[Jewelry making - Article 00269] - Re: [Orchid] BFA/MFA Vs technical training

[troy hines]

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Hi Liz,

    I am about to tell you what I tell everyone in your position. Go out
    there and get some work. Spend some time toiling, and then gazing at
    your paycheck. Get to know your bosses, your co-workers, look at how
    they do business, who their customers are, what they do to make ends
    meet. Do some bench work for industry, or a small jewelry store, or
    an independent artist. Do some contract soldering, or stone setting,
    etc....Do some design work, do some CAD work, sweep floors...get
    your hands really really really dirty. In my opinion, the best way
    to find your fit is by trying on as many hats as possible. 

    I have a BFA and an MFA in jewelry. These days, from 9 to 5, I work
    as a designer / product development director for a large jewelery
    company. I also do one-of-a-kinds, and custom work out of my home
    studio, plus I teach part-time at a local university. I need the
    jewelry industry work to pay my bills. I also need the dialog,
    intellectual rigor, and community that teaching provides. But I cant
    live without my own very direct creative outlet in my own studio. 

    As a student, I realized early on that you don't learn much from a
    college, or trade program. That's not to say that these programs are
    not of value. There simply isn't enough time to cover what you need
    to know to make a living, or what you need to know to make a
    judgment about which avenue to pursue. I got my first job doing
    soldering and bench assembly for a local jeweler when I was 19, and
    have had a jewelry related job of some kind ever since ( I am
    35....yeesh!). That real life experience helped me to understand
    what I love and what I hate about jewelry, and helped me to guide my
    career towards what I needed creatively and pragmatically. 

    I wish you the best, and hope to hear how you are doing! Good luck! 


   Troy Hines

    (a woman with a strange name...not a man...not that I am sensitive or
    anything...)
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