You thought I’d forgotten you hadn’t you 😉
Never.
I’ve been trying to figure things out.
I’ve just finished the first week of the Flourish and Thrive course, which has made me sit down and really think about my jewelry making.
Of course this has brought out all my ambiguity issues.
Do I want to take my jewelry seriously, or do I want to keep it as an expensive hobby?
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In the Hobby Corner.
If I don’t try harder to get rid of the stuff it’ll just keep on piling up and when I die the people who live with me will find billions of pieces of jewelry stashed away in every nook and cranny.
Could work. They could sell it all and retire to Hawaii.
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In the Serious Corner.
But I want to see if I can do it. I want to feel successful, and make money, and feel grown up.
But. Do you really want to work that hard?
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Hobby Corner.
It’s fun, you get to make what ever you want, when ever you want to.
But, you’re always wondering… what it.
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Serious Corner.
You might end up investing in it and then you’re stuck. What if you can’t do it. What if you have to actually go out and talk to people, and do the sales pitch stuff.
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Hobby Corner.
You take yourself too seriously. Get over it.
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Serious Corner.
What if you find out that you’re lazy or if as soon as you decided to make a go of it, you get bored and flunk out?
Am I a flunker?
I hate that I might be a flunker…
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I tell you this only because my brain will explode otherwise.
Also, I know there are others of you out there who think the same as me and hopefully you’ll find comfort in knowing you’re not alone.
(Please tell me I’m not the only one)
Bottom line is I think that this is all fear and no confidence, and so I’m just going to know it’s there and let it go already.
The good thing about the Flourish and Thrive class is that it has made me think about it and sort out in my mind how I can accommodate my fears.
It really doesn’t have to be that hard.
Of course, I haven’t done all of the homework yet, because it’s too hard.
😉
The hardest thing I’ve come up against so far is discovering who my dream client is. And that’s the first darn question in the course!
Frankly I just don’t know what ‘type’ of person wears my jewelry, and this is important as then you know who to target. If it’s just a hobby I guess this doesn’t matter as much, although it still helps you when you come to selling it.
I can’t believe that I’m still stuck on Monday’s paper.
Not going to worry about it. I’m just gong to let it hang out with me for a while.
Hopefully it will smack me in the face soon so I can move on to question two…
Man!
What am I going to do with it all…
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you are already good enough you are a teacher, your teaching me 🙂
Thanks Jane, that’s really nice. I guess I just need to get the selling part down.
I could have written this post…you are so not alone! Though, your skills and creativity are far beyond mine….!
I saw this bracelet on FB and nearly fainted..gorgeous!
Hoping you “find your way”!
Well Patti I would beg to differ. Your jewelry is great. I love the pic of you and your dad btw. and your hair then was no where near as short as mine…
Does one ever feel “good enough”? Would there still be that creative drive to do more if you knew?
Well from my standpoint you are wildly creative. Everything has character from your jewelry to your painting. Enjoy it. When the time comes that you feel the urge to sell and face the world just know you can’t make everyone happy. There is no need to fear it. XO
You’re right. I think that anyone with a creative drive is always striving to perfect what they love to do, but that shouldn’t get in the way of enjoying where you are in the moment. I’ve started to pay more attention to that and so hopefully won’t get so bogged down with what I think I should be doing.
You are speaking my language, I totally get it. I am still in the hobby corner and flirt with the serious corner. Good for you for exploring the possibility of getting serious about your art. I’ll say this much. I came across your blog while surfing Pinterest and I immediately signed up for notifications. I don’t typically do this. Your work is fantastic and very inspiring. No matter where you land hobby or serious enjoy the journey.
Thanks colleen, that’s really nice of you to say. You know, really I write this blog to get over myself. To put myself out there and to be honest so that perhaps others will benefit from my mistakes and insecurities and realize (as I have a lot of difficulty doing) that life is too short to not just get on and do what we love. And that ultimately none of this really matters.
Gosh. I almost sound as though I know what I’m talking about 😉
This will help you expand — as artistic as you are — the decisions you’ll be having to make will encourage you to be even more wildly creative — and your work already amazes me, and clearly, many others.
PS Warning — it isn’t just that I have a PhD in physics, and was a researcher — having the most fun in my life while I was at it. I seem to think lots more people should do the equivalent — in whatever their field is — and that they’d be happier. I may well be incorrect about this — but it’s where I’m coming from. My grandma was a fruit and vegetable farmer — we had the best fruits and veggies around — because she took it so seriously.
I can hardly wait for your new outpourings!
I agree with you Vicki. I love making things, it’s when I’m the happiest. I can keep myself company all day, and get annoyed almost when I have to stop and come into the house. I will always make things. My problem I think is taking it that one step further.
God I would love to be a physicist. I don’t understand any of it, but it’s so exciting.
You have courage…to share your thoughts and doubts with all of us. And that is encouraging and challenging to us, too.
In a perfect world, perhaps we would just want to be a jewelry maker and let someone else (an as yet unnamed manager-type person) be the jewelry seller. My least favorite part of what I do.
That’s exactly what I think Lynda. I almost get kind of annoyed that I have to do something else with my jewelry other than just make it lol I do enjoy the connection though. Depending on my insecurity level at the time I can really enjoy the craft show I do and love talking with the people who buy my things. I’m definitely getting better at it 🙂 Maybe there’s hope after all…
What type of person wears your jewelry? I would love to wear your jewelry. I consider jewelry to be the fun part of getting dressed for work. Special pieces that compliment a favorite shirt. And yours has this delicious color and weight to it while being so feminine. But I would also love to make this jewelry and a tutorial is how I found you. I keep having a similar debate. Do I buy MORE tools for this hobby of jewelry making that I love? I will take a formal class in basic metalsmithing next month and see how I do.
Of course you should buy more tools. What! are you crazy! I’d love to see what you make 🙂
I loved this! All my thoughts exactly! Now I know I am a chicken and I’m lazy too! But I can work on that, right? 🙂 whatever you decide to do will be splendid.
🙂 I might have to get out of bed first to work on my laziness…
I think so many of us have struggled with the decisions you’re pondering. You’re certainly good enough at jewelry making to be very successful at selling it. But focusing on that aspect of success could, indeed, change everything. I’ll be interested in watching this thought process develop!
I would like it to change for the better. I’m very aware at the moment that I’m walking a fine line between keeping my joy while trying to evolve as a maker. Ultimately I think it will come down to keeping my joy. There would be no point, for me anyway, to sacrifice that when I’m fortunate enough to not have to. Seems very selfish though.
What is this nonsense now? Doubting yourself like this! There is absolutely no doubt that your work is good enough, it is beautiful, professional and has soul! The question is, where do YOU want to go with it? But consider the alternative, not making jewellery. You love it so, one can just tell. Your life would be so much the poorer if you did not do it. The biggest problem (if you could call it that) is how to get rid of the stuff you make, but I think you are doing fine, you made a tidy sum last year for charity. So do you want to be this big well-known jeweller with lots of recognition, with lots of stress and problems, or do you rather want to do what you enjoy, and do it for charity, as you have been doing? I am from South Africa and I have the same problem, I love making jewellery and ceramics, but what to do with the stuff I make. There is a very small market for “luxury” items here, so it is difficult to sell our work, and it is also very expensive to send it overseas to be sold there. I think in a funny way it would be easier if we had to make a living off our craft, then we would have no alternative to work harder at the marketing and selling, even though we don’t like that part.
First off Cecilia I love your wall art. It reminds me of my doodles and the charms I’m beginning to make. Glad to see someone else out there with a similar imagination 🙂
Secondly, I think you are absolutely right. My pondering on all of this has helped me see that while having a real up and running business seems the next thing to do, it really is secondary to why I make art. I think if I concentrate too much on trying to ‘make a go of it’ I might lose my joy. I’m beginning to see that there can be a half way point for me and that I don’t necessarily have to follow everyone elses path.
Thanks Cecilia 🙂
Ditto to all of the above! I find myself smiling & feeling a bit better after reading your posts! I also find myself eagerly checking my emails for my daily bloglovin’ email, hoping that you’ve written something to make me chuckle or just to look at all of your new creations! It’s just a really great place visit with food for thought, delicious eye candy & lots of creativity that really inspires me! Go forward with confidence in whatever you decide to do! I personally believe that you are already successful although I certainly can relate to how you’re feeling! My insecurities bite me in the butt on a regular basis & that’s what makes me so grateful to women like you! Your honesty, dedication & you’re willingness to share your process so freely helps me more than I can say! Thank you
Lecia (beautiful name by the way), that’s a really nice note to write to me. Thank you 🙂
For what it’s worth, I think you are already flourishing and thriving. Selling…now that’s another story. In the half-serious corner, I’d say let the others retire to Hawaii if they want to deal with all that, while you carry on with the real work. (But that will only work if you have a brother named Cleo. 😉 )
Really, I wish you some semblance of clarity with those dilemmas. i hope the hard homework will help.
That ol’ selling the stuff chestnut just keeps coming up doesn’t it. It really all comes down to being able to off load it so that I can make more. I guess those people who live with me might well get to Hawaii after all.
And sorry, but I think I’m feeble-minded. After even Googling to check I remembered the name of Vincent van Gogh’s brother, I got it wrong. He’s THEO.
Lol. I was wondering who Cleo was.