Welcome to my world
A gentle breeze blows through the wildflowers and trees outside the floor-to-ceiling windows. Konmari-ed and Feng Shui-ed, the light-filled studio is a picture-perfect, expansive and uncluttered workspace.
I pause the video of another jewelry artist and return to the application for a local art fair…and my world.
“Submit a photo of your studio.”
Thank goodness I saved that photo I sent to a friend last June, when I literally had no workspace on my IKEA Hemnes desk - just a pile of beads, findings, and tools - and had made a clean sweep of it. But, when asked to describe my process, I realize it’s at a messy desk where I am at my creative best, where I see the elements of my jewelry come to life - the colors, the proportions, the interplay with light - and how treasures from years of collecting finally find their rightful place.
Living a dream
I may not have a video-worthy studio, but it is a dream-worthy place. I am at that third phase of life, sandwiched between an 87-year-old mother, who is needing more care and affirmation of a life well-lived, and a 23-year-old son, who is facing his entire adult life and how to live it. At his age, I made a pivotal decision to pursue optometry and have recently retired from a 30-year career.
I now want to fully embrace a long closeted, creative life. Amidst the clutter, jewelry making brings me much joy, and I envision so many ways that Turandot Designs can realize a dream.
As the world turns
Did Mom remember to take her medication today?
Will my son find a career path?
Did the dog just eat some beads?
Will the roof leak get fixed before the next rain?
How did my beading needle and thread end up on that sock?
Mom, what’s for dinner?
Stay tuned!