Taming the Tangle

Back from Bead & Button

Vanessa almost stumbled into the studio today, back from a very full weekend at Bead and Button. It was supposed to be just a short excursion, but it turned into a longer stint because she was helping Rebeca Mojica of Blue Buddha Boutique... apparently she was the only chainmaille supplier at the show. Yay! This meant she was swamped, so Vanessa stayed on to help out in the booth. If you were there -- and I have yet to go myself -- Vanessa was the one wearing the fabulous chainmaille shrug. Check out this image here and visit her online at Gianessa Designs.

Studio Stories: a glimpse at SOFA New York

When I took my road trip to Vegas, I stopped at my friend Martha Schindler-Connors house twice during my travels. She loaned me the book "Blogging for Dummies," which I've been making my way through slowly. It's good for picking up tidbits here and there, and it's gotten me to think about different types of content that you might be interested in. So today I'm launching a new category called "Studio Stories" which will feature glimpses of life in the studio, the inner working of a bustling studio with 5 artists all working together, what happens there and how it happens, as well as stories of what the other artists in the studio are up to... it's not all just about me!!

Each member of the studio is an artist in her own right, and to prove that point, Katie -- professionally known as Moira K. Lime -- just had her work debuted at SOFA New York. Check out her blog for pictures of some of the pieces that were shown there with Charon Kransen... here are some detail shots of pieces that she has brought into the studio for all of us to see (and feel!). They are a wonderfully textural fiber that she creates and manipulates then coats with something rubbery (?)... I am totally unsure of the process but LOVE the results. Can't wait to own one someday (hopefully before she gets famous).

Pure 24k gold for "May is gold" month + The golden rule of customer service

As many of you know, I’ve started working in gold more. I love 18k, but due to rising costs I’ve been working mostly in 14k. In December I got a request from a client to create a necklace and earring set in pure 24k gold. I love this type of custom challenge, particularly when given the timeline of “you take as much time as you need to complete the project to the best of your ability.” Whoa… the (self-inflicted) pressure!

Being comfortable with the idea of self-education, my first step was to call my favorite wire supplier, Hoover and Strong. I love working with them because their wire is all recycled content (harmony metals), meaning it’s not freshly mined, making it more eco-friendly. They have 24k gold – this is gold in its pure form – but they explained to me that the gold would be too soft for my wire work. I also needed to buy or make 24k gold ear nuts, which they considered impossible since 24k gold would not work harden so the ear nuts would not have enough tension to hold an earring. I knew I could substitute 18k ear nuts if needed, but I didn’t want to resort to that unless absolutely necessary.

Hmmm… a major stumbling block. Whenever I reach a major technical stumbling block, I call my friend and jeweler Janice Ho. She is amazing! Her education and work experiences are so thorough, and she can boil something down in such a way that I can understand it. She knew of a product called PureGold, which she had worked with, that is 24k with a tiny amount of titanium alloy to add structure… but it can still be hallmarked as pure 24k gold.

What a breakthrough! Needless to say, this is the product that I worked with. If you love gold, you have not experienced the warmth and beauty, and sheer heft, of the metal until you’ve seen it in its pure form. I cannot wait until I can afford to do all of my gold wire work with this product! In my mind, gold represents optimism, and the beauty of this product captured the light and delicate beauty I’m always striving to capture in my designs.


For all you jewelers out there, I will warn you, though. This product is fabulous, but the company and customer service are not. From what I can tell, this is a one-man operation. He deals in gold, but does not accept credit cards! I mean, come on!, I’ve accepted credit cards for 4 or 5 years now. He – John Bernardin – is very well-versed in the product and comfortable talking about it and its qualities. But he is not comfortable with the business side of things. He hadn’t realized that I had actually placed an order when I called because we didn’t have the formality of me giving payment over the phone. I kept wondering why my product hadn’t arrived. He also had numerous manufacturing issues, which he didn’t call me about. It all boiled down to… I placed an order in December and got my product in April. That is ridiculous! And, as you might know, gold prices had radically changed in that time period. This was a MAJOR flaw in PureGold’s ordering system. With all of my other suppliers the market price is captured at the time of order, which is also when I’m paying. This was not true with PureGold… the market price was at the time of SHIPPING, which meant the price I quoted for a custom piece 4 months earlier was way off compared to the actual market value of gold at that time.

I always strive to give good customer service. Sometimes I fail due to my travel schedule, but I always get back to a customer as soon as I can to explain the situation. This is an area I am working on for myself. Especially after this experience. It was so odd to receive a product that I was thrilled with but be so horrified by the service that I wasn’t sure how I felt in the end (especially since the service waylaid my product delivery by months). That’s why I waited to post this information – I wanted to cool off a bit and get back in touch with the excitement of the gold itself… which is beautiful. If you work with PureGold, and you should consider it if it sounds right for a project, be as clear as possible with your expectations and timeline so you don’t suffer from the same issues I had.

And, if you are looking for a special piece of contemporary heirloom-quality jewelry, contact me to discuss a design in pure 24k gold. You won’t be disappointed!

When I’m on a roll… more networking resources

One of the reasons that networking has been on my mind so much lately is because networking can be akin to business research, which I’m trying to do to get a clear vision for my revised business plan this year.

Today was a full day of driving, and I decided to pass the time by listening to an audiobook: “Three Cups of Tea” by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin. This book is so inspiring on many levels; from an entrepreneurial standpoint it teaches much about patience, persistence, and the power of networking. I swear I am not just being single-focused!

When I reached my hotel, I decided to spend a little time bouncing around the web, catching up on emails, and reading some of the magazines I brought with me. What should I find? In email I learned about the Wholesale Matters blog from the Buyer’s Market of American Craft (BMAC). It has already proved to be a great resource because it pointed me toward Cindy Edelstein with the Jeweler’s Resource Bureau… just the type of business connections I’ve been trying to unearth.

When the internet on my Mac got flaky, I turned to the June issue of The Crafts Report, a magazine that I have been subscribing to for several years. It’s a great resource for starting out in the craft world, and I always find a few of the articles in every issue useful to make my ongoing subscription worthwhile. What should I flip to? An article on page 64: “Networking: The Glue that Connects Artists to Success” by Michelle Sholund. It’s a good overview of building up your own professional networks, with one of the main ones being talking to fellow exhibitors at shows (note: do not let this get in the way of sales, though!).

I can attest to the usefulness of that first-hand. In February at the BMAC I met Loretta Lam, a wonderfully upbeat polymer clay artist. We had a lot to talk about because, like wire jewelry, polymer clay jewelry is building in attention and sophistication and already has some rock-star artists in that medium. We talked with each other about being emerging artists, finding our own voices in our work and finding our market share without creating controversy (or being accused of copying another artist’s work – aack! The biggest insult we’ve each faced). We really hit it off, traded cards, but haven’t found the time to re-connect with all the responsibilities of being an independent artist (I’m hoping to see her again in Philly this August).

Well, apparently she kept my card (just as I have kept hers) and passed my name on to Ronna Weltman… another great jewelry artist who combines polymer and wire in her designs. She’s also a contributing editor for Step by Step Wire Jewelry magazine; she interviewed me for an upcoming article about inspiration due out this summer. What lucky happenstance for me since upping my PR efforts has been taking a back-burner this year while I get a handle on studio business practices. And all thanks to the fortunate networking with Loretta! I’ll keep you posted when the article is out in print.

Making Friends on the Road

Last night was a rare treat to go out for dinner with fellow jeweler Judith Foster and her assistant/friend Nancy. Judith creates amazing inlaid jewelry pieces (check out the cuff bracelets!) that I cannot even begin to fathom how they are created.

Last year we had the luck of meeting for the first time at the Four Bridges Art Festival in Chattanooga, Tennessee. That night at dinner we just clicked and yacked away the whole evening… well, last night was no different. We each hoped we weren’t boring the pants off Nancy, but we have so much to share with each other because we started doing art shows at about the same time but from radically different perspectives. Judith was down-sized from a large corporation, whereas I eased myself into this lifestyle. We each have marketing in our backgrounds, so we are like-minded in those efforts.

We talked about so many issues, including: selling our work wholesale, how to design a wholesale production line (Judith has had the opportunity to consult with Wendy Rosen -- I think through the Arts Business Institute or the Clasp conference -- and shared some of that information), how far to drive to a show, working with assistants, how to handle custom work, teaching opportunities and what to charge, as well as how to outsource studio tasks without bringing on staff (specifically accounting and bookkeeping).

By the end of the night we were pretty wound up and had to go our separate ways to get a good night’s sleep in preparation for the last day of Paradise City Northampton… it’s always a little crazy to get up early (to workout, get organized, etc.), have a full day of selling, pack up, and for some to start the drive home… me, I’m waiting for a pizza delivery as I type. Judith and I have called a truce on the idea that if we ever share a hotel room, no talking business or we’ll never get any sleep. It’s so much fun to click with someone and discuss different approaches to doing business in the art world, though. I was excited to learn from her experience and hear how she would do things differently if she were my age. Good things to ponder on my drive home tomorrow and discuss with my business counselor on Friday… I’m still working towards putting a business plan in place this year so am gathering as much information and ideas as possible.

Tracking Progress

Networking has been on my mind a lot lately. It’s important to build new networks, but it’s also valuable to keep connections from various life points alive. Sometimes those connections can really come in handy.

Last month when I drove to Las Vegas and back, I was able to couch surf the whole trip. This was fabulous! It not only helped me to save money, but it gave me something to look forward to at the end of a long grueling day on the road. It was also a fun bonus to eat everybody’s favorite cereal (have you tried Cracklin' Oat Bran lately?) or sit down for dinner together. It was a life saver for that trip overall (yet have I mentioned that I won’t undertake that type of drive again?).

It was also interesting to capture the snapshots in time of where we all are right now, which gives a good sense of progress. I know sometimes I think I haven’t accomplished much with my jewelry career yet, but that’s because I’m monitoring day-to-day progress which feels like a snails pace! Several of my friends felt the same.

My friend Martha Schindler-Connors, who had the good fortune of hosting me to and from Vegas :), has pushed her freelance writing career to a new level (she’s in the midst of writing a book). It was also great to get some running pointers from her… she is my “just do it” running idol.

In Vegas I visited with Ramsey Hong, a college buddy who I hadn’t seen in probably 9 years. I always remember him doing fun illustrations and working on the comics section at the newspaper, and now he’s had his illustrations published on a new game: Walk the Plank.



I didn’t get a chance to play it yet but am eager to track it down for some of my nephews. It was also fun being reminded that I had lost a lot of weight since he saw me last (60 lbs.!)… which helped me take some pressure off myself to lose 10 more pounds to be at the weight my doctor wants me to maintain.

While on the road I also sent a newsletter to my friends, contacts, and customers announcing the launch of my new website (you can sign up for my newsletter here). It was wonderful to receive a response from my friend and former colleague Pat Rosenzweig (a fantastic knitter... find her work at Artisans 21 in Chicago) with the simple question, “Is it true that just 5 years ago you were selling jewelry out of your loft?” Indeed it was true, and suddenly I realized that not only do friends and contacts ground us, but they can also lift us up when we need it. 

Return to NoHo, Networking and A Dose of Mystery

After being home for just over a week, I’m back on the road again – heading towards Northampton, Massachusetts for the Paradise City Arts Festival. Northampton holds a special place in my heart because I attended Smith College for two years and met two of my dearest friends there (for any Smithies out there, here’s the code: 1990-92, Ziskind House). This will be my second year at this show – last year was memorable for me because one of my most dramatic pieces of jewelry (the Wire Boa) found a rightful owner, and I made gallery contacts… my work is now carried at the Smith College Museum of Art Gallery Shop as well as at Pinch on Main Street.

This goes to prove the point that I’ve discussed with many people this week, for opportunities to come knocking, you have to put yourself out there and be receptive to them. We’d all love to sit back in our living rooms and just get “discovered” one day, but I’m taking a pound-the-pavement approach by trying to meet as many people as possible, unearth opportunities, and keep myself open to opportunities that I’ve never even considered.

Along those lines, while I was hoping for a relaxing week at home, many networking opportunities arose that I just couldn’t turn down. I’ve already mentioned my class with Arline Fisch last Saturday and Sunday.  On Tuesday I joined my friend Alley Maranto at the Illinois Institute of Art Chicago (where she has joined the faculty of the new Accessories Program) to teach a class on designing a jewelry line (this morphed into lots of career and networking discussion as well). Wednesday night found the two of us meeting up again at the Mayor’s Fashion Council networking event… so many interesting contacts (and hopefully more to come from the business card exchange table). I had great discussions with Boris Powell, a fabulous emerging Chicago fashion designer (hopefully we will collaborate on a runway show some day!), as well as Jenny from Evlove Intimates (maybe we’ll join up for a bridal home show soon). Alley also laughed as I pushed my way to meet Jason from the Chicagoland Entrepreneurial Center, but I’ve learned to not be too shy at these things. Combine those unusual opportunities with a half-day of accounting with my bookkeeper and a separate training session on understanding inventory control practices for my business, and today, as a full 12 hour day in the car, was almost a welcome relief from this go-go schedule… it gave me time to process everything I took in and start setting priorities.

Just to make sure you don’t think it was all work last week, there was fun stuff like cooking club one night and Mystery Night another. What’s Mystery Night? It’s a great idea I learned from my friend and fellow jeweler Sara Lenart… Dan and I take turns (roughly monthly) planning a fun night out to surprise the other. It’s a great way to break the routine after almost-13 years of marriage. This week was Dan’s pick – we went to see the play “Speech and Debate” at the American Theater Company, a great local theater that we were able to walk to. It was an interesting play about high school sexuality; I was particularly intrigued at the incorporation of video projection to capture texting and internet interactions.

After that full week, even just in re-cap, I’m ready to hit the hay. Which reminds me… random product placement. This week I got a new pillow (upon the suggestion of another friend and jeweler Joanna Gollberg)… it’s a curvy neck-supporting memory foam pillow. Awesome! I love it. It should really help with the jaw and neck tension issues I’ve been having, and it makes for a good travel pillow. In fact, I think I hear it calling :)

Learning Something New

This past weekend was one of my few weekends at home, but, despite that, I couldn't resist taking a class with Arline Fisch. What an opportunity! The Chicago Metal Arts Guild brought her here (from San Diego) for a 2-day workshop held at Northeastern Illinois University, which has great jewelry facilities run by Jane Weintraub (the classes are auditable as well!). It was tough to forgo sleeping in, spending time outside on a beautiful spring weekend, or even just lazing around reading a good book. But I saw an opportunity to expand my skills in the exact area that I work in, and fate made the timing work out so how could I deny that?

For those of you who aren't familiar with Arline Fisch, she's one of the artists who have worked hard to develop textile techniques in metals over the time of her career. She has written several books, which was one of the reasons I decided to write my own book as well. She's really looked to as an expert in her field.

I do not know Arline, so it was a real treat to meet her and learn directly from her. The workshop was really about working, and due to other plans I wasn't able to join the group for dinner out, so I didn't get to know her very well. She alluded to retirement, which I think means she retired from full-time teaching. I was excited to see slides that she brought of her designs over the years, which includes work that she is doing now. Currently she is creating a large installation (a new challenge for her as she is a jewelry artist) for the Racine Art Museum, which will go up in August. I was to plan a visit there like my friend Anne Leuck Feldhaus describes doing on her Adventures & Art blog (she went on a jaunt to Kohler)... sounds fabulous for a fall weekend.

Here's what I worked on in class:

I threw myself into just trying all of the techniques rather than wanting to make finished products... there never would have been time for that. The samples will be great reference points for me when what I've learned has sunk into my design consciousness. We learned various weaving techniques as well as braiding. No shocker, I liked the weaving more because it came more naturally to me, although the braiding in a zig-zag was super cool! You might see some experiments where I try incorporating these techniques into a few designs to see how they look and feel... I'll keep you posted for any studio shows where this would come into play.

The Seemy Underbelly of the Craft World

Today is an unusual Saturday for me. It's rainy, and I've accomplished nothing, not even a shower. This is partly to blame for being out late last night, but it's more due to the blogosphere, of which I am a new member.

I figured I would track down a few fellow artist's blogs to get a peek, add a link to my site if appropriate, and move on. My first stop: Circa Ceramics. I love Nancy and Andy, the little that I know them. We met at my very first public selling event, the 2003 (? I think) Cornelia Arts Holiday Show, where we were set up in a hallway next to each other. Nancy comes to our local monthly Art Girls gatherings (for artists who do shows) when she can, and it was a point of pride when I successfully nabbed her contribution to our annual holiday art swap event last December.

On their blog [that which is not], I browsed around and found some interesting links. I stumbled upon a post from last month, And the saga continues..., about the Baltimore American Craft Council (ACC) show. I definitely wanted to read this one because that's a show nut that I cannot crack, despite fellow artists being aghast at my string of rejections (having learned that there's no magic formula, I cease to be surprised).

From there I followed one little link that sounded so intriguing, only to stumble upon a raging debate with more than a hundred comments on the Imogene blog. After maybe 90 minutes of reading, I had to tear myself away just to take a break and digest the content of the confessions post. I haven't reached "the end" yet (probably never will because artists like myself are constantly linking back to this debate and it continues to grow).

Why be another one to mention it? Well, I'm worn out from so many discussions along these lines... worn out in a good way and glad to know other artists have been having the very same thoughts and discussions. This online debate is so eloquent and touches on many, many issues of the fine art community vs. the alt-craft scene or indie artist.

It also gets into specifics about the Society of North American Goldsmiths (SNAG), which took me years to join... I had to have several fellow jewelers tell me that it was okay to join even though I'm not a goldsmith and haven't formally studied metalsmithing. Now I mostly belong just to receive the magazine; the organization is not for me as a full-time jeweler. Many people in the online debate touch on that gap between academic metalsmithing and production jewelry. The whole debate is sparked because Annie from Imogene reacts to her first SNAG conference. I, too, attended a conference last year when it was in my home town of Chicago. I pretty much decided "never again." Many of the artist lectures were inspiring, and I did enjoy the international flavor, but it was more about promoting a big name as an artist rather than the down-to-earth information for building a successful jewelry business. (Note: I haven't been to one yet, but have heard great things about the Clasp conferences which have a more practical business appeal.)

On a personal (but intentionally vague) note, I have had some tough professional show experiences, including being shunned by fellow artists, being shouted at publicly in my booth to having to defend myself to a show director to be able to do a prestigious show that I juried into but a fellow artist did not approve of me doing.

This online debate has made me feel more a part of a community that I didn't even know existed. At this point I don't even want to over-define what that community is... I've never exactly felt a part of the indie craft scene because my background makes me want to put a professional face and display forward, but I don't feel a part of the old-guard über-technically-trained professional craft scene, either. Apparently, from what I can see on the surface scratch I made on Imogene's blog, there are a lot of us in this realm, and we are very thankful for the audiences that we have built up.

Thank you for your continued support, whether as friend, family, customer, welcome smile at a show, fellow artist, or any number of contacts that I've made along the way. I couldn't do it without you and wouldn't want to!

Making Connections

When looking back at a show to evaluate its success, it's important to look at connections in addition to sales numbers.  Shows are the time when you are really putting yourself out there, and you need to be open to all different opportunities. It was the summer of 2005 when a representative of Lark  Books saw me and my work at the State Street Art Fair in Ann Arbor, and that discussion lead to my book, Elegant Wire Jewelry, which was published last year.

Beyond my own book, being in touch with Lark prompted me to ask about another author and jeweler, Joanna Gollberg, who looked a lot like someone I went to high school with in Asheville, North Carolina. It was her! When I traveled to Asheville for my book's photoshoot, we only spent a few minutes catching up on high school, agreeing we'd rather focus on where we are at now and relish in knowing another jeweler buddy. Joanna has a great website filled with stories of her travels, and I finally got to see a full display of her work in person when our paths crossed at the Buyer's Market show in Philadelphia. We had a couple of minutes to re-connect and admire each other's work and give pep talks where needed.

This year in Philly I had the opportunity to meet many other jewelers, which is a comforting way to start building a network at a show with hundreds of artists. After hours we would meet up at the Loew's Hotel for happy hour, and, if we had the energy after that, smaller groups would break off and head to dinner. For our last night there, my roommate Olive (center) and I joined up with a group and walked over to El Vez restaurant. This was my favorite meal of the whole trip... I went decadent and ordered the braised short ribs with horseradish sauce. yum! No wonder I put on a few pounds this trip despite all my best efforts to workout every morning.

El Vez happens to have an old-fashioned photo booth... there were 9 of us at dinner, and we managed to get 8 of us into the booth at one point. I'll spare you those blurry cheek and forehead shots, but wanted to share these fun shots. Dawn Benedetto (on left) and I had a trunk show together a few years ago at Virtu in Chicago. Her Poppi rings are addictive, and she has a new direction to her work that is just as fun! Her giggle is infectious. She is fun to hang out with, and I have a lot of business acumen to learn from her... she has a helpful website and lots of great show and business experience in the jewelry field.

You can see I got roped into the photo booth unexpectedly where I then took out Olive trying to find the camera... we finally got our act together in the last shot.

I will weave stories of other connections throughout my posts, both of jewelers, artists, and galleries.