2013...More of the same

Once a month, members of the EtsyMetal team are given a topic or question and then are requested to blog about it simultaneously. This month's topic is:

New Year's Resolutions?!

A new year, a fresh outlook, new ideas... what are your plans? New goals? New disciplines? Old disciplines and goals you want to try again?!! Recap this past year and what you've learned, where it's taken you, where you would like it to take you in 2013.

This topic reminds me of a the New Year's post I wrote 4 years ago--- "looking BACK so I can look AHEAD...2008 to 2009."    It seems silly to say, but, WOW! Times were different then---in my personal life and in my business! So much has changed in those 4 years!

But I digress, I'm not here to talk about how things have changed in 4 years.

2012 was overall a good year for me---different but good. You can read about it here: "ch-ch-changes..."

Many of my business goals for 2013 are to continue what I started in 2012.

• Continue to develop and promote my Make your own Wedding Band Workshops
• Continue to develop my new Ridge Collection
• Continue to develop my bridal line
• Continue to "clean out" my older work (Selling it off and then discontinuing it)
• Implement marketing tools and techniques that I learned in 2012 (psyched!)
• Get more organized!
• Learn new skills---this year I'd like to learn CAD
• Try to make a Brooch-a-Week for the whole year (yikes!) Follow my progress here.

Ridge Earring #7: Sterling, 18k gold, blue chalcedony, diamonds

My personal goals are also to continue what I started in 2012.

• Spend more quality time with my family
• Get more organized!
• Continue on my fitness journey (I've lost 30 lbs in the past year, gained muscle and am in the best shape of my life at the ripe old age of "over 40"!)

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL!

Please follow these links to read my fellow EtsyMetal members' resolutions:
1. Lou Hunter
2. Laura Jane Bouton
3. 2Roses
4. deborahleetaylor
5. Mary Anne Karren
6. Theresa Kwong
7. Nodeform
8. Silentgoddess

Why do I make jewelry?

Once a month, members of the EtsyMetal team are given a topic or question and then are requested to blog about it simultaneously. This month's topic is:

Why do you make jewelry?
Think hard, dig deep!

WOW.

Another difficult question.

Well here's the easy part of the answer: How did I start making jewelry?

• I made my first piece of jewelry about 25 years ago but it was NOT love at first sight.
• I actually fell in love with metal working a year or two later while making a large steel sculpture.
• METAL + FIRE = LOVE!
• Another year or so later, I found myself concentrating my college studies in metals/jewelry. I KNEW this is what I was supposed to do with my life.
• And...I have been making jewelry ever since...

The hard part of the answer: Why am I still making jewelry?

• AHHHHHH...good question!
• When I am at the bench and in my zone, jewelry making is pure joy. (METAL + FIRE = LOVE!...right?!?!)
• But.....I have to admit that after all these years, I have found myself a little bit burnt out. (The reason for this may need to be another blog post.)
• I don't spend as much time at the bench as I used to.
• But it is the only thing I know.
• And I do love it.
• I have been taking steps to get my mojo back...because I have to!

What is inspiring me to love my love for jewelry making again?

• New work is inspiring me.
• Manipulating metal, soldering and creating is my passion.
• Making wedding bands is inspiring me.
• Rings are somewhat limiting in design, but they are very intimate objects and many times have such deep personal meaning...this really appeals to me.
• Helping couples to make their own wedding bands in my workshop is inspiring me.
• This is SO satisfying. Showing a novice the work involved in making a fine piece of jewelry and watching the couple work together fills me with joy. 
• Teaching others is inspiring me.
• I have recently REdiscovered the joy of sharing my knowledge with others. It is a nice change from working alone in my studio.

So have I answered the original question, Why do you make jewelry?
I make jewelry because I love working with my hands, I love working with metal, I love stones, I love making objects that make others happy. It is my career, my art, my passion, my life. Sometimes we stumble or slow down along the journey but we still continue...

Please follow these links to read why my fellow EtsyMetal members' make jewelry:

1. Cynthia Del Giudice
2. Laura Jane Bouton
3. silentgoddess
4. Beth Cyr
5. Peculiar Forest
6. Tosca Terán
7. Nodeform
8. Mary Anne Karren
9. My Precious Studio
10. Deborah Lee Taylor
11. Anne Walker
12. Andrea Ring
13. Gracebourne Design
14. Evelyn Markasky
15. Inbar Bareket
16. Jewellietta
17. Abella Blue
18. e5 Jewelry

ch-ch-changes.....

Once a month, members of the EtsyMetal team are given a topic or question and then are requested to blog about it simultaneously. This month's topic is:  What In The World Are You Doing?
...Please share your "goings on"!

Well, in my case it is a matter of what I am doing and what I am NOT doing...

• For starters, I decided to take a sabbatical from all wholesale trade shows in 2012. This will be the first time in 15 years that I did not exhibit at the Buyers Market of American Craft! This has left me with both a feeling of apprehension and relief. I am still taking wholesale orders, I am simply not traveling to the wholesale shows. Everything else is business as usual.......well, sort of......
• I will be discontinuing many designs throughout 2012. All good things must come to an end, right? Since 1995, I have successfully built my jewelry career on my "Abacus Collection". Even though I have added new items every year to keep it fresh and new, after so many years, I have simply grown tired. I have decided that I need to revive my artistic juices and to truly do so, I must put things that I feel are holding me back to rest. Once my supplies run out, most of this collection as well as other older collections, will be retired. (Stay tuned for news of flash sales on these older items!)
• I am continuing to develop new work as well as my eco-friendly engagement and wedding ring lines. This is where I have focused my energy lately and I am really enjoying it!
• At the beginning of the year, I was awarded with an Artists' Ventures Initiative Grant from the SC State Arts Commission. The purpose of this grant is "to encourage and enable the creation of new artist-driven, arts-based business ventures that will provide career satisfaction and sustainability for South Carolina artists."
• With the help of the above mentioned grant, I have started to conduct "Make your own Wedding Band Workshops!" Yes, you read that correctly....I am assisting couples with no jewelry-making experience. From raw material to final polish, they spend the day under my tutorship creating perfectly made wedding bands. They learn how to melt, mill, measure, cut, form, solder, sand and polish the rings to perfection. It is a romantic gesture and a lifelong memory above and beyond a trip to the jewelry store!

Julie & Eli working hard at their recent Wedding Band Workshop

Please follow these links to read about my fellow EtsyMetal members' "going ons"
Laney (aka silentgoddess)
Evelyn (aka markasky)
victoria takahashi (aka experimetal)

Miranda (aka Gracebourne)
Beth Cyr
Rebecca Bogan (aka AdobeSol)
Anne Walker
Erin Austin
Nodeform

Who would you like to see wearing your jewelry?

Once a month, members of the EtsyMetal team are given a topic or question and then requested to blog about it simultaneously. This month's topic is:

Who would you like to see wearing your jewelry?

This is a tough question.
Naturally, I LOVE seeing my jewelry on anyone (and everyone)!
But, I would be thrilled to have any celebrity donning my designs. Who wouldn't be honored to have their life's work in the spotlight, even for just a moment? To answer the question, I have decided to fantasize about a few individuals whom I would enjoy adorning with Danielle Miller Jewelry...

The Young Starlet:
Emma Stone is one of my favorite young actresses. She is drop dead gorgeous without being overly girly and has a swift and quirky sense of humor that will get you thinking.

dreaming about Emma Stone wearing my Ridge Earrings & Porta Pendant

The Dame:
Helen Mirren seems to have mastered the art of growing old gracefully. She always looks fit, elegant and fabulous on the red carpet...outshining other stars 30 years younger than her.

dreaming about Helen Mirren wearing my Circles, Circles, Circles Necklace

The Local Gal:
Kimberly Kelly is a TV host for two Entertainment & Talk Shows on CBS WSPA in Greenville, SC. She is always so well put together and fashionable. She DEFINITELY should be wearing some Danielle Miller Jewelry! :)

thinking Kimberly Kelly would look great in my Marquise Chain Lariat

The Dude:
Jon Stewart needs some of my cufflinks, don't you think?

wanting Jon Stewart to flash his cuffs with my Abacus cufflinks

Please continuing reading my fellow EtsyMetal team members fun posts about this subject:
Rebecca Bogan
Beth Cyr
Maria - fluxplay

A Few Tips on Buying Handmade Jewelry

Once a month, members of the EtsyMetal team are given a topic or question and then requested to blog about it simultaneously. This month's topic is:

A Few Tips on Buying Handmade Jewelry

Share a few of your personal tips when it comes to the purchase of handmade jewelry.

WOW! I could go into a lot more detail on some of these points...
So I think I will make a quick list now and then elaborate in a series of future blog posts.

• Uniqueness of design. It should speak to you. It is different than anything your peers have and that is a good thing!
• Listen to the artist's story. Most artists have a story to tell---about their inspiration, technique or materials. The story continues when you purchase the piece---you become part of the story!
• Look for quality craftsmanship. Handmade doesn't (and shouldn't) mean poorly made! (This is a pet peeve of mine. I will definitely elaborate on this in a future post!)
• Ask and understand about the materials. For example: There are differences between fine silver, sterling silver, silver-filled, silver plated, bi-metal, nickel silver, etc.
• Know your Budget. You will more than likely pay more for a handmade item than a mass produced item. Are you looking for everyday earrings or a large statement piece that you will only wear a few times a year?
• Care Instructions. Handmade does not mean indestructible. Love your jewelry and ask if there are any special care instructions to help it last for generations.
• Exchange Contact Info. The artist will more than likely want your address and/or email for their customer mail list. (You will receive notices when the artist is in a show in your area, if he/she is having a special sale, etc). And you may want to hold onto their business card in case you want to add to your collection or if you loose an earring and need a replacement made.

You can read more "Buying Handmade Tips" from other EtsyMetal members. Follow the links to their blogs throughout the day:

Rebecca Bogan

Beth Cyr

2Roses

Inbar Bareket

Cynthia Del Giudice

Nodeform

My (artisitc) Roots

Once a month, members of the EtsyMetal team are given a topic or question and then requested to blog about it simultaneously. I haven't participated in a while---in fact I haven't done any blogging in a while. I thought this month's topic was a good one to jump back into it with:

Our Roots
Where we came from. How our families have influenced us. Artists in the family.

When I think about my artistic roots, I immediately think of my mother. She has always been a "maker"---someone who uses her hands to create. I have childhood memories of her making clothes and going to the fabric store with her...looking at all the clothing patterns and wondering the aisles of fabric bolts. She painted pottery, did macrame, cross stitch, knit and crocheted. One of her longest lived hobbies is quilting. Over the years, she has quilted baby blankets, comforters and wall hangings for dozens of our family and friends.

One of the many quilts my mother, Suzanne Miller, has made for my children.

She has always been supportive of my artistic endeavors and enrolled me in pastel and oil painting classes when I was 10 years old. I was encouraged to follow the creative path that ultimately lead me to art college and my jewelry career.

Coincidently, my grandfather dabbled in metal work. When I was a teenager he gave me a cuff bracelet he made. My memory is foggy, but I think he said he made it when he was in the Navy during WWII. When my mother was a young girl, he took sheet metal/tin smithing classes and made cookie sheets, pitchers and containers for friends and family members.

Bracelet made by my grandfather (circa 1945?)

Last but certainly not least, I am influenced by my husband, Ben Gilliam. He is an amazing teacher and a talented metalsmith and sculptor. We have different styles, but we still influence each other in countless ways.

Copper vessel by my husband, Ben (aka: John B. Gilliam)

Please read the "Roots" stories of other EtsyMetal members. Follow the links to their blogs throughout the day:
2Roses
Artigiano Jewel Box
Erin Austin
Inbar Bareket
Beth Cyr
Cynthia Del Giudice
Evelyn Markasky
Nodeform
Elizabeth Scott
Twigs and Heather

EtsyMetal & Me...

Once a month, members of the EtsyMetal team are given a topic or question and then requested to blog about it simultaneously. This month's topic is:

Happy Anniversary EtsyMetal!
EtsyMetal & Me...

For my blog readers that don't know what/who EtsyMetal is...

EtsyMetal is an international team of metalsmiths working together to promote their art. The team was formed to provide a venue of communication, business development and support for metalsmiths who sell their handmade goods on Etsy. This team offers members opportunities to grow their businesses by providing them with an informational forum, a team website, cooperative marketing, and by offering a member-to-member mentoring group.

When/Why did you join?
I juried into this group in June of 2008...about 6 months after I began selling on Etsy. Etsy administration encourages artists/sellers to join a team to network, share skills, and promote their shops together. I choose to apply to the EtsyMetal team because I was impressed by the quality of artists in the group, their blog and their team activities.

Is it what you expected?
Yes, and so much more! I have found this group an invaluable source of information, support and friendship. I have learned an incredible amount about selling online, marketing online, studio tips, etc. I have been inspired to "play" in the studio more than I have in years....which has made my job fun again!

What does it mean to you to be a part of the team?
I am honored and proud to be a part of this spectacular group of artists. I have not only found it supportive in my business and art but also have made amazing friends. Working in the studio can be very solitary...having a "virtual" colleague just a click away makes all the difference!

EtsyMetal is turning four years old! The organization will celebrate this anniversary the entire month of October by giving away four $50 gift certificates redeemable at any EtsyMetal member’s shop. In addition to the give away, several EtsyMetal members will be celebrating by having individual sales! (Details of my sale coming soon.) To enter the drawing, one must sign up for the EtsyMetal newsletter...read more info on the EtsyMetal blog.

Please read the "EtsyMetal & Me" stories of other EtsyMetal members. Follow the links to their blogs throughout the day:
Catherine Chandler
Victoria Takahashi
Inbar Bareket
Stacey/wildflowerdesigns
caitlyn davey
Nina Gibson

Back to School...uhhhhh, no thanks.

Once a month, members of the EtsyMetal team are given a topic or question and then requested to blog about it simultaneously. This month's topic is:

Back To School
Where did you go to school? Are you still a student? What kind of student were/are you? If you had the opportunity to go back to school, would you? Where and what would you study?

Tyler's old Penrose Hall, empty & abandoned photo by Denis Sweeney via flickr

So here is my story...

Where did you go to school? I began my studies at Moore College of Art and Design. I thought I would be concentrating my studies in sculpture, but ended up falling in love with jewelry making. So I transferred to Tyler School of Art, Temple University for their renowned jewelry/metals department.

Are you still a student? Hell no! Although, I am constantly learning---sometimes a technique or refining a skill, many times something about running a business. But, no, I have not been a student in a formal school for a long time. And I can NOT imagine myself in a university setting at this point in my life.

What kind of student were you? I'd like to think that I was an ambitious student. I spent all my free time in the studio, trying to gain the most of my education.

If you had the opportunity to go back to school, would you? Where and what would you study? If I had the ability to time travel, I may whisper in the ear of the younger me. I would urge myself to continue my education beyond my BFA. Not to gain a MFA, but to gain more useful technical skills. I would have urged myself to take some additional business and accounting classes and to go to the Revere Academy or the New Approach School for Jewelers. I would LOVE to take a class (or two or three) at one of these schools today---but it doesn't easily fit into my life (as a mother of young children and an entrepreneur).

The Nitty-Gritty: The truth is I have mixed emotions about my alma mater. I value the education I received---it was top notch. I learned countless techniques, was introduced to basic art business practices (which many art schools woefully overlook) and had an all around great time. However, I perceive that my former instructors look upon me and what I do with ambivalence. My feelings of being slighted may simply be in my mind---my own insecurity manifesting itself. I do have real reasons for my mixed emotions and they have deep roots---I hate to hold a grudge but I can't shake this one. 'Nuff said.

Tyler School of Art, empty, old campus photo by Denis Sweeney via flickr

Another sad fact about my alma mater is that the school I attended no longer exists. Tyler used to be it's own quaint little campus on the outskirts of Philadelphia, an estate donated by Stella Elkins Tyler. There had been talk about moving the school to the north Philadelphia main campus site of Temple University since I was there 17 years ago. They finally completed the move two years ago. I have not been to the new campus but have seen photos. It looks like a shiny new gem---but in my mind's eye, Tyler will always be that old lovely campus.

Please read the "Back to School" stories of other Etsymetal members. Follow the links to their blogs:
victoria takahashi - experimetal
caitlyn davey- discomedusa
Thomasin Durgin - metalriot
stacey - wildflowerdesigns
Ann Hartley
Konstanze - Nodeform
Beth Cyr
Jenny Baughman
Kathryn Cole

In search of Motivation

Once a month, members of the EtsyMetal team are asked a question and then requested to blog about it simultaneously. This month's question is:

What motivates you to create?

In a down market when things are not selling well?
When you are tired?
When life makes you busy?

Normally my answer would be: I am motivated by looming deadlines. Give me 6 months to do a project and I will procrastinate until the last month...then I will crank it out. However, this blog carnival question could not have come at a more poignant time for me.

Why?
Because, currently, I don't have the answer.

To be brutally honest, I have had little to no motivation lately. It's not that I don't have ideas or inspirations....I probably have too many ideas. I even have looming deadlines...not as many as I'd like, but I have some. But the general desire to work in my studio has been seriously lacking lately. There are many reasons I can attribute to my "funk."

1. Working alone is hard. I have always worked better when there is someone else in my studio. I have been w/out employees for two years now and the solitude is taking hold. Loneliness is bad for motivation.
   
2. Not selling / not having a lot of deadlines is bad for the ego. I constantly am asking myself, why am I not selling while designer X is? Why am I not more successful? Self doubt is bad for motivation.
   
3. Making designs that are 12 years old is tiresome. I design new work every year. But sometimes it seems that the old designs are the best sellers and I am bored. Boredom is bad for motivation.
4. Wearing too many hats can cause a headache. There are many jobs involved in running a business.....designer, bench jeweler, marketer, sales person, bookkeeper, etc. I enjoy all these jobs (well, not the bookkeeping part) but I find the balancing act difficult. When I feel overwhelmed I tend to shut down. Lack of balance leads to lack of motivation.
5. Distractions abound! There are so many things that are competing for our attention. In my case, my beloved MacBook is my major distraction. Twitter, facebook, blogs, metal and business forums, etc. Most of my computer distractions are indeed business related...but it all goes back to that balance issue. Being too "plugged-in" is bad for studio motivation.

I could continue to list reasons why I am having a hard time getting into the studio, but enough with the excuses. What I need are solutions.

So, now that I have confessed my recent lack of motivation, hopefully it will shame me to get back into the groove. I am going to try to do the following:

1. Set a timer while on the computer. I will try to limit my online distractions.
2. Clean my clutter. As I mentioned in a previous blog post, my bench and office is a mess. Perhaps if I cleaned up a bit and rearranged the furniture, the studio will feel fresh. Maybe the studio won't seem like a lonely place, but the creative space that it should be.
   
3. Create a job schedule. Instead of feeling overwhelmed by all the hats I have wear, I will try to break all the duties down to certain days of the week or month.
4. Lose the "grass is greener" attitude. This one will be very hard. Being envious of the success of others and having self doubt is a part of many artists' sensibilities. Perhaps I need to focus more on me and less on them or simply find inspiration in the success of others.
   

Okay, wish me luck. I will keep you updated. Here I go....into the studio.....

Please read the Motivation tricks of other Etsymetal members. Follow the links to their blogs:
Ann Hartley / hartleystudio
Beth Cyr
Brooke Medllin
Maria Whetman / fluxplay
Nina Gibson
Stacey Hansen
Victoria Takahashi / Experimetal
2Roses

My Design Process

Once a month, members of the EtsyMetal team are asked a question and then requested to blog about it simultaneously. This month's question is: The Creative Process: How do you plan and organize for design?

I use simple geometric forms as the building blocks for most of my designs, which are inspired by architecture, machines, toys and nature. When I get a new idea or see a shape that excites me, I try to get a quick sketch down on paper. Many of my designs are modular and linear...so as I begin to work with that idea or shape, I move things around and create multiple variations. As a result, sometimes the design evolves or completely changes, many times it grows into a whole collection of jewelry (eg: bracelets, earrings and necklaces). I do this both on paper and with the metal parts I make....
I really like designing by playing with "pieces parts" and as a result of that, my bench is always completely cluttered. I have many "parts" all over the place...ready for me to arrange and re-arrange and re-arrange...until someday it becomes a finished design. This is both good and bad. I like being reminded of my many ideas and their "parts" but is also distracting and just a down-right messy. I have been meaning to do a serious clean up for months but I am very good at procrastination! And don't forget what Albert Einstein said:

If a cluttered desk signs a cluttered mind, Of what, then, is an empty desk a sign?

Please visit the other blogs participating in today's blog carnival to read about their design process:
Victoria Takahashi/Experimetal
Thomasin Durgin/metalriot
Su Trindle/QuercusSilver
Inbar Bareket
Stacey Hansen
Nina Gibson
Corliss & John Rose/2Roses
Maria Whetman
Beth Cyr

Blog Carnival - Ring a Day

Once a month, members of the EtsyMetal team are asked a question and then requested to blog about it. This month's question is: What is your favorite ring from the Ring-a-Day Project thus far?

If I had to choose one of my own rings, it would be my "Growth" ring from day #25. I had been experimenting with the folded leaf-like band since my "Orange Blossom" ring on day #13 and I really think the resolution of "Growth" is a perfect continuation of that experimentation. I will definitely be making more of these slightly whimsical, nature-inspired rings in the coming months.

"Growth" sterling silver. scored and bent, forged, fabricated.

The Ring-a-Day Project has given me the motivation to veer off my daily path and the freedom to explore concepts and designs that don't need to fit in with my production line. I have been yearning for this freedom for a long time and I am so glad I decided to join this project!

There are too many fabulous rings to choose favorites, but here are a few that I really love from others participating in this project. And don't forget you can always browse the entire group pool (over 3,ooo photos so far!) on flickr: Ring-a-Day.

Ring-a-Day #3 "Matchbox", Ring-a-Day #4, "Matchbox On Fire" by Maria Apostolou.

Bad Girl Button Ring 9/365 by Thomasin Durgin/metalriot

"cot" (in) , "cot" (on) by Victoria Takahashi/experimental

Please visit the other blogs participating in today's blog carnival to read about their favorites:
Alisa Miller
Beth Cyr
Caitlyn Davey/discomedusa
Catherine Chandler
Colleen Baran
Chris Parry
kerin rose
Maureen "Cosmo's Moon" BZ
Nina Dinoff
Sara Westermark
stacey hansen
Su Trindle
Thomasin Durgin
Victoria Takahashi

My most treasured object(s)

Once a month, members of the EtsyMetal team are asked a question and then requested to blog about it. This month's question is: What is your favorite object?

My Etsymetal blogging mates and I agree---Surprisingly, this is a VERY hard question to answer! Many of us thought "if there were a fire and I could grab one thing, what would it be?"

With the exception of the people in my home---So much, even many of the objects I hold very dear, are not really important and many are replaceable.

At first thought, my laptop comes to mind---If there were a fire and my family was safe, I might grab my MacBook. My entire business is run on it, recent family photos, daily connection to the entire world, etc. But I feel cheap and dirty claiming that my laptop is my most cherished possession...

Once I thought about it a bit longer, I remembered all the photos that are NOT in digital format. I have boxes of photos from high school to present time. For years, I carried a camera everywhere I went. My memories are in those boxes of photographs and I cherish them. But if I had to grab just ONE thing, I think it would be the photo album my parents put together for me a few years ago. It was a thoughtful gift containing my family tree and photos dating from from my great grandparents to my first born son. Here are a few of my favorites...

My grandparents (on the left) on a date circa 1930's. I absolutely love this photograph. My Pap looks so dashing and my grandma is gorgeous!

Me (left) and my dear friend, Kirsten (right) entering the school for our first day of kindergarden. (I hope she doesn't kill me for posting this photo! She had recently given herself a haircut...like all good 5 year olds!)

To read about my fellow EtsyMetal members' most treasured object, please visit the following blogs sometime today:
Victoria Takahashi
Stacey Hansen
Rebekah Timlin Meddles
Sara Westermark
Beth Cyr
Ashley Akers

My best jewelery memory....

Once a month, members of the EtsyMetal team are asked a question and then requested to blog about it. This month's question is: What is your best jewelry memory?

I don't have a single best jewelry memory. But all of my best jewelry memories are with my husband, Ben. That sounds like a cliché, but it's not really...

In case you are wondering (or worrying!) NONE of the memories include him getting down on his knee. He never formally proposed or presented me with an engagement ring. (And that is a story for another day!) In fact, in the 17 years that we have been together, he has only given me 2 pieces of jewelry. (And why should he, right? Although a nice big stone that I could put into a piece of jewelry might be nice someday. hmmmmmm.)

I have digressed a little from my original thought...

I met Ben when we were attending Tyler School of Art---I was getting my BFA, he was getting his MFA---we were both concentrating our studies in the Jewelry/Metals Department. After a year of friendship, our relationship evolved into a more romantic one. I have many fond (and some not so fond) jewelry related memories during this period of my life. One in particular was when I was working late in the studio one weekend night. Ben really wanted me to watch one of his favorite movies "Robin and Marian," but I had to work on my project. So he rented the movie and brought it to the studio. He pulled the forming stakes I needed to use in front of the studio television, so I could watch the movie with him while I worked. (Nice date, huh?)

I don't have digital images of my school work. These are badly scanned from slides.

I don't think this is the piece I was working on when we watched "Robin and Marian", but it of the same time period (circa 1992).

Another fond jewelry memory I have takes place years later...

I had started my business and Ben was teaching Jewelry/Metals at Rowan University. We would go to Rowan every Sunday---he opened the studio for his students and I would work on my own jewelry. We would drive from Philadelphia to Glassboro in the late morning and pick up lunch on the way---many times we would eat a picnic lunch on the lawn near the jewelry studio. We would spend all day there---I would bring waxes that that I injected at our home studio and we would invest them, do a quick burn out and cast. We would drive home Sunday night---many times fighting with the summertime New Jersey to Philly beach traffic---and would listen to "This American Life" on the car radio.

Ben and Danielle casting at Rowan University circa 1998

To read about my fellow EtsyMetal members' best jewelry memory, please visit the following blogs:
Andes Cruz Designs
Bijougirl
Sara Westermark

The first piece of jewelry I made...

I made my first piece of jewelry well over 20 years ago. Sure, I strung macaroni and made construction paper link necklaces years before that...but this was was first metalsmithed piece.

I had an amazing high school art teacher (thank you Mr. Pozun!) and he introduced jewelry making when I was a sophomore (circa 1986 - age 16). The funny part of the story is....I HATED it! We had to lay out our design on a sheet of nickle silver and cut it out. The tedious sawing and filing that followed was TORTURE. And Mr Pozun did all the soldering, so I missed out on the FIRE (aka the fun part)!

I truly discovered my passion for working in metals a year later, while at the PA Governor's School (a summer art camp of sorts) when I was introduced to steel sculpture and braising. Metal + Fire = LOVE!

And a year later, I was in college and concentrating my studies in Jewelry/Metals. Funny how things work out, huh?

To read about my fellow EtsyMetal members' first piece of jewelry, please visit the following blogs:
Andes Cruz http://andescruz.wordpress.com/
Beth Cyr http://bcyrjewelry.blogspot.com
Caitlyn Davey http://discomedusa.typepad.com
Clare Stoker http://clarestoker.blogspot.com
Cynthia Del Giudice http://cynthiadelgiudice.blogspot.com/
Delias Thompson http://deliasstudioinc.blogspot.com
duckduckGoose http://duckduckgoosestuff.co.uk/duckduckBLOG
Kerin Rose http://kerinrose.blogspot.com
Laura Crawford http://tangerinetreehouse.blogspot.com
Libby Rosas http://elizabethrosasjewelry.blogspot.com
Nina Dinoff http://ninadinoff.blogspot.com
Nina Gibson http://ninagibsondesigns.blogspot.com/
Sara Westermark http://sarawestermark.blogspot.com/
Tamra Gentry http://gentrydesignco.typepad.com/
Quercus Silver http://quercussilver.blogspot.com

Signature style...

A question has been asked, "How did you come to develop your clearly defined style? What inspired that signature style?"

First, I should describe what I consider my "clearly defined style"... Simple, refined geometric forms, clean line and kinetic elements (especially abacus-like ones) are an integral part of my "signature style."

I have always been drawn to geometry, minimalism and mechanisms. I believe that growing up in a steel mill town played a huge role in influencing this design aesthetic. I took in the everyday sights, like factory architecture, freight trains and the lattice of bridges, with a child’s wonder-filled eyes. All of this sparked my own creative industry, which I now express through my jewelry design. Like the gears and rails that inspired it, my jewelry is geometric and much of it has moving parts.

Bethlehem Steel's mills along the Conemaugh Rivers, Johnstown, PA

The kinetic aspect of my "signature style" was brought to life while I was studying jewelry at Tyler School of Art, during a project in which we had to design a piece of jewelry that attached to the wearer in a non-traditional method. I created a brooch that used a series of sterling gears and rubber rollers in which the wearer's shirt fabric rolled between the rollers as a means of attachment. After that project, I started to explore the concept of kinetic jewelry and how the wearer could interact with it. The last few months of my studies were devoted to creating large rings with playful, movable elements, entitled "Nervous Habit Rings." Once I graduated, I began scaling down my ideas to appeal to the consumer while still maintaining the kinetic base.

Incline Plane, Johnstown, PA

I entered the marketplace in 1994 with my kinetic designs...but didn't feel like I had my "signature style" down yet. In 1995 I made my first "Abacus Bracelet." I continued to build on that design and that is when my "signature style" finally took a true hold. Although my designs are constantly evolving, I still feel like all of my work has a consistent and "clearly defined style."

Abacus Bracelet #1

For more stories about inspiration and signature styles, please read these blogs, whose authors are posting on the topic on June 5 -6, 2009
http://andescruz.ganoksin.com/blogs
http://andescruz.wordpress.com
http://ashleyakers.blogspot.com
http://bcyrjewelry.blogspot.com
http://cynthiadelgiudice.blogspot.com
http://etsymetal.blogspot.com
http://ninagibsondesigns.blogspot.com
http://sarawestermark.blogspot.com
http://tangerinetreehouse.blogspot.com

http://discomedusa.typepad.com