Jewelry design process
Have you ever sat down and really thought through how you go about the process of designing a new piece from scratch? I’ve thought about it from time to time, and although my exact methods change, I did manage to come up with a couple of main points that stay constant:
1 I need to have tons of stuff readily available to be able to fantasize freely.
2 Although I have files and files of ideas to look to for inspiration, I find that I generally start with a classic idea or pattern and try to give it my own personal twist.
3 I alternate between bead-embroidery, freeform, assemblage, and lampwork. It doesn’t matter to me what the style of piece I’m designing, it’s always my goal to do something with it that puts my personal stamp on it.
4 I use a lot of cross-over ideas from other art forms and from completely different disciplines.
I think that the idea of a frequent “artist date”, as popularized by Julia Cameron in The Artist’s Way, is an excellent idea. You can’t refill the well when it runs dry if you are not seeking out new springs of water. For a daily dose of mixed media inspiration, I would also suggest subscribing to blogs that cover different topics that interest you besides just beading. My friend Derek has a blog called Craft Videos that collects clips on all different types of craft production. And I could also recommend my own mixed media blog, Layers Upon Layers, where we look at everything under the sun.
So, do you have design tips that you’d like to share? What process do you go through, or does it vary every time? I’d love to hear about it!
handmade-beaded-jewelry, wearable-art, beads, beading, jewelry, mixed-media, creativity, jewelry designing
March 9th, 2007 at 11:21 am
I have always started with the materials…and like you, needed to have a lot of “stuff” out and around me in order to get creative. I’ve been doing the Artist’s Dates for years, and also use Cameron’s ideas of Morning Pages, too. You don’t have to be a writer for the pages idea to be helpful.
Interesting, though…the idea of having lots of stuff around me doesn’t work if I’m trying to write. It’s too distracting. So I live in a constant back and forth state of messy and piled up or all crammed into the closet so I can’t see it!
bobbi c.
March 9th, 2007 at 11:44 am
Oh Bobbi, that is so true!! My desk where I write is so clean you could eat right off it (though I don’t know why you’d want to…), but my worktable is a complete disaster
March 9th, 2007 at 12:46 pm
I’m starting to think that I need two rooms. One pristine white with a laptop and a table and chair…for writing.
The one other is where all the books are, the art supplies, the cabinets with the plant light on it, old projects, and the library table!
bc
March 10th, 2007 at 7:35 am
Some good ideas on how to keep the “well” pumped! Thanks for the insights and tips!
March 10th, 2007 at 11:35 pm
Some really great tips. I really like your cross over idea.
March 11th, 2007 at 1:17 pm
Thanks guys! I’m glad if you’ve found the suggestions helpful
March 14th, 2007 at 11:58 am
Funny, the desk where I write (at my day job) is unbelievably cluttered!
My jewelry design process also starts with the materials. The material I’ve designed with the most is wire, and I often start a piece by cutting an arbitrary length of wire and sculpting it with my hands until I can “see” the perfect spot to set a pearl or other bead. From there, it’s just a matter of finishing the piece in an attractive (and practical - people wear this stuff after all) way.
March 14th, 2007 at 12:14 pm
LOL!! I just can’t clear my head to write if there are any distractions around…and that includes cute pictures of my husband!
August 24th, 2007 at 10:40 pm
I find I get my best ideas while lying in bed those last few moments before I go to sleep. I keep a notepad beside my be to jot them down. I also seem to come up with the best solutions to design problems while lying on my bed with my eyes closed. I guess the act of lying on the bed and closing my eyes has conditoned my brain to go into “creative mode.”
August 25th, 2007 at 8:32 am
Yes! Charlene, that is also a very good way for me to come up with idea, but mostly I lie on the couch instead (I’ve got enough sleep issues that I don’t want to associate my bed with working!). But my all-time best thinking place is the shower…