Back to Work

At the beginning of this summer I quit my day job to work for myself.

It was a hard choice to make since I did love my position and
coworkers at Angie Star Jewelry. 

I learned so much over the past two years being a part of this small business of talented women. Each of them bring their own magic to this tiny shop and make it shine.
What a lucky find.  

But I needed to make a choice for myself that wasn't based on income. So I took a jump and decided to work for Emily. She's got a lot to learn about time management for herself, including putting the kittens outside the studio for a while to be able to concentrate. 

I'm surprised by how busy I've kept! I try to work for myself like a regular job 9-5 each day and feel like I've hardly stopped once all summer. OK maybe once or twice... to visit Moab in June and this past week on a surprise vacation to San Diego- 

*thank you boyfriend*

Now it's back to work. I've invested in my business: a new computer to launch my website, a booth tent for markets, making fun displays, and lots of materials for new jewelry. Creating a schedule for myself has been the hardest part. I might map out my week but it never goes the way I plan. I might get things done right before a show, but feel like I scramble to get back up afterwards. I need a solid production schedule for jewelry, a set blogging/marketing time, and a huge focus on photography and working on my Etsy shop
(the most time consuming of all). 

I always dreaded August as "back to school time" Nooooo! But this summer I feel that I've enjoyed the sunshine and some travel and I'm ready and excited to go back to work. 

I'm grateful to say I love my job. 

decoratemylife.com

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