[Jewelry making - Article 00096] - Re: [Orchid] The Jeweler, The Custom Piece and your Inventory

[Nel Bringsjord]

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    Perhaps, as in all discussions, there is the possibility that
    opinions will differ. I am an artist. My abilities are pretty good in
    several areas. I long for my abilities in designing and making
    jewelry to improve and slowly they are. Personally, a lot of
    "creative" jewelry turns me off. Hey, it's my own personal taste. So
    I probably design pieces that some would find boring or pedestrian.
    Same with my paintings. 

    But I strongly believe there are many people who would align
    themselves with my tastes. Many years ago, 20 in fact, I sat next to
    a successful Palm Springs business man, Mel Haber, at the  bar of his
    then newest nightclub. Mel had several hospitality businesses at that
    time and they flourished. I asked him what made them so successful,
    to which he answered that he figured that if he really liked
    something, surely there were others who liked that same thing.
    Fortunately he enjoyed rather posh surroundings in the restaurants
    and clubs in which he wanted to hang out, had good taste and the
    capital to create what he wanted. That and a good knowledge of his
    targeted clientele translated to a rather lucrative business plan. 

    And so it goes with jewelry. Know your customer, know yourself,
    investigate some marketing strategies, know how much capital you can
    invest and make a plan. The county where we live offers classes for
    small business owners and those who want to start small businesses.
    These classes encompass just about every aspect of starting and
    operating a business. Some are one-time classes that just touch
    briefly on these subjects for a few hours and then there are weeks
    long courses that go into better detail. Perhaps you have these same
    offerings in your area.

    As to the "artist's statement"....bleck! I've been an artist all of
    my life, started winning awards for oil painting when I was 12 (40
    years ago). So I totally feel confident that I am a bonafide artist.
    It ain't no airy-fairy thing in my mind. But I think most artist
    statements are a bunch of hooey, for lack of a better euphimism. They
    often strike me as childish and narcissistic. Of course, this might
    come back to haunt me since I am currently working toward the goal of
    earning my MFA with the intent of teaching art at the university
    level. 

    This means I have to submit an artist statement to the art department
    of the university to which I am hoping to matriculate in the masters
    program. The idea of having to write one of these god-awful navel
    pickings is as repulsive to me as the prospect of having to spend
    time with my ex-monster-in-law. I mean, who cares what I was thinking
    when I painted the blah-blah-blah? It strikes me that art, whether is
    is defined by materials such as gold, canvas, clay or photographic
    paper or is intangible such as music or dance, is left to the end
    user or audience to experience individually and subjectively. There
    has to be an implied trust that the artist has in the audience and
    the individual has in the artist that each will do his job in the
    process without a detailed written users manual. Okay, so I guess
    that is my artist statement. Crap....I was really trying to avoid
    that! 

    See...NelTropical Storm Barry blew through and brought us much
    needed rain. The sun is shining and, with a mild breeze, it promises
    to be a delightful day.
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