Life moves so quickly. Suddenly, that week you thought you had to do x, y, and z is gone.
I can't really remember when time didn't move so fast, though. Time has always been a strange thing for me--one week often feels like two or three. Perhaps it is based on how much I experience/do/absorb in that time period.

I have been thinking a lot lately about simplifying. On my days off work, I have a hard time motivating because it feels like there is so much to do. The garden, the house, the studio are all calling my name. I have taken to writing lists for myself again. Schedules. It may seem silly but it simplifies things for me.

That, and getting rid of clutter. Not just personal belongings, but things like social media. I wonder, who is out there? Who is paying attention? Why am I spending my time on this? Reflecting back to my senior year, I remember one of our presenters telling us "Find your outlet, and just focus on that." For him, it was instagram. And it worked for him! With social media, there's this weird pressure to have our names/presence in every space. Facebook, twitter, blogs, flickr, instagram, etc. etc. In the back of my mind, I have been mulling over this (I do that, a lot). Where do I want to be seen? What do I want to spend my time on? What do I want to be known for? Do I really want to spend my time searching for and posting interesting articles that have nothing to do with me? Not necessarily.

So...I'm taking a step back from a few things. I'm refocusing. Twitter is the first to go--it's good for me catching up on news and such, but it's not really where I want to "be." I love facebook for its social aspect, and to be honest I have actually found a lot of opportunities through it (AND I've met some amazing people). I don't know how much time I'll really be spending on it going forward though. Flickr is interesting but has already fallen to the backburner.

What I want to put out to the world is images, and words. I want to show you what I'm making--and be known for it. I want to "talk" to you (whoever "you" is) and write. I'm not a writer per se, but I have always explored through words. Now that time is so precious, I want to make it quality time. It's all about prioritizing, my dears. What do you prioritize?

As for what I have actually been doing with my time....
At the top, you'll see an image of some new explorations. I was trying to create a hollow form for a special project--at first I played in paper clay (I am definitely not a ceramicist), then moved on to sheet metal, and finally to this lighter version in wire.


I am making a few things to have at Silverado Portland soon--earrings galore! Exploring ideas old and new, and playing with my signature shape. Above are Spirit Earrings at their beginnings.


Explorations with my signature shape.

 And, exciting news--my dear friend Eddie Miranda has been joining me in the studio lately for some collaborations! Eddie is a woodworker and luthier, but has some experience in metalsmithing. It's been so nice having someone else to share the space with.

Slipping Underwater, 2009

The first time I heard of Heidi Schwegler, I was living in Adelaide, South Australia, and doing research for one of my metalsmithing classes. Now I can't remember what project it was for, or what I was searching for exactly, but I found a write up of her mouthpieces, as well as another installation, and was amazed. I recall being enthralled with the use and creation of forms that were wearable, yet not traditional jewelry. At that point in time, the internet was established, but not the booming mechanism it is now. It was still difficult to do decent research on it.

Plastic Mouthpieces
Resin, nickel
3 x 3 x 2”
1998
photographer: Bill Bachhuber

Later, when my return to the U.S. was imminent, I stumbled across Heidi Schwegler's name while researching two institutions to finish my degree at, and discovered that she was a professor at the Oregon College of Art and Craft. Although my decision between institutions was based more on my experience during my tour (the kind of community, customer service, environment, and metals facilities), I have since been eternally grateful to be able to work with Schwegler. In addition to being an extremely motivated and unrelenting artist, who has the ability to explore a variety of materials, techniques, and technologies, Schwegler is also an incredible teacher. Kind and patient, yet unforgiving, Schwegler is the kind of teacher that your parents told you you would be grateful for later in life (and they were right).

In the last few years, Schwegler has produced a number of bodies of work that explore a variety of materials and forms, as well as media. From "the body transformed" series, through to the most recent "slipping underwater" (on display at the Hallie Ford Museum), alternative materials have consistently taken the stage in her work, ranging from plastics and rubbers to plaster and wax, to simply transforming an alternative material or found object into metal, creating a whole new object. And although the work is presented as a series or a body of work, each individual piece can often stand on its own and be equally relevant, such as in "antistatic" and "slipping underwater". In addition to this range of materials, Schwegler has also utilized print, photography, and film in her work--the latter usually documenting a performance piece. My favorite, by far, is the documentation of her performance piece during "utopia sighs"(click below).


film still from Utopia Sighs, 5 minute dv
2007
Videographer: Scott Tebeau

Schwegler is currently exhibiting at the Hallie Ford Museum in Salem, OR, and will also be exhibiting at the Museum of Contemporary Craft later this year. You can find more information about Heidi Schwegler, and her work, on her website.