Mike Stromberg, Reliquary for St Eloy's Finger Bone.Sterling silver, cubic zirconia, pearl. Ring 204/365.
Mike Stromberg of Mike and Mary Jewelry has done some calculating for the Ring a Day project, and to date:
the number of participants who have produced rings = 118
the total number of rings produced = 7512 (give or take 100)
Wow - and we've got 5 more months to go!
Shannon Conrad, ring 200/365. Sterling silver, vintage brass envelope charm, stamped brass letter.
I've done some tallying myself, and out of 118 people, only 17 have made more than 170 rings. Yesterday was the 205th day of the year, of the 17 only 4 people are right on target, and just 5 of us are within 6 rings of the goal. Some of my numbers may be off by one or two, and I might have missed someone as I looked at what was posted in the group pool recently.
Maria Apostolou - 201
amuckdesign - 205
rubygirl jewelry/Shannon Conrad - 205
markasky/Evelyn Markasky - 190
Nina Gibson - 172
me/metalriot - 203
poohnted/Carrie Nunes - 178
polymerclaybeads/Ponsawan - 174
Kathryn Riechert - 189
Vagabond Jewelry/Kest - 201
metalnat/natalia gomensoro - 172
Mary Lu Wason - 200
pbcohen/Pamela Cohen - 199
Kathryn Cole - 197
leftwingofthecrow/jaqki - 181
mikeandmaryjewelry/Rachelle Stromberg - 205
mikeandmaryjewelry/Mike Stromberg - 205
Kest Schwartzman, Golden Peas. Stainless Steel with 18kt Gold accents. Ring 193/365
I've been thinking about my commitment to RAD, and my personal goal has always been to make one ring per day. I've been skipping some days lately and making them up, plus I need to catch up by 2 rings and stay caught up. So I'm recommitting to one ring each day, even if it's made out of paper and sucks (lets hope it doesn't come to that).
The big question is, can I maintain that level of discipline again and not become obsessed as I was a few months ago? I sorta doubt it.
Posts
good luck Tomi :)
ReplyDeleteI admire all of you !!!
ReplyDeleteGood luck and keep the great work !!
You can do it!!!
ReplyDeleteYeah, you can! You've been really stretching your imagination during this ring-a-day thing, and that's what I think it's really all about.
ReplyDeleteI'm impressed! I petered out about a month and a half ago- when school let out :-)
ReplyDeleteWOW ! I admire you all !
ReplyDeleteWow, I am not that far off. need to get busy and hope I can catch up.
ReplyDeleteThanks for all of the encouragement, friends! and congrats to all who have made it this far.
ReplyDeleteI'm a fan of this RAD challenge. I'm not a participant. Good things have come from this project. But I have mixed feelings about it, to be honest. While I have been known to drone on, and on and on, about certain topics, I won't do that this time. Suffice to say that that in my view the person(s) who completes the all 365 rings, or simply completes the most rings will not be 'the winner'....perhaps 'survivor', 'most stubborn', 'most resolute', 'most dedicated', to finishing the greatest number of rings, perhaps....but the word 'winner' won't come to my mind. But that's just me! I realize that pushing one's creative abilities and the ability to keep many balls in the air at once are very good things, but at the end, I don't want those who aren't in the 'top ten' to feel that they have short-changed themselves or the group in any way. Everyone's lives are so different...some have families, jobs, other interests, etc., that may have competed for their time. Everyone who created even one ring in this project is an equal winner in my book...it's really the optimism shown by joining the effort in the first place, too, that impresses me. I certainly didn't want to do it. The number of rings you make or don't make is not important to me. The smiles and pleasure your creations evoke within yourself and others is important. And if you have to make a 'spoof ring' to keep those quotas 'on target', unless they're making me grin....even a little....I'm not counting them! (not that I'm counting anyway) You're creative efforts are always appreciated. Good Luck to you all!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much, Scott! I think we all appreciate that you take the time to view and comment on the rings, you are very involved in the project and the group in that way. I completely agree that there are no winners. I posted these numbers because they are interesting to me, and because I'm trying to buck up and recommit and I needed some motivation. Ultimately, this is a personal challenge and the number of rings made is unimportant. But I think it's nice to acknowledge all of the hard work done by these 17 folks, too. I feel a certain kinship with them, and most of us have never met.
ReplyDeleteTwigs and Heather participated in the first month and made 60 rings in total. We were really inspired by the work and dedication we saw. It was hard to make, take pics, and post them on flickr each day, but we did it! It's nice to read two claws' comments because since we have been out of it for so long, sometimes it feels as though we were never involved, or that maybe our contribution doesn't seem as worthy as others.
ReplyDeleteSo, thanks again, two claws for your heartfelt comments.
i'd be curious to see if many of the others are on target w/ their rings, but not their posting to flickr! i know for my own 365rings/yr spin off project - I still have 20+ rings that i've photographed, but not posted on flickr. i think posting on flickr every day is a great accomplishment in itself!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the stats, Tomi. I also feel a kinship with you and the few of us who are, at this point, in the 200 club or close to it.
ReplyDeleteI also appreciate those who haven't forgot us, and take the time to leave a comment. It really helps!
I haven't made nearly that many rings, so don't belong anywhere near your list of The 200 Club! (I think I've been numbering my few in a way that makes my numbers seem higher.) But even with my small amount of participation, the project has been inspiring on so many levels: so many people are making a lot of rings, so many of the rings are wonderful, so many of the rings took A LOT of work, and as others have said, photographing and a posting to Flickr adds to the task.
ReplyDeleteTomi, you are a numbers whiz!!
ReplyDeleteFor me participating in the ringaday project, well winning never even entered my mind. I don't think about it as a contest. Personally, I want to make 365 rings by the end of December (which means I have to make some catch up ones, I think I'm 11 short right now) because I wanted to commit to something and do it to the end. I've always had an issue with that and it would mean a lot to me to actually complete this. It doesn't make me a better person or metal-smith or thinker or anything, to me, it just means that I finally committed to something and did it. (Trust me there have been a lot of things I started that I didn't finish to the end) Along with that of course, comes the growth of doing something everyday -- working metal, photography, posting,... it's like taking an intensive college course. I've learned so much and been so inspired and so supported from soooo many different people. Some have been keeping up, some have posted occasionally, some are onlookers. Different times of our lives we probably have played all those different roles and they are all important. Making a ring a day has different meaning and importance to all who have participated, for me at this point in my life it is at the top of my list, I'm pretty sure it's not at the top of everyone's list! I'm sure there maybe be some other things that should be at the top of my list, but I still gotta make that ring!
And that kinship thing shouldn't be taken lightly. Did you say that most of us haven't met? Oh, yea, not face to face...!!
Thanks to everyone for all of your thoughtful comments. Evelyn, I have felt everything that you have expressed. I've always had a very hard time with daily discipline and completing really lengthy projects, and I've learned so much through this experience.
ReplyDeleteI don't think any of us consider Ring a Day a contest, or in terms of winners or losers. Everyone who has participated is to be congratulated, and we each must define the terms of the challenge for ourselves.
Daily photography and upload are part of my commitment, and seeing the others who post frequently to the group is a huge inspiration to me. I'm so pleased to highlight them, as they are often the only reason I keep going!