For any eye care professional, the year 2020 presented some level of excitement. For this optometrist, who had retired to follow her dream of pursuing a creative life, I made a specific goal at the beginning of the year to have 20 jewelry shows. I had had some good shows in 2019, which was the first year that I did not work as an optometrist, and I was anxious to build on that. I felt confident; it was clearly in my sights.
Things started off well. I applied and was accepted to some shows. I took a little trip to Phoenix and found some beautiful beads. I made some original PMC pieces and discovered a place to fire them in my hometown of Peoria, Illinois. I was exploring different ideas and techniques for theme jewelry- feathers for The LAM Foundation’s 25th anniversary, and tea botanicals for the tea festival in Seattle, WA.
Then, as you know, the global pandemic hit and the prospect of in-person shows died. I was fortunate that my family and I remained healthy. I was able to sew, so I made fabric masks. In the early months, I would spend 10-12 hours sewing and mailing out masks, often without eating lunch. I looked at countless videos, and tried to design the perfect mask. I ended up sewing hundreds of masks, and along with my sister-in-law and a matching donor, raised over $30,000 for The LAM Foundation. I considered selling masks in addition to jewelry at shows in the fall, if the COVID mitigation efforts were successful.
In major ways jewelry making was taking the backseat to sewing. This would become the year that I explored quilting and renewed my interest in garment making, but more importantly, it made me want to be more civic minded and socially aware. In addition to The LAM Foundation virtual silent auction, there were fundraisers for the anti-racism and social justice movement, that grew after the deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. I joined these collective efforts and will continue to look for ways to contribute and fight for positive change.
In the fall I read that Pete Souza, the photographer for the Obama White House, was posting photos on Instagram in response to Trump’s tweets. I, too, was feeling increasingly anxious and concerned about the upcoming presidential election. I wondered if I could create a VOTE face mask a day for 50 days until the election. I would try to represent critical issues, or reference an event. It became an exercise in social studies, history, current events, creative printing and sewing, and Instagram posting. I hope that by the next election, the need for face masks and many of the the issues represented will be a thing of the past.
As I clean house for the new year, I have added a table and many bins of fabric to my jewelry studio. I did not foresee this or accomplish my goal of 20 jewelry shows, but in hindsight, I have a much clearer vision of who I am and what is possible for Turandot Designs.
Happy New Year!