Creative Manifesto

  

Hello! It's been a LONG while since I've written anything here. Last year I had a goal to start my blog, but then life happened, and I found myself playing catch-up with other plans and projects. This year I'm going to give it another go.

My dear friend, Caitlin of Aguja y Clavo Jewelry, has created a mini-series of writing prompts for artists and makers. Read her Creative Manifesto here. These prompts will help me immensely to start writing again, and I couldn't be more thankful and excited! 

In the past, each new year came with uncertainty for me. I often found myself in a spiral of overwhelming doubts and anxieties. I've learned over the years that I don't do well anymore when being rushed to create high expectations for the new year. By the middle of the year, I'd find myself burnt out and overwhelmed. I felt my work was rushed to make sales and didn't reflect who I am as an artist. This year will be about growth and exploration. 

Creating for Fun 

I was thinking back to the days before I had a jewelry business. I created art for fun, for myself and no one else. I miss making mistakes, having multiple unfinished projects, and not letting it bother me because it was all part of my learning process. I miss taking months or sometimes years to finish a piece of art. Nowadays, I'm ringing out any drops of creativity I might have left while asking, "how can this be monetized?" 

My goal for the year is to explore and experiment. Perhaps on art forms such as paper cutting and sculpture, to start. Then possibly paper making, pressing flowers, and embroidery. But I'm going with the flow without any deadlines/expectations. 

Folding New Models

I'm finding a new obsession in folding the hydrangea tessellation. I want to keep practicing variations of the hydrangea as much as I'm motivated to, then explore other tessellations. But of course, I want to try to master these models in miniature! This exploration will be part of creating for fun, not for jewelry design. 

Mini Origami Jewelry Collections

I'll continue to create these cuties for my retail partners and local art markets (participating in fewer art markets this year for my sanity!). I'm moving towards creating a single-designed collection for retail partners, so I'm not overwhelmed with restocking several designs. 

As for new designs/collections, I'd like to explore how I can combine paper with metalsmithing. I'm NOT going to rush this collection. I envision at least one year of exploration with a slow documentation process. I want it to be solely for me during this exploration. I won't share the "behind the scenes" "process/progress" content on social media until it is complete. An even higher goal or dream would be to display my collection in an art show one day.  

Classes 

Art Classes through Domestika and Wondrium

I want to sprinkle a few short courses to help my artistic exploration. While some will be for fun, others will be for my exploration of combining paper craft and metalsmithing for a collection. 

Herbal Immersion Program

I started this program a few months ago and will be going at my own pace for the next few years so I can enjoy and fully immerse myself in the experience! I'm excited to learn the medicinal properties of herbs, how to grow them, and someday have an apothecary of botanical remedies. Maybe I'll start a separate journal for my herbal/gardening journey. :) 

Well, that's it! It was so fun to get all my thoughts and wishes out in writing! Thank you for reading this far. I hope you enjoyed it and come back to read more! Happy New Year! 

Blessings,

Gasinee