Ring a Day 47/365Welcome to the very first Ring a Week (RAW) blog carnival! Some of the RAW participants have chosen to write on the question, "What was your inspiration for participating in Ring a Week?"
I made a ring a day (RAD) last year and that project was more about finding new ideas than it was about making cohesive and well-planned work. With RAW I want to take more time designing and fabricating rings, I want each piece to be extensively thought out and well-finished. For RAD my ideas were all over the place - I needed a lot of variety to stick with the project. My goal for Ring a Week is to maintain a disciplined art making practice and to end the year with a cohesive body of small, wearable sculpture.
My secondary goals for RAW are to improve my stone setting skills, never miss a Sunday deadline, and start to incorporate some of my conceptual ideas into the work. I am moving to a production style of jewelry making this year (uggh) with a wholesale line, and making art for RAW will provide some balance.
We're seven rings into the year and I find I am only meeting some of my goals. The last three weeks I've put off fabrication until Sunday despite designing the rings early in the week. I've ultimately been unsatisfied with the work because I can't take the time to properly solve problems. I can't step away and come back fresh, or make sure I have the right materials ahead of time, and I haven't had time to suitably finish the rings. I'll keep working on it - onward and upward!
Please visit the blogs of these RAW participants to read their thoughts:
Marcie Abney
Amy Nicole
Janice
Aleksandra Micic
Lana Chu
Evelyn Markasky
Lorena Angulo
Kate Jones
Maria Apostolou
Rebecca Bogan
Laura M (Zoeowyn)
Kimberly (bahamadawn)
Erin Austin
Catherine Witherell
Michele Grady
Joan Furilla
Kathryn Cole
I made a ring a day (RAD) last year and that project was more about finding new ideas than it was about making cohesive and well-planned work. With RAW I want to take more time designing and fabricating rings, I want each piece to be extensively thought out and well-finished. For RAD my ideas were all over the place - I needed a lot of variety to stick with the project. My goal for Ring a Week is to maintain a disciplined art making practice and to end the year with a cohesive body of small, wearable sculpture.
My secondary goals for RAW are to improve my stone setting skills, never miss a Sunday deadline, and start to incorporate some of my conceptual ideas into the work. I am moving to a production style of jewelry making this year (uggh) with a wholesale line, and making art for RAW will provide some balance.
We're seven rings into the year and I find I am only meeting some of my goals. The last three weeks I've put off fabrication until Sunday despite designing the rings early in the week. I've ultimately been unsatisfied with the work because I can't take the time to properly solve problems. I can't step away and come back fresh, or make sure I have the right materials ahead of time, and I haven't had time to suitably finish the rings. I'll keep working on it - onward and upward!
Please visit the blogs of these RAW participants to read their thoughts:
Marcie Abney
Amy Nicole
Janice
Aleksandra Micic
Lana Chu
Evelyn Markasky
Lorena Angulo
Kate Jones
Maria Apostolou
Rebecca Bogan
Laura M (Zoeowyn)
Kimberly (bahamadawn)
Erin Austin
Catherine Witherell
Michele Grady
Joan Furilla
Kathryn Cole
Posts
WOW!! i cant imagine making a ring a day!!! but you have had some awesome ideas! great job!
ReplyDeleteI am in love with the body of work you have produced for RAW, so far! I look forward to seeing what else you come up with. It is a pleasure to participate in this fine group!
ReplyDeleteYour ring structures rock! They really are thinking pieces, not just pretties (they are that too).
ReplyDeleteYou are a great inspiration to me. I admired your dedication during RAD and this time you are making even more incredible rings !! All your work is inspiring !
ReplyDeleteHi Tomi!You have just reminded me of the proper set of goals one should have so I hope you don't mind I'll just follow your trail :) It looks and feels good to see a cohesive body of work at one point in time. Evidence is there, while observing your sculptural RAWs. Extraordinary! Barrier brakers! Inspirational!
ReplyDeleteAmen, sista!!
ReplyDeleteYou will get to the other stuff, you're on the road!!
Thank so much to all of you lovely ladies! One of the best things about these challenges is the incredible support we get from so many talented artists. MWAH!
ReplyDeleteYou're meeting your goals much better than I am!
ReplyDeleteIf that's true eBeth, it's only because I don't sell as much work as you do!
ReplyDeleteIt is so interesting to see the similarities and differences in our motivation to create on a specific schedule. --I want to get out of the 'production/wholesale' mind-set and make less, but more varied work.
ReplyDeleteYou are a definite inspiration! I am definitely trying to go in the opposite direction - I've always done one of a kind and just played....this year I am hoping to build a production line in addition to what I do, but working FT makes it hard to do anything!
ReplyDeleteTomi, you have so much energy and you inspired all of us to push ourselves harder. Thanks so much for providing us the opportunity to keep thinking. Your RAW rings are just fantastic and each one is so well thought out. They really are little scupltures.
ReplyDeleteI can't imagine doing a Ring a Day! That's some challenge. Bravo for taking it on and for setting goals this time around.
ReplyDeleteI think that you're being hard on yourself again! I enjoy so much watching your work every week. It's tough to do things exactly as we plan them in our minds but you work so hard to accomplish your goals and that's what counts the most. You're a true inspiration and one of the reason that I joined RAW.
ReplyDeleteI was going to say something to the effect of "give yourself a break". The deadlines in your head are almost as important as the ones you've promised to others, of course because you want to keep your word with them but that doesn't mean your promises to yourself should mean less. If you shift your perspective to allow more weight for the element of fun instead of duty your excitement will carry you further than you could imagine. A pivotal point in this collaboration you have going with 278+ people is that YOU really did inspire them to participate and play your game with you. Please don't discount that in your day-to-day ambitions to complete your important projects. It's HUGE!
ReplyDelete