Golden Dreams

I'm strangely excited. I have never really felt very creative (although people have told me that I am) - well not originally or visually creative at least - but give me something to start from and I can be well away with things like event planning or decorating or hanging pictures (See? Not exactly ground breaking..!)

But then I started jewellery class just over 6 months ago. Now I'm not one for planning my "design" - it's my way of defying convention (because I'm hardcore like that) - and have always felt more comfortable just experimenting as I go along and seeing what happens. I like to think this hasn't resulted in bad results (see pics), but it IS time consuming and expensive. I have also sadly realised that I can't just sit around for 2 hours a week melting bits of (expensive!) precious metal and hope that I'll keep making something different and nice to look at and wear each time. 

Fortunately my lovely jewellery teacher Emma Jay not only gets how planning in the right way can actually help the creative process, but she can actually explain it to stubborn & clumsy students like me. Hooray! I know know about things like functionality, aesthetics, value and "reflection of self" (the bit that I always got I think, and it's more complicated than checking you look ok in the mirror..). More importantly for me, I have decided I want a project, to try and see if I can work all these things together, to develop myself as a proper artistic designer (haha!) and to bring pleasure to someone else: the finished article is not something that I plan to keep.

I intend in my project to turn an old (bottom of the range) engagement ring, and another gold & diamond ring given to me by an ex, into a new piece of jewellery. This relationship is water long under the bridge I hasten to add - there will be no symbolic or emotional smelting, this is a phoenix from the very cold ashes scenario, a truly exciting prospect where I really want to see if I can make something beautiful and new out of materials that exist in my past, that symbolise a past era in my life, using my new skills. A metamorphosis of my past experiences if you like, into a new, more creative me. There will be a certain irony in using those rings as materials like they were never intended (this will be part of the "reflection of self" Emma, check me out doing my homework!), and when I'm done, I'm going to take lots of photos (so that I can show off, naturally), and then SELL IT. And then when some new owner is delighted with my work, I am going to go out and buy all my friends an awful lot of cocktails with the profits. Can't wait!