A blog about jewelry design??

Why yes of course. Trust me, I'll spare you the "yawn-stretch" details of what colors and styles are in as well as what the hot designers are putting out. This blog is about what goes on in the workshop, my bead hunting adventures (as well as misadventures), pieces that made it to my online shop, those that...er...didn't quite make it, and all the gory business growing pains that no one likes to talk about.

Some background first to catch you up. I'm a thirty-something professional that has a passion for bold and/or unique handcrafted jewelry regardless of whether or not it is of my creation. I'm a Reinsurance Accountant by day and jewelry designer by night. No, I don't wear a beaded cape and ride around on a pink motorcycle chasing down jewelry fashion crimes. I realize that some of you would like to see such a position filled, but some of those pieces are wonderfully wild and interesting. That being said, my creations are nowhere near that level of "outrageous" but I'm not one for following the ever so predictable migratory patterns of the flock either.

I've been making jewelry for about four years now and finally started my biz in May of '07. I look back at some of the pieces I had made years ago and think to myself, "Oh good grief! And people were actually telling me to run with this new found talent??"

Not that I'm ready for the cover of "Beader's Mag" but it has been fun watching my designs and skills improve with each piece I've created over the years. Learning new techniques has been key. I've made one of my short term goals for '08 to learn at least three new techniques. One of which is photographing jewelry. Trust me, one measly little picture can make or break a piece listed in your online shop. Do your homework and learn how to use your digital camera and most definitely invest in Photoshop. My pics will do for now, but I will need to improve greatly in order to begin publishing my own marketing materials such as brochures and mini catalogs.

A tid-bit: I attempted a wire wrap without any instruction last year. The tangled mess is now a giant and expensive cat toy! The lesson? Reading is fundamental (remember those crazy commercials from the 80's??). What it kinda looked like:



Read about your craft/trade! I promise that it can only help your technique and raise your skill level.

I've met some great/helpful people and also reconnected with some old high school friends with this biz. I must admit that I've been very lucky thus far in that I have not run into any con artists nor have I experienced extreme bad luck with vendors. Oh don't get me wrong, I've tasted the bitter and have been snubbed and snickered at by plenty of folks. I just shrug it off as best I can and remind myself that rejection and ridicule come with the package. I'm sure there's plenty more to come and we all know the old saying "better grow some thicker skin". Don't be sensitive and take constructive criticism seriously as it can and will help improve your designs and/or business practices. As for the obnoxious comments and jibes, consider the source and then learn to laugh it off. More than that would be a waste of your time. So fo'geddit! ;)

Enough about me and on to the moments behind the curtain! I will end the intro post here and invite you to come back and check out my stories.


Enjoy!

~LeeAnn