Struggling to Make Jewelry?
Sleep on It!
© by Pamela Vale; all rights reserved
Last night, I sat down to make jewelry - more because I had to than because I wanted to. I was grateful I had made a big sale the previous week, but now I was very low on inventory and feeling pressure. Because most of the jewelry I make is one-of-a-kind, I can't mentally "check out" while I'm working. I have to think and be present. Usually, that's what I love most about my jewelry business. I enjoy creating something new and not having to mass-produce. But last night was different. My mind was elsewhere. I felt forced to make jewelry, which for me is like death creatively. Because of commitments I had to keep, I kept working, not really loving any of the jewelry I made. Adding to my discomfort was the fact that nothing was coming easily and I was working much slower than normal. Just as I started to get dramatic and think that everything needed to be taken apart, I forced myself to get up. I took a nice hot shower, put on my favorite nightclothes and went to bed. From past experience, I have learned that things look different in the morning. Most of the time they can even be better after a good night's sleep, when my mind is clear and my eyes are fresh. In the morning, I made my way to my studio. I felt slightly anxious thinking about what I might find. Were the pieces of jewelry I had created last night really as bad as I thought they were? Would all that time have been wasted? I sat down and began pulling out the pieces one by one. The first one didn't seem so bad. The second one was not bad either. As I checked out each piece I began to chuckle. I realized how clouded my thinking was the night before when I was forcing myself to make jewelry, and how hard I can be on myself. Walking away had been the right move. This lesson has saved me countless hours and alleviated a lot of frustration. If you feel stuck, blank or just don't like what's coming out, GET UP. Move. Do something else for a while and come back with "new eyes". Sometimes all you really need is a fresh outlook - and a good night's sleep.
Author Pamela Vale of Creative Potential creates handmade jewelry and accessories, with vintage and new materials. Her website is home of The Family Jewels - custom, handmade, personalized "future heirlooms" sculpted in silver, embellished with vintage and semi-precious birthstones. Return to top of Struggling to Make Jewelry? Sleep on It!. Return to A Cure for Jewelry Designer's Block. Return to Home Jewelry Business Success Tips home page.
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