Today, while I was working on one of the lockets for the Reality vs. Illusion exhibition, I decided that it would be a fun idea to make a video documenting my creative process, and share it here on the blog via YouTube.  I used my Canon G9 to make the video, so it might be a little fuzzy.  I'm new at videos and definitely hoping to get better at it.  I'm also hoping to have videos on here more regularly, of processes, tutorials, and little tips and tricks.  I would love to hear any feedback you might have!  

Also, if you like the video, feel free to share it by clicking the share buttons below.

Thank you!

If you have multiple shapes that all need to be the same size(see above hinge plates), but are a bit uneven upon cutting out, you can glue them together (I use crazy glue or rubber cement), allow to set, and file them all to the same size along the edges. After edges are filed to your desire, you can just heat them up to burn off the glue (DO NOT breathe in fumes), and stick them in the pickle to clean. Good luck!

What can I say? I work in chaos. It drives me nuts but it works at the same time. It has something to do with keeping pieces out that I'm still working on and that are inspiring me.

This weekend has been a "getting down to business" type of weekend....taking care of details for an exhibition (oh, why does writing an artist statement have to be so hard?), cleaning house, setting up a website for the new joint venture with Dave (details coming soon), and getting things done, generally speaking.

I'm glad for this little break in metalsmithing, to be honest. Yesterday I said "waiting for motivation is for amateurs", which I strongly believe to be true. If you wait for inspiration or motivation, what you produce will only be produced sporadically. Of course, there is that small population who seems to be inspired *at all times*, and I find myself a bit jealous of those people. However, I have learned through experiences at art school and in life, that sometimes you have to Just Do It (thank you, Nike). My motivation has been lacking this past week...I'm not sure if it's because I've been recovering from a cold or what, but it has been a struggle. One thing that has helped has been to put on a TED talk or documentary in the background, which keeps my interest and keeps me in my seat for a good amount of time. If I have been unable to physically work on the pieces I'm working on, I at least try to do research for parts of them, or like today, work on my artist statement.

Do you wait for inspiration/motivation? What do you do when you are struggling with motivation?

Marian Hosking is one of Australia's foremost contemporary jewelers. Having studied at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology in the 1960's, she has a wealth of experience that she brings to the field of metalsmithing. She has been an integral part of the jewelry and metalsmithing community in Australia.

Her work evokes much of the natural world, where Hosking finds inspiration. Through a variety of techniques such as piercing, casting, and drilling, she transforms elements of the natural world into stunning silver beauties.

When I saw her work recently, I found the clean lines and graphic elements refreshing and invigorating. The aesthetic is the kind of aesthetic that continually inspired me during my studies in Australia.

If you would like to explore more of Marian Hosking's work, please have a look at her website. There are fabulous images of many many more pieces, as well as a little video on her way of creating, and her inspirations. Enjoy!

(note: the Inspiration posts are simply little insights into me and what makes me tick. I hope you like them!)

Ever since my bare feet could hit the ground, I have been surrounded by grass, pasture, trees, and home grown food. For a while, we had a garden that my dad tended...I distinctly remember him yelling at the horses because they found their way into it and ate a good deal of the vegetables and broke the fence. I was probably around 5-7 years old at the time, and I think he decided to pause with growing vegetables after that. However, we were lucky enough to have resident cherry, apple, and plum trees on the property, as well as blackberry and raspberry bushes. There is nothing better than fresh fruit picked and eaten right away. At my mother's house, there were cherry trees and sometimes a garden that would yield copious amounts of squash and tomatoes.

In addition to all the food grown at home, there were fishing trips, hunted deer and elk, fresh food from farmer friends, and trips to pick huckleberries and mushrooms in the mountains. There have definitely been times in my life where I had no access to a garden and no opportunities to get out into the wild to pick my own (mostly during my college years), although I thought about it often. I also discovered in those college years that I am almost incapable of keeping house plants. That poor luck, paired with my cats' affinity for eating houseplants, has reduced my collection to mostly succulents.

Last year, I started reading a collection of books by Michael Pollan, such as In Defense of Food and The Omnivore's Dilemma, as well as Barbara Kingsolver's Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. They inspired me to start shopping at the Farmer's Markets and work towards growing my own. Recently I also finished Plenty by Alisa Smith and J.B. MacKinnon.


These books inspired me, as well as the movements going on around the world of growing one's own food, and this year, with the help of Grow Great Grub by Gayla Trail, I started my own veggie garden, otherwise known as my Army of Pots. We live in an apartment with no access to garden space (although the courtyard houses 2 blueberry bushes, 2 persimmon trees, and 2 asian pear trees as well as herbs!), and I know that the community garden plots around here are booked full, so I decided to make my own. We have tons of tomatoes, some squash, sugar snap peas, peppers, lots of lettuce and basil, and a few carrots. And today...I found our first peas! So, I am inspired and celebrating! I am also hoping that the summer will officially start soon so my plants can look a little less sad and a little more prolific.

Without wanting to sound like I'm preaching, part of why I am inspired to grow my own food and shop at Farmer's Markets is simply because I want to support my local farmers, a more local economy, and keep these crafts alive that have survived for centuries before big agriculture. The importance of preserving a variety of foods and plants goes beyond our health as humans--it feeds into our health as a planet. Much like the loss of indigenous languages and animals, the loss of plants can have a profound effect on our environment and culture, now and in the future. I am simply making small steps to support what I can.

I hope you all can find inspiration in the world around you, as well, for it is full of beauty and wonder.