Restoring normalcy

It was freezing cold (literally) at the Tucson Shows this year, but the weather didn’t change the fun of going

Some really sweet Hornitas Jasper slabs for sale at Tucson Electric Park.

Originally Published 2-19-2013

It was great to head out to the Tucson Gem and Mineral Plus Shows just after finishing the heavy lifting of getting most of my book completed -- well, virtually completed -- because the mental and physical break of being somewhere different allowed me to slip gently back into my "normal" life and routine.
The funny thing is, I feel like a stranger in it.
In Tucson, I made my regular contacts, found some new tools to write about, taught some classes, found some gorgeous new rock to cut into, and met up with friends and colleagues I haven't seen since, well, last Tucson. But as I went from show to show, I experienced a strange sense of detachment to everything normal -- mostly because the huge project that has consumed me for a year is gone now.
It was truly a strange feeling to not have to think about that content anymore, and now that it is gone, I realize just how much of my life it took up. The great thing is, even though I was sleeping in a hotel far from home, I clocked at least 9+ uninterrupted hours per night -- something I haven't done since I started writing the book last winter. I have a habit of waking in the night to deal with whatever is on my plate, and writing a book is like an endless buffet -- there are just too many plates. Let me tell you, sleep is a good thing. Because, each day, I felt better, stronger and more "me".
The experience of writing this book has taught me something valuable about long term projects and what they can do to your "normal" life. I am very proud of the work I did, and as I read some of the in-progress edits of my work, I don't remember the experience of writing those words so long ago. What I do remember is the constant pull of the content, the desire for it to be good, as perfect as I could make it in the time I had to produce it, the intense focus required of a complex project and the hope that someone out there would value it once it became an actual thing you could hold in your hands.

In a way, this book writing experience was like parenthood -- you pour lots of effort and hope into something and eventually you must let it go its own way in the world. At that moment, you stand there alone, unburdened, and wondering what you are supposed to do next. So, in Tucson, I bought some rock. I walked around alone and thinking and I made a very simple plan.
I spent this past weekend cutting some stones, and I made some sketches of what I want to make -- now that I don't have an agenda or the expectations of anyone but me for my work again. No agenda is good. Because I can remember this strange state of "normal" once again.

Today's tip: Use your phone camera to take "notes" when you are at a gem show. I clicked off shots of the names and localities of much of the cutting rough I purchased in Tucson, so I didn't have to write notes with wet and dirty fingers after grubbing around in slab bins.

Reaching goals

Making a book takes a lot of time and an entire cast of expert contributors

This is Jim Lawson at work on some of the photos for the first few parts of my book.

Originally Published 1-30-2013

Progress on the production of  The Jewelry Maker’s Field Guide: Tools and Essential Techniques goes well; my editorial colleagues in the book division and photographer Jim Lawson have been cranking non-stop right along with me since the new year began. Creating a book with such complex subject matter and so many moving parts is a huge undertaking: I often vacillate between unbridled enthusiasm for this thing I am taking part in the making of, and abject despair over my own stupidity thinking I would have the time and energy to get it done.
But this post is about my friend, photographer Jim Lawson. He is an ace, super talented, soft-spoken and rock solid. He must be an earth sign, because unlike me, I never see him overflow or fly off (water and air, scary combo) and, Jim is so reliable that knowing he is shooting my stuff has removed 88% of the stress I was feeling way back at the start of this whole process. Like several of my content-producing colleagues at the office, he too has created DVD content of tremendous use to anybody trying to market/sell/get exposure for/exhibit their artwork on that wild frontier known as the internet.

The other cool thing about this entire bookmaking process is that the two of us have clocked so much time in each others studios that we could (and should) collaborate on something else. We have discussed and toyed with a few notions as we've been working, so more on that later. Right now, I'm going to start reciprocating Jim's hard work on my behalf by unabashedly plugging his work. If you have the slightest interest in making photos of your jewelry work (or of anything for that matter) go check out his instructional videos, Instagram feed and Website. He. Totally. Rocks.

Jewelry making on an (almost) desert island

Originally Published 12-27-2012

Yes, it is possible to make jewelry on a Pacific island. I just found a goldsmith here on Santa Cruz Island, Galapagos, and plan to speak to her in depth later in the week. Especially about how she keeps her beautiful rolling mill pristine and rust free during the rainy season, when I can't do that without lots and lots of work -- in the temperate zone!
More to come soon. Keep your fingers crossed everybody -- maybe I can get my boss interested in a story about the trials and tribulations of metalsmithing in paradise. Hmmm...

Head above the water

Originally Published 11-11-2012

This weekend is the first one I have had free -- relatively speaking -- since mid-May. It is amazing to see the light at the end of the tunnel when you have been in it for so long you forget what daylight is like. I am 2 objects away from done on the book, I've got most of my teacher proposals and paperwork in the can for 2013, and all of my Cool Tools & Hip Tips columns for this year and most of next year have been either written, filed or settled on. Can somebody say, "Whew?"

I haven't seen my friends or family except for absolute dire necessities for almost 9 months. No dance classes, no workshops, no gym, no vacation, no fun, no nothing but work for 24/7. Boy am I tired! But now that there is light streaming into the tunnel, I can finally reflect on what I have finished this year, and all I can say is I have no clue how I managed to get it all done.

So here is the scoop on the fruits of all this labor: The Jewelry Maker's Field Guide: Tools and Essential Techniques book is in the design/photography/editing phase and is scheduled to be out around this time next year. I will be filming my 6th Metalsmith Essentials DVD: Spirals, Tubes and Serpentine Forms in late April, and I am already scheduled to teach at workshops in Tucson, Arizona in February, and Pennsylvania in April and probably August. My Cool Tools & Hip Tipscolumns promise to get you involved creating content too in 2013, so stand by.

I will post more here as I know more, and thanks for hanging in there with me.

PS: You know, there is something to be said for a long weekend of bad junk food and crappy, tacky 1960s horror movies after a long, long, long hard period of seemingly endless work...

Cats out of bags…

Originally Published 10-3-2012

OK. Quick hit blog. I am so sorry I haven't written in months.

I have a legitimate excuse -- I have been writing a book on metalsmithing for nearly a year and the manuscript has been mostly delivered. At the current time, I am fabricating sample objects like a fiend, and readying the studio for the arrival of my brilliantly talented colleague Jim Lawson, who will be shooting the photos.

Keep checking here. I didn't bail on you, I have just been too, too overscheduled. I wanted to make a book I can be proud of. So far, so good....