There are a lot of ways to connect with people these days. Thank goodness that we have them during COVID. I miss seeing people and I miss sitting around and having coffee or a glass of wine with friends, chatting about whatever.
At the beginning of all this, I thought for sure life would be back to 'normal' by the summer. Then, by the time school went back for the kids. Then maybe by the holidays. While it's stretched out, I've been slowly working behind the screen to find and create ways to interact with people who are passionate (or just mildly interested) about the same things I am. I miss my students, I miss my artsy friends, I miss being able to share what I know and I miss being able to help others find their creative voice.
I'm setting this up as a replacement for my blog and a place to share step-by-step projects, how-tos for techniques, and Q&A for metalsmithing, enameling, and metal clay. I've been teaching all these things for over 13 years and doing them for over 20. I'm self-taught, book taught, workshop taught, and I have been lucky enough to grow with technology enough that I can passably use it to share all this knowledge.
When I first started, metalsmithing was almost like an occult art- you had to know someone who could get you into the inner sanctum of knowledge. Books were few and far between (or crazy expensive), there were a few magazines that occasionally had projects (mostly beading stuff), and equipment was costly and intimidating. As I slowly made my way through this hidden world, forums started being widely used, but the information was still closely guarded. But I was at least learning terminology, which helped me know how to research other things, and as I started opening doors, things snowballed and I found myself in a sea of possibility! Mokume gane, soldering, casting, stone setting, cold connections, chasing & repousse, raising, enameling, fabricating, found-objects... and omg the stones... all the amazing stones... Now there are Facebook groups dedicated to sharing information, you-tube channels, tik-tok creators, and a million websites and online classes (more now that we're all mostly in some form of lockdown, whether mandated or self-imposed). All of that can be a little confusing and way intimidating. Especially when people disagree about how or why something should be done. Having multiple perspectives is great and I 100% believe you should get in a join those groups and watch videos of how other people do things, but having a solid knowledge base will make everything make much more sense and make getting started SO much easier.
My goal has always been simple- provide easy access to techniques, tools, and information. Information not shared is information lost. Knowledge grows when more people have it. I want to provide projects, techniques, basic how-to, information, and tips to those that want to get started making things in metal, maybe not as a professional, or an 'artist', but just as something to give them joy, to give them personal expression, and to give their brains a much-needed outlet to create. (And if they want to go professional- I'll be one of their biggest cheerleaders!) Our brains are wired to be makers- yet our modern society gives us very few outlets to do this. By making jewelry, metal bowls, fancy spoons, etc, we create something deeply personal and heal ourselves at the same time.
My main expenses right now are going to be lighting and editing software. I already have the camera from teaching in socially distanced classes with a big projection screen, so that's one thing I don't have to worry about. I would love to be able to turn this all into a book or two as well, so maybe as I get further along in this passion project, I'll have more info about that!
So, all that being said, I want to thank you for being here, thank you for taking the time to read my story, and perhaps, taking the time to donate a few bucks towards the cause. Most of what I post will be open to the public because that's how I roll, but I'm sure eventually I'll create some member-only content (like when that book gets to be more than an outline and a few rough projects!)