Jen
I am definitely among the group of people wondering if I wasted my
money on my art education. I think I may have picked the wrong
school, but it's too late to go back now. Now I'm under mounds of
debt and don't want to rack up more with grad school and possibly
end up no better off.
I did the opposite of you, I have a friend who is a brilliant artist
in many areas but could never figure out how to make any money doing
it. So when I went to college I chose the business degree route, so
now after college I’m taking lots of wonderful workshops at
community centers, summer workshops at universities, reading various
jewelry magazines and also reading Orchid everyday=) I used to feel
like I wasted too much time on my business education but I really
didn’t, it is all starting to balance out for me.
Be patient there are options out there for you, if you are in the US
I know there are:
-
Lots of books on the subject, free at local libraries, camp out at
your local Barnes & Noble Small Business section,
-
Check out your local SCORE (Service Corps of Retired Executives).
www.score.org I think they are retired business people who are
volunteers helping(for FREE!) those just starting their business
path. I have been to them a couple of times with questions and they
have been helpful. I think they have some classes on various
subjects. They are a part of the Small Business Administration.
-
Take a community center class in the area you feel weakest. I know
I will never use all three semesters of Accounting I needed for my
degree, the first semester covered most of what I will use.
-
Worried about taxes? Sign up as a volunteer for VITA, Volunteer
Income Tax Assistance, a part of the IRS. You probably won’t
specifically be trained on Small Business taxes but it will bring
comprehension to all those scary forms so when you do read the Small
Business tax info you will be less intimidated.
-
I know others will have many additional ideas for you… Don’t
stress about your art education, it will be worth it when you start
adding some of the business knowledge you feel you need. It’s not
too late.
Deanna
PS - I finally got all the paperwork done to be an official
business, YAY! And my first show is the middle of next month…GACK
By whatever methods miss Webber produced a piece like this, I
believe the workmanship is exceptional. If possible,I for one, would
appreciate a technical discussion from miss Webber on how she made
these pieces.
I thought there would be a raft of explanations!
I’ll take a chance, although I have never made things out of
pennies, nor for that matter, scale models of the Titanic or the
White House out of matchsticks, which is pretty much the same thing.
The hammer looks like it is lead soldered. If so the pennies could
be cut and stuck onto a real hammer and then soldered with a
soldering iron. Two halves, (or more) then soldered together.
Alternatively, if real solder was used, two (or more) moulds made,
the coins cut and layed inside and then soldered.
But don’t quote me, I’m probably wrong…
Cheers, Hans
http://www.meevis.com
http://hansmeevis.blogspot.com
I’m a perpetual lurker/infrequent contributer to Orchid, and have
been reading the Stacey Lee Webber thread with much interest. The
Orchid conversation, while specific to Ms. Webber’s work, addresses
much broader issues with in the field that “academics” contend with
on a regular basis; many market-driven or more commercial makers also
contend with such issues, but perhaps do not necessarily recognize
the similarities. Issues of artistry, context, intentionality,
audience, workmanship, ideation, and physical conceptualization are
all manifest, and while Stacey’s approach to these concerns is
radically different from that of many jewelers, it seems any
thoughtful person would certainly applaud her right to invest herself
in the field in such a technically demanding and conceptually
grounded manner.
Much thanks to Peter Rowe and others for such thoughtful and
well-written responses in support of what Stacey Lee Webber, and many
other makers, are doing. It is this type of activity that helps
propel the field of jewelry and metalsmithing in fresh, exciting, and
critically relevant directions.
Haley Bates
Hi Hans,
I too was looking forward to multiple explanations.
The hammer looks like it is lead soldered. If so the pennies could
be cut and stuck onto a real hammer and then soldered with a
soldering iron. Two halves, (or more) then soldered together.
I don’t think this is the case as by the time you take into account
the thickness of the coins, the scale would be all wrong. I think
the finished piece has the correct scale, the same as the outline of
the real hammer. I think your second suggestion of a mold sounds more
likely, although still difficult.
Helen
UK
http://www.hillsgems.co.uk
http://www.helensgems.etsy.com
Issues of artistry, context, intentionality, audience, workmanship,
ideation, and physical conceptualization are all manifest, and
while Stacey's approach to these concerns is radically different
from that of many jewelers
Why would anyone use the word jeweler in relationship to Stacy’s
work, based on the work I have seen so far?. Since it seems that
scale and material is not relevant, I can go to Home Depot and a buy
copper pipe and fittings and assemble them and call it jewelry. I can
call it “Spacial relationship of mass related to perceptional
reality”, add felt and feathers, and perhaps inclusion in Metalsmith?
To me these seem like art projects.
Richard Hart
Why would anyone use the word jeweler in relationship to Stacy's
work, based on the work I have seen so far?. Since it seems that
scale and material is not relevant, I can go to Home Depot and a
buy copper pipe and fittings and assemble them and call it jewelry.
I can call it "Spacial relationship of mass related to perceptional
reality", add felt and feathers, and perhaps inclusion in
Metalsmith? To me these seem like art projects.
EXACTLY! These pieces ARE “art projects,” although I’d recommend
dropping the word “project,” unless your goal really is to diminish
what she does. I also never referred to her as a jeweler; I simply
made the comparison that an individual who is trained in ideas as
well as technique will produce more interesting and often more
innovative work, regardless of the audience (or market) they might
reach.
Similar points regarding the schism within the field of metalsmithing
are being passionately addressed and thoroughly covered in the EiP
thread…many comments posted there are extremely relevant to this
older discussion.
Haley Bates