MiShel Designs: Photography

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Focusing on Life: 52 Photos - Week 4 - Create ART

It's Saturday again (woo hoo) and time for Week 4 of the Photography challenge that Sally over at the Studio Sublime started for 2013: Focusing on Life: 52 Photos.

This week's prompt was "Create Art". Art is one of those words that means something different to each person.

When I think of Art, I think of my sister. She's the most wonderful artist I know and the Art she creates, no matter what it is, is always amazing! Me, well, I just laugh and say I can't draw a straight line with out a ruler and she says back to me, "Good. That's what they're for!"

Seriously, I suck a drawing/painting, etc. and haven't tried much in regards to other art mediums as an adult either, but I loved creating things as a child.

I would sit at my neighbor Donna's house for hours and she'd have these little pillow cases she'd make me and I'd use some sort of paints on them, or she'd let me sit and glue cool photo collages together or paint (paint by numbers!) and she always encouraged me to try something different. I was constantly wanting to go over to her house because I was so excited to 'make' something!

Itching to create.

That feeling still resides in me today. Wanting to create. Create something. Anything. I even see cooking as creating something. Anyway, when I can't create I get kinda cranky. Like those people who get grumpy when they're hungry (my hubby comes to mind here). Yeah, I'm one of those, only instead of food I gotta sit down and create every once in a while or I turn into a bit of a "B".

My medium of choice (it chose me, by the way) is creating jewelry. Jewelry is my "Art". But instead of creating a piece of my art and showing you here on my blog (cause I never do that!) I wanted to show you something that feels just as good as a finished piece of jewelry to me.

My sketchbook. It's a rather sad little sketchbook. Not a fancy artist's sketchbook. In fact, I've got a couple of them that date back a few years,...or so.

My original sketchbook

See, nothing fancy,....just paper to capture what's up in my head (wish it came out on paper as beautiful as it appears in my head,...). It's rather private - I don't share it much with anyone. I see my 'jewelry life' as it transitions and I love looking back to see how 'spot on' I was years earlier with things happening now or how I was just 'out there' with certain designs. Growing. It's my growth chart, if you will.

My markers, my sketchbook and my new Art Poem! ;-)

My most recent (and largest) sketchbook was with me a couple of summer's ago at my sis's cabin when we were evacuated during the Wallow Fire here in Arizona. It was in my book bag along with some of my new and/or favorite beading/jewelry books. As we tossed things into the Subaru to evacuate, the book bag was tossed in the back along with a few gallon jugs of water and other things.

The water ended up tipping and leaking out all over. The next morning when I opened the back of the Subaru I found the spilled water jugs. I was a bit upset, but then I reached for my book bag and it was soaked - the bottom was just drenched! My heart sank and tears welled up before anything could even really click in my brain,...my heart knew what was going on.
The heart always knows first!

The pages are dry, but not as neat as they once were!

I have one of those liners for the back of my subaru, so that wasn't the issue. The issue wasn't even our suitcases, those didn't get too saturated. The issue was my book bag. That did not have a lining,...that was cloth and paper. And inside the book bag was something that was practically priceless to me - my jewelry sketchbook. My inspiration. My ideas. My art before it becomes art in my hands. My inner me!

All my books, including my precious sketchbook, were completely water logged. Soaked through and through. I just stood there holding it, looking at it like it was something foreign to me. I was in disbelief. "No, not my sketchbook?!" My brain said to me. "Oh, and look at all my poor bead books - some I haven't even gotten to look through yet! Oh man!"

The hubby came to my rescue and assured me all would be okay and that it was going to dry out and we'd take care of the pages, etc. Even though it took more than a week to carefully seperate the pages as they were drying, it did turn out fine. Some of my bead books didn't recover so nicely, but I can always get more of those,.....my sketchbook however, is definitely One-Of-A-Kind ART!

Upper Left: the beginnings of my wire wrapped "Freya" Pendant in 2010
Upper Right: Earring Designs from 2006
Lower Left: Design from Metalsmith class in 2005 - still have not made that!
Lower Right: Amber pendant drawn out and created back in 2009.

So this week, I played around with some photos and more editing programs for the photo challenge. I have not however, been able to create jewelry due to smacking metal around for tons of earwire orders, so this little girl's getting a bit cranky,.....and now it's time to go CREATE ART!

My Poem for Week 4: Create Art

My sketchbook and I are outta here - see ya later!

Please hop on over to the Studio Sublime and see what all the other participants have done this week to Create Art for Week 4 of Focusing on Life!

Until Next Time,

Peace, Love and Creating Art!

Cheers,

~Shel~

Learning, Sharing and Growing,...

I wanted share a few things I've learned with you here today,...hopefully you'll stick around for this!!

My first ever piece of jewelry was published back in July of 2011 in BeadStyle magazine. A pair of my keshi pearl dangle earrings got accepted as a project and then they re-ran the project in their big book, Easy Beading Volume 8, so of course I was over the moon!

And, I submitted those pearl earrings in the summer of 2010,.....goes to show you that it can sometimes take a while for things to happen!

I am so grateful to Tatia and all the folks over at Bead Trends Magazine. They have made submitting pieces to their magazine (something which I was afraid to do!) a fun and exciting experience and I strongly encourage other jewelry designers out there to give it a go!

I started submitting my designs last year and was fortunate enough to have a few pieces selected and used in both the November and December 2012 issues. And then this January I was lucky enough to have an entire bridal set in their Pearls, Pearls, Pearls section.

Tahitian Bridal Set

The real fun came when Tatia asked me to write a piece for them on pearls for their Jewel School section they have each month and include several of my designs along with the article to see if it would be something they could use. So, I did. And Wow, I just received my copy of the February 2013 issue with my Pearl Appeal article in their Jewel School Section and was blown away!! HOLY COW!

They always do an amazing job of photographing all the jewelry pieces that go into their magazine and the subjects they select for the Jewel School section is always filled with great information on fun topics.

The designer spotlight in Bead Trends is always a favorite as well because each story is so different and getting to glimpse inside another designer's creative process and thinking allows you to view their designs with new admiration and respect.

I also submitted to Jewelry Stringing Magazine last year and although they said I didn't have what they were looking for at the moment, they still asked to keep my designs for a while just in case and then they ended up using a pair of my earrings in the Winter edition and they used my earring wires in their "Beads to Buy" section.

I also got an email asking of they could use my ear wires on a couple of designs in their holiday earrings ebook this winter too, so it all turned out pretty well in the end!

Okay, here comes the advice,...or more aptly, what I've learned that I'd like to pass along. Even though it's been said before by people who have been published way more than I have, I want to pass along some things I learned in submitting to bead magazines in order to possibly help some other talented designers who might have had the same 'fear' of putting your designs out there that I did.

So here goes:

"My Beloved Cherry Tree"
Cherry Blossom Pendant by Jeannie Dukic of Jewelry by Jeannie
Echo Creative Club Design Team - 2012

Check out the magazines you like and select designs of yours that you believe would be a good fit for the magazine. Check out their submission requirements if they publish it online and find out what they're accepting or asking for at the moment.

Great example of a "Simple and Classic" Design.
The photo is awful,...but I guess it's proof of progress in the last 5 years in the photo department!!

Bon't be afraid to send in something that's a bit unusual or different from all the other designs in the magazine. As long as it's in the same medium/materials they publish in, go for it. Different and unusual are the 'norm' now, so your design will probably be a big hit! But remember,...elaborate, mix-it-all-together designs aren't the only ones people like. Simple, sleek, clean lines are lovely too. Don't think because a design you've created is visually 'simple' or labeled as 'classic' that it won't be accepted. I've seen tons of designs that some people would call simple, basic or classic that make me stop in my tracks when I see them because they're so well crafted and down right stunning!

Clean, crisp photo. Probably one of the best I've ever taken.
I'm pretty sure most of it was pure luck! LOL!! ;-)

Which leads me to Photography.

Take good, clear photos that are on clean, un-cluttered backgrounds and show how good your workmanship is. I should repeat that sentence - it's that important! Even with a point and shoot camera (that's what I have) if you use your macro setting (little flower thingy on your settings), photograph in a well lit or filtered sun area with out your flash and use a tripod or set your camera on something so it's not moving, you should be able to get some good photos. It will probably take some practice and lots of pics that you click through on your computer and say 'no-way' to, but you can do it. There's some great photo editing software out there to help you make the shots pop - but don't over do it on the textures and all that stuff when sending in a photo, the editors want to see your jewelry, not your cool editing tricks. Plus, there's also online classes for photographing jewelry, tons of great books and even You Tube videos on the subject - so invest your time in this one - it's important!

It's okay to use other people's designs as inspiration, but don't copy. This is a hard one because so many of us use the same materials, purchase from the same suppliers, like the same trends and have very similar design styles, but you can still make yours just a bit different than someone who inspired you. I can't tell you how many designs I was ready to submit or even list on my Etsy site and then, as I'm surfing the web or looking through various bead magazines, there is something almost identical to what I just created. This is where the saying, "The early bird gets the worm" pops into my brain and I smack myself up side of the head for being so slow to get things done! It's also where I stuff my design away in my bead cabinet and don't even photograph it because it looks too much like someone else's design which is already out there. I realize with everyone who's into designing jewelry and with all the stuff that's floating around out there on the internet that it may be hard to know if one of your designs looks similar to something someone else has created, so do your best to try to be aware with out stressing yourself out. At the same time, don't allow it to stop you from submitting a design of yours that you love and really want published - as long as you truly haven't copied anyone.

Okay, these weren't copied from anyone, but seriously,
you can find ones that look just like this every day of the week all over the internet and in every magazine - It's kinda hard not to with a simple design like this! To make them my own I created my own eye pins,
made my own ear wires and used a mix of bali beads I wasn't used to seeing with coin pearls.

Follow instructions to the best of your ability. When you send in your creations to a magazine, be sure to follow their instructions and requirements as close as you can to exactly how they've asked for them. This is important because they wouldn't tell you how they wanted stuff if they didn't care and it could hinder them from wanting to work with you on future endeavors if you don't.

Be patient. This was a hard one for me because I'd email a magazine and then check my email every 5 minutes for the next month! And once a design of yours does get accepted, realize that magazines work several months ahead of whatever month we're in and it could take several months or even up to a year to see your work in print.

Fun and Funky. It's okay to play!!

Be professional and courteous even if your designs are rejected. Send a thank you email or card expressing your appreciation for their time and energy in looking at your designs. And when you do get accepted remember to send a thank you email or card letting them know you appreciate the opportunity. Then, after the issue comes out, send another thank you and help promote the magazine or special issue with your social media contacts such as your blog, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Flickr, etc. This last part can be challenging at times because we all have super busy lifestyles and many responsibilities, (and some of us are more forgetful than others - points finger at self!) but simple acts of professionalism and kindess go a long way.

Freya

Be organized, take good notes and keep good files. Or at least try. This is especially true if you're sending different designs into various magazines in the industry and trying to keep track of who has what, what's required of you and by what date, which issue is the piece being published in, who's returning what, who's not, and so on.

Ask for help. If you're not sure how to send in inquiry letter (I think I still need help on this one!) or if you want someone to look at your piece before you actually send an email or mail the piece in for submission, ask a trusted friend and get their opinion or advice (don't put it out there on facebook for the entire world though!). This doesn't mean you have to take their advice or agree with their opinion mind you, but sometimes it's good practice for things to come.

Shel's Ribbons - Metal Awareness Ribbons by MiShel Designs

Now, go ahead. Edit that perfect pic you just took of that awesome design you just created and send that email or pop that piece in the mail today! You can do it!

Until Next Time,

Peace, Love and Learning, Sharing and Growing!

Cheers,

~Shel~