Handmade Division "Talk About" May Edition

Our snow leopard team is now Handmade Division!

This month's topic is:
What item do you most treasure made by another artist? ( if there is one) If not, how about what would you *like* to have?

When I read this topic I was really stumped. I've got quite a few pieces that I feel all serve a different purpose and I'm not sure I have ONE that totally stands out. So I decided to pick my most recent acquisition - a fabulous ring from Bill Martin of purifiedart. It was one of those cases where I saw a few he had done on flickr and just totally fell in love. So he made one special in my size and I put it on before I got out of the parking lot of the post office. (picture above) Its utterly fantastic. I think of it as a futuristic or alien artifact. I'm not usually very flashy when it comes to wearing rings, but I do love wearing this one. It totally makes me feel special :) So right now, thats my favorite!

Make sure to check out everyone else's posts!

Andes Cruz - andescruz.wordpress.com
Jewelry by Natsuko - jewelrybynatsuko.blogspot.com
Tosca - www.nanopod.wordpress.com
Susan Moloney - susarto.blogspot.com
WATTO- www.wattoonline.blogspot.com
Ceeb Wassermann - mettledesignstudio.blogspot.com
Rickson - RicksonArt.blogspot.com
Tamra Gentry - jewelrydesignchronicles.wordpress.com
Purified Art - purifiedart.blogspot.com
Sandfibers - SandFibers – sandfibers.blogspot.com
ArtJewel Designs - artjeweldesigns.blogspot.com
Kerin Rose - kerinrose.blogspot.com
Abhaya Fibers - abhayafibers.blogspot.com

HandMade Division Blog - handmadedivision.wordpress.com

Good Morning!

I was up early this morning - its 7:00 and I'm done with all my computer stuff, which for me is cause for major celebration. So I thought I'd take a few minutes to do a pointless blog :)

I woke up with this song in my head this morning and listening to it has put me in a lovely mood and much more awake than I was an hour ago! I'm off to finish my tea, do a bit of a morning yoga practice, and start on all those waxes I need to be working on.

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

(oh and ps - though i rarely watch the full videos - i watched most of this one - wait for the girls w/ the boomerangs... what?! makes me giggle though.

Blog Carnival 05.03.10 - "What motivates you to create"?

What motivates you to create? In a down market when things are not selling well? When you are tired? When life makes you busy?

This is a pretty interesting topic - especially since it is similar to what inspires you to create. Though to me, there are some distinct differences.
The automatic answer is "I have to" but that is on so many different levels. I feel an internal compulsion most of the time to create.

Though now that it really is a business - I'd say that my customers are my biggest factor. I feel responsible to everyone that orders a piece and pays for it. Once the order is made, I write it down on my desk calendar and on my erase board calendar. I feel an obligation to get it done as soon as I can. Because this is my job, it's what I do every day (well, weekday. I do take most weekends off). I do have days where I feel less than motivated to work on a specific piece - but if that is the case, I just delay it by working on something else! So I'm still always getting work done.

I also think that 'being successful' is a motivation for me. I've always disliked the idea of the 'starving artist' and wanted to instead be a successful artist! Hm... and maybe now that I'm thinking about it, this might be my biggest motivation. Even growing up, I wanted to be successful in whatever I was doing, whether it was getting all A's or working really hard on a drawing. (apparently learning to play the guitar didn't fall in to that category, playing the clarinet did though!)

I guess in the end, a really short summary would be that I am very driven and motivated naturally - and on days when I may rather sit and read a book or watch tv, I rely on the expectations of those around me to make me feel responsible and keep going.

1. - Nina Gibson
2. - stacey hansen
3. - Danielle Miller-Gilliam
4. - Victoria Takahashi / Experimetal
5. - Maria Whetman
6. - Ann Hartley / hartleystudio
7. - Brooke Medlin
8. - 2Roses