[Jewelry making - Article 00080] - Re: [Orchid] Jewelry design - what & where to learn

[juliette arda]

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Helen,

>     I've noticed a common thread among this topic's responses. Those
>     who teach classes in jewellery design/making and those who went to
>     college to learn such things, all seem to think it absolutely
>     essential to have classes from a knowledgeable and qualified
>     teacher of such things. I would say they are a tad biased. " (...)
>     "As well as the people who teach jewellery design/making being
>     biased when it comes to thinking it essential that people take such
>     classes, many of these teachers have a very unique style of
>     jewellery and as such are more likely to teach people how to make
>     things similar to their own design aesthetic. 

    What I'd like to explain here is a bit complicate to express in a
    foreign language and I may be blunter than I intend to be. 

    I appreciated your sense of synthesis, as well as the questionnings
    you rise. 

    Yet, as a design and jewellery graduate _and_ as a design and
    jewellery teacher, I feel misunderstood and misrepresented in your
    statements ('offended' is maybe be a too strong word but still... i
    feel upset). I think that you give words to some common
    preconceptions about art & design education. 

    First, I think that 'Design' is not something we (as humans)
    invented, Nature has it all within her. Thus it cannot be taught like
    a recipe, it has to be discovered, understood and assimilated. This
    can be achieved in many ways and through many means, _with or
    __without attending a school_. 

    The Golden Ratio has been mentionned many times in this thread. I
    consider such 'Rule' as a valuable knowledge, but to me, it is not an
    absolut truth but an attempt (rather successfull) to
    understand/achieve perfection. As such the Golden Ratio is more a
    guideline than a rule and I know some incredibly talented designers
    who are clueless about the Golden Ratio. 

    Design as it is taught in school, is not about learning and applying
    a recipe, it is first of all about learning a process, in other
    words, it is not about the shape but about what lead you to this
    shape. 

    Another point is the (un-)distinguinshable border between 'art' and
    'design' or let say 'aesthetic' and 'fonction' or 'expession of one's
    creativity' and 'constraints'...Something that has to be thought
    through, I believe. 

    More over, as the later has to be understood and assimilated, the
    former has to be explored, developped and expressed. Again, these
    lines of thougts and experimentations can be acheived in many ways
    and through many means, _with or __without attending a school_. 

    Nevertheless, learning and going through all this on one's own or
    not is a tough and lifelong task. 

    Attending a school may well help... 

    Being in contact with 'willing teachers', students of all kinds,
    sharing experiences, confronting works and views, assuming
    criticism.... all this in a rather short period of time is an
    enriching contructive experience. But it does not all! 

    There are good and bad students, there are good and bad teachers. 

    Great teacher are not always in a school and not always bear such
    title, they can be craftmen, artists, engineers, they can be among a
    great community website, they can also be childrens or they can be
    trees or even mystical dreams... ( it's what works for you!) 

    LEARNING IS MAINLY A STATE OF MIND. 

    About being a teacher now: 

    Let me begin with two of my favorite sayings, roughly translated:
    'Learning is finding out that you already know, Taking Action is
    showing that you know, Teaching is showing others that they kwon as
    well as you do.' and 'I serve as I rule, I rule as I serve, I learn 
as
    I teach, I teach as I learn.' I think that these phrases really
    relate well to Design teaching. 

    As a teacher, my aim and responsability is to guide students towards
    profiecency and autonomy. 

    It doesn't always happen in the time I have them under my tuition
    but the important thing is to give them tools to achieve this and to
    discover which designer/jeweller they are. 

    Of course students are influenced by their teacher's style! Although
    it is almost inevitable, this is only incidental for the teacher
    him/herself is his/her own teaching tool and learning always begins
    with imitating. Maturity takes time to be reached! 

    AND THIS IS TRUE FOR ALL TYPE OF LEARNING, WITH OR WITHOUT
    ATTENDING A SCHOOL. 

    Moreover, you praise apprenticeship, and i agree it is an excellent,
    hands on way to learn and to get a real-life experience, but it is
    creating more 'clones' than degree courses because an apprentice
    will work yearlong on his master's pieces and will not be asked to
    explore his own world and produce is own collection... 

    Is this wrong? NO. Not every one is drawn to 'art' or 'design'
    jewellery, exploring the trade through more-technical expertise and
    'traditional' designs is likewise rewarding, creative and enriching. 

    And where a 'traditionnal jewellery' apprentice will be grounded and
    selfconfident a 'designj ewellery' graduate might well be far off
    the ground and stressed out with is first out-of-school experience,
    maybe unable to make what would seem to be a simple repair for an
    ex-apprentice. 

    On the other hand, where self taught jewellers are complitely free
    and innovative in their learning path, they often get stuck either
    technically, designwise or both because they lack design and art
    culture or technical refencences. (fortunately orchid exists). 

    Opposing apprenticeship, design degree course and self teaching is a
    mistake. 

    It's all about exploring the same world. There is no 'better-way' to
    do it. We are all complementary The proof of this is in this very
    forum and the ganoksin project longevity and succes. 

    sorry Orchidians, this one is a very long post... 

Salut,
Juliette Arda
Artiste-bijoutiere
Aix en Provenvce, France
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