My
NEW SHOP is open!
I decided to take the completion of my Longest Year line as the time to make the move to shop space independent of Etsy. Its connected to my
website as is the Etsy shop but this way I won't be putting add my eggs in one basket as it were. I'm not sure right now exactly how the division of shops will work but all new work from now forward is going into the new shop.
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| Reversible necklace |
And now, after all the website wrestling, I really feel like its time to just concentrate on the work. Thats where the pleasure is for me, designing and making, and with some different autoimmune symptoms surfacing in the last 2 months anything that reduces stress is literally what the doctor ordered.
I specifically chose to limit the first installment of the Longest Year line to 12 pieces, one for everything month of the year since my diagnosis. I hope it doesn't seem overly sentimental because it was actually more a matter of practicality - I could have designed and designed forever just using this limited selection of shapes.
I've loved the process of limiting myself and then seeing what I can do within that limitation. The shapes in this line are all variations on one,
the "mountain" shape in this necklace (save for
here and there such as
the bracelet toggle which I couldn't seem to resolve any other way although I'll tell you I
really tried to make that a little mountain as well). And for now I chose to limit the palette too except for color on a couple pieces.
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| This is a brooch/necklace combination. |
What I found, much to my delight I have to tell you, is that rather than running out of ideas, I couldn't find the end of ideas! I could probably work for another year and just keep pushing and pushing this one shape. I'm not sure I will (would I fall out of love with the shape? would I still be able to sell work?) but I could.
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| The original necklace where this whole line started. |
But at any rate, for the sake of getting a this body of work together I needed to draw the line somewhere and 12 pieces for a line called The Longest Year certainly made sense (Although...there are more pieces already started and sitting on my work table today ;-)
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| Four stranded necklace - you change the strand that's worn in the back from the black to the longest translucent. |
I'd love to get your feedback on my new work and the shop! I'd also love to hear if any of your who are artists have ever limited yourself this way and how it affected your work.
Ah Gen, it has been so humbling to have been allowed on this journey to some extent with you. To have seen the beautiful art that has emerged. The pieces are so strong, so congruent and so quietly wise. And let's face it! This is NO SURPRISE you dear thing! The shop looks great and the twelve pieces are great. Knowing when to call ENOUGH is as much an art as anything . Sending love, courage and creative joy over the kms.
ReplyDeleteThank you my far away friend! Knowing when to call enough is a new and important focus in my life that is for sure.
DeleteHI, Gen! I started following you sometime last year and I LOVE your work. I started experimenting with limiting myself and I found myself learning new skills and techniques as a result. I call it "constraining to expand." I create design themes for myself and force myself to work within them.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much Jenn! Its great to hear that you are finding limitation works to grow your design skills as well - it encourages me that I am on the right track. Constraining to expand...I like that!
DeleteBrilliant, you have given me the courage to continue my affair with the shape I am in love with at the moment..... I just cannot get enough of it, like a drug... Who would have thought a simple shape could gave such an effect....
ReplyDeleteThat's great Dee! I think sometimes we feel like we HAVE to make something new (I know I do anyway) but if you look back through your work you find that we do a lot of "re-hashing" of ideas and that it isn't at all a bad thing.
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