Artist shove down

I love being an artist. Coming up with new ideas and seeing how they turn out. Sometimes they are cool and other times they should be thrown away. Either way it's just fun developing ideas. Well a job can kinda ruin that. Maybe not all jobs, but some can. For example you actually can't design anything because the customer is the one designing it (or a sales person). In the end you have to make it they way they like it and it's still art, but for me sometimes that kills creativeness. Yes it can also bring about better ideas and development so don't get me wrong. Lately I just feel that at my day job I can't be an artist. I do as they say like a robot. Yes I get to build jewelry, but not how I want to or how I think it should be. It's always how everyone else wants it to be. So would I be considered a designer? Not in my opinion. I feel I can only truly be a designer when I have the freedom to put my thoughts into a new design. Otherwise it's like an assembly line to me. This is why I love DanaArts. I am able to freely create anything I want without someone telling me what I need to do or how to do it. That is what it's all about for me. That's why I keep on going and keep on pushing forward even when no one knows who or what DanaArts does. I will continue on forever creating what I enjoy doing. It's what keeps me going and pushing on in new ways. If you are feeling the Artist Shove Down then take a break and do something creative. It will inspire you to create beautiful things.

The feeling when being shoved down and you have to shine to overcome it.

Coil Pots

I miss working with clay. I've mainly only mixed my natural clay and built coil pots and fired them in an open fire. I really don't have access to natural clay anymore so I have tried buying some pre mixed clay that seamed to be similar to what I would mix. I have not had time to test fire it yet, but I miss mixing and working with clay. I think I have too many hobbies that I just can't get enough time for. I bounce around between them and never get to fully fulfill my intentions. I don't have time at the moment to build any coil cooking pots, but I hope to very soon (just like everything else, lol). This image shows a pot I've done in the past. It has a red ocher slip on the outside. It came out great. I truly wish I could continue to gather my own clay and do it all from scratch. There's nothing like finding a clay source and testing it to see how good it is. Or to try and make not so pure clay still work. To make it easier for now I'll have to use the premixed clay. Well, here's to hoping for more time. :)

Red slip coil pot.  Fired in an open fire pit. — Red slip coil pot. Fired in an open fire pit.

Leatherworking

This is something I enjoy very much. I've never fully done or made all that I've wanted to or I haven't learned everything I want to learn about it. I've usually only made things out of soft leather, but would love to start learning how to work hard and thick leather along with tooling it. I might also try and mix leather with material. Maybe this year I can get back into leather work because I miss it. If you read this and don't see any postings of images with leather in them, then please reach out and tell me to get on it. Thanks, :)

Crafts "My Way"

I've always have loved to make things with my hands. All growing up I found things to make from woven string bracelets to leather work. I preferred staying home to make things rather than go out to a party or have fun in other ways. Now that I'm all grown up and still growing up, I still prefer to stay at home when ever I can to make something rather than go out and tour the city. The only difference now is that I don't have much time to do the crafts that I enjoy. Work gets in the way of my hobbies as it does with most of us and when we have time we are tired and have less energy than we once did especially if you have kids like I do.

I feel I have even less time now with a job and a family and my side art that I make and sell. My crafts are more of a hobby because I can never find the time to work on them and selling them may cost too much for most people. The time that goes into making some things I don't feel I could ever get paid what it's really worth. Either way I don't want to not offer it for sale either. I will start to add crafts to my crafts section as I finish projects. There will be very few and the price may or may not reflect all the time put into the project. I'll have to decide that when I list it.

My crafts will consist of a variety of things. Leather work, coil pots, gourds, or any other mixture of materials used to make them "my way". They are made with love since they are done in my "spare" time and I do my best to use natural materials. I hope you'll enjoy viewing them if you are not purchasing them. Fun Fun Fun. :)