February 2, 2010
It has been awhile since I have posted anything.
We have been extremely busy driving this semi up and down the road, and that usually means if you aren’t driving, you better be sleeping.
This means, to me, that the economy is picking up. Manufacturers are shipping more product. Which means, again to me, that people are buying again.
Lumber has really picked up. Must be lots of remodeling going on or, can we hope, new construction.
Because of our busy schedule this hasn’t left me much time for creating new and exciting pieces of jewelry out here. But, summer is coming, and that is really when I get to do my creating. I just love to get down into my studio, crank up the tunes, and let the metal show me where to go.
Also tagged creativity, design, economy, handcrafted, handcrafted jewelry, lumber, new construction, remodeling, truck driving, truckdriving, trucking –
October 26, 2009
I thought that I would post about where I get some of my design ideas.
If you have been following my posts, you know that I am a truckdriver by trade, metalsmith by heart. So, this means that I have my eyes constantly aware of my surroundings.
Yesterday, I saw the coolest graffiti on the side of a rail car. I am definitely going to be using this design. The other day, I was loading at a steel mill, and on the ground was the coolest shape of heavy wire. I am thinking that this shape would make a fantastic focal point of a bracelet. I am always looking at women on television and in magazines are wearing. This tells me what is going on in the fashion world.
I came up with one of my signature bracelets as a mistake. I was creating a chain necklace and didn’t like the shapes, but thought it would look fantastic for a bracelet.
Sometimes, I do wonder when I am creating a new design, had I seen this design, or something, before from some other metalsmith. I would never intentionally copy someone else’s designs, but I can’t obsess about if someone else had something similar or if someone is copying my designs.
Also tagged creativity, design, drawing, fashion, handcrafted, handcrafted jewelry, jewelry, magazines, rail car, television, train, truck driving, truckdriving, trucking –
September 20, 2009
It was inevitable, summer is over, and we are back to work. It is such a sad affair.
We are enroute to Channahon, IL, just south of Joliet, IL. It was an easy trip, and we definitely needed it to break in. Seems like some maintenance issues didn’t get resolved over the summer, and we had a few things to repair. But, we are running strong now.
I didn’t bring any jewelry making supplies in the truck for the initial trip. I am probably going to regret it. I did bring some knitting and some books, that I have been anxious to read. I guess, I just needed a break from creating earrings, bracelets, etc. I need to just clear the brain and get back to the basics of creation. Yesterday, going down the road, I thought of a couple of design ideas, so I am going to try to draw these ideas out, and hope that the creative juices will start flowing again.
April 17, 2009
It was a real quick trip out to Tennessee, and then we reloaded again to go back to Montana. The weather is beautiful. About a week or two and we turn off the key and get on solid ground for four months. I can’t wait to get down into my studio and start to fabricate some jewelry. I have so many designs drawn out, that I want to try.
March 2, 2009
We got into Chicago area last night, right before the snowfall started. Wet heavy snow and wind are not a great combination to be driving in. Got unloaded this morning and are waiting for a reload. The sun is shining brightly and will probably get out for a quick walk. The countdown is on, two months and the keys get shut off for four months. That is when I get to go down into my studio and create great pieces of jewelry. I love to hide out down there and just let the mind go into whatever creative mode it wants. I have learned to just go with whatever creative path my mind seems to go. If I struggle to go into a different direction, disaster is sure to happen. Maybe this is why I have so many unfinished projects on my workbench. I might even try to set a day aside to finish some of these pieces. I find that I am not good at setting time aside to do the final polishing on pieces.
