My name is David Miller and I am a resident of Louisville, KY. I am a
multi-faceted artist (writer/poet, dancer, visual artist) developing my
jewelry business. I graduated from Colorado College in 1991 with an Art
History B.A. and moved to Louisville a year after in the middle of the
recession to start Art History graduate school at the University of
Louisville. Two years into the program I became very depressed juggling
school with work and life and made the decision to go down the artistic path
rather than the academic trail of tears.
My first exposure to the jewelry field was in the summer of 1993
through a “jeweler” I met in a movement class. His specialty was in wire
wrapping crystals but he mostly sold retail castings with the addition of
beads for accent. I was exposed to the craft show circuit and the
independent life of such work. That relationship was shortlived but it
inspired me to look further into this unknown region. By late 1993 I
acquired a tax number and sent off for catalogs with mostly retail selling in
mind. I soon came to realize the only fulfilling thing to do was making my
own jewelry. I got some small loans from family and began purchasing tools
and supplies. In March and April 1994, I devoted all of my time to making
jewelry producing almost three hundred pairs of ceramic, bead and metal
fabricated earrings each unique. After a few poorly attended shows reality
took hold in May 1994 and I had to get a job. The business and creation
languished until this last summer when I met Prof. Tim Glotzbach from Eastern
Kentucky Univ. Since then Tim fully revitalized the project with advise like
having a real workbench in the studio, proper lighting for the workspace and
using my computer to get on Orchid’s list.
So there you go. Any general suggestions are welcomed and thank you.
My name is David Miller and I am a resident of Louisville, KY. I am a
multi-faceted artist (writer/poet, dancer, visual artist) developing my
jewelry business. I graduated from Colorado College in 1991 with an Art
History B.A. and moved to Louisville a year after in the middle of the
recession to start Art History graduate school at the University of
Louisville. Two years into the program I became very depressed juggling
school with work and life and made the decision to go down the artistic path
rather than the academic trail of tears.
My first exposure to the jewelry field was in the summer of 1993
through a “jeweler” I met in a movement class. His specialty was in wire
wrapping crystals but he mostly sold retail castings with the addition of
beads for accent. I was exposed to the craft show circuit and the
independent life of such work. That relationship was shortlived but it
inspired me to look further into this unknown region. By late 1993 I
acquired a tax number and sent off for catalogs with mostly retail selling in
mind. I soon came to realize the only fulfilling thing to do was making my
own jewelry. I got some small loans from family and began purchasing tools
and supplies. In March and April 1994, I devoted all of my time to making
jewelry producing almost three hundred pairs of ceramic, bead and metal
fabricated earrings each unique. After a few poorly attended shows reality
took hold in May 1994 and I had to get a job. The business and creation
languished until this last summer when I met Prof. Tim Glotzbach from Eastern
Kentucky Univ. Since then Tim fully revitalized the project with advise like
having a real workbench in the studio, proper lighting for the workspace and
using my computer to get on Orchid’s list.
So there you go. Any general suggestions are welcomed and thank you.
Hello,
Hey you can’t give it up , or at least don’t quit. The money is stupid
but the art is smart…Keep at it and if you need help or have a
question or disagree speak up…I did carpenter work(cabinet making)
days and jewelry nights when I started out.I did the advertising for a
good circus one year and jewelry when I could with whatever I had.I
studied what was available at jewelry stores in every town on the East
Coast from Ft.Lauderdale to Caribou and back to Texas that year.I used
to go to the best jewelry stores in town first to see the best and what
was selling then I went to the pawn shops for a look at what I consider
the worst examples of jewelry…Sort of a stange social study that job
turned out to be.Circus performers and jewelry stores and the people who
come to look at them.The clowns paint and antics becomes an odd sort of
jewelry if you squint your eyes just right…Gavin.
Welcome to the list. I am in Kentucky too (Berea). We also worked with Tim
Glotzbach this summer. Isn’t he great. Do you know about the Kentucky Craft
Marketing Program? If you don’t, let me know and I’ll tell you how to get
hooked up with them. There is also the Kentucky Guild of Artists and
Craftsmen.
My wife, Sally, is a graduate of the University of Louisville and she also
studied art history (got her Masters Degree in it). Now she runs our office
and manages production (go figure).