Polymer Pro
b...@mintec.com
Personally, I'd love it if someone called me a polymer pro. I don't think I'm
anywhere near that point though. I do want to do clay full time eventually so
maybe if I get good enough...but what's good enough?
Bonnie
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michele holley
Bonnie wrote: >>>Personally, I'd love it if someone called me a polymer
pro. I don't think I'm anywhere near that point though. I do want to
do clay full time eventually so maybe if I get good enough...but what's
good enough?<<<
While I had my head stuck in the sand, I was thinking -(DON'T say it
you guys...)- if I love polymer clay so much, why am I "thinking" about
all the awesome things I can do with it instead of actually DOING it?
I WANT to create unique things, if I'm not doing clay, I'm thinking
about doing it... "I can do that with clay" are the first words out of
my mouth most of the time.
What do I need?..a butt-kickin' machine to get me moving?
I was getting ready for a huge guilt trip and I start reading the
NG... It becomes amazingly clear that there is an education going on
here and I'm in school! Not just to learn to make "great things", but
about the community of polymer clay persons everywhere and what it means
to all of us as a whole. The quote..."I am a part of all that I have
met",(Ulysses), is quite fitting. IMHO
A polymer clay professional? There is an art to being a talented,
creative, knowledgeable and professional person in any field. It doesn't
come overnight. The ones who succeed are the ones that put in the long
hours and the hard work...they are doers that love what they do. How do
they do it? I know they dreamers too...do THEY have butt-kickin
machines? I don't think so....
They possess Desire...Drive...Dedication...Knowledge...Talent. I have
the desire,
some knowledge, "budding" talent and that's it! It's not going to work
without the rest, not if you're talking professional...especially Drive.
You have to make some sacrifices and focus. That is hard for me...I want
to do it all, NOW!! Do I sacrifice other things I enjoy to dedicate
myself to really learning what I need to learn to fulfill my "wants"?
It's a big step. I don't believe I am alone in this feeling.(Lordy,
Lordy...tell me I'm not alone!) When and if we succeed, it will be
easier for us than the ones before us...there are many fine
professionals that are paving the way by sharing their expertise. A
luxury the polymer clay "pioneers" did not enjoy!
My MIND is exploding with designs and ideas, it's just not reaching
the other body parts! It is overwhelming and there's new stuff going on
all the time! What do you choose when you love it all? And, I don't want
to be just "good enough"...I think we all believe that doing things
well, excellently even, is what we would like to achieve.
"Good enough" is like "settling" for something. You've got to be willing
to "take the message to Garcia".
For the moment I will be thankful for a "personal best" and with hard
work it may be possible to make something great. Now, I just have to
find my direction and since I have just purchased "Fantastic Figures" by
Susanna Oroyan, it's easy to see where I'm heading!
Okay, okay..You knew it was wordy when you started... I've been out
in the sun too long today!
Michele with burnt cheeks ;]
scott & irene
michele holley <luny...@unix.cde.com> wrote
> A polymer clay professional?
<snip>
...do THEY have butt-kickin
> machines?
My personal butt-kicking machine is this: I don't want to have to have a
REAL job ever again! Motivation enough for me!
Focus IS important. This year, I've dropped a few styles and a few items
so I can focus on, and become better at, certain things.
Irene
--
to email, remove first x from address
Patti Kimle
michele holley wrote:
> While I had my head stuck in the sand, I was thinking -(DON'T say
> it
> you guys...)- if I love polymer clay so much, why am I "thinking"
> about
> all the awesome things I can do with it instead of actually DOING it?
> I WANT to create unique things, if I'm not doing clay, I'm thinking
>
> about doing it... "I can do that with clay" are the first words out of
>
> my mouth most of the time.
> What do I need?..a butt-kickin' machine to get me moving?
> I was getting ready for a huge guilt trip and I start reading the
> NG... It becomes amazingly clear that there is an education going on
> here and I'm in school! Not just to learn to make "great things", but
> about the community of polymer clay persons everywhere and what it
> means
> to all of us as a whole. The quote..."I am a part of all that I have
> met",(Ulysses), is quite fitting. IMHO
more snipped...
One of my favorite quotes that I use for motivation seems to fit here...
"Every time you *don't follow your own inner guidance, you feel a loss
of energy, loss of power, a sense of spiritual deadness." --Shakti
Gawain.
When I feel this *deadness*, I read this and then ask myself what is it
that I want to do and why am I not doing it? When I ask this question,
the answers are never valid reasons that something is not getting done,
just excuses, so then I can get past the block and move on into the
work.
Patti
el...@monmouth.com
michele holley wrote:
>snipped<
if I love polymer clay so much, why am I "thinking" about
> all the awesome things I can do with it instead of actually DOING it?
Michele: I'm also a dreamer and not much of a doer these days. I was
starting to worry because all I seem to be doing is collecting
information and not putting it to use. I am allowing myself the luxury
of blaming in on my father's death...Seven weeks ago today and it seems
like he's been gone forever. But I read something today, on another
forum, that I think helps explain my present state. Maybe you can find
some revelance in it too. My apologies to Georgia for not asking
permission to copy it here but I was so moved by it I'm taking a
liberty,
Georgia Sargeant wrote:
> I think of these slumps as a form of mental and spiritual pregnancy: something is growing,
> but it is still unknown, and maybe premature exposure would harm it. I believe in the
> Jungian idea of the unconscious mind as a real part of the self, the deep source of much that
> is profoundly valuable, but a part that is hidden from most of us. Dreamland.
> Inspirationland. Artland. So I try not to worry when I'm in a slump; for at least a while, I just
> pour some more good stuff in the hopper -- art books, mystery novels, swimming, movies,
> clay classes, walks in the country -- and give myself permission to take my time and gestate.
>
Georgia
Beautifully said and comforting as well. We PCers are sometimes so hard
on ourselves to be constantly creative, constantly innovative. Maybe we
should just enjoy the "slumps" and realize it's a time-out that is much
needed.
Carolyn
A Jersey Girl
> My MIND is exploding with designs and ideas, it's just not reaching
> the other body parts! It is overwhelming and there's new stuff going on
> all the time! What do you choose when you love it all?
> Michele with burnt cheeks ;]
CJ
el...@monmouth.com wrote:
>
> michele holley wrote:
> >snipped<
> if I love polymer clay so much, why am I "thinking" about
> > all the awesome things I can do with it instead of actually DOING it?
>
>
> Michele: I'm also a dreamer and not much of a doer these days. I was
> starting to worry because all I seem to be doing is collecting
> information and not putting it to use. I am allowing myself the luxury
> of blaming in on my father's death...Seven weeks ago today and it
> on ourselves to be constantly creative, constantly innovative. Maybe we
> should just enjoy the "slumps" and realize it's a time-out that is much
> needed.
> Carolyn
> A Jersey Girl
My recent 'slump' was broken by Porro challenging me to create
something smaller than an inch [which I have done, and Porro,
you should have the box soon! Hope it fills the challenge you
gave me!]. In doing that, I also found that by trying to conform
to the restrictions that a customer has set on me, it was killing
my desire to get anywhere near the clay. By making something that
came from my heart/mind, I found that the desire was still there,
but under the surface, way down so that I couldnt find it by
myself. In making something for Porro's challenge, I found a new
love of working with the clay, and the animals pins just burst
out. I am amazed at how they are working up, and how little time
it takes for me to make one. It's like the knowledge was there
all along but I just didnt have the key to let it out. I dont know
what will happen when I run out of animals to make, but I hope the
next direction will be as exciting and exhilerating as this has
been.
CJ
---------
"Dont be rude. Rude is weak."
Morgan La Fey, 'Merlin'
remove * to reply
Tiggersong
Dear Michelle,
I am a "pro", although not with poly. I make hand beaded jewelry.
Since I have a business (and might even break even or make a profit this
year (I hope, I hope, I hope...)), I consider myself a professional.
However, I do understand the difficulty of having all these wonderful
ideas and thoughts drifting through one's head and not getting them to
work down from my brain to my fingers.
I have found that bringing a small(ish - about 5 x 7) ringbound BLANK
notebook where ever I go has helped me. I can sketch ideas quickly, or
if I don't have time for that, I can at least write the basics down so I
can draw it later.
It has helped me focus my thoughts - and when I'm sitting at the table
faced with the clay (or the beads, or the fabric, or the polyshrink, or
the vegetables and what ARE we going to have for dinner tonight
anyway?), I can refer back to my notebook. Plus, as an added (and
unexpected) bonus, I can track my expertise in designing quite clearly.
I can go back and incorporate older ideas. I can use ideas from one
medium into others.
(The other unexpected bonus is this: I have a 5 1/2 year old
daughter. With this notebook and a pen, waiting in line is no longer
the horror it was pre-notebook! <grin>)
Tiggersong
PS: To everyone who wished me well with my first polybead sale, it
went wonderfully. The beadstore bought over 200 of my little beads and
they're almost out so they're going to buy more!!!! YAY!!
Aranthe
In article <3599D703...@unix.cde.com>, michele holley
<luny...@unix.cde.com> writes:
> That is hard for me...I want
>to do it all, NOW!! Do I sacrifice other things I enjoy to dedicate
>myself to really learning what I need to learn to fulfill my "wants"?
>It's a big step. I don't believe I am alone in this feeling.(Lordy,
>Lordy...tell me I'm not alone!)
You're not :). I have two, no three, no four, no . . . (you get the idea)
major interests: polymer clay, creative writing, mathematics, computers,
history. Of them all, creative writing is the most flexible (it takes a long
time and lots of "think work" before a novel actually makes it to paper--or
computer). But how do you divide your time among the rest? Do I experiement
with a new bead shape or learn Java? Explore an ancient culture or a new
texturing technique?
Nor is it as simple or cut-and-dried a choice as you might expect: What
might I learn from that ancient culture that I can apply to a new piece of
jewelry or a story I'm writing? I've used mathematical concepts to make new
canes and bead shapes.
What I've figured out is that I need to study physics *really* well so that
I can construct the time equivalent of Dr. Who's Tardis, a day that is
dimensionally transcendental: It has more hours on the inside that on the
outside! :)
--Triche
Kathy & Wil
Triche,
Good idea. When you get the plans done, let me know. :0)
We are Dr. Who fans around this house. At the moment when the screen
saver comes on this computer it says "When I grow up I want to be a
Tardis", my daughter's sense of humor.
IMHO we are all suffering from a lack of time, but it's so much fun to be
looking at a totally unrelated subject and suddenly find something that
triggers those 'creative juices' and you just HAVE to make something from
the idea.
Kathy
CMDoyon99
I've been going through a slump this summer, since my last craft show in May.
I'm still working on my Rave piece, I hope it gets done before the deadline
<g>. There's a lot of other things going on in my life--we're trying to sell
our house, and it's been a dog--been on the market since March. The kids are
going to a new school in the fall, my daughter starts kindergarten; and I was
agonizing about where to send them. I just bought the book, "The Artist's Way"
and I've been finding it pretty helpful so far. In fact, would anyone here
want to work through "The Artist's Way" together? There's a circle on the web,
but it might be fun to get some of us pcers involved--just a thought.
Cassie Doyon
Cassie Doyon Designs
http://members.aol.com/cmdoyon99/cddesigns.html
Ellen Rosenberg
I just read that one in The Artist's Way, Patti. It's a good one along
with all of the others in that book!
Ellen
In article <359A5304...@kimledesigns.com>, Patti Kimle
Patti Kimle
Yup! The Artist's Way is where I first saw that quote. It struck me so
deeply, that I had to find and read Shakti's books. I have two and she
has a new one out (it's been a long time between them) which I'm dying
to have. Just haven't been to the bookstore lately.
Creative Visualization and Living in the Light are the two I have read.
Both are motivatioinal and inspirational.
Patti
Kelly Godel
Gee dont I know it! I cant get anything done these days! :(
http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Hollow/8426/
Sherry Bailey
Just want to point out that I, too, am often "de-slumped" by an energizing
"challenge" -- in my case, these have often been PC SWAPS! Think about it --
it's a project with restrictions and a deadline and you get something magical
and surprising BACK to motivate you! Even if you are normally not into
swapping, if you feel blocked, join even a basic bead swap, do something that
is NOT part of your product line or whatever, and get presents in the mail. It
does wonders!!
Sherry
LOIS0MY
Cassie wrote:
> I just bought the book, "The Artist's Way"
>and I've been finding it pretty helpful so far. In fact, would anyone here
>want to work through "The Artist's Way" together? There's a circle on the
>web,
>but it might be fun to get some of us pcers involved--just a thought.
>Cassie Doyon
What a great idea! I have worked through "The Artist's Way " independently but
I think I could really benefit from sharing the process....especially with
other polymer clay artists/craftspeople.
Cassie, please put me on your list and let me know what I can do to help! Lois
Ockner
Byroni10
> In fact, would anyone here
>>want to work through "The Artist's Way" together? There's a circle on the
>>web,
>>but it might be fun to get some of us pcers involved--just a thought.
>>Cassie Doyon
Cassie---I've heard so much about the book that I'm planning to buy a copy for
myself. Working thru it in a group sound like a great idea. Let me know if
this idea can get off the ground.
Roni
"Be yourself! Who else is better qualified?"
Aranthe
>Good idea. When you get the plans done, let me know. :0)
>
>We are Dr. Who fans around this house. At the moment when the screen
>saver comes on this computer it says "When I grow up I want to be a
>Tardis", my daughter's sense of humor.
LOL, Kathy! Ours boots with the Star Trek holodek voice ("Program complete;
enter when ready.) and shuts down with C3PO's line "Sir, if you'll not be
needing me, I'll close down for a while." (As for Dr. Who, my DH has taped all
Dr. Who episodes from John Pertwee on.)
--Triche
P D RUSS
>
>What a great idea! I have worked through "The Artist's Way " independently
>but
>I think I could really benefit from sharing the process....especially with
>other polymer clay artists/craftspeople.
>Cassie, please put me on your list and let me know what I can do to help!
>Lois
>Ockner
Who wrote this book?
Dianne >^..^<
LOIS0MY
" The Artist's Way " was written by Julia Cameron.She has also authored " The
Vein of Gold " ( A journey to your creative heart ), a companion to A.W.
Most bookstores carry this book. Maybe it's in paperback now! Lois Ockner
CMDoyon99
Both "The Artist's Way" and "The Vein of Gold" are $15.95 at Barnes & Noble.
el...@monmouth.com
CMDoyon99 wrote:
>
> I've been going through a slump this summer, since my last craft show in May.
> I'm still working on my Rave piece, I hope it gets done before the deadline
> <g>. There's a lot of other things going on in my life--we're trying to sell
> our house, and it's been a dog--been on the market since March. The kids are
> going to a new school in the fall, my daughter starts kindergarten; and I was
> and I've been finding it pretty helpful so far. In fact, would anyone here
> want to work through "The Artist's Way" together? There's a circle on the web,
> but it might be fun to get some of us pcers involved--just a thought.
Way...bet we'd have all kinds of breakthroughs!!!
Carolyn
A Jersey Girl
Shelly Patton & Ben Frey
What a wonderful idea! I just borrowed a copy of that book from a friend and I'd
love to go through it with a group! Count me in too!
Ellen Rosenberg
Cassie,
Yes! I bought the book last year but finally, just in last weeks, found
the energy to open it and start reading. I actually wrote some morning
pages but haven't been consistent as yet.
I've visited some of those sites on the web too, but this is a good idea.
Ellen
In article <199807021331...@ladder01.news.aol.com>,
Dwayne & Shirley
jane...@ix.netcom.com wrote:
>
> Powell's on-line bookstore has 4 used copies under $10.00..
>
> http://www.powells.com/cgi-bin/mk-search.pl?id=899568178-835&exec=Start+Search&match-menu=whole+word&location-menu=all+stores&class-menu=all&binding-menu=all&sort1-menu=author&sort2-menu=title&anywhere-text=artists+way&display-menu=consolidated&records=21-30
>
> ....cute URL, no? Anyway, that's where I got mine.
> J
May be silly, but someone please tell me what the basic content of "The
Artist's Way" book is about. And, why would you form a group 'to go
through it'?
LynnDel
I'm interested, Cassie -- let me know if this gets going!
LynnDel
*"*-.,_,.-*"* To e-mail me, remove the lie *"*-.,_,.-*"*-
el...@monmouth.com
Dwayne & Shirley wrote:
> May be silly, but someone please tell me what the basic content of "The
> Artist's Way" book is about. And, why would you form a group 'to go
> through it'?
and stuck with it for the whole twelve weeks) I can tell you that it is
a great way to unblock or open up to a new way of seeing the world
around you. Forming a group to "to through it" is just basically
getting a group of "friends" together who can share the "pain" of
discovery or the "disappointment" of being stuck. I know that when I
was doing it alone it wasn't always easy. Wish I'd had a support group
to help me out. Having others interested in the same medium as me would
be an even greater blessing. I know some people who do it two, three
and even more times because during each session you can learn something
missed the first time around.
The introduction to AW says: "If you are creatively blocked...it is
possible, even probable, that you can learn to create more freely
through your willing use of the tools this book provides". The book
contains twelve chapters with creative exercises. Each week you do one
chapter and those exercises contained at the end of the chapter. No
cheating and skipping around, to do it properly you need to start at the
beginning and end at the end. And gee whiz that was the hardest part
because I always read magazines and how-to books from back to front.
So how and when are we going to start our PC Artist's Way journey????
Carolyn
A Jersey Girl
CMDoyon99
Through the newsgroup and email I've gotten a lot of positive response to
starting an Artist's Way group. I guess I'm good with initiative, but not so
great with implementation <G>. Since I just bought the book, would anybody
who's gone through the book and exercises like to organize how the group will
work? I'm willing to do some research at the Artist's Way site and offer any of
their ideas to follow--any takers?
Jadzi
Cassie,
I've not gone through the book yet but I'd be happy to help out in anyway I can.
Let me know if there's anything I can do!
Shelly
Cincinnati OH
Dzeffren2
I just bought the book and would like to dive in as well. I bought Drawing on
the Right Side of the Brain as well, so I am serious about refining this
unbridled brain of mine!
On the topic of spending life savings at Borders, I also bought Tricia Guild on
Color, a huge, gorgeous book of photographs from all over the planet (indoors
and out) arranged in loosely formed color catagories. As a color challenged
Xerox-Brain (Black and white mentality!) I am looking forward to breaking the
color barrier. I even tried to drool over paint chips at Home Depot today like
all the color fanatics in the other thread, but nothing happened and my
daughter finally said "Ma, what in the world are you blocking the aisle for?"
Wish me luck!
Donna in St. Louis
Otterfire
>Drawing on
>the Right Side of the Brain as well, so I am serious about refining this
>unbridled brain of mine!
It is amazing what that book can do. i had to read it in design school, but
some of the lessons in it were taught in one of my drawing classes before i
went to design school. I GOT so into a project i did not even realize i had
been drawing with my right hand...i was WAYYY out there but ofcoure as soon as
my brain saw i was drawing with the wrong hand, it quit.....
The more i read about the group you all have going the more interested i think
i am becoming. I have had the book for 5 years and never got into it. I think
i had to many preconcieved notions about it...please keep me updated on the
plans!
michele holley
>>>Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain as well, so I am serious about refining this unbridled brain of mine!
>>The more i read about the group you all have going the more interested i think i am becoming. I have had the book for 5 years and never got into it. I think i had to many preconcieved notions about it...please keep me updated on the plans!<<<
Same here! I hauled the book off the shelf last night...you guys are
addictive!!! I feel the "slump" just peeling off like a bad sunburn!
Michele
Eileen C. McDonough
>Powell's on-line bookstore has 4 used copies under $10.00..
>....cute URL, no? Anyway, that's where I got mine.
>J
I picked up the book for another group; but everyone chickened out.
The book is intimidating, sort of like the "Power of Myth".
If you start a group please alllow me to be included.
Eileen - Gar'goils'
NarigonC
McDonough) writes:
>I picked up the book for another group; but everyone chickened out.
>The book is intimidating, sort of like the "Power of Myth".
I think the idea of doing the whole book can be intimidating. A more reasonable
way to think of this process is that you'll do what you can in the book and
then do it again another time when you feel your creativity becoming stagnant.
There should be no judgement among group members about how much each person
should do. One woman in our group was already a devoted journaler. The 3 daily
pages interrupted her journaling, although it was intended to encourage more
creativity. So she stopped doing the daily pages and devoted more time to her
journal. Creativity means doing it your own way.
Carol
Sherry Bailey
found it too specific for my way of life. (I do a lot of creative writing, and
I am not interested in or willing to do the writing exercises and daily
pages. I'm sure they are helpful for people who DON'T already write a lot, and
even for some who do, but they only annoyed me!)
If you manage your group online, I might take my book and skim and "follow
along" loosely, but there is no way I'm going to do everything Cameron says,
any more than I REALLY drink 8 glasses of water a day and exercise 20 minutes
plus and eat nutritious lowfat meals all the time etc... I understand there
may be worth in everything suggested, but I can't breathe with all the
constraints!
(Posted in case there are others who can't find themselves in every exercise
and find it discouraging! Like pop psychology, if you find ANY kind of
self-help book when you are in the right mood for it, it can do amazing
things. Find it a month too soon or too late and it won't mean a thing to
you. And if you find it at the right time, and recommend it to somebody who
isn't in the right mood themselves, it may mean nothing to them -- until
later.)
Good luck and have fun!
Sherry
Peggy & Bob
> I have the book, but I guess I'll not commit to a group -- I
> started once, but
> found it too specific for my way of life. (I do a lot of
> creative writing,
>
> <snip>
>
Sherry,
Very ditto.
It is a great book btw for those of you who have not seen it.
Peggy
mailto:bobo...@ix.netcom.com
Otterfire
>self-help book when you are in the right mood for it, it can do amazing
>things. Find it a month too soon or too late and it won't mean a thing to
>you. And if you find it at the right time, and recommend it to somebody who
>isn't in the right mood themselves, it may mean nothing to them -- until
>later.)
Sherry,
THAT is it...When i read this book the first time i felt like i had joined a 12
step program, i dont know if it were the mood i was in, but, i did feel a lil
like the guy on SNL....
I am good enough,
I am smart enough,
and gosh darn it
People like me!
Mikee
remember from the first time I started the AW what I began to feel was:
I am good enough
I am smart enough
and gosh darn it
*I* like me! --- (I wasn't even close to battling the issue of whether
or not *others* like me, LOL)
I find that when I am doing the polymer clay stuff--I keep looking at my
stuff and saying how it isn't that good. And then I look at other's
work and think--well I can do stuff pretty good by comparision. I think
the AW helps to eliminate the self-critisism and the need to constantly
compare one's self with another.
One of the things that helps me so much about this group is reading the
*process* that you all go through in creating. My mother is an
artist---serious artist. Her drawings and oils are to die for. I could
never do anything that was close. (And I won't even get into the fact
that she was horrified at how *untalented* her child was) And I had/have
no sense of color, which is why I have been following the thread on
color with such rapture!!!! I am very 2 dimensional---blacks and
white. I guess that is why when *I* started my art I chose copper-plate
etching. I stayed in the 2 dimensional and used the gray shades.
Polymer is forcing me to learn the color wheel, but I must admit, I
still really dislike the color of the clay I get when doing flowers. I
am trying very hard to get a more porcelin (spelling? sorry) quality
with more natural hues. So far no luck. I mix a lot with transparents
using only hints of color. I am beginning to wonder if I shouldn't just
use the translucent and try tinting *it* with another medium, such as
stamping powders, etc. Anyone try this yet? Also, I can never get the
petals to be realistic enough---they seem so to have to be thick to
stay, but too thick to look natural
Journi (the lousy speller)
Otterfire
I have been thinking about pulling that book out for weeks (since this
discussion began) to see if i still felt that way about it...but i am scared
to!!!!
I guess once i get my business plan done and all the stuff that goes with it, i
will because it would be something to read at the office during lunch