Welcome to Studio
Saturday! Each week one of our contributors gives you a sneak peek into
their studio, creative process or inspirations. We ask a related
question of our readers and hope you’ll leave comments! As an incentive
we offer a free prize each week to bribe you to use that keyboard.
The following week we choose a random winner.
Saturday! Each week one of our contributors gives you a sneak peek into
their studio, creative process or inspirations. We ask a related
question of our readers and hope you’ll leave comments! As an incentive
we offer a free prize each week to bribe you to use that keyboard.
The following week we choose a random winner.
This week’s winner is Kathy Lindemer! Congratulations, Kathy! You have won a goodie bag from The Curious Bead Shop from Rebecca! Send Rebecca an email with your address and she will get your prize out to you soon!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This week we visit the studio of
Erin Siegel of Erin Siegel Jewelry
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
.jpg)
Yoga-Inspired Jewelry and Works-In-Progress in the Studio.
Buddha Head Pendant by Second Surf
Serenity Lotus Earrings in my shop
Namaste Bracelet in my shop
Lotus Pendant by Second Surf
Serenity Lotus Earrings in my shop
Namaste Bracelet in my shop
Lotus Pendant by Second Surf
My jewelry is very me. I use jewelry-making as my chosen medium to express myself. Most often, my pieces are a direct reflection of me, what’s going on in my life at the time and what inspires me. I love to create jewelry that I’m excited about wearing each and everyday.
As the new year rolls around, I always find myself thinking about self-care and developing healthy habits. One of those things is starting a new yoga practice. One of the things I can do to make that more fun and easier to incorporate into my life is to create yoga-inspired jewelry! Not only is it fun but, creating and wearing yoga-inspired jewelry helps me keep my goals and good intentions at the forefront of my mind no matter what I’m doing though out the day. Whether I’m making a bracelet or wearing a necklace, I will keep my goals in mind and stay inspired and motivated. I love being able to use my creativity as an advantage to better myself in this kind of way.
Also, bringing yoga into my jewelry helps me to integrate my creative life with the rest of my life goals. Something I’ve had trouble doing in the past. Many of us tend to compartmentalize our lives into separate categories that don’t necessarily mix. I’m trying to remind myself that my life is a whole and all the facets of it are connected. There may be multiple facets, but they are all on one beautiful jewel!
Do you think of your life as a whole? How do you meld your creative life with the rest of your life? Do you have trouble fitting all the pieces together to work as one? What ways do you use your jewelry and creativity to help or enhance other areas of your life?
Leave
a comment answering any of these questions and you will be entered for a
chance to win a polymer clay Buddha Pendant from Barbara of SecondSurf.com.
a comment answering any of these questions and you will be entered for a
chance to win a polymer clay Buddha Pendant from Barbara of SecondSurf.com.
.jpg)
Erin Siegel is a jewelry designer, beading instructor and co-author of
the jewelry book, Bohemian-Inspired Jewelry: 50 Designs Using Leather,
Ribbon and Cords. To find out more, visit her blog: Erin Siegel Jewelry.
the jewelry book, Bohemian-Inspired Jewelry: 50 Designs Using Leather,
Ribbon and Cords. To find out more, visit her blog: Erin Siegel Jewelry.
Kathy Lindemer
January 5, 2013 at 1:05 pmI agree that we often have little compartments that we keep pieces of our life. When I retired I took a big chunk out (my first career). I decided to abandon it entirely and have never regretted it. My second career is jewelry and card making. I fit iit into my life nicely. I still peruse pleasures from my old life like yoga which keepss me centered. Yoga also helps me keep flexible which at age 63 is important. Another pleasure I have is swimming. I swim a mile a day 5 days a week. believe it or not I do much of my designing in my mind then.
Cheryl Roe
January 5, 2013 at 3:29 pmMy work is probably inspired more by color or shape. I will explore a range of colors for awhile and then explore a new shape with that color range. Nature and seasons seem to direct those choices.
Erin S
January 5, 2013 at 4:55 pmI incorporated yoga into my life a year ago, and have stuck with it. I really enjoy it. I have many different diverse areas of my life–I don't really try to bring them all together, although they are all part of me. Accept that there will always be things that seemingly conflict with other things, but are equal, and give each part of you the time and attention it deserves.
Ann Schroeder
January 5, 2013 at 4:59 pmI do see my life as a whole. I know that self-care (such as yoga practice) allows me to be well enough to create. But even when I'm not well, I know I can imagine what I can create when I am well. Also, I look at less creative parts of my life (my day job) as a way to pay for my creative life. Also, wearing favorite jewelry on a blah day can really cheer it up. Thanks for the post!
Bobbie
January 5, 2013 at 5:59 pmWhen people who only know me from my day job run into me at a show or hear that I make jewelry, I tell them that it's my sanity outlet. Exploring my creativity is a huge stress reliever, happiness generator, and overall calming technique (until the thread knots up…)
Malin de Koning
January 5, 2013 at 6:58 pmOh Erin, I love this post. It is so interesting! You are so wise and thinking in such good ways. Throughout reading it I was thinking about how I myself deal with the things you are mentioning. I find your questions utterly interesting, but I don't know if I am fully aware of how I go about things. I will now take this opportunity to see if I know how I do. And if I don't already I will have to figure it out. 🙂
What a great way to start the new year!!!!!
1. Do you think of your life as a whole?
Wow, honestly I don't know. I never asked myself that question before. Thinking about it now, I guess I do in some respects, and in some respects I don't. I think that the older I get, the more I see my life as a whole. And that I think it is much better to do so. Hm, I believe I have had a tendency earlier to sort of separate certain areas from each other. I also with age have realized that life is so much easier if as many things as possible are connected. So I shall try to aim even more for that, in a conscious way. Thanks for the tip!
2. How do you meld your creative life with the rest of your life?
This I think I have always done. Just naturally. It is easy for me. I can do creative actions in just any context if I am in the mood for it. And I can find inspiration in basically anything I happen to have around me at the mo, if I need to be inspired by something. I find this a blessing in my life, and something I so much appreciate.
3. Do you have trouble fitting all the pieces together to work as one?
Not really. The creative part is so important in my life so I find I always make sure I am able to have it in my life. And like I said before, I can do something creative or artistic in almost any context. So it comes together like that. But there are some other areas which I don't find so easy to fit together. I guess they are the ones I have held more separate before, and perhaps I still do …
4. What ways do you use your jewelry and creativity to help or enhance other areas of your life?
I have to think about this. But one thing I know is that I get to know a lot of awesome people through my jewelry making and being active in the online beading community. So my social life is generally enhanced in that way. I find it really inspiring to get in contact with people from all over the world, and these contacts sort of give me philosophical questions that I like to ponder on. Perhaps I'll write about it one day, what I mean. So far it is mainly just a big unstructured blob of ideas, thoughts, wonderings, questions, hunches and a perhaps even an odd answer I have come up with. In other words it enhances my inner life, my thinking processes, my understanding of the world and everything under the sun.
Lastly, I can't imagine to make jewelry that is not a reflection of myself. I just have to. I like the way you wrote about that aspect of the creativity in your life Erin. Makes me happy!
Thanks again for a great post!!!! I wish you an awesome year!
x x x
Sweet Willow Designs
January 6, 2013 at 2:05 amErin, interesting questions. I often argue with my business associates who tell me they aren't creative that they really are. They demonstrate creativity every time they put a bunch of disparate pieces together to make a pleasing whole – just like jewelry making! I find I use the skills used in jewelry making – seeing how things fit together, finding complementary parts, taking a mistake and making it work anyway – in working business problems. I still compartmentalize in some ways but generally use the both my business talents and jewelry making talents together.
Elaine
January 6, 2013 at 2:58 amMy life is a whole – my work and creative lives are often the same thing (and have always been, by design). Occasionally I pick up new work or new creative outlets just for variety.
Jewelry has always been a part of my professional and creative life – one of the mediums I use to express my ideas as well as pay my bills.
Sometimes I have trouble fitting other elements into my life around work or creativity. Fitting family, health, good works and other community endeavours in, for example, has always been a challenge.
Designed by Vera
January 6, 2013 at 9:46 pm1. Do you think of your life as a whole?
Sometimes, depends on what I am doing. Though I do tend to compartmentalize.
2. How do you meld your creative life with the rest of your life?
Usually pretty well, but with the holidays, and my hubby in the hospital I haven't been very creative..
3.Do you have trouble fitting all the pieces together to work as one?
A lot of times I do. I am hoping that 2013 will be a better year for me.
4.What ways do you use your jewelry and creativity to help or enhance other areas of your life?
I would say it keeps me grounded so that I stay calmer.
Shaiha
January 6, 2013 at 11:18 pmI really love your questions as they really cause me to think and after reflecting upon it I have decided that I don't really compartmentalize my life. I am lucky enough to telecommute for my job and during slow times at work I am on my laptop bead shopping or chatting with folk on Facebook. Before I started designing jewelry I would internalize a lot of stress now that I have a creative outlet most of my stress has evaporated.
Renetha
January 7, 2013 at 10:54 pmFor now, I have to treat jewelry making as sort of a hobby. At least until my boys graduate high school. Then I may have that uninterrupted studio time I crave. But I do meet once a month with other beaders to see what's new in their lives and their creativity.
SueBeads
January 9, 2013 at 9:42 pmI have a very hard time combining all the aspects of my life. I have to compartmentalize at this point. One kid here, one kid there, parents, boyfriend, me last… it's too hard some days to even feel creative any more! I do love Barbara's pendants!
CraftyHope
January 11, 2013 at 1:10 amI absolutely have trouble melding my creative life with the rest of my life. It's difficult sometimes (even as an adult) to make what I want and what others expect combine. I do try to use my jewelry to bridge that gap as often as I can. When I have to be dressed a little more conservatively, throwing on one of my funky pieces of jewelry always seems to give the conservative clothes a touch of me.
I love that you've found a way to bridge that gap.
Melissa Partridge
January 11, 2013 at 10:46 pmCreating for me is happiness, relaxation & meditation. Creativity & Art has always been a part of me as a whole. After being laid off a year ago in Affordable Watch Sales I have been able to put more time into my craft. I explored Torch enameling and recently have fallen in love with Copper. Using recycled, broken beads, earring, necklaces and creating new designs brings joy to me. Color has always been a part of my life and using this in my deigns bring happiness into my world:)