Skip to main content

The pause that refreshes

Now if that doesn't date me nothing will!

But I'm not going to write about soda.

I'm talking about knowing when to take a little break if things aren't going well.



So here's the thing. I had an idea rolling around in my head. It often goes this way when I wake up in the night and don't get back to sleep right away. Design ideas occupy my thoughts and most of the time I try them at the bench the next day. All well and good.

But this particular design was really fiddly and difficult. I had to wear my 2.50 magnification glasses just to see what I was doing. Then I had to use a loupe to see the really fine detail. Crazy!!

And it wasn't working. I messed up something and got quite frustrated at my inability to make it work.

Rather than force it and continue on, feeling bad the whole time, I put it down and walked away for a little while. I can't remember what I did, but it had nothing to do with the business or the bench.

Not every idea is going to work the first time. Some designs take more work than others. This might be one of them, but even if it's not I have to keep it in perspective.

The design might not be good, but I am. It's important not to let your negative feelings about a project bleed over into your whole business or talent. Feelings of frustration or anger are part of the process, but you can't let them rule you or even the day.

So take a break. Do something else. Do something you rock at.

Come back refreshed, revitalized and get your best work done!

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Jewelry Making Tools

Part of the mystique of jewelry manufacture is the tools. I admit it, I love new tools. I love good tools. Finely worked tools that have special and often obscure purpose. Sometimes I just go through catalogs looking at stuff and wonder what the hell a person does with such a gadget. I remember spending a lot of time as a little girl at my dad's workbench, messing with his tools (lord help me if I misplaced any). A while back while on a visit to my folks' house I spied dad's coping saw (frame saw/jeweler's saw) in his workshop and told him I coveted it. He laughed and said I could buy one for about $10 at Lowes. He's right of course, but that old one looked sweet. My own tool collection is modest and consists largely of the inexpensive variety. Until this craft starts to pay off, I can't justify the expense when money is put to better use buying materials (Christmas is coming and you never know what Santa will bring – Lindstrom, hint hint). But every ...

Paid Advertising

It's been something I've been contemplating for months now as it seems I get more and more lost in the sea of online jewelry sellers. I've read every online handbook, marketing blog, thread, website and tip sheet I can stand, have been doing as they preach and it hasn't made a difference. Views at both shops are low no matter how I massage my descriptions, keywords and tags or participate in the venue's SEO efforts. Direct emailing didn't work out. Optimizing the way this blog is seen by Google hasn't made a noticeable change, although that does take some time I'm told and I could be condemning it prematurely. Back when it was available to the individual, Google Base didn't work. Participating in online fashion and shopping communities hasn't made a dent. Tapping into online communities in which I am a member, but not as an artist hasn't worked either. Ditto my consignment efforts that I was so excited about. Plus there's the whole t...

Less than a week

Lately I've been devoting my time to producing work for sale in a spa that's opening soon. It's tough to know what will sell ahead of time in this market, so I'm making a variety of things (many photos posted to my portfolio here). This means my online shops have been quiet and nothing new has hit them for a while. If business takes off, I'll know better where to spend my time, but for now it's tough filling all the mouths. Here's some shots of some new things for the spa - I just love my little hang tags and stuff. I'm using 26ga brass wire to hold them onto the bracelets and stuff. Kind of funny and I don't know that I'll continue, but I was at a loss the other day and duh - I'm the Wire Smith for heaven's sake. Anyway...I'm off to my mom's. She's helping me make a bracelet display for the spa.