Taming the Tangle

Why did these earrings take more than a year to make?

Yesterday I finished a pair of custom earrings that have taken me more than a year to complete. This is ridiculous, and I'm lucky that I have a very patient, artist-supportive patron. So, I'm opting to celebrate rather than feel guilty.

In that 1-year time span I have moved my home and studio, worked through artist blocks with The Artist's Way program, taken classes, done more than a dozen art fairs around the country, moved my mom into a nursing home, filled orders, finished other custom pieces, and done lots of fun stuff too... yet none of those things specifically points to just why it took me a year. So, I'm going to explain it a little bit just for fun.

Here's where the conversation started:

Client: I'd like a pair of clip earrings in your anemone series, like the Gradient Anemone Ring you created.

Me: Okay! I've never done anything like that, but I'm sure I can figure it out. It might take me a while.

Gradient Anemone Ring, photo by Larry Sanders, ©2012 Kathy Frey

That's not an exact, verbatim transcript of our conversation, but it's pretty close. I know from my very own experiences, that I should write out for myself the steps I think the project will require, estimate the number of hours as a range, and then estimate the cost also as a range, and then get a deposit to start the project. These steps are ideal because they make everything more concrete. They are essential for any project, whether doing website updates or creating custom jewelry.

The other thing that's just one of my personal FEAR creators, is that the client sent images of some other jewelry of similar designs but totally different mediums. This starts a fear reaction for me because I've been accused of copying other artists' work even though I rarely look around at a lot of other work... I've found it's the kiss of death for me and opens up the pits of despair because I feel like everything has been done and my vision is not unique. This fear reaction is not something I realized until taking The Artist's Way class... I don't have the perfect solution for fighting it yet, but I do know just to push on and keep working rather than be paralyzed.

So, right off the bat, I'm afraid and have a vague project that on the surface seems easy enough yet has no deadline. I did do some work up front because the client wanted a coating on the wire to help preserve the gradient patina. I'm shocked that even a year later I'm still learning pointers. I did opt for a light lacquer, and I want to explore other lacquer options and even the possibility of wax for certain pieces, yet I know from many experiments over the years that I need to maintain the structural integrity of the pieces and prevent webbing between the wire wraps.

The other technical challenge was to master soldering clips. I practiced by making other simpler designs for this same client so she could test them out and let me know which clip styles she prefers. I learned a lot about soldering spring mechanisms... they cannot have heat! So that led to exploring cool gels to use during the soldering process (which I much prefer to disassembling the mechanism... so hard to reassemble!).

I also made the mistake of not sketching concepts of my own. I kept mulling over how other artists had tackled clip earrings and realized that I didn't have the know-how to do what they did. This is okay! I'm self taught and always try to come up with interesting design solutions on my own... I'm a trained designer after all. My problem was mulling this over rather than putting pencil to paper. Anytime I make something concrete, I make much more progress. When I actually did sketches, my confidence returned, yet I knew more experiments were ahead of me.

Sketches, no matter how rough or basic, get you out of your head and into reality. This shows a couple of my concepts.

I knew I had to figure out how to group the branches together with something more substantial than wire (which was what I did for the ring and other pieces in this series) because I needed to solder it to a clip.

Based on my sketch (the bottom one... way more aesthetically pleasing), I was able to do a simple paper mock-up. This helped me to figure out other supplies and tools I would need: specifically a doming set and silver discs (the paper mock up helped me to figure out the size).

I still wasn't sure if I would be able to make the cone from sheet metal, so in the meantime of buying supplies/tools to experiment with, I made an Artist Date with Suzanne Himmler of Riverwoman Design who was willing to teach me metal clay... I wanted this as a backup medium for forming the cones. I even made a sample of the shape I wanted in bronze clay... way too heavy for earrings but good for me to play around with (and a more accurate model than paper). I knew I could make them in silver clay if needed.

Bronze clay cones, essentially a 3D sketch... and a fun artist date.

Another fear thing gets triggered for me... for some reason I have a hard time playing in the studio and trying new things that may or may not work, so my doming set sat in the box for months! How embarrassing is that? I really do want to play with it too... it's such fun to make metal dimensional. I seem to put pressure on myself that I need to be able to sell everything I make... this is not conducive to trying new things and entering new territory... so I'm working on that. A lot of times it means playing in copper and other less expensive metals than silver, so that's where I will head next.

This photo served as proof that I finally had the earrings underway. It was also a good reality check... I could finally supply a cost estimate based on time (I did not charge for learning and tools along the way since those are things that will benefit me).

Making the branches themselves was the easiest part because this is comfortable territory for me, yet I had not made tiny branches in a couple of years... they take forever! For custom work, I time myself so I know exactly what to charge. At this point (about a year in) I finally contacted the client with a snapshot of the progress and an estimate to make sure she wanted me to continue with the earrings and take them to completion. I had been in contact several times, but not very often... it's hard to believe it took me so long to get an estimate and explain the concept approach.

The good news is that the project was a go! So I wrapped, applied patina, and then the real procrastination (ha!) began when I had to face working with metal and soldering... still what I perceive to be a weak point in my skill set. Some day I want to splurge and take an intensive either at Revere Academy or an art camp such as Penland.

Applying the gradient is stressful, especially on small pieces, yet it's still one of my favorite processes since I never know exactly how it will come out.

And by the time I was moving on the project, it was also time for me to head on the road for a month of shows. I tend to have bursts of motivation before a big deadline yet run out of time to finish all the projects... hence my desire to cut down on travels but how will I motivate myself without those deadlines? A conundrum I'm willing to tackle.

For the final push, this week I told myself I couldn't work on inventory for upcoming shows until I had 2 custom orders done, this being one of them. I have a lot of new designs that I'm itching to explore (some of them involving doming), so I decided to just force myself. Once I'm in the studio and creating, fear falls away. One piece had to go in the scrap bin, but that's just part of learning... it's no biggie. And I gave myself a goal for finishing... the weather has turned absolutely gorgeous here, so I told myself in the morning that if I finished the earrings I could go play a round of disc golf later in the afternoon. Yesterday I went out and played a great round because I had the guilt off my shoulders.

And today I mailed these earrings to the client. Now I just have to eagerly anticipate her feedback... hopefully it's love! They are so much better in person....

I secretly want a pair for myself... I already have an idea how to adapt this to hooks.

This whole process was a great learning experience for myself. I now have some strategies for tackling fear, and I know to make things more concrete as soon as possible to see if they are even possible.

Preventing tarnish on sterling silver

Even in our treat-the-symptom society, most of us know in our hearts that prevention is key... yet I'm never such an "in the now" person as when tempted by some tasty-tasty, whatever it may be. I guess that's my confession, to let you know that I am human too. Even as a jeweler, I do not always follow my own advice for preventing tarnish, although I'm pretty good about it. The rule? Store the pieces in a plastic bag, or a box will also work. It's really as simple as that.

Here are some earrings that I started and put in a small baggie to hold in place until I had time to finish them. Look at that tarnish on the part sticking out of the baggie after just 2 weeks! Whereas the metal in the bag looks totally brand new.

When creating work for sale, I'm religious about storing my pieces in plastic bags. They get enough exposure to air, oxygen, and humidity on display at shows, and I want to keep pieces as bright and shiny as possible. But for my own jewelry collection I can be spotty, although in general my pieces look pretty good. I store most things in a jewelry box, and the pieces that go on the road with me start out in baggies and end up in some chaos eventually making it back into baggies (at least they are also in a box). Just find a system that works for you.

Here's a closeup of the tarnish line, quite drastic in my opinion... hence the inspiration to share with you!

I've seen over-the-door jewelry hangers with plastic bag compartments and jewelry boxes of all types. The only things I don't suggest are the open hanging displays (racks or screens for earrings, necklace trees, etc.). Yes, they put the jewelry right where you can see it... a major bonus but it does not out-weigh the fact that everything gets dusty and all sterling will tarnish. And, really, none of us like to polish our jewelry all that much. You can use something like this for fun plastic, wood, or other inexpensive fashion jewelry if you desire. Just make it a habit to open your jewelry box and pick something new to wear at least once a week... it's fun to rediscover your own collection and feel different for a day.

Recession-worthy gold

Have you seen my new vermeil pieces at a recent show? While working with a Chicago customer of mine who wanted a gold bangle but not the solid gold price tag (we are talking many thousands of dollars with today's market), we discussed the idea of vermeil -- a high quality, extra-thick (also government-regulated thickness) plating of gold over sterling silver. She was willing to be patient while I ran tests with Red Sky Plating, and the results are fantastic! She now has a beautiful gold bangle to round out her collection.

Square Riverstone Bangle, Cube Sculpture Hook Earrings, and Cube Pendant in 24k vermeil, snapshot from a recent show, ©2011 Kathy Frey

The Riverstone Bangle comes in at about $1200, although price can fluctuate with the market. The necklace and earrings are less than $300 each! This is very exciting, and a great way to get a gorgeous look. These prices are also for 24k gold, which is pure gold... the color is so warm and brilliant. Vermeil can be done in other karats -- 14k and 18k are common to match other pieces in a collection, which also brings the cost down a bit. I also want to do some tests with rose gold and green gold for some color variety without a high investment on my part.

The other exciting option is rhodium plating, which is what most white gold is plated with to give it that brilliant shine. I've done this over sterling. It looks almost like sterling but slightly shinier. It's a great option if you want a piece to remain tarnish-free yet still have the look of silver. This will make the cost of some of my pieces higher, but it's totally worth it to have low-maintenance jewelry. I will also do some tests where I matte the wire before plating to tone down the shine... so many options, so little time!

If you have any questions or want to special order any pieces, contact me directly since this collection is not available in my Etsy shop yet.

A girl and her torch: a love story at long last

This is a major confession: I'm a jeweler who doesn't much like soldering. That's probably a big reason why I'm a wire artist (although I discovered the medium of wire way before even attempting soldering). Before I got a torch I took a lot of classes, and it wasn't until my designs started branching out to include soldering before I even invested in my own torch setup.

I talked with many jewelers and did a fair amount of research and decided to get a Smith Little Torch. I had really wanted an oxygen-propane setup but I ended up with oxygen-acetylene. I wasn't really sure why this happened until now.... 6 years after getting my first torch I finally actually have an oxygen-propane torch setup! No one explained to me that there's a whole different set of rules for different gases. In general catalogs like Rio Grande make it pretty clear yet it wasn't spelled out in detail.

The brief scoop is that oxy-acetylene burns quite a bit hotter than oxy-propane. The gases have different regulators, and there are specific torches and hoses for the different gases. Propane burns a lot cleaner, whereas acetylene makes a lot of soot and mess to clean up.

When I got used to my Little Torch I was pretty comfortable with it, although over the years it popped out on me a lot and I always felt like I wanted/needed a slightly larger flame that it could produce. So when I got to the point of choosing a new torch system for oxy-propane, I decided to go with the Swiss Torch system. It's not huge although it's 2-3 times the size of my Little Torch.

Here's how it looks in my hand. I just hooked it up 24 hours ago and already I'm in love. Granted I changed 2 things, so I can't say for sure if it's the torch or the oxy-propane heat that work for me but the combo is making me very, very happy. Like get up and dance even though the curtains are open and there's no music playing kind of happy.

Soldering has been such an energy block for me that I've resorted to creating new designs that don't use it. Yet in the last 24 hours I've had 4 successful stints at the torch that produced a) no swearing and b) lots of frames for fun pieces, including the structure for my Luna Hoops (that's what is sitting on the solder block above):

Luna Hoops, photo by Katie Lime, ©2011 Kathy Frey

So now I'm starting to fall in love with soldering. My torch didn't pop out once. I could easily adjust the heat. All the solder flowed and went in all the right places. I felt in control rather than spastic and anxious.

One thing I did learn in my research is that since oxy-acetylene burns so hot, the flame has to be kept in constant motion. That's fine, that's how I was trained. With oxy-propane it's so much more relaxed, though; the flame has to move but it doesn't have to be so quick. Nothing melted or pitted up on me, an all-too-often occurence in the past.

The oxy-acetylene torch isn't out the door, but you might find a layer of dust on it if you come visit.

A note on suppliers: the Little Torch link above connects you to the Rio Grande website and the Swiss Torch link connects you to Otto Frei. They are both great catalogs and there are many others. You can buy a torch kit to get started or you can order parts by the piece. I've done both tactics and can't decide which is better, it's 50-50. I specifically linked the Swiss Torch to Otto Frei because they send the hoses in correct form for the torch body whereas Rio Grande does not. Meaning, I got my hoses from Rio and learned through looking at Otto Frei that I had to cut the hoses and go to a hardware store to get hose clamps. I didn't like having to spend the time to do that research and problem solving. The torch did not come with instructions, so I was lucky to find a helpful person at the store who knew what I needed to do.

Get out your glue sticks

Over the past week I've been working on an assignment... I call it such because I haven't created a "mood board" since design school. Which is funny because they sure are handy. I'm creating them for myself and a designer I'm working with. Words are important, but when two visual people get together it's really powerful to have visuals to refer to. The visuals and the words reinforce each other.

This year one of my big huge goals is to create a new catalog. There's a lot of trickle down from that one little sentence, because creating a new catalog means I want to make as much new work as possible and have it photographed and all of that leads to making my brand message loud and clear. Which means I have to figure out what my brand message is. And who is going to hear it.

So that's what lead me to start cutting up magazines, getting out my glue sticks and tape, and creating mood boards, aka good old-fashioned collages. I made two as a jumping off point to start discussions with the designer. After discussions there might be more collaging so that we are on the same page. For now here's where I'm at (and *please* do pardon my quick snapshots with indoor lighting... I was too excited when I finished these tonight to wait for beautiful natural lighting tomorrow morning... and *sigh* hopefully this is actually the month I finish my home photo setup)... this is my general mood board for where I want to go. I won't go into all the verbal aspect of it because it gets a little nitty gritty.

 

To help the designer understand my customers and clientele better, I created this collage as well:

 

This has been a fun and useful exercise for me already. I'm forming a clearer picture of the type of catalog and visual approach I want rather than loose freeform concepts rattling around in my head. And it sure was fun to get back to kindergarten, although I certainly didn't have an accompanying glass of wine back then.

Favorite tool: emery boards!

One of the funny conundrums about being a jewelry maker is that I don't always look my best for showcasing my own jewelry. I make an effort, of course, but there are times when I'm running out of the studio in my work clothes to do errands, or I need my hair out of my face for working so just pull it up and out of the way.

One of the things I'm most conscious of, especially at shows, are my nails... especially since I love to make and wear rings. Maybe that's why I make big showy rings to attract attention away from my worker hands.

Some of the big rings I design... sculptural, fun, and distracting!, photo by Linda Savitz, © 2011 Kathy Frey

That's why it's funny to me that one of my favorite new tools is emery boards. This tip is actually from my fellow jeweler buddy Janice Ho. We so often work with tiny bits of sandpaper or make our own sanding sticks to finish ends of earrings or get into small crevices... why go through the trouble when pre-made ones are readily available? When I stocked up, I found there were rough ones all the way down to buffing boards... wow, I just love the convenience! Try it out and see what you think.

Some of my favorite emery boards! You can see the use they get.

My favorite usage for emery boards is to finish the ends of earring hooks I make. First step: burr cup tool on the flex shaft to get a rounded end. Next: emery boards to remove burrs and make the metal smooth for wearing. So easy!

Here's a pair of earrings that I use these finishing steps on:

Cube Sculpture Hook Earrings, photo by Katie Lime, © 2011 Kathy Frey

A clean start for soldering

For at least a year now I've been frustrated with my soldering setup. My torch pops and flares out a lot, and in general I just can't hold a good flame. A fellow jeweler here in Nevada City recommended that I get my regulators refurbished. Today was my first day using the "new" setup.

I did more than just get my regulators cleaned, I invested in a new solder board, charcoal block, and lovely new tweezers that can actually grab things! There was some initial frustration (with more than a bit of swearing) to get everything reconnected... the acetylene hose just didn't want to connect. Luckily it dawned on me that it has a reverse thread... so "lefty tighty," which I'm sure will mess with my head for a little while.

In general there's not a lot of soldering in my work, but today I had two custom projects to tackle. One is a lovely Black Gold Riverstone Bangle. For this I solder the underlying frames into circles so they are solid for wrapping. My Riverstone Bangles are available on etsy, and the Black Gold option is available by custom order if you contact me.

Black Gold and Gold Riverstone Bangles, photo by Larry Sanders, © 2011 Kathy Frey

 

The other order is one of my Floating Pearl Riverstone Rings. The entire under-structure of this piece is completely soldered together and formed before wrapping. The version I'm working on is a custom size 8 that will be oxidized with a white pearl, my favorite combination.

Floating Pearl Riverstone Ring, photo by Grant Boyle, © 2011 Kathy Frey

 

My revamped setup worked well (as in: I succeeded in soldering the frames I need for those 2 orders!). It's still not perfect. I can't decide if I would be happier with a slightly larger torch -- right now I use the Little Torch. I have to use the largest tip (which is still tiny tiny) just to hold a flame, and for larger pieces I feel like I can't move fast enough to heat the whole piece quickly. I'm also unsure about my choice of oxy-acetylene for soldering. I'll still keep it as an option, but I'm thinking of switching to oxy-propane. This was actually the original choice I wanted... it has a reputation for being less likely to cause headaches, and it burns much cleaner. I was hoping that my torch overhaul was going to reduce the amount of soot in the air, but, alas, no.... which sucks since I'm soldering right in the middle of my cottage, which means black sooty stuff all over everything. yuck! If you have any tips for a good setup, I'd love to hear 'em!

Peace of mind: a computer backup system

For years I've been thinking about backing up my computer regularly. A few years ago I even bought a program to help me do this, and then, there it sat, in its box. I still have it. How silly! Luckily this isn't one of those sad stories where I wished I'd done it once I'd lost everything... phew! But my mind was getting tired of thinking about it all the time. I was spurred into action last month when my laptop started to run out of space... I couldn't even load images from a new photo shoot. So, from word of mouth from other artists, I ventured into an Apple store to see what was new. Time Capsule is a great product I'd heard about, but it was going to require a system update which I just wasn't mentally prepared to deal with (I have all my program boxes, somewhere... in storage... I think....). Luckily there are lots of other backup drives on the market. How could I resist this cute little number from LaCie... in *orange* no less?

It's a full terabyte... I can't even wrap my mind around that! And it's tiny and durable, which means I could move a bunch of files onto it that I don't need to regularly access on my computer yet it can still travel safely with me on road trips. It also came equipped with a simple backup program that I programmed to run once a week.

My next step may be to research web backup, which this little number also comes with information on. That will be for true security... just in case everything explodes or gets stolen. For now I'm reasonably content knowing that if I drop my laptop or spill a cup of tea across it that all is not lost.

The best part is that I actually do sleep just a little better! Not bad for under $200! Do you have any tips for what you do for peace of mind?

Goals: how do you hold yourself accountable?

This year I'm trying something new. I'm not a fan of the quick resolution set on January 1 that can be either kept or broken. Personally I prefer the larger goal that is tackled and maintained long enough until it becomes a positive habit not to be ignored. But how do I hold myself accountable? Often I set lofty goals, pressure myself, and ultimately feel guilty for not accomplishing them only to be re-set the following year. Yet as soon as I work with a personal trainer, for example, I'm all "look at me! I'm doing even more than you said!" and thrilled by my success rate. Financially a personal trainer is not in my budget, and often what I feel I really need is a life coach/parent/teacher/authority figure to report to or show off to or to look to for cheering, support, and understanding. I've got a lot of that within me, but I've been noticing lately quite a bit of laxness, followed by longing looks at my bed which is always all too willing to comfort me with a lovely nap which is quickly justified by my mind reminding me how healing sleep is... true, but surprisingly unproductive in binge quantities.

So, I called in a girlfriend who I felt was like-minded. Both of us are exercise-conscious, so we met for a walk one drizzly day last week and bounced around our individual ideas for goals, how to set them, make them successful, and help each other be successful. At the end of the walk we decided that by the end of that day we would email each other 3 goals we wanted to achieve, and under each of them we would detail the SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, Time-specific) aspects. Just this discipline alone was fantastic. We also responded to each other's goals, giving different perspectives to help alleviate things like guilt (e.g., doing things alone without pets or boyfriends) or pressure (e.g., don't use a scale as a goal, instead choose a cute skirt to fit into again), etc. We are both busy women with full plates, so we agreed that we don't have to jump through hoops to meet every week but we can provide weekly support via phone and email.

This whole process has also helped me to distinguish between goals and tasks. One of my big goals is to manage my time better... and, of course, I made this very specific for myself. This goal got me to create a chart of regular weekly and monthly tasks. I have a larger to-do list of projects and such, but these are regular things that help me with my business and personal life that really should not get back-logged. Here's an overview of the sheet (printed on a bright sunny yellow):

Here's a closeup of my weekly objectives:

I forced myself to be very specific, even with something like "Jewelry production," which I set at 10 hours minimum for a week. Often jewelry making is responsive for me because I get so many orders, and when I don't have orders I get caught up on other stuff (like emailing, blogging, or gardening) so everything is done in binge bursts and I always feel behind the gun, doing something I should've done ages ago. What an awful feeling.

This list will also give me something to look to/hold me accountable if something fun comes up... like a gorgeous day that's good for playing golf. If I'm way behind in my minimum weekly objectives, not only can I justify saying no but I also know what to tackle. Not that this will happen, because I like lists and checking things off and feeling like that little kid who wants to earn a gold star if I know what I'm supposed to do. And when these basics are done, I'll have more time for new designs and experiments and whatever else my heart desires!

For monthly objectives, my list looks like this:

I've left a space for notes so I can be more specific.

Today I printed 4 sheets because that seems like a good amount of time to put a new system into place and give it a test run. My specific items might change as I get more organized and focused. Obviously this list is a supplement to a daily to-do list or larger task list that I also have running because it glosses over multi-stepped projects (one is alluded to: establishing a new mailing list system). I'm really excited about this system, though, because I like it better than keeping a journal of what I've done... it's the road map to what I need to do instead. Hopefully it will help me to miss my former staff less as well... a lot of the business tasks are from their former to-do lists. Seeing it all in one place makes it a lot less intimidating to tackle what 5 of us used to do (which is also why I decided to put everything on 1 page as well). It's also important for me to integrate personal and business objectives since it's all part of my life as an artist.

An at-home photo setup

One of my 2011 goals for my business is to create an easy to use at-home photo setup. In doing some lessons for my Blog Triage class, I stumbled across this link on former student Dora Ficher's blog which shows a great at-home photo setup in detail. I'll be able to scale it down for my purposes, but I just love the light diffuser frames because they would be easy to store and protect.

Do you have any additional photo setup suggestions, particularly for jewelry? Please share!