Secret sources for jewelry designs that sell
Creative thinking, in any field is exhilarating, magical, idea popping and frustrating.
Unlike a math problem, where there is a certain formula to follow, creative thinking
involves education, discipline, imagination, playful abandonment, adventure, positive
expectation, personal exposure, emotional expression and precise detail…and rarely at
the same time or order.
Your first assignment, regarding jewelry design, is to take the pressure off and relax.
Millions of jewelry designs are possible and they are waiting to be found, or re-
created with your specific touch.
Ideas for great designs are waiting to be found! Expect the unexpected.
If you feel anxious about your ability to innovate or create, you subtly blind yourself to
the mysterious world of inspiration.
Where to look for your Inspiration:
1. The first obvious choice would be jewelry design catalogs or magazines.
You can do a search online and scout about. Go to some artisan markets. Of
course, you don.t want to copy, but you won.t need to. Your mind will have
different interpretations, and your choice of materials can make all the difference.
You might want to check out: Arts and Crafts Mega-Ezine; as an ongoing source
for ideas and inspiration.
2. Expose Yourself – Careful now, keep it legal! Expose yourself to the most
creative people you can find. Whether they are musicians, painters,
woodworkers, actors or children. Surround yourself with an influence that
anticipates the unexpected and welcomes new ways of thinking. You will be
inspired, and when you are inspired, your creativity will find you.
3. Travel – Get your body moving…away from your worktable. Walk in the woods,
go to the beach, visit the museum, or explore the art gallery.
4. Study - Keep refining your craft. Buy books, read e-courses, take local classes,
teach a class (you learn so much more when you actually teach what you know).
By adding more techniques to your portfolio, your ideas can.t help but to expand.
5. Rest – You may remember the classic movie The Gambler, with Kenny Rogers.
Rogers is a gambler in need of a life-saving idea. The theme song became a top
hit: “You gotta know when to hold „em, know when to fold „em, know when to
walk away, and know when to run.”
Sometimes the smartest thing you can do when the juices dry up is to walk away.
FORGET ABOUT IT! Tell yourself you don.t need to know what to do, that it will
come to you at the right time. Then go play golf, or run 5 miles or go shopping.
Whatever will distract you from the need to be creative; do it! If you need to,
leave it alone for 24 hours or a week.
But while you distract yourself, there here a few helpful tips:
. This is not the time to punish yourself for not being productive. You are
being productive – you are releasing your knotted brain.
. Put the beads away if you need to. Don.t walk by and look into the room
and see a pile of “nothing going on” lying on the table. Clean it up. Put it
away and tell yourself that when YOU are ready, you will take it out. The
priority is your energy flow, not the project.
. Don.t go talking about how frustrated you are or how stuck you feel. Talk,
if you choose to, with friends who don.t know a thing about jewelry. Listen
to their stories of caring for the kids or minding the garden. Let your
insistent mind lose its grip on your thoughts.
. HAVE FUN. Don’t feel guilty for a second. Enjoy yourself.
If you will try it out, you will be surprised. New ideas will spring into your mind
like a targeted rubber band snap. Before you know it, you will be busy again and
enjoy yourself as you bend the wire, knot the thread, and count your beads.
Are you wondering how to price your jewelry so that you actually make a profit? We are
all over it! Stay tuned; your next chapter will address product pricing specifically.