recycled silk sari ribbon-now on cards- 3 feet for $2.

Hello spring!  How I've missed you!!!

I've finally landed from a show-packed late winter and it is good to be home for more than a week!  Tucson was amazing in all kinds of crazy & biz-related ways, I had wonderful students in my workshops in San Francisco/Concord, and I have a great line-up of trunk shows and teaching gigs coming up in May.  I am feeling totally overwhelmed, but in an amazing way!  As draining as owning your own business can be, it can be weirdly invigorating-that my be the sleep deprivation talking, but as long as I remember where I'm supposed to be and wear pants, I think I'm doing ok.

We've been having a great time with all the new Tucson and California finds-new gemstones, pearls and pewter, as well as a great find of vintage and antique Venetian seed beads...white hearts, onion skins, opals and more!  New samples every day and we're adding some new workshops both here at the shop and at teaching gigs around the counrty.  Check out our calendar for more info on where we'll be and when.

Thanks for all your patience while I've been away and for keeping Penny, Jen & Kisha company-see you soon!

School's Out for summer...

School is coming to a close for many children & adults alike. Graduations are plentiful and many of us are wondering if it is too late for summer plans...I think not!

We have just updated our workshop schedule online and are looking for a few good men (& women) to teach workshops. Do you have a skill or talent that is unrealized? Have something to share, but nowhere to teach? Come teach here!!!!

Your workshop does not need to be bead related (although we'd love that too). Anything that you think others might be interested in learning about is fair game. Digital photography-absolutely (I still don't know how to use my camera to its full potential). Encaustic painting-yes, please! Polymer clay, fabric & fiber, writing, drawing, silk painting, knitting-the sky is the limit! We will have workshop proposals here at the shop outlining what tools & supplies are needed, space considerations, class size and payment info. Talk to Beth anytime with questions about your proposal.

We'll also be rolling out some new drop in workshops for summer on the business of design, pricing your work and beyond basic jewelry design. Look for the first meeting of a new metal clay chapter too.

Thanks for all creativity you share with us and let us share with you!

The feminine side

I was exhibiting at the Kitsap Arts & Crafts Festival in Port Gamble last year. I love this show and have been involved since I moved to Washington (it was the first show I did, even before I opened the gallery).

I had many pieces, but as usual, the drilled beach glass and stones got the most attention.

I explained to folks how I drilled the glass and stones and I even have the drill corers I use for sale at the show. Nothing unusual about that, someone always asks about the bits I use, so I found from experience it is better to be prepared. Here's the unusual part...at least 10 people were astonished that I would spill my "secrets" of how I make my pieces. They were even more shocked that I would sell the hard found tools of my trade (trust me, I tried every masonry, jewelry and lapidary bit out there until I found these corers). One woman nearly fell over when I gave her my business card with my email and cell phone number and told her to call if she ran into any problems drilling her pieces.

Now, I admit, this is not the first time this has happened. I do many shows and have sold many bits over the years, and I do the same thing every time...I tell people exactly how I drill the pieces, what my set up is, my tools, how fast to run the drill-I even printed up instructions to had out. Then I hand them a card with my contact information so that they can call if they get stuck.

Apparently, people find this highly unusual. I can see their point...

In business we are taught to be competitive, we need to beat our competition. In the current marketplace the business owner or CEO's goal is to sell better, faster, cheaper, & more than the other guy and hopefully, drive him out of the marketplace. It's dog eat dog, and when one dog tries to undercut the other, the attacked fights back with a better deal or a special coupon or anything to get the customer to buy from them and not the other guy. Adversarial? Absobloodylutely! How can any business expect to create loyalty when they are constantly attacking? Or cutting prices to beat the other store? Or thinking up new and more underhanded ways to bring customers to their store and prevent them from shopping at another? Not to be too sexist, but this is a very male way of doing business.

And I really don't mean to be sexist. This competitive model has worked for many years, and competition can be good. Competition drives us to excel in various ways; it makes us reach and strive in ways that can be unusual for us which can lead to new ways of thinking. However, this reaching & striving can turn dirty and fast. When "winning" is the only goal, the fight turns and things can get nasty. So what is the other option? If winning isn't the goal, then what is?

Well, I think the other goal is winning through cooperation. What if everyone wins? No losers, just everyone reaching and learning and helping each other along instead of leapfrogging off another. This is the more feminine model. Women are taught to stand together; to share burdens, group tasks and share responsibility for projects. Ever tried to cook a holiday dinner for 12? Very difficult unless, you dole out tasks to others; and disastrous if you try to make it the best holiday dinner ever...way better than Grandma's, all alone. Grandma never worked alone, why do you think you can best her working solo? And what would that kind of victory mean? Would it engender you to the family? Your victory would be nothing, just "your victory". In any other context, it is still a solo victory, you besting others and nothing else.

So...I view my success as an artist differently. I learned my craft from other folks who were willing to share their successes and failures and trials with others because they thought what they did was worth passing on. Keeping their "secrets" would not make their work any more precious because no one would know the kind of effort & skill involved in their process. For anyone to really appreciate artwork, a little about the technique used to create the piece has to shine through. So I thank all those who came before me, those who tried & failed and learned and passed on what they knew so that we could appreciate what came before us, enjoy the process of "making a living" and swell with pride as they share what they have learned with others. After all, how "accomplished" would I be if no one thought they could learn anything from me.