The Total Package

It has been awhile since I made a post. School is killing me this year. We have tons of changes...new classroom software, semester conversion, evaluations, assessments, grant, new course. It seems to be sucking the life out of me right now. Creative time has been fleeting, but I have managed to get a little bit of time in. I go crazy if I can't make something after awhile.

Since I'm getting very little creative time right now, I am doing my best to maximize the time I do get. I have been working really hard lately on stretching my creative abilities, going outside of the box, and trying to look at the total package. I think it has been a worthwhile exercise for me. I can see more growth and skill in the pieces I have made lately. I have never been one to achieve a goal and be perfectly satisfied with it. I am constantly driven to get better and to learn new things (this could explain why school is sucking up so much of my time as well).

Since my glass and wire wrapping skills have been getting better, I have been trying to stretch myself in the design area by looking at the total package of a necklace. I haven't been satisfied lately by putting my pendants on a cord. I have felt the need to make more dramatic pieces. So, I have been experimenting and testing my creativity in how I create the necklace portion of each piece. I've had some successes and some failures, but I am definitely learning a lot. These pictures are some of the recent pieces I've worked on.

I hope everyone likes the new pieces because I am having a thoroughly good time with this learning process.

For all of you who are having craft show withdrawals since the holidays are over, the Appalachian Artisans Guild Cabin Fever show will be coming up in March at the South Campus of Southern State Community College. I'll post more information on this later.