Gone Walkabout

I quit my day job.
While I have the cushion of living at home I decided this summer was the right time for me to make a commitment to myself as an artist.

I'm kind of on a "walkabout" to find inspiration and drive to become the craftswoman and businesswoman that I want to be. I want to dive in head first to Emily Claire Studio, my jewelry, my art, and the shows and markets that I'll be attending as a vendor for the first time. Creating this blog is also part of my artistic endeavor. I will try to write more often, share about myself, what inspires me, what I love about metalsmithing, other artists, and lessons I've learned while traveling.

This Pinterest Board shows some of my current inspirations for travel this summer.

So the first thing I did was take off for the desert. Ummm an extremely dry boring plot of unending nothingness is very inspiring Emily... but in Colorado if you drive far enough through the dusty San Luis Valley you come across the Great Sand Dunes, and at the right time of year (May-June) the Medano Creek runs along the base of the dunes.

The water was only a couple inches deep and runs right across the warm sand. It was so nice to wander through the water and take in the views of the mountains and sand dunes around us. 

And here's my adventurer brother Jordan. We tried to sled down the dunes, which allllmost worked. A piece of cardboard would have worked better than a sled.

Beware the sun. 

Lesson learned: don't wear flip flops unless you want to hobble back over the dunes with broken ones. Tennis shoes are too hard to walk in the sand, so socks are the winner, really! Your feet won't burn on the hot sand and you can still sink in and run around. 

Lastly, don't take your camera up there... oops. Had to take it apart when I got home and blow out the sand. Although I love to take photos, I mean really really love to, I've been trying to tell myself to put the camera down sometimes. Just enjoy the moment and see it with your own eyes while you're there.  A photo can never capture the colors, scents, sounds, breezes, shadows, textures, or details that you can by experiencing the moment fully. It's hard as an artist to stop framing the scene as a piece of art... and try to remember the time you spent there instead. 

If you've never been it's definitely worth the trip. There's a great campground in the park, called the Pinon Flats Campground. It fills up fast though! I'd say to make reservations wayyy in advance or get there really early (like 10am) to find an empty spot. 

In Emily Claire Studio news I'm excited to be a vendor at this weekend's Horseshoe Market in Denver. It will be held on July 12th, from 9am- 3pm, at 46th and Tennyson St. Horseshoe Market will be a great chance to see some handcrafted goods and visit my booth to see my freshest jewelry! 

Thanks for reading and I hope to continue this blog with all kinds of interesting topics :)
<3 Em