Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Some Inspiration Photos for my Fall/Winter Line
I'm currently working on my Fall and Winter line of jewelry and I'm creating an inspiration board to help me to keep my focus as I create new designs. The following are just some of the photos that are on my board and they were so amazing, I just had to share.
Monday, June 27, 2011
Project Accessory Call-Outs in Chicago
Anyone familiar with the Lifetime (once Bravo) show Project Runway can quickly envision what the new spinoff Project Accessory might entail. This new show pits shoe, handbag and jewelry designers against one another to find the best overall accessory designers. Recently they held auditions in Miami, New York, Chicago and L.A. I was so excited to be able to go to the Chicago call out this past Thursday.
It was a VERY early morning for me. I planned on waking at 4:30am, but pushed the snooze until around 5:15. I left home around 6am, but with the time change, I was able to get to Chicago around 7am. The auditions were supposed to start at 9am at the Hard Rock Hotel. I figured the line would be around the block, but only around 30 people were there that early. We all headed into a room on the second floor and took seats to get ready for the first round of screening. It wasn't long before the room filled up and an overflow room also started swarming with hopefuls.
The crowd was such an interesting assortment of people, people dressed to the nines, or just completely quirky and bizarre, or more casual like me. Some people carried luggage filled with bags or shoes. There were a ton of jewelry designers and the screeners told us off the bat that we should feel lucky if we made it through the first round because they had seen so many jewelers at the other two auditions.
They called us up one by one to a screening table. One extremely nice and patient woman was doing all of the screening but she also had an assistant who handled all the applications and took photos of the people who got through the first round. The woman screening my jewelry was incredibly complementary and she even gave me some tips of what to say in front of the judges. On a side note, when I told her I was also a personal trainer, she told me that her last job was producing the Biggest Loser and she made a point of saying she had absolutely nothing to do with choosing Anna Kournikova as their next trainer. I knew this lady had great taste when she dissed Kournikova. Anyway, she passed me through and I shuffled over to the side to get my photo taken by the assistant. My photo was attached to my application and I was given a bright pink wristband.
After the first round, the waiting really started. We moved rooms and people kept shuffling in and out as they went through the first screening. Finally, around 3pm we were called to do an on-camera interview with the judges. They took us back to a hallway and a member of the crew hooked me up with a microphone. We were given very detailed instructions on how to proceed once we entered the room. We were supposed to drop off our jewelry and portfolios to the judges and then step back to a mark where we would answer some of their questions. I had made some hand-bound small portfolios of my work and I brought some necklaces and rings.
When I entered the room, the lights were so bright and the judges looked fantastic, as if they were being filmed for the actual show. There were two men and two women and they were all extremely nice. They asked me how I would take the concept of certain jewelry pieces and apply them to shoe and handbag design. They said they were really impressed by my answers. They also said that I should look into selling through the Sundance catalog because they thought I would do very well. They said that they may be contacting me for further information, so I didn't get a definite no or a definite yes. I will be shocked ten ways to Tuesday if I hear from them, but it would be amazing if I did!
All in all, it was an amazing experience and I will probably audition next year as well. It helped me to think more about how I present my work and it helped me to think from a fashion perspective rather than an art perspective. Now I'm focusing more on lines of jewelry and releasing new designs for seasons much like fashion designers. I may also take some time to do some side projects designing handbags and shoes to help my chances for next year. Ultimately, it gave me some validation and more creative impetus to take my jewelry to a new level and I can't wait to get started in the studio with the new energy I have.
It was a VERY early morning for me. I planned on waking at 4:30am, but pushed the snooze until around 5:15. I left home around 6am, but with the time change, I was able to get to Chicago around 7am. The auditions were supposed to start at 9am at the Hard Rock Hotel. I figured the line would be around the block, but only around 30 people were there that early. We all headed into a room on the second floor and took seats to get ready for the first round of screening. It wasn't long before the room filled up and an overflow room also started swarming with hopefuls.
The crowd was such an interesting assortment of people, people dressed to the nines, or just completely quirky and bizarre, or more casual like me. Some people carried luggage filled with bags or shoes. There were a ton of jewelry designers and the screeners told us off the bat that we should feel lucky if we made it through the first round because they had seen so many jewelers at the other two auditions.
They called us up one by one to a screening table. One extremely nice and patient woman was doing all of the screening but she also had an assistant who handled all the applications and took photos of the people who got through the first round. The woman screening my jewelry was incredibly complementary and she even gave me some tips of what to say in front of the judges. On a side note, when I told her I was also a personal trainer, she told me that her last job was producing the Biggest Loser and she made a point of saying she had absolutely nothing to do with choosing Anna Kournikova as their next trainer. I knew this lady had great taste when she dissed Kournikova. Anyway, she passed me through and I shuffled over to the side to get my photo taken by the assistant. My photo was attached to my application and I was given a bright pink wristband.
After the first round, the waiting really started. We moved rooms and people kept shuffling in and out as they went through the first screening. Finally, around 3pm we were called to do an on-camera interview with the judges. They took us back to a hallway and a member of the crew hooked me up with a microphone. We were given very detailed instructions on how to proceed once we entered the room. We were supposed to drop off our jewelry and portfolios to the judges and then step back to a mark where we would answer some of their questions. I had made some hand-bound small portfolios of my work and I brought some necklaces and rings.
When I entered the room, the lights were so bright and the judges looked fantastic, as if they were being filmed for the actual show. There were two men and two women and they were all extremely nice. They asked me how I would take the concept of certain jewelry pieces and apply them to shoe and handbag design. They said they were really impressed by my answers. They also said that I should look into selling through the Sundance catalog because they thought I would do very well. They said that they may be contacting me for further information, so I didn't get a definite no or a definite yes. I will be shocked ten ways to Tuesday if I hear from them, but it would be amazing if I did!
All in all, it was an amazing experience and I will probably audition next year as well. It helped me to think more about how I present my work and it helped me to think from a fashion perspective rather than an art perspective. Now I'm focusing more on lines of jewelry and releasing new designs for seasons much like fashion designers. I may also take some time to do some side projects designing handbags and shoes to help my chances for next year. Ultimately, it gave me some validation and more creative impetus to take my jewelry to a new level and I can't wait to get started in the studio with the new energy I have.
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
INDIEana Handicraft Exchange
Come visit me at the show. It starts at noon on Saturday and runs until 8pm. It is a family-friendly event with lots for both parents and kids to do and see. I look forward to seeing you all there!
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Bloomington Handmade Market
Mark your calendars now! I am so pleased to announce that I will be a vendor at the Bloomington Handmade Market on April 2nd! The Bloomington Handmade Market is a wonderful event and showcases a number of excellent artisans. You can find so many great treasures such as hand-bound books, fashionable bags, natural soaps, original watercolors, stained glass and, of course, jewelry.
I am excited to be showing my work at the show. I am also planning on doing some shopping for myself because I can always find such great items at this show! If you live anywhere near the Bloomington area, try to make it in for the show. You definitely won't be disappointed! Find out more on the Bloomington Handmade Market Facebook page.
I am excited to be showing my work at the show. I am also planning on doing some shopping for myself because I can always find such great items at this show! If you live anywhere near the Bloomington area, try to make it in for the show. You definitely won't be disappointed! Find out more on the Bloomington Handmade Market Facebook page.
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Adapt and Believe in Yourself
Okay, I know that title is a bit "after-school special" but I really do believe it.After I was laid off from my teaching job, I didn't know what I was going to do. I decided to start my Etsy shop to make some money while I was applying to other jobs. I worked hard on my designs and ended up getting into the first Etsy Artist Pavillion at the Merchandise Mart in Chicago only four months into my business. That was a huge boon to me and I went on to do many other shows in my first year.
That said, I didn't make quite enough money from jewelry to pay all of my bills. I also had to find supplemental jobs on the side. No place was hiring, so I decided to write a curriculum for a beginning jewelry-making class. I went to my local art museum and presented my class idea. They hired me on the spot and now I teach both beginning and advanced jewelry-making.
Even with my jewelry classes though, things are a bit tight. I also wanted to work out more, but couldn't afford to go to a gym. I noticed that a Facebook friend had posted about Zumba and it got me thinking. I had done Zumba two years ago regularly and I loved it, but I never thought I could be an instructor. For some reason though, I just decided to believe in myself and sign up for the instructor training, which is scheduled for February.
Well, today I went to a Zumba class to prepare for the instructor training and, at the break, the instructor started chatting with me. She said that she was really impressed by how quickly I picked up the steps and how well I did the routines. When I told her that I was getting certified to teach in February, she insisted that I talk to the gym owners because they needed new instructors for earlier class times. She was so sweet and she really talked me up to the owners. They said they would love to have me shadow the instructors and start subbing and teaching my own classes in March!
I just want to say that when I started all of these endeavors, I felt nervous and doubted myself beforehand. In the past, I would have allowed those doubts to stop me from putting mysefl out there. For some reason, I now just push those doubts aside and go after what I want. If I make a fool of myself, at least I tried. If I never try, my life will only stay the same. I just am so happy that I decided to go for it for a change.
If you want to jump into a new activity and are dogged with doubts or other people's negative opinions, I encourage you to believe in yourself. Sure, you have to put in the work, and you might fail at first, but persistence WILL pay off in the end. Believe in yourself, take the first steps, work hard and the rest will follow!
Monday, January 24, 2011
Rings for Ohio
I'm currently busy making rings for the Salty Not Sweet store in Cleveland, Ohio. They are moving their boutique to a new location in the city and they will feature a selection of Quite Clever Jewelry when they reopen. The new store location is in the trendy Ohio City neighborhood, filled with independent restaurants and boutiques. I'm excited to go check out the store and I'm so honored to be one of their new vendors.
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