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| 27 Apr 2009 06:00:37 pm |
 Achievements and the Little Green Monster |
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Have you ever had a friend who was so naturally talented, and achieved so much of what you wanted for your own life, that you were jealous of her almost as often as you enjoyed her company? Well, I have one. She's beautiful and skilled and driven and she's already reached so many goals in her career that I can hardly stand it sometimes. She makes me crazy. No, let me correct that. *I* am making me crazy.
None of us create in a vacuum. We're always keeping our ears to the ground, checking in with other designers, sharing news and information and keeping tabs on each others' web sites and achievements. And while that's all good and positive for the most part, sometimes we don't like what we hear, because in a competitive medium, there's not always room for all of us. We don't get accepted to every show or festival we apply to. We can't all win the Niche Award, the Merit Award, or the Best Booth award, every time. We're not all given the same opportunities because well, design and art are subjective. And yes, politics play a part in the "who gets what" in the jewelry world, just as much as it does in anything else. So many times, we're going to feel left out. And y'know, we're sensitive creative types. So we get emotionally devastated very easily. It sucks sometimes, but the highs and lows of this life are what we ride, every day. Fortunately, they typically balance each other out!
But sometimes we run across a person who just seems to have SO much that it's a little hard to swallow. And no matter how nice or deserving that person might be (and trust me, she is plenty of both), we go home and have a pity party for ourselves in our studios. And then, hopefully, we get out of our heads and back to our benches and get to work. Because you know what the best cure for jealousy is? Earning your own achievements. If you're feeling jealous, push harder. Dig deeper. Create your absolute best work. And if that's not good enough, go back to the table and create more. Because it's there. It's inside you, waiting to get out. And when you let the creativity happen, you will reach your own pinnacles, and others' achievements won't matter quite so much. And maybe one day you'll even thank them (even if it's silently, in your own head!) for igniting that creative spark that allowed you to bring out what is buried within you.
And to my friend, who in addition to being gifted, driven, and brilliant, is absolutely authentic, down to earth, caring and super-supportive of everyone around her - thank you for pushing me further, both intentionally and unintentionally, and for all the great times we have together. You know I wish you ONLY the best, in everything. Keep achieving!
Working on a paler shade of green,
Jill |
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Category : General
| Posted By : Jill |  Comments[0] |  Trackbacks [0] |
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| 20 Apr 2009 05:28:35 pm |
| Falling In Love... |
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Oooh, things have been busy here! But I finally had a little time to work on new Sticks designs...it's been almost two years since I first created that line, and I've had additional designs in the sketchbook ever since. So late last week, I carved out a little time to put them on a work board to see how they looked with the actual metal components, instead of just ink scratches on paper. And they looked...weird. I really was disappointed at first, because they just weren't speaking to me. So, after a lot of fiddling with them, I finally got up to do something else. I've found that sometimes it's good to step away from my work for a while and come back to it with a fresh perspective.
Several hours later, I came back to that design board and kind of peeked at the new designs. And hey, they didn't look quite so bad...I played with some of the bars, moved some pearls around, and they were starting to grow on me. And now, days later, I am so excited about them! I don't have any time to devote to them this week, because I'm getting ready for the Inman Park show (yay) but I can't wait to get back to the work board and start the process of connecting them together! Some may not survive the actual construction phase, but I think most of them will make it through and I am eager to see how they turn out. I hope to have them ready for the Roswell Colors Festival on Mother's Day weekend, and I can't wait to hear your comments!
Artistically yours,
Jill |
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Category : General
| Posted By : Jill | Comments[0] | Trackbacks [0] |
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