Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Inspiration: etsy.

Lately I have been toying with the idea of giving up jewelry making and crafting altogether. I felt that it took a lot of time away from writing, and I felt the pressure to make sales and keep up with the business end of things. As soon as I put my supplies and tools aside, and got rid of any kind of pressure I was putting on myself to grow my business, I felt a creative itch. Ideas emerged from the darkest corners of my mind, like flashes of lighting in a dark cabin during a rainstorm.


I've made three pairs of earrings and a new necklace so far, and this new period of inspiration shows no signs of stopping. Very soon my little shop will be populated with new delights. In the meantime, I want to feature some cool etsy sellers: each of these pictures represent some element in my new designs. Enjoy the little sneak peak, darlings! Hopefully this little appetizer of inspiration will leave you hungry for the main course.

guilty pleasures

I picked up a few shark vertebrae when I was in Boston. But you can also get some at an awesome etsy shop called gultypleasures (see link above). I'm fascinated by sharks; their murderous grace has been a recent obsession of mine. Thus, I made a pair of earrings out of shark vertebrae and some lovely pink vintage pendants that resemble fins. I can't wait to show them to you!

anatomyofaskirt

This item is made by one of my absolutely favorite etsy sellers, anatomyofaskirt (see link above). This seller makes all different kinds of robot pouches, all of them strange and utterly delightful. This particular pouch is my absolute favorite! I am obsessed with the idea of (almost) invisibility. What does it mean to see "through"? If I am seeing through glass, I see the glass and that which lies behind it. But if I wanted to only see the glass, and not whatever lies behind it, how would I achieve such a feat? The glass resists my gaze, or rather, it completely submits to my gaze, so much so that it defies it. A necklace with these thoughts crystallized into it is to come.

covetandcrave

This shop, called covetandcrave (link above) sells a number of delightfully old objects, the kind that prompt transcendent time travel. This ashtray in particular appeals to me, not only because of the connotations that ashes have with death and time, but also due to its tarnish. I adore silver: depending on the state of its surface, it can look glorious or dirty. This duality interests me greatly. A pair of earrings I made involve very tarnished metallic silver tone beads together with very shiny and ornate golden ones. Whether you like them or not remains to be seen.

(The first image in this post is a painting by Rene Magritte, called "The Lost Jockey".)

8 comments:

David Masters said...

Does Jewellery making give you the creative itch? Or is it there whether or not you make jewellery?

sleepingpoet said...

Hi David,

to be honest, I have the creative itch no matter what, and I have many different mediums through which to express it. Lately I've been thinking about editing the list of these mediums--picking one and sticking with it--but I think it's important to follow one's intuition and if the creative itch points towards beads and wire, to use those. Other days I am content with just a pen, and then suddenly I will need to pick up a paint brush or knitting needles. It puzzles me, and I am trying to focus all this creative energy in some way to maximize its potential.

Wow, that was a long answer! But thank you for the question because it allowed me to think about these things.

Sandra

David Masters said...

Hi Sandra,

I know what you mean. I earn my living writing, and see that as my key creative expression, but I also like drawing, origami, and knitting.

Recently I've had an urge to try out intricate jewellery woodwork. I'm also learning that morning exercise and spending time in prayer are integral to my motivation to be creative.

Do you ever struggle to make time to be creative and find yourself wasting time on meaningless activities (e.g. sudoku, TV, StumbleUpon) due to anxiety/fear?

sleepingpoet said...

You should try the woodwork for sure! As fr anxiety and fear, I welcome those emotion because once they are transferred into art, amazing things happen.

In the words of Helen Vendler:

"No pang, no poem".

David Masters said...

I never thought of it that way before. Do you have any tips for transforming anxiety and fear into art?

sleepingpoet said...

Hmmm... Well, I'm no expert or anything, but I would say try to use your art to express those feelings. So if you are feeling very OCD, make art that has some sort of a compulsive pattern to it, and at the same time, add an element of randomness; in this way you've purged yourself of the compulsive urge but also commented on it at the same time. Be honest with your art and do not be afraid to make it ugly/dark if that's what it takes to keep moving forward. Do not be afraid to shock people, either. Sometimes your art is a weapon, sometimes it will be your only friend.

Anyway, that's my humble little tip and I hope it helps, but like I said, I'm no expert or anything like that.

Best wishes.

Sharon said...

I really related to this post.

As an ADD creative type, I flit from one project to the other! Sometimes I find little energy to write because I'm too busy making things and other times I'd rather write than make things.

Love your writing style!

Cat (darklingwoods) said...

love hearing your creative process, it is hard to make time for everything but I'm glad you are working it all in!