Green Man Dreaming

I'm trying to make a Green Man bead.

For a while now I've been wanting to create a male themed bead to balance my Goddesses, I'm working on Cernunnos, he's tricky in glass.  My head is swimming with the Green Man at the moment so I thought I'd try him as well.

Here is the progression of my Green Man design.  With glass it can be tricky to get one part looking good without simultaneously melting in something you've already done.  Concentration on one part of the beads can lead to letting another part getting too cool so that it cracks when it's re-introduced to the flame - it's all a matter of balance, patience and nerves of steel!



This is my first attempt.  I was thinking of a stone face with leaves bursting forth.  This is not what I had in mind.  He looks impish which I guess is ok, but I don't like the way the bead looks as a whole.  I decided to try again.



 

I like this one rather more, my sculpting is better but I don't automatically think 'Green Man!' when I look at him.



 

Number three faired no better, he's just not quite what I really want.  I think it's time to loose the idea of a light coloured face.



 

This one was a deviation and I rather like it - no worry about sculpting a whole a face, it has more mystery associated with it, all in all I rather like this one.



 

My fifth attempt is heading somewhere!  I've been pulling leaf canes, which are strands of multicoloured green glass that add a little more dimension to the leaves.



 

Yes, I might be on to something but I think I need some larger leaves in his face and a bit more contrast in the leaves.



 

Ahhh!!!!  Getting closer!!  I actually rather like this one, I need more practise with the larger leaves.



This is number 8!  As far as I have got at the moment.  I want to make some leaf cane with a bit more orange in it and some that is maybe a bit darker, but I feel like I'm beginning to get the idea behind this design.

Bit by bit it comes together, each of these beads with the leaf cane in them took about an hour to make, first I have to wind the molten glass onto the mandrel and then shape the base bead.  Next I inset the eyes and outline them with leaf cane.  A rudimentary nose gets put in place as does the lower lip.  From then I work from the outside in, slowly laying down leaves and building up the design, the last thing is to finish off the nose.  Then I flip the bead over and work on the second side, I've decided for now to use my new stamps for this - I have an acorn, oak leaf and star/sun design.

It's definitely a challenge.  In my head is the most gorgeous glass Green Man bead - I don't know if I will ever make it, but I'm having fun trying!

 

 

Commissions and Creativity

Are you an artist?  Have you been asked to create a commissioned piece?  How did you feel about that?  How do you handle commissions?

I suspect that some people thrive on them, can see them as a challenge to get their creative teeth into and love the ideas and energy that flows when creating something outside the realm of what they may normally consider doing.

[caption id="attachment_820" align="alignnone" width="206"] Pre-Goddess[/caption]

There is another side to the coin though and if commissions leave you feeling blocked you may need to find a way to say 'no' gracefully.

In the past I have created commissioned beads, eager to try some new technique or thought process, but I have come to understand they are not what I want to be doing.

[caption id="attachment_821" align="alignnone" width="300"] Early Goddess beads[/caption]

Recently I've had requests for certain styles of beads I have made and sold in the past.  Each time someone would ask me if I was going to make 'more of those....' my immediate response would be - 'yes, I hope to have some in the near future'.

A recent conversation on Jani Franck's Blooming Business Facebook group got me doing some serious thinking.

[caption id="attachment_824" align="alignnone" width="289"] Evolving Goddess[/caption]

I learned some important things.  I learned why I said 'yes' to each of these requests -- turns out there was more than one reason.  I said 'yes' because I didn't want to let people down, I said 'yes' because I wanted to keep customers and make sales and I said 'yes' because I honestly thought it would be no big deal to make more of a certain design.

While these might be good reasons to say 'yes', I now realise I had a bigger reason for saying 'no'.

[caption id="attachment_823" align="alignnone" width="266"] Perfecting shapes[/caption]

I found myself not wanting to light my torch,  feeling blocked and weighed down by the thought of recreating beads I had made before.  Several designs loomed as deterrents to my creativity and joy.  I wasn't just not making these requested beads - I wasn't making any beads!

How does this affect potential buyers?  At best they may drift away forgetting that I exist, at worse they will come to see me as someone who doesn't deliver what she says she will.

[caption id="attachment_822" align="alignnone" width="266"] Learning skills - becoming more intricate[/caption]

The lack of momentum, the not following through, the finding excuses not to torch all left me feeling guilty which added to the list of reasons I didn't want to make beads.

At this point I probably should say -- I am eternally grateful to anyone who has ever bought one of my beads or even requested a particular style.  It's a huge thing to feel accepted and validated by somebody else - to have my art appreciated and purchased gives me the ability and desire to continue.

BUT  I now know that next time someone asks me for a bead 'like this' or 'one of those you made before', I will be proactive.  I will gently explain that I cannot guarantee that I will replicate any of my previous designs, that this uniqueness  is a part of what makes them special.  I may make something similar in the future, but the designs are always evolving and changing --- AND improving!

[caption id="attachment_825" align="alignnone" width="300"] Gaining skills, evolving desings[/caption]

As artists we are not mass producers, we create the ideas that flow through us.  To be true to ourselves and our art - AND our customers we need to understand the things that make us feel blocked and if necessary how to politely say 'no'.

Rebejoo? Dave Hubble speaks Recycle-ish!

Can you afford to wear designer jewellery?  Your initial response might be like mine - 'err NO!  I don't have that kind of money to spend'.  Well you are most likely WRONG!

Dave Hubble's Rebejoo jewellery brings the  word Designer into the range of most people's purses.  Not only that but it is totally guilt free shopping because what Dave creates are unique pieces from recycled materials.

I'm currently taking Jani Franck's Blooming Creative course.  So many good things to learn about running a creative business, and running a business creatively.

One of my fellow coursemates has a business called Rebejoo and it's all about recycled materials that he turns into amazing one of kind jewellery pieces.  Many of Rebejoo's pieces fall into the 'Industrial' and 'Steampunk' style of art - they are eclectic and make a  real statement about the wearer.

Here's Dave modelling some rather amazing 'coggles' - you might not wear these grocery shopping but aren't they fun!

[caption id="attachment_543" align="alignnone" width="300"] Ahh the world could be so much more interesting if everyone wore pieces like this![/caption]

Dave's designs are definitely unique, you won't find them anywhere else - and best of all they are totally affordable.  Did I mention they are fun??

I rather like these earrings -



But if your tastes are more traditional Dave still has some Rebejoo for you!



 

All gloriously recycled and guilt free!



There are pendants and brooches, truly something for anyone's tastes.  The best place to find him as I write this is on Rebejoo's Facebook page - you'll be sure to catch his latest creations and be notified if he's in a show.

[caption id="attachment_549" align="alignnone" width="188"] Dave's pendants have a lovely fluid feel to them - almost as if they are dancing.[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_548" align="alignnone" width="300"] This is where I think Dave excels - wonderful Steampunk Industrial designs![/caption]

I did mention that most of Dave's pieces really are FUN didn't I? ;)  Go on!  Hop over to Rebejoo's Facebook page - you know you want to!

 

 

Out of The Ordinary

Out of The Ordinary - that's how this morning sky looked from my garden a few minutes ago.  How beautiful!

Too often I go about my days wrapped up in the hum drum and forget to really look.  To really SEE the world around me.



Jani Franck's Follow The Butterflies course forced me to look beyond the everyday and into the 'Out of The Ordinary'.



From an artistic and spiritual point of view it tunes my vision back in to realising how much magic there is all around me.

I dare you to step Out of The Ordinary -- even if just for a day!

Stirrings

Looking for a photo for this post I was struck by how fixed and narrow my perspective can be.

I wanted a cup with a spoon - easy eh?  But I wanted tea, not coffee, a cup not a mug, tea with milk please - I need to feel comfortable.

But stirrings aren't about feeling comfortable.

Stirrings are about feeling on the edge.  Feeling as though you have wing buds and wanting to jump but being afraid that those wing buds are just not developed enough to hold you if you do.

I went with this picture - Almost a cup, sort of a cup but a little bit mug-like. Tea but no milk.  What's that? Mint? Ginger??

Probably quite invigorating but not the least bit comfortable in my world.

Yes, stirring.

That's how I'd describe myself at the moment.  A lot like this cup - filled with hot comforting tea but beset with strange and exotic things wanting to become part of the mix.

I'm currently taking a creativity course with Jani Franck - I like Jani, she's a lot of things I'd like to be.  Brave, business savvy and productive to name just three.  Jani's course 'Follow The Butterflies'  is stirring things within me.



I am feeling more creative, I'm enjoying writing more, my mind is going on flights of fancy (read my other post about the Mystery Caravan), and I have to say I am really enjoying it!  I feel like it is almost working on a subconscious level aside from the weekly lessons.  Thank you Jani - I recommend your course wholeheartedly!

 At the same time all this stirring is leaving me feeling a little wobbly.

Like my tea is sloshing around in my cup.  It's not a bad feeling, it's a rather empowering and exciting and 'what's going to happen next?' kind of feeling.  I wish I could share it with you - it's rather like being in line for the wildest ride at the fair.

To add to this I just joined Leonie Dawson's Amazing Biz & Life Academy - I'm just checking it out but I think it might be a good thing to blog about as I feel my way around in there.  First impressions are -- STIRRING!  Much love an inspiration and just plain good feeling is filling the atomosphere in Leonie's online space.


So where is this post going?  I'm not entirely sure, save to say it must be time for a cuppa - with a spoon!  Milk or Ginger?

The Mystery Caravan

Yesterday a caravan pulled into my life. A cozy magical spot filled with dreams and creativity.

It's nestled in a field close to a Greenwood with the
Sea just a heartbeat away. The caravan is green with a red roof and will be anything I want it to be.

How exciting! I wonder will it stay a while? Will it become a permanent fixture in my life? Or will it disappear as easily as it came?

I'm going to have fun exploring it.

A little background information

A background can make a break an image.  For the longest time I've been taking photos of my glass Goddess beads on a white background - dumb eh?  Today I just happened to place one on a slice of wood and wow!  What a difference, I love how the colours in the wood really make the beads pop.

Each of these beads are handmade by melting glass, no two are exactly alike.  If you are interested and would like to see more you can visit my website here and my Etsy shop here

 

 

Dancing out with the moonlit night..

I can't help but sing that title 'Dancing out with the moonlit Knight, Knights of the Green Shield stamp and shout!'  -- Yes, I'm probably showing my age since it's a line from a Genesis song on the album Selling England by the Pound.



Doesn't she look like she's dancing?

A play on words, I changed it slightly to fit with some new beads I've been making:



If you'd like to see what else I've been stocking my Etsy shop up with you can click here.

Today I...

Listed beads on Etsy. Thank you to everyone who has been an inspiration to me. click here if you'd like to visit my Etsy store.