Lapidary Work in my PJs
Cutting cabochons is so much fun
Here are a few preforms after grinding on the first two wheels of my DP Genie. Red creek jasper, turquoise, lapis, agate, 2 mystery rocks and andalusite.
Originally published 10-16-2011
Sometimes, I wake up in the wee hours of the day because I forgot or neglected something important I was supposed to do. After I toss and turn a bit, engage in a few OCD what ifs and figure out how to deal with the issue, I'm awake.
May as well get up, right?
This morning it was a screwed up caption for a project in Lapidary Journal Jewelry Artist. Luckily my obsessive brain woke me up and I caught the correction before we went to press. So then, I made a strong pot of coffee and went to the studio. My Tucson rough was there on the bench, bagged and sorted, so I figured, what the heck? Doesn't everybody work in their PJ's at some point? I knocked out a few preforms, cleaned up the Genie and took off my rock-cutting-stained wet jammies and socks, hopped tnto a speedy hot shower and zipped into the office. Life is good.
Todays tip: After you cleanup the lapidary grinder or flat lap, reassemble it and run the motor for a few seconds to dry off your wheels. Dry laps and wheels are less likely to rust on you.
On the way to why
Originally published 2-24-2011
I've heard a lot about viral marketing, SEO and the financial benefits of a huge online presence -- in business, anyway. I have both a day job as a provider of content -- and a personal, artistic mission to create other sorts of objects and works. I'm often torn between what the business I work for needs vs. potential needs the content consumers might want, based on my own philosophical or artistic instincts. So far, I've discovered that online media is different from print in many ways, but when it is really good content, and not just clipped and pasted or rehashed stat crunching, it is not very different at all.
I grew up in newspapers, and have worked with brilliant editors and reporters, and extremely talented art directors and photographers. Because my career has spanned many years in print publishing, I know what it was like to experience the thrill of getting the job done "right" on breaking news without regard for manpower, cost, time constraints or resources. These days in print, I know how difficult it is to work very, very hard and get the job done "right" with none of those things. One thing hasn't changed, though. That is the why of what we "content providers" do. Good "content providers" primarily ask why, and then, they try like the dickens to provide the answer for the readers.
Because I am a logical thinker, I've created a construct -- so I can balance the dueling goals of my job and my calling. I happen to think the famous movie line, "If you build it, they will come" is totally right -- just create good content, and you will be read, bookmarked, and tweeted. As long as they can find you. That is where life gets interesting, and the place where my head crashes against the wall over and over. Because SEO becomes a numbers game eventually -- no matter how great your content is -- it didn't really seem fair until I figured this out. The classic 5 W's of journalism are still true. You just need to frame them differently.
The business leaders want to know What people are searching for.
The researchers want to know Who those people are.
The marketers want to know Where they can get reliable data on them.
Your boss wants to know When you can create the golden goose.
You question Why people are searching for that particular thing, and how the heck you are going to create SEO content around it on deadline so everyone above you can figure out How to cash in on it.
Funny? I don't know. But it sure seems true more times than not.
Today's tip: You should always keep 3 versions of every photo of your work ready for use at any time: A big, print resolution, color-corrected CMYK file, a web-resolution RGB jpeg, and a smaller, email version of the RGB jpeg. Have your photographer enter the caption data in the Photoshop file for you -- the PR people and editors you send your press information to will thank you for that.
Sharing makes us human
Lapidary work can be cold, dirty and miserable
No matter how gorgeous your raw materials are, if you are uncomfortable when you work, it’s just not gonna be fun. Thanks to a good friend, my situation improved . . .
Originally published 02-23-2011
Goldsmiths are typically generous. I say typically, because I have met a few who are not, but that is their gig, and not what I'm writing about here. One of my favorite things about the whole "Social Media" phenomenon is that I can be stuck on a project or idea, and all I need to do is hop online to one of several places and it is virtually guaranteed that one of my metalhead pals will be there to answer questions, lend support, offer encouragement -- or provide an esoteric and intriguing little piece of culture or trivia that my mind or emotion can savor. Usually, that helps me get around whatever rock is in the creative river, and I can hop back to the bench and get on to more productive work.
Sharing makes us human. It is easy. It makes you feel good when you do it. And, if what you share is valuable or helpful to the other person, your good energy will return to you in the future in some way. Try it. You'll like it!
Today's tip: My good pal Michael Boyd gave me an immense gift last winter. His insight and experience made doing wintertime lapidary work in my cold studio so much more pleasant. This is elegant and simple, and obvious, however it eluded me until he told me what to do: Cut in hot water. Warm hands make cutting in winter SO much nicer!
Thank you Michael.
I’m a metalsmith and I like to draw
Quick doodles for designs within a square
I draw every day, and sometimes it has nothing at all to do with work I am making at my jeweler’s bench. Drawing helps me to stay artistically nimble and creatively unstuck.
Originally published 2-14-2011
Drawing comes naturally to everyone. I know many of you will say you say you can't draw -- you are wrong. Remember those drawings you made in elementary school on manilla paper, sidewalks and your mother's dining room wall? You can draw. It has just been beaten out of you through harsh criticism, mistaken ideas of "good" or "bad" art, and you forgetting that the act of making a mark is a basic human drive. Cave paintings prove this out. Drawing will help your metalwork, and remember that you can draw. But, you have to follow these rules:
Get a black permanent marker. Use white paper. Draw on it. Do not think, just draw. Do not throw your drawing away. If you can't bear looking at it, file it in a drawer and look at it in a few weeks. If you can't decide where to start, draw a square and decorate it. Then, draw another, and another until the page is full. Do this every day. Soon, you will look forward to drawing, and you will sketch out your metalwork ideas before you touch metal. Trust me, with the price of metal, this is a more economical way to work things out.
Todays tip: Use PH down instead of commercial pickle. I buy mine at the end of season pool supply sale for 50% off at my local big box store. Mix about 1/4 cup to a quart of water in your crock pot.