Welcome to A Hot Piece of Glass!

WELCOME to my colorful corner of the world! I write here about the things I make, in glass, fiber, metals, and whatever else I can find to play with!

**And if you want to read more about me, check out Adventures In Living!, my personal blog, or The ScooterMom, where I write about my adventures on two wheels! If you're interested in medieval, ancient and Renaissance glass, check out my history blog, The Medieval Glassworker!**

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Exploration

"One doesn't discover new lands without consenting to lose sight of the shore."
--Andre Gide (1869-1951)

Exploring is a necessary part of an artist's path. It's a necessary part of life, in my opinion, because if you don't reach out, don't go further or see what else is out there, well, how can you possibly be alive? I don't know....I have had a strong desire all my life to "see what else is out there", and it's soemthing I don't feel I took full advantage of when I actually had the time, space, energy and freedom from responsibilities.

So, I seek my exploration now in other ways. I'm definitely the type of person who has never met an art supply she doesn't like, and if there is extra money in the budget, I'm usually buying something to make something else with. Fabric, metals, paint, paper, wire, stamps, glue....you name it, I want some of it. The possibilities for creating are just endless, and these days, with DIY and crafting so much on everyone's radar, there are TONS of different supplies and tools and ideas out there. It's a bit overwhelming, sometimes, having SO MANY choices, but it sure beats not being able to find a photo-safe glue stick, or alcohol ink, or a Crop-a-dile when you want one.

Recently, I have spent more of my inner reflection on exploring my abilities in art-making. My jewelry and glass is, of course, a constant series of expeditions into the unknown and the impossible, with the end results sometimes being completely awful. But, that is part of things. I have had some good successes, though, with a few of my "impossible" ideas...a bracelet project I developed will be published in an upcoming issue of a national jewelry magazine (to be named later!). That project was a result of my vision of the end project, and my utter lack of "real" metalsmithing skills. I just got to the end bracelet by figuring out what I needed to do at my workbench to get there. Sort of like navigating by dead reckoning. It was fun!

Lately, I am looking longingly at art journaling. I don't even know where to start, mostly, but I have plenty of paper and glue sticks and some paint and markers. I think I will just put some paper on paper, and maybe paint over that, and write a journal entry. Start there, and see how it goes. Tonight's project is a page in my journal with the theme "red". I don't even know what i want the page to end up looking like, but that's half the fun of exploring your media and your creative ideas. So, I am going to stop writing *here*, and go writing and drawing and painting and markering and collaging and gluing over at my paper art journal.

So, I challenge you....readers and art-people and all you especially who think you are not creative...reach out beyond your 'usual' medium and explore something else...what will you try?

Explore!

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Great post Christine! I enjoyed reading this!

Cindy said...

Christine...oh, I just loved reading this post (you are an excellent writer!). I could really relate to your constant desire to try new things and hardly finding a craft supply you didn't think you needed! I was completely smitten by art journaling as well recently - around the holidays. There is so much you can learn online, including on You Tube (learned a lot there). Unfortunately I'm so restricted by time in exploring new avenues lately.
Cindy

CreekHiker / HollysFolly said...

Everyone is creative but so many fail to even try. Trying gives your heart wings!

Nicki said...

I totally agree with you. I have been so stuck into trying new techniques lately, that I have not really made any jewelry, but just trying out techniques to make new components. The next thing I want to learn (and it will be at an official class :)) is setting gemstones in bezels. I am signed up and it will happen in October. And I can't wait. Thanks for the nice post.

Unknown said...

"something I don't feel I took full advantage of when I actually had the time, space, energy and freedom from responsibilities."

Truer words were never spoken. When I did have that freedom, I lacked the wisdom to see its potential.

Perhaps that's why I've hit my photography so hard, why I'm in school for it, why I post an image every day to my photoblog. I need an outlet, and this is it.

cindydolezaldesigns said...

Great post. Hmmmmmm, what can I try?

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