De-Cember is De-Clutter Month

I've been thinking a lot lately about where I want to go with my jewelry and other creative outlets. I've been revising an order to my wholesaler for over a month-yes, it's become an epic struggle to figure out what I want to concentrate on next year. So far, here's what I'm planning:

Teaching is a big one. Half of my wholesale order is materials for kits for classes I'm planning.

Chainmaille is high on my list because I love doing it and I want to do it in more colors and learn new, more intricate patterns.

Sterling Silver, on a small scale. Sterling is sooooo expensive… More earrings, a few charm bracelets and one spectacular necklace is what I'm planning, as a way to ease myself into it.

Upcycling. I love going to yard sales and finding old jewelry to either resell in my vintage shop, Bearchicksundries, or remake into new jewelry.

So, teaching and the three categories of jewelry are what I'm going to concentrate on next year. And I've decided that mixed media is not something I'm working on right now so for the next few weeks, I'm working on De-Cluttering my stash. Some things I've already given away and I've started one bag of donations and another to resell.

In 2011, my plan is to focus more on having fun with my jewelry and not worry so much about "business". What's the point of being creative if the business side stresses you out so much? I work full time, so my expenses are met.

I want to concentrate on learning more and making better jewelry. Sometimes I get sidetracked by wanting to make things that will "sell" and throw myself off track. It's a balancing act--do I want to sell a lot or do I want to sell the best jewelry I can make. I've decided I want to work harder on the better jewelry and make the little things when I have the urge. I still like to do the simple earrings, memory wire bracelets and things like that sometimes. My goal is to make my Etsy shop the better jewelry--chainmaille, sterling, upcycled, Swarovski, lampworked elements-- and the Artfire shop the "sellable" things--Simply Simple earrings, memory wire bracelets.

Bear Chick has been such an adventure. It's interesting to look back and see how far my little business has come. Next year is my tenth anniversary as a Jewelry Composer!

Do What You Love!

www.bearchick.etsy.com
www.bearchicksundries.etsy.com
www.bearchick.artfire.com

What I Learned from My First Teaching Experience

I taught my first jewelry class this summer, choosing to tackle a pretty chainmaille pattern. Here’s the pattern, called Celeste:

The class was given through the Bead Society of Orange County, upstairs at the Bowers Museum. It almost made me nervous that I wasn’t really nervous! I felt comfortable with the pattern, since I’d won second place at the OC Fair this year with a necklace that included 4 sets of it. And these were women who wanted to learn it and I knew they’d be supporting me as much as I was going to support them.

Sorry, I was too busy to take pictures!

Here’s what I learned/enjoyed:

1. Don’t give out the instruction sheets until everyone is there. I gave them out as people paid and then I had folks half finished by the time the last arrivals were ready to start.

2. Instruction sheets are good. I’d done a really detailed instruction sheet with photos taken by The Husband as I made one of the sets. The photos really helped to show people one of the trickier steps of the pattern.

3. It’s fun to see the designs that people come up with.

4. It’s really satisfying to see people walk out of class wearing their creations.

5. One of our members brought her college freshman niece to the class. I didn’t realize until she’d finished her bracelet that she’d never made a piece of jewelry before. I hope that we got her started on a creative path that will bring her satisfaction and joy, just like the first jewelry class I took did.

6. Some people had no problem with the pattern and other people took a few sets to really get it. But seeing those folks “get it” was really cool. It’s delightful to give people knowledge they didn’t have before.

So now, I’m hooked on teaching. Currently, we’re having some transportation issues but when we’re a two car family again, I’m going to actively pursue more teaching. I’ve already got my next Bead Society class lined up for May 2011, teaching the Byzantine pattern! I’d better start planning my instruction sheet now!!


Do What You Love!

www.bearchick.etsy.com
www.bearchickart.etsy.com
www.bearchicksundries.etsy.com