Unleash Your Creativity & Renew Your Enthusiasm for the Handmade Jewelry Business
Hi gang! We talked yesterday about the importance of giving your jewelry line focus, consistency and a signature. We also pointed out that your handmade jewelry must be original to be a bit hit in the marketplace. If your jewelry is to be original, you need to be open to new ideas and be able to unleash your inner creative potential. After all, this is how you come up with new jewelry concepts to develop.
Sometimes the best way to develop your jewelry making creativity is to allow yourself a day every few weeks to "play". If you have a line of jewelry that you're producing on a larger scale, it can be frustrating for many of you to make the same items over and over. Eventually, you can become burned out and frustrated with your jewelry business. A creative day of play is often the answer to renewing your enthusiasm for your handmade jewelry business.
I would suggest setting aside one day on your calendar every three weeks as a day you've chosen to explore creative jewelry making ideas. On this day, there are no jewelry making rules and it's okay to think completely out of the box and try crazy new techniques. All you'll need for this exercise is a large space in a comfortable setting, a big black cloth, your digital camera, and some beautiful music playing in the background.
Remember all of those jewelry findings and parts you have stashed away in a drawer that you did't know what to do with? Well, it's time to bring them out along with all of your other findings, components and beads. I would put a big black piece of cloth on the floor for a neutral background and spread your components out on the cloth. Put on some classical or new age music to get those creative brain waves synchronized, settle down on the floor and start playing with your jewelry parts.
Don't be afraid to try new combinations that might seem unconventional. Remember there are no rules on this day and your thoughts should be as uncensored as possible. When you find an interesting combination you haven't thought of before, take a photo of it with your digital camera to save for future reference.
Here are some exercises that'll help you come up with new combinations:
1. Pick a random word from the dictionary and arrange your jewelry components to give a visual representation of that word. For example, how would you arrange your components to describe a sunset or a forest?
2. Take a handful of components, close your eyes and arrange them by touch only. No peeking allowed! Try this several times until you come up with something interesting and unique.
3. Bring to mind an important historical figure or mythical character. Visualize what kind of jewelry they might have worn. Design a fantasty necklace for that character using your jewelry components. Don't forget to take a digital photo!
4. Look at your components with new eyes and ask yourself how they could be altered to achieve a new look. Could they be wire wrapped, painted, etched, soldered together, cut into pieces, enhanced with beads, put on a headpin, sandblasted, shellaced, drilled or otherwise altered?
5. Open a fashion magazine and randomly pick a fashion photo. Look at the clothing the model is wearing. Use your components to put together a unique jewelry concept for that particular outfit.
I know many of these ideas seem a bit unconventional but sometimes that's what you need to infuse creativity into your jewelry making. Besides, it's also fun and a great stress reliever.
Don't forget to download your digital photos to a special folder once you've completed the exercises. You can peruse them later and pick out any designs you feel might have the potential for being developed and added to your handmade jewelry line.
I hope you'll make this type of jewelry play a regular event. You'll be surprised how simple exercises like this can not only expand your creative options but also reinvigorate you and give you a more positive attitude towards your jewelry design business.
Do you need to sell more handmade jewelry online? I know how tough it can be to get traffic to an independent web page. Plus, it steals all your time away from making more handmade jewelry.Place your jewelry in an elegant online gallery setting. You get a 14 day free trial to see if the site is right for your jewelry. I've had several readers email to say they're having success here. Give the free trial a try! Go to http://www.beadiest.com/.
Thanks for reading. :-)
Kristie
Hi gang! We talked yesterday about the importance of giving your jewelry line focus, consistency and a signature. We also pointed out that your handmade jewelry must be original to be a bit hit in the marketplace. If your jewelry is to be original, you need to be open to new ideas and be able to unleash your inner creative potential. After all, this is how you come up with new jewelry concepts to develop.
Sometimes the best way to develop your jewelry making creativity is to allow yourself a day every few weeks to "play". If you have a line of jewelry that you're producing on a larger scale, it can be frustrating for many of you to make the same items over and over. Eventually, you can become burned out and frustrated with your jewelry business. A creative day of play is often the answer to renewing your enthusiasm for your handmade jewelry business.
I would suggest setting aside one day on your calendar every three weeks as a day you've chosen to explore creative jewelry making ideas. On this day, there are no jewelry making rules and it's okay to think completely out of the box and try crazy new techniques. All you'll need for this exercise is a large space in a comfortable setting, a big black cloth, your digital camera, and some beautiful music playing in the background.
Remember all of those jewelry findings and parts you have stashed away in a drawer that you did't know what to do with? Well, it's time to bring them out along with all of your other findings, components and beads. I would put a big black piece of cloth on the floor for a neutral background and spread your components out on the cloth. Put on some classical or new age music to get those creative brain waves synchronized, settle down on the floor and start playing with your jewelry parts.
Don't be afraid to try new combinations that might seem unconventional. Remember there are no rules on this day and your thoughts should be as uncensored as possible. When you find an interesting combination you haven't thought of before, take a photo of it with your digital camera to save for future reference.
Here are some exercises that'll help you come up with new combinations:
1. Pick a random word from the dictionary and arrange your jewelry components to give a visual representation of that word. For example, how would you arrange your components to describe a sunset or a forest?
2. Take a handful of components, close your eyes and arrange them by touch only. No peeking allowed! Try this several times until you come up with something interesting and unique.
3. Bring to mind an important historical figure or mythical character. Visualize what kind of jewelry they might have worn. Design a fantasty necklace for that character using your jewelry components. Don't forget to take a digital photo!
4. Look at your components with new eyes and ask yourself how they could be altered to achieve a new look. Could they be wire wrapped, painted, etched, soldered together, cut into pieces, enhanced with beads, put on a headpin, sandblasted, shellaced, drilled or otherwise altered?
5. Open a fashion magazine and randomly pick a fashion photo. Look at the clothing the model is wearing. Use your components to put together a unique jewelry concept for that particular outfit.
I know many of these ideas seem a bit unconventional but sometimes that's what you need to infuse creativity into your jewelry making. Besides, it's also fun and a great stress reliever.
Don't forget to download your digital photos to a special folder once you've completed the exercises. You can peruse them later and pick out any designs you feel might have the potential for being developed and added to your handmade jewelry line.
I hope you'll make this type of jewelry play a regular event. You'll be surprised how simple exercises like this can not only expand your creative options but also reinvigorate you and give you a more positive attitude towards your jewelry design business.
Do you need to sell more handmade jewelry online? I know how tough it can be to get traffic to an independent web page. Plus, it steals all your time away from making more handmade jewelry.Place your jewelry in an elegant online gallery setting. You get a 14 day free trial to see if the site is right for your jewelry. I've had several readers email to say they're having success here. Give the free trial a try! Go to http://www.beadiest.com/.
Thanks for reading. :-)
Kristie
posted by Your friends at Beads Indeed | 6:07 AM
2 Comments:
Hey Kristie,
I was wondering if you'd be willing to show off some of your jewelry? I'd love to see your work and how you incorporate all the ideas you give us into it.
jen
Hi Jen!
Thanks for your comment. I've been hoping to add some photos to the blog. I just got a new SLR digital camera that I need to learn how to use. Then,I'll see if I can get some items together to upload. I'd eventually like to have a site where all of you can display your items also. I have SO many projects I want to complete and so little time. I'm sure you probably know that feeling too. Hope you have a great weekend!
Kristie
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