Time Flies

 Where does the time go?  Already May 2025.  OK, let's catch up.

In the past two months I have created several new designs and sold them nearly as fast as I can list them in my Etsy shop.  I'll include them below.  Several are still available.

I started advertising through Etsy as well, in mid April, and it is proving to be a game changer!  They really get your items out there and affordably too, especially if you have a full shop. (This is not a paid endorsement either!)

Sterling silver prices nearly doubled right after I began integrating it into my work, go figure.  I will continue as long as I can afford it but in smaller offerings, meaning fewer listings. 

Meanwhile as the world is in chaos all around us, keep the faith and keep creating!

Click the "shop Now" button to go to my Etsy shop.
Thank you for following along my Creative Journey! 

Anatomy of Creating

 As I finished up a jewelry piece the other day I wondered how it came to be created.  Sometimes I start out with something in my mind and it happens, or it develops on its own based on my intuition about it.  The latter is usually the case.  They just create themselves.  I am only the hands that try to work as fast as the ideas come.  

I believe the state of mind is called "the zone", a place where runners, musicians and artists often are.  Time flies, in fact we're not even thinking about time, we're too deeply connected to the task of creating.  

I love taking photos for the same results, I'm just guided by the scene.  In jewelry it's a little more hands on than seeing through the lens, and there are also other things to consider, like textures, weight, and materials. 

 Jewelry pieces can take days, even weeks to create.  I may find the muse has gone and have to leave it on the workbench until I'm inspired again, but it never disappoints me as I'll come back and finish with the same enthusiasm.  Sometimes I'll see it in my head first, or get an idea as I'm first waking up - or going to sleep.  That's another thing, we're obsessed with our art!  

Anyone who considers themselves an artist at any medium, knows the passion and obsession that drives us to create.  We - just - can't - help - it!  It's in us, in our core.  Nothing can remove it from us.

I tried working jobs when I was younger that were behind a desk or in a shop or factory, but the mundane routine drove me mad!  Even now I struggle a bit to get to work and perform the tasks - but I am self employed, it's my own business and I have much more flexibility than those other "jobs".  I'm also very active at work, so the time flies by.

Sometimes I worry I haven't made enough money, but honestly, I'd be dead had I worked behind a desk!  Fulfillment is far more important to me than money.  As long as I can pay the bills and have time to create, I'm completely satisfied.

I don't know where the muse comes from, if it's outside of me or part of me, it is indeed a mystery, but I am grateful for its presence in my life.

 

New Year New Plans

I love to make plans and set goals for the coming year, realistic ones and with a plan.  

I usually make notes for a couple weeks leading up to the Winter Solstice and then spend that day in a ritual of comfort foods, notebooks, lit candles and meditation, always coming out of it feeling rejuvenated and inspired for the coming year.

I've been creating and selling metal jewelry for about five years now.  I love, it's creative, it's a tangible thing, it's abstract and it's art.  However I also need to profit from it to justify doing it.  It's my schedule C income that offsets my main taxes.  

This past year sales have dropped off.  I had hoped to get into more galleries, the one experience I had wasn't good, so I went back to online sales.  Honestly, the supplies sell better.

So I'm dropping J Gray Design for now.  I'll keep the Etsy shop open through January but I'm not making any new items.  I can sell off some of the tools and supplies in my supply shop JGD Supplies .

My main focus for 2019 will be to get back to my first love, photography, in black and white.  I love this medium, it's as close to fine art as I can get.  I'm not interested in portraits or weddings or babies, I just love creating a piece of fine art in black and white, whether it's scenic or still life.  It's challenging, it's fun and very creative.

I have a website at Fine Art America, Pixels actually, which I've used for a couple years.  I have my domain name pointing there now, www.jenigrayphotography.com , but I hope to sign up with Zenfolio soon and that may become my main site.

I'd also like to try some additional Print On Demand sites like Society 6 and RedBubble.

I'll be changing the names of this blog and my Facebook page and make an announcement there.  I'm sure my jewelry fans will be disappointed and they're under no obligation to stay connected.

Moving forward I want to share articles and tips on photography, but from the artistic point of view.  The internet is already flooded with tutorials and technical jargon.  I already have an extensive collection of blog posts from previous versions of this blog.

So hopefully, moving forward, I'll be more content and less stressed about creating and selling a product.  It doesn't cost me anything to create a beautiful photograph, just the sites I host them on and of course cost to print, but that's after the purchase.

I hope this finds you looking forward to something fresh for the coming new year.

Jewelry Design

Since 2013 I have been learning and creating in metal, specifically techniques using fold form, air chase and light forging.  I am fascinated with taking a seemingly solid, inflexible medium and shaping it in ways that make it look fluid!  It still amazes me when I create something from a blank sheet of metal.

I have since opened an Etsy shop for the finished items.  

 Because I love all kinds of jewelry, I also work with semi precious gemstones, wire, bone, glass, leather, and all form of natural components to put it all together with.

You can visit there at this link:  J Gray Design  .

In 2017 I saw a need for handmade supplies so I opened another shop.  I have enjoyed making hand dyed ribbon, tassels and other dyed fabrics.  I also offer Rudraksha beads from India and lava rocks for essential oils.  

You can visit there at this link:  JGD Supplies .

I try to post as much of it on my Pinterest boards as well, but here are a few photos of some of my finished work:

In my next post I'll focus on the photography end of my art business.