check-in : litter pickups and a monthly jewelry challenge
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.