist. It's easy to forget sometimes how much we accomplish over the course of a year. I find this exercise of thinking about and writing a list of accomplishments particularly helpful for remembering how far I've come and the steps I've taken to grow my career. I thought I'd share some of my responses here. I encourage everyone to check out Alyson's website to find out how you can receive her weekly newsletters. Try answering these questions for yourself as a way to feel inspired about your progress before moving on to writing your goal lists for 2009.

How did you promote your Art and your online presence?
• blogged regularly (for the most part)
• joined LinkedIn, twitter, Crafthaus and Facebook.
• started new response blog: "creepy but cool"
• did various interviews for blogs, magazines and newspapers.
• wore my own jewelry more frequently to events where I knew I would be meeting new people.
• made an effort to visit and comment on other people's blogs.
• tried to update/replenish my etsy shop as frequently as possible
• blogged about and linked to any/all press features

Who were the top ten cool or influential people you met in 2008?
• Hugo: my caster (and quite possibly the sweetest old man ever)
• Biba Schutz: art jeweler (extremely resourceful and inspiring mentor)
• Mike Holmes: owner Velvet Da Vinci Gallery
• Bruce Hoffman: gallery director Snyderman-Works Gallery
• Harriete Estel Berman: art jeweler (via phone)
• Bruce Metcalf: art jeweler (met him at the Craft Council summer salon lecture)
• Lori: my biggest fan on etsy (major Barbie fan… and married to a man named Ken!)
• Brad Armistead: Mattel's head of soft goods division
• Lee Unkrich: director at Pixar Animation Studios (via email)
• Rob Walker: NY times magazine columnist/author (via email/phone)

Whom did you mentor or help out?
• Ashley: my fabulous intern/apprentice
• Urte: the delightful replacement who took my job making jewelry at Swallow in Brooklyn when I left back in August.
• Dayna: a young jeweler, new to NYC that I met with at my studio, suggested resources for her, etc.

Did you create a new portfolio or other marketing piece?
• two new hard copy portfolios (one for press images and one for work)
• new stickers
• new postcard
• new wholesale catalog
• new thank you cards

What medium or skill did you attempt or master?
• etching on metal and glass
• gold/silver leafing on glass
• stone/wire wrapping/beading

What did you try that was completely new?
• having a studio outside my home
• etching
• gold/silver leafing on glass
• using a caster to make multiples of select elements of my work
• working with an intern
• selling retail at a high end craft fair (ACC Baltimore)
• a label maker (I'll never go back!)

What did you try that was uncomfortable but helped you grow?
• quit my part-time job to be a full time artist… AT LAST
• a business class at FIT
• created a wholesale line and catalog
• ACC retail craft show Baltimore "new wave artist"
• interviews w/ press (always uncomfortable but always help me grow)
• sold jewelry (wholesale) to a woman who claimed to be a store buyer. She was not. Got ripped off. HUGE life lesson!

What worthy cause did you support in some way?
• Susan G. Komen Foundation, to help find a cure for breast cancer
• WNYC public radio (I listen all the time - this is the first time I've pledged)
• MAD museum (became a member)
• SNAG (renewed membership)
• ACC (renewed membership)
• James Renwick Alliance (silent auction submission)
• elected OBAMA!!

What new art events, galleries and museums did you visit?
• the new MAD museum opening
• ACC show, Baltimore
• ACC library: Bruce Metcalf lecture
• Brooklyn Museum: Art Smith jewelry exhibition
• SOFA, NY
• Velvet da Vinci, San Francisco
• de Young Museum, San Francisco: Dale Chihuly exhibition, etc

What resources did you discover?
• American Craft Council library in Manhattan
• twitter, FB, crafthaus
• the new MAD museum
• Alyson Stanfield class: "Get Organized"
• Inspired Home Office newsletter
• Brooklyn Based newsletter
• Hugo, my caster
• SPB Gems in the diamond district
• Kremer Pigments in Manhattan
• May Arts - amazing company where I now buy my ribbon

How did you improve your studio habits?
• I quit my part-time day job!
• I found the studio of my dreams, outside my house.
• I found an intern
• I tried hard to implement more regular studio hours every week
• I designed and created a personalized "Work Order" sheet to keep orders straight and organized between my office/studio
• I bought a proper jeweler's bench and stopped working on an old computer desk - ouch!

What books did you read to help your career?
• I'd Rather Be In The Studio by Alyson Stanfield
• The Creative Habit by Twyla Tharp
• The Success Principles by Jack Canfield
• 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Steven Covey
• Getting Things Done by David Allen
• Feel the Fear and Do it Anyway by Susan Jeffers
• Perfect Girls, Starving Daughters by Courtney Martin

What videos or films were useful (to your career)?
• Who Does She Think She is? documentary
• Craft in America, PBS documentary series
• Andy Goldsworthy, artist documentary
• DIY or die, documentary
• Helvetica documentary

What seminars or workshops did you attend?
• Bruce Metcalf lecture at ACC library
• Gloria Steinem lecture at 92nd st. Y
• David McFadden, new MAD museum opening exhibition lecture @ SOFA, NY
• Jamie Bennett lecture @ SOFA, NY
• teleseminar w/ Hilary Pfiefer and Alyson Stanfield
• Get Organized web-class w/ Alyson Stanfield
• FIT business class

How did you enhance your office and/or studio environment?
• moved studio outside of my home
• re-painted and re-decorated home office.
• new office desk
• purchased used jeweler's bench on ebay
• new laser jet printer
• office is now a separate room from the living room
• bought new cell phone w/ internet service so I can access internet at my studio

What grants/honors/awards did you receive?
• accepted to ACC show in Baltimore as a "new wave" artist
• applied for NYFA grant (fingers crossed!)

What articles were written about your work?
• CosmoGIRL, USA
• Arcadium, Hungary
• BUST, USA
• Cosmopolitan, Czech Republic
• InDesign, Australia
• Step by Step Wire, USA
• abcDesign, Brazil
• Top Teen, Mexico
• Sunday Times Newspaper, Australia
• Columbia Chronicle newspaper, Chicago USA
• Metro News, UK
• Sky News, UK
• Daily Mail, UK
• Telegraph, UK
• Indie Quarter, UK
• Female First, UK
• Times of the Internet
• Cool Hunting
• Boing Boing
• Craftzine
• Jezebel
… and lots of other various blog nods

What exhibits, grants, contests, etc did you submit art to?
• NYFA grant
• Alloy Gallery, Newport, RI
• Pop Culture Collision, Shaw Gallery, ME
• Materialistic, Whitney Gallery, Savannah, GA
• Shoes Tell Stories, Fuller Craft Museum, MA
• Forms For Pleasure Book, Belgium
• 500 Plastic Jewelry Book, Lark Books (fingers crossed!)

Where did you save a wad of money?
• by getting an intern (saved me a lot of time, = $)
• buying a used jeweler's work bench on ebay
• testing the craft show waters by applying for the "new wave" section of the ACC show in Baltimore (much less than a full booth)

What was the single best thing that happened to your art career in 2008?
• Quitting my part-time job to become a full time artist and finding the perfect private art studio in a loft building full of artists 5 blocks from my apartment are the best things that happened to me this year. Hooray!

Happy 2009 everyone!

Oh brother!

My online Get Organized class is going really well so far. The class is held entirely through a private blog, which I check a few times daily to retrieve our "lessons" and participate in class discussions regarding the information.

In the week since class began I've already cleaned out and re-organized my entire filing cabinet, as well as got a jump on cleaning out my e-files. The funny thing is: more important than the lessons we're learning from Alyson, -as fantastic as she is- it's about feeling encouraged and motivated. To have a teacher saying "OK, do this now" makes me feel held accountable, even if it is only in a 'virtual' sense (I'm such a student really.)

I've been enjoying the filing process. Those who know me, know I thrive on organization anyway, no big shocker there. However, the "fun" involved can really only be attributed to one very important factor: my new Best Friend.

Ladies and gentlemen, I'd like you to meet my brother:

Wow. I don't know how I lived my life without him prior to this week! This little tool makes me want to label my ENTIRE house, no joke. I've used a label-maker plenty of times before, (in fact we use this exact model at my part-time job) and I've always wanted to buy one for myself, but couldn't justify the cost because I didn't think I really needed one. Man oh man, was I ever wrong to hesitate. Alyson suggested buying one to properly label all my files and I promptly made my way to the nearest Staples. At last …I finally had an excuse!

I am in love with this machine. I cannot recommend it enough. My files now look so beautiful and organized that I know I will actually want to use them regularly instead of letting piles build.

My brother might need a friend soon though, and I think I found just the thing to keep him company on my desk:

A mini filing cabinet that holds up to 800 business cards!
So much cuter than a rolodex!
(available via think geek)

What can I say? I'm a sucker for life in miniature.

back to school

I've signed up for a month long web class which starts this Wednesday and I'm excited but nervous. It's been a while since I've had to think about the word 'homework.' The class called GO! Get Organized to Run a Successful Art Business taught by the fabulous and inspirational Alyson Stanfield, whom I've mentioned on this blog before and whose blog can be found right here in my blogroll. She always has such sound advice regarding marketing and all things art-career related so it should be a great class. However as she points out, you get out of it what you put in and it will all depend on whether or not I "do the work." I've listened in on a few of Alyson's free teleseminars, where participants call in and listen to a chosen speaker about a given art-marketing topic, though I've never participated in an online class before.

The class description reads:

Are you feeling overwhelmed?
Drowning in clutter?
Losing time to poor habits?
Don't know where to begin to start files and databases?

I know all about these traps. I deal with them every day and can teach you what I have learned that allows me to run a focused, successful business.

Lessons:

1. Put Discipline and Focus Into Place
2. File
3. e-File
4. Organize Your Office
5. Maintain Your Calendar
6. Set Routines
7. Use Task Lists
8. Manage Your Life with Outlook or Entourage
9. Inventory Your Artwork
10. Computerize Your Mailing List
11. Do This in the Meantime

Also, tips, including: 5 steps to conquering piles; nurture positive environments; de-clutter; weekly art dates; saying "no"; task notebooks; holiday cards; and strong systems of support.

Even though I consider myself a fairly organized person, it's an area I know I can always improve upon, especially as my business grows - along with my responsibilities. I'll keep you posted and let you know how the class is going. Wish me luck!