Thursday 24 January 2013

Operation 'Reclaiming the Studio'

Well reading the last post I can see that, with all the best of intentions, having a day job and wanting to make jewellery are not necessarily compatible.  I have to admit to having found it hard to juggle the 'day job' with the household responsibilities and still find time for jewellery.

It is over 6 months on since I last wrote and we are now into a new year.  I am now in panic mode to get my tax return in by the end of this month, and I find myself once more reviewing where I am with regard to my jewellery.

To enable me to even start my tax return I first of all had to locate all receipts etc.....and to do that I had to venture down to the studio.  Unfortunately, because I have been so preoccupied and exhausted by all things 'employment', the last 12 months has seen my studio gradually turn into a 'dumping ground' for all things 'business'........and so when I did venture down to it......this is what I found!!

These are definately the 'Before' pictures and a reminder of how messy the creative mind can be.  Because whilst it is a mess (which I am rather ashamed of) I also have to acknowledge that under the mess is actually my normal muddled working method......with everything everywhere!!!


The shed with the window is my studio.....and I have to say looking rather lovely in the snow.
That is......until you open the door!!

Warm and Toaster with the heater and the fan......
but what a muddle!

My workstation.....the table at which I create!  Elements of the last creative frenzy remaining
along with a few bits that had been 'dumped' as the closest table to the door!

The big table......mostly papers on here along with 'overspill' from the workstation. 

My storage units......also in a state of disorganisation.
What you don't see in any of these pictures are the two crates of papers that had just been dumped in here, and judging by some of the dates on bits I have finally thrown - had been 'stored' for about 4 years!!!

Not very proud of what I found, and also hardly suprising that I didn't go down there very much.  I am a great believer in the space we occupy reflecting the state of our mind.......and clearly mine was very muddled, and bearing in mind how long my studio had looked like this, I clearly had some blocks!!

Anyway, two days in my toasy little studio, sorting and throwing, cleaning and filing, and I was very proud of myself.  I did actually feel like I had taken a major step forward in 'releasing' the past business so that I could now embrace my future hobby.  I also realised that I have learnt quite a lot over the years, but I hadn't actually acted upon it or put it into practice.  I found Copper clay that I hadn't tried yet, scratchfoam, new colour systems......all things that I wanted to try but hadn't got around to.

Maybe this would change with my newly reclaimed and tidied Studio.......
The After pictures.....

My workstation - once more a place for creation.
A new design already in scratchfoam, just waiting to be made.

A much better view from the door and definitely more inviting.

So much space to design and create, and maybe even teach again.
We will just have to see.

Even the storage had a little attention and is once again 'ship shape'.

So, in the days since tiding up my studio - have I made anything or designed.  Well apart from the quick design I felt compelled to do as I was getting to the end of operation 'Reclaim the Studio' - no I haven't.
On the one hand I don't really feel free to until I have got my tax return done and submitted.  But on the other I have to admit to that 'blank paper' feeling.  Not quite knowing where to put the first mark.  There is an undeniable fear......of what I am not sure.....but 'fear' is the only way I can describe it.  Maybe this is the last block.....not just with Jewellery but with my life in general.  An undefinable fear of something, everything and nothing that stops me from throwing myself into my life.  Perhaps this is something I can peruse on my other blog.....this really isn't the place for such things, other than to say that acknowledgement is half the battle, and knowing that it exists makes me strong enough to just get on with it.

Whilst I admit that the 'day job' does take more out of me than I first thought it would, I am also now free (or will be after the tax return deadline) with my tidy clean studio to do just that and 'get on with it'......and so I am looking foward to taking a year out to explore the theories of my learning and putting them into practice and experience.  And in doing so I will be looking forward to presenting new pieces of jewellery and other creations that reflect this new stage of my journey with my jewellery.

Feeling kind of excited about this next chapter.

Bright Blessings to All xx