January 1st kicked off my second annual ladybird lake river pickup. Catching the sunrise, spotting birds and turtles, and bumping along the shoreline grabbing garbage have become the best ritual I can think of for me to welcome in the new year.
It is also satisfying to mark a full year of this line of exploration and discovery. These trash pickups allow me to pay attention to what I feel drawn to in a space outside my studio. They also help me see a broader picture of consumer-end waste and its environmental impact. It signals a shift away from looking at my individual contribution and onto our collective waste stream as a whole.
To round out my January recap,
I have been putting the finishing touches on a new class and ideating the next one. I am making samples, recording processes, and doing a task analysis of when and why I do things the way I do so I can share them with you. I love this part. I learn so much here too. (bubble wrap photo below)
I am making time to create work that doesn't fit anywhere conceptually or stylistically but is floating around in my head. I found the little army guy at a river cleanup last year and have wanted to make it into a ring for a while but couldn't "justify" spending the time knowing it didn't "fit" into my style. This year I want to catch these editing moments and make more room to make for the sake of making. (in process army guy ring photo below)
For those who don't use Instagram, a jewelry community challenge is happening this year with the prompt to create a new pendant every month. I have taken this as an opportunity to make a quick design sketch, and ideally, I get some behind-the-scenes video as I make it. (moth pendant photo below)
Here is a video of January's pendant: It is using my newly acquired scrimshaw skills to carve patterns and the Crafted Findings Riveting system to connect all of the layers with a tube rivet.